Syringe bandoleer with control feature

• US 7,025,098 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2004
• Issued: 04/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Baxter Corporation Englewood (Baxter International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Forhealth Technologies Incorporated (Baxter International Inc.)
• Inventors: Osborne, Joel A.
• Primary Examiner(s): MAUST, TIMOTHY LEWIS
• Application Number:
  US10/763,475
• Publication Number:
  US 20040250877A1
• Time in Patent Office: 810 Days
• Field of Search: 141/18, 141/27, 141/35, 141/36, 141/94, 141129-133, 141/180, 141/250, 534/68, 531/67, 534/71, 534/92, 211/60.1, 211/113, 206/366, 422/104, 128/919, 224/223
• US Class Current: 141/133
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 15/04 Attaching a series of articles, e.g. small electrical components, to a continuous web ammunition filling F42B
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 17/02 Joining articles, e.g. cans, directly to each other for convenience of storage, transport, or handling
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 3/003 Filling medical containers such as ampoules, vials, syringes or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 57/02 responsive to absence, presence, abnormal feed, or misplacement of binding or wrapping material, containers, or packages

Abstract

A bandolier of syringes for use in an automated syringe handling system is provided. The automated syringe handling system generally receives syringes and fills the syringe with a substance, such as a medicament. In one exemplary embodiment, the syringe handling system is a system that disperses one or more medicaments into the syringes in an automated manner. The bandolier includes a web, e.g., a strip of transparent material partially encapsulating bodies of syringes that are bound to the web at a prescribed interval. The bandolier includes a feature disposed within the prescribed interval and between the syringes with the feature being different from the surrounding web.

Claims

1. A bandolier of syringes for use in a controllable syringe handling system, the bandolier comprising:

a web;

a multiplicity of syringes affixed to the web at a prescribed interval selected to permit handling by the controllable syringe handling system; and

a control feature at a prescribed location relative to the web which is disposed within the prescribed interval and between adjacent syringes, the control feature being configured to interact with the controllable syringe handling system so as to influence handling operations of the syringe handling system including the advancement of the bandolier, wherein the prescribed location of the control feature relative to the web indicates to the controllable syringe handling system that at least one physical parameter related to a structure of the syringe is within an acceptable value.

2. The bandolier of claim 1, wherein the control feature is a mark formed on a surface of the web.

3. The bandolier of claim 1, wherein the web is formed of at least one plastic sheet.

4. The bandolier of claim 1, wherein the web comprises first and second strip layers, the multiplicity of syringes being disposed between the first and second strip layers with the prescribed interval being defined by the first and second strip layers disposed between adjacent syringes.

5. The bandolier of claim 4, wherein the first and second strip layers are in intimate contact the multiplicity of syringes and the first and second strip layers are sealed against one another in the prescribed interval.

6. The bandolier of claim 1, wherein the control feature has a first reflective characteristic and the web surrounding the feature has a different second reflective characteristic.

7. The bandolier of claim 1, wherein there is a correlation between a location of the control feature in the prescribed interval and a type of syringe that is bound to the web.

19. The bandolier of claim 1, wherein the prescribed location between the adjacent syringes is representative and indicative of a characteristic of the syringes that form the bandolier.

20. The bandolier of claim 1, wherein the control feature is formed in a web segment that permits passage of a control signal and the web surrounding the web segment is treated to block passage of the control signal.

8. A control system for an automated syringe handling system, the control system comprising:

an indexer configured to advance a syringe through the automated syringe handling system;

a bandolier of syringes supplying syringes to the indexer, the bandolier including;

a web, a multiplicity of syringes affixed to the web at a prescribed interval, and a control feature disposed within the prescribed interval and between adjacent syringes, the control feature being different from the surrounding web; and

a detection system including a detector positioned to detect the control feature on the bandolier and perform a prescribed operation in response to the detection or non-detection of the control feature, wherein the detector determines whether the bandolier is properly aligned in the syringe handling system and whether at least one of a dimension of the syringe and a volume of the syringe is acceptable for use in the controllable syringe handling system based on either detection or non-detection of the control feature.

9. The control system of claim 8, further including a controller for advancing the bandolier, the controller being in communication with the detection system and the detection system being configured such that the detector sends a first signal to the controller upon sensing the control feature.

10. The control system of claim 9, wherein the first signal directs the controller to advance the bandolier a prescribed distance.

11. The control system of claim 8, wherein the detector is an optical detector arranged in cooperation with a light source and the control feature is an optical feature, the detector and light source detecting the optical feature of the bandolier when the optical feature is in proper registration therewith, the bandolier only being advanced if the optical feature is detected by the optical detector as the bandolier is advanced a predetermined distance.

12. The control system of claim 8, wherein the detector detects waves selected from the group consisting of ultrasonic waves, optical waves, and thermal energy waves, the detector further including logic that permits the one or more characteristics of the waves to be analyzed.

13. The control system of claim 12, wherein the one or more characteristics include an amplitude of the waves.

14. The control system of claim 8, wherein the control feature comprises a segment of the web that permits passage of at least one of heat and light having a first characteristic while the remainder of the web is treated to block at least one of heat and light having the first characteristic.

15. The control system of claim 8, further including a controller for advancing the bandolier in the automated syringe handling system, the controller being in conmiunication with the detection system, the bandolier being advanced only if the detection system detects the control feature within prescribed criteria.

16. The control system of claim 15, wherein the prescribed criteria is one of a predetermined time period and a predetermined distance that the bandolier has been advanced.

17. The control system of claim 9, wherein the distance between control features corresponds to the distance that the bandolier is advanced upon receiving the first signal.

18. The control system of claim 9, wherein the controller advances the bandolier only a predetermined distance without detecting one control feature.

21. A bandolier of syringes for use in a controllable syringe handling system, the bandolier comprising:

a web;

a multiplicity of syringes affixed to the web at a prescribed interval selected to permit handling by the controllable syringe handling system; and

a control feature at a prescribed location relative to the web which is disposed within the prescribed interval and between adjacent syringes, the control feature being configured to interact with the controllable syringe handling system so as to influence handling operations of the syringe handling system, wherein the control feature is formed at a prescribed coordinate location of the web between adjacent syringes, the prescribed coordinate location representing and indicating a specific bandolier type by indicating whether at least one of a dimension of the syringe and a volume of the syringe is acceptable for use in the controllable syringe handling system.

22. The bandolier of claim 21, wherein the prescribed coordinate location corresponds to a barrel volume of the bandolier.

23. The bandolier of claim 21, wherein a first prescribed coordinate location is associated with and indicates a syringe of a first type, whereas another prescribed coordinate location is associated with and indicates a syringe of second type that is different from the first type.

24. A bandolier of syringes for use in a controllable syringe handling system, the bandolier comprising:

a web, a multiplicity of syringes affixed to the web at a prescribed interval selected to permit handling by the controllable syringe handling system; and

a control feature at a prescribed location relative to the web which is disposed within the prescribed interval and between adjacent syringes, the control feature being configured to interact with the controllable syringe handling system so as to influence handling operations of the syringe handling system including the advancement of the bandolier, wherein the prescribed location of the control feature relative to the web indicates to the controllable syringe handling system a proper alignment of the bandolier of syringes within the controllable syringe handling system.