Automated solid pharmaceutical product packaging machine
First Claim
1. A method of filling solid pharmaceutical product packaging comprising the steps of:
- providing a product package template having a plurality of cavities arranged in an array having rows and columns;
providing a product package having a plurality of cavities, wherein said cavities of said product package are capable of alignment with said cavities of said product package template;
automatically selectively dispensing one or more solid pharmaceutical products from a plurality of different drug sources into a common funnelautomatically effecting relative motion in at least two directions of motion between the common funnel and said plurality of product package template cavities to selectively locate the common funnel over individual ones of the cavities in order to place one or more solid pharmaceutical products from the plurality of different drug sources into each of said plurality of template cavities, wherein the two directions of motion are generally perpendicular; and
thereafter automatically aligning said cavities of said product package template with said cavities of said product package; and
transferring the solid pharmaceuticals located in the plurality of product package template cavities into corresponding cavities of said product package.
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Abstract
A fully automated pharmaceutical product packaging machine is capable of selectively depositing one or more different solid pharmaceutical products into an individual cavity for each of a plurality of individual patient product package cavities. The system employs a plurality of solid pharmaceutical product dispensing canisters which are capable of selectively dispensing a pre-designated number of solid pharmaceutical products. The machine fills a template containing temporary storage cavities and the template is automatically positioned over a sheet of clear plastic material containing a plurality of cavities corresponding to the cavities in the template. A barrier between the cavities in the template and the sheet of clear plastic material is moved and the pharmaceuticals in the template cavities drop into the corresponding cavities in the clear plastic sheet of material. The clear plastic sheet of material is then maneuvered into subsequent product packaging stations and the template is returned to beneath the canister region.
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Citations
8 Claims
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1. A method of filling solid pharmaceutical product packaging comprising the steps of:
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providing a product package template having a plurality of cavities arranged in an array having rows and columns; providing a product package having a plurality of cavities, wherein said cavities of said product package are capable of alignment with said cavities of said product package template; automatically selectively dispensing one or more solid pharmaceutical products from a plurality of different drug sources into a common funnel automatically effecting relative motion in at least two directions of motion between the common funnel and said plurality of product package template cavities to selectively locate the common funnel over individual ones of the cavities in order to place one or more solid pharmaceutical products from the plurality of different drug sources into each of said plurality of template cavities, wherein the two directions of motion are generally perpendicular; and thereafter automatically aligning said cavities of said product package template with said cavities of said product package; and transferring the solid pharmaceuticals located in the plurality of product package template cavities into corresponding cavities of said product package. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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Specification