Methods and apparatus for uniformly orienting pharmaceutical dosage forms
US6276512A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 20, 1999 |
| Grant date | Aug 21, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 20, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB65G47/256
- WIPO fieldHandling
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
An inverter for reversing the orientation of a pharmaceutical dosage form at a discontinuity in a path of travel is described. The inverter receives dosage forms from an input path and delivers rectified dosage forms to an output path. In addition, a dosage form rectifier comprising an inverter is described. The dosage form rectifier receives randomly oriented dosage forms and delivers uniformly oriented dosage forms without recycling any of the dosage forms. In a repeating cycle for each dosage form supplied to the rectifier, the orientation of the dosage form is determined and dosage forms having a desired orientation are maintained in the desired orientation and delivered from the dosage form rectifier while dosage forms having an inverted orientation have their orientation rectified at the inverter before being delivered from the dosage form rectifier.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.