US 4,848,066 AGranted

Method and apparatus for assembling blister packages

AssigneeMinnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

InventorRobert A. Luhman

Life of this patent

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Abstract

Apparatus and method for assembling a backing card to a plastic blister using strips of double-coated pressure-sensitive adhesive tape. Parallel feed wheels are rotatably mounted for wrapping and transporting tape from tape rolls to an application station from where the tape can be transferred from the wheels to the backing card. Cutting blades are provided for cutting the tape at both ends to form tape strips to be transferred to the backing card. A hingeably mounted tray supports and positions a backing card over the feed wheel surfaces. A pair of rollers are mounted on a carriage and are used to press the backing card onto the surfaces of the feed wheel to transfer tape on the surfaces to the backing card. A blister fixture is further provided for holding a blister to be assembled to a taped backing card. The carriage further supports the rollers for rolling movement over a blister card in the fixture to seal them together.

Claims13

Dependent claims

An assembly device for use in assembling the blister and backing card components of a blister package, said blister and card components adhered together using parallel strips of double-coated tape obtained from a pair of tape rolls, comprising:

a pair of feed wheels each having a plurality of substantially flat surfaces;
mounting means for mounting said feed wheels in parallel with corresponding surfaces aligned for synchronous rotation so that the surfaces of the wheels rotate through one or more tape wrap and transport stations and a tape application station;
rotating means for rotating said feed wheels through said stations one at a time;
first tape support means for supporting one of said rolls of tape to feed to one of said pair of feed wheels;
second tape support means for supporting the other of said rolls of tape to feed the other of said pair of feed wheels;
whereby tape fed to a feed wheel is wrapped on said wheel as it is turned through said one or more wrap and transport stations and whereby a length of tape is transported to the application station;
tape cutting means for cutting the end of a length of tape wrapped on each of said feed wheels whereby the tape carried on said feed wheels can be cut into strips;
tray means for supporting one of said components over the surfaces of said wheels in said tape application station;
and
pressing means for pressing said component supported by said tray means against the tape supported on the parallel surfaces of said wheels in said application station whereby tape is transferred from said surfaces of said wheels to said component.

7 more elements

a pair of rectangular feed wheels each having four substantially flat surfaces;
mounting means for mounting said feed wheels in parallel with corresponding surfaces aligned for synchronous rotation so that the surfaces of the wheels rotate through an idle, station tape wrap station and application station;
rotating means for rotating said feed wheels through said stations one at a time;
first tape support means for supporting one of said rolls of tape on its side to feed to one of said pair of feed wheels;
second tape support means for supporting the other of said rolls of tape on its side to feed the other of said pair of feed wheels;
first and second tape wrap roller means, each of said tape wrap roller means movably mounted with a resilient bias against the surface of one of said feed wheels in said tape wrap station to aid in adhering said tape to the feed wheel;
whereby tape fed to a feed wheel is wrapped on said wheel as it is turned through said wrap and transport stations and whereby a length of tape is transported to the application station;
tape cutting means for cutting the end of a length of tape wrapped on each of said feed wheels whereby the tape carried on said feed wheels can be cut into strips;
tray means for supporting one of components over the surfaces of said wheels in said tape application station;
a pair of pressing rollers;
and
support means for supporting said pressing rollers for movement over said wheels to press component supported by said tray means against the tape supported on the parallel surfaces of said wheels in said application station whereby tape is transferred from said surfaces of said wheels to said component.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.