Apparatus and process for filling particulate materials

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10835451-B2
Application number	US-201515503646-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 4, 2015
Priority date	Aug 14, 2014
Publication date	Nov 17, 2020
Grant date	Nov 17, 2020

Abstract

An apparatus for dosing solid particulate material into one or more receptacles, the apparatus comprising: a reservoir for containing an amount of solid particulate material; a dosing unit comprising a dose collection position for collecting a predetermined dose of solid particulate material from the reservoir, and a dose release position for releasing the solid particulate material into the one or more receptacles; a receptacle handling unit for retaining the one or more receptacles, arranged to at least periodically align at least one of the one or more receptacles with the dosing unit when in the dose release position; and optionally a receptacle closing unit for closing the one or more receptacles once filled with the solid particulate material; wherein the dosing unit comprises one or more dosing chambers arranged to displace relative to said reservoir, and/or vice versa, along a perpendicular axis Y such that at least a portion of the chamber(s) is capable of being immerged into, and emerged out of, the solid particulate material at least when the dosing unit is in the dose collection position, the reservoir being arranged to impart a fluid-like state to the solid particulate material at least for the duration of the displacement.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for dosing solid particulate material into one or more receptacles, the apparatus comprising:
a reservoir for containing an amount of solid particulate material, the reservoir having a bottom surface with an opening to receive a fluid to provide a fluidized bed of the solid particulate material;
a dosing unit comprising a dose collection position (A) for collecting a predetermined dose of the solid particulate material from the reservoir, and a dose release position (B) for releasing the solid particulate material into the one or more receptacles, the dosing unit comprising one or more dosing chambers that receive the solid particulate material in the dose collection position (A) and discharge the solid particulate material in the dose release position (B); and
a receptacle handling unit for retaining the one or more receptacles, the receptacle handling unit being configured to at least periodically align at least one of the one or more receptacles with the dosing unit when in the dose release position (B);
wherein the fluid is a gas that is injected from a bottom surface of the reservoir to provide sufficient turbulence to keep the solid particulate material in a free-flowing and non-agglomerated state within the reservoir, and
wherein the dosing chambers and/or the reservoir are moveable relative to each other along a perpendicular axis (Y), such that at least a portion of the one or more chambers is capable of being immerged into, and emerged out of, the solid particulate material in the reservoir at least when the dosing unit is in the dose collection position (A).

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the bottom surface comprises a fluid distributor arranged to uniformly distribute the fluid over substantially the entire bottom surface.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the fluid distributor comprises a porous membrane having an average pore size no greater than 50 μm.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the dose of solid particulate material is retained in the one or more dosing chambers by a force generated by an under-pressure source in fluid communication with the one or more dosing chambers the force being greater than or equal to a gravitational force acting onto the dose of the solid particulate material.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the dosing unit further comprises a pusher for respective ones of the one or more dosing chambers.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the pusher is arranged to slide within the one or more dosing chambers along a plane substantially parallel to the perpendicular axis (Y) and a depth of the pusher is directly proportional to the predetermined dose.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the pusher has a tubular shape and a particle stopper at one end that is sized to prevent the passage of the solid particulate material through the pusher, and
wherein the pusher is arranged to be in fluid communication with the one or more dosing chambers such that the gas may flow past the pusher and into the chamber.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the one or more receptacles are oral dosage form articles.

9. The apparatus according claim 1 wherein the reservoir or the dosing unit comprises one or more dosing chamber levelers arranged to remove portions of the solid particulate material resting on an outer surface and/or proximal to an orifice of the dosing chamber once the dosing chambers have emerged out of the solid particulate material.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the solid particulate material consists of multi-particulates selected from a group consisting of pellets, lipidmulti-particulates, and mixtures thereof.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the dosing unit is arranged to rotate about an axis parallel to the perpendicular axis (Y), or translate along an axis perpendicular to the perpendicular axis (Y), from the dose collection position (A) to the dose release position.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the dosing unit further comprises a chamber decontaminating blower in fluid communication with each dosing chamber and arranged to trigger a first blow of fluid through the dosing chamber to remove any residue of solid particulate material from the dosing chamber, wherein the decontaminating blower is arranged to trigger the first blow after a dose of solid particulate material has been delivered to the one or more receptacles.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12 wherein the dosing unit further comprises a dose release blower in fluid communication with each dosing chamber and arranged to trigger a second blow of fluid through the dosing chamber to release a predetermined dose of solid particulate material from the dosing chamber.

14. The apparatus according claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the dosing unit is coupled to a support; the support further comprising a dose converger arranged between the receptacle handling unit and the one or more dosing chambers along the perpendicular axis (Y); the converger, the receptacle handling unit and the one or more dosing chambers being substantially aligned with each other along the axis (Y) when the dosing unit is in the dose release position (B).

15. The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a hopper coupled to a reservoir filling unit for filling the reservoir with a constant amount of solid particulate material.

16. A process of filling one or more receptacles with a consistent dose of solid particulate material, the process comprising
providing an apparatus according to claim 1 ;
immerging the one or more dosing chambers into solid particulate material contained in the reservoir with the dosing unit in the dose collection position (A);
applying a suction force to retain a predetermined dose of the solid particulate material into the one or more dosing chambers
emerging the one or more dosing chambers out of the solid particulate material contained in the reservoir; and
releasing the suction force to release the dose of solid particulate material into the one or more receptacles with the dosing unit in the dose release position (B).

Assignees

• Capsugel Belgium Nv

Inventors

• Van Goolen Gunther
• Vanquickenborne Stefaan Jaak

Classifications

• B65B2210/10

  Means for removing bridges formed by the material or article, e.g. anti-clogging devices · CPC title

• B65B1/04

  Methods of, or means for, filling the material into the containers or receptacles · CPC title

• B65B3/30

  by volumetric measurement · CPC title

• A61J3/074 Primary

  Filling capsules; Related operations · CPC title

• B65B3/14

  pneumatically · CPC title