Abstract:
A loading system ( 10 ) for loading packaging cards ( 14 ) with blister cards ( 22 ), which system comprises a magazine ( 15 ) for holding a supply of blister cards and operable controllably to release sequential blister cards onto a stationary runner ( 32 ) disposed around a portion of a feeder wheel ( 24 ), at an input position of the feeder wheel, the feeder wheel having means ( 30 ) to convey the blister cards in sliding contact with said runner to a transfer position of the feeder wheel, and means ( 26 ) sequentially to transfer conveyed blister cards for loading onto packaging cards during synchronized movement between the transfer means and the packaging cards.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates particularly though not exclusively to a system for loading blister cards onto packaging cards, and more particularly though not exclusively to a loading system that minimises damage to the surface of the blister card during a loading process, and still more particularly though not exclusively to a loading system that comprises a gate mechanism and feeder wheel to carry out the loading process whilst minimising dame to the surface of the blister card. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Current commercial blister card loading systems transfer successive blister cards from a magazine, or other known storage system, into contact with a corresponding packaging card. The packaging cards often comprise an adhesive element with which the packaging cards and the blister card are secured to one another. These adhesive elements may be applied to the packaging card in an activated form, or alternatively, heated such that preapplied adhesive becomes activated. Thus the time between the adhesive being heated, or applied to the packaging card, and the location of the blister cards upon the packaging card must be kept to a minimum so as to limit the exposure of the active adhesive to the air, during which time it will lose part of its adhesive qualities. The means of transferring the blister cards from the magazine to a position of contact with the packaging card are therefore high speed mechanisms that often subject the blister card to potentially damaging levels of friction. 
         [0003]    Examples of known loading systems are those that feed blister cards onto a rotating feeder wheel that transfers successive blister cards to a position proximate the packaging, ready for a final accurate transfer mechanism to perform the final loading action. However, such systems often result in damage being caused to the blister cards as they are brought into contact with the revolving surface of the feeder wheel. Such damage not only lowers the aesthetic appeal of the blister card, but also risks rupturing the blisters and loss of, or damage to, the any contents thereof. 
         [0004]    There is, therefore, a need for a loading system that may transfer blister cards from a magazine to a position proximate the packaging cards, into which they are to be loaded, which avoids bringing the delicate blisters of the blister cards into contact with a rotating surface, and yet will quickly transfer the blister cards, so as to minimise the risk of the adhesive portions of the packaging cards losing their adhesive qualities. 
         [0005]    The present invention described herein seeks to overcome or at least mitigate these problems highlighted in the loading systems of the prior art. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    A first aspect of the present invention provides a loading system for loading packaging cards with blister cards, which system comprises a magazine for holding a supply of blister cards and operable controllably to sequentially release blister cards onto a stationary runner disposed around a portion of a feeder wheel, at an input position of the feeder wheel, the feeder wheel having means to convey the blister cards in sliding contact with said runner to a transfer position of the feeder wheel, and means sequentially to transfer conveyed blister cards for loading onto packaging cards during synchronized movement between the transfer means and the packaging cards. 
         [0007]    Preferably, a guide rail is provided to cooperate with said stationary runner and thereby to retain the blister card within a working reach of a feeder wheel as they are conveyed by the feeder wheel. 
         [0008]    Preferably, the means by which the feeder conveys the blister cards comprises lugs that protrude from the surface of the feeder wheel, and which are brought into abutment with a trailing edge of the blister cards by rotation of the feeder wheel, and through which abutment subsequent conveyance of the blister card is achieved. 
         [0009]    Preferably, the magazine comprises protrusions that abut a proximate surface of a blister card of the magazine, thereby preventing any blister cards from being released, which protrusions may be controllably moved out of abutment with said proximate surface, by displacement of the protrusion and said surface relative to one another, and thereby releasing a blister card from the magazine. 
         [0010]    Preferably, the magazine comprises pivotable hooks, the terminal ends of which form said protrusions. 
         [0011]    Alternatively, the magazine may comprise Archimedean screws that release the successive blister cards from the magazine through rotation of the Archimedean screws. 
         [0012]    Another alternative being that the magazine comprises star wheels which may be rotated to release successive blister cards from the magazine. 
         [0013]    Preferably, the loading system is arranged such that two or more blister cards may be released onto runners of the feeder wheel, and thereafter loaded onto the same packaging card, simultaneously. 
         [0014]    A second aspect of the present invention provides a method of loading a packaging card a blister card, which method comprises the steps of controllably releasing blister cards sequentially, from a magazine for holding a supply of blister cards, onto a stationary runner disposed around a portion of a feeder wheel, at an input position of the feeder wheel, conveying the released blister cards, in sliding contact with said runner, to a transfer position of the feeder wheel, using a conveying means of the feeder wheel, and sequentially transferring conveyed blister cards for loading onto packaging cards during synchronized movement between the transfer means and the packaging cards. 
         [0015]    Preferably, the blister cards are controllably released from the magazine by moving protrusions out of abutment with proximate surfaces of the blister cards. 
         [0016]    Preferably, the protrusions comprise the end of pivotable hooks and the protrusions are moved out of abutment with said proximate surfaces by pivoting those hooks. 
         [0017]    Alternatively, the protrusions comprise the thread of Archimedean screws and the protrusions are moved out of abutment with said proximate surfaces by rotating the Archimedean screws. 
         [0018]    A further option being that the protrusions comprise the lugs of rotatable star wheels and that the protrusions are moved out of abutment with said proximate surfaces by rotating the star wheels. 
         [0019]    Preferably, two or more blister cards are released onto the runners of the feeder wheel simultaneously, and are thereafter loading onto the same packaging card simultaneously. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0020]    A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: 
           [0021]      FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of a loading system according to preferred embodiment of the invention; and 
           [0022]      FIG. 1A  shows a schematic side view of the loading system of  FIG. 1 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0023]    The present invention provides a loading system  10  which comprises a gate mechanism  40  for intermittently releasing blister cards  22  from a magazine  15 . As the blister cards  22  are released, they are transferred to locate upon respective packaging cards  14  that are disposed upon a packaging conveyor  28 . The packaging cards  14  comprise a series of apertures  11  that accommodate blisters  21  that are disposed upon one side of the blister card  22 . 
         [0024]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , the preferred embodiment of the loading system  10  comprises a magazine  15 , containing blister cards  22 , positioned vertically above a feeder wheel  24  that is in turn positioned above a rotary suction arm  26 . This assembly is positioned over packaging conveyor  28  and may advantageously be positioned proximate an exit end of a heating hood  12 . In the illustrated embodiment, the magazine  15  comprises two adjacent stacks of blister cards  22  so as to allow simultaneous loading of two blister cards  22  upon each packaging card  14 . It is, however, contemplated that the number of stacks of blister cards  22  may be higher or lower than the two shown in this exemplary embodiment. 
         [0025]    The magazine  15  is fitted with a gate mechanism  40  which can be controlled to intermittently release the lowermost blister cards  22  of each stack in the magazine  15 , onto runners  32  of a feeder wheel  24 . The gate mechanism  40  comprises, in a preferred embodiment, a pair of hooks  44  (best shown in  FIG. 1A ), hinged upon either side of the magazine  15 . The terminal ends of each hook  44  are disposed inwardly of the magazine  15  so as to come into abutment with a lowermost surface of the lowermost blister cards  22  of each stack in the magazine  15 , which abutment retains all the blister cards  22  in the magazine  15 . 
         [0026]    The hooks  44  may be brought out of abutment with the lowermost blister cards  22  by pivoting the hooks  44  about pivots  42  a sufficient amount to allow the lowermost blister card  22  to pass between the terminal ends of the those hooks  44 . After the release of the lowermost blister card  22  of each stack, the hooks  44  pivot back to their original orientation to prevent the release of successive blister cards  22  from the magazine  15 . Alternatively, it may be that dual pairs of gate mechanisms  40  are employed such that a first gate mechanism retains the penultimate blister cards  22  of each stack, whilst the second gate mechanism  40  retains only the lowermost blister card  22  of each stack. 
         [0027]    It is also conceived that the same gate mechanism function may be achieved using Archimedean screws or star wheels (not shown) as alternatives to the hooks  44  described above. For example, the Archimedean screws could convey the blister cards  22  down through the magazine  15  in a controllable fashion and would release the lowermost blister cards as they reach the terminal free end of the screw. Likewise, star wheels may be positioned such that lugs, disposed around the periphery of each star wheel, come into contact with the free edges of the blister card  22 . The star wheels may then be controlled so as to free the lowermost blister cards  22  of the magazine  15  at controllable intervals. 
         [0028]    Once the lowermost blister card  22 , of each stack, has been freed from restraint by the gate mechanism  40 , it will descend, under gravitational attraction, to a position of rest upon runners  32  of the feeder wheel  24 . The runners  32  are provided in pairs for each blister card, so as to support the blister card  22  in a stable condition, and the number of pairs of runners  32  corresponds to the number of stacks contained in the magazine, so that the blister cards  22  may be accommodated side by side on the runners  32 . 
         [0029]    The runners  32  follow a path proximate to but offset from the perimeter of feeder wheel  24 , as is more clearly illustrated in  FIG. 1A . The feeder wheel  24  further comprises guide rails  33 , that similarly follow a path proximate the perimeter of the feeder wheel  24 , although offset therefrom by a greater distance than that of the runners  32 . The released blister cards  22  drop onto the runners  32  directly beneath the magazine  15  and remain in place until a lug  30  is brought into contact with their trailing edges. The blister cards  22  are disposed upon the runner  32  with the blisters  21  protruding toward the feeder wheel  24 , the runners  32  being shaped and arranged so as to contact a flat underside of the blister card  22  rather than the blisters  21  themselves. Thus, at the point at which the blister cards  22  are brought into contact with the feeder wheel  24 , the blister cards are only subject to the forces of their own weight resting upon the runners  32 . 
         [0030]    The lugs  30  protrude radially from the surface of the feeder wheel  24  and thereby follow an annular path as the feeder wheel  24  is rotated. In the preferred embodiment, the lugs  30  are provided in pairs, each lug  30  of each pair being aligned with the other lug  30  of that pair. There are provided four such pairs of lugs  30  around the periphery of the feeder wheel  24 . If a different number of stacks of blister cards  22  were being used, the number of lugs  30  in each set would be adapted accordingly from the exemplary pairs. Once in abutment with an aforementioned trailing edge of a blister card  22 , the lugs  30  convey the blister cards  22  around a portion of the periphery of the feeder wheel  24 . A terminal end of the guide rails  33  is positioned proximate the location at which the blister cards  22  are initially positioned upon the runners  32 , such that, once the blister cards  22  are conveyed by the lugs  30 , the blister cards  22  quickly become disposed intermediate a guide rail  33  and the runners  32 . The guide rail  33  prevents the blister cards  22  from separating from the runners  32 . Thus the blister cards  22  are conveyed by the lugs  30  around a portion of the feeder wheel  24  in direction Tc until they reach a lowermost point of the feeder wheel  24 , at which point each blister card  22  is released from the feeder wheel  24  as a result of the termination of the guide rails  33 . As each blister card  22  is released, it comes into contact with a corresponding suction head  34  of a rotary suction arm  26 , with which a seal is created. The blister cards  22  are thereby secured to the rotary suction arm unit  26 , and are orientated such that the blisters  21  are protruding away from the rotary suction arm  26 . 
         [0031]    In the preferred embodiment, the rotary suction arm unit  26  comprises two pairs of diametrically opposed arms  35  each comprising a suction head  34 . It is contemplated that the number of pairs may be varied according to the requirements of the system, wherein three pairs of arms may, for example allow for quicker withdrawal of blister cards  22  from the feeder wheel  24 . Similarly, the number of arms in each set may be varied from the illustrated pair to correspond to the number of stacks of blister cards  22  in the magazine  15 . 
         [0032]    Once a seal has been created between the rotary suction arm unit  26  and each blister card  22 , the blister cards  22  are displaced out of abutment with lugs  30  by pivoting the rotary suction arm unit  26  about its central axis in direction Ta. The lugs  30  are thereby freed to follow the return path of the feeder wheel  24 . The rotation of the rotary suction arm unit  26  is synchronised with that of the feeder wheel  24 , such that a suction head  34  is correctly positioned proximate the lowermost point on the feeder wheel  24 , as each successive blister card  22  is released from the feeder wheel  24 . 
         [0033]    The rotary suction arm unit  26  conveys the blister cards  22  about an annular path that brings them into a correct position upon a packaging card  14  that is disposed upon the packaging conveyor  28 . At this point, the blisters  21  of the blister cards  22  are disposed toward the packaging card  14  and are each aligned in registry with a corresponding aperture  11  in the packaging card  14 . 
         [0034]    Once blister cards  22  are positioned correctly with respect to a packaging card  14 , the seal between those blister cards  22  and the respective suction heads  34  is broken, by virtue of, for example, the removal of a negative pressure between the suction head  34  and a surface of the blister card  22 . As the seal is broken, the blister cards  22  are freed from the rotary suction arm unit  26  and are conveyed upon the packaging cards  14 , by packaging conveyor  28 . 
         [0035]    The packaging conveyor  28  conveys the packaging cards  14 , loaded with blister cards  22 , between compression rollers  18  and  20 . The compression rollers  18  and  20  are spaced apart and each compression roller  18 ,  20  comprises at least one shaped pad, such as pad  36  illustrated in  FIG. 1 . In the preferred embodiment, the pads  36  are each sized and shaped to accommodate two blister cards  22  disposed adjacent one another and to protect the blisters  21  from damage whilst compressing the packaging card  14  against a flat underside surface of the blister card  22 . The compression ensures a good contact between adhesive portions of the packaging card  14  and the flat underside surface of the blister cards  22 , thereby providing a good seal between the two. Additionally, compression rollers  18 ,  20  are synchronised with the packaging conveyor  28  such that the pads  36 , upon each compression roller  18 , 20 , simultaneously come into contact with both an uppermost surface of the blister cards  22  and a lowermost surface of the packaging card  14 , and avoid coming into contact with adhesive portions of packaging card  14  that are not covered by the blister cards  22 . 
         [0036]    The loaded packaging card  14  is, thereafter, passed to further mechanisms whereby the packaging process is completed. For example, a further roller system may be employed to fold a separate panel of the packaging card  14  over the uppermost surfaces of the blister cards  22 . 
         [0037]    It is contemplated within the scope of the invention that the exact nature of the non essential features of the loading system may be altered whilst not departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the rotary suction arms  20 , may be replaced with mechanical gripping assemblies which perform the function of transferring the blister cards  22 , down into position of alignment with the packaging  14 . Additionally, the exact orientation of the magazine  15 , is not a limiting feature of this invention and it is entirely contemplated that the magazine may be at any angle; not only vertical or horizontal, as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 1A . Further, the exact arrangement of runners  32  and guide rails  33 , illustrated in  FIG. 1 , is not a limiting feature of the invention and it is contemplated that the paths along which the blister cards  22  are conveyed may be adapted to suit the exact requirements of the loading system as necessary. As described above, numerous alternatives to the use of pivotable hooks  44  may be employed to achieve the controllable gate mechanism  40 . 
         [0038]    Any directional references used in the above description, such as “uppermost”, “lowermost”, “upper”, “lower” are not limiting features and are incorporated purely for the benefit of clarity and ease of reference.