Patent Application
20120024806
(Not Applicable.)
(Not Applicable.)
This invention relates to slats utilized in packaging machines, and more particularly to a segmented slat utilized for dispensing discrete pharmaceutical, vitamin, or food products into containers.
Certain industries, such as pharmaceutical industries, utilize automated packaging apparatus to count, inspect and package predetermined quantities of discrete dosage items such as capsules and tablets. Such automated packaging apparatus typically employ various types of slats, typically rotating in unison, to receive discrete products and then dispense them in predetermined quantities into containers.
Insuring the exact accuracy of the claimed product count of the dispensed products is a paramount requirement in pharmaceutical packaging equipment.
Several prior art devices are known which utilize various types of packaging slats. Traditional slats used in the pharmaceutical and vitamin industries consist of elongated bars that may extend up to four or five feet. Each slat contains many cavities inserted along the centerline of the slat. A slat may contain either single or double rows of cavities. Typically each packaging machine may utilize a minimum of 72 slats, rotating in unison, all of them designed for one specific product. There typically are an average of 25 different products which may be dispensed from each machine. The total number of possible slats utilized by each machine is thus considerable. Often a cavity or multiple cavities within the slat may be damaged or destroyed. The entire elongated slat is then rendered useless and must be replaced, resulting in significant expenditure of money and materials.
For various reasons a slat may become twisted along its length, resulting in significant manufacturing problems, including:
1. Misalignment of the cavities, causing the dispensed products to jam the receiving mechanisms of the products,
2. Products may not be dispensed relatively at the same time into their containers leading to an inaccurate product count in the containers, thus causing substantial legal issues for suppliers and consumers,
3. Inaccurate counts in any container constitute an FDA violation subject to substantial penalties.
Significant manual labor may be required to correct any twists in a slat. Typically a specialist manually applies a flame to release thermal stress which occurred during the original molding operation of the slat. This heating process must be repeated several times until the slat becomes straight within acceptable tolerances. Mechanical gauges and measuring tools are utilized to ensure the slat's straightness and parallelism. This whole process must be repeated several times for each slat in the packaging apparatus, until all slats reach acceptable metrological dimensions
The present invention is a slat segment approximately 1/10th of the length of a traditional slat. Each slat segment is a mirror image of the adjacent segment. When approximately ten slat segments are connected longitudinally into one segmented slat, they will function exactly as the single traditional slat does. However, the ten segmented slats will operate with exceptional accuracy and will be free from any twists and dimensional distortions.
Each slat segment contains an equal number of cavities. Each slat segment is divided by the walls of the cavities at the ends of the slat. Therefore, the cavities of either type of slats are maintained whole and undivided.
Clearly there is a need for a slat segment which will not be subject to the twisting and distortion problems occurring in existing slats. Such a slat would reduce or eliminate the manual labor and expenses required to correct the twisting and distortion of the present slats. The slat thereby reduces wasted materials and unnecessary costs. The present invention accomplishes these objectives.
The present invention is directed to a slat segment for dispensing discrete pharmaceutical, vitamin, or food products into various types of containers being conveyed proximate to the slat segment. The containers include but are not limited to bottles, jars, boxes, and the like. The discrete products may comprise but are not limited to tablets, capsules, caplets, vitamins, pills, and the like.
The slat segment is approximately 1/10th the length of a traditional slat. Each slat segment is a mirror image of the adjacent segment. When approximately ten slat segments are placed longitudinally side by side, they will function exactly as the single traditional slat does. However, the ten slats will operate with exceptional accuracy and will be free from any twists and dimensional distortions.
The slat segment is comprised of a straight elongated bar, whose first surface contains a plurality of substantially cylindrical cavities separated by adjacent walls. Each slat segment may be pre-configured with a specific quantity of cavities, and a specific quantity of blank cavities. The quantity of products to be dispensed into each container is controlled by both the total number of cavities installed in the packaging machine, along with the total number of blank cavities configured in the segmented slats.
During operation of a packaging apparatus which utilizes the invention, the segmented slats may be rotating continuously. Pharmaceutical, vitamin, or food products ready for packaging are deposited into contoured intake flutes of the slat segment. These intake flutes guide the pharmaceutical, vitamin, or food products into the cavities within the slat segment, so that each cavity will hold either one product, or else a predetermined number of products stacked automatically on top of each other constituting the desired number of products in a single cavity. Any excess products cannot remain above the filled cavities due to the cavities' unique configurations, which only permit a specific number of products to fill the cavities.
When the correct number of cavities have been filled with products, the products are then dispensed from the slat segment via contoured disposal flutes connected to each cavity. The products are eventually deposited into containers being conveyed proximate a packaging apparatus. Each container thereby receives a predetermined quality and quantity of pharmaceutical, vitamin, or food products.
A plurality of adjacent salient thermal radiation blocks are arranged along a second surface of the slat segment. The distal ends of each thermal radiation block comprise a thermal radiation web which facilitates conduction of thermal radiation away from the slat segment. In one embodiment of the invention, the thermal radiation webs are substantially trapezoidal in shape to provide maximum thermal conductivity and rigidity.
Each thermal radiation block is laterally connected to an adjacent thermal radiation block by a thermal radiation rib. Thermal radiation grooves run vertically along the wall of each thermal radiation block, thereby increasing thermal radiation and allowing the entire slat segment to cool quickly, and maintain dimensional stability. Rigid reinforcing ribs run vertically along the wall of each thermal radiation block to provide additional strength and stability to the slat segment.
In one embodiment of the invention, a plurality of slat segments are connected longitudinally into one combined slat by stabilization pins extending from the first and second ends of each slat segment. In this embodiment each slat segment contains approximately ten cavities. In other embodiments of the invention, the slat segments may be comprised of polyethylene, ultra high molecular weight polymer (UHMW), aluminum, steel, or glass.
While a particular form of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be apparent that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the quantity of slats or the quantity of slat cavities, could be adjusted to various values, as well as the shape and the configurations of cavities. Accordingly, it is not intended that the invention be limited, except as by the appended claims.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.
The present invention will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying figures. Although the accompanying figures show preferred embodiments of the invention, the invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments described herein.
Turning to
As shown in
In
When the correct numbers of cavities 26 have been filled with products, the products are then dispensed from the slat segment 10 via contoured disposal flutes 22 connected to each cavity 26. The products are eventually deposited into containers being conveyed proximate a packaging apparatus. Each container thereby receives a predetermined quality and quantity of pharmaceuticals, vitamin, or food products.
In
Each thermal radiation block 30 is laterally connected to an adjacent thermal radiation block 30 by a thermal radiation rib 32. Thermal radiation grooves 52 run vertically along the wall of each thermal radiation block 30, thereby increasing thermal radiation and allowing the entire structure of the slat segment 10 to cool rapidly, and maintain dimensional stability. Rigid reinforcing ribs 50 (
In one embodiment of the invention, shown in
In yet other embodiments of the invention, the slat segments 10 may be comprised of polyethylene, ultra high molecular weight polymer (UHMW), aluminum, steel, or glass.
While a particular form of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be apparent that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the shape and quantity of slats or slat cavities could be adjusted to various values. Accordingly, it is not intended that the invention be limited, except as by the appended claims.
