Supply hopper assembly
First Claim
1. A hopper and drum assembly for use in a tablet transporting apparatus for transporting substantially uniform tablets, said assembly comprising at least one rotary drum having the periphery formed with a plurality of radially inwardly recessed pockets having a size for receiving only a single tablet and arranged in at least one circumferentially extending row in equally spaced relation to each other, each of which pockets is, during each complete rotation of said drum, sequentially communicated with a vacuum source to receive a tablet from the hopper assembly and with a source of compressed air to blow the tablet off the respective pocket onto a subsequent process;
- a container mounted adjacent the periphery of the rotary drum with a portion of said rotary drum accommodated therein, said container having a bottom plate for guiding the tablets towards the perihery of the rotary drum by the effect of their own weight, said bottom plate being inclined downwardly towards the rotary drum at an angle within the range of 25°
to 45°
relative to a horizontal plane passing through the axis of rotation of the rotary drum and terminating at a point on the arc which is defined by the central angle of 0°
to 45°
between horizontal plane passing through the axis of rotation of the rotary drum and an imaginary line drawn between the axis of rotation of the rotary drum and the terminating point of said bottom plate, the arc extending along the rotary drum opposite the direction of rotation of the drum, and an adjustable damper plate dividing the interior of said container into first and second compartments adjacent to and remote from the outer periphery of the drum, respectively, and terminating at a level above said bottom plate, a nozzle assembly carried by the bottom plate for injecting jets of compressed air; and
means for supplying compressed air to said nozzle assembly at a pressure for causing the tablets within the container to be moved upwardly within the first compartment at a speed corresponding to the velocity of the peripheral surface of the rotary drum so as to permit each tablet to be sucked into and received in the respective pocket then communicated to the vacuum source.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A hopper assembly for use in a product transporting apparatus having a rotary drum having at least one circumferential row of equally spaced, radially inwardly recessed pockets for receiving therein products to be transported while they are sucked therein by the effect of negative pressure developed in the respective pockets as the rotary drum rotates in one direction. The hopper assembly has a container having a bottom plate inclined at a particular angle downwardly towards the periphery of the drum and terminating at a particular position, and a nozzle assembly for supplying jets of compressed air into the container for permitting the products to be upwardly moved thereby to facilitate the supply of the products successively into the respective pockets.
89 Citations
3 Claims
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1. A hopper and drum assembly for use in a tablet transporting apparatus for transporting substantially uniform tablets, said assembly comprising at least one rotary drum having the periphery formed with a plurality of radially inwardly recessed pockets having a size for receiving only a single tablet and arranged in at least one circumferentially extending row in equally spaced relation to each other, each of which pockets is, during each complete rotation of said drum, sequentially communicated with a vacuum source to receive a tablet from the hopper assembly and with a source of compressed air to blow the tablet off the respective pocket onto a subsequent process;
- a container mounted adjacent the periphery of the rotary drum with a portion of said rotary drum accommodated therein, said container having a bottom plate for guiding the tablets towards the perihery of the rotary drum by the effect of their own weight, said bottom plate being inclined downwardly towards the rotary drum at an angle within the range of 25°
to 45°
relative to a horizontal plane passing through the axis of rotation of the rotary drum and terminating at a point on the arc which is defined by the central angle of 0°
to 45°
between horizontal plane passing through the axis of rotation of the rotary drum and an imaginary line drawn between the axis of rotation of the rotary drum and the terminating point of said bottom plate, the arc extending along the rotary drum opposite the direction of rotation of the drum, and an adjustable damper plate dividing the interior of said container into first and second compartments adjacent to and remote from the outer periphery of the drum, respectively, and terminating at a level above said bottom plate, a nozzle assembly carried by the bottom plate for injecting jets of compressed air; and
means for supplying compressed air to said nozzle assembly at a pressure for causing the tablets within the container to be moved upwardly within the first compartment at a speed corresponding to the velocity of the peripheral surface of the rotary drum so as to permit each tablet to be sucked into and received in the respective pocket then communicated to the vacuum source. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
- a container mounted adjacent the periphery of the rotary drum with a portion of said rotary drum accommodated therein, said container having a bottom plate for guiding the tablets towards the perihery of the rotary drum by the effect of their own weight, said bottom plate being inclined downwardly towards the rotary drum at an angle within the range of 25°
Specification
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- Resources
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Current AssigneeTakeda Chemical Industries, Ltd. (Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited)
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Original AssigneeTakeda Chemical Industries, Ltd. (Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited)
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InventorsOhtsuki, Takashi, Taniguchi, Shin ichi
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Primary Examiner(s)Valenza, Joseph E.
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Application NumberUS06/831,125Time in Patent Office802 DaysField of Search198/397, 198/453, 198/455, 198/493, 198/533, 198/443, 198/380, 198/393, 198/471.1, 198/803.5, 221/200, 221/211, 222/317US Class Current198/397.04CPC Class CodesB07C 5/02 Measures preceding sorting,...B07C 5/368 actuated independentlyB65G 47/1485 using suction or magnetic f...
