Customer specific packaging line
US6522945B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 12, 2001 |
| Grant date | Feb 18, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 12, 2021 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02P90/02
- WIPO fieldHandling
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
An automated packaging line has capability of filling large and small orders, of one or more bottles, each bottle filled with a respective one of a plurality of different pharmaceutical tablets, in a single run. Structure is provided for filling orders for an individual consumer, for a pharmacist, and for a wholesaler, simultaneously, using differently sized bottles, and providing customized labels for each bottle. A flexible filler station simultaneously fills plural bottles with respective tablets. An intelligent data carrying puck carries each bottle, including therein information describing, among others, the bottle, the customer, the order, the pharmaceutical, the bottle size and label information. Puck handling stations (PHS) are dispersed throughout the line, to verify a number of operations implemented on the line and to reject a puck at the earliest opportunity, while permitting subsequent rejection by a subsequent PHS. The PHS units are substantially identical, with DIP switch modifying operation of the controlling software thereof to implement different features at different points on the line. The pucks are recycled after each pass along the line. An initializing PHS wi…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.