MULTI-PIECE CROWN FOR CASSETTE OF PHARMACEUTICAL TABLET PACKAGING MACHINE

Abstract

A crown for a pharmaceutical tablet packaging machine includes: a generally cylindrical hub having an upper end and a lower end; a generally disc-shaped divider mounted to the upper end of the hub, the divider having upper and lower surfaces and a plurality of radially-extending teeth; and a cap mounted to the upper surface of the divider, the cap having an upper surface comprising a plurality of alternating hummocks and furrows. The cap is attached to the divider with a first fastener, and wherein the hub is attached to the divider with a second fastener.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a medicament packing machine, and more particularly, to a rotating crown within a tablet cassette for a medicament packaging machine capable of easily releasing lodged tablets without damage.

BACKGROUND

Generally, a medicament packing machine is an apparatus that receives tablets from one of a variety of tablet cassettes and discharges the tablets according to a specified regime. An example of the above-described conventional tablet packing machine is shown in FIG. 1. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the medicament packing machine includes a plurality of tablet cassettes 100 in a shelf positioned in an upper portion, a tablet discharging device 200 in a lower portion, a hopper 300 below the tablet cassettes 100 and the tablet discharging device 200, and a sealing portion 500 for transferring the packing paper, printed upon by a printer 400, to seal the packing paper.

The structure and operation of the conventional tablet cassettes provided in the conventional medicine packing machine will now be described with reference to FIG. 2. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the conventional tablet cassette includes a cassette 101 for receiving tablets having a passage 102 formed at a lower side thereof, a cassette support 103 in which the cassette 101 is detachably installed to the upper side of the cassette support 103 and which has an inclined passage 104 communicated with the passage 102 at one side thereof, and a discharge driver 105 provided in the cassette 101 and the cassette support 103.

The discharge driver 105 includes a rotating body 108 (in some instances known as a “crown”) having a plurality of divisional protrusions 106 formed on the outer circumference thereof and step-shaped jaws 107 formed on the upper surface thereof at regular intervals, and a driving motor 109 for rotating the rotating body 108 in a forward direction. Tablets received in the cassette 101 climb over the jaws 107 due to the rotation of the rotating body 108 induced by the driving motor 109 and are received in the spaces between the divisional protrusions 106 while sliding along the upper surface of the rotating body 108. One by one, the tablets are discharged through the passage 102 and the inclined passage 104.

Exemplary machines and cassettes are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,258,248; 6,898,919; and 7,637,078, all of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in full.

There may be instances in which improvements may be achieved to components of the cassettes 100, such as the crowns 108.

SUMMARY

As a first aspect, embodiments of the invention are directed to a crown for a pharmaceutical tablet packaging machine. The crown comprises: a generally cylindrical hub having an upper end and a lower end; a generally disc-shaped divider mounted to the upper end of the hub, the divider having upper and lower surfaces and a plurality of radially-extending teeth; and a cap mounted to the upper surface of the divider, the cap having an upper surface comprising a plurality of alternating hummocks and furrows. The cap is attached to the divider with a first fastener, and wherein the hub is attached to the divider with a second fastener.

As a second aspect, embodiments of the invention are directed to a crown as described above in combination with a cassette configured for installation in the pharmaceutical tablet packaging machine.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a schematic front sectional view illustrating a conventional medicament packing machine.

FIG. 2 is a schematic vertical sectional view illustrating a conventional tablet cassette for the medicament packing machine of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an exemplary crown for the cassette of FIG. 2 according to embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a top perspective view of the cap of the crown of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a bottom perspective view of the cap of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a top perspective view of the divider of the crown of FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is a bottom perspective view of the divider of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a top perspective view of the hub of the crown of FIG. 3.

FIG. 9 is a bottom perspective view of the hub of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is an exploded bottom perspective view of the crown of FIG. 3.

FIG. 11 is an exploded top perspective view of the crown of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention is described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which certain embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments that are pictured and described herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. It will also be appreciated that the embodiments disclosed herein can be combined in any way and/or combination to provide many additional embodiments.

Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. In the figures, certain layers, components or features may be exaggerated for clarity. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms that are used in this disclosure have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The terminology used in the below description is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used in this disclosure, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “on,” “attached to,” “connected to,” “coupled with,” “contacting,” etc., another element, it can be directly on, attached to connected to, coupled with or contacting the other element or intervening elements may also be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being, for example, “directly on,” “directly attached to,” “directly connected to,” “directly coupled with,” or “directly contacting” another element, there are no intervening elements present. It will also be appreciated by those of skill in the art that references to a structure or feature that is disposed “adjacent” another feature may have portions that overlap or underlie the adjacent feature.

Spatially relative terms, such as “under”, “below”, “above”, “over”, “upper”, “lower”, “left”, “right” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is inverted, elements described as “under” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “over” the other elements or features. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the descriptors of relative spatial relationships used herein interpreted accordingly.

As used herein, phrases such as “between X and Y” and “between about X and Y” should be interpreted to include X and Y. As used herein, phrases such as “between about X and Y” mean “between about X and about Y.” As used herein, phrases such as “from about X to Y” mean “from about X to about Y.”

Referring now to FIG. 3, a crown 10 for a cassette of a medicament dispensing machine is shown therein. The crown 10 is a multi-piece assembly that includes a cap 12, a divider 14 and a hub 16. These components are discussed in greater detail below.

Referring now to FIG. 4, the cap 12 is round and generally disc-shaped. The upper surface of the cap 12 includes four equidistantly-spaced, gently-arced hummocks 22 that are separated by four furrows 24. Each of the hummocks 22 covers an arc of between about 50 and 70 degrees, with the interspaced furrows 24 covering about 20 to 40 degrees. A post 26 extends upwardly from the center of the upper surface. Two diametrically opposed countersunk holes 28 are present in respective hummocks 22.

Referring now to FIG. 5, on its lower surface the cap 12 has a large circular recess 30. Two diametrically opposed bosses 32 reside in the recess 30 and are coaxial with the holes 28. A larger central boss 34 is located in the center of the recess 28, and is connected with the bosses 32 by ribs 36.

In some embodiments, the cap 12 is formed of a polymeric material, such as ABS. The cap 12 may be injection molded or, in some embodiments, 3-D printed or formed from stack layers of die-cut material.

Referring now to FIG. 6, the divider 14 is round and disc-shaped. A post 42 extends upwardly from the upper surface of the divider 14. Two holes 44 are also located in the upper surface; the holes 44 are positioned to align with the holes 28 of the cap 12. Ten teeth 46 are circumferentially equidistantly spaced and extend radially outward from the side edge of the divider 14. A gap 48 is present between each adjacent pair of teeth 46. Each of the teeth 46 has rounded upper edges 49.

Referring now to FIG. 7, the underside of the divider 14 has a slightly raised circular platform 50 in its center. A generally circular recess 52 with two diametrically-opposed lobes 54 recedes from the platform 50. Two opposed arcuate shoulders 56 are located in the recess 52, as is a central hole 58.

In some embodiments, the divider 14 is formed of a polymeric material, such as ABS. The divider 14 may be formed via a machining process.

Referring now to FIG. 8, the hub 16 is generally cylindrical. Two ears 62 extend radially outwardly from the upper end of the hub 16. A tower 64 with a hole 65 extends upwardly from the upper end of the hub 16. A recess 66 surrounds the tower 64 and has two opposed inlets 68 within the ears 62. A circumferential groove 69 extends over an angle of between about 180 and 300 degrees near the lower end of the hub 16.

Referring now to FIG. 9, it can be seen that the tower 64 is hollow, such that a recess 72 is formed therein. A shoulder 74 is formed at the base of the tower 64. Sixteen longitudinal grooves 71 are present on the inner surface of the hub 16 at its lower end, which form sixteen radially-inwardly-extending internal ribs 70.

In some embodiments, the hub 16 is formed of a polymeric material, such as ABS. The hub 16 may be injection molded.

In addition, the divider 14 and/or the hub 16 may be formed by other processes, including but not limited to 3-D printing.

Referring now to FIGS. 10 and 11, the assembly of the crown 10 can be seen therein. The cap 12 overlies the divider 14 such that the post 42 of the divider 14 is received in the central boss 34 of the cap 12. Screws 90 are inserted into the holes 28 in the cap 12 and are threadedly received in the holes 44 of the divider 14 to fasten these pieces together. The upper end of the hub 16 is inserted into the recess 52 in the divider 14, with the ears 62 fitting within the lobes 54 of the divider 14. A screw 92 is inserted through the hole 65 in the tower 64 of the hub 16 and into the central hole 58 of the divider 14. The assembled crown 10 can then be installed in a cassette of a tablet dispensing machine such as are shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

In the multi-piece configuration shown, the crown 10 can provide the user with some advantages. Prior crowns have been manufactured by first injection molding a “blank” of material that has the upper “hummocked” surface and the lower end of the hub molded in. The teeth of the crown are then machined from a cylindrical surface to certain specifications that are dependent on the size and shape of tablet to be singulated. As an example, a manufacturer may machine as many as 200 different custom tooth configuration from three different sizes of blanks. Machining the teeth can be somewhat tricky, given the overall shape of the blank.

In contrast, the multi-piece crown 10 can be formed much more easily. The cap 12 and hub 16 can be injection-molded as separate pieces, as can a blank for the divider 14. The teeth 46 of the divider 14 can be machined, with the process being simpler than it was previously due to the shape of the blank, and also making more different tooth configurations accessible. This flexibility can facilitate the production of different customized crowns.

Those of skill in this art will appreciate that the crown 10 may take other forms. For example, although in the illustrated embodiment the hub 16 has two ears 62 and the divider 14 has two lobes 54, other numbers of ears and lobes (for example, three of each) may be employed. The divider 14 may have more or fewer teeth 46 (even as few as one tooth), and/or the teeth 46 may be wider or narrower. The cap 12 may have more or fewer hummocks 22 (or the hummocks may be omitted entirely) and, therefore, also differing numbers of furrows 24, and/or may have hummocks 22 that are steeper or shallower, or that are not arcuate. The pieces of the crown 10 may be secured to each other via a different fastening method (e.g., a single screw inserted through the hub, divider and cap, snap-fit latches or hooks, adhesives, ultrasonic welding, etc.). Other variations may also be employed.

The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are to be included within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A crown for a pharmaceutical tablet packaging machine, comprising: a generally cylindrical hub having an upper end and a lower end;a generally disc-shaped divider mounted to the upper end of the hub, the divider having upper and lower surfaces and a plurality of radially-extending teeth; anda cap mounted to the upper surface of the divider, the cap having an upper surface comprising a plurality of alternating hummocks and furrows;wherein the cap is attached to the divider with a first fastener, and wherein the hub is attached to the divider with a second fastener.

2. The crown defined in claim 1, wherein the first fastener is distinct from the second fastener.

3. The crown defined in claim 1, wherein the hub, divider and cap are formed of polymeric materials.

4. The crown defined in claim 3, wherein the hub and cap are formed by injection molding.

5. The crown defined in claim 4, wherein the divider is formed by machining the teeth into an injection molded blank.

6. The crown defined in claim 3, wherein at least one of the huh, divider and cap is formed by 3-D printing.

7. The crown defined in claim 1, wherein the plurality of hummocks is a first number, and the plurality of teeth is a second number that is different than the first number.

8. The crown defined in claim 1, wherein the plurality of hummocks is between 3 and 6 hummocks, and the plurality of teeth is between 8 and 15 teeth.

9. The crown defined in claim 1, in combination with a cassette configured for installation in the pharmaceutical tablet packaging machine.

10. The combination defined in claim 9, further in combination with a pharmaceutical tablet packaging machine.