Process for forming outlet passageways in pills using a laser

• US 4,088,864 A
• Filed: 02/23/1976
• Issued: 05/09/1978
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ALZA Corporation (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: ALZA Corporation (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Saunders, Richard J., Theeuwes, Felix, Mefford, Wayne S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Reynolds, Bruce A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Paschall, Mark H.
• Application Number:
  US05/660,219
• Time in Patent Office: 806 Days
• Field of Search: 424/15, 424/14, 424/19, 128/260, 206/0.5, 264/312, 219/121 LM, 219/121 L, 219/121 EB, 219/384, 423/659
• US Class Current: 219/121.71
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 3/10 into the form of compressed tablets tablet presses B30B11/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/0004 Osmotic delivery systems; Sustained release driven by osmosis, thermal energy or gas
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2103/42 Plastics B23K2103/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2103/50 Inorganic material, e.g. metals, not provided for in B23K2103/02 – B23K2103/26
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/08 Devices involving relative movement between laser beam and workpiece
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/083 Devices involving movement of the workpiece in at least one axial direction
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/382 by boring

Abstract

A high speed process and apparatus are disclosed for forming outlet passageways of accurate, predetermined size in the walls of pills which dispense their contents by osmotically pumping said contents out said outlet passageways. The pills are moved in succession by an indexer past a passageway forming station where the pills are tracked seriatim at the velocity at which they are moving by an optical tracking system focused on the pill wall and into which a laser beam is directed. During the tracking the laser is fired and the laser beam is transmitted by the optical tracking system onto the wall of the moving pill, the laser power, laser beam dimensions and firing duration being such as to cause the laser beam to heat and pierce the pill wall, thereby forming said outlet passageway.

Claims

1. A process for forming outlet passageways of accurate predetermined size in the walls of pills which dispense their contents by osmotically pumping said contents out said outlet passageway comprising:

(a) moving the pills in succession along a predetermined path at a predetermined velocity;

(b) tracking the moving pills seriatim at said velocity with a laser of a wavelength which is absorbable by said walls by oscillating the optical path of the laser back and forth over a predetermined section of the pill path at said velocity;

(c) firing the laser during said tracking,

(d) adjusting the laser beam dimension at said wall, the laser power and the firing duration such that the laser beam is capable of piercing the wall; and

(e) forming, with the laser beam, an outlet passageway 4 to 2000 microns in diameter in the wall.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein step (e) forms an outlet passageway 75 to 350 microns in diameter in the wall.

3. The process of claim 1 wherein in step (a) said path is circular and in step (b) said predetermined section of said path is about 1°

of arc in length.

4. The process of claim 1 wherein said walls are formed of cellulose acetate, and in step (d) said wavelength is adjusted to 9 to 12μ

, the laser power is adjusted to 1 to 100 watts, and the firing duration is adjusted to 0.1 to 10 milliseconds.

5. The process of claim 1 wherein step (d) further includes adjusting the laser beam such that it is diverging at its point of contact with the wall.