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US 10,441,508 B2Granted
Systems and methods for high humidity curing within tablet coating system
AssigneeSpecGX LLC
InventorGreg Bengard
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The disclosure encompasses systems and methods for performing high temperature and high humidity curing of tablets using air flow delivered from a recirculating air handler to a pan coater of a tablet coating device. The recirculating air handler may be integrated into a preexisting tablet coating device so that the air flow may be delivered by the preexisting air handler or by the recirculating air handler as desired.
Claims14
A tablet coating system comprising:
- a pan coater operable to apply one or more coatings to a tablet;
- and
- a recirculating air handler operable to supply high humidity air flow to the pan coater, the recirculating air handler comprising:
- an inlet duct operable to receive exhaust air from the pan coater;
- a humidifier to introduce moisture into the exhaust air in an amount resulting in an exit air having a relative humidity of up to about 90%;
- a vent operable to open to release air from the recirculating air handler to the atmosphere via a vent valve, wherein the vent valve is opened as needed to maintain the pressure within the pan coater to at least 0.15 inches of water column below atmospheric pressure;
- and
- an exit duct operable to deliver the exit air to the pan coater.
5 more elements
A tablet coating system to apply one or more coatings to a tablet, the tablet coating system comprising:
- a pan coater operable to apply one or more coatings to the tablet;
- a recirculating air handler to supply a humid air flow to the pan coater, the recirculating air handler comprising:
- an inlet duct operable to receive exhaust air from the pan coater;
- a humidifier to introduce clean steam into the exhaust air in an amount resulting in an exit air having a relative humidity of up to about 90%;
- a vent to release air from the recirculating air handler to the atmosphere via a vent valve, wherein the vent valve is opened as needed to maintain an air pressure within the pan coater of at least 0.15 inches of water column below atmospheric pressure;
- and
- an exit duct operable to deliver the exit air to the pan coater;
- a flow-through air handler to supply a low humidity air flow to the pan coater;
- and
- one or more ducts and one or more configurable valves, wherein the one or more configurable valves may be configured to:
- cut off flow through the recirculating air handler and direct the air flow from the flow-through air handler to a supply duct of the pan coater and from an exhaust duct of the pan coater to an exhaust stack;
- or cut off flow from the flow-through air handler and direct the air flow from exit duct of the recirculating air handler to the supply duct of the pan coater and from the exhaust duct of the pan coater to the inlet duct of the flow-through air handler.
9 more elements
A method of supplying a humid air flow to a pan coater of a tablet coating system, the method comprising:
- providing the pan coater to apply one or more coatings to a tablet;
- providing a recirculating air handler operably connected to the pan coater, the recirculating air handler comprising:
- an inlet duct operable to receive exhaust air from the pan coater;
- a humidifier to introduce clean steam into an air flow of the exhaust air to produce humid exit air;
- a vent to release air from the recirculating air handler to the atmosphere via a vent valve;
- and
- an exit duct operable to deliver the exit air to the pan coater;
- establishing an air flow through the recirculating air handler operatively connected to receive exhaust air flow from the pan coater and to deliver a supply air flow to the pan coater;
- heating the air flow to pre-heat the pan coater, a supply duct delivering air flow to the pan coater from the exit duct, and an exhaust duct receiving the exhaust air from the pan coater and delivering the exhaust air to the inlet duct;
- establishing and maintaining a humid air flow within the pan coater for a duration of a humidification process, wherein the humid air is maintained at a humidity of up to about 90% relative humidity, and wherein an air pressure of at least 0.15 inches of water column below atmospheric pressure is maintained within the pan coater by venting air flow from the recirculating air handler to the atmosphere as needed;
- and
- clearing the humid air flow from pan coater.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.