Multi-dose filling machine

• US 7,971,414 B1
• Filed: 05/30/2008
• Issued: 07/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walgreen Co. (Walgreens Boots Alliance Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Walgreen Co. (Walgreens Boots Alliance Incorporated)
• Inventors: Pankow, Greg, McGonagle, Sean, Lewis, J. Randolph, Lee, Victor
• Primary Examiner(s): Durand; Paul R
• Application Number:
  US12/130,619
• Time in Patent Office: 1,131 Days
• Field of Search: 532/46, 532/47, 532/48, 534/92, 534/74, 534/75, 532/37, 221/87, 221/88, 414/412
• US Class Current: 53/246
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/035 Blister-type containers blisters in general B65D75/36
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 1/22 by vibration
• 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 2039/009 Multiple outlets
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 39/007 Guides or funnels for introducing articles into containers or wrappers
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 5/103 for packaging pills or tablets
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 5/106 by pushers B65B5/12 and B65B5/108 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 69/0041 by puncturing
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 69/0058 Solid contents

Abstract

An apparatus for transferring a plurality of tablets of a product from a first blister card to a second blister card includes a press plate, a transfer fixture, and a tray. The press plate is adapted for displacement between a first position and a second position to force the plurality of tablets out of a plurality of blisters carried by the first blister card. The transfer fixture includes a plurality of passageways, each of which is adapted to receive one tablet of the plurality of tablets from the first blister card. The passageways further direct the tablets into a corresponding plurality of blisters carried by the second blister card. The tray supports the second blister card adjacent the transfer fixture for receiving the tablets.

Claims

1. An apparatus for filling a blister card with at least one product, the apparatus comprising:

a press plate adapted for displacement between a first position and a second position to force a plurality of tablets of at least one product out of a corresponding plurality of blisters carried by a first blister card, the press plate comprising a flat plate disposed in a generally horizontal plane;

a transfer fixture comprising a plurality of passageways, each passageway having a central axis that is disposed at an angle less than ninety degrees relative to the plane in which the flat plate of the press plate resides, each passageway adapted to receive one tablet of the plurality of tablets when the plurality of tablets are forced out of the first blister card, thereby transferring the plurality of tablets into a corresponding plurality of blisters carried by a second blister card; and

a tray for supporting the second blister card.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transfer fixture comprises a plurality of feed tubes defining the plurality of passageways, each feed tube having a central axis in common with one of the passageways.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the transfer fixture further comprises a top plate and a bottom plate connected to opposite ends of the plurality of feed tubes.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the central axis of each of the plurality of feed tubes is disposed at an angle less than ninety degrees relative to the top and bottom plates.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the top plate defines a plurality of inlet apertures and the bottom plate defines a plurality of outlet apertures, the inlet and outlet apertures in communication with the passageways defined by the plurality of feed tubes.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the top plate further comprises a plurality of teeth disposed at least partly around each of the inlet apertures for facilitating removal of the plurality of tablets from the first blister card.

7. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the plurality of feed tubes are adjustably connected to at least one of the top and bottom plates such that the position of each feed tube relative to at least one of the top and bottom plates can be adjusted between a plurality of distinct configurations for transferring the plurality of tablets to the second blister card.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tray defines a plurality of cavities for accommodating the plurality of blisters of the second blister card.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a shaker table connected to the tray for selectively vibrating the tray.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transfer fixture is selected from a plurality of transfer fixtures, each of the plurality of transfer fixtures having a distinct arrangement of passageways for transferring the plurality of tablets to the second blister card.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of protrusions extending from the press plate, the plurality of protrusions arranged and configured such that each protrusion corresponds to one of the plurality of blisters on the first blister card.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the plurality of protrusions and the plurality of blisters on the first blister card are arranged and configured in a common matrix.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the plurality of protrusions are movably connected to the press plate such that the configuration of the plurality of protrusions relative to the press plate can be adjusted between a plurality of distinct configurations.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the press plate is selected from a plurality of press plates, each of the plurality of press plates having a distinct configuration of protrusions.

15. An apparatus for transferring a plurality of tablets of a product from a first plurality of corresponding blisters disposed on a first blister card to a corresponding second plurality of blisters disposed on a second blister card, the apparatus comprising:

a flat top plate disposed in a first generally horizontal plane and defining a plurality of inlet apertures, each inlet aperture for receiving at least one of the plurality of tablets from a corresponding blister of the first blister card;

a flat bottom plate disposed in a second generally horizontal plane that is parallel to the first plane of the top plate, the bottom plate defining a plurality of outlet apertures, each outlet aperture for directing at least one of the plurality of tablets into a blister of the second blister card; and

a plurality of passageways extending between the inlet apertures and the outlet apertures, the plurality of passageways adapted to transfer the plurality of tablets between the plurality of inlet apertures and the plurality of outlet apertures, wherein

each of the plurality of passageways having a central axis that is disposed at an angle less than ninety degrees relative to the first plane and the second plane in order to generate friction between the plurality of passageways and the plurality of tablets when the plurality of tablets are transferred therethrough.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a plurality of feed tubes defining the plurality of passageways, each feed tube having a central axis in common with one of the passageways.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the plurality of feed tubes are adjustably connected to at least one of the top and bottom plates such that the position of each feed tube relative to at least one of the top and bottom plates can be adjusted between a plurality of distinct configurations for transferring the plurality of tablets from the first blister card to the second blister card.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a plurality of teeth disposed at least partly around each of the inlet apertures defined by the top plate, the teeth for facilitating removal of the plurality of tablets from the first blister card.

19. An apparatus for transferring a plurality of tablets of a product from a plurality of blisters of an intermediate blister card to a plurality of blisters of a multi-dose blister card, the apparatus comprising:

an actuator;

a press plate operably coupled to the actuator and adapted for displacement between a first position and a second position to force the plurality of tablets out of the plurality of blisters on the intermediate blister card; and

a transfer fixture disposed opposite the press plate from the actuator, the transfer fixture comprising a top plate, a bottom plate, and a plurality of feed tubes extending between the top plate and the bottom plate, the top plate disposed in a first generally horizontal plane, the bottom plate disposed in a second generally horizontal plane that is parallel to the first plane, the plurality of feed tubes defining a plurality of passageways arranged and configured to transfer the plurality of tablets from the plurality of blisters of the intermediate blister card to the plurality of blisters of the multi-dose blister card, each of the plurality of passageways having a central axis that is disposed at an angle less than ninety degrees relative to the first and second planes such as to generate friction between the feed tubes and the tablets when the tablets are transferred through the passageways.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein each of the plurality of feed tubes has a central axis in common with one of the passageways and disposed at an angle less than ninety degrees relative to the first and second planes.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the top plate defines a plurality of inlet apertures and the bottom plate defines a plurality of outlet apertures, the inlet and outlet apertures in communication with the passageways defined by the plurality of feed tubes.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the top plate further comprises a plurality of teeth disposed at least partly around each of the inlet apertures for facilitating removal of the plurality of tablets from the first blister card.

23. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising a tray disposed opposite the transfer fixture from the press plate, wherein the tray defines a plurality of cavities for accommodating the plurality of blisters of the multi-dose blister card.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising a shaker table connected to the tray for selectively vibrating the tray.

25. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the transfer fixture is selected from a plurality of transfer fixtures, each of the plurality of transfer fixtures having a distinct arrangement of feed tubes for transferring the plurality of tablets to the multi-dose blister card.

26. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the plurality of feed tubes are adjustably connected to at least one of the top and bottom plates such that the position of each feed tube relative to at least one of the top and bottom plates can be adjusted between a plurality of distinct configurations for transferring the plurality of tablets to the multi-dose blister card.

27. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising a plurality of protrusions extending from the press plate, the plurality of protrusions arranged and configured such that each protrusion corresponds to one of the plurality of blisters on the intermediate blister card.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the plurality of protrusions and the plurality of blisters on the intermediate blister card are arranged and configured in a common matrix.

29. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the plurality of protrusions are movably connected to the press plate such that the configuration of the plurality of protrusions relative to the press plate can be adjusted between a plurality of distinct configurations.

30. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the press plate is selected from a plurality of press plates, each of the plurality of press plates having a distinct configuration of protrusions.