Patent Publication Number: US-8978348-B2

Title: Medicine feeding device

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a division of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/669,393, filed on Sep. 23, 2003 which is based upon and claims the benefits of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-283863, filed on Sep. 27, 2002, Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-283874, filed on Sep. 27, 2001, Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-283900, filed on Sep. 27, 2002, Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-283920, filed on Sep. 27, 2002 and Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-283947, filed on Sep. 27, 2002, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a medicine feeding device which wraps medicines stored in tablet cases as much as an amount specified in accordance with a prescription at a hospital or a dispensing pharmacy. 
     Conventionally, at the hospital or the dispensing pharmacy, the medicine feeding device (tablet wrapping machine) has been used to provide medicines prescribed by a doctor. According to this system, the amount of medicines (tablets, capsules or the like) described in a prescription is discharged from a discharge drum (alignment board) in tablet cases (tablet storing and feeding members) one by one, and collected by a hopper. Then, wrapping paper (medical sheet) wound in a roll state is pulled out, use/purpose is printed on the wrapping paper by a printer, and then each is wrapped (e.g., see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8 (1996)-11805). 
     In the case of wrapping a medicine by pulling out the wrapping paper wound in the roll state, proper tension is applied to prevent the occurrence of wrinkles. According to a conventional method for applying tension, an arm rotated and pressed by a coil spring is used, and the wrapping paper is hooked on a rod disposed on the tip of the arm to apply tension. 
     In such a case, as a pressing force of the coil spring is changed depending on a rotational angle of the arm, the tension applied to the wrapping paper is also changed. Wrinkles occur if this tension is too small. If too large conversely, there is a danger of cutting the wrapping paper. 
     In a nozzle for discharging/feeding a medicine to the wrapping paper, a shutter is disposed to control the feeding of the medicine by opening/closing a medicine dropping passage in the nozzle. On the other hand, the medicine dropping passage in the nozzle is constituted to have a narrow outlet to enable feeding of even shallow (small-width) wrapping paper. Consequently, when a medicine of a long capsule is discharged, there is a problem of clogging of the nozzle by the medicine. 
     The wrapping paper wound in the roll state is normally V-shaped roughly in section in which an upper surface is open and a lower end is folded (half-folding), and the nozzle is inserted into the wrapping paper from above. Slackening or wrinkles occur depending on a dimension of the nozzle to cause a problem of wrapping state failures. 
     In the case of pulling out the wrapping paper wound in the roll state to wrap the medicine therein, the roll of the wrapping paper is mounted on a wrapping paper delivery mechanism which is constituted of a base plate and an engaging shaft. In this case, the roll is mounted in the form of inserting the engaging shaft into a shaft tube of the roll of the wound wrapping paper. However, since a tensile force is applied to the roll when the wrapping paper is pulled out, the shaft tube may be disengaged from the engaging shaft. Thus, while falling-off can be prevented by making the engaging shaft longer, there is a problem of difficult mounting work. 
     Furthermore, in the case of pulling out the wrapping paper wound in the roll state, printing and wrapping the medicine, thermal-transfer printing which uses an ink ribbon is ordinarily utilized. However, in the medicine feeding device of this kind, since the printer is attached to a very narrow place on the midway of the wrapping machine, mounting of the ink ribbon becomes very difficult. Especially, when a wide ink ribbon is mounted, there is a problem of wrinkles or winding shifting. 
     The present invention is designed to solve the foregoing conventional technical problems, and to provide a medicine feeding device which can apply uniform tension to wrapping paper wound in a roll state to wrap a medicine. 
     The present invention provides a medicine feeding device which can effectively eliminate medicine-clogging of a nozzle for discharging a medicine to wrapping paper. 
     The present invention provides a medicine feeding device structured in such a manner that occurrence of slacking or wrinkles is difficult on wrapping paper by a nozzle. 
     The present invention provides a medicine feeding device which improves mounting workability while effectively eliminating inconvenient falling-off of wrapping paper wound in a roll state from a wrapping paper delivery mechanism. 
     The present invention provides a medicine feeding device which comprises a fixture for facilitating mounting of an ink ribbon on a printer which prints on wrapping paper wound in a roll state to wrap a medicine. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A first aspect of the present invention is directed to a medicine feeding device which comprises a tablet case for storing a medicine and wrapping paper wound in a roll state and which wraps the medicine discharged from the tablet case in the wrapping paper, the medicine feeding device comprising a tension application mechanism for applying predetermined tension to the continuously pulled-out wrapping paper, the tension application mechanism being constituted to be upward and downward movable, and applying tension to the pulled-out wrapping paper by its own weight. 
     A second aspect of the present invention is directed to the medicine feeding device, wherein the tension application mechanism comprises an operation section for depressing the wrapping paper, a roller disposed in the operation section, and a vertical rail with which the roller is slidably engaged. 
     A third aspect of the present invention is directed to a medicine feeding device for feeding a medicine discharged from a tablet case for storing the medicine, comprising a nozzle for releasing the medicine discharged from the tablet case; and a shutter rotatably disposed in the nozzle to open/close a medicine dropping passage in the nozzle, wherein the shutter comprises a first shutter plate which has a dimension capable of closing the nozzle and which is rotated, and a second shutter plate swingingly connected to a tip of the first shutter plate. 
     A fourth aspect of the present invention is directed to the medicine feeding device, wherein an outlet of the medicine dropping passage in the nozzle is narrowed as compared with an inlet, and as the first shutter plate is rotated, the second shutter plate abuts on a narrow place of the medicine dropping passage in the nozzle to be swung. 
     A fifth aspect of the present invention is directed to a medicine feeding device which comprises a tablet case for storing a medicine and wrapping paper wound in a roll state and wrapping paper wound in a roll state while an upper surface is opened and a lower end is folded and which wraps the medicine discharged from the tablet case in the wrapping paper, the medicine feeding device comprising a nozzle inserted into the continuously pulled-out wrapping paper from above to feed the medicine discharged from the tablet case into the wrapping paper, a tip of the nozzle being provided with a tapered guide through which the medicine can be passed. 
     A sixth aspect of the present invention is directed to the medicine feeding device, wherein the nozzle is slidable to a far side of the upper surface. 
     A seventh aspect of the present invention is directed to a medicine feeding device which comprises a tablet case for storing a medicine and wrapping paper wound in a roll state and which wraps the medicine discharged from the tablet case in the wrapping paper, the medicine feeding device comprising a wrapping paper delivery mechanism which delivers the wrapping paper, wherein the wrapping paper delivery mechanism has a base plate for holding the wrapping paper, and an engaging shaft projected from a center of the base plate to be engaged with a shaft tube around which the wrapping paper is wound, and an engaging projection is formed on a side face of the engaging shaft, the engaging projection being inclined so as to intersect an axial direction of the engaging shaft at a predetermined angle, and an engaging groove is formed on an inner surface of the shaft tube, the engaging groove being inclined so as to engage with the engaging projection. 
     An eighth aspect of the present invention is directed to the medicine feeding device, wherein the engaging projection is extended from a tip of the engaging shaft toward the base plate while being inclined in a rotational direction of the engaging shaft. 
     A ninth aspect of the present invention is directed to the medicine feeding device, wherein the wrapping paper delivery mechanism is disposed so that the engaging shaft may be projected in a horizontal direction or in an oblique upper direction, a guide plate is disposed which receives the wrapping paper corresponding to a bottom portion of the base plate, and the tip of the engaging shaft is tapered. 
     A tenth aspect of the present invention is directed to a medicine feeding device which comprises a tablet case for storing a medicine, wrapping paper wound in a roll state and a printer for printing on the wrapping paper by thermal transfer using an ink ribbon and which wraps the medicine discharged from the tablet case in the wrapping paper, the medicine feeding device comprising an ink ribbon mounting fixture which has a feeding side shaft and a winding side shaft arranged in a fixture main body in a positional relation corresponding to an ink ribbon feeding side bobbin and an ink ribbon winding side bobbin of the printer in a state of being opposite the printer, the feeding side of the ink ribbon being detachably attached to the feeding side shaft, the winding side of the ink ribbon being detachably attached to the winding side shaft. 
     An eleventh aspect of the present invention is directed to the medicine feeding device, wherein the fixture main body is provided with a guide shaft on which the ink ribbon is hooked in a state where the feeding side of the ink ribbon is attached to the feeding side shaft and the winding side of the ink ribbon is attached to the winding side shaft. 
     A twelfth aspect of the present invention is directed to the medicine feeding device, wherein the feeding side shaft and the winding side shaft are held by the fixture main body so as to be movable in a direction exiting from the feeding side and the winding side of the ink ribbon in a state of abutting on the ink ribbon feeding side bobbin and the ink ribbon winding side bobbin. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a medicine feeding device (excluding a top plate) according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a front view of the medicine feeding device in a state in which a door panel of each shelf is removed, and a lower panel is opened. 
         FIG. 3  is a longitudinal side view of the medicine feeding device of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a front view of a wrapping machine of the medicine feeding device of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is a view illustrating an operation of attaching a roll of wrapping paper to a wrapping paper delivery mechanism of the medicine feeding device of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a base plate of the wrapping paper delivery mechanism of  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 7  is a front view of the roll of the wrapping paper and a mechanism for applying tension to the wrapping paper in the medicine feeding device of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of a nozzle of the medicine feeding device of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 9  is a front view of the nozzle of the medicine feeding device of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 10  is a longitudinal side view of the nozzle of the medicine feeding device of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 11  is another longitudinal side view of the nozzle of the medicine feeding device of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 12  is yet another longitudinal side view of the nozzle of the medicine feeding device of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 13  is a perspective view of a printer of the medicine feeding device of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 14  is a front view of a fixture for mounting an ink ribbon on the printer of  FIG. 13 . 
         FIG. 15  is a front view of a state in which the ink ribbon is mounted on the fixture of  FIG. 14 . 
         FIG. 16  is an enlarged view showing a gripping portion of the fixture of  FIG. 14 . 
         FIG. 17  is a sectional view of the fixture illustrating an operation of mounting the ink ribbon on the printer by the fixture of  FIG. 14 . 
         FIG. 18  is similarly a sectional view of the fixture illustrating the operation of mounting the ink ribbon on the printer by the fixture of  FIG. 14 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Next, the preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     A medicine feeding device  1  of the present invention is installed at a hospital or a dispensing pharmacy, and comprises an oblong rectangular main body  7  and a later-described personal computer for control. The main body  7  comprises upper and lower structures  7 A and  7 B to be separated from each other, and it is structured in a manner that the upper structure  7 A is laminated to be connected on the lower structure  7 B. In the upper structure  7 A, a case storage section  8  opened on front and upper-and-lower sides is constituted to store a later-described tablet case  3 . A top surface of the case storage section  8  is covered with a detachable top plate  1 A. 
     Front and upper surfaces of the lower structure  7 B are opened, and the upper surface is communicated with the upper structure  7 A. A wrapping machine  13  or the like is installed as a later-described filling device in the lower structure  7 B, and an opening of the front surface is covered with biparting lower panels  4 ,  4  to be freely opened/closed. 
     Illustratively shown are 4 left and right rows of, and 5 up and down stages of shelves  2  . . . (totally 20) installed in the case storage section  8  of the upper structure  7 A. A door panel  6  is attached to a front end of each shelf  2 , and the door panels  6  . . . cover the front opening of the upper structure  7 A (case storage section  8 ) in a state in which all the shelves  2  . . . are stored in the case storage section  8 . A passage  9  opened up-and-down is formed back and forth on a center of the shelf. On both left and right sides of the passage  9 , illustratively shown are 8 driving bases (totally 16) of a tablet case  3  are attached back and forth in parallel. 
     The tablet case  3  comprises the driving bases and a detachable container connected thereon. A drum motor and an optical medicine detector sensor are attached in the driving base of the tablet case  3 , and a chute is formed. This discharge chute is communicated to be opened in the passage  9 . In  FIG. 1 , a reference numeral  111  denotes a control panel. 
     On the other hand, the container of the tablet case  3  is opened to the upper surface, and this opening is covered with an openable cap. A discharge drum is attached to a bottom of the container, and a plurality of longitudinal grooves are formed at predetermined intervals around a side face of the discharge drum. The discharge drum is rotated by the drum motor, and medicines are discharged one by one from the discharge chute to the passage  9 . This medicine discharging is detected by the medicine detection sensor to be counted. 
     The shelf  2  to each of which the plurality of tablet cases  3  . . . is stored in the case storage section  8  so as to be freely pulled out. A harness  28  is disposed in a rear end of the shelf  2  to electrify the drum motor of the tablet cases  3  . . . , and to transmit an output from the medicine detection sensor. 
     In a state in which the plurality of shelves  2  . . . are stored in the case storage section  8 , the passages  9  of the shelves  2  which are located up and down correspond to each other to constitute a series of chutes  32  that are communicated up and down. Thus, according to the embodiment as illustratively shown, 4 left and right rows of chutes  32  . . . are constituted up and down in the case storage section  8 . 
     On the other hand, the wrapping machine  13  (filling device) is stored in the bottom side of the lower structure  7 B of the main body  7  as described above. A structure of the wrapping machine  13  will be described later. The wrapping machine  13  is detachably fixed by screws to drawing rails  47 ,  47  attached to left and right sides of the bottom of the lower structure  7 B as shown in  FIG. 3 . Accordingly, the wrapping machine  13  is freely pulled out to the front from the lower structure  7 B in open states of the lower panels  4 ,  4 , and detachably fixed to the drawing rails  47 ,  47  in a pulled-out state. A reference numeral  48  is a wrapping machine harness detachably connected by a connector between the wrapping machine  13  and the lower structure  7 B, and has a length to permit a sufficient pulling-out amount of the wrapping machine  13 . 
     Two opening/closing plates  53 ,  53  are disposed side by side in the upper side of the lower structure  7 B. The opening/closing plates  53 ,  53  correspond to the lower sides of the chutes  32  . . . located above. The opening/closing plate  53  of the right side corresponds to the chutes  32 ,  32  of the right end and the left side, while the opening/closing plate  53  of the left side corresponds to the chutes  32 ,  32  of the left end and the right side. The opening/closing plate  53  serves to temporarily receive a medicine dropped from each chute  32  to a later-described hopper  54 . 
     The hopper  54  is disposed in the lower structure  7 B corresponding to the lower sides of the opening/closing plates  53 ,  53 . The hopper  54  is formed in a rectangular filter shape which is widely opened in an upper surface and narrowed toward the bottom end. The hopper  54  receives medicines dropped from the chutes  32  . . . , and passed through the opening/closing plates  53 ,  53 , and discharges the medicines from a bottom end opening  54 A. 
     The upper end left and right sides of the hopper  54  are detachably fixed by screws to drawing rails  56 ,  56  attached to the upper left and right sides of the lower structure  7 B. The opening/closing plates  53 ,  53  are positioned on the drawing rails  56 ,  56  to be detachably fixed thereto by screws. Thus, the hopper  54  and the opening/closing plate  53 ,  53  are simultaneously pulled out freely to the front from the lower structure  7 B in the opened states of the lower panels  4 ,  4 , and detachably attached to the drawing rails  56 ,  56  in the pulled-out state. A not-shown detachable harness for the opening/closing plate  53  is also disposed. This harness has a length to permit a sufficient pulling-out amount of the opening/closing plate  53 . 
     By the above structure, in the case of maintenance such as replacement of the tablet case  3 , cleaning of the chutes  32  . . . constituted of the passages  9 , and the hopper  54 , and component replacement of the wrapping machine  13 , these portions are pulled out from the upper structure  7 A or the lower structure  7 B of the main body  7  to carry out detaching work. 
     Accordingly, it is possible to realize smooth medicine filling by greatly improving maintenance workability of the medicine feeding device  1 . Especially, since the plurality of tablet cases  3  are simultaneously pulled out of the upper structure  7 A together with the shelves  2 , and the container is detachably attached, replacing workability of the container of the tablet case can be greatly improved. 
     Additionally, since the opening/closing plates  53 ,  53  are pulled out of the lower structure  7 B, and detachably attached, it is possible to improve maintenance workability of opening/closing plates  53 ,  53  which temporarily receive the medicine to the hopper  54 . Especially, since the opening/closing plates  53 ,  53  and the hopper  54  are attached so as to be simultaneously pulled out of the lower structure  7 B, it is possible to greatly improve workability in the case of maintenance of the opening/closing plate  53  and the hopper  54 . 
     An additional medicine feeder (UTC)  57  is attached to an upper center of the lower structure  7 B to be positioned between the opening/closing plates  53 ,  53 . In this case, the additional medicine feeder  57  is pulled out to the front itself without being covered with the lower panels  4 ,  4 , and detachably attached ( FIG. 1 ). This additional medicine feeder  57  optionally feeds additional medicines, and it is communicated with the hopper  54 . 
     Next, a constitution of the wrapping machine  13  will be described by referring to  FIG. 4 . A reference numeral  71  denotes a roll formed by winding wrapping paper  72  (constituting a container) to be deposited by heat,  73  a printer,  74  a nozzle attached to the bottom end opening  54 A of the hopper  54 ,  76  a heat seal head made of silicon rubber,  77  a roller for conveying the wrapping paper  72  pulled out from the roll  71 ,  79  a cutter for cutting the wrapping paper  72 , and  81  a conveyor for conveying the divisionally cut wrapping paper  72  to a take-out port  82  disposed in the lower panel  4 , which are sequentially disposed along the conveying path of the wrapping paper  72 . A reference numeral  83  denotes a motor for operating the heat seal head  76 ,  78  a motor for driving the roller  77 , and  84  a motor for the conveyor  81 . 
     The wrapping paper  72  wound in the state of the roll  71  is roughly V-shaped in section in which an upper surface is opened, and a lower end is folded (half-folding). The wrapping paper is temporarily pulled out from the roll  71  obliquely right upward by the roller  77  or the like, then pulled out obliquely right downward, and printing is carried out on the surface thereof by the printer  73  as described later. Then, a medicine discharged from the nozzle  74  is supplied into the wrapping paper  72 , and the wrapping paper  72  is divided for each wrapping by heat deposition of the heat seal head  76 . The divided wrapping paper  72  is then cut by the cutter  79 , and conveyed on the conveyor  81  to the left upper take-out port  82 . 
     In this case, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the wrapping paper  72  is wound in the state of the roll  71  around a cylindrical shaft tube  70  (made of synthetic resin). The roll  71  is detachably attached to a wrapping paper delivery mechanism  102  disposed below an attaching plate  101  inclined at an angle of about 20° obliquely right upward when seen from the front. As shown in  FIG. 6 , the wrapping paper delivery mechanism  102  comprises a disk base plate  103 , an engaging shaft  104  projected from a center of the base plate  103 , a guide plate  106  correspondingly disposed below the base plate  103 , and a not-shown brake mechanism abutting on the bottom side of the base plate  103 . 
     The engaging shaft  104  is made of a metal or a synthetic resin, and a plurality of engaging projections  107  . . . are formed on a side face thereof as shown in  FIG. 6 . Each engaging projection  107  is inclined to intersect an axial direction of the engaging shaft  104  (the engaging shaft  104  is projected obliquely right upward from the base plate  103  in  FIG. 4 , and projected obliquely left upward in  FIG. 5 ) at a predetermined angle. This inclination is set so that the projection can be extended from the tip of the engaging shaft  104  toward the base end  103 , and in a rotational direction (indicated by an arrow in  FIG. 6 ) of the engaging shaft  104  and the base plate  103 . The engaging shaft  104  is formed in a predetermined tapered shape so that its tip can be tapered, and a tapered portion  108  is formed therein. 
     On the other hand, an inner diameter of the shaft tube  70  of the roll  71  of the wound wrapping paper  72  is set to enable adhesion and engagement with the side face of the engaging shaft  104 . A plurality of engaging grooves  107  . . . are formed on the inner surface of the shaft tube  70 , each of which has a depth to be engaged with the engaging projection  107  of the engaging shaft  104 , and which are inclined in the same direction (broken line in  FIG. 5  is a virtual line indicating the engaging groove  109  of the front side). 
     On the other hand, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the guide plate  106  is arranged slightly apart from the base plate  103 , and at least corresponds to the lower side (obliquely left lower side in  FIG. 5 ) of the engaging shaft  104 . When the roll  71  of the wrapping paper  72  is mounted on the wrapping paper delivery mechanism  102 , as shown in the upper side of  FIG. 5 , first, the roll  71  is mounted on the guide plate  106  to be positioned with the engaging shaft  104  of the shaft tube  70 . In this case, the guide plate  106  may be bent so that a portion corresponding to the engaging shaft  104  can be lowest. This constitution further facilitates the positioning. 
     When the roll  71  is moved toward the base plate  103  in this state, as shown in the upper side of  FIG. 5 , an inner edge of the upper side of the bottom surface of the shaft tube  70  abuts on the tapered portion  108  of the engaging shaft  104  (a positional relation between the base plate  103  and the guide plate  106  is properly set in accordance with a dimension of the roll  71  as described above). When the roll  71  of the wrapping paper  72  is further moved toward the base plate  103 , the shaft tube  70  is guided by the tapered portion  109 , separated from the guide plate  106  to be raised, and its axial center coincides with that of the engaging shaft  104 . Thus, by disposing the tapered portion  108  and the guide plate  106 , the positioning of the roll  71  is greatly facilitated. 
     Then, when the roll  71  is slightly rotated in an arrow direction of  FIG. 6 , the engaging groove  109  on the inner surface of the shaft tube  70  coincides with the engaging projection  107  of the engaging shaft  104  before long. Thus, by rotating and screwing in the roll  70  in the arrow direction of  FIG. 6 , the engaging projection  107  enters the engaging groove  109  to be detachably engaged (state of the lower side of  FIG. 5 ). Lastly, the roll  71  is mounted to be fixed on the upper surface of the base plate  103 . 
     The engaging projection  107  of the engaging shaft  104  is extended in the rotational direction of the base plate  103  and the engaging shaft  104  so as to be inclined toward the base plate  103  as described above. Accordingly, when the wrapping paper  72  delivered, as described above, a force on the shaft tube  70  and the engaging shaft  104  is applied in a direction for further fastening engagement between the engaging projection  107  and the engaging groove  109 . Thus, falling-off of the roll  71  can be prevented even in the case of a small projecting dimension (according to the embodiment, a height dimension to the bottom end of the tapered portion  109  is 10 mm) of the engaging shaft  104 . 
     According to the embodiment, the attaching plate  101  is inclined to project the engaging shaft  104  obliquely upward at 45°. However, the invention is not limited to this. A structure may be employed in which the engaging shaft  104  is projected obliquely upward at a smaller angle including a horizontal direction (in this case, the base plate  103  is set in a vertical direction). 
       FIG. 7  is a front view of the roll  71  when seen from obliquely left upper side of  FIG. 4 . A tension application mechanism  113  is disposed on the attaching plate  101  in the path between the roll  71  and the printer  73 . This tension application mechanism  113  comprises a metal base portion  114 , an operation section  121  which is constituted of a rod  116  made of a metal round rod (circular in section) having a dimension longer than a width of the wrapping paper  72  and which projects from the base portion  114 , a pair of rollers  117 ,  117  disposed in both sides to be projected from the base portion  114 , a pair of rails  118  with which the rollers  117 ,  117  are engaged so as to slide, and a tension pin  119 . 
     The operation section  121  has predetermined weight itself. The rails  118 ,  118  are disposed in a direction in which the attaching plate  101  is inclined, and extended from right to left (up-and-down direction, it may be in a vertical direction) in  FIG. 4 . Thus, by the sliding of the rollers  117 ,  117 , the operation section  121  which includes the rod  116  is moved up and down along the rails  118 ,  118  by their own weight. The tension pin  119  is positioned on an upper side opposite the roll  71  in a manner of sandwiching the rails  118 ,  118  and, as described later, the rod  116  is positioned roughly symmetrically left and right in a state of depressing the wrapping paper  71  ( FIG. 7 ). Thus, roughly uniform force is applied on the left and right wrapping paper  72  of the rod  116 . 
     According to the aforementioned constitution, the wrapping paper  72  pulled out of the roll  71  is passed below the rod  116  of the tension application mechanism  113 , and pulled from the upper side of the tension pin  119  to the printer  73 . Thus, since a falling force of the operation section  121  by its own weight becomes a force by which the rod  116  depresses the wrapping paper  72 , tension is applied to the wrapping paper  72 . 
     When the wrapping paper  72  is pulled out of the roll  71  by the roller  77  or the like, by its tensile force, the operation section  121  is raised by the wrapping paper  72  as indicated by a broken line of  FIG. 7 . When the tensile force is weakened, the operation section  121  is lowered again (state indicated by a solid line in  FIG. 7 ). Thus, the tension is applied to the wrapping paper  72  to prevent occurrence of wrinkles. However, since the operation section  121  of the tension application mechanism  113  is moved up and down by its own weight to apply the tension to the pulled-out wrapping paper  72  as described above, the tension applied to the wrapping paper  72  is not affected by a moving position of the operation section  121 . 
     Therefore, constant tension can be always applied uniformly to the continuously pulled-out wrapping paper  72  wound in the roll state, and it is possible to effectively eliminate occurrence of both wrinkles and cutting due to excessive tension. Especially, since the tension application mechanism  113  comprises the operation section  121  for depressing the wrapping paper, the rollers  117 ,  117  disposed in the operation section  121 , and the vertical rails  118 ,  118  with which the rollers  117 ,  117  are engaged to slide, the operation section  121  and the rollers  117 ,  117  are smoothly moved along the rails  118 ,  118  by their own weight to apply always constant tension to the wrapping paper  72 . 
     The nozzle  74  is disposed roughly vertically as shown in  FIG. 8 . This nozzle  74  is formed in a rectangular cylinder in which upper and lower sides are opened. An outlet portion of its tip (lower side) is formed as a narrow width portion  122  in which a back-and-forth width toward the front side is narrower than that of an inlet, and the lower end of the narrow width portion  122  is opened as a medicine dropping passage outlet in the nozzle  74  (according to the embodiment, a depth inner dimension of the upper medicine dropping passage in the nozzle  74  is 30 mm, and the narrow width portion  122  is 18 mm). A normally used depth (width) dimension of the wrapping paper  72  is 74 mm and 43 mm. The narrow width portion  122  is formed so that the nozzle  74  can be inserted even into this shallow wrapping paper  72 . 
     A wrapping paper guide  123  is attached to the narrow width portion  122  from the outside. The wrapping paper guide  123  is formed in a roughly tapered V shape in section, and directed to be orthogonal to an advancing direction (45°-inclined direction from left to right) of the wrapping paper  72  ( FIG. 9 ). The front and rear surfaces (left and right surfaces in  FIG. 4 ) of the wrapping paper guide  123  in the advancing direction of the wrapping paper  72  are opened. Accordingly, the medicine dropped in the nozzle  74  can be passed from the opening surface of the front lower side (right lower side in  FIG. 9 , indicated by  123 A on the front side in  FIG. 8 ) of the wrapping paper guide  123  downward (indicated by a broken line arrow in  FIG. 9 ). 
     The upper end opening of the nozzle  74  is set oppositely to the bottom end opening  54 A of the hopper  54 , and the nozzle  74  is inserted from the lower end of the wrapping paper guide  123  into the wrapping paper  72 . In this case, since the wrapping paper guide  123  is V-shaped in section, it can be easily inserted from the upper opening side of the wrapping paper  72  folded as described above. In this case, if the nozzle  74  can be slid from the upper surface of the wrapping paper  72  to the far side, the replacing work of the wrapping paper  72  and the work of inserting the wrapping paper guide  123  into the wrapping paper  72  are further facilitated. 
     Because of the insertion of the nozzle  74  into the wrapping paper  72 , the wrapping paper  72  is bulged left and right in the advancing direction by an amount equivalent to its back-and-forth dimension as indicated by a broken line in  FIG. 8 . However, since the tapered wrapping paper guide  123  is attached to be inserted into the wrapping paper  72 , wrinkles or slackening on the wrapping paper  72  is prevented or limited to a minimum. 
     Thus, because of the insertion of the nozzle  74  into the wrapping paper  72 , the medicine received by the hopper  54  enters the nozzle  74 . Then, the medicine is passed through the medicine dropping passage formed inside and through the opening surface of the wrapping paper guide  123  to be fed into the wrapping paper  72  ( FIG. 9 ). At this time, since the bottom of the wrapping paper  72  is bulged by the wrapping paper guide  123 , inconvenience of slackening or wrinkles is prevented or suppressed even if a large amount of medicines is fed in. 
     Further, a shutter  126  similar to that shown in  FIG. 10  is disposed in the nozzle  74  (wrapping paper guide  123  is omitted in the drawing). This shutter  126  comprises a first shutter plate  128  which upper end is rotary-driven by a drive shaft  127  positioned in a deep upper side in the nozzle  74 , and a second shutter plate  131  connected to a tip of the first shutter plate  128  by a rotary shaft  129  so as to be rotated and swung. A guide groove  132  is formed on the side wall of the nozzle  74 , which coincides with a locus of the rotary shaft  129  rotated in conjunction with the rotation of the first shutter plate  128 . 
     The rotary shaft  129  of its tip abuts on the inner wall of the nozzle  74  in a state in which the first shutter plate  128  of the shutter  126  is rotated upward as shown in  FIG. 10 . Accordingly, the first shutter plate  128  closes the medicine dropping passage in the nozzle  74  ( FIG. 10 ). At this time, the second shutter plate  131  is suspended by its own weight in a state of being slightly inclined inside as shown in  FIG. 10 . 
     The shutter  126  temporarily receives the medicine discharged from the hopper  54  to the nozzle  74 . During wrapping, when the shutter  126  is opened to drop the medicine, the first shutter plate  128  is rotated around the drive shaft  127  by not-shown driving means such as a solenoid or a motor counterclockwise in  FIG. 10 , and lastly set from the closed state of  FIG. 1  to a drooped open state of  FIG. 11 . In this state, the medicine dropping passage in the nozzle  74  is opened. At this time, the tip of the second shutter plate  131  abuts on an upper end corner  122 A (place in which the medicine dropping passage is narrowed) which becomes a starting point of the narrow width portion  122 , and set in an inclined state in which it is rotated clockwise around the drive shaft  129 . When closing, the first shutter plate  128  is rotated clockwise in each drawing by the driving means to return to the state of  FIG. 10 . 
     In this case, the medicine has a length of about 25 mm at the maximum. Thus, when the shutter  126  is opened to drop the medicine, if the medicine enters the narrow width portion  122  in a roughly horizontal state as shown in  FIG. 11 , clogging may occur because of the narrow width. At this time, since the second shutter plate  131  abuts on the corner  122 A of the narrow width portion  122 , and its lower end is located on the inlet of the narrow width portion  122  as shown in  FIG. 11 , the medicine which has caused the clogging is on the lower end of the second shutter plate  131 . 
     When the first shutter plate  128  is rotated in a closing direction from this state, as shown in  FIG. 12 , the second shutter plate  131  is swung counterclockwise as shown from the state of  FIG. 11  during the rotation. Thus, an operation force is applied to lower the right end of the medicine in the state of  FIG. 11  or the like. Accordingly, since the medicine which has caused the clogging changes its posture, it is dropped in the narrow width portion  122  as shown in  FIG. 12 . 
       FIG. 11  shows the clogging state caused by one medicine. If several medicines cause clogging, the swinging of the second shutter plate  131  breaks postures thereof. In any case, clogging caused by many medicines can be eliminated by the structure of the shutter  126 . However, if the clogging is not eliminated, a not-shown controller issues an alarm. 
     The controller opens/closes the shutter  126  by a timing in which such clogging by a medicine is difficult to occur by the driving means. The driving means is slowly operated to soften shocks to the medicine, and to prevent kicking-back. As this method, there are a method for gradually applying an input voltage to a solenoid, a method for disposing a predetermined mechanical damper, etc. 
     Next, the printer  73  will be described. The printer  73  is a thermal transfer type which uses an ink ribbon. As shown in  FIG. 13 , the wrapping paper  72  is pressed to a color ink ribbon  91  by a pressing plate  92 , and predetermined printing is carried out on the surface of the wrapping paper  72  by a thermal-transfer head  93 . 
     A reference numeral  94  denotes an opening/closing cap of the printer  73 . Advancing directions of the ink ribbon  91  and the wrapping paper  72  are indicated by arrows in the drawing. In the drawing, a reference numeral  134  denotes an ink ribbon feeding side bobbin of the printer  73 , and  136  an ink ribbon winding side bobbin. Further, reference numerals  137 ,  138  denote guide pins for guiding the ink ribbon  91  to the thermal-transfer head  93 . A feeding side  91 A of the ink ribbon  91  (shaft tube of the ink ribbon feeding side) is attached to the feeding side bobbin  134 , while a winding side  91 B (shaft tube of the ink ribbon winding side) is attached to the winding side bobbin  136 . Then, the ink ribbon is hooked sequentially on the guide pin  137 , the thermal-transfer head  93  and the guide pin  138  ( FIG. 13 ). 
       FIG. 14  is a front view of a fixture  141  for mounting the ink ribbon  91  on the printer  73 . This fixture  141  comprises a flat plate fixture main body  142 , a feeding side shaft  143 , a winding side shaft  144  and guide shafts  146  to  148  which are disposed on one surface of the fixture main body  142 , and a grip  149  disposed on the other surface of the fixture main body  142 . In a state in which the fixture  141  is set oppositely to the printer  73 , the feeding side shaft  143  is opposed to the feeding side bobbin  134  of the printer  73 , and the winding side shaft  144  is opposed to the winding side bobbin  136  of the printer  73 . The guide shaft  147  corresponds to a position outside the thermal-transfer head  93  of the printer  73 , and the guide shafts  146 ,  148  correspond to the guide pins  137 ,  138  of the printer  73 . 
     Holes  146 A,  148 A are formed in the centers of the guide shafts  146 ,  148 , into which the guide pins  137 ,  138  can be inserted. As shown in  FIG. 17 , the feeding side shaft  143  and the winding side shaft  144  are held to freely move in a through-hole  142 A formed in the fixture main body  142 , and they have flanges  143 A,  144 A positioned on the other surface side of the fixture main body  142 . Concave portions  143 B,  144 B are formed in the tips of the feeding side shaft  143  and the winding side shaft  144 , which the feeding side bobbin  134  and the winding side bobbin  136  can enter. 
     The shafts  143 ,  144  are always pressed in a direction of being pushed out from the other surface side of the fixture main body  142  to one surface side by a leaf spring  152 . This state is held by abutment of the flanges  143 A,  144 A on the other surface of the fixture main body  142 . 
     According to the above constitution, when the ink ribbon  91  is mounted on the printer  73 , first, the feeding side  91 A of the ink ribbon  91  (actually, the shaft tube of the ink ribbon feeding side) is detachably attached to the feeding side shaft  143  of the fixture  141 , and the winding side  91 B (similarly, the shaft tube of the winding side) of the ink ribbon  91  is detachably attached to the winding side shaft  144  of the fixture  141 . The ink ribbon  91  is hooked on the outside of the guide shafts  146  to  148  ( FIG. 15 ). In this state, each of the shafts  143 ,  144  enters roughly half of the width dimension of the ink ribbon  91 . 
     After the attaching of the ink ribbon  91  to the fixture  141 , the grip  149  is held to oppose the fixture  141  to the printer  73 , and the feeding side  91 A of the ink ribbon  91  is brought close to the feeding side bobbin  134 , and the winding side  91 B is brought close to the winding side bobbin  136  (indicated by arrows in  FIG. 17 ). Then, when the feeding side bobbin  134  is inserted into the feeding side  91 A of the ink ribbon  91  (similarly, the shaft tube of the feeding side) and the winding side bobbin  136  is inserted into the winding side  91 B (similarly, the shaft tube of the winding side), the bobbins  134 ,  136  abuts on the shafts  143 ,  144  of the fixture  141  before long, and the tips of the bobbins  134 ,  136  enter the concave portions  143 B,  144 B. 
     In this state, by further pressing the fixture  141  to the printer  73  side, the shafts  143 ,  144  are pushed out to the other surface side of the fixture  141  against a pressing force of the leaf spring  152  ( FIG. 18 ), and the shafts  143 ,  144  are pulled out of the feeding side  91 A and the winding side  91 B of the ink ribbon  91  before long. The guide pins  137 ,  138  of the printer  73  are detachably inserted into the holes  146 A and  148 A of the guide shafts  146  and  148 , and the guide shaft  147  is inserted into the outside of the thermal-transfer head  93 . 
     In such a state, if the fixture  141  is pulled out after the insertion, since a frictional force between the bobbins  134 ,  138  and the feeding and winding sides  91 A and  91 B is larger than a special frictional force between the shafts  143 ,  144  and the feeding and winding sides  91 A and  91 B, the feeding side  91 A and the winding side  91 B of the ink ribbon  91  are held by the bobbins  134 ,  138  of the printer  73  to be left by friction, and the ink ribbon  91  is automatically hooked on the guide pins  137 ,  138  and the thermal-transfer head  93 . Thus, since the ink ribbon  91  is mounted on the fixture  141  beforehand in a state similar to the mounting state on the printer, and the fixture  141  is inserted into the printer  73  in this state to transfer the ink ribbon  91  to the printer  73  side, mounting work is facilitated, and it is possible to eliminate inconvenience of wrinkles or shifting of the ink ribbon  91  during mounting. 
     Especially, since the shafts  143 ,  144  of the fixture  141  are freely moved in the direction of being pulled out of the feeding side  91 A and the winding side  91 B of the ink ribbon  91 , it is possible to transfer the ink ribbon  91  only by pulling out the fixture  141  after it is inserted into the printer  73 . 
     Next, description will be made of an operation of the medicine feeding device  1  of the present invention which is constituted in the foregoing manner. It is assumed that the opening/closing states  53 ,  53  are closed in a power input state. It is also assumed that each shelf  3  to which the tablet case  3  for storing the medicine is attached in the case storage section  8  of the upper structure  7 A as described above. 
     When an operator enters proscription data from the personal computer based on doctor&#39;s prescription, the controller of the medicine feeding device  1  specified a tablet case  3  in which a medicine designated based on the prescription data is stored, and drives the drum motor to rotate the discharge drum, and discharges medicines one by one in this way. The discharged medicines are detected by the medicine detection sensor, and counted. Then, the drum motor is stopped at a stage in which a predetermined amount is discharged. Each discharged medicine enters the chute  32  constituted of the passage  9  from the discharge chute of the tablet case  3 , and temporarily received by the opening/closing plate  53 . 
     Then, the controller opens the opening/closing plate  53  to drop the medicine in the hopper  54 . The medicine dropped in the hopper  54  is moved out of the bottom end opening  54   a  to enter the nozzle  74 , and received on the first shutter plate  128  of the closed shutter  126  as shown in  FIG. 10 . Then, the controller opens the first shutter plate  128  by the driving means as described above to pass the medicine through the wrapping paper guide  123  and enter the wrapping paper  72 . Then, after the wrapping by the wrapping machine  13  as described above, the medicine is delivered to the outside from the take-out port  82 . At this time, at a point of time when the medicine is dropped from the opening/closing plate  53  in the hopper  54 , the controller executes medicine discharging to shorten a wrapping time. It is additionally assumed that the printing for indicating the medicine to be wrapped is carried out by the printer  73  before the feeding of the medicine. 
     As described above, according to the present invention, the medicine feeding device for wrapping the medicine discharged from the tablet case in the wrapping paper comprises the tablet case which stores the medicine, the wrapping paper wound in the roll state, and the tension application mechanism which applies tension to the continuously pulled-out wrapping paper. The tension application mechanism is freely moved up and down to apply the tension to the pulled-out wrapping paper by its own weight. Thus, the tension applied to the wrapping paper is not affected by the moving position of the tension application mechanism. 
     Therefore, always constant tension can be uniformly applied to the continuously pulled-out wrapping paper wound in the roll state, and occurrence of wrinkles or cutting can be effectively prevented. 
     According to the present invention, since the tension application mechanism comprises the operation section for depressing the wrapping paper, the roller disposed in the operation section, and the up-and-down direction guide with which the roller is engaged to slide, the operation section and roller are smoothly moved along the guide to apply always constant stable tension to the wrapping paper. 
     According to the present invention, the medicine feeding device for feeding the medicine discharged from the tablet case which stores the medicine comprises the nozzle for discharging the medicine from the tablet case, and the shutter rotatably disposed in the nozzle to open/close the medicine feeding passage. The shutter comprises the first shutter plate which has a dimension to close the nozzle, and which is rotated, and the second shutter plate connected to the tip of the first shutter plate to be freely swung. Thus, especially when the outlet of the medicine dropping passage in the nozzle is narrower than the inlet, if the medicine clogs the nozzle, the second shutter plate is swung in conjunction with the rotation of the first shutter plate of the shutter to move the medicine which has caused the clogging or break the posture. 
     Thus, it is possible to effectively eliminate the nozzle clogging by the medicine. Especially since the second shutter plate abuts on the narrowed place of the medicine dropping passage in the nozzle to be swung in conjunction with the rotation of the first shutter plate, it is possible to effectively eliminate the medicine-clogging of the nozzle by a simple constitution. 
     According to the present invention, since the tapered guide through which the medicine can be passed is disposed in the nozzle tip for feeding the medicine discharged from the tablet case in the wrapping paper, the nozzle can be easily inserted into the wrapping paper by using this guide shape. 
     Since the wrapping paper can be held in the bulged state by the guide, occurrence of wrinkles or slackening becomes difficult. Especially, it is possible to effectively prevent wrapping failures even if a large amount of medicines is fed. 
     If the nozzle can be slid from the upper surface to the far side, the replacing work of the wrapping paper and the work of inserting the nozzle into the wrapping paper can be further facilitated. 
     According to the present invention, the medicine feeding device for wrapping the medicine discharged from the tablet case in the wrapping paper comprises the tablet case which stores the medicine, the wrapping paper wound in the roll state, and the wrapping paper delivery mechanism which delivers the wrapping paper. The wrapping paper delivery mechanism has the base plate for holding the wrapping paper, and the engaging shaft projected from the center of the base plate to be engaged with the shaft tube around which the wrapping paper is wound. The engaging projection is formed on the side face of the engaging shaft, which is inclined to intersect the engaging shaft at the predetermined angle in the axial direction. The engaging groove is formed on the inner surface of the shaft tube, which is inclined to be engaged with the engaging projection. Thus, the wrapping paper can be mounted on the base plate by inserting the engaging shaft into the shaft tube of the wrapping paper, and adjusting the engaging groove to the engaging projection and rotating it to screw in. 
     Thus, the mounting workability of the wrapping paper is improved. Especially, the engagement between the engaging projection of the engaging shaft and the engaging groove of the shaft tube can effectively prevent the falling-off of the wrapping paper. 
     According to the present invention, in addition to the above, since the engaging projection is extended from the tip of the engaging shaft toward the base plate while being inclined in the rotational direction of the engaging shaft, the rotation when the wrapping paper is pulled out is applied in the direction of fastening the engagement between the engaging projection and the engaging shaft. Thus, it is possible to surely prevent the falling-off of the wrapping paper even if the height dimension of the engaging shaft is set small to improve mountability. 
     According to the present invention, since the wrapping paper delivery mechanism has the guide plate disposed to receive the wrapping paper corresponding to the lower side of the base plate, even if the engaging shaft is disposed to project horizontally or obliquely upward, the mounting work can be carried out after the wrapping paper is mounted on the guide plate to facilitate positioning. Additionally, since the tip of the engaging shaft is tapered, the shaft tube of the wrapping paper can be guided to the engaging shaft by using this tapered shape, and the position is further facilitated. 
     According to the present invention, the medicine feeding device for wrapping the medicine discharged from the tablet case in the wrapping paper comprises the tablet case which stores the medicine, the wrapping paper wound in the roll state, the printer which prints on the wrapping paper by the thermal transfer using the ink ribbon, and the ink ribbon mounting fixture. The ink ribbon mounting fixture comprises the feeding side shaft and the winding side shaft arranged in the fixture main body in the positional relation of corresponding to the ink ribbon feeding side bobbin and the ink ribbon winding side bobbin of the printer in the state of being opposite the printer. The feeding side of the ink ribbon is detachably attached to the feeding side shaft, and the winding side of the ink ribbon is detachably attached to the winding side shaft. Thus, when the ink ribbon is mounted on the printer, the feeding side and the winding side of the ink ribbon are detachably attached to the feeding side shaft and the winding side shaft of the fixture main body beforehand, the ink ribbon is mounted on the fixture in a state similar to that of mounting on the printer beforehand, and the fixture is inserted into the printer in this state to enable transfer of the ink ribbon to the printer side. Therefore, the mounting of the ink ribbon is facilitated, and it is possible to prevent inconvenience of wrinkles or shifting of the ink ribbon during mounting. 
     Additionally, according to the present invention, since the guide shaft is disposed in the fixture main body, on which the ink ribbon is hooked in the state in which the feeding side of the ink ribbon is attached to the feeding side shaft, and the winding side of the ink ribbon is attached to the winding side, the ink ribbon can be mounted on the fixture in a state much similar to the mounting state on the printer. Thus, the mounting workability can be further improved. 
     Furthermore, according to the present invention, the feeding side shaft and the winding side shaft are held in the fixture main body so as to freely move in the direction of being pulled out of the feeding side and the winding side of the ink ribbon in the state of abutting on the ink ribbon feeding side bobbin and the ink ribbon winding side bobbin. Thus, when the fixture on which the ink ribbon is mounted is inserted into the printer, the feeding side and the winding side of the ink ribbon are held by the ink ribbon feeding and winding side bobbins of the printer to be left, and the feeding side shaft and the winding side shaft of the fixture are pushed out to the bobbins to be pulled out of the feeding side and the winding side of the ink ribbon. Thus, the ink ribbon can be transferred only by pulling out the fixture after it is inserted into the printer. Therefore, the mounting work can be further facilitated.