CAPSULES

• Main Authors: GEORGE BERNARD TIDY, RYAN GRIMES, ALLAN DRAISEY, DAVID JOHN SMITH
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 31.12.2007
• Subjects: AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING; BABY COMFORTERS; CONTAINERS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR MEDICAL OR PHARMACEUTICALPURPOSES; CONVEYING; DEVICES FOR ADMINISTERING FOOD OR MEDICINES ORALLY; DEVICES FOR RECEIVING SPITTLE; DEVICES OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR BRINGINGPHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTS INTO PARTICULAR PHYSICAL ORADMINISTERING FORMS; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL; HUMAN NECESSITIES; HYGIENE; MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGINGARTICLES OR MATERIALS; MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; PACKING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR; SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; STORING; TRANSPORTING; UNPACKING; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL

CAPSULES, FOR EXAMPLE FOR THE DELIVERY OF PHARMACEUTICALS, ARE PRODUCED FROM TWO FILMS (18) OF A WATER-SOLUBLE POLYMERIC MATERIAL, BY DEFORMING THE FILMS TO FORM A MULTIPLICITY OF RECESSES, AND FILLING THE RECESSES, USING TWO ADJACENT ROTARY DIES (14, 15; 42) WITH RECESSES (16) INTO WHICH THE FILMS (18) ARE DEFORMED. THE DIES (14, 15; 42) ACT AS ELECTRODES FOR WELDING THE FILMS TOGETHER BY DIELECTRIC WELDING TO FORM FILLED CAPSULES (30). THE CAPSULES (30) CAN BE SEPARATED FROM THE RESULTING WEB EITHER BY COATING AT LEAST ONE OF THE DIES (14) WITH AN ELECTRICAL INSULATOR (21), OR BY TRANSFERRING THE WEB FROM THE DIES (14, 15; 42) TO A SECOND PAIR OF DIES WHICH CUT THE CAPSULES (30) FREE. THE POLYMERIC MATERIAL MAY BE GELATIN, OR A WATER-SOLUBLE CELLULOSE DERIVATIVE SUCH AS HYDROXYPROPYL METHYL CELLULOSE, AND MAY ALSO CONTAIN A PLASTICISER.