Patent ID: 6499279
Filing Date: 2002-12-31
Classification: A61J,Y10S

Abstract:
A capsule filling machine which includes a cap transport member having a cap pocket in the form of a through-hole for accommodating a cap of a capsule and a body transport member having a body pocket for accommodating a body of the capsule and wherein said cap transport member is placed on said body transport member such that said cap pocket and said body pocket are registered with each other and an empty capsule in a condition wherein the cap and the body are temporarily coupled to each other is accommodated into and transported in a capsule pocket formed from said cap pocket and said body pocket in an erected state wherein the cap is directed upwardly, and then, during transportation of the empty capsule, the cap and the body are separated from each other in said capsule pocket and said cap is held in said cap pocket while said body is held in said body pocket, whereafter said cap transport member and said body transport member are separated from each other once and contents substance is filled into the body accommodated in said body pocket of said body transport member, and then said cap transport member is placed onto said body transport member such that said cap pocket and said body pocket are registered with each other and the cap and the body are coupled to each other within said capsule pocket formed from said cap pocket and said body pocket to produce a filled capsule product, wherein the capsule filling machinecomprises a contents substance filling member including a force feeding screw disposed in a chamber having a lower end opening disposed above said body transport member, and said cap transport member includes a plurality of segments, at least one of said segments including said cap pocket, said segments being individually vertically movable with respect to one another in a vertical direction away from said body transport member from a first position to a second position, wherein when said cap transport member and said body transport member are vertically separated from each other, contents substance is directly force fed and filled into the body accommodated in said body pocket of said body transport member by said force feeding screw of said contents substance filling member.