WO2017129775A1

WO2017129775A1 - Storage container for a storage and dispensing station for pharmaceuticals

Info

Publication number: WO2017129775A1
Application number: PCT/EP2017/051821
Authority: WO
Inventors: Hardy Schmidt-Ellinger
Original assignee: Becton Dickinson Rowa Germany Gmbh
Priority date: 2016-01-29
Filing date: 2017-01-27
Publication date: 2017-08-03
Also published as: CA3012888A1; AU2022203194A1; EP3407854A1; KR102650781B1; JP7010829B2; EP3199141A1; KR20180108621A; JP2019503235A; CN108697582A; AU2017212691A1; BR112018013692A2; BR112018013692B1

Abstract

The invention relates to a storage container for a storage and dispensing station for pharmaceuticals. Corresponding storage containers comprise a retaining means which prevents multiple pharmaceutical portions from being dispensed simultaneously. Pharmaceutical portions often remain on the retaining means. This is prevented using the storage container according to the invention. The storage container comprises a housing (10), which surrounds a receiving chamber (2) and which comprises a circular cylindrical portion (11) and a base surface (20), and a separating device (30), which is rotatably arranged in the circular cylindrical portion (11) and which comprises a plurality of projections (32) and channels (33) formed between the projections. Each projection (32) has a surface (32a), and the topmost points of the surfaces (32a) define an upper receiving area delimiting plane (AE). The storage container further comprises a retaining means (40) with a securing portion (41) and a retaining portion (42). The retaining portion (42) prevents pharmaceutical portions from entering a channel (33') aligned with a dispensing opening (21). The storage container also comprises at least one driver (35) for removing pharmaceutical portions from the retaining portion (42), said driver (35) being movable over the retaining portion above the receiving area delimiting plane (AE).

Description

Reservoir for a supply and delivery station for

drug

The present invention relates to a reservoir for medicaments, and more particularly to a reservoir for a drug delivery and delivery station.

Modern blister machines, as disclosed, for example, in WO 2013/034504 Al, comprise, depending on the expansion stage, several hundred storage and dispensing stations. In each of these, a plurality of drug portions of a particular drug are stored, and on request, individual portions of medication can be dispensed. With the blister machines are stored in the storage and dispensing stations

Pharmaceutical portions patient-individual according to the medically prescribed input times compiled and blistered.

To compile the drug portions corresponding storage and dispensing stations are driven to deliver one or more isolated portions of medication. When activating a supply and delivery station, a single medication portion is separated with a singulator and transferred via a discharge opening of a guide device of the blister machine. By means of the guide device is a dispensed drug portion, possibly under

Interposition of a collector, a

Packaging device fed which individual or more drug portions blisters according to the medical specification.

For separating the medicament portions, which are stored in a storage container of a supply and dispensing station, the separating device comprises a rotor with a

A plurality of channels, usually on the outer circumference of the

Rotors are arranged. The channels are usually adapted to the respectively to be separated drug portions in terms of their dimension such that in a channel the

Medicinal portions only one above the other, but not can be arranged side by side. Regularly, the channels are designed so that only a drug portion finds in this place.

To deliver a portion of medication from a channel, a channel is passed through a discharge opening in the housing of the

Reservoir moves, and arranged in the channel

Medication portion slips or falls into the delivery opening. To avoid having more over the channel

Delivered drug portions are also in the area above the discharge opening, a retaining portion of a retaining means is guided at least over the channel, which is aligned with the discharge opening. To prevent further drug portions from entering the channel upon delivery of the drug portions, the retention portion is only slightly above the level from the tops of the channels

separating projections is formed.

The retaining portion of the retaining means is at

Reservoirs according to the prior art just executed so that, depending on the shape of the drug portions, it may happen that one or more drug portions remain on the retention portion and can not be delivered. If in a reservoir a number of X

Medicament portions is stored, it may occur in storage containers according to the prior art that only X-Y (Y = number of lying on the retaining means

Medicament portions) are deliverable, if it is not ensured that the medicament portions resting on the retention section are removed therefrom.

When refilling drug portions is too

ensure that the reservoir no

Contains more medicament portions, since even mixing different batches of the same type of drug is absolutely necessary to avoid. In practice, the procedure is such that the reservoir is removed, for removing

Shake drug portions from the retention section, and then finally replace. Only so can

be ensured that all drug portions can be specified from the reservoir. It is an object of the present invention to provide a

Provide reservoir, in which it is ensured that all stored in the reservoir

Medicament portions can be delivered.

The problem is solved by a storage container according to

The storage container according to the invention for a supply and dispensing station comprises a housing enclosing a receiving space for medicament portions with a

a circular cylindrical portion and a bottom surface, wherein the bottom surface has a discharge opening, via which separated drug portions are delivered to, for example, a guide means, wherein between discharge opening and

Guide device can be arranged a discharge channel.

In the circular-cylindrical portion of the housing, a separating device is rotatably arranged, which has a plurality of spaced-apart projections and of channels formed between them for receiving medicament portions. The orientation and the width of the protrusions define the dimensioning of the channels between the protrusions. So that a defined number of

Pharmaceutical portions per channel is recorded is the

Dimensioning of the channels (by the arrangement and formation of the projections) to the dimensions of the to be separated

Pharmaceutical portions adjusted.

Each projection has one to the receiving space for

Drug portions adjacent surface, wherein the uppermost points of the surfaces of the protrusions an upper

Define the recording limit level. About this

Shooting limit level is the receiving space for storing the drug portions, and under the

Recording limit level open the channels of the

Singling device.

The reservoir further comprises a retaining means having a mounting portion and a retaining portion, wherein the retaining portion is held above the dispensing opening and above the receiving boundary plane and an entry of drug portions in one at the dispensing opening

aligned channel prevented. In other words, the Retaining portion of the retaining means is always above the projections between which extend the channels,

arranged. According to the invention, the reservoir further comprises a driver for removing drug portions of the retaining portion, said driver above the

Recording limit level is movable over the retaining portion. With the help of this movable over the retaining portion driver drug portions, which are on the

Retention section lie, away. The at least one

Mitnehmer thus ensures that all in the

Reservoir filled drug portions can be dispensed and it is reliably avoided that an unknown number of drug portions on the

Retention section remains and thus a levy a

Medicinal portion is no longer possible, although not all filled into the reservoir

Pharmaceutical portions were delivered. The necessary according to the prior art "shaking" is no longer necessary in the reservoir according to the invention, which reduces the expense of

Operating a blister machine for a user considerably reduced.

The driver is by a rotary motion of the

Singling device moves in the circular cylindrical portion of the housing above the receiving boundary plane on the retaining portion. In a preferred embodiment, it is provided that the at least one driver on

Outside periphery of a central part of the singulator is arranged, i. the driver moves simultaneously with the channels and projections and, if only one driver is present, each time the singulator is rotated, it is guided or moved once over the retaining section to remove any medicament portions which may be present thereon. In this embodiment, the at least one driver is thus part of the separating device, wherein the at least one driver can be designed in one piece with the separating device or is attached to this.

To avoid having drug portions on the

Takeaway lie themselves, and if necessary in addition for a "soft" removal of the drug portions of the retaining portion of the retaining means, it is provided in a preferred embodiment that the at least one driver has a non-planar surface and / or angled radial end faces, said end faces taper upwards.

In one embodiment, the driver may be part of the separating device. In an alternative

Embodiment, the at least one driver is not directly connected to the singulator. At this

Embodiment, it is provided that the

Singling device above the channels a coaxial

Has depression and the at least one driver as

Rolling body is formed, which is arranged in the recess. This rolling element is due to the rotational movement of the

Separation device carried by this in the depression and removed in this entrainment on the retaining portion located drug portions, as the rotational movement of the

Singling device moves the rolling body on the stationary retaining portion itself. Although the driver in this second embodiment is no longer with the

Singler connected, but fulfills the same function, namely the removal ("take away") of

Drug portions from the top of the retention section.

Advantageously, the rolling body may be formed in the shape of a ball, barrel or roller, wherein the recess may be adapted to the exact configuration of the rolling body. If the rolling body is, for example, roller-shaped, the recess can be formed as a coaxial annular gap in which the roller-shaped rolling body is guided. The annular gap can be outward, for example, by the circular cylindrical

Limited section of the housing. The inner boundary is defined by a likewise circular-cylindrical section of the

Separation device provided.

In order to facilitate the movement of the driver on the retaining portion of the retaining means, it is at a

preferred embodiment provided that the retaining means is flattened at its radial end faces. This flattening also protects the drug portions in the housing, as they may be pressed during a rotational movement against the end faces of the driver. In particular, smaller portions of medication can be damaged. The flattening ensures that the medicament portions are easier to move over the driver.

In the following, several preferred embodiments of the storage container according to the invention will be described with reference to the drawing, in which

Figures la - ld different views of a first

Embodiment of the reservoir show;

Figures 2a - 2c show various sectional views of the first embodiment;

Figures 3a - 3c different views of

Singulator and the retaining means of the first embodiment show;

Figure 4 shows a view of the singulator of a second embodiment;

Figures 5a - 5d different views of

Singulator and the retaining means according to a third embodiment show; and

Figures 6a - 6c driver according to a fourth and fifth embodiment show.

FIGS. 1 a and 1 b show two oblique views of a supply and delivery station with a first embodiment of the storage container 1 according to the invention. FIGS. 1 c and 1 d show top views of the storage container, wherein in FIG. 1 d a separating device 30, which is shown in FIGS

is indicated, is omitted. In all representations of the reservoir cover is omitted for clarity.

The storage container 1 according to the first embodiment comprises a housing 10 enclosing a receiving space 2 for medicament portions, which has a circular cylindrical portion 11 in the lower portion. The housing 10 is bounded below by a bottom surface 20 having a

Dispensing opening 21 has (see Figure ld). The bottom surface 20 has a further central receptacle 22, which with a Singulating device 30 cooperates. As can be seen from FIG. 1c, the separating device 30 is arranged in the circular-cylindrical section 11 of the housing 10 and comprises a plurality of channels 33 for receiving a medicament portion. The channels 33 are formed by a plurality of projections 32 each having a surface 32 a.

The orientation and width of the protrusions 32 define the dimensioning of the channels 33 between the protrusions. In order to achieve the goal of "isolation", care must be taken to ensure that a defined number of

Pharmaceutical portions (regularly one) is delivered. For this purpose, it is necessary that the dimensioning of the channels 33 is adapted to the dimensions of the medicament portions to be separated. With a separating device so not all drug types can be isolated, but

only those that contribute to the sizing of the channels

"Fit".

The projections 32, together with a central part 31, form a rotor which is moved by a drive (not shown). The projections 32 may be formed integrally with the middle part 31, but it is also conceivable that the projections 32 are attached to the outer periphery of the central part 31 and thus the channels are generated on the outer periphery of the central part 31. As can be seen in particular in Figure lb, the circular cylindrical portion 11 of the housing 10 comprises a

Projection 14, on which a retaining means 40 via a

Fixing portion 41 is fixed. The retaining means further comprises a retaining portion 42 which has a

Slit in the circular cylindrical portion 11 is guided in the region of the separating device (see more precisely the following figures).

The storage and dispensing station comprises the storage container 1 according to the invention and usually components which regulate or control the delivery or separation of the medicament portions. These are usually a motor for moving the

Separation device 30 and a sensor for checking the delivery of a drug portion. The aforementioned further components may be arranged in the housing 12. Regularly However, the supply and delivery station is two

Main components constructed, a reservoir and a (not shown) dispensing device, wherein the

Reservoir is detachably mounted on the dispenser. Only for filling or cleaning the reservoir is removed.

The exact design of the supply and delivery station and the arrangement of the control and monitoring of the

Reservoirs necessary components are not essential to the present application; The invention relates to the exact configuration of the reservoir of the

Supply and delivery station.

To the supply and delivery station (or possibly only the

Reservoir) to handle better, a handle 13 is provided in the front area.

Figure 2a shows a partial side sectional view of the first embodiment of the reservoir of the supply and

Dispensing station, wherein the housing 10 and partially the

circular cylindrical portion 11 are cut away, whereby the view of the central singler 30th

is released. The separating device 30 comprises a central part 31, on whose outer circumference or lateral surface a plurality of projections 32, each having a surface 32a, are provided by their arrangement and configuration on the circumference of the

Central portion 31, a plurality of channels 33 is defined, in this embodiment, each channel is designed so that only a drug portion of a channel can be accommodated. The surfaces 32a of the projections 32 define an upper receiving boundary plane (which is indicated graphically in Figure 3c and Figure 4), above which

Retaining portion 42 of the retaining means 40 is guided. The retaining portion 42 is via a slot in the

circular cylindrical portion 11 introduced, in such a way that the retaining portion 42 above the

Recording limit level is arranged.

On the outer periphery of the middle part 31 of the

Singling device 30 is further a driver 35

arranged, in such a way that between the bottom of the Mitnehmers 35 and the receiving boundary plane a horizontal slot or gap is formed. The retaining portion 42 of the retaining means is formed so that it can be guided into and through the slot.

Figures 2b and 2c show different views of one

Partial sectional view in which the housing 10 and a part of the circular cylindrical portion 11 are cut away, so that the exact design of the singulator 30 and its arrangement in the circular cylindrical portion 11 of the housing can be seen. As already described with reference to FIG. 2a, the projections 32 comprise a surface 32a, the surfaces defining a receiving boundary plane (see FIGS. 3c, 4). The projections 32 define the channels 33, wherein the channel 33 'shown in the figures "front" is aligned on the (not visible here) discharge opening 21. The retaining portion 42 of the retaining means 40 covers the channel 33 ^λ from above, so that no further

Medicament portions can reach in the aligned at the discharge port channel 33 ^λ . During a rotation of the

Singling device moves the driver 35 in

Dependence on the direction of rotation of the

Singulation device on the retaining portion 42, and possibly on this lying drug portions are removed by the movement of the driver.

Figures 3a and 3b show detailed views of

Singulation device 30 and the retaining means 40, wherein in Figure 3b, the two aforementioned parts are shown separated from each other. As can be seen, is the

Retaining portion 42 of the retaining means 40 over the formed by the surfaces 32 a of the projections 30

Shooting limit level arranged. The driver 35, which is arranged in this embodiment on the outer periphery of the central part 31 of the singulator, is such

arranged that he move in a

Singling device over the upper surface of the

Retaining section for removing overlying

Medicament portions is moved. Figure 3c shows a front view of

Singulation device in which the

Shooting limit AE is indicated by two dashed lines. As can be clearly seen in FIG. 3d, the receiving boundary plane AE is defined by the surfaces 32a of the projections 32. In the embodiment shown, the surfaces 32a of the projections are planar. It is also conceivable in an alternative embodiment that the

Surfaces 32a are formed, for example, spherical or conical, and in this case would be the top points of the

Surfaces define the recording boundary level.

The retaining section (not shown in FIG. 3c) of the retaining means is always guided over the receiving boundary plane AE, so that a rotation of the separating device is possible. Above the surface of the retaining portion, and thus also on the recording boundary plane, is the

Carrier 35 at the outer periphery of the middle part of the

Separation arranged. The gap 36, which can be seen in Figure 3c, serves to receive the

Retention section of the restraint. The

Singling device 30 further includes a lower axial extension 38 which is integral with receptacle 22 in the bottom surface of

Reservoir for rotating the singulator

interacts.

FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the invention

Reservoir, which differs only in a detail of the first embodiment, in the

Configuration of the driver 35. For a better illustration of the driver 35 and its arrangement is the

Attachment portion 41 of the fastener 40th

omitted, only the retaining portion 42 is shown in the gap between driver 35 and receiving boundary plane AE.

As can be seen in Figure 4, the surface of the

Tappet conically shaped so as to avoid having drug portions on the surface of the tappet

to lie down. Due to the rotational movements of the

Singulation device is the probability that a drug portion lie on the surface of the driver remains low, in the case of a slowly rotating

Singling device may be advantageous but the design shown in Figure 4, the top of the driver. The radial end faces of the driver shown in Figure 4 are also not formed perpendicularly, but projecting downwardly obliquely to ensure a smooth moving away of the drug portions of the surface of the retaining portion. In alternative embodiments, however, only one design variant can be selected, d. H. a conical

Top or beveled faces.

FIGS. 5a-5d show a third embodiment of the storage container according to the invention, wherein FIGS. 5a and 5b show oblique views and FIGS. 5c and 5d show front views of the separating device together with the retention section 42. In the figures 5a, 5b and 5d is the sake of clarity of the

Attachment section of the retaining means omitted.

As can be seen in these figures, the driver 35 is not an integral part of this embodiment

Separation device 30 itself, but formed as a spherical rolling body, which is arranged in a recess 37 (see in particular figures 5c, 5d) on the receiving boundary plane, wherein in the embodiment shown, the recess is formed as an annular groove. When arranging the

Singulation device 30 in the circular cylindrical

Section 11 of the housing 10 thus an annular gap is formed, in which the driver 35 is arranged, and in which it is moved by movements of the separating device.

A driver designed as a rolling element is like the

Channels 33 of the singulator to the dimensions of the channels and drug portions and possibly the weight of

Adjust drug portions so that it does not penetrate too deeply into the channels, thereby preventing a lifting of the rolling body by the retaining portion. In the views shown in Figures 5a - 5d of the driver 35 is shown in different positions within the annular groove 37. In FIG. 5c, for example, the ball-shaped carrier is arranged in sections in an upper channel opening of the channel 33 '. In a rotary motion of the Singling device, the driver 35 is moved with the channel in the direction of the retaining means. The retaining means raises the driver from the channel opening and after the

Driver is lifted from the channel opening, this is moved over the surface of the retaining portion 42 so that possibly resting on the surface of the retaining portion

Medicament portions are removed.

Figures 6a, 6b and 6c show two more

Embodiments of designed as a rolling body driver, wherein the driver once roll-shaped 35 "and once

cone-shaped 35 'is formed. In Figure 6a, the arrangement of the rolling elements is indicated in the recess, Figures 6b, 6c respectively show a side and front view of the rolling body.

Claims

1. Storage container for a supply and delivery station for medicament portions, comprising:

a receiving space (2) for drug portions

enclosing housing (10) having a circular cylindrical portion (11) and a bottom surface (20), the bottom surface having a discharge opening (21),

a in the circular cylindrical portion (11) of the

Housing (10) rotatably arranged singulator (30) having a plurality of spaced apart projections (32) and between them formed channels (33) for receiving drug portions, the dimensioning of the channels (33) for receiving a defined number of

Each of the protrusions (32) has a surface (32a) adjacent to the receiving space (2), the uppermost points of the surfaces (32a) of the protrusions (32) having an upper receiving boundary plane (AE ) define

a retaining means (40) having a mounting portion (41) and a retaining portion (42), the

Retaining portion (42) above the discharge opening (21) and above the receiving boundary plane (AE) is held and a

Prevents entry of drug portions into a channel (33) aligned with the delivery port (21), and

at least one driver (35) for removing

Pharmaceutical portions of the retaining portion (42), wherein the driver (35) above the receiving boundary plane (AE) is movable over the retaining portion.

2. Storage container for a storage and dispensing station for medicament portions according to claim 1, characterized in that the at least one driver (35) on the outer circumference of a

1 Middle part (31) of the separating device (30) is arranged.

3. reservoir for a supply and dispensing station for drug portions according to claim 1 or 2, characterized

in that the at least one driver (35) has a non-planar surface and / or angled end surfaces

having .

4. Storage container for a supply and delivery station for

Pharmaceutical portions according to claim 1, characterized in that the separating device (30) above the channels (33) has a coaxial recess (37) and the at least one driver is formed as a rolling body (35).

5. Storage container for a supply and dispensing station for medicament portions according to claim 4, characterized in that the rolling body is spherical, tonnen-, conical or roller-shaped.

6. reservoir for a supply and dispensing station for drug portions according to claim 1-5, characterized

characterized in that the retaining portion (42) of the

Retaining means (40) at its radial end faces (42a, 42b) is flattened.

2