APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUSLY RECTIFYING TWO-PIECE HARD CAPSULES

• US 3,817,423 A
• Filed: 01/31/1973
• Issued: 06/18/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hugh P. Mcknight
• Original Assignee: Hugh P. Mcknight
• Inventors: McKnight, Hugh P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tollberg, Stanley H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Skaggs, Jr., H. G.
• Application Number:
  US05/328,184
• Time in Patent Office: 503 Days
• Field of Search: 221/171,172,173,157,158,159 198/33AA,33AC
• US Class Current: 198/392
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 35/56 Orientating, i.e. changing the attitude of, articles, e.g. of non-uniform cross-section

Abstract

Apparatus for continuously rectifying two-piece hard capsules comprising a stationary receptacle for holding randomly-oriented two-piece hard capsules in communication with and cooperating with a laterally reciprocating rotatable feeding element having a plurality of equi-spaced openings therein, said openings in essentially axial alignment with a concentrically rotatable circular bank of cooperating vertical tubes into which said capsules are fed, means for delivering said capsules to a rectifying element which orients said capsules into a position wherein the body section thereof is directed toward the exit from said apparatus, and means for ejecting said capsules therefrom.

Claims

1. An apparatus for the continuous high-speed rectification of two-piece hard capsules comprising:

a. a stationary receptacle for holding randomly-oriented twopiece hard capsules, b. a laterally reciprocating, rotatable randomly-orientedcapsule feeding element, said element spatially disposed immediately below said receptacle and cooperating and in communication with said receptacle, c. a concentrically rotatable delivery element connectedly disposed immediately below said feeding element, said delivery element comprised of a plurality of vertically disposed hollow tubes cooperating and in communication with said feeding element, and means for regulating the delivery of individual capsules from said feeding element to a rectifying element. d. the rectifying element fixedly disposed immediately below said delivery element comprised of a rotatable rectifyingplate, means for moving vertically positioned randomly-oriented capsules to horizontally positioned body-section-outboardoriented capsules, and means for moving horizontally positioned body-section-outboard-oriented capsules to vertically positioned body-section-down-oriented capsules, e. means for discharging vertically positioned body-sectiondown-oriented capsules from said rectifying plate, and f. means for effecting the synchronized rotation of said feeding and delivery elements and rectifying-plate.

2. a chamfer disposed on the upper end of said holes disposed in said plate,

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein a centrally disposed cone is located with the base beginning immediately above the laterally reciprocating, rotatable feeding element, said cone having the outside circumference of its base at the inside circumference of a plurality of chamfered holes disposed in said laterally reciprocating, rotatable feeding element, said cone being truncated and supported on the centrally disposed post to which said cylindrical walls of said receptacle are connectd.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein a flexible baffle is disposed transversely in said receptacle between said cylindrical wall and said cone, said flexible baffle being supported from one of the plurality of arms which connect said central support post with said cylindrical walls of said receptacle.

5. means for rotating said eccentric cam as said feeding element is being independently rotated.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the reciprocating movement of the feeding element is provided by an eccentric cam disposed in an elongated slot in said feeding element, the long axis of said elongated slot residing along a radius line of said feeding element, said eccentric cam being driven by a stationary gear affixed to said central support post and being rotated by a drive gear affixed to said eccentric cam, said drive gear being engaged with said stationary gear.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said concentrically rotatable delivery element is comprised of a plurality of vertically disposed cylindrical hollow tubes cooperating with and in communication with the feeding element, said hollow tubes being axially aligned with said chamfered holes in said feeding element, said hollow tubes having a first circumferential course of lateral slots disposed on the outboard side thereof, said first lateral slotS located at a distance from the origin of said hollow tubes equal to at least one and one-half the length of the two-piece hard capsules being rectified in said apparatus, a first outboard idler pulley located in the said circumferential plane as said first lateral slots in said hollow tubes, a first flexible O-ring disposed in said first lateral slots and around said first outboard idler pulley, a second circumferential course of lateral slots disposed in said hollow tubes, said second course of lateral slots being located at a distance from said first course of lateral slots by at least one and one-half the length of the capsules being rectified in said apparatus, a second idler pulley stationarily disposed outboard to the second course of lateral slots and located in the same circumferential plane thereof, and a second flexible O-ring disposed in said second lateral slots and around said second idler pulley.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said rectifying element is comprised of a rotatable rectifying-plate, said rectifying plate being fixedly connected to the bottom end of said feeding element, said rectifying-plate further having a plurality of vertical holes communicating and cooperating with and having essentially the same inside diameter as the hollow tubes in said feeding element, said rectifying-plate also being of a thickness of slightly more than the length of the two-piece hard capsules being rectified, said rectifying-plate having vertically disposed slots extending from the outside circumferential face thereof to each of the plurality of said vertical holes therein, said vertical slots having an inside width of slightly less than the outside diameter of both the cap section and the body section of the capsules being rectified in said apparatus, said rectifying-plate further having a plurality of lateral slots equi-spaced from the top to the bottom of said rectifying-plate and extending from the circumferential face thereof to the inside vertical circumferential plane of the plurality of said vertical holes disposed in said rectifying-plate.

9. The rectifying element of claim 8 wherein a stationarily disposed stop-plate is disposed immediately beneath said rectifying-plate, said stop plate extending from a point just before said second flexible O-ring leaves the second circumferential course of lateral slots in said hollow tubes to turn-around said second idler pulley, to a position just behind the point where a positioning-plate used to move the randomly-oriented capsules from said vertical holes to said vertical slots exits from the lateral circumferential slot in said rectifying-plate in which said positioning-plate is disposed.

10. The rectifying element of claim 8 wherein a positioning-plate is disposed in the middle of three lateral circumferential slots in said rectifying plate, said positioning-plate located so that the leading edge of said positioning-plate contacts the two-piece hard capsules in said vertical holes in said rectifying-plate at an angle essentially tangential to said rectifying-plate at the point of contact between said positioning-plate and the capsules and continues to a point outboard of said rectifying-plate at which point said positioning-plate is stationarily connected to support post.

11. The rectifying element of claim 8 wherein a reorientation-bar is disposed adjacent to the outer periphery of said rectifying-plate from a point just behind said positioning-plate in the direction of rotation of said rectifying-plate to a point in said direction of rotation just before the location where the reoriented capsules are discharged from said rectifying-plate, said reorientation-bar beginning at a point immediately above the rectifying-plate and descending to a point immediately below the bottom of said rectifying-plate at which point said reorientation-bar is stationarily connected to a support post.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the means for discharging vertically positioned body-section-down-oriented capsulEs from said rectifying-plate comprises a plurality of free-turning wheels, said free-turning wheels disposed in the same vertical plane and supported by a stationary post, said free-turning wheels being so located that at one point the wheels extend into the circumferential lateral slots in said rectifying-plate to approximately the vertical circumferential plane defined by the outboard circumference of the plurality of vertical holes in said rectifying-plate.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the means for discharging vertically positioned body-section-down-oriented capsules from said rectifying-plate comprises a plurality of skid bars, said skid bars being disposed within each of the circumferential lateral slots in said rectifying-plate and extending into said lateral slots to approximately the vertical circumferential plane defined by the outboard circumference of the plurality of vertical holes in said rectifying-plate, said skids exiting from said lateral slots at an acute angle to the direction of rotation of said rectifying-plate and extending to a stationarily disposed support post to which said skids are connected.

14. An apparatus for the continuous high-speed rectification of two-piece hard capsules comprising:

a. a receptacle for holding randomly-oriented two-piece hard capsules, b. a laterally reciprocating, rotatable feeding element spatially disposed immediately below said receptacle and serving as the bottom thereof, said feeding element having a circumferential row of holes disposed therein near the periphery thereof, c. a concentrically rotatable bank of cylindrical vertical tubes disposed immediately below and connected to and cooperating with said feeding element, said tubes matching in number the number of holes in said feeding element and circumferentially and axially aligned therewith, d. a first course of lateral slots disposed on the outboard side of each of said vertical tubes, e. a first idler pulley located outboard of said rotatable bank of tubes and in lateral alignment with said first course of lateral slots, f. means for supporting said idler pulley, g. a first flexible O-ring disposed in said first course of lateral slots and around said first idler pulley, h. a second course of lateral slots disposed on the outboard side of each of said vertical tubes, i. a second idler pulley located outboard of said rotatable bank of tubes, from about 120* to about 160* from said first idler pulley and in lateral alignment with said second course of lateral slots, j. means for supporting said second idler pulley, k. a second flexible O-ring disposed in said second course of lateral slots and around said second idler pulley, l. a rotatable rectifying-plate connected to the lower end of said concentrically rotatable bank of cylindrical tubes, m. a plurality of vertical holes disposed in said rectifying-plate, said holes having essentially the same diameter, in axial alignment with and matching in number the number of vertical tubes in said feeding element, n. a plurality of vertical slots in said rectifying-plate, said vertical slots disposed between said vertical holes and the outside circumferential face of said rectifying-plate, said vertical slots having a width slightly less than the diameter of both the cap section and the body section of the capsules being rectified, o. three circumferential lateral slots disposed in said rectifying-plate and equi-spaced between the top and bottom thereof, said lateral slots extending from the outside circumferential face of said rectifying-plate to approximately the vertical circumferential plane defined by the inboard circumference of the plurality of said vertical holes in said rectifying-plate, p. a stop-plate disposed immediately below said rectifying plate, covering the arc through which said second O ring is not disposed in said second course of lateral slots and extending from just outside the circumferential face to just inside the vertical circumferential plane defined by the inboard circumference of the plurality of said vertical holes in said rectifying-plate, r. a positioning-plate disposed in the middle of the three lateral slots in said rectifying-plate, said positioning-plate beginning near the inside circumferential wall of said middle slot at a point located perpendicularly above the middle half of said stop-plate and extending to a support post outboard of said rectifying-plate, said positioning-plate meeting said rectifying-plate at an angle that is essentially tangential thereto, s. a reorientation-bar spatially and obliquely disposed adjacent to the circumferential face of said rectifying-plate and just to the rear of said positioning-plate in the direction of rotation of said rectifying-plate, said reorientation-bar extending through an arc of from about 10* to about 45* and descending from immediately above the top face to immediately below the bottom face of said rectifying-plate, u. means for supporting said guide bar, and v. means for moving capsules which have been rectified from said vertical slots to said vertical holes in said rectifying plate just before said capsules are discharged from said apparatus.

15. In an apparatus for continuously rectifying two-piece hard capsules comprising:

a. a receptacle for holding bulk randomly-oriented capsules, b. a feeding element for individually removing randomly-oriented capsules from said bulk, c. a delivery element for transporting said individual randomly-oriented capsules from said feeding element to a rectifying element, and d. a rectifying element for reorienting individual randomly-oriented capsules to body-section-down-oriented capsules;

the improvement to the feeding element thereof comprising;