Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~2~634
BACRGROUND OF T~IE INVENTION
E~ d._g~ ;b~_lDY~D$~D
The present lnvention relates to an automatlc apparatus for
transferring bulk guantities of solld ob~ects such as, for
example, medication in the form of pllls, tablets, capsule3, etc.,
into individual unit dose packages for subsequent sealing and end
u~e. The apparatus of this invention i8 characterlzed by its
construction includlng a serles of three plates, the middle one of
~hich i5 movable and speciflcally designed and configured to
receive indivldual ones of the solid ob~ects therein for
transferring those ob~ects from the bulk supply to the unit dose
j!, packages. Thus, depending upon size and shape characteristics
chosen for the middle plate, or shuttle means, of the apparatus
and the shuttle apertures formed therethrough, the apparatus of
this invention 1B dedicated to automatic delivery of a particular
size and shape ob~ect. Simple mechanical replacement of the
shuttle mean3 will dedicate the apparatus for use ln automatic~lly
packaging other objects. The apparatus is turther characterized
by its incluslon of a mechanical stirring means, the action of
which virtually guarantees that each unit dose receptacle will be
properly filled. A second embodiment is disclosed and comprises
the u3e of spacer means and riser means whereby different sized
ob~ects may be delivered without changing the shuttle means.
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Within the medlcal service profession, it often occurs that a
partlcular patient is to receive a unit dose of medication at
regularly occurring intervals such as, for example, once a day.
~oth for purposes of insuring that medication is properly
administered and taken, as well as for maintaining effective cost
~; control, it is quite common to administer such regularly repeating
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doses of medication by packaglng the medication in blister cards
containing individually sealed do~es for a week, a month, or
j longer. Such card~ are commonly referred to withln the profession
as ~blngo cards.~
Just as the use of bingo cards for packaglng unit doses of
solid ~edication 18 qulte common, 80 is an lnherent difficulty
associated with the preparatlon of such cards. Basically, two
; means are avallable today for filllng the open card blisters with
medlcation. Accordlng to one method that is available, very
sophisticated and expensive machinery is utilized for the purpose
of filling and sealing cards in rapld succession. Such machlnes
are well known ln the prlor art and are commonly used by
pharmaceutical manufacturers. A second means of preparing the
cards for end use 18 often employed by lndlvidual health care
faclllties.
Thls second means is extremely labor-intensive, for lt
involves hand-fllllng each bllster of a blngo card and then
.,
sealing the card wlth a rupturable materlal. Not surprlslngly, a
search of prior att patent llterature reveals numerous examples of
automatlc dispensing and fllllng devlce~ useful for depositlng
solld ob~ects such as pills lnto multi cavlty cards and strlps.
~lowever, as can be seen upon reviewing the devices of such
patents, the machlnes are relatively complex and are generally
suitable for use ln dispensing one particular slzed and shaped
object into one partlcular receptacle.
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For example, U. S. Patent No. 3,545,164 to Middleton teaches
an apparatus for segregating, orienting and packaging capsules
into an open bingo card. According to the disclosure of
Middleton, the device was specifically designed and constructed to
overcome orientation problems as60ciated with packaglng elongated
items. No means are disclosed or suggested whereby the Middleton
device could be modified for packaging items other than capsules.
U.S. Patent No. 3,628,694 to Nichols discloses a device useful for
packaging medicaments in the form of tablets. The devlce of
Nichols 18 disclosed as being useful for packaglng continuous
sttips of tablets in spaced blisters formed in a thermoplastic
muterial, and dellvery of the tablets to the strlps 18 controlled
by the rotation of a plate through which the tablets fall. Yet
another pertlnent prior art dlsclosure 18 found ln U.S. Patent No.
4,101,284 to Difigllo. Whlle the Dlfiglio dispenser is disclosed
a8 being useful for dispensing beads u~ed in conducting
immunologic aasayn, it does disclosQ the use of an apertured,
sliding plate to regulate delivery of beads ln a predetecmined
fashlon. The seed plater dlsclosed ln U.S. Patent No. 4,411,205
to Rogers 18 aluo deemed pertlnent ln that the planter of that
lnvention also utilizes a slidlng plate to control and deliver
seeds from a seed hopper into plantlng flats. The following U.S.
Letters Patent are lllustratlve of other assemblies used for
countlng or segregating lndividual ltems by the use of either a
}lidl=g o~ rotatlng pltte =rohanl~m
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null 964,782
Query1,597,246
Cookson2,801,025
Martell3,281,012
While it can thus be seen from the prior art cited and
discussed above that various and sundry mechanisms are known for
delivering and/or packaging a wide variety of solid objects, none
specifically disclose means whereby the apparatus may be easlly
and efficlently modified to accommodate objects of various sizes
and conflgurations. Purthermore, whlle some of the prlor art
patents do disclose means for stlrring or agitatlng the prlmary
source of materlal being dispensed, 6uch means are quite item
speclfic. Finally, and perhapa most slgnlficantly, in those prlor
art devices utilizing a three plate mechanism to control the
dispensing operation, all three plates are designed and
constructed to accommod~te a single predetermined size and shape
configuration for the artlcle being dispensed. If it were
deslrable to modly the prlor art devlces 80 that they could be
utlllzed for di~penslng a different sized and/or shaped product,
replacement of all three plates would be requlred.
It 18 therefore clear that there la a great need in the art
for a ~lmple, yet efflclent and economlc~l, means for dispensing
solid objects into a receptacle placed downstream of the
dlspensing apparatus. Such a device should be capable, with only
mlnor modlfication, of dispensing ob~ects of widely dlfferlng size
and sbape. Furthermore, such an apparatus should also be capable
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of dispenslng a plurallty of llke ob~ects ln a varlety of
predetermlned, ~p~ced arrays 80 as to permit fllling of a like
~arlety of receptacles, or cards.
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~Z66~i3~
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an apparatus for
dispensing, in a single operation, a plurality of solid
objects from a bulk supply to a receptacle for the solid
objects. More specifically, without unnecessarily limiting
the scope of this invention, the dispensing apparatus finds
pa~ticular utility in automatically dispensing medications
such as, for example, tablets, pills, capsules, etc., from a
bulk supply into individual pockets or bubbles formed on a
bingo card. Once each pocket of the card has been filled,
the card is removed and sealed according to standard
procedures and technology.
Broadly speaking, the present invention may be
considered as providing in an apparatus for dispensing a
plurality of solid objects, from a bulk supply to a
receptacle for the solid objects, the apparatus having hopper
means including a support frame for receiving the bulk supply
of solid objects; separator means defining the bottom of the
hopper means, the separator means including a plurality of
separator apertures formed therethrough, shuttle means
movably disposed in substantially parallel, juxtaposed
relation to the separator means and downstream of the
separator means with respect to the flow of solid objects
from the hopper means to the receptacle, the shuttle means
including a plurality of shuttle apertures formed
therethrough; delivery means fixedly disposed in
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substantially parallel, juxtaposed relation to the shuttle
means and downstream of the shuttle means, the delivery means
including a plurality of delivery apertures formed therein
throuyh which the solid objects ultimately pass into a
receptacle placed downstream of the apparatus; the
improvement comprising: spacer means defined by a pair of
replaceable spacer strips, each of the spacer strips being
attached on opposing sides of the support frame in interposed
relation between the shuttle means and the delivery means,
each of the spacer strips defining a substantially L-shaped
cross-section with the notch of each of the L-shaped facing
the corresponding notch of the opposed spacer strip, the
shuttle means being movably disposed across the spacer strips
within the notches, when the spacer strips are replaced by
ones having notches of different thickness the distance
between the shuttle means and the delivery means being
adjusted by the thickness of the notch in the spacer strips
and, riser means defined by a pair of riser strips, one of
the riser strips being attached on opposing sides of the
support frame in interposed relation between the separator
means and the shuttle means, whereby the distance between the
separator means and the shuttle means may be adjusted.
As seen above, the dispensing apparatus of this
invention utilizes a hopper means including a support frame,
a collar mounted on the frame in receiving and retaining
relation to the b~lk supply of solid objects, and a stirring
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mechanism also mounted on the frame whereby the bulk supply
may be agitated within the collar.
The separator means comprises an apertured plate and
is mounted on the support frame and substantially closes the
bottom of the collar to define the bottom of the hopper -
means. A bulk supply of materials such as, for example,
tablets, may then be placed within the collar and agi-tated so
that at least one of the tablets will pass through each one
of the separator apertures.
Also mounted on the support frame immediately below
the separator means is the shuttle means comprising a second
apertured plate. The shuttle means is movably mounted for
reciprocating movement between a first shuttle plate position
and a second
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~huttle plate posltlon. In the normal, flrst plate position, each
of the shuttle apertures i9 in reglstry wlth a separator aperture
80 that tablets wlll pass from the hopper, through the separator
means and lnto a shuttle aperture formed ln the shuttle means. At
this polnt it should be noted that both the thlcknes3 of the
shuttle plate and the configuratlon of the shuttle apertures are
predetermlned with regard to corresponding characteristics of the
tablet, or other material, being dispensed.
The shuttle means is then moved to its second shuttle plate
position by any convenient mechanism. For example, the shuttle
mean~ could be moved from its first plate position to its second
plate position manually or automatlcally. In either event, lt is
preferred, though not required, that the shuttle means be normally
biased lnto its first shuttle plate position. While the shuttle
apertures are in registry with the separator apertures in the
first shuttle plate position, the shuttle apertures are no longer
80 registered when the second shuttle plate position is obtained.
The next prlmary element of the dispensing apparatus of this
invention is the delivery means, also deflned by a plate-type
construction and lncluding delivery apertures formed therethrough,
which is fixedly mounted to the support immediately below the
shuttle means in substantially parallel, abutting relation
thereto. When the shuttle means 18 moved to lts second piate
position, each one of the shuttle apertures is aligned with a
delivery aperture so that each one of the tablets may exit the
appArltaa by paaslng through one of the dellvery apeltgrea. An
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1~66~3~
empty bingo card is disposed below (downstream) of the
delivery means such that one of the tablets will be deposited
into each of the receptacles formed on the bingo card. Once
filled, the bingo card i5 removed and sealed, and an empty
card is then placed below the dispensing apparatus for
filling as described above.
As will be discussed in greater detail below,
because only the shuttle means is specifically designed and
configured with regard to the material being dispensed, the
dispensing apparatus of this invention may easily be adapted
to dispense a wide variety of objects simply by changing the
shuttle means.
A single shuttle plate may be used for accurately
delivering objects of various thicknesses simply by selecting
and installing appropriate spacer means and, if necessary,
riser means. Though not claimed as part of the subject
matter of this invention, a gauge is provided for use in
determining the thlckness of the object to be dispensed, and
a corresponding chart is provided to indicate what combina-
tion of spacer means and riser means is necessary for dispen-
sing that particular thickness. Proper use of both the gauge
and the chart is discussed in greater detail hereinafter.
The invention accordingly comprises the features oE
construction, combination of elements, and arrangement of
parts wiIl be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set
forth, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in
the claims.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF T~E DRAWINGS
For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the
invention, reference should be had to the following detailed
description taken ln connectlon wlth the accompanylng drawings, in
which:
FIGURE l is a top plan vlew of the dispensing apparatus with
portions of the stlrrlng means shown ln phantom, and with the
separator means removed.
FIGURE 2 is a side elevatlon of the dlspensing apparatus,
partlally in section to lllustrate lnterior detail.
FIGURE 3 18 A plan vlew of one embodlment for the separator
means.
FIGURE 4 is a plan view of one embodlment for the shuttle
means.
FIGURE 5 is a plan vlew of one embodiment for the dellvery
means.
FIGURE 6 18 a plan view of one embodlment for a blngo
cnrd-type receptacle usnble in combinatlon uith the apparatus of
this invention.
FIGURE 7 15 a fragmentary slde elevatlon of a second
embodiment of the dlspenslng apparatus, slmilar to that of Plg. 2,
partlally ln sectlon to illustrate lnterlor detail.
- FIGURE 8 18 a sectlonal vlew tnken along llne 8-8 of Fig. 1.
FIGURE 9 18 a plan view of a spacer strip.
FIGURE 10 ls a sectlonal vlew of the spacer strlp.
FIGURE ll is a plan view of a rlser strlp.
FIGURE 12 18 a sectlonal vlew of the rlser strip.
FIGURE 13 is a plan view of the gauge whlch may be used ln
comblnation wlth this second embodlment.
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lZ6663~
FIGURE 14 i a front slde elevatlon of the gauge shown in Pig.
13.
Similar reference characters refer to slmllar part~ throughout
the several views of the drawings.
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121lSfi634
DETAI~ED DESCRIPTION
The dispensing apparatus of this inventlon ls generally
indlcated as 10 in the view of Fig. 2. Throughout the remainder
of this detailed description, lt iB to be understood that while
dispensing apparatus 10 will be described with particular regard
to the dispensing of round tablet-type medication, the scope of
thls invention is not to be limlted thereto. The dispensing
apparatus 10 is imminently useful for dispensing a plurality of
solld objects of vlrtually any size and/or shape from a bulk
supply to a receptacle for solld objects. Furthermore, while the
detailed description of this preferred embodiment for dispensing
apparatus 10 will be set forth as being semi-automatic, that also
ls not to be interpreted as a limltation upon the scope of the
inventlon. As wlll become apparent to one 3kllled in the art from
the detailed descripticn, apparatus 10 could be modlfied quite
easily for fully automatic operation.
Referrlng to the vlew of Flg. 2, dispensing apparatus 10
comprlses a hopper means including a support frame 12, a collar 14
mounted on frame 12, and a ~tlrrlng means generally lndlcated as
16 al80 mounted on frame 12 whereby a bulk supply of tablet3 (not
~hown) may be agltated wlthin the confines of collhr 14. As
cle~rly seen ln the vlews of Flgs. 1 and 2, coll~r 14 comprises a
cylinder havlng open flrst end 18 and open second end 20.
Obviously, then, a bulk supply of tablets may be placed within
collar 14 simply by pourlng the tablets through first end 18. It
~hould also be noted that collar 14 need not be restrlcted to a
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cylindrical conflguration. However, a cyllndrical configuration
18 preEerred for the purpose of preventlng the undesirable
accumulation of tablets within corners, thereby permitting
efflcient agitation by stirring means 16.
In the preferred embodiment illustrated ln Fig. 2, stirring
means 16 is movably mounted on the support frame 12 by post 22 and
pivoting arm 24 which extends in transverse relation to top end 26
of post 22. A motor means 28 18 attached to dlstal end 30 of arm
24, and motor means 28 18 normally electrically powered. A shaft
32 extends downwardly from motor means 28 into operatlve, drlving
relation with stirrLng head 34 and lts stlrring arms 36 through
gear 38. i3rushe~ 40 are disposed at each end of the stirring arms
36, and it 18 the brushes 40 which actually serve to agitate
tablets placed withln collar 14 of the hopper means.
In the preferred embodlment, not only do the stirring arms 36
rotate as a unlt, but also each of the brushes 40 may rotate.
i Accordlngly, the stlrring motlon provlded by the stirrlng means 16
i8 planetary. It is to be understood, however, that stirrlng
means 16 18 not to be llmlted to a planetary actlon.
The operatlve bottom of the hopper means 18 deflned by
separator means 42, a plan vlew of whlch 1~ presented of Fig. 3.
As shown in the views oE Flgs. 2 and 3, separator means 42 18 a
relatively thln plate mounted across second end 20 of collar 14
and having a plurallty of separator apertures 44 formed
therethrough. As stated abo~e, it is to be remembered that
separator means 42 has been omitted fro- the plan view of Flg. 1
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Ei6634
for the purpose of lllustratlng further ~tructural detalls of the
apparatus lO hereinafter. Nevertheless, as a result of the
~tlrrlng action of stlrring means 16 on the bulk supply oE tablets
placed wlthin collar 14, at least one tablet will be deposited
withln each of the separator apertures 44.
! Referrlng to the vlews of Flgs. 2 and 4, the dlspensing
apparatus 10 further comprises a shuttle means 46. Shuttle means
46 is movably mounted on frame 12 and ln substantially parallel,
abutting relatlon to separator means 42 and immedlately downstream
therefrom As clearly seen ln the vlew of Flg. 4, a plurallty of
shuttle apertures 48 are formed through shuttle mcans 46. As will
be described in greater detall below, shuttle means 46 is mounted
for reclprocating movement, as indicated by the arrow ln the vlew
of Flg. 2, between a flrst shuttle plate posltlon and a second
shuttle plate po~ltlon. The vlew of Plg. 2 lllustrates shuttle
means 46 ln its 1rst shuttle plate positlon whereby each of the
shuttle apertures 48 i8 ln reglstry, and therefore
tablet-receiving relatlon, to a ~eparator aperture 4~. The
sectlonal vlew of Flg. 2 further shows that ln thls preferred
embodlment the upper perlmeter of ench of the shuttle apertures 48
ls chamfered. The chamfered entry lnto each of the shuttle
apertures 48 18 provlded for the purpose of easlng the flow of
tablets from the bulk supply wlthln collar 14, through the
separator apertures 44 and into shuttle npertures 48. Inasmuch as
the shuttle means 46 ls normally urged into the 1rst shuttle
plate posltion shown ln Fig. 2, tablets placed wlthin each of the
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~L266634
shuttle apertures 48 are held there by the blocklng actlon of
dellvery means 50 as set forth hereinafter.
Again with reference to the views of Figs. 2 and 4, and
remembering that this detalled description oE a preferred
embodiment is being made with regard to deliverlng tablets, it can
be seen that the configuratlon of each of the shuttle apertures 48
is predetermined to recelve an lndlvidual tablet therein.
Slmilarly, the relatlve thlckness of shuttle means 46 18 such that
one, and only one, tablet may flt vertlcally wlthln each of the
shuttle apertures 48. Should lt be deslred to utlllze apparatus
10 for dispenslng ob~ects of other than a substantlally clrcular,
tablet-shaped con1guratlon, all that would be requlred would be
to replace the shuttle means 46 wlth another embodlment havlng a
dlfferent shape or the shuttle apertures and/or different
tbickness or the shuttle means ltself.
The flnal structurafl element o dlspenslng apparatus 10
comprlses the dellvery means 50, one embodlment of whlch 18 shown
in the plan vlew of Flg. 5 and ln sectlonf ln the vlew of Flg. 2.
The dellvery means 50 18 flxedly mounted wlthln frame 12 in
substantlally parallel, abuttlng relatlon to f~fhuttle meafns 46 and
downstream thereof. The dellvery means 50 comprlses ~ plurallty
of dellvery ape~tures 52 formed therethrough whereby tafblets may
ultlmately pass through dellvery apertures 52 lnto a receptacle,
generally indicated as 54 placed downstream of the apparatus 10.
As f~ieen ln the plan vlew of Plg. 5, one embodlment for deliverlng
apertures 52 may comprlse elongated ovals, and lt is to be
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1~66~3~
understood that no limitation iB lntended with regard to a
specific conflguratlon for the dellvery aperture~ 52. All that is
required i8 that they be of sufficient size to permit passage of
the tablets therethrough into receptacle 54.
Referring once again to the sectional view of Fig. 2, it can
be seen that upon moving the shuttle means 46 into its seconi
shuttle plate position, the shuttle apertures 48 will vertically
register with a corresponding one of the dellvery apertures 52,
permitting passage o the tablet lnto receptacle 54.
In fact, other than being sufficiently sized to permit the
tablet, or other ob~ect, to pas~ therethrough, the shnpe and
placement of delivery apertures 52 are primarily determined with
regnrd to the configuration of individual blisters 56 formed on
the receptacle 54 which, as seen ln the vlew of Pig. 6, i9 a
thlrty-one day bingo card. As suggested above, and though not
forming part of the clalmed lnvention, lt 18 contemplated that
automatic or semi-automatic means could be provided for inserting
empty receptacle~ 5~ beneath the apparatus 10 and sequentially
I removlng the filled card and providing nnother empty card in
succe~sion. For e~ample, a form oE conveyor means could be
i utilized, timlng the movement oE the conveyor means with the
reclprocating actlon of shuttle means 46.
Having thus set folth a prefer~ed embodiment for the
dispensing apparatus 10 oE thls lnvention, one skllled in tha art
may fully appreciate its relatlve slmplicity and lts great
utility. While the structural elements oE apparatus 10 may be
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formed from any suitable materlal, lnasmuch as the device will
find great utillty ln packaglng unlt dose solld medlcatlons, those
elements which will come into contact with the medlcatlon must be
susceptible of belng sterllized. Such elements may be formed from
stainless steel or from plastics or other synthetic materials.
Turning now to the vlews of Figs. 7-14, a second embodimant
- for the dlspen31ng apparatus of this lnventlon i8 illustrated. As
already indlcated in the summary of the invention, above, one of
the unique features of the second embodiment is the inclu~ion of
spacer means and riser means whereby a single shuttle means 46 may
be used for delivering tablets of various sizes. Of course, ln
the vlews of Figs. 7 and 8 those structural elements corresponding
to ones already described are identified with simllar reference
numerals,
Referrlng to the vlew of Fig. 7, lt can be seen that a pair of
posts 58 extend upwardly from the support frame 12. Of courl3e, in
the view of Fig. 7, the two posts 58 on the other side of
dispensing apparatus 10 are not visible. Posts 58 provide
mounting means for attachlng not only the separator meAns 42 to
the apparatus 10, but also for the new structural elements of this
second embodlment as described hereinafter. The delivery means 50
is inserted lnto ~upport frame 12 as previously described and as
illustrated ln the vlew of Fig. 8.
Appropriate spacer means comprislng a palr of spacer strlps 60
are then attached on opposlng sldes of the support frame 12 by
passing posts 58 through correspondlng ones of the spacer
apertures 62. A plurality of apertures 62 are provided through
eacb of the spacer strips 60 so that either of the strlps 60 may
be lnstalled on either slde of apparatus 10, but the rpacer
apertures 62 are arranged so that the spacer strlps 60 will only
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flt properly when spacer notch 64 of each strip 60 faces the
corresponding notch 64 on the opposlng strlp 60. The shuttle
means 46 ls then movably dlsposed wlthin the dispenslng apparatus
10 and i9 supported along lts sides by opposing notches 64 of the
two spacer strlps 60. As indicated by the double headed arrow in
the view of Fig. 7, and as previously described above, shuttle
mean8 46 may be moved back and forth between a first shuttle plate
position and a second shuttle plate position to accomplish
delivery of the tablets or other solid materlal.
The shuttle means 46 18 normally urged lnto its flrst shuttle
plate posltion as shown in the view of Flg. 7 by the actlon of
shuttle biasing means generally indicated as 66 ln the view of
Flg. 7. Shuttle biasing means 66 comprlses a housing 68 attached
to support frame 12 by any suitable fastening means 70. A 8prlng
72 lg mounted wlthln houslng 68 and includes a tip 74 attached at
one end thereof ln abutting relation to the back edge of the
shuttle means 46. Spring 72 and its tip 74 normally urge shuttle
mean8 46 into the first shuttle plate positicn illustrated in Fig.
7. Upon pushing the shuttle means 46 rearwardly, its shuttle
apertures ~not shown) will register with the corresponding
delivery apertures ~not shown) formed through delivery means 50 to
permit dispen3ing of tablets. Then upon releasing shuttle means
46, shuttle biasing means 66 wlll return the shuttle means 46 from
its second shuttle plate position to the illustrated first shuttle
plate posltion.
The second embodiment for the dispensing apparatus 10 may
further comprise riser means deflned by a pair oE riser strlps 76,
with one of each of the riser strlps 76 being mounted in opposing
relation to the other along each slde of dispensing apparatUs 10.
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A8 perhaps best seen in the view of Flg. 8, attachment Oe each of
the riser strips 76 19 similar to that for the attachment of each
of the spacer strlps 60 ln that the rlser strip3 76 are mounted by
lnsertlng a correspondlng one of the posts 58 through
correspondlng ones of the rlser apertures 78 formed through each
of the strips 76. Flnally, the separator means 42 i8 mounted ais
shown in the view of Fig. 8, and collar 14 is placed thereover.
The purpose of the spacer strips 6~ and the riser strips 76 is
to permit utili~iatlon of a slngle shuttle means 46 for dispenslng
objects of varylng alzea. ~s best seen in the-view of Fig. 8,
utilization of spacer strips 60 will create a dellvery vold 80
between shuttle means 46 and delivery means 50. Should even
greater depth be requlred for the object belng dellvered,
utllization of rlser strips 76 wlll create a separator void 82
between separator means 42 and shuttle meians 46. By providing a
plurallty of spacer strips 60 and rlser strlps 76 of diEferlng
thicknesses, wlth 'ithlckness~ of these elements belng measured
wlth regard to the axlal length of their correspondlng apertures
62 and 78, a slngle shuttle means 46 may be used to dellver
objects of various thlcknesses.
For the purpose of determlning what alze and comblnatlon of
spacec ~trlps 60 and rlser strlps 76 are to be utllized for a
partlcular object, a gauge 84 ls provlded as clearly seen ln the
; vlews of ~198. 13 and 14, gauge 84 basically comprlses a block
having a plurallty of slot~ 86, 88, 90, 92, 94, 96, 98, 100 and
102 formed along top 104 of gauge 84. As seen in the slde vlew of
Flg. 14, each of the slots 86-102 is of a dlfferent depth. The
object to be dlspensed ls placed ln varlous ones of the slots
until the appropriate size is determlned. Approprlate slze may be
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vlsually observed by selecting the flrst of the slots ln which the
object can be placed and yet not be vislble along the line o~
sight taken across gauge top 104.
A gauge chart will be provided to the end user of this second
embodiment for dispensing apparatus 10, and that gauge chart will
instruct the user as to the proper selection of spacer strip~ 60
and riser strips 76, as necessary, to set up apparatus 10 for
dellvery of an obJect of the indicated slze. Though not to be
limited thereto, utilizing three sizes and configurations for the
shuttle means 46, five sizes of spacer strips 60, and two sizes of
riser strips 76, at least 30 different slzes of objects such as
tablets or capsules, for example, may be efflclently and
accurately dispensed.
It will thus be seen that the objects 3et forth above, among
those made apparent from the preceding descrlptlon, are
efflclently attained and, since certain changes may be made ln the
above constructlon wlthout departlng from the scope of the
inventlon, lt 18 intended that all matter contalned ln the above
descrlption are shown in the accompanying draw1ngs shall be
lnterpreted a8 lllustratlve and not ln a llmlting sense.
It is also to be understood that the followlng clalms are
lntended to cover all Oe the generlc and speclflc features of the
lnventlon hereln descrlbed, and all statements of the scope of the
lnventlon whlch, as a matter of language, mlght be sald to fall
therebetween.
Now that the lnventlon has been descrlbed,
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