Improvements in or relating to Apparatus for making Medicinal Wafers or Capsules.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Apr., 1898-Accepted, 11th June, 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Apparatus for making Medicinal
Wafers or Capsules.
I, KARL MORSTADT, of 20, Ferdinandstrasse, Prague, in the Empire of Austria,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
This invention relates to improvements in or relating to apparatus for making
medicinal wafers or capsules..
Chemists use for enclosing powder and other medicaments so-called medicinal
wafers or capsules of the shape shown in Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings.
The wafer a has the shape of a centrally recessed plate or saucer with a flat flange r.
The powder etc. is placed in the recessed portion of the wafer, the flange r wetted
and a similar wafer placed on the top. The moistened flange of one wafer is
pressed down on to the flange of the other wafer, the powder being thus enclosed
between the two.
This method of enclosing medicaments has some disadvantages, namely the
finished wafers cannot very well be put in boxes before the flanges are quite dry
again, for if wafers or capsules with moist flanges come into contact they all stick
together and are easily damaged, when it is desired to separate them, and their
contents. If the wafers with moist flanges are placed in layers in boxes they are
apt to stick to the boxes and can often be removed only by destroying their boxes
or cases.
The most serious drawback is, however that the flanges of such wafers become,
when perfectly dry hard and stiff, do not become as easily softened in the mouth
as the central parts and prevent the capsule from being easily swallowed, as they
scratch or irritate the throat and even the gullet. These drawbacks are obviated
by the invention described in British Patent No. 26980/96 according to which the
flange of the capsule is not made flat but provided with a step like projection as
shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The manufacture of the capsules in this manner is
however costly. This invention relates, therefore, to a new apparatus by means
of which are attained the same advantages as with the capsules of the shape shown
in Figs. 3 and 4 and by means of which wafers of the ordinary form (Figs. 1 and 2)
are used.
Fig. 5 shows the apparatus according to the present invention in section, Fig. 6
in plan, Figs. 7 to 12 being separate views hereinafter fully described and Fig. 13
shows a capsule in section produced by means of this apparatus.
The apparatus consists of three metal plates A B and D), hinged or connected
together and a separate plate C. The central plate A is provided with a series of
circular or other recesses o, the plates B and I being provided with corresponding
holes 0¹ of equal size corresponding to that of the finished capsule. The holes Ofi
n the plate Care of a slightly larger diameter and the edges of these holes are
nclined or conically widened in a downward direction (Figs. 7 and 8).
oles 0 of the under plate B have upwardly extending flanges or edges 6 (Figs. 5
and 6). The plates B and D are connected to the central plate A by means of
The

page_text: hinges 6, d. Into the recesses 0 of the plate A and into the holes O₁ of the plate B
are placed separate wafers (halves of the capsule) of the shape shown in Fig. 1
and the powder etc. which is to fill the capsules is placed in the wafers in the
plate A. The flanges r of the wafers in the holes O₁ of the plate B rest on the
narrow circular projecting edges b (Fig. 5) so that the outer portion of the flange
is free. The plate C is so placed over this plate B (Fig. 9) so that its pins e (Fig. 8)
engage with holes f in the plate B (Fig. 6). As the holes 0" of the plate C have
a larger diameter than the projecting edges b of the plate B the free flanges of the
wafers will be bent or pressed downwards by the conical edges of the holes 0"
(Fig. 9). Then the circular parts of the wafers projecting above the plate C are
moistened say by means of a damp felt roller (shown dotted in Fig. 9) or by any
other means. The plate C is then removed by lifting it by its lateral projec-
tions and the plate B is turned over about its hinges 6 on to the plate A
(Fig. 10), whereby the moistened edges of the wafers in the plate B stick to the
edges of the filled wafers in the plate A. When the plate B is turned back the
capsules remain in the plate A but the outer edges (which were not moistened)
remain slightly apart. To close them, the plate D is turned about its hinge di
on to the plate A and slightly pressed whereby the capsules are completed (Fig. 11).
Fig. 13 shows such a finished capsule. The outer edges are completely flat
and dry, as they are stuck together only inside at the point g. Such capsules
cannot then stick either to one another or to the boxes in which they are packed
or stored.
The flange also remains soluble as it has not been wetted, does not
become hard and the capsules do not cause any inconvenience in swallowing.
After the capsules have been removed, the plates are folded together as shown
in Fig. 12 in which position the apparatus is stored.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:
1. Apparatus for forming medicinal capsules, consisting of two plates hinged
together one plate being provided with recesses for receiving the wafers to be
filled with the medicaments the other plate being provided with corresponding
holes with projecting flanges for receiving the wafers forming the other half of the
capsule and a plate (C) having apertures of a larger diameter than that of the other
plates but smaller than the greatest diameter of the wafer flanges substantially as
and for the purpose described.
2. In combination with apparatus of the character described an additional plate
provided with corresponding holes adapted to fold down and press on the finished
capsules in the central plate in order to flatten the edges of said capsules.
3. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete medi-
cinal capsule making apparatus substantially as described or illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
Doted this 14th day of Anil 1808