Medicine packaging apparatus for packaging medicine

• US 8,256,187 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2011
• Issued: 09/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yuyama Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Yuyama Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Yuyama, Hiroyuki, Sugimoto, Tomohiro
• Primary Examiner(s): TAWFIK, SAMEH
• Application Number:
  US13/182,370
• Publication Number:
  US 20110265425A1
• Time in Patent Office: 419 Days
• Field of Search: 531/314, 531/315, 53/52, 531/68, 532/37, 531/54, 534/11, 534/93, 534/95
• US Class Current: 53/131.4
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 39/006 Grids for introducing bottles into cases
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 5/103 for packaging pills or tablets
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 57/10 responsive to absence, presence, abnormal feed, or misplacement of articles or materials to be packaged
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 57/14 and operating to control, or stop, the feed of articles or material to be packaged
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 61/025 for applying, e.g. printing, code or date marks on material prior to packaging
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 9/073 the web having intermittent motion B65B9/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00

Abstract

There is provided a medicine packaging apparatus, which is capable of rapidly coping with errors occurring during processes. The medicine packaging apparatus includes: a medicine supply unit 1 for supplying a medicine according to prescription data; a medicine standby unit 11 for temporarily holding the medicine supplied by the medicine supply unit 1 and having the medicine stand by; a printing unit 2 for printing relevant data on a packaging paper according to the prescription data; a packaging paper conveyance unit for conveying a packaging paper 15; a medicine packaging unit 3 for packaging the medicine supplied by the medicine supply unit 1 into the packaging paper 15 in a packaging position; and a control unit 4 for allowing the packaging paper conveyance unit to convey a relevant portion of the packaging paper 15, on which the relevant data is printed by the printing unit 2, to the packaging position and allowing the medicine packaging unit to package the corresponding medicine standing by in the medicine standby unit 11.

Claims

1. A medicine packaging apparatus, comprising:

a medicine supply unit configured to supply medicine;

a medicine standby unit configured to temporarily hold the medicine supplied by the medicine supply unit;

a medicine detecting unit configured to detect the medicine supplied to the medicine standby unit and to generate a detection signal based on the detected medicine; and

a control unit having a memory configured to store prescription data, the control unit configured to direct a printing unit to print the prescription data on packaging material based on the detection signal and to direct a medicine packaging unit to package the medicine into the packaging material.

2. The medicine packaging apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control unit is further configured to direct the medicine standby unit to hold the medicine for a predetermined period based on the detection signal.

3. The medicine packaging apparatus of claim 1, wherein the medicine standby unit comprises a passage opening and closing member for opening and closing a medicine passage extending from the medicine supply unit to the medicine packaging unit at any position.

4. The medicine packaging apparatus of claim 3, wherein the passage opening and closing member is provided at a printing position at the printing unit.

5. The medicine packaging apparatus of claim 4, wherein the passage opening and closing member is provided at a packaging position at the medicine packaging unit.

6. The medicine packaging apparatus of claim 3, wherein the medicine supply unit comprises:

a plurality of medicine accommodating portions, each medicine accommodating portion configured to accommodate one kind of medicine; and

a medicine collecting portion configured to collect the medicine supplied from each of the medicine accommodating portions to one place,

wherein the passage opening and closing member is provided at the medicine collecting portion.

7. The medicine packaging apparatus of claim 3, wherein the medicine detecting unit comprises a sensor.

8. The medicine packaging apparatus of claim 7, wherein the detection signal comprises data corresponding to the count of the medicine at the medicine standby unit.

9. The medicine packaging apparatus of claim 8, wherein the sensor comprises a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element.

10. The medicine packaging apparatus of claim 7, wherein the detection signal comprises data corresponding to the kind of the medicine at the medicine standby unit.

11. The medicine packaging apparatus of claim 10, wherein the sensor comprises a charge coupled device.

12. The medicine packaging apparatus of claim 10, wherein the sensor comprises a complementary metal oxide semiconductor.

13. The medicine packaging apparatus of claim 1, wherein the prescription data printed on the packaging material comprises a dosage date.

14. The medicine packaging apparatus of claim 1, wherein the prescription data printed on the packaging material comprises a dosage method.

15. The medicine packaging apparatus of claim 1, wherein the prescription data printed on the packaging material comprises a name of the medicine.

16. The medicine packaging apparatus of claim 1, wherein the prescription data printed on the packaging material comprises an efficacy of the medicine.

17. The medicine packaging apparatus of claim 1, wherein the prescription data printed on the packaging material comprises a use-by date.

18. The medicine packaging apparatus of claim 1, wherein the prescription data printed on the packaging material comprises a lot number.

19. The medicine packaging apparatus of claim 1, wherein the prescription data printed on the packaging material comprises error information.

20. The medicine packaging apparatus of claim 1, wherein the medicine standby unit is configured to discard the medicine when the medicine detecting unit detects an error.