Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US7954531?dq=6446111
Timestamp: 2016-02-09 18:12:10
Document Index: 341690417

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 100', 'art 200', 'art 300', 'art 400', 'art 500', 'art 600', 'art 700', 'art 100', 'art 200', 'art 100', 'art 300', 'art 400', 'art 500', 'art 100', 'art 600', 'art 500', 'art 700', 'art 100', 'art 100', 'art 100', 'art 200', 'art 200', 'art 300', 'art 300', 'art 600', 'art 700', 'art 200', 'art 200', 'Application No. 2004', 'Application No. 2004']

Patent US7954531 - Labeling apparatus - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inPatentsA labeling apparatus of the present invention is constituted by: at least three support rollers which come into contact with the outer surface of the vial to rotate; an arm for rotatably supporting the support rollers; a rotation unit (rotation rollers) for rotating the vial held by the support rollers;...http://www.google.com/patents/US7954531?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US7954531 - Labeling apparatusAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS7954531 B2Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 10/587,863PCT numberPCT/JP2005/000658Publication dateJun 7, 2011Filing dateJan 20, 2005Priority dateJan 30, 2004Fee statusPaidAlso published asUS20070163717, WO2005073092A1Publication number10587863, 587863, PCT/2005/658, PCT/JP/2005/000658, PCT/JP/2005/00658, PCT/JP/5/000658, PCT/JP/5/00658, PCT/JP2005/000658, PCT/JP2005/00658, PCT/JP2005000658, PCT/JP200500658, PCT/JP5/000658, PCT/JP5/00658, PCT/JP5000658, PCT/JP500658, US 7954531 B2, US 7954531B2, US-B2-7954531, US7954531 B2, US7954531B2InventorsShoji Yuyama, Katsunori YoshinaOriginal AssigneeYuyama Mfg. Co., Ltd.Export CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (15), Non-Patent Citations (2), Referenced by (3), Classifications (22), Legal Events (2) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetLabeling apparatus
US 7954531 B2Abstract
6. The labeling apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the endless member is configured and arranged to contact at least a center of the label. Description
at least three support rollers which come into contact with the outer surface of the vial to rotate; an arm for rotatably supporting the support rollers; rotation means or unit for rotating the vial held by the support rollers in a predetermined direction; label supply means for supplying labels to be attached on the outer surface of the vial; and an endless member which rotates according to the rotation of the vial between a first support roller and a second support roller, the first support roller being one with which the label fed from the label supply means comes into contact first, the second support roller being one with which the tip end of the label that is in an attaching process in accordance with the rotation of the vial comes into contact secondary. In the labeling apparatus, each of the support rollers is preferably divided into an upper part and a lower part within a range of the height of the vial.
Inside the tablet storing and dispensing apparatus 1, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, 4, and 5, there are provided: a vial supply part 100, a labeling part 200 served as label supply means or unit, a tablet supply part 300, a photographing part 400, a cap supply part 500, a capping part 600, and a storage part 700. The vial supply part 100 is provided on the right side of the main body 10 as viewed from the front, as shown in FIG. 2, and stores a large number of vials 3 by size and supplies, one by one, vials 3 of a size suitable for filling tablets in accordance with prescription data. The labeling part 200 is provided at the lower center of the main body 10 as viewed form the front, and puts a label with printed prescription information on a vial 3 supplied from the vial supply part 100. The tablet supply part 300 is provided on the left side of the main body 10, and stores a large number of tablets (non-pyrazolone) by type and supplies tablets in accordance with prescription data. The photographing part 400 is provided, as shown in FIG. 4, on the center back side of the main body 10, and photographs a vial 3 from above for audit of tablets filled into the vial 3. The cap supply part 500 is provided, as shown in FIG. 3, on the right side of the main body 10 and behind the vial supply part 100, and stores caps 2 for plugging the vials 3, and supplies the caps one by one. The capping part 600 is provided on the center back side of the main body 10, and plugs a vial 3, which is filled with tablets, with a cap 2 supplied from the cap supply part 500. The storage part 700, as shown in FIG. 5, stores vials 3 filled with tablets and plugged with a cap 2 so that they can be taken out by an operator through take-out ports 30 a, 30 b, and 30 c. The tablet storing and dispensing apparatus 1 is further provided, as shown in FIG. 2, with a first transfer robot 150, a second transfer robot 250, a third transfer robot 350, and a fourth transfer robot 450. The first transfer robot 150 is provided below the vial supply part 100, and can hold a vial 3 supplied from the vial supply part 100, transfer it leftward from the vial supply part 100 to the labeling part 200 in the horizontal direction of the main body, and transfer it upward from the labeling part 200 to the second transfer robot 250 or the third transfer robot 350. The second transfer robot 250 is provided inside the tablet supply part 300, and can hold a vial 3 delivered from the first transfer robot 150, transfer it to supply ports of the tablet supply part 300, and transfer it from the supply ports to the third transfer robot 350. The third transfer robot 350 is provided above the first transfer robot 150 in the main body 10, and can deliver, between the capping part 600 and the fourth transfer robot 450, a vial 3 delivered from the first transfer robot 150 or the second transfer robot 250. The fourth transfer robot 450 is provided above the third transfer robot 350, and can transfer a vial 3 delivered form the third transfer robot 350 upward to the storage part 700.
2. Constitution of First Transfer Robot 150 The first transfer robot 150, which constitutes the labeling apparatus of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 7, 8, 9 receives the vial 3 supplied from the chute portion 120, and supplies the vial 3 to a second transfer robot 250 or a third transfer robot 350 shown in FIG. 2 via the labeling part 200.
The robot arm 152 holds the vial 3 supplied from the chute portion 120, and is constituted by a pair of arms 155 a, 155 b disposed on a moving block 153, and an arm driving apparatus 158 for driving the arms 155 a, 155 b. The moving block 153 is constituted by a base portion 153 a, a vertical wall 153 b which projects upward from the center of the base portion 153 a, and an arm attachment portion 153 c extending parallel to the base portion 153 a from the upper end of the vertical wall 153 b. A pair of guide holes and a screw hole, none of which are shown in the drawing, are provided in the base portion 153 a. A bearing portion 154 is provided so as to project from the arm attachment portion 153 c. The parallel moving apparatus 161, which moves the entire robot arm 152 by moving the moving block 153 to the left side of the horizontal direction, is constituted by guide shafts 162 inserted through the guide holes in the base portion 153 a of the moving block 153, a ball screw 163 disposed between the guide shafts 162 and screwed into the screw hole in the base portion 153 a, gears 164 a, 164 b for rotating the ball screw 163, and a drive motor 165.
As shown in FIG. 10, in an initial step S151, the device control apparatus 802 waits for the infrared sensor 181 to detect the supply of the vial 3 from the chute portion 120 in the start position, which is the upper end position of the adjustment table 166 adjusted by the limit switch 182 a. When it is determined that the vial 3 has been received, in a step S 152, a most suited size of vial 3 is selected based on the size and dosing number of the tablet to be prescribed on the basis of the input prescription data and then height data relating to the vial 3 are received (read). In a step S153, the adjustment table moving apparatus 169 is operated to adjust the height of the adjustment table 166 using the limit switches 182 b to 182 c. As a result, the upper end positions of the differently sized vials 3 all match each other.
The labeling part 200 constituted in this manner is operated by the device control apparatus 802. More specifically, when the robot arm 152 is moved to the end position in the step S155 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 10, the label 4 is printed on the basis of the prescription data. The rotary substrate 209 is then rotated such that the front end rotary roller 210 b comes into contact with the vial 3 that is supported rotatably by the support rollers 156 a to 156 d. In this state, the rotary roller 210 b is rotated by the motor 212 via the rotary roller 210 a, whereby the vial 3 is rotated within the support rollers 156 a to 156 d. At this time, the label 4 peeled away from the sheet 5 by the guide chip 202 advances between the support rollers 156 a, 156 d, comes into contact with the vial 3, and thus becomes adhered to the outer peripheral surface of the vial 3 by means of an adhesive coated on the label 4. The label 4 is pressed by the first through fourth support rollers 156 a to 156 d in sequence so as to become firmly adhered to the entire surface of the vial 3.
For example, although, in the embodiment described above, the outer surface of the vial 3 is held by four support rollers 156 a-156 b, as shown in FIGS. 13, 14, two support rollers 156 a, 156 b rotatably attached on a first arm 155 a and a support roller 156 c rotatably attached on a second arm 156 c may be arranged so as to form a triangle. In the arms, five or more support rollers may be attached. That is to say, in order to hold the vial 3 having circular cross section, more than three support rollers are disposed so as to form a locus of circle. Thus, the vial 3 can be centered and held at the center position of the robot arm 152. The endless member 157 is not limited only to providing between the first and second support rollers 156 a, 156 b. In the case that five or more support rollers 156 are provided, the endless member 157 may be also provided between the second and third support rollers 156 b, 156 c. Furthermore, each support roller 156 is not limited to one extending vertically along the outer surface of the vial as in the embodiment described above. As shown in FIGS. 13, 14, the support roller 156 may be constructed by divisional rollers 156 a-1, 156 a-2 156 b-1, 156 b-2, 156 c-1, 156 c-2 which are divided into an upper part and a lower part within a range of the height of the vial. Thus, the number of holding positions with respect to the vial 3 can be increased, enhancing stability of holding state.
Patent CitationsCited PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS2495174 *May 9, 1947Jan 17, 1950John D McclatchieLabeling machineUS2639830 *Jan 7, 1950May 26, 1953A Kimball CoMachine for attaching and wiping labels on conduits or other cylindrical articlesUS3607568 *Dec 29, 1967Sep 21, 1971Laub HermanRoll-through labelerUS3765991 *Jan 23, 1970Oct 16, 1973B & J Mfg CoLabeling apparatusUS3834963Feb 14, 1972Sep 10, 1974B & J Mfg CoMethod for applying labels to containersUS4851072 *Nov 4, 1986Jul 25, 1989Owens-Illinois Plastic Products Inc.Label application apparatus having a magazine with retaining fingersUS5879496 *Dec 14, 1993Mar 9, 1999B&H Manufacturing Company, Inc.Method of labeling articles having convex surfacesUS5946883 *Dec 10, 1997Sep 7, 1999Kabushiki Kaisha Yuyama SeisakushoDrug filling machineUS6581355Oct 30, 2000Jun 24, 2003Yuyama Mfg. Co., Ltd.Tablet filling deviceEP1179475A1Oct 30, 2000Feb 13, 2002Yuyama Mfg. Co., Ltd.Tablet filling deviceGB1342680A * Title not availableJP2001130504A Title not availableJPS542558A Title not availableJPS57175545A Title not availableWO2001032508A1Oct 30, 2000May 10, 2001Yuyama Mfg Co LtdTablet filling device* Cited by examinerNon-Patent CitationsReference1Decision of Refusal dated Mar. 9, 2010 in corresponding Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-024669 (with English translation).2Notification of Reason for Refusal dated Oct. 8, 2009 in corresponding Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-024669 (with English translation).Referenced byCiting PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleUS8869861Jul 23, 2009Oct 28, 2014Parata Systems, LlcDevice and method for labeling vials useful in system for dispensing prescriptionsUS20080110555 *Nov 14, 2006May 15, 2008Steve BouchelleDevice and method for labeling vials useful in system for dispensing prescriptionsUS20090283199 *Nov 19, 2009Steve BouchelleDevice and method for labeling vials useful in system for dispensing prescriptions* Cited by examinerClassifications U.S. Classification156/447, 156/446, 156/449, 156/455International ClassificationB65C9/06, B65C9/34, B65C9/04, B65C9/32, B65C3/06, B65C9/08, B65C3/12, B65C3/16, B65C3/02, B65C9/20, B65C9/30, B65C9/36, B65C9/26, B65C9/18Cooperative ClassificationB65C3/16, B65C9/32European ClassificationB65C9/32, B65C3/16Legal EventsDateCodeEventDescriptionSep 29, 2006ASAssignmentOwner name: YUYAMA MFG. CO., LTD., JAPANFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:YUYAMA, SHOJI;YOSHINA, KATSUNORI;SIGNING DATES FROM 20060720 TO 20060727;REEL/FRAME:018382/0960Nov 27, 2014FPAYFee paymentYear of fee payment: 4RotateOriginal ImageGoogle Home - Sitemap - USPTO Bulk Downloads - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - About Google Patents - Send FeedbackData provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services