# US 8,769,915 B2 · Tablet supply apparatus

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- Number: US 8,769,915 B2
- Document ID: US8769915B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 12/568,994
- Filed: 2009-09-29
- Published: 2010-04-01
- Granted: 2014-07-08
- Earliest claimed: 2008-09-30
- Assignees: Panasonic Healthcare Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Koichi Kobayashi; Takashi Mori
- Inventors: Koichi Kobayashi; Takashi Mori
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8769915B2

## CPC

- B65B 5/103: {for packaging pills or tablets}
- B65B 39/002: {Pivoting plates}
- B65B 57/20: Applications of counting devices for controlling the feed of articles (other applications B65B65/08)
- B65B 57/14: and operating to control, or stop, the feed of articles or material to be packaged
- B65B: MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING (bundling and pressing devices for cigars A24C1/44; devices for tensioning and securing binders adapted to be supported by the article or articles to be bound B25B25/00; applying closure members to bottles, jars or similar containers B67B1/00-B67B6/00; concurrent cleaning, filling and closing of bottles B67C7/00; emptying bottles, jars, cans, casks, barrels or similar containers B67C9/00)

## Abstract

A tablet supply apparatus including a main body having a case accommodating unit at the upper portion thereof, plural tablet cases provided in the case accommodating unit, each of the tablet cases having tablets accommodated therein, a hopper provided at the lower side of the tablet case in the main body, a nozzle for filling tablets received by the hopper into a container, the nozzle comprising a passage through which tables drop, a shutter which is freely opened and closed so as to allow or prohibit passage of dropping tablets through the nozzle, and a sensor for detecting passage of the tablets dropping through the passage at an upper side of the shutter. Furthermore, a tablet feeder for adding deficient tablets to the hopper comprises plural cells for accommodating tablets and an endless belt on which the cells are arranged on a line side by side.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A tablet supply apparatus comprising:
a tablet case configured to accommodate tablets and to drop the tablets;
a hopper configured to receive the tablets dropped from the tablet case and to discharge the tablets;
a nozzle including a passage extending from a first end of the nozzle to a second end of the nozzle through which the tablets discharged by the hopper pass from the first end to the second end, a shutter for opening and closing the passage and a sensor provided above the shutter for detecting the tablets passing through the passage; and
a controller connecting the tablet case, the shutter and the sensor, the controller controlling the tablet case to drop the tablets, the controller including a counter counting the number of the tablets detected by the sensor, and a timer time-counting a predetermined time from a time when the tablets are discharged from the tablet case, the predetermined time being set to be longer than a time which is required from the discharge of tablets from the tablet case until introduction of the tablets into the nozzle, wherein the controller makes the shutter open, if the timer has time-counted the predetermined time before the counter has counted a required number.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The tablet supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the shutter is disposed in the passage.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The tablet supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is disposed in the passage.