Printer and tablet

• US 9,517,639 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2013
• Issued: 12/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Freund Corporation
• Original Assignee: Okabe Industrial Machineries Co., Ltd., Otsuka Pharmaceutical Company Limited (Otsuka Holdings Company Limited)
• Inventors: Hara, Yoshio, Matsuda, Takeshi, Mukai, Tadashi, Hoshiba, Toshiyuki, Kimoto, Keiji, Makino, Hiromichi
• Primary Examiner(s): LEGESSE, HENOK D
• Application Number:
  US14/415,418
• Publication Number:
  US 20150191028A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,246 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 3/007 Marking tablets or the like apparatus for printing on tablets or the like B41F17/36
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/2095 Tabletting processes; Dosage units made by direct compression of powders or specially processed granules, by eliminating solvents, by melt-extrusion, by injection molding, by 3D printing mechanical aspects A61J3/00
• CPC Class Codes: B41F 17/36 for printing on tablets, pills, or like small articles
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/06 Flat page-size platens or smaller flat platens having a greater size than line-size platens B41J11/0085 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/407 for marking on special material
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/60 for printing on both faces of the printing material

Abstract

A printer of the present invention includes a first image pickup device that picks up an image of one side of an object, a first checking section that checks the one side of the object based on the image picked up by the first image pickup device, a first printing device that is disposed at a downstream side of the first image pickup device and that performs printing on the one side of the object while being conveyed, a second image pickup device that picks up an image of the other side of the object while being conveyed, a second checking section that checks the other side of the object based on the image picked up by the second image pickup device, and a second printing device that is disposed at a downstream side of the second image pickup device and that performs printing on the other side of the object while being conveyed.

Claims

1. A printer configured to print images on at least one of faces of a tablet having a first face and a second face opposite to the first face, comprising:

a conveying device that conveys the tablet;

a first image pickup device that picks up an image of the first face of the tablet while being conveyed;

a first printing device that is disposed at a downstream side of the first image pickup device and that is configured to perform printing on the first face of the tablet while being conveyed;

a first dividing line judging section that judges whether or not there is a groove-shaped dividing line on the first face based upon the image picked up by the first image pickup device;

a first dividing line position calculating section that calculates the position of the dividing line based upon the image picked up by the first image pickup device;

a second printing information calculating section that generates printing information for the second face of the tablet based upon the position calculated by the first dividing line position calculating section, and

a second printing device performing printing on the second face of the tablet while being conveyed, based upon the printing information calculated by the second printing information calculating section.

2. The printer according to claim 1, wherein,

the first dividing line position calculating section calculates an angle of the dividing line provided on the first face, and

the second printing information calculating section rotates a printing image based upon the angle calculated the first dividing line position calculating section.

3. The printer according to claim 1, wherein, the second printing device performs printing only when the first dividing line judging section judges that there is a dividing line.

4. A tablet comprising an image printed on at least one of the first face and the second face using the printer according to claim 1.

5. A method of manufacturing a printed tablet having a printed images at least one of faces of a tablet having a first face and a second face opposite to the first face, comprising steps of:

conveying the tablet;

picking up an image of the first face of the tablet while conveying the tablet;

judging whether or not there is a groove-shaped dividing line on the first face based upon the image picked up by the first image pickup device;

calculating a position of the dividing line based upon the image picked up;

generating printing information for the second face of the tablet based upon the position calculated at the calculating step;

performing printing on the second face based upon the printing information generated at the generating step while conveying the tablet.