Language selection

Search

Patent 2981786 Summary

Third-party information liability

Some of the information on this Web page has been provided by external sources. The Government of Canada is not responsible for the accuracy, reliability or currency of the information supplied by external sources. Users wishing to rely upon this information should consult directly with the source of the information. Content provided by external sources is not subject to official languages, privacy and accessibility requirements.

Claims and Abstract availability

Any discrepancies in the text and image of the Claims and Abstract are due to differing posting times. Text of the Claims and Abstract are posted:

  • At the time the application is open to public inspection;
  • At the time of issue of the patent (grant).
(12) Patent Application: (11) CA 2981786
(54) English Title: SHEET MATERIAL END DETECTION MECHANISM, ROLL BODY, AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING ROLL BODY
(54) French Title: MECANISME DE DETECTION D'EPUISEMENT DE MATERIAU EN FEUILLE, ROULEAU ET PROCEDE DE PRODUCTION DE ROULEAU
Status: Deemed Abandoned and Beyond the Period of Reinstatement - Pending Response to Notice of Disregarded Communication
Bibliographic Data
(51) International Patent Classification (IPC):
  • B65H 26/06 (2006.01)
  • B65B 41/00 (2006.01)
(72) Inventors :
  • YAMAMOTO, YOSHIHIRO (Japan)
(73) Owners :
  • TAKAZONO TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED
(71) Applicants :
  • TAKAZONO TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED (Japan)
(74) Agent: BORDEN LADNER GERVAIS LLP
(74) Associate agent:
(45) Issued:
(86) PCT Filing Date: 2016-04-07
(87) Open to Public Inspection: 2016-10-13
Availability of licence: N/A
Dedicated to the Public: N/A
(25) Language of filing: English

Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT): Yes
(86) PCT Filing Number: PCT/JP2016/061352
(87) International Publication Number: JP2016061352
(85) National Entry: 2017-10-04

(30) Application Priority Data:
Application No. Country/Territory Date
2015-080149 (Japan) 2015-04-09

Abstracts

English Abstract

A sheet material depletion detection mechanism that is provided with: a sheet material information part that indicates information related to a sheet material that is wound onto a core member in which a light transmission part is formed; a reading part that optically reads the sheet material information part; and a detection part that detects when the sheet material has been depleted. A formation part is adhered to an outer surface of the core member and to an inner surface of the sheet material. The sheet material information part is formed at a section of the formation part that corresponds to the light transmission part. The adhesion between the sheet material and the formation part is greater than the adhesion between the core member and the formation part. During an operation in which the sheet material is drawn out, the detection part detects that there is sheet material when a reading signal that indicates that the reading part has read the sheet material information part is received and detects that the sheet material has been depleted when the reading signal is no longer received.


French Abstract

Cette invention concerne un mécanisme de détection d'épuisement de matériau en feuille, comprenant : une partie d'information de matériau en feuille qui indique des informations relatives à un matériau en feuille qui est enroulé sur un élément de noyau dans lequel est formée une partie de transmission de lumière ; une partie de lecture qui lit optiquement la partie d'information de matériau en feuille ; et une partie de détection qui détecte l'épuisement du matériau en feuille. Une partie de formation est collée à une surface externe de l'élément de noyau et une surface interne du matériau en feuille. La partie d'information de matériau en feuille est formée sur une section de partie de formation qui correspond à la partie de transmission de lumière. L'adhérence entre le matériau en feuille et la partie de formation est supérieure à l'adhérence entre l'élément de noyau et la partie de formation. Au cours d'une opération dans laquelle le matériau en feuille est étiré, la partie de détection détecte la présence d'un matériau en feuille lorsqu'un signal de lecture qui indique que la partie de lecture a lu la partie d'information de matériau de tôle est reçu et détecte l'épuisement du matériau en feuille lorsque le signal de lecture n'est plus reçu.

Claims

Note: Claims are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.


21
CLAIMS
1. A sheet material end detection mechanism comprising:
a roll body constituted by winding a sheet material around a tubular
core member;
a holding unit configured to hold the roll body so as to allow the sheet
material to be withdrawn;
a sheet material information part provided in the roll body and
indicating information on the sheet material;
a reader configured to optically read the sheet material information
part of the roll body held by the holding unit; and
a detection unit configured to detect that the sheet material is used up
based on results of the reading by the reader, wherein
the core member has a light passing part through which light passes so
as to enable the optical reading by the reader from inside to outside,
the roll body has a forming part located between an outer surface of the
core member and an inner surface of the sheet material and used for forming
the sheet material information part,
the sheet material information part is formed in a portion of the forming
part corresponding to the light passing part,
the forming part is attached to the core member and the sheet material,
adhesive force between the sheet material and the forming part is
larger than adhesive force between the core member and the forming part, and
the detection unit is configured to detect that the sheet material is
present when a read signal of the sheet material information part read by the
reader is received and that the sheet material is used up when the read signal
disappears, during the withdrawing action to withdraw the sheet material from
the roll body held by the holding unit.
2. A roll body comprising:
a tubular core member;

22
a sheet material wound around the core member; and
a forming part located between an outer surface of the core member and
an inner surface of the sheet material and used for forming a sheet material
information part indicating information on the sheet material, wherein
the core member has a light passing part through which light passes so
as to enable optical reading from inside to outside,
the sheet material information part is formed in a portion of the forming
part corresponding to the light passing part,
the forming part is attached to the core member and the sheet material,
and
adhesive force between the sheet material and the forming part is
larger than adhesive force between the core member and the forming part.
3. A method
for producing a roll body by winding a sheet material around
a tubular core member,
the core member having a light passing part through which light passes
so as to enable optical reading from inside to outside, the method comprising:
a step of forming a sheet material information part indicating
information on the sheet material, on a forming part used for forming the
sheet
material information part;
a step of attaching the forming part onto an outer surface of the core
member so that the sheet material information part corresponds to the light
passing part;
a step of attaching the forming part to a winding start portion of the
sheet material with adhesive force larger than adhesive force between the core
member and the forming part; and
a step of winding the sheet material around the core member.

Description

Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.


CA 02981786 2017-10-04
1
DESCRIPTION
SHEET MATERIAL END DETECTION MECHANISM, ROLL BODY, AND
METHOD FOR PRODUCING ROLL BODY
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001]
This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No.
2015-080149, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in
its
entirety.
FIELD
[0002]
The present invention relates to a sheet material end detection
mechanism used, for example, for a sheet-using device that withdraws a sheet
material from a roll body for use, the roll body, and to a method for
producing
the roll body.
BACKGROUND
[0003]
Examples of the sheet-using device include a medicine packaging device
that obtains information on the sheet material and operates based on this
information. The information on the sheet material is provided in a core
member around which the sheet material is wound (see Patent Literature 1, for
example).
[0004]
Conventionally, in such a medicine packaging device, a configuration for
detecting that the sheet material is used up is provided separately from the
configuration for obtaining the information on the sheet material. Patent
Literature 1 employs a mechanical configuration using a "paper end detection
pin". In the case where such a mechanical configuration is separately

CA 02981786 2017-10-04
2
provided, malfunction may possibly occur due to wear of parts or the like.
CITATION LIST
Patent Literature
[0005]
Patent Literature 1: JP 2009-227469 A
SUMMARY
Technical Problem
[0006]
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a sheet
material end detection mechanism, a roll body, and a method for producing the
roll body, which enable convenient detection of using up of the sheet
material.
Solution to Problem
[0007]
The present invention is a sheet material end detection mechanism
including: a roll body constituted by winding a sheet material around a
tubular
core member; a holding unit configured to hold the roll body so as to allow
the
sheet material to be withdrawn; a sheet material information part provided in
the roll body and indicating information on the sheet material; a reader
configured to optically read the sheet material information part of the roll
body
held by the holding unit; and a detection unit configured to detect that the
sheet material is used up based on results of the reading by the reader,
wherein
the core member has a light passing part through which light passes so as to
enable the optical reading by the reader from inside to outside, the roll body
has
a forming part located between an outer surface of the core member and an
inner surface of the sheet material and used for forming the sheet material
information part, the sheet material information part is formed in a portion
of
the forming part corresponding to the light passing part, the forming part is
attached to the core member and the sheet material, adhesive force between the

CA 02981786 2017-10-04
3
sheet material and the forming part is larger than adhesive force between the
core member and the forming part, and the detection unit is configured to
detect that the sheet material is present when a read signal of the sheet
material information part read by the reader is received and that the sheet
material is used up when the read signal disappears, during the withdrawing
action to withdraw the sheet material from the roll body held by the holding
unit.
[0008]
Further, the present invention is a roll body including: a tubular core
member; a sheet material wound around the core member; and a forming part
located between an outer surface of the core member and an inner surface of
the
sheet material and used for forming a sheet material information part
indicating information on the sheet material, wherein the core member has a
light passing part through which light passes so as to enable optical reading
from inside to outside, the sheet material information part is formed in a
portion of the forming part corresponding to the light passing part, the
forming
part is attached to the core member and the sheet material, and adhesive force
between the sheet material and the forming part is larger than adhesive force
between the core member and the forming part.
[0009]
Further, the present invention is a method for producing a roll body by
winding a sheet material around a tubular core member, the core member
having a light passing part through which light passes so as to enable optical
reading from inside to outside, the method including: a step of forming a
sheet
material information part indicating information on the sheet material, on a
forming part used for forming the sheet material information part; a step of
attaching the forming part onto an outer surface of the core member so that
the
sheet material information part corresponds to the light passing part; a step
of
attaching the forming part to a winding start portion of the sheet material
with
adhesive force larger than adhesive force between the core member and the
forming part; and a step of winding the sheet material around the core member.

CA 02981786 2017-10-04
4
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0010]
Fig. 1 is a perspective view simply showing a mechanism for packaging
medicine using a roll body according to an embodiment of the present
invention.
Fig. 2A is a perspective view showing the appearance of a roll body
according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 2B is an enlarged perspective view showing a main part of the
radial cross section of a roll body according to an embodiment of the present
invention.
Fig. 3A is a side view showing a seal according to an embodiment of the
present invention.
Fig. 3B is a bottom view showing a seal according to an embodiment of
the present invention.
Fig. 4A is a schematic view in the axial direction showing a procedure
for producing a roll body according to an embodiment of the present invention,
where the seal is exaggerated in the thickness direction.
Fig. 4B is a schematic view in the axial direction showing a procedure
for producing a roll body according to an embodiment of the present invention,
where the seal is exaggerated in the thickness direction.
Fig. 4C is a schematic view in the axial direction showing a procedure
for producing a roll body according to an embodiment of the present invention,
where the seal is exaggerated in the thickness direction.
Fig. 5A is a schematic perspective view showing the relationship
between a roll body according to an embodiment of the present invention and a
holding unit of a medicine packaging machine.
Fig. 5B is a schematic perspective view showing a packaging material
taken away from a core member.
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT

CA 02981786 2017-10-04
[0011]
The present invention will be described below with reference to an
embodiment. Fig. 1 is a view showing peripheral portions of a roll body 1 in a
medicine packaging device including a packaging material end detection
5 mechanism. The roll body 1 is constituted by winding a packaging material
12
that is an elongated sheet material around a core member 11. The medicine
packaging device that is a sheet-using device is used by withdrawing the
packaging material 12 from the roll body 1. The medicine packaging device is
used for packaging solid medicine.
[0012]
The medicine packaging device includes: a holding unit 2 configured to
hold the roll body 1 so as to allow the packaging material 12 to be withdrawn;
a
hopper 4 configured to put medicine into the packaging material 12 withdrawn
from the roll body 1 held by the holding unit 2; a sealing unit 5 configured
to
seal the medicine put into the packaging material 12 via the hopper 4 within
the packaging material 12; and a control unit 7 configured to control the
sealing
unit 5.
[0013]
As shown in Fig. 5A, the holding unit 2 has a shaft 21. The shaft 21 is
provided rotatably about the axis of the shaft 21. The core member 11 of the
roll body 1 is externally fitted to the shaft 21 of the holding unit 2.
[0014]
A half folding mechanism 3 is provided between the holding unit 2 and
the hopper 4. The half folding mechanism 3 folds the packaging material 12
withdrawn from the roll body 1 in half in the width direction. As shown in
Fig.
1, the hopper 4 is inserted into the half-folded portion of the packaging
material
12.
[0015]
The sealing unit 5 functions as an action unit that acts on the packaging
material 12 withdrawn from the roll body 1 held by the holding unit 2. The
sealing unit 5 seals medicine within the half-folded packaging material 12 by

CA 02981786 2017-10-04
6
thermocompression bonding of the packaging material 12. That is, the action
of the sealing unit 5 serving as the action unit is exerted onto the packaging
material 12 and is sealing of the packaging material 12 by thermocompression
bonding.
[0016]
Fig. 2A and Fig. 2B are views for explaining the roll body 1, where Fig.
2A is a perspective view showing the appearance of the roll body 1, and Fig.
2B
is a perspective view showing a main part of the radial cross section of the
roll
body 1. The roll body 1 includes: the core member 11; the packaging material
12 wound around the core member 11; and the seal 13 located between the
outer surface of the core member 11 and the inner surface of the packaging
material 12 and serving as a forming part used for forming a packaging
material information part 14, which will be described later.
[0017]
The core member 11 is tubular and is cylindrical in this embodiment.
The core member 11 of this embodiment is made of resin. However, the
material of the core member 11 is not limited to resin. The core member 11
can be formed using various materials as long as it can be formed to have
shape
retention properties that allow the packaging material 12 to be wound
therearound.
[00181
The core member 11 has a light passing part through which light passes
so as to enable optical reading by a reader 6, which will be described below,
from inside to outside. In this embodiment, a through window 111 serving as
the light passing part is formed in the core member 11. The through window
111 is a through hole passing through the core member 11 in a direction
intersecting the axis of the core member 11. In this embodiment, the through
window 111 is formed to pass through the core member 11 in the
inward-outward direction, that is, in the radial direction of the core member
11.
The through window 111 is, for example, rectangular or square, as viewed in
the radial direction. However, the shape of the through window 111 is not

CA 02981786 2017-10-04
7
limited to the rectangular or square shape, and can be various shapes such as
circular and polygonal shapes. As shown in Fig. 2B, the through window 111
is formed in a portion close to one end in the axial direction of the core
member
11.
[0019]
It is desirable that the through window 111 be formed to be as small as
possible as compared with the total area of the inner surface 112 of the core
member 11 (see Fig. 2B). The influence of the through window 111 on the
packaging material 12 can be reduced by reducing the area of the through
window 111. Specifically, the occurrence of recesses in a portion
corresponding
to the through window 111 in the packaging material 12 wound around the core
member 11 can be reduced by the degree of the reduction in area of the through
window 111. Therefore, the occurrence of wrinkles or traces of the through
window 111 in the packaging material 12 can be reduced.
[0020]
However, the through window 111 of this embodiment needs to have a
larger area than the packaging material information part 14, which will be
described below, as a sheet material information part so that the packaging
material information part 14 is not hidden by the core member 11.
[0021]
In the roll body 1, the packaging material information part 14
indicating information on the packaging material 12 is formed. Examples of
the information on the packaging material 12 include the type of the packaging
material 12 (such as material and thickness). Further, examples of the
information on the packaging material 12 include information on traceability,
such as information on the production lot number and factory of the packaging
material 12.
[0022]
The packaging material information part 14 is optically readable. The
light used for optically reading the packaging material information part 14 is
not limited to visible light and may be infrared rays or ultraviolet rays, for

CA 02981786 2017-10-04
8
example. The packaging material information part 14 is formed by printing.
[0023]
The packaging material information part 14 physically (optically or
visually) integrates a plurality of elements into one. The packaging material
information part 14 indicates the information on the packaging material 12 by
the entirety of the packaging material information part 14 (that is, a unit of
the
plurality of elements). The packaging material information part 14 is formed
by coding the information on the packaging material 12. In this embodiment,
a two-dimensional code ("QR code" which is a registered trademark in Japan) is
used as the packaging material information part 14. Accordingly, a
general-purpose device can be used as the reader 6, which will be described
below.
[0024]
Fig. 3A and Fig. 3B are views for explaining the seal, where Fig. 3A is a
side view, and Fig. 3B is a bottom view. The seal 13 serving as the forming
part for forming the packaging material information part 14 is provided
between the outer surface of the core member 11 and the inner surface of the
packaging material 12.
[0025]
The seal 13 is attached to the core member 11 and the packaging
material 12 (by adhesion, sticking, or the like). At this time, the adhesive
force between the packaging material 12 and the seal 13 is larger than the
adhesive force between the core member 11 and the seal 13. In other words,
the seal 13 is formed so that the adhesive force between the packaging
material
12 and an outer surface 13b of the seal 13 is larger than the adhesive force
between the core member 11 and an inner surface 13a of the seal 13, when
being attached. The difference in adhesive force between the inner surface
13a and the outer surface 13b of the seal 13 can be made, for example, by
making a difference in type, concentration, coating amount, or coating
density,
of attaching means (such as an adhesive and a pressure-sensitive adhesive) for
exerting the adhesive force or reaction time for exerting the adhesive force

CA 02981786 2017-10-04
9
between the inner and outer surfaces 13a and 13b.
[0026]
The packaging material information part 14 is formed in a portion of
the seal 13 corresponding to the through window 111. Specifically, as shown in
Fig. 2B and Fig. 3B, the packaging material information part 14 is formed on
the inner surface 13a of the seal 13 (the inner surface when being attached to
the core member 11) in a portion corresponding to the through window 111
when being attached thereto (specifically, a portion where the packaging
material information part 14 can be seen through the through window 111, as
seen from the inside of the core member 11).
[0027]
Fig. 4A to Fig. 4C are views for explaining the procedure for producing
the roll body 1. When producing the roll body 1, the packaging material
information part 14 is first formed on the seal 13 by printing. Thereafter, as
shown in Fig. 4B, the seal 13 on which the packaging material information part
14 is formed is attached onto the outer surface of the core member 11 (Fig.
4A).
At this time, the seal 13 is attached onto the outer surface of the core
member
11 so that the packaging material information part 14 corresponds to the
through window 111. Next, as shown in Fig. 4C, the packaging material 12 is
wound around the core member 11. At this time, the seal 13 (the outer surface
13b) is attached to the winding start portion of the packaging material 12
with
adhesive force larger than the adhesive force between the core member 11 and
the seal 13 (the inner surface 13a).
[0028]
The method for producing the roll body 1 by these steps can facilitate
the operation of forming the packaging material information part 14 on the
seal
13 and the operation of aligning the packaging material information part 14
with the through window 111. Further, the packaging material 12 can be
temporarily fixed to the core member 11, and thus the packaging material 12
can be smoothly wound around the core member 11.
[0029]

CA 02981786 2017-10-04
Fig. 5A is a schematic perspective view showing the relationship
between the roll body 1 and the holding unit 2. Though not shown in the
figure, an engaged part is provided in the core member 11, and an engaging
part configured to engage the engaged part of the core member 11 is provided
in
5 the shaft 21 of the holding unit 2. When the core member 11 of the roll
body 1
is externally fitted to the shaft 21, the engaging part of the shaft 21
engages the
engaged part of the core member 11. Accordingly, the core member 11 rotates
together with the shaft 21.
[0030]
10 The reader 6 configured to optically read the packaging material
information part 14 of the roll body 1 held by the holding unit 2 is provided
in
the shaft 21 of the holding unit 2. The reader 6 is arranged inside the core
member 11 of the roll body 1 held by the holding unit 2 and is provided so as
to
correspond to the packaging material information part 14 of the roll body 1.
[0031]
The reader 6 is connected to a detection unit 8 configured to detect that
the packaging material 12 is used up. In this embodiment, the control unit 7
and the detection unit 8 are integrally provided. However, there is no
limitation to this configuration, and the control unit 7 and the detection
unit 8
can be provided separately from each other.
[0032]
The control unit 7 sets the temperature of thermocompression bonding
by the sealing unit 5 based on the results of reading by the reader 6.
Thereby,
thermocompression bonding of the packaging material 12 can be performed at a
temperature corresponding to the type of the packaging material 12. Further,
the detection unit 8 detects that the packaging material 12 is used up based
on
the results of reading by the reader 6. Specifically, the detection unit 8
detects
that the packaging material 12 is present when a read signal of the packaging
material information part 14 read by the reader 6 is received during the
withdrawing action to withdraw the packaging material 12 from the roll body 1
held by the holding unit 2. Further, the detection unit 8 is configured to
detect

CA 02981786 2017-10-04
11
that the packaging material 12 is used up when the read signal disappears.
[0033]
When the roll body 1 is mounted on the holding unit 2, the reader 6
reads the packaging material information part 14 of the roll body 1. The
control unit 7 sets the temperature of thermocompression bonding by the
sealing unit 5 based on the results of reading by the reader 6. The packaging
material 12 is withdrawn from the roll body 1 and is folded in half by the
half
folding mechanism 3 in the case where the half folding mechanism 3 is
provided.
Medicine is put into the half-folded portion of the packaging material 12 via
the
hopper 4. The medicine is sealed within the packaging material 12 by the
sealing unit 5. At this time, the sealing unit 5 performs thermocompression
bonding of the packaging material 12 at the temperature of thermocompression
bonding set by the control unit 7. The medicine packaging device repeats the
aforementioned operations of putting and sealing of the medicine while
withdrawing the packaging material 12 from the roll body 1.
[0034]
Fig. 5B is a schematic perspective view showing the packaging material
12 taken away from the core member 11. As the packaging material 12 is
withdrawn from the roll body 1, the end of the packaging material 12 wound
around the core member 11 is also withdrawn finally. The adhesive force
between the packaging material 12 and the seal 13 is larger than the adhesive
force between the core member 11 and the seal 13. Therefore, as shown in Fig.
5B, the seal 13 on which the packaging material information part 14 is formed
is also taken away from the core member 11 together with the packaging
material 12. Then, the packaging material information part 14 is displaced
from the position corresponding to the through window 111 of the core member
11. Therefore, the reader 6 cannot read the packaging material information
part 14 anymore. The detection unit 8 detects that the packaging material 12
is used up by the fact that the reader 6 cannot read the packaging material
information part 14.
[0035]

CA 02981786 2017-10-04
12
Thus, the packaging material end detection mechanism is constituted
by the roll body 1, the holding unit 2, the packaging material information
part
14, the reader 6, and the detection unit 8.
[0036]
According to this embodiment configured as above, the roll body 1 is
located between the outer surface of the core member 11 and the inner surface
of the packaging material 12. The roll body 1 has the seal 13 used for forming
the packaging material information part 14, and the packaging material
information part 14 is formed in the portion of the seal 13 corresponding to
the
through window 111. The reader 6 is provided so as to correspond to the
packaging material information part 14. Accordingly, the reader 6 can read
the packaging material information part 14 until immediately before the
packaging material 12 is used up. Then, the control unit 7 can suitably
control
the sealing part 5.
[0037]
Further, the seal 13 is attached to the core member 11 and the
packaging material 12. Thus, since the seal 13 is attached also to the core
member 11, the operation of aligning the through window 111 of the core
member 11 with the seal 13 can be facilitated.
[0038]
Moreover, the adhesive force between the packaging material 12 and
the seal 13 is larger than the adhesive force between the core member 11 and
the seal 13. Therefore, as the packaging material 12 is withdrawn from the
roll body 1, the seal 13 on which the packaging material information part 14
is
formed is filially taken away from the core member 11 together with the
packaging material 12. Then, the packaging material information part 14 is
displaced from the position corresponding to the through window 111. Then,
the reader 6 cannot read the packaging material information part 14 anymore.
[0039]
Based on this point, the detection unit 8 is configured to detect that the
packaging material 12 is present when a read signal of the packaging material

CA 02981786 2017-10-04
13
information part 14 read by the reader 6 is received during the withdrawing
action to withdraw the packaging material 12 from the roll body 1 held by the
holding unit 2. Further, the detection unit 8 is configured to detect that the
packaging material 12 is used up when the read signal disappears. Thus, the
detection unit 8 can detect that the packaging material 12 is used up by the
fact
that the reader 6 cannot read the packaging material information part 14.
Accordingly, there is no need to provide a mechanical configuration for
detecting that the packaging material 12 is used up (such as the "paper end
detection pin" according to Patent Literature 1). Therefore, parts where
malfunction may possibly occur can be reduced, and therefore a packaging
material end detection mechanism in which malfunction is less likely to occur
can be provided.
[0040]
Hereinbefore, an embodiment of the present invention has been
described. However, the present invention is not limited to the
aforementioned embodiment, and various modifications can be made without
departing from the gist of the present invention.
[0041]
The roll body 1 may be constituted by winding the packaging material
12 that has been folded in half in advance around the core member 11. In this
case, the half folding mechanism 3 provided between the holding unit 2 and the
hopper 4 in the aforementioned embodiment is not needed.
[0042]
As the packaging material information part 14, codes other than the
two-dimensional code may be used. As the packaging material information
part 14, a barcode (one-dimensional code) may be used, for example.
[0043]
Various means can be employed as the packaging material information
part 14 as long as it is optically readable. The packaging material
information
part 14 may include characters, graphics, or symbols as its components. The
packaging material information part 14 may include color elements as its

CA 02981786 2017-10-04
14
components. The packaging material information part 14 may include
projections and recesses as its components. Further, the packaging material
information part 14 may be constituted by a plurality of elements that are
physically (optically or visually) separated from each other.
[0044]
As the method for forming the packaging material information part 14,
methods other than printing may be used. As the method for forming the
packaging material information part 14, various methods that do not fall
within the concept of printing such as vapor deposition and etching can be
employed as long as the methods allow the packaging material information part
14 that is optically readable to be formed.
[0045]
A fitting member may be fitted in the space of the through window 111
that is a through hole. The fitting member is made of a material through
which light passes, thereby enabling optical reading by the reader 6 from
inside
to outside of the core member 11. In this case, the light passing part is
constituted by the through window 111 and the fitting member. In this
configuration, the space of the through window 111 is filled with the fitting
member, thereby allowing the outer surface of the fitting member and the outer
surface of the core member 11 to be substantially flush with each other.
Thereby, the occurrence of recesses in the portion of the packaging material
12
wound around the core member 11 corresponding to the through window 111
can be reduced.
[0046]
Further, the through window 111 that is a through hole as in the
embodiment is not necessarily provided in the core member 11. For example,
the core member 11 can be formed by integrally molding a material through
which light passes and a material that blocks light, so that a portion formed
by
the material through which light passes serves as a light passing part.
Further, the entirety of the core member 11 can be formed by molding a
material through which light passes, so that a part thereof, specifically, a

CA 02981786 2017-10-04
portion that coincides with the reader 6 when the core member 11 is mounted
on the holding unit 2 serves as a light passing part. In this case, portions
other than the portion serving as the light passing part may be coated or
uncoated.
5 [0047]
The medicine packaging device may further include a printing unit
configured to print information on medicine that is sealed within the
packaging
material 12 onto the packaging material 12. The medicine packaging device
also uses an ink ribbon that is another sheet material than the packaging
10 material 12 of the aforementioned embodiment. The printing unit serves
as
an action unit that performs an action of "printing" associated with the ink
ribbon. In this case, the ink ribbon is wound around another core member
than the core member 11 of the aforementioned embodiment, and another roll
body than the roll body 1 of the aforementioned embodiment is formed. Then,
15 an ink ribbon end detection mechanism is formed as a sheet material end
detection mechanism.
[0048]
Finally, the configuration and action of the aforementioned embodiment
(including the modifications) will be summarized. The aforementioned
embodiment is a packaging material end detection mechanism including: a roll
body 1 constituted by winding a packaging material 12 around a tubular core
member 11; a holding unit 2 configured to hold the roll body 1 so as to allow
the
packaging material 12 to be withdrawn; a packaging material information part
14 provided in the roll body 1 and indicating information on the packaging
material 12; a reader 6 configured to optically read the packaging material
information part 14 of the roll body 1 held by the holding unit 2; and a
detection
unit 8 configured to detect that the packaging material 12 is used up based on
results of the reading by the reader 6, wherein the core member 11 has a light
passing part (through window 111) through which light passes so as to enable
the optical reading by the reader 6 from inside to outside, the roll body 1
has a
seal 13 located between an outer surface of the core member 11 and an inner

CA 02981786 2017-10-04
16
surface of the packaging material 12 and used for forming the packaging
material information part 14, the packaging material information part 14 is
formed in a portion of the seal 13 corresponding to the light passing part
(through window 111), the seal 13 is attached to the core member 11 and the
packaging material 12, adhesive force between the packaging material 12 and
the seal 13 is larger than adhesive force between the core member 11 and the
seal 13, and the detection unit 8 is configured to detect that the packaging
material 12 is present when a read signal of the packaging material
information part 14 read by the reader 6 is received and that the packaging
material 12 is used up when the read signal disappears, during the
withdrawing action to withdraw the packaging material 12 from the roll body 1
held by the holding unit 2.
[0049]
According to the aforementioned configuration, the roll body 1 is
constituted by winding the packaging material 12 around the tubular core
member 11. The packaging material information part 14 indicating
information on the packaging material 12 is formed in the roll body 1. The
roll
body 1 is held by the holding unit 2 so as to allow the packaging material 12
to
be withdrawn. When the roll body 1 is held by the holding unit 2, the
packaging material information part 14 of the roll body 1 is optically read by
the reader 6. The core member 11 has a light passing part (through window
111) through which light passes so as to enable the optical reading by the
reader 6 from inside to outside. The roll body 1 has the seal 13 located
between the outer surface of the core member 11 and the inner surface of the
packaging material 12 and used for forming the packaging material
information part 14, and the packaging material information part 14 is formed
in the portion of the seal 13 corresponding to the light passing part (the
through
window 111). Accordingly, the reader 6 can read the packaging material
information part 14 until immediately before the packaging material 12 is used
up. The seal 13 is attached to the core member 11 and the packaging material
12. Thus, since the seal 13 is attached also to the core member 11, the

CA 02981786 2017-10-04
17
operation of aligning the light passing part (through window 111) of the core
member 11 with the seal 13 can be facilitated. Moreover, since the adhesive
force between the packaging material 12 and the seal 13 is larger than the
adhesive force between the core member 11 and the seal 13, as the packaging
material 12 is withdrawn from the roll body 1, the seal 13 on which the
packaging material information part 14 is formed is finally taken away from
the core member 11 together with the packaging material 12. Then, the
packaging material information part 14 is displaced from the position
corresponding to the light passing part (through window 111). Therefore, the
reader 6 cannot read the packaging material information part 14 anymore.
Based on this point, the detection unit 8 is configured to detect that the
packaging material 12 is present when a read signal of the packaging material
information part 14 read by the reader 6 is received and that the packaging
material 12 is used up when the read signal disappears, during the
withdrawing action to withdraw the packaging material 12 from the roll body 1
held by the holding unit 2. Thus, the detection unit 8 can detect that the
packaging material 12 is used up by the fact that the reader 6 cannot read the
information display. According to Patent Literature 1, the detection is
performed using a mechanical configuration by the "paper end detection pin",
but the aforementioned configuration does not need to provide a mechanical
configuration for detecting that the packaging material 12 is used up and can
give a packaging material end detection mechanism in which malfunction is
less likely to occur.
[0050]
Further, the aforementioned embodiment is a roll body 1 including: a
tubular core member 11; a packaging material 12 wound around the core
member 11; and a seal 13 located between an outer surface of the core member
11 and an inner surface of the packaging material 12 and used for forming a
packaging material information part 14 indicating information on the
packaging material 12, wherein the core member 11 has a light passing part
(through window 111) through which light passes so as to enable optical

CA 02981786 2017-10-04
18
reading from inside to outside, the packaging material information part 14 is
formed in a portion of the seal 13 corresponding to the light passing part
(through window 111), the seal 13 is attached to the core member 11 and the
packaging material 12, and adhesive force between the packaging material 12
and the seal 13 is larger than adhesive force between the core member 11 and
the seal 13.
[0051]
According to the aforementioned configuration, the roll body 1 is
constituted by winding the packaging material 12 around the tubular core
member 11. The roll body 1 includes the seal 13 used for forming the
packaging material information part 14 indicating information on the
packaging material 12. The core member 11 has a light passing part (through
window 111) through which light passes so as to enable the optical reading
from
inside to outside. The seal 13 is located between the outer surface of the
core
member 11 and the inner surface of the packaging material 12, and the
packaging material information part 14 is formed in the portion of the seal 13
corresponding to the light passing part (through window 111). Accordingly,
the packaging material information part 14 can remain until immediately
before the packaging material 12 is used up. The seal 13 is attached to the
core member 11 and the packaging material 12. Thus, since the seal 13 is
attached also to the core member 11, the operation of aligning the light
passing
part (through window 111) of the core member 11 with the seal 13 can be
facilitated. Moreover, the adhesive force between the packaging material 12
and the seal 13 is larger than the adhesive force between the core member 11
and the seal 13. Therefore, as the packaging material 12 is withdrawn from
the roll body 1, the seal 13 on which the packaging material information part
14
is formed is finally taken away from the core member 11 together with the
packaging material 12. Then, the packaging material information part 14 is
displaced from the position corresponding to the light passing part (through
window 111). Accordingly, the packaging material information part 14 can be
used also for detecting that the packaging material 12 is used up.

CA 02981786 2017-10-04
19
[0052]
Further, the aforementioned embodiment is a method for producing a
roll body by winding a packaging material 12 around a tubular core member 11,
the core member 11 having a light passing part (through window 111) through
which light passes so as to enable optical reading from inside to outside, the
method including: a step of forming a packaging material information part 14
indicating information on the packaging material 12, on a seal 13 for forming
the packaging material information part 14; a step of attaching the seal 13
onto
an outer surface of the core member 11 so that the packaging material
information part 14 corresponds to the light passing part (through window
111);
a step of attaching the seal 13 to a winding start portion of the packaging
material 12 with adhesive force larger than adhesive force between the core
member 11 and the seal 13; and a step of winding the packaging material 12
around the core member 11.
[0053]
According to the aforementioned configuration, the tubular core
member 11 has the light passing part (through window 111) through which
light passes so as to enable the optical reading from inside to outside. When
producing the roll body 1, the packaging material information part 14
indicating information on the packaging material 12 to be wound around the
core member 11 is first formed on the seal 13 used for forming the packaging
material information part 14. Thereafter, the seal 13 is attached onto the
outer surface of the core member 11 so that the packaging material information
part 14 corresponds to the light passing part (through window 111).
Accordingly, the operation of forming the packaging material information part
14 on the seal 13 and the operation of aligning the packaging material
information part 14 with the light passing part (through window 111) can be
facilitated. Further, the seal 13 is attached to the winding start portion of
the
packaging material 12 with adhesive force larger than the adhesive force
between the core member 11 and the seal 13. Thereafter, the packaging
material 12 is wound around the core member 11. Accordingly, the packaging

CA 02981786 2017-10-04
material 12 can be temporarily fixed to the core member 11, and thus the
packaging material 12 can be smoothly wound around the core member 11.
[0054]
As described above, the aforementioned configuration can eliminate the
5 need to provide a mechanical configuration for detecting the using up of
the
packaging material 12 and can give a packaging material end detection
mechanism in which malfunction is less likely to occur. Therefore, it is
possible to conveniently detect that the packaging material 12 is used up
without using any mechanical configuration.
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST
[0055]
1 Roll body
11 Core member
111 Light passing part, Through window
112 Inner surface
12 Sheet material, Packaging material
13 Forming part, Seal
14 Sheet material information part, Packaging material information
part
2 Holding unit
5 Action unit, Sealing unit
6 Reader
7 Control unit
8 Detection unit

Representative Drawing
A single figure which represents the drawing illustrating the invention.
Administrative Status

2024-08-01:As part of the Next Generation Patents (NGP) transition, the Canadian Patents Database (CPD) now contains a more detailed Event History, which replicates the Event Log of our new back-office solution.

Please note that "Inactive:" events refers to events no longer in use in our new back-office solution.

For a clearer understanding of the status of the application/patent presented on this page, the site Disclaimer , as well as the definitions for Patent , Event History , Maintenance Fee  and Payment History  should be consulted.

Event History

Description Date
Application Not Reinstated by Deadline 2020-08-31
Time Limit for Reversal Expired 2020-08-31
Inactive: COVID 19 - Deadline extended 2020-08-19
Inactive: COVID 19 - Deadline extended 2020-08-19
Inactive: COVID 19 - Deadline extended 2020-08-06
Inactive: COVID 19 - Deadline extended 2020-08-06
Inactive: COVID 19 - Deadline extended 2020-07-16
Inactive: COVID 19 - Deadline extended 2020-07-16
Inactive: COVID 19 - Deadline extended 2020-07-02
Inactive: COVID 19 - Deadline extended 2020-07-02
Inactive: COVID 19 - Deadline extended 2020-06-10
Inactive: COVID 19 - Deadline extended 2020-06-10
Inactive: COVID 19 - Deadline extended 2020-05-28
Inactive: COVID 19 - Deadline extended 2020-05-28
Inactive: COVID 19 - Deadline extended 2020-05-14
Inactive: COVID 19 - Deadline extended 2020-05-14
Inactive: COVID 19 - Deadline extended 2020-04-28
Inactive: COVID 19 - Deadline extended 2020-04-28
Inactive: COVID 19 - Deadline extended 2020-03-29
Inactive: COVID 19 - Deadline extended 2020-03-29
Common Representative Appointed 2019-10-30
Common Representative Appointed 2019-10-30
Deemed Abandoned - Failure to Respond to Maintenance Fee Notice 2019-04-08
Inactive: Cover page published 2017-12-13
Letter Sent 2017-11-23
Inactive: Single transfer 2017-11-16
Inactive: Notice - National entry - No RFE 2017-10-19
Inactive: First IPC assigned 2017-10-13
Inactive: IPC assigned 2017-10-13
Inactive: IPC assigned 2017-10-13
Application Received - PCT 2017-10-13
National Entry Requirements Determined Compliant 2017-10-04
Application Published (Open to Public Inspection) 2016-10-13

Abandonment History

Abandonment Date Reason Reinstatement Date
2019-04-08

Maintenance Fee

The last payment was received on 2018-03-22

Note : If the full payment has not been received on or before the date indicated, a further fee may be required which may be one of the following

  • the reinstatement fee;
  • the late payment fee; or
  • additional fee to reverse deemed expiry.

Patent fees are adjusted on the 1st of January every year. The amounts above are the current amounts if received by December 31 of the current year.
Please refer to the CIPO Patent Fees web page to see all current fee amounts.

Fee History

Fee Type Anniversary Year Due Date Paid Date
Basic national fee - standard 2017-10-04
Registration of a document 2017-11-16
MF (application, 2nd anniv.) - standard 02 2018-04-09 2018-03-22
Owners on Record

Note: Records showing the ownership history in alphabetical order.

Current Owners on Record
TAKAZONO TECHNOLOGY INCORPORATED
Past Owners on Record
YOSHIHIRO YAMAMOTO
Past Owners that do not appear in the "Owners on Record" listing will appear in other documentation within the application.
Documents

To view selected files, please enter reCAPTCHA code :



To view images, click a link in the Document Description column. To download the documents, select one or more checkboxes in the first column and then click the "Download Selected in PDF format (Zip Archive)" or the "Download Selected as Single PDF" button.

List of published and non-published patent-specific documents on the CPD .

If you have any difficulty accessing content, you can call the Client Service Centre at 1-866-997-1936 or send them an e-mail at CIPO Client Service Centre.


Document
Description 
Date
(yyyy-mm-dd) 
Number of pages   Size of Image (KB) 
Description 2017-10-03 20 920
Claims 2017-10-03 2 79
Drawings 2017-10-03 5 43
Abstract 2017-10-03 1 26
Representative drawing 2017-10-03 1 14
Notice of National Entry 2017-10-18 1 194
Reminder of maintenance fee due 2017-12-10 1 111
Courtesy - Certificate of registration (related document(s)) 2017-11-22 1 101
Courtesy - Abandonment Letter (Maintenance Fee) 2019-05-20 1 174
Amendment - Abstract 2017-10-03 2 86
International search report 2017-10-03 2 77
National entry request 2017-10-03 4 100