DEVICE FOR EXTRACTING TABLETS OR SIMILARS FROM A BLISTER

Abstract

 It comprises a chassis frame (1), a toothed cylinder (2) arranged on a first axis (3), a drum (4) that rotates on a second axis (12) and driven by driving means (5) that move it, with both axes (2, 12) being parallel, an inlet (6) for the blister with pills that positions the blister between the toothed cylinder (2) and the drum (4), and an outlet (7) for the pills without blister, and in that the drum (4) comprises on its outside a layer of bristles, separated with predeterminated distance from each other that define a gathering space for the deblistering pills or the like, leaving said layer of bristles in front of the toothed cylinder (2).

Description

[0001] It comprises a chassis frame, a toothed cylinder arranged on a first axis, a drum that rotates on a second axis and driven by driving means that move it, with both axes being parallel, an inlet for the blister with pills that positions the blister between the toothed cylinder and the drum, and an outlet for the pills without blister, and in that the drum comprises on its outside a layer of bristles, separated with predeterminated distance from each other, that defines a gathering space for the deblistering pills or the like, leaving said layer of bristles in front of the toothed cylinder.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

[0002] Various deblistering machines are known in the state of the art for pills and the like, which press a blister with pills by means of a roller, so that these break the seal and fall into a collection tray.

[0003] So, European patent No. 0900734 (ES2192745) "DEBLISTERING MACHINE" in the name of SEPHA PHARMACEUTICAL LIMITED, from 1998, is known, which relates to an apparatus for removing articles from a package with a plastic lid. The apparatus comprises a first roller and a second roller, opposite each other, and between which the package for removing the article by the pressure applied by the rollers, can pass. The first roller is totally, or partially, cylindrical and the second roller has an axis that has a series of transverse ledges, where the discs can shift separately along the axis. The axis has preferably some circumferential grooves along it to help the positioning of the discs during alignment. The discs join together and support the sides of the wells carrying the articles, in a similar way to the edges of the flat parts of the machine in the state-of-the-art, thereby permitting the extraction by the pressure of the other roller. However, given that the discs are separated, they can be aligned as desired or as necessary to adapt them to any shape of the packet covered with plastic. The discs can also shift easily and arrange themselves along the axis for realignment.

[0004] Also known is Spanish utility model No. 201531146 (ES1146009Y) "DEBLISTERING MACHINE FOR PILLS AND THE LIKE", in the name of BLISTER APLICATIONS, S.L., from 2015, which relates to a deblistering machine for pills and the like of the type comprising a chassis, a toothed cylinder arranged on a first axis, at least two movable toothed discs arranged on a second axis with said movable toothed discs comprising some guide elements that fit into some guides belonging to a drum, with said guide elements and the movable toothed discs moving longitudinally when said drum rotates, characterized in that it comprises: a fixed toothed disc arranged on a second axis, arranged in the centre of the second axis, a tightening mechanism that defines different positions, arranged above the toothed discs, defining a space for the passage of a blister with pills, and side walls, arranged next to the outermost movable toothed discs, assembled on a third axis and which extend vertically defining the width of the blister with the pills.

[0005] Finally, it is worth mentioning European patent No. 2134610 "SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR REMOVING MEDICATION FROM PACKAGING", in the name of MTS MEDICATION TECHNOLOGIES, INC, from 2008 and not valid in Spain and which is therefore not public domain, which refers to improved systems for metering pharmaceutical solids and method that provide direct transfer of the doses from the blister. In a preferred embodiment, the invention comprises a positioning mechanism that alters the spacing between portions of a deblistering apparatus. The deblistering apparatus comprises a cylindrical or cylindrical-elongated toothed gear that pushes or presses against a first side of the blister to remove individual doses from a conventional blister. The apparatus can work under manual or automatic control and, preferably, includes some underpinning rollers that are adjustable or movable depending on the blister that they are aligning preferably with portions of the blister between the rows of cavities of the blister on one side of the package material opposite the side on which the roller or cylinder is located. The deblistering machine allows the fast removal of solid pharmaceutical products from the cavities of the blister and provides a convenient mechanism for altering the device in order to accommodate different sizes of the packaging material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0006] This invention is an improvement in the field of pill deblistering machines, common in the pharmaceutical sector.

[0007] The closest document is European patent No. 2134610.

[0008] The technical problem consists in that how to remove pills from blisters in an optimal way, without effort.

[0009] Said European patent solves this problem by means of a system for guiding the toothed discs that perform the removal. Said discs have ends finishing in a guide tip, inserted into channels of the drum, in such a way that they allow to move all the discs at once when the drum rotates (like the gearboxes in motorcycles), extracting the pills.

[0010] This patent has various drawbacks. The first is that it needs the blister to be inserted in a certain position, with a specific orientation. If the orientation changes, the removal does not work since the separation between the discs determines the size of the pill inside the blister.

[0011] Likewise, mechanically, the machine is very complex, with a mechanical synchronization system which makes the apparatus more expensive.

[0012] Therefore, the inventors have designed a machine that simplifies to a large degree the one described in the closest document.

[0013] Thereby, the blisters can be inserted without taking into consideration their orientation, as they are also going to be deblistering.

[0014] The mechanical complexity of the discs and their extensions has been resolved with a drum that has a layer of bristles, which, when the toothed roller presses the blister against the bristles, break the film on the blister resulting in the pills landing in the separation space between the bristles and subsequently falling into a tray at the outlet.

[0015] Consequently, the cost of the machine is reduced, which can even be made smaller, its adaptability to any kind of blister is improved and it is easier to handle.

[0016] An object of this invention is a machine for removing pills and the like from a blister, of the type comprising a chassis frame, a toothed cylinder arranged on a first axis, a drum that rotates on a second axis and driven by driving means that move it, with both axes being parallel, an inlet for the blister with pills that positions the blister between the toothed cylinder and the drum, and an outlet for the pills without the blister, characterized in that the drum comprises on its outside a layer of bristles, separated with predeterminated distance from one another that defines a gathering space for deblistering pills or the like, leaving said layer of bristles in front of the toothed cylinder.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] In order to facilitate the explanation this specification is accompanied by five sheets of drawings illustrating a practical embodiment provided as a non-limiting example of the scope of this invention:

• Figure 1 is a perspective view of the machine, the object of this invention,
• Figure 2 is a detail of the removal mechanisms without the side chassis,
• Figure 3 is a detail of the removal mechanisms in Figure 2, without the plate,
• Figure 4 is a side view without the side chassis and without some structural elements, and
• Figure 5 is an enlarged view of the layer of bristles.

SPECIFIC EMBODIMENT OF THIS INVENTION

[0018] This way, Figure 1 shows a frame 1, with an inlet 6 and an outlet 7, a tray for gathering blisters 9, some pressure regulating means 10, a comb 13 and a cover 15.

[0019] Figure 2 shows frame 1, with an inlet 6 and an outlet 7, tray for gathering blisters 9, some pressure regulating means 10, a comb 13, a first axis 3, a second axis 12, a drum 4, driving means 5, a plate 16 and arms 14.

[0020] Figure 3 represents the tray for gathering blisters 9, comb 13, first axis 3, a toothed cylinder 2, second axis 12, drum 4, driving means 5 and arms 14.

[0021] Figure 4 illustrates the tray for gathering blisters 9, comb 13, first axis 3, toothed cylinder 2, second axis 12, drum 4, driving means 5, arms 14 and a motor 17.

[0022] Finally, Figure 5 shows the layer of bristles 8, drum 4, a handful of bristles 18, the collection space 11 and pills 19.

[0023] Thus, in a specific embodiment, the machine for removing pills and the like from a blister comprises a chassis frame 1 inside which the whole deblistering mechanism is housed.

[0024] A toothed cylinder 2 arranged on a first axis 3, a drum 4 that rotates on a second axis 12 and driven by driving means 5 that move it, for example, moved by a motor 17 are housed inside the frame 1. The first axis 3 and the second axis 12 are parallel to each other.

[0025] It also comprises an inlet 6 for blisters with pills, which also positions the blister between the toothed cylinder 2 and the drum 4.

[0026] It has an outlet 7 for the pills without blister, accompanied by a container (not shown), for example a tray.

[0027] A drum 4, unlike the ones existing in the state-of-the-art, comprises on the outside a layer of bristles 8, grouped, as an example, in handfuls of bristles 18, separated from each other with a predeterminated distance, which defines a gathering space 11 for the deblistering pills 19 or the like.

[0028] Said gathering space 11 permits that pills 19 or the like, once extracted from the blister, are not deteriorated by the toothed cylinder 2 and are stored in this gathering space 11 momentarily to later fall and be housed in the tray arranged at the outlet 7, when the drum 4 has rotated.

[0029] The layer of bristles 8 is opposite the toothed cylinder 2. So that, when the blister with pills is arranged between them, with the combined action of the toothed cylinder 2 and the layer of bristles 8 the pills 19 or the like are extracted from the blister.

[0030] Optionally, in the top part of the machine, accessible from the outside, pressure regulating means 10 are arranged which regulate the distance between the drum 4 and the toothed cylinder 2.

[0031] In this embodiment, said pressure regulating means 10 regulate the distance by means of a plate 16 connected to at least one arm 14 (in this embodiment there are two arms) which is integral to the toothed cylinder 2, so that when said plate 16 is pressed by the rotation of handle 10, plate 16 shifts arms 14 and brings the toothed cylinder 2 closer to the drum 4, reducing the space between the drum 4 and the toothed cylinder 2.

[0032] This is done because the pills 19 are very varied, with different sizes and shapes, and so the invention can adapt to all the blisters.

[0033] When the reverse manoeuvre is performed, i.e. by rotating handle 10 in the opposite direction, the pressure on plate 16 is released, shifting the arms 14 to the initial position moving the toothed cylinder 2 away from the drum 4.

[0034] Also, optionally, it can be arranged that the machine comprises a collection comb 13 next to the drum 4, which combs the layer of bristles 8 and collects the pills 19 that may remain in the collection space 11, between the handfuls of bristles 18.

[0035] To facilitate cleaning, the drum 4 is removable. Also, the drum 4 can be changed to arrange a drum with greater or less bristle hardness than the one before, or with more or less handfuls of bristles, or to change it for a new one.

[0036] The inventors have observed that, depending on the blisters, there are some that owing to their particular construction, may need to pass several times in order to remove all the pills. In order to avoid these multiple passes, next to the inlet 6, inside frame 1, a double guiding fairing of the blister has been arranged from the inlet 6 to an outlet, maintaining the blister in a folded position, favourable to the extraction of the pills 19.

[0037] So, the machine would start up via motor 17 which would act on the driving means 5 that make the toothed cylinder 2 rotate, and also on other driving means, not shown, which do the same with the drum 4.

[0038] The toothed cylinder 2 and the drum 4 rotate in the opposite direction, so that they can capture the blister.

[0039] The blister is entered through the inlet 6 regardless of direction in which it is inserted, i.e. it can be arranged horizontally, vertically or at an angle, but it does have to be arranged so that the part protected by the layer of film, where the blisters usually break, must be facing towards the layer of bristles 8 on the drum 4.

[0040] Thus, said blister is trapped by the toothed cylinder 2 which presses it against the layer of bristles 8 by folding it, breaking the film with the pills 19 by the pressure of the toothed cylinder 2, and coming out as if they were pressed by fingers.

[0041] The advantage of using a layer of bristles 8 is that it is rigid enough for the blister to remain between the drum 4 and toothed cylinder 2 and at the same time the bristles yield capturing the pills 19 that have broken the protective aluminium film and are mainly housed first in the collection space 11 between the bristles. This can be observed very clearly in the illustration in Figure 5.

[0042] Then, the empty blister ends up in the blister gathering tray 9 and the pills in the outlet 7, for example in a tray or a container (not shown).

[0043] To improve the gathering of the pills 19, a collection comb 13 is arranged next to the drum 4, which combs the bristles 8 and captures all the pills 19 that may have remained stuck between the handfuls of bristles 18.

[0044] If it were desired to change the drum 4 because it was worn out, the frame 1 would be opened and the change or replacement would be performed, because said drum 4 is removable. It may also be useful to remove the drum 4 to clean it or even to change the resistance of the bristles 8, for more resistant or more delicate blisters.

[0045] This invention describes a new machine for removing pills and the like from a blister. The examples mentioned herein are non-limiting with respect to the invention, and therefore they can have different applications and/or adaptations, all within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A machine for removing pills and the like from a blister, of the type comprising a chassis frame (1), a toothed cylinder (2) arranged on a first axis (3), a drum (4) that rotates on a second axis (12) and driven by driving means (5) that move it, with both axes (2, 12) being parallel, an inlet (6) for the blister with pills that positions the blister between the toothed cylinder (2) and the drum (4), and an outlet (7) for the pills (19) without the blister, characterized in that the drum (4) comprises on its outside a layer of bristles (8), separated with predeterminated distance from each other that defines a gathering space (11) for the deblistering pills (19) or the like, leaving said layer of bristles (8) in front of the toothed cylinder (2).

2. A Machine according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises some pressure regulating means (10) that regulate the distance between the drum (4) and the toothed cylinder (2).

3. A machine according to claim 2, characterized in that said pressure regulating means (10) regulate the distance by means of a plate (16) connected to at least one arm (14), such that said arm (14) is integral to the toothed cylinder (2), so that when said plate (16) is pressed by the rotation of handle (10), plate (16) shifts the arm (14) and brings the toothed cylinder (2) closer to the drum (4), and when the pressure on plate (16) is released by the pressure regulating means (10), it shifts the arms (14) to the initial position moving the toothed cylinder (2) away from the drum (4).

4. A machine according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a collection comb (13) next to the drum (4).

5. A machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the drum (4) is removable.

6. A machine, according to claim 1, characterized in that, it comprises a double guiding fairing of blister from the inlet (6) to an outlet, housed next to the inlet (6), inside frame (1), such that said double guiding fairing of blister maintains the blister in a folded position, favourable to removing the pills.

Drawing