| United States Patent |
5,797,248 |
| Hetherington , et al. |
August 25, 1998 |
Manual capsule filling device
Abstract
A capsule filling device includes a manually operated system of dispensing
specific quantities of pharmaceutical or other suitable substance into capsules.
A desired quantity of pharmaceutical is placed in a capsule by using
interchangeable plates with set volumes of wells to measure specific quantities
of pharmaceutical.
| Inventors: |
Hetherington; Michael (Ontario, CA); Wassenaar;
William (Toronto, CA) |
| Assignee: |
Wassenaar; Willem (Toronto, CA) |
| Appl. No.: |
851686 |
| Filed: |
May 6, 1997 |
| U.S. Class: |
53/473; 53/281; 53/390;
141/247 |
| Intern'l Class: |
B65B 001/06; B65B 001/36; B65B
067/00; B65B 067/02 |
| Field of Search: |
53/468,473,281,282,266.1,390,503
141/242,244,247,387 |
References Cited [Referenced
By]
U.S. Patent Documents
| 3269429 |
Aug., 1966 |
Fritts |
53/390. |
| 3435589 |
Apr., 1969 |
Horton |
53/390. |
| 3501894 |
Mar., 1970 |
Hayashi et al. |
53/281. |
| 3552095 |
Jan., 1971 |
Inman |
53/390. |
| 3794088 |
Feb., 1974 |
Harvey |
53/390. |
| 4026091 |
May., 1977 |
Pearson |
53/390. |
| 4089152 |
May., 1978 |
Zanasi |
53/281. |
| 4122651 |
Oct., 1978 |
Braverman |
53/390. |
| 4685271 |
Aug., 1987 |
Ringer et al. |
53/390. |
| 5321932 |
Jun., 1994 |
Sundberg |
53/468. |
Primary Examiner: Culver; Horace M.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Dvorak & Orum
Claims
1. A capsule filling device comprising:
i) an upper housing;
ii) a dosage plate;
iii) a base plate; and
iv) a capsule plate; the dosage plate, the upper housing and the base plate
being arranged such that the upper housing is above the dosage plate and the
base plate is below the dosage plate; the base plate being in engageable
connection with and above the capsule plate; the capsule plate comprising
capsule holder means to receive at least one open capsule bottom; the dosage
plate being slidable between a first, a second and a third position, such that
the second position is located between the first position and the third
position; the upper housing, dosage plate and base plate each define at least
one channel, the dimension of each channel permitting a pourable substance to be
passed through each channel; the channels in the base plate align with the
capsule holder means in the capsule plate; in first position, the channels in
the upper housing align with the channels in the dosage plate such that a
pourable substance may pass through the channels in the upper housing and the
channels in the dosage plate; in second position the channels in the dosage
plate are not aligned with the channels in the upper housing and the channels in
the dosage plate are not aligned with the channels in the base plate; and in
third position the channels in the dosage plate are aligned with the channels in
the base plate such that a pourable substance may pass through the channels in
the dosage plate and the channels in the base plate and into the open capsule
bottoms in the capsule holder means.
2. The capsule filling device of claim 1, wherein indicator means on the dosage
plate indicate the first, second and third positions of the dosage plate.
3. The capsule filling device of claim 2, wherein the upper housing and base
plate are secured by securing means such that the upper housing, dosage plate
and base plate are in close contact.
4. The capsule filling device of claim 3, wherein the capsule filling device
additionally comprises
v) a lid,
wherein the lid is engageably connected with and above the upper housing and the
top of the lid defines a lid opening.
5. The capsule filling device of claim 4, wherein the lid opening is shaped to
engageably receive a threaded bottle neck.
6. The capsule filling device of claim 4, wherein the lid opening is shaped to
engageably receive a bayonet bottle neck.
7. The capsule filling device of claim 4, wherein the dosage plate has a
thickness within the range of 0.1 mm to 10 mm.
8. The capsule filling device of claim 4, wherein the channels in the dosage
plate have a diameter of 0.5 mm to 10 mm.
9. The capsule filling device of claim 4, wherein a second dosage plate is in
connection with the first dosage plate such that the channels in the first
dosage plate align with the channels in the second dosage plate.
10. The process of filling capsules with a pourable substance using the capsule
filling device of claim 4 comprising the steps of:
i) inserting open capsule bottoms into the capsule holder means of the capsule
plate;
ii) adjusting the dosage plate such that the indicator means indicates that the
dosage plate is in the first position;
iii) passing the pourable substance through the lid opening; and
iv) adjusting the dosage plate so that the indicator means indicates that the
dosage plate is in the third position.
11. The capsule filling device of claim 4, wherein the dosage plate is a
circular plate; the indicator means is a gripable protrusion attached to the
dosage plate; and the dosage plate is rotatably slidable from first to third
position by movement of the gripable protrusion.
12. The capsule filling device of claim 11, wherein the securing means
comprises:
i) a bolt having a first end and a second threaded end;
ii) a pressure plate;
iii) a spring; and
iv) a knob;
wherein the bolt is secured to the upper housing at the first end of the bolt;
the pressure plate is placed under the base plate; the bolt passes through the
center of the dosage plate, the center of the base plate and the center of the
pressure plate; the spring is placed over the bolt; and the knob is threaded
tightly onto the second end of the bolt.
13. The capsule filling device of claim 12, wherein the upper housing comprises
a spherical cone, the apex of the spherical cone being located just below the
lid opening; the channels of the upper housing being found in an annular ring
around the spherical cone; the channels of the dosage plate being found in an
annular ring at the perimeter of the dosage plate; the channels of the base
plate being found in an annular ring at the perimeter of the base plate; and the
capsule holder means being found in an annular ring at the perimeter of the
capsule plate.
14. The capsule filling device of claim 13, wherein the dosage plate defines
sixteen channels.
15. The capsule filling device of claim 4, wherein the dosage plate is a
rectangular plate having a first and second end; the indicator means comprising
a removable pin at the first end of the dosage plate and a shoulder at the
second end of the dosage plate; in first position the pin preventing the dosage
plate from movement in one direction and in third position the shoulder
preventing the dosage plate from movement in the opposite direction.
16. The capsule filling device of claim 15, wherein the securing means comprises
four spring-loaded screws securing the base plate to the upper housing, such
that the upper housing, dosage plate and base plate are in close contact.
17. The capsule filling device of claim 16, wherein the lid is slidably
engageable with the upper housing by a lip bordering three sides of the upper
housing.
18. The capsule filling device of claim 17, wherein the dosage plate defines
eighteen channels.
19. A capsule filling device comprising:
i) an upper housing;
ii) a dosage plate; and
iv) a capsule plate; the dosage plate, the upper housing and the capsule plate
being arranged such that the upper housing is above the dosage plate and the
capsule plate is below the dosage plate; the capsule plate comprising capsule
holder means to receive at least one open capsule bottom; the dosage plate being
slidable between a first, a second and a third position, such that the second
position is located between the first position and the third position; the upper
housing and dosage plate each define at least one channel, the dimension of each
channel permitting a pourable substance to be passed through each channel; in
first position, the channels in the upper housing align with the channels in the
dosage plate such that a pourable substance may pass through the channels in the
upper housing and the channels in the dosage plate; in second position the
channels in the dosage plate are not aligned with the channels in the upper
housing and the channels in the dosage plate are not aligned with the capsule
holder means in the capsule plate; and in third position the channels in the
dosage plate are aligned with the capsule holder means in the capsule plate such
that a pourable substance may pass through the channels in the dosage plate and
into the open capsule bottoms in the capsule holders means.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates in general to capsule filling devices and more
particularly to a manual capsule filling device.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Pharmaceutical substances are generally available in tablet or capsule form and
in a set dosage quantity or a limited range of dosages. However, the delivery of
pharmaceuticals would be more effective if each individual patient was given a
specific dose of pharmaceutical suitable for that patient. The suitable quantity
of a particular pharmaceutical for a specific patient depends on such factors as
their age, weight, gender and general health. Patients would benefit from having
a specific quantity of pharmaceutical suited to their requirements. This
invention provides a manual capsule filling device capable of filling capsules
with a large range of quantities of pharmaceutical. In addition, this invention
also allows for filling capsules with specific doses of one or more
pharmaceuticals in each capsule.
Prior art capsule filling devices and methods of weighing powder have been
devised. For example, Canadian Patent 494,695 is a capsule filling device in
which a measured amount of pharmaceutical is placed on a spreader plate with
wells, the depth of the wells being adjustable. The pharmaceutical is spread
into the wells until it is flush with the tops of the wells, the spreader plate
is covered with a funnel system and turned upside down to allow the medicine to
funnel into capsules. No indication is given of how the depth of the wells is
determined. U.S. Pat. No. 5,321,932 is a device to open and close capsules so
that they may be filled, however, the method of filling the capsules is not
described. U.S. Pat. No. 4,619,336 provides a method and apparatus for weighing
doses of powder. This device feeds powder onto a weigh scale and stops the
powder flow just below the desired weight at which point the feeding mechanism
is stopped and the powder remaining is allowed to run into the weighing
receptacle. This patent does not describe the filling of capsules.
Thus a manual capsule filling device which fills capsules with a specific
desired quantity of pharmaceutical, or other substance to be placed in a
capsule, is desirable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of one aspect of the present invention is to provide an improved
manual capsule filling device.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention there is provided a
capsule filling device comprising:
i) an upper housing;
ii) a dosage plate;
iii) a base plate; and
iv) a capsule plate; the dosage plate, the upper housing and the base plate
being arranged such that the upper housing is above the dosage plate and the
base plate is below the dosage plate; the base plate being in engageable
connection with and above the capsule plate; the capsule plate comprising
capsule holder means to receive at least one open capsule bottom; the dosage
plate being slidable between a first, a second and a third position, such that
the second position is located between the first position and the third
position; the upper housing, dosage plate and base plate each define at least
one channel, the dimension of each channel permitting a pourable substance to be
passed through each channel; the channels in the base plate align with the
capsule holder means in the capsule plate; in first position, the channels in
the upper housing align with the channels in the dosage plate such that a
pourable substance may pass through the channels in the upper housing and the
channels in the dosage plate; in second position the channels in the dosage
plate are not aligned with the channels in the upper housing and the channels in
the dosage plate are not aligned with the channels in the base plate; and in
third position the channels in the dosage plate are aligned with the channels in
the base plate such that a pourable substance may pass through the channels in
the dosage plate and the channels in the base plate and into the open capsule
bottoms in the capsule holders means.
The advantages of the present invention are the ability to manually fill
capsules with specific quantities of pharmaceutical and also to fill capsules
with more than one type of pharmaceutical. A further aspect of this invention is
to fill capsules with specific quantities of pharmaceutical and no excipients,
that is, a capsule is filled only with the pure pharmaceutical. This invention
is also capable of filling capsules with substances other than pharmaceuticals.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A detailed description of two embodiments are provided herein below with
reference to the following drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is an exploded view of the capsule filling device in accordance with a
first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a side view of the capsule filling device of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a top view of the capsule filling device of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a top view of the capsule filling device of FIG. 1 with the lid
removed, in release position;
FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the capsule filling device of FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken at line 6--6 of the capsule filling
device of FIG. 3, in release position;
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of a capsule filling device
in close position;
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken at line 8--8 of the capsule filling
device of FIG. 7, in fill position;
FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of the capsule filling
devices of FIG. 4 and FIG. 8 demonstrating fill position;
FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of the capsule filling
devices of FIG. 4 and FIG. 8 demonstrating close position; and
FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of the capsule filling
devices of FIG. 4 and FIG. 8 demonstrating release position.
In the drawings, two enmbodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of
example. It is to be expressly understood that the description and drawings are
only for the purpose of illustration and as an aid to understanding, and are not
intended as a definition of the limits of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Two embodiments of the present invention are described below. FIGS. 1 to 6
relate to a circular capsule filling device and FIGS. 7 and 8 relate to a linear
capsule filling deice. FIGS. 9, 10 and 11 relate to the operation of both the
circular and linear capsule filling devices.
Referring to FIGS. 1 to 6, there is illustrated a first embodiment of the
present invention. The capsule filling device 10 has a lid 20, upper housing 30,
bolt 40, dosage plate 50, base plate 60, pressure plate 70, spring 80, knob 90
and capsule plate 100. Lid 20 has a threaded neck 110, lid opening 120, top wall
130 and side wall 140. The upper housing 30 has a center cone 150, side wall
160, ridge 165, base 170, reservoir 175 and channels 180. The dosage plate 50
has center wall 190 surrounding center opening 200, base 210, channels 220 and
indicator levers 230. Base plate 60 has center wall 240 with grooves 245
surrounding center opening 250., side wall 260, side wall openings 270, base 280
and channels 90. The pressure plate 70 has ribbed center wall 300 with ribs 310,
surrounding center opening 320, and base 330 with radiating prongs 340. Knob 90
has threaded neck 350 and grip 355. Capsule plate 100 has supporting base 360,
center base 370, capsule holders 380. prong recesses 390 and center opening 400.
FIG. 6 additionally demonstrates the narrow channels 410 extending downward from
capsule holders 380, and the bottom half of capsules 405.
Referring to FIG. 7, there is illustrated in a perspective view a second
embodiment of the present invention. The capsule filling device 500 has a lid
510, upper housing 520, dosage plate 530, base plate 540 with base plate base
plate rails 550 and capsule plate 560. Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, the lid 510
has a threaded neck 570, center opening 575 and top wall 580. The upper housing
520 has side walls 590, lip 600, base 610, reservoir 615 and channels 620. The
dosage plate 530 has base 630, stopper pin 640, stop shoulder 650 and channels
660. The base plate 540 has base 670 with thicker outer portions termed base
plate rails 550 and channels 680. The capsule plate 560 has base 690, capsule
holders 700 and narrow channels 710 extending downward from capsule holders 700.
The attachment of a bottle 720 is also demonstrated in FIGS. 7 and 8.
Referring to FIGS. 9, 10 and 11, the three positions of a dosage plate when
filling capsules with pharmaceutical substances and the like are demonstrated
for the present invention. FIGS. 9, 10 and 11 illustrate a pharmaceutical powder
800, an upper housing plate 810 with channel 820, a dosage plate 830 with
channel 840, a base plate 850 with channel 860 and a capsule plate 870 with
capsule holders 880, capsule 890 and narrow contiguous channel 900.
When the capsule filling device of the first embodiment of the present invention
is assembled, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the pressure plate 70 holds the upper
housing 30, dosage plate 50 and base plate 60 together, by the knob 90 screwing
onto the threaded portion of the bolt 40, which bolt passes through openings
200, 250 and 320 and spring 80. The bolt 40 is securely connected to the
underside of the center cone 150 of the upper housing 30. The side wall 140 of
lid 20 fits over the side wall 160 of the upper housing 30 and rests on the top
of ridge 165. The upper housing, dosage plate and base plate connected in this
manner, the assembled plates, then rest on the capsule plate 100 by fitting
prongs 340 in prong recesses 390.
When assembled, the parts of the capsule filling device are all fixed relative
to each other except for the dosage plate 50, which has a limited rotational
movement. In operation, dosage plate 50 is adjusted by moving indicator lever
230 so that channels 180 of the upper housing 30 are in line with channels 220
in the dosage plate, this is known as the fill position. The capsule filling
device is inverted and a bottle of the desired pharmaceutical is screwed onto
the threaded neck 120. (Alternatively, the neck 120 may be configured to accept
a bayonet bottle neck or other type of bottle.) The capsule filling device is
then flipped right side up and pharmaceutical flows, by gravity and gentle
agitation into the reservoir 170 of the upper housing 30, through the funnel
shaped channels 180 of the upper housing 30 into channels 220 of the dosage
plate 50. After the pharnaceutical flows into the upper housing such that the
channels 220 are filled, the indicator lever 230 is shifted to a midway point in
the side wall opening 270 so that channels 20 in the dosage plate are out of
alignment with channels 180 and channels 290. This is the closed position and at
this point the desired quantity of phamaceutical is contained in the channels
220. The indicator lever 230 is finally moved to the end of the side wall
opening 270 so that the channels 220 in the dosage plate 50 are in line with
both the channels 290 in the base plate 60 and the capsule holders 380 of the
capsule plate 100 and the pharmaceutical will fall through channels 90 into
capsule holders 380. Capsule holders 380 contain the bottom half of capsules 405
which are each filled with the pharmaceutical contained in channels 220.
Capsules placed in the capsule holders may have suction applied through the
narrow channels 410 to hold the capsules and enable the capsule tops to be
easily removed prior to the assembled plates being place on the capsule plate.
The diameter of each of narrow channels 410 is preferably about 50 to 60% of the
diameter of the capsule holders. After the bottom half of the capsules are
filled capsule plate 100 may be placed on a base with pins (not shown) which
extend through narrow channels 410 so that the bottom half of the capsules are
pushed upward so that the tops of the capsules may more easily be placed on the
open capsules.
In a second embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the
capsule filling device 500 is assembled by engagably sliding the lid 510 under
the lip 600 of the upper housing 510. The base 610 of the upper housing 520 is
tightly engaged to the base plate 540 by spring wound screws (not shown) through
the base plate rails 550 and base 610, such that dosage plate 530 fits tightly
between the base 610 of the upper housing and the base plate 540. When assembled
the parts of the capsule filling device are all fixed relative to each other
except for the dosage plate 530 which has linear movement. Together, these
assembled plates are placed on capsule plate 560.
In operation, the capsule filling device is assembled as described above and the
dosage plate 530 is inserted between base 610 of the upper housing 520 and the
base plate 540 so that the pin 640 abuts the base 610. This is the fill
position. The capsule filling device 500 is inverted and a bottle of
pharmaceutical 720 is threaded to the neck 570. The capsule filling device 500
is then flipped right side up and the pharmaceutical flows by gravity and gentle
agitation, into the upper housing reservoir 615, through the funnel-shaped
channels 620 and into the channels 660 of the dosage plate 530. The dosage plate
530 is then pulled out so that the pin 640 moves away from the base 610 until
the tab 650 abuts base plate rails 550 and the dosage plate can not be pulled
any farther. The release position is reached when the tab 650 abuts base plate
rails 550 and at this point the channels 660 of the dosage plate 530 are lined
up with funnel-shaped channels 680 and also the capsule holders 700. The capsule
holders 700 are filled with open capsules so that the pharmaceutical contained
in channels 660 flows into each capsule at the release position. Between the
fill position and the release position, the channels 660 of the dosage plate 530
are out of alignment with channels 620 so that only the quantity of
pharmaceutical contained in the channel 660 flows into the capsules. Alternative
methods of indicating the fill and release positions are possible, such as
removable pins on both ends of the dosage plate (not shown). After use, the
capsule filling device may be inverted so that the remainder of the
pharmaceutical flows back into bottle 720 and bottle 720 may be removed or the
device may be stored attached to the bottle.
FIGS. 9, 10 and 11 demonstrate the movement of a dosage plate 830 between the
fill position and the release position. It will be noted that the midpoint
position between the fill and release position is termed the close position,
however, in reality there is a continuum of movement of the dosage plate between
the fill and release position, rather than a definite stopping point. FIG. 9
illustrates the flow of pharmaceutical 800 into the funnel-shaped channel 820 in
the upper housing plate 810 and then into channel 840 of the dosage plate 830.
This is the fill position. The dosage plate is moved along to a
"close" position whereby the pharmaceutical contained in the channel
840 is moved between channel 820 and channel 860 as shown in FIG. 10. FIG. 11
shows dosage plate 830 moved to the release position in which the channel 840 in
the dosage plate 830 is aligned with the base plate funnel shaped channel 860
and capsule holders 880, containing capsules 890. The pharmaceutical flows into
the capsules in the capsule holders.
The quantity of pharnmaceutical filled in a capsule by the two embodiments of
the present invention is determined by the size of the channels in the dosage
plate. The channels in the dosage plates are adjustable by using a thicker
dosage plate and/or by varying the diameter of the channels. Attentively, more
than one dosage plate may be used to increase the thickness of the dosage plate
and thus the channels. More than one dosage plate is desirable when the material
that the dosage plate is made of comes in standard thicknesses. The number of
channels in the dosage plate is also adjustable and so the number of capsules to
be filled at a time is adjustable. For example, the dosage plate of the linear
embodiment of the present invention could contain one, two, three, four or ten
rows of 7 channels each for filling 7, 14, 21, 28 or 70 capsules, respectively
or it could contain one two, three or five rows of 20 channels each for filling
20, 40, 60 or 100 capsules, respectively. The present invention may also be used
as a personal dispensing unit for dispensing one dose at a time as required.
In operation, filling multiple capsules with single dosages is accomplished by
the repeated movement of the dosage plate from the fill to release position,
replacing the filled capsules with fresh capsules in the capsule plate after
each filling. Alternatively, single, double, triple etc. quantities of a
pharmaceutical may be added to a capsule by repeated movement of the dosage
plate from the fill to release position. In addition, more than one
pharmaceutical may be added to a capsule, for example, by placing the capsule
plate containing capsules filled with one pharmaceutical under another capsule
filling device and adding a quantity of a second pharmaceutical. Providing all
the pharmaceuticals in one capsule reduces confusion for the patient and
enhances compliance in taking the medication.
The size of the capsule holders may be varied for different sizes of capsules.
Preferably the size of the bottom of the funnel-shaped opening above the capsule
holder should be of the same or smaller diameter than that of the capsule
holder, capsules come in a variety of sizes and different types for fitting of
capsule bottom to capsule top. For example the volume of a capsule may range
from a volume of 0.13 to 1.37 cc and contain 78 to 1644 mg of pharmaceutical,
depending on the density of the pharnaceutical. The weight of the pharmaceutical
in a capsule is dependent on the volume of the channel in the dosage plate and
the density of the pharmaceutical. Examples of the volume of some channels in
cubic centimetres (cc) are set out in Table I below and examples of the quantity
of pharmaceutical by weight (mg) is given for some combinations of volume of
channel and bulk density of the pharmaceutical in Table II below.
TABLE I
______________________________________
Volume of channel (cc)
Radius of Channel in Dosage Plate (cm)
Dosage Thickness (cm)
0.35 0.25 0.15
______________________________________
0.4 0.15 0.08 0.03
0.5 0.19 0.10 0.04
______________________________________
TABLE II
______________________________________
Weight of Pharmaceutical in Capsule (mg)
Volume of Channel in Dosage (cc)
Bulk Density (g/cc)
0.03 0.04 0.08 0.10 0.15 0.19
______________________________________
0.6 16.9 21.2 47.1 58.8 92.3
115.4
1.2 33.9 42.4 94.2 117.7 184.6
230.8
______________________________________
The two embodiments of the present invention have a lid with a threaded neck for
attachment of a bottle of pharmaceutical, however, the pharmaceutical can also
be poured into the reservoir of the upper housing without attachment of the
bottle. An advantage of the attachment of a pharmaceutical bottle to the neck of
the lid is that the capsule filling device can be stored with the bottle of
pharmaceutical attached. This avoids the need to disassemble the device and
avoids any loss of pharmaceutical through washing between uses. This also
prevents contamination of the pharmaceutical itself since it is only briefly
opened to the environment and also prevents contamination of the environment in
which the capsule filling is taking place thus preventing cross-contamination
between pharmaceuticals. These are advantages over conventional manual capsule
filling devices.
The channels in the upper housing and the channels in the base plate are
preferably funnel shaped for better flow of the pharmaceutical and the diameter
at the lower end of each funnel shaped channel is preferably the same or smaller
than the diameter of the upper end of the channel below it.
The plates of the capsule filling devices of the present invention are pressed
tightly together so that a clean shearing effect is created when the dosage
plate is moved from the fill position to the release position. In this way the
quantity of pharmaceutical delivered to each capsule and with each cycle is
within an acceptable range of deviation.
The capsule filling devices of the present invention are easy to assemble and
disassemble for ease of cleaning and interchangability of dosage plates. The
capsule filling device may be made of machined or molded plastics or metals.
Some examples of suitable plastics are acrylic, polyester, polycarbonate,
acrylonitrile butadene styrene (ABS), polypropylene and acetyl. Most plastics
are easily cleaned in a dishwasher and the capsule filling device may be used
with a variety of different pharmaceuticals by cleaning in-between. Metals, such
as, aluminum or metals with non-stick coatings and any other material suitable
for contact with pharmaceuticals and the other substances to be used in this
invention may also be used.
The present invention, allows pharmaceuticals to be placed in capsules without
any excipients or additives. This is especially important for patients with
multiple allergies and for patients with an intolerance to additives, such as,
lactose. The amount of pharmaceutical added is determined by the channel in the
dosage plate and not on the volume of the capsule used.
Although it is desirable to use only pure pharmaceuticals in the present
invention, some pharmacuticals require conditioning in order to improve the flow
characteristics. For example, the addition of silica to certain pharnmaceuticals
results in improved flow.
Although the filling of capsules with pharmaceutical substances is described,
the present invention is equally applicable to filling capsules with any other
substance, dry or wet, which is capable of flowing into capsules using the
present invention. For example, capsules could be filled with vitamins, certain
holistic medicines and herbs in suitable form. The substances with which the
capsules are filled may be for human or animal consumption.
The present invention could be used by pharmacists, psychiatrists, allergists,
veterinarians, practitioners of holistic medicine and homeopathy
and also patients for self-administration.
Examples of the operation of the circular and linear capsule filling devices
with a number of different pharmaceuticals and powders are given below.
EXAMPLE 1
______________________________________
Dosage plate thickness
1.0 mm
Dosage plate channel diameter
7.0 mm
Number of dosage plate channels
16
______________________________________
A. Three separate fillings of fluoxetine provided an average weight of
pharmaceutical per capsule and a standard deviation between the capsules in each
filling.
______________________________________
Trial Average fill weight (mg)
Standard Deviation (mg)
______________________________________
1 24.3 1.37
2 24.0 1.8
3 22.9 1.4
______________________________________
B. Three separate fillings of acetylsalicylic acid provided an average weight of
pharnaceutical per capsule and a standard deviation between the capsules in each
filling.
______________________________________
Trial Average fill weight (mg)
Standard Deviation (mg)
______________________________________
1 26.2 2.8
2 24.6 1.8
3 25.4 2.3
______________________________________
C. Two separate fillings of ibuprofen provided an average weight of
pharmaceutical per capsule and a standard deviation between the capsules in each
filling.
______________________________________
Trial Average fill weight (mg)
Standard Deviation (mg)
______________________________________
1 17.4 1.23
2 14.5 2.03
______________________________________
D. Two separate fillings of sodium chloride provided an average weight of
pharmaceutical per capsule and a standard deviation between the capsules in each
filling.
______________________________________
Trial Average fill weight (mg)
Standard Deviation (mg)
______________________________________
1 45.5 2.3
2 45.3 4.1
______________________________________
EXAMPLE 2
A linear capsule filling device having the following characteristics was used:
Dosage plate thickness 4.6 mm
Dosage plate channel diameter 5.5 mm
Number of dosage plate channels 18
A. Three separate filings of acetylsalicylic acid chloride provided an average
weight of pharmaceutical per capsule and a standard deviation between the
capsules in each filling.
______________________________________
Trial Average fill weight (mg)
Standard Deviation (mg)
______________________________________
1 89.2 1.3
2 88.8 1.2
3 89.3 1.0
______________________________________
B. One filling of fluoxetine provided an average weight of pharmaceutical per
capsule and a standard deviation between the capsules.
______________________________________
Trial Average fill weight (mg)
Standard Deviation (mg)
______________________________________
1 75.9 1.7
______________________________________
C. Two separate fillings of sodium chloride provided an average weight of
pharmaceutical per capsule and a standard deviation between the capsules in each
filling.
______________________________________
Trial Average fill weight (mg)
Standard Deviation (mg)
______________________________________
1 140.1 1.6
2 140.9 1.6
______________________________________
D. One triple filling of sodium chloride provided an average weight of
pharmaceutical per capsule and a standard deviation between the capsules.
______________________________________
Trial Average fill weight (mg)
Standard Deviation (mg)
______________________________________
1 417.7 6.4
______________________________________
EXAMPLE 3
A linear capsule filling device having the following characteristics was used:
Dosage plate thickness 2.92 mm
Dosage plate channel diameter 5.5 mm
Number of dosage plate channels 18
A. Three separate fillings of sodium chloride provided an average weight of
pharmaceutical per capsule and a standard deviation between the capsules in each
filling.
______________________________________
Trial Average fill weight (mg)
Standard Deviation (mg)
______________________________________
1 88.1 2.2
2 88.8 3.5
______________________________________
EXAMPLE 4
A circular capsule filling device having the following characteristics was used:
______________________________________
Dosage plate thickness
0.79 mm
Dosage plate channel diameter
2.2 mm
Number of dosage plate channels
16
______________________________________
A. Two separate fillings of fluoxetine provided an average weight of
pharmaceutical per capsule and a standard deviation between the capsules in each
filling.
______________________________________
Trial Average fill weight (mg)
Standard Deviation (mg)
______________________________________
1 1.6 0.1
2 1.6 0.2
______________________________________
In summary, capsule filling devices are provided for delivering specific
quantities of one or more pharmaceutical or other suitable substance into
capsules.
Other variations and modifications of the invention are possible. All such
modifications or variations are believed to be within the sphere and scope of
the invention as defined by the claims appended hereto.
* * * * *
