Patent ID: 7523596

Claim:
A method for filling and closing phials in a sterile environment comprising: providing a first sterile chamber and a second sterile chamber which form the sterile environment, the first sterile chamber and the second sterile chamber separated by a wall having an opening therein; in the second sterile chamber, moving a plurality of empty phials along a first conveying line and at a line input section, transferring each of the empty phials one at a time to a ring conveyor; using the ring conveyor for moving the empty phials from the second sterile chamber through a first intermediate position into the first sterile chamber, and transporting the empty phials towards a filling station; filling each phial at the filling station with a pre-defined amount of pharmaceutical products; transporting each one of said filled phials, using the ring conveyor, towards a closing station; at said closing station, closing said phials filled with said pharmaceutical products; using the ring conveyor for moving each one of said filled and closed phials from the first sterile chamber into the second sterile chamber at a second intermediate position as the filled and closed phials advance towards a line output section; at the line output section, located in the second sterile chamber, transferring the filled and closed phials from the ring conveyor to a second conveying line; wherein the opening in the wall has a portion of the ring conveyor passing therethrough, the second sterile chamber surrounding the portion of the ring conveyor disposed between the second intermediate position, the line output section where each filled and closed phial is transferred to the second conveying line, the line input section where each empty phial is transferred to the ring conveyor, and the first intermediate position; applying a first laminar flow of sterilized air in said first sterile chamber, oriented at a horizontal angle at least to the upper edges of said phials at least during the filling and closing of said phials, as well as during their conveying toward said filling station and away from said closing station; and, applying a second vertical laminar flow of sterilized air in the second sterile chamber, oriented top-down, at least to the upper edges of phials during their transport between the first conveyor line, the line input section and the first intermediate position where the phials are loaded onto the ring conveyor, and during transport of the filled and closed phials from the second intermediate position to said line output station and onto said second conveying line.