Packaging apparatus for small piece goods and method for producing a blister tube comprising a plurality of blister bags

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11208223-B2
Application number	US-202016879464-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 20, 2020
Priority date	May 20, 2020
Publication date	Dec 28, 2021
Grant date	Dec 28, 2021

Abstract

A packaging apparatus for small piece goods, the use of the packaging apparatus, and a method for producing a blister tube are provided. The packaging apparatus includes a packaging material guiding device for providing a shaped packaging material web suitable for receiving small piece goods, a longitudinal joining device which is arranged downstream of the packaging material guiding device and a transverse joining device which is arranged downstream of the packaging material guiding device. The transverse joining device joins the shaped packaging material web together at predetermined intervals transversely to the direction of travel to form a transverse joining area. The transverse joining device includes two joiners, which have a plurality of embossers that are individually movable transversely to the direction of travel and have an embosser stop area which cooperate such that elevations that are palpable are formed by the embossers in the transverse joining area.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A packaging apparatus for small piece goods, comprising:
a packaging material guiding device for receiving an elongated packaging material web, wherein the packaging material guiding device is configured such that the elongated packaging material web is shaped to be suitable for receiving small piece goods and wherein the elongated packaging material web shape continues in a direction of travel;
a longitudinal joining device arranged downstream of the packaging material guiding device and configured to join the shaped packaging material web together at a packaging material overlap area in the direction of travel of the shaped packaging material web;
a transverse joining device which is arranged downstream of the packaging material guiding device and configured to join the shaped packaging material web together at predetermined intervals transversely to the direction of travel to form a transverse joining area, wherein the transverse joining device comprises two joiners, wherein at least one joiner is movable transversely to the direction of travel;
a plurality of embossers that are individually moveable transversely to the direction of travel; and
an embosser stop area, wherein the plurality of embossers and the embosser stop area cooperate to form elevations that are palpable in the transverse joining area.

2. The packaging apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the embossers are arranged so that they can be extended and retracted in one of the joiners, and wherein the other joiner has, at least in one contact area, an elastically designed joining surface.

3. The packaging apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the embossers are arranged so that they can be extended and retracted in one of the joiners, and wherein the other joiner has, at least in one contact area, a plurality of embosser receptacles that are individually movable transversely to the direction of travel.

4. The packaging apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the embossers are configured as at least one 2 by 3 matrix of embossing pins, wherein a palpable dot pattern in the shape of a Braille character is generated per matrix by the embossing pins.

5. The packaging apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least one joining surface of a joiner can be heated.

6. The packaging apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the packaging material guiding device has a central through opening and is configured such that the elongated packaging material web is fed to the central through opening, wherein the elongated packaging material web is shaped in the direction of travel to a tubular packaging material web defined by the central through opening.

7. The packaging apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the central through opening shapes the tubular packaging material web to have a packaging material overlap area.

8. The packaging apparatus of claim 6 , wherein a guide part extends within a part of the tubular packaging material web.

9. The packaging apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the guide part is positioned so that the packaging material web in the area of the packaging material guiding device extends through a gap between the guide part and a wall of the central through opening.

10. The packaging apparatus of claim 8 , further comprising a plurality of spreaders arranged in the lower area of the guide part, the plurality of spreaders configured to spread open the tubular packaging material web to form a receiving area for medicament portions.

11. The packaging apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of spreaders are configured to prepare the tubular packaging material web to be joined together by the transverse joining device according to an alignment of the joiners.

12. The packaging apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the packaging apparatus is configured to produce a blister tube comprising a plurality of blister bags.

13. The packaging apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a separator arranged below the joiners, the separator moveable transversely to the direction of travel of the shaped packaging material web, wherein the separator is configured to introduce one of a perforation into the transverse joining area and a complete separation of the transverse joining area.

14. The packaging apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a medicament guiding device disposed above the packaging material guiding device, the medicament guiding device comprising a funnel-shaped receiving area configured to receive medicament portions.

15. A method for producing a blister tube comprising a plurality of blister bags, the method comprising:
providing a packaging material web in a direction of travel;
shaping, in the direction of travel, the packaging material web into a shaped packaging material web having a receiving area for medicament portions;
feeding small piece goods to the receiving area;
joining, by a longitudinal joining device, the shaped packaging material web together to form a tubular packaging material web at a packaging material overlap area in the direction of travel of the shaped packaging material web;
joining, by a transverse joining device, the tubular packaging material web together in a transverse joining area at predetermined intervals, based on the direction of travel; and
embossing a palpable pattern in the transverse joining area by a plurality of embossers movable transversely to the direction of travel.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the plurality of embossers are configured as at least one 2 by 3 matrix of embossing pins.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the palpable pattern comprises a dot pattern in the shape of a Braille character.

18. The method of claim 15 , further comprising spreading open, by a plurality of spreaders, the tubular packaging material web before joining the tubular packaging material web together in the transverse joining area at the predetermined intervals.

19. The method of claim 15 , further comprising introducing, by a separator, one of a perforation into the transverse joining area and a complete separation of the transverse joining area.

20. A packaging apparatus, comprising:
a packaging material guiding device configured to shape a moving elongated packaging material web into a shaped packaging material web;
a longitudinal joining device configured to join the shaped packaging material web together at a packaging material overlap area in a direction of travel of the shaped packaging material web;
a transverse joining device configured to join the shaped packaging material web together at predetermined intervals transversely to the direction of travel to form a transverse joining area;
an embosser comprising a matrix of embossing pins that are individually moveable transversely to the direction of travel; and
an embosser stop area, wherein the matrix of embossing pins and the embosser stop area are configured to form palpable elevations in the transverse joining area, the palpable elevations comprising a dot pattern in the shape of a Braille character.

Assignees

• Becton Dickinson Rowa Germany Gmbh

Inventors

• Schüttfort Torben

Classifications

• B65B61/26

  for marking or coding completed packages · CPC title

• B65B61/025 Primary

  for applying, e.g. printing, code or date marks on material prior to packaging · CPC title

• B65B51/303

  reciprocating along only one axis · CPC title

• B65B9/213

  the web having intermittent motion (B65B9/22 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B65B9/2035

  Tube guiding means · CPC title