Abstract:
A system and method to dispense tables, confetti etc. entrapped in a complex film consisting of two layers with mechanical characteristics diversity, slidingly inserted in a container having at least: a cap or trap with door, a mechanism to tow the film in several steps, and a pass-no-pass device to force and break the trailed film to expel the confetti and recover the complex film more resistant layer.

Description:
[0001]     The present invention concerns a system for dispensing, one by one, capsular products like tablets, pastilles, confectionery products, pills, solid medical products and the like, in small doses, said system comprising at least:—1) container means:—2) entrapping (encapsulating) means which carrier said products;—3) opening and closing means of said container means;—4) partial break means of said encapsulation and transport means;—5) means for the break of means 2) and for the outlet of said single encapsulated.  
         [0002]     In a particularly simple, compact and effective embodiment, the system according to the invention has the structure of a cylindrical or parallelepiped case or box open at least on one side closable at least by a poly functional tap  3 ), in which box are introduced strips or necklaces ( 2 ) formed of at least two substantially thermoplastic films or sheets with characteristics diversity, welded to each other so to embed said products to singularly dispense, one of the necklace forming sheets being broken in its crossing a pass-no-pass device obtained from the cooperation of members associated to the poly functional tap ( 3 ) and of a wall projecting inside the container, which wall acts also as support of the necklace trailing device.  
         [0003]     The invention concerns also a method to functionally embody said system, in which after:—having embedded said capsules, tablets, confectionary products and the like, between two films of characteristics diversity and having united them (with an adhesive and/or a seal);—having anchored a border or edge of said strip or necklace to a dragging device placed and supported on a not-central box portion so to allow the user&#39;s manual action; and—having associated the opening/closing door, it is possible to carry out at least: i) a trailing phase of the composite film; ii) a contact phase of the minor sector of the pastille container with two mini-zones of the pass-no-pass mechanism formed of elements associated, on one side, to the tap and, on the other side, to said box; and—iii) a phase of breaking the weaker film to expel and dispense to the user the involved capsule.  
       DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART  
       [0004]     Pills dispensers and systems are known and commercialized, comprising, alone or in combination, elements selected from the group consisting of:—a box, a tap (with or without a small opening-closing door);—pills embedding and carrying means;—trailing means;—break means.  
         [0005]     U.S. Pat. No. 4,163,496 describes a pills dispenser consisting of a top opened box and of a release closure element with two tongues aligned but remote to each other. U.S. Pat. No. 4,538,731 discloses a small flip-top container of small solid products, in particular of pastilles and the like, comprising a closure consisting of only one snap door. In the U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,797 the pills are sealingly enclosed in capsules or shells carried by a plastic segmented film or by a leaf like strip.  
         [0006]     U.S. Pat. No. 6,155,454 concerns principally blisters.  
         [0007]     European Patent Publication EP No. 1262422A2 (corresponding to the US Patent Publication No. 2002/0166869 A1) describes a sugar-coated pill dispenser including:—a container box body comprising a containing space and a U-formed space adapted to the form and size of the pills;—a complex tilting cap; and—a pair of coinciding cavities.  
         [0008]     The variegated panorama of the “patent crowded field” of the dispensers can be completed by referring to the recent PCT-Publication No. WO 2004/009470A2 related to a distributor of medical products in different doses with the aid of a dispensing mechanism, comprising:—reception means of the medicament carrier;—means to release a dose;—on outlet;—dose indexing means; and—counting means.  
         [0009]     The prior art dispensers associate to various advantageous characteristics a number of inconveniences whereby the market has punished or confined them to a few small niches.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0010]     A first object of the present invention is to provide a system to dispense confectionary or pharmaceutical products which does not show the Prior Art drawbacks and, above all, is simple, effective, silent and easy to operate.  
         [0011]     Another object of the invention is a method to manage and pilot said system in order to easily realize regular dispenses of single pill-form products by easily breaking the means which encapsulates and carries same tablets.  
         [0012]     The system according to the invention is to dispense from a box or container (I CC), single (one by one) solid products with the shape of candies, chocolates, sugar—coated pills, pastilles, capsules, tablets and the like, entrapped in a supporting and transporting member comprises:—as carrier member;—a complex film of at least two layers having diversity of thickness, treatment and/or mechanical resistance (IV COL);—as box or container (I CC), a parallelepiped or cylindrical body having at least one open side in which are applied a tap (II T) with a small opening—closing door (A-C) and a trailing mechanism (III MT) to which shall be hooked the free edge or border (LE) of finished pieces of necklaces (COL) of said complex film embedding finite series of said solid products (CA, PM) to dispense.  
         [0013]     The method according to the invention comprises the steps of: 
        preparing at least two films with diversity of thickness, brittleness and resistance to forces of tensile stress and break cut;     making holes and/or notches in the film showing minor thickness and resistance;     making possible ovular semi seats in the other film having major thickness and resistance;     adhering one film to the other preferably by welding;     making continuous necklaces of encapsulated products, said necklaces being obtained by welded overlapping of said two films;     inserting in succession said necklaces in a container body (I) comprising at least one opening/closing means (II) and a trailing (tow) means which preferably collects/recovers the more resistant and thicker film;     applying one inner free end or border of said necklace to said trailing means;     acting on said trailing means in several steps, particularly in three steps so to realize at least a first phase of trailing said necklace, a second phase to bring the encapsulated products in contact with at least two shoulders of a pass-no-pass device; and     a third phase to force said contact by further trailing up to the break of the weak film in order to obtain an opening adequate to the extraction of the product.        
 
         [0023]     Further characteristics are recited in the claims which are at the end of this description but are considered herewith incorporated. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0024]     The various features and advantages of the present invention become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:  
         [0025]      FIGS. 1, 3 ,  3 A,  3 B,  4 ,  4 A,  5 ,  5 A,  6  and  6 A are schematic prospective views of an embodiment;  
         [0026]      FIGS. 2, 2A ,  5 F,  5 AF,  6 F and  6 AF are front views;  
         [0027]     FIGS.  6 P and  6 AP are top views;  
         [0028]     FIGS.  7 ,  7 ′ and  7 ″ are front views on an enlarged scale of the pass-no-pass mechanism in its three working phases; and  
         [0029]      FIG. 8  is the block diagram of a process embodiment.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0030]     Referring to In the drawings, in particular in  FIG. 1  and in the relevant front views of  FIGS. 2 and 2 A, the dispenser system according to the invention is schematically shown as essentially comprising: I)a container body CC;—II) a closing member or tap; III) a trailing (tow) mechanism MT; and—IV) a collector—carrier of the products to dispense, for instance tablets, sweet-meals etc. CA.  
         [0031]     The container I. CC can have a polygonal (especially rectangular, square, trapezoidal etc.) cross section as in the  FIGS. 1, 2 ,  2 A,  4 ,  5 ,  5 A,  5 F,  5 AF,  5 P,  5 AP, or round in particular with a circular, elliptical etc. cross section.  
         [0032]     These container bodies or boxes I CC have a closed bottom  12  which is preferably integral with the side/polygonal walls e.g.  5 R,  5 ′R or cylindrical wall  5 C.  
         [0033]     The top of the container body I CC (independently from its polygonal or cylindrical cross section) is open to be associated to a trai/tow mechanism II. MT having a substantially stationary closing portion or tap T, and to an opening—closing portion A-C with a small door SPO rotatable (over an angle of 90°) around an articulation line LA coincident with the inner end of tap T, the other outer end being free. The articulated portion of A-C terminates, at its distal end, with a bent spout Z which is shaped to be associated by form coupling to the upper end  20  of the wall  5 ′R when the articulated portion A-C is taken down and aligned with the stationary portion of tap T so to seal/close the mouth BO of the container or box I.  
         [0034]     When said turnable portion A-C with opening-closing door SPO is rotated upwardly at right-hand ( FIG. 1 ), it forms said mouth BO for the outlet of said candies CA ( FIG. 2 ) or medical tablets PM ( FIG. 3A ); therefore the length of the door SPO of A-C from the articulation line LA up to the protuberance Z is such to correspond to a virtual radius of the hatched curve  21  (stroke of Z from the opening position to the closing position) slightly higher than the major dimension of the products to be dispensed.  
         [0035]     Characteristically, the right-hand wall  5 R of the polygonal box ( FIG. 2 ) or wall  5 C of the cylindrical box ( FIG. 2A ) is shorter than the left-hand wall  5 R or  5 ′R and ends upwardly with a thickened portion  20 ′ at the lower end  29  of which engages the inner end of a third projecting wall  23 , and at the upper portion  28  of which engages a fitting connector  30  between the corner  40  at the inner end of tap T and the chamfer  28  of the short wall  5 R,  5 C. This fitting connection has also the function to act as support of the rod  1  of the trailing mechanism MT at the end of which two sprocket wheels  3 - 3 ′ are engaged. As it can be seen from  FIGS. 3 and 3 A, said rod  1  projects slightly beyond the toothed wheels with protrusions  2 - 2 ′ ( FIG. 3B ) which slip in “ad hoc” seats (not shown) made preferably inside the two facing walls of the fitting connector  30 . The rod  1  has preferably a slot  1 ′ within which slips the border LE at the inner end of the composite sheet FF, FF′ embedding the pastilles.  FIG. 3  shows the case of sweetmeats or candies having a major dimension L, which, according to the invention, are encapsulated between two substantially thermoplastic PaR-PST sheets having mechanical characteristics diversity: the upper easily breakable sheet (PaR) can show a series of small holes BU and/or incisions IN; the lower sheet PST is more resistant (ticker and/or not weakened) than PaR and acts as trailer. Once the sweetmeats (confetto) CA are entrapped between the two sheets PaR and PST, said sheets are united (by welding or adhesive) and form a two-layer film FF which encloses said capsules and candies CA. In the case of the  FIG. 3  the two sheets PaR and PST can have a width LA lower than the major dimension of confetto CA which will be covered at its ends: indeed sweetmeats, confetti, pastilles of confectionery etc. do not require a total coverage and thus a total protection.  
         [0036]      FIG. 3A  shows the case in which medical pills (tablets) PM, e.g., round with a diameter DM, are inserted between the two sheets PaR (with incisions IN) and PST (without weaknesses), both having a width LA′ slightly larger than the diameter DM, whereby the products PM will be entirely covered and protected at the moment of the two films welding with formation of a bi-layer film FF′.  
         [0037]     The pitch, i.e., the distance between successive confetti CA or pills PM will substantially depend on their weight and size. The third wall  23  shows also a small tooth  23 ′ which by inserting itsself between two rocket teeth  3 ,  3 ′ acts as a no-return device.  
         [0038]     In the case of non medical products such as sugarmeats, candies etc., optimal results have been obtained with a lower trailing film PST consisting of a laminate of polyester (PET)—aluminium (All)—polyethylene (PE) having thicknesses comprised in the hereunder ranges (in microns): 
 
PET 19-23, Adhesive (AD)-All 7-25, Adhesive-PE 20-25. 
 
         [0039]     In the absence of barrier, the All-sheet can be eliminated. As upper film PaR has been advantageously utilized a triple laminate: 
 
PET 5-22, (AD)-All 7-(AD)-PE 20-25 
 
         [0040]     Here too, if there is not need of a gas barrier, the metallic film can be eliminated or alternatively a mono-layer polyolefin film with a thickness of about 35μ preferably containing additives or treated with fancy-cut applied on the surface of only one film preferably that of the PE layer, or of both PE and PET films, can be used.  
         [0041]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a dispenser with rectangular cross-section box I CC whereas in  FIG. 4A  the version with a cylindrical box  5 C in shown, at a parity of trailing means MT and of opening-closing means T, A-C, SPO.  
         [0042]     In  FIGS. 5 and 5 A (perspective views),  5 F and  5 AF (front view) and  5 P,  5 AP (top view) the version is shown of the dispenser of the  FIGS. 1, 2  and  2 A, additionally provided with a device to protect children, substantially consisting of an over-tap ST with opening-closing door A-C, SPO having now also a central window F.  
         [0043]     Typically, the body ST-AC-SPO can be translated and pass from the initial position of  FIGS. 5, 5P  and  5 F in which said body is stopped under the action of several teeth in particular those  60  and  61  associated to two lateral keys  60 ″ and  61 ″ and that  63  associated to the door A-C. To pass to the dispense or distribution, the two side keys  60 ″,  61 ″ are pressed in the direction of arrow  63 ′, and the tooth  63  is released by lifting door A-C in the direction of arrow  63 ′, whereby the whole over-top ST with window F can be translated from the compact position  70  of  FIG. 5P  to the cantilever position  71  of  FIGS. 5A, 5F ,  5 AF where the small window F, which was blind before i.e. did not make visible the inner wall MT and, above all, blocked the outlet mouth of the medical pill PM, now thanks to the partial lifting of door A-C in the position  63 ″ where the mouth becomes free and contemporaneously the small toothed wheels R 1  and R 2  become accessible (in the position in  70  they were not accessible), the ergonometric action in the direction of arrow  68  becomes possible as in the old cigarette lighters i.e. with a very natural acting gesture.  
         [0044]      FIG. 6  shows the children protecting device associated to a cylindrical container: here the three keys T 1 , T 2 , T 3  are pressed releasing the teeth thereto associated, the over-tap ST is turned in the direction of arrow  69  whereby the dispensing mouth is freed and the toothed wheels (priory hidden) become accessible. The working is substantially similar to that of the polygonal containers.  
         [0045]      FIGS. 7, 7A ,  7 B (front views) show, on an enlarged scale, the steps of: 
    I) sliding of the composite sheet PaR+PST under the action of the trailing mechanism MT;     II) contact of the coated tables PM in at least two points  36 - 36 ′ of the tap element T with that of the third cantilevered wall  23  of box ICC;     III) break of the upper film PaR which under the tensioned contact effect in said points  36 - 36 ′ in the direction of arrows X-Y and the continuing trailing action of the trail mechanism MT, is submitted to a force in the direction of arrow Z which causes the break and the detaching of the weakened sheet PaR and the outlet of the tablet PM through the mouth BO.      
         [0049]     Characteristically, the pass-no-pass device P-N-P is here formed by the sides (or inclined chamfers)  31  of T extending (from  34  to  35 ) and  32 ′ (from  27  to  38 ) of the projecting wall  23 , which chamfers or bevels are mutually aligned or form an angle lower than 15° depending on the size, weight and consistency of the tablet PM (or CA). The contact points  36 - 36 ′ excert pressure in the directions of arrows X, Y against said chamfers  34 - 35  and  37 - 38  and generate a radial reaction force (indicated with the arrow Z) which causes the break of PaR, and the expulsion of tablet PM, without any damage to the thick trailing film PST that can therefore be recovered and recycled.  
         [0050]     In the block diagram of  FIG. 8 , the reference  80  indicates a bobbin of basic film which is treated in  81  to get the break sheet PaR To the station of block  82  arrive the thick tow sheet PST from the bobbin  80 ′ and the candies CA or tablets PM from the hopper  85 , which are carefully put down in PST and covered by the sheet PaR  81 ′ in outlet from the treatment  81 . In  84  the package formed of PaR—tablets CA or PM, and PST is welded, the composite film FF (or FF′) is inserted in the container I.CC and in the pass-no-pass PNP and is engaged with its border LE to the slit of rod  1  of the tow mechanism M. This last mechanism carries out a first sliding tow in several steps preferably in three steps, i.e. in  85  a first sliding drag of FF (step I), a second tow in  86  to take in succession the tablets PM (or CA) embedded in FF into contact in at least two points with the pass-no-pass PNP (step II) and a third tow in  87  (step III) to force the tablets in a manner to exert a quasi radial stress on FF up to break the weaker film PaR.  
         [0051]     At the outlet  87  are collected:—the now free tablets  83  or capsules CA or PM;—the wastes or residues  81 ″ of the now broken sheet PaR; and—the (not broken) thick tow sheet PST which is rewound on  80 ′ and recycled to the station  82 .  
         [0052]     The invention has been described, for illustration clarity scruple, with reference to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings; it is however susceptible of all the modifications which, being in the hand reach of the mean skilled person, fall naturally in the scope and spirit of the invention.