Method and apparatus for transporting and processing a plurality of articles, and shaped article having serially registered component images

An apparatus for transporting and processing a plurality of articles including at least one of a pharmaceutical tablet and a pharmaceutical capsule, the apparatus comprising:

• a transport loop comprising a plurality of carrier bars, at least one cavity formed in an edge of each carrier bar at a position such that, when the carrier bar is at a position adjacent to another carrier bar, at least one pocket is formed between the adjacent carrier bars, said pockets laterally, longitudinally and rotationally tightly grasping articles at a predetermined position such that a portion of a surface of each article is exposed;
• and
• at least a first processing station at a first position along the transport loop that performs a first operation on the exposed portion of each article while tightly grasped within the pockets at the predetermined position.

A carrier bar for transporting an article, the carrier bar comprising:

• an attachment portion by which the carrier bar is attached to a conveyer;
• and
• at least one pocket portion formed in an edge of a carrier bar at a position such that, when the carrier bar is attached to the conveyor at a position adjacent to another carrier bar that has a corresponding pocket portion, a pocket is formed between the adjacent carrier bars by the pocket portions, the pocket having a closed position and an open position, an article being held in the pocket when the pocket is in the closed position and being inserted into or removed from the pocket when the pocket is in the open position, the pocket having, when in the closed position, an opening in a first plane and a maximum cross-section in a second plane parallel to the first plane, the opening being smaller than the maximum cross-section.