The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for printing a pattern or indicia onto a gelatin ribbon, said ribbon being subsequently used in an encapsulation process. Encapsulation of products inside a gelatin shell has existed since the 1940s, the basics of which are described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,234,479.
In brief, a standard encapsulation process comprises two soft gelatin ribbons fused together by a die into capsules containing a product. As the gelatin ribbons are fused by the die, a liquid product is injected through tubes into the eventual capsules. Products may be anything from marking paint for paintball applications to pharmaceuticals intended to be swallowed by consumers.
Considering the wide use of encapsulation by modern industry, there is a need to mark capsules with indicia or a pattern for identification or aesthetic purposes. Marking capsules in their final state is difficult and expensive, requiring extra labor and chemicals that may cause adverse effects to consumers. Thus, printing on the gelatin ribbon prior to the encapsulation process is more a cost-effective and accepted practice.
There is known U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/236,669 for “Method and apparatus for printing a ribbon for packaging gelatin capsules” invented by Cruttenden, Holland, Tidy, and Rowe. This application uses a transfer station to mark the gelatin ribbon prior to encapsulation. The transfer station comprises a print roll (a flexographic printing plate wrapped around a cylinder) that picks up ink off an inking roller immersed in an ink tray. The transfer station is located along the gelatin ribbon's path between the casting drum and the oiling station. The print roll is in contact with the passing gelatin ribbon, driven by a motor at the same speed as the ribbon and depositing indicia or a pattern onto said ribbon. However, this application presents several disadvantages over the present invention. Firstly, it is over twenty times more expensive than the present invention: it requires sensitive and complex components such as a stepper motor, an encoder, prologic controls, speed controllers, air cylinders, and a gear drive assembly. Secondly, this application requires electricity and an air compressor to function. Considering the multitude and inter-dependence of components, this application is more prone to failure and down-time.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide an improvement to the above application. The transfer station of the present invention also comprises a print roll and an inking roll (anilox roll) immersed in an ink tray. However, instead of printing on the gelatin ribbon in mid-air thus necessitating an electric motor and logic controls to coordinate proper turning of the printing assembly, the apparatus of the present invention functions using the friction of the passing gelatin ribbon, which is an important part of the present invention. The transfer station of the present invention is positioned so that the passing gelatin ribbon is sandwiched between the motor-driven gelatin casting drum and the transfer station's print roll. The turning force and pressure exerted by the casting drum combined with the elastic tackiness of the gelatin ribbon causes the print roll to turn at the same speed as gelatin ribbon. Rotation of the print roll cause rotation of the anilox roll adjacent to the print roll.
Another important advantage of the present invention is the ease of routine preventive maintenance: the transfer station of the present invention can be removed, serviced and replaced much faster than U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/236,669, thus resulting in improved productivity and reduced labor hours.
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for imprinting a pattern or indicia onto a gelatin ribbon in an encapsulation process. Instead of using an auxiliary driving means to turn the printing means, the present invention utilises pre-existing driving means in the form of the casting drum that shapes and feeds said gelatin ribbon. The invention relies on the combination of outwardly pressure and turning force exerted by said casting drum, pressure of the print roll and the elastic tackiness of said gelatin ribbon; said combination causes the present invention to function without resorting to auxiliary driving means, which is a substantial advantage of the present invention over all known prior art.
Referring to drawings,
Positioning of the transfer station 10 in relation to the casting drum 60 and regulating optimal pressure exerted by the print roll 20 on the gelatin ribbon 70 is provided by different adjustment means shown on
To achieve optimal printing results, print roll 20 of the transfer station of the present invention 10 must remain in a finely-tuned balance with moving gelatin ribbon 70, wherein said print roll turns at the same speed as gelatin ribbon 70. Gelatin ribbon 70's elastic and tacky properties are ideally mated to print roll 20's rubber coating. However, if print roll 20 is placed too close to gelatin ribbon 70, it will cause said ribbon to stretch, deform or tear; if the print roll 20 is placed too far from ribbon 70, it will lack the necessary friction to turn at the same speed as gelatin roll 70, thus blurring or distorting the desired printed image. To maintain this balance, the preferred embodiment has six manual adjustment movements, which is an important feature of the present invention.
With reference to
Transfer station 10 is moved toward drum 60 until print roll 20 comes in contact with moving gelatin ribbon 70 and begins to turn due to ribbon 70's motion. Anilox roll 30 is moved toward print roll 20 using knobs 120 so that anilox roll 30 makes contact with print roll 20; knobs 120 control anilox roll 30 forward/backward adjustment movement identified by arrows C. Print roll 20's turning motion is transferred to anilox roll 30, and anilox roll 30 starts picking up ink out of ink well 35. Doctor blade 40 is adjusted using knobs 130 so that it exerts an even pressure along the length of anilox roll 30, wherein knobs 130 control doctor blade 40 pressure adjustment movement as shown by arrows D on
Balance between transfer station 10 and gelatin ribbon 70 can also be finely-tuned using knob 100, being vertical up/down base adjustment movement shown by arrows Y on
The present invention has the following advantages over prior art, in particular U.S. application Ser. No. 10/236,669:
It must be emphasized that present invention is not restricted to the use of printing apparatus shown on
Thus, it can be seen that the objects of the present invention have been satisfied by the structure presented hereinabove. While in accordance with the Patent Statutes, only the best mode and preferred embodiments of the present invention have been presented and described in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto or thereby. Accordingly, for an appreciation of the true scope and breadth of the invention, references should be made to the following claims.
This application claims priority from application Ser. No. 11/084,152, filed Mar. 21, 2005, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,424,270 on Apr. 23, 2013, which is a non-provisional of U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 60/564,692, filed Apr. 26, 2004, the contents of each of which are incorporated by reference in their entireties.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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7213511 | Cruttenden et al. | May 2007 | B2 |
8424270 | Ratko et al. | Apr 2013 | B2 |
20080289520 | Perrone | Nov 2008 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20130186293 A1 | Jul 2013 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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60564692 | Apr 2004 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 11084152 | Mar 2005 | US |
Child | 13793254 | US |