Patent Publication Number: US-2010107556-A1

Title: Device For Inserting Articles In Blisters Of A Blister Band

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to a device for inserting articles in relative cells, or blisters, of a blister strip. 
     The invention concerns a device preferably used in the pharmaceutical sector for supplying and distributing articles such as tablets, pills and the like in a blister strip, in a blister packing machine. 
     Apparatus are already known, and are associable to blister packing machines, which fill the cells in a blister strip with respective articles. 
     European patent no. EP 1 627 813, in the name of the present applicant, describes a device for inserting articles in relative blisters of a heat-formed blister strip, which device is conformed such as to selectively insert at least two types of articles in predetermined blisters of a blister strip. 
     The apparatus comprises two or more hoppers, borne by relative carriages, which are supplied with articles. The hoppers supply respective chutes, at lower ends of which strips corresponding with an upper surface of an underlying blister strip are associated, continuously activated. The carriages, to which the hoppers and the descent chutes are solidly constrained, are activated alternatingly between two extreme positions such as to centre, in the outward run, the lower ends of the chutes with respect to the relative cells, keeping, for a predetermined time, the carriages at a same advancement velocity as the strip such as to guarantee centering. The belts, in phase relation with the centering, are moved with respect to the chutes such as to position through-holes afforded in the belts coaxially of the overlying lower ends of the chutes, to enable transit of the article from each chute to a relative blister cell. 
     The device is used for inserting a single article in a respective blister cell, dimensions of which blister cell are calibrated according to a size of the article to be received. 
     It is known that heat-forming enables blister strips to be obtained having blister cells of any size, such that they can be calibrated as required with reference to articles. 
     A problem with this type of device relates to a case in which there is a need to use blisters that are considerably larger than an article to be inserted therein. 
     These blister strips can be realised by using plastic or aluminium materials. 
     Aluminium blister strips are made by drawing, by creating blister cells in a strip of aluminium by plastic deformation. 
     The drawing process does not enable blister strips to be produced having calibrated sizes with respect to the articles to be inserted, as technological constraints mean that predetermined radii and inclinations of the lateral walls of the blister cell have to be maintained; it follows that the volume of the cell is always greater than the volume of the article destined to be inserted. 
     This means that it is not possible to realise blister cells having dimensions calibrated on the basis of the article to be inserted, and thus the use of blister strips with enlarged blister cells in the device described in European patent no. EP 1 627 813 does not guarantee that a single article will be inserted in each blister. 
     A further problem, this time associated with the use of heat-formed blister strips, is that there is often the need, for economic reasons or other, to use a same heat-forming group following an article format change, i.e. there is the need to insert tablets, pastilles or the like internally of cells the dimensions of which are greater than those of the articles. 
     In the case that the blister cell dimensions are such that they can receive more than one article, the relative chute of the device, placed in communication with the blister cell to be filled, would release more than one article into the blister cell. This constitutes a drawback of the device of EP 1 627 813. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An aim of the present invention is to provide a device for inserting articles in blister cells of a blister strip which obviates the above-mentioned drawbacks, in particular by enabling insertion of a single article internally of a blister cell of a blister strip of aluminium material or heat-formable material independently of the relative dimensions of the blister cell with respect to the article to be inserted. 
     A further aim of the present invention is to provide a device which is defined by organs and/or means which are simple to realise and assemble and are relatively inexpensive with respect to the aims they intend to attain. 
     The above-indicated aims are obtained by means of a device for inserting articles in blisters of a blister strip in a blister packing machine, the device being associated to at least a supply station which terminates with at least a supply channel facing downwards and which is located above the blister strip, the blister strip being moved along an advancement direction, and blisters of which blister strip being accessible from above, the device comprising an obstructing strip located in contact on an upper surface of the blister strip, the obstructing strip affording at least a through-hole of a size such as to enable free transit through the through-hole of at least an article, the device comprising an obstruction carriage interposed between the channel and the obstructing strip and affording at least a through-seating of such dimensions as to contain at least one of the articles, the obstruction carriage being moved in alternating motion along an advancement direction of the blister strip between a first position in which the through-seating is coaxial to the channel and is inferiorly closed by the obstructing strip in order to receive at least an article from the channel, and a second position in which the through-seating is coaxial with the through-hole afforded in the obstructing strip in order to enable a release of the article contained internally of the through-seating, which article passes through the hole and falls into an underlying blister to be filled. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The characteristics of the invention are set out in the following description, with particular reference to the accompanying figures of the drawing, in which: 
         FIGS. 1 to 4  illustrate corresponding schematic lateral views of a preferred embodiment of the device, shown in different operating configurations; 
       figures from  5  to  7  illustrate corresponding schematic lateral views of a further embodiment of the device, shown in different operating configurations; 
         FIG. 8  is a schematic lateral view of a further embodiment of the device of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     With special reference to  FIGS. 1 to 4 ,  1  denotes in its entirety the device of the present invention. 
     The device, in a preferred embodiment thereof illustrated in  FIGS. 1-4 , is associated to a supply station C located above the blister strip  7  and defined by a hopper  2 , supplied with articles  9 , and by a supply channel  3  facing downwards and destined to receive the articles from the hoper  2 . In this preferred embodiment, the device comprises: an obstructing strip  6  located in contact on an upper surface of the blister strip  7 , the obstructing strip  6  affording at least a through-hole  13  of a size such as to enable free transit through the through-hole  13  of at least an article  3 ; and an obstruction carriage  5  interposed between the channel  3  and the obstructing strip  6  and affording at least a through-seating  14  of such dimensions as to contain at least one of the articles, the obstruction carriage  5  being moved with respect to the supply station C and the obstructing strip  6  by first activating means  4 . 
     The supply station C, the obstructing strip  6  and the first activating means  4  associated to the obstruction carriage  5  are borne by an operating group  15  moved by second activating means, not illustrated, in an alternating motion between two extreme positions. 
     The blister strip  7  is moved continuously in an advancement direction W by activating organs of known type and not illustrated. 
     The hopper  2  is vertically mobile with respect to the supply channel  3  with a jumping motion imparted by relative activating organs, of known type and not illustrated, between a first extreme vertical position E, illustrated with a continuous line in  FIG. 4 , and a second extreme vertical position F, illustrated with a broken line in  FIG. 4 . The jumping motion of the hopper  2  is of such an entity as to keep the upper end of the supply channel  3  immersed in the mass of articles present in the hopper  2 . 
     The obstruction carriage  5  is L-shaped, with a side developing parallel to the advancement direction W of the blister strip  7 , and is moved by associated first activating means  4  with respect to the supply station C and the obstructing strip  6 . 
     The obstruction carriage  5  is thus moved in an alternating motion, parallel to the advancement direction W of the blister strip  7 , with respect to the supply station C and the obstructing strip  6  between two extreme positions: a first extreme position B, illustrated in  FIG. 1 , and a second extreme position A, illustrated in  FIG. 4 . 
     The through-seating  14  in the obstruction carriage  5  is of such a size as to receive at least an article. 
     The obstructing strip  6  is constituted by an extremely slim strip stretched above the blister strip  7  in the advancement direction W and coinciding with the upper surface  12  of the blister strip. 
     The functioning of the device of the present invention will be described herein below, with reference to the preferred embodiment illustrated in  FIGS. 1-4 . 
     The releasing of an article internally of the seating  14  of the obstruction carriage  5  happens when the obstruction carriage  5  is in the first extreme position B, illustrated in  FIG. 1 , in which the axis of the through-seating  14  of the carriage  5  is aligned with the axis of the channel  3  and the obstructing strip  6  occludes the through-seating  14  of the carriage  5 . 
     In this position the supply channel  3 , filled with articles, is in communication with the seating  14  of the obstruction carriage  5  in order to enable release of an article internally of the seating  14 . 
     The operating group  15  is then moved, as illustrated in  FIG. 2 , by second activating means (not illustrated) in the same direction as the blister strip  7 , such as to follow the blister strip  7  (outward run). 
     The operating group  15 , after a first acceleration stage, is thus brought up to the same speed as the blister strip  7  and in this operating configuration the hole  13  of the obstructing strip  6  is centered with respect to the first blister  8  of the blister strip  7  to be filled, as illustrated in  FIG. 2 . 
     The centering of the hole  13  of the obstructing strip  6  with the first blister  8  to be filled is therefore maintained for a predetermined time. 
     In phase relation with the movement of the operating group  15 , the obstruction carriage  5  is moved towards the second extreme position A, occluding the supply channel  3  with the upper surface thereof  16 , as illustrated in  FIG. 3 . 
     The first and the second activating means are thus controlled in reciprocal phase relation. 
     The release of an article from the through-hole  14  of the obstruction carriage  5  internally of the blister cell to be filled is done when the obstruction carriage  5  has reached the second extreme position A, as illustrated in  FIG. 4 . The article, contained internally of the seating  14  of the obstruction carriage  5 , is released, passing through the hole  13  internally of the underlying blister cell to be filled  8 . 
     The operating group  15  is then moved in an opposite direction to the advancement direction W of the blister strip (return run) and in phase relation the obstruction carriage  5  is moved with respect to the operating group  15  towards position B, such as to repeat the previously-described operating cycle. 
     The obstructing strip  6  is further moved, by further activating means (not illustrated) with respect to the supply station C between an operating position, in which it aligns the seating  14  of the obstruction carriage  5  with the hole  13  of the obstructing strip  6 , and thus the functioning of the described device, and an inoperative position, in which there is no alignment. 
     This functional-technical aspect enables a blister cell not to be filled with an article and can advantageously be used where a blister strip is to filled with various types of products, preventing a release of an article into a blister cell, for example in a case where the blister cell has to be filled with another type of product present in a filler device located downstream. 
     In a further embodiment, illustrated in figures from  5  to  7 , the operating group  15  is not mobile along an advancement direction of the blister strip W. The obstruction carriage  5  is mobile between a first position B and a second position A. 
     The functioning of the device of this embodiment will be described herein below, with reference to  FIGS. 5-7 . 
     When the obstruction carriage  5  is in the first extreme position B, illustrated in  FIG. 5 , an article is released from the supply channel  3  into the through-seating  14  of the obstruction carriage  5 . 
     The obstruction carriage  5 , after having received an article in the seating  14 , is activated by the first activating means  4  along the advancement direction W of the blister strip  7 , as illustrated in  FIG. 6 , up to reaching the position in which the seating  14  of the carriage  5  is coaxial with the hole  13  of the obstructing strip  6 . 
     The obstruction carriage  5  releases the article contained in the through-hole  14  when the blister cell  8  to be filled is below the hole  13  of the obstructing strip  6 , as illustrated in  FIG. 7 . 
       FIG. 8  illustrates a variant of the illustrated embodiments of  FIGS. 1-7 , in which the supply station D is constituted by a plurality of vibrating plates  18 , having a suitable inclination and being activated by activating organs of known type and not illustrated. The descent of the articles  9  from a plate to a following plate is facilitated by the vibration of the vibrating plate  18  and a series of brushes  19  which counter-rotate with respect to the descent direction of the articles, and this prevents the articles from accumulating in proximity of the inlet section of the supply channel  3 . 
     It is stressed that the blister strip can also be activated according to any law of motion, without forsaking the ambit of protection of the present invention as defined in the contents of the claims. 
     The device advantageously enables at least an article to be inserted internally of a blister of an aluminium or heat-formable blister strip, independently of the relative dimensions of the blister cell with respect to the dimensions of the article. 
     A further advantage of the present invention consists in having defined a device which is advantageously defined by organs and/or by means that are simply realised and assembled, and which are relatively inexpensive in relation to the objectives attained. 
     The above is described purely by way of non-limiting example, such that any constructional variants thereto are considered to fall within the ambit of protection of the present technical solution, as described herein above and as claimed herein below.