Packaging system and related method

• US 6,925,783 B1
• Filed: 02/13/2004
• Issued: 08/09/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Walter G. Pearson
• Original Assignee: Walter G. Pearson
• Inventors: Pearson, Walter G.
• Primary Examiner(s): HUYNH, LOUIS K
• Application Number:
  US10/778,283
• Publication Number:
  US 20050178092A1
• Time in Patent Office: 543 Days
• Field of Search: 534/73, 534/75, 534/67, 534/71, 532/43, 532/47, 532/48, 532/49, 532/55, 535/39
• US Class Current: 53/475
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 11/50 Enclosing articles, or quantities of material, by disposing contents between two sheets, e.g. pocketed sheets, and securing their opposed free margins apparatus or devices for forming pockets in or from sheets, blanks or webs B65B47/00
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 5/08 Packaging groups of articles, the articles being individually gripped or guided for transfer to the containers or receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 5/103 for packaging pills or tablets

Abstract

Apparatus for packaging a plurality of objects, the apparatus including (i) a vacuum chamber housing which defines an opening sized and configured to receive, and be placed in a substantially sealed relationship with, a planar member having a bottom surface and a top surface, which top surface in turn defines an array of recesses, each of the recesses being sized and configured to receive one of the objects, and which planar member further defines a plurality of fluid passageways extending through the planar member, each of the plurality of fluid passageways opening in a respective one of the recesses defined by the planar member and extending completely through the planar member to a passageway opening in the bottom surface of the planar member, (ii) a support member pivotally attached to the vacuum chamber and sized and configured to receive a sheet which forms an array of blister-like chambers for receiving at least a portion of the plurality of objects, and (iii) a switch configured for operative connection to a vacuum pump in fluid communication with the vacuum chamber, the switch being disposed to enable a user to turn off the vacuum pump after the vacuum chamber is pivoted to a position in which the opening of the vacuum chamber and the planar member in sealed relation therewith are above the support member and the sheet when the sheet has been received by the support member and the array of blister-like chambers and the array of recesses are substantially aligned. The invention also concerns related component devices and methods of packaging objects.

Claims

1. A method of packaging a quantity of objects, the method comprising

(a) placing a plurality of the objects on a top surface of a planar member which defines an array of recesses, each of the recesses being sized and configured to receive one of the objects, and which planar member further defines a plurality of fluid passageways extending through the planar member, each of the plurality of fluid passageways opening in a respective one of the recesses defined by the planar member and extending completely through the planar member to a passageway opening in a bottom surface of the planar member,

(b) sweeping at least some of the plurality of the objects across the top surface to insure that each of the recesses has received a respective one of the objects,

(c) removing all of any excess number of the objects from the top surface,

(d) providing a vacuum in the space proximate to each of the passageway openings in the bottom surface of the planar member, the vacuum being sufficient to retain each object within its respective recess at least during rotation of the planar member,

(e) placing in contact with, or at least in close proximity to, the top surface a sheet which forms an array of blister-like chambers for receiving a plurality of objects, the array of recesses of the top surface being substantially aligned with and opening into the blister-like chambers of the sheet,

(f) while retaining the sheet in contact with or in close proximity to the top surface, rotating the planar member so that the bottom surface is substantially above the top surface, and

(g) removing the vacuum from the space proximate to the passageway openings in the bottom surface to cause each object to fall from its respective recess into a corresponding blister-like chamber of the sheet.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the objects are pills, tablets, capsules or caplets.

3. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of (h) placing an adhesive-backed, backing into adhering contact with the sheet to thereby enclose each of the objects within a respective one of the blister-like chambers of the sheet.

4. A method according to claim 3 wherein the objects are pills, tablets, capsules or caplets.

5. A method according to claim 3, further comprising the step of (i) placing visual or machine readable markings upon the backing, the visual or machine readable markings be configured to convey information about the contents to be enclosed within each blister-like chamber.

6. A method according to claim 5 wherein the objects are pills, tablets, capsules or caplets.