FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 of 1970)
As amended by the Patents (Amendment) Act, 2005
&
The Patents Rules, 2003
As amended by the Patents (Amendment) Rules, 2006
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(See section 10 and rule 13)
TITLE OF THE INVENTION
Machine and method for drying capsules APPLICANTS
Sci-tech Centre, 7 Prabhat Nagar, Jogeshwari West, Mumbai 400 102, Maharashtra, India, an Indian company
PREAMBLE TO THE DESCRIPTION
The following specification particularly describes the nature of this invention and the manner
in which it is to be performed:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a machine and method for drying capsules.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Filled capsules like capsules filled with medicines or neutraceuticals, especially liquid medicines or neutraceuticals, are sealed with a sealant in a sealing machine and then dried in a drying machine. The sealant may be applied over the entire filled capsules as a coating or may be applied only locally at the joints between the capsule bodies and lids of the filled capsules. Filled capsules are sealed and dried in order to ensure proper closing of the capsule bodies and lids and to prevent leakage of the content in the capsules. Sealing and drying of the filled capsules also prevent tampering with the contents of the capsules and adulteration of the contents of the capsules.
A typical capsule drying machine comprises a drying chamber and an air distribution chamber located within the drying chamber and having a plurality of perforations. An air blower is mounted at the top of the air distribution chamber. The capsule drying machine also comprises a capsule carrying platform comprising a plurality of pairs of rotary capsule holder rings and rotary shutter rings. The pairs of rings are disposed one below another around the air distribution chamber. Each shutter ring is disposed below the respective capsule holder

ring and is displaceable horizontally angularly with respect to the respective capsule holder ring. The capsule holder rings and shutter rings are rotatable in unison about a vertical axis around the air distribution chamber. A cam mechanism is provided to horizontally angularly displace the shutter rings forward and backward with respect to the capsule holder rings. Each of the capsule holder rings comprises a plurality of capsule holding openings around it in a spaced apart manner. Each of the shutter rings is provided with a plurality of spaced apart capsule passages around it matching with the capsule holding openings in the capsule holder rings. An exit chute is provided with the bottom most capsule holder ring. The capsule drying machine also comprises a drive mechanism for rotating the capsule holder rings and shutter rings about a vertical axis. (JP2009-36427).
During operation of the capsule drying machine, the capsule carrying platform rotates about the vertical axis with the capsule holder rings and shutter rings together in a cyclic manner and sealed capsules to be dried are fed into the capsule holding openings of the top most capsule holder ring one by one. Normally the capsule holder rings and shutter rings are so positioned that the capsule holding openings and capsule passages are staggered or offset with respect to one another and the capsules are held in the capsule holding openings of the capsule holder rings against the corresponding shutter rings. At the end of one revolution or cycle of operation of the capsule carrying platform, the shutter rings are horizontally

angularly displaced with respect to the capsule holder rings by the cam mechanism so that the capsule holding openings in the capsule holder rings are aligned with the capsule passages in the shutter rings. As a result, all the capsules in the capsule holding openings of each of the capsule holder rings starting from the topmost capsule holder ring will drop down under gravity into the capsule holding openings of the capsule holder ring immediately below via the capsule passages of the respective shutter ring.
Thus all the capsules in the topmost capsule holder ring will travel down to the second capsule holder ring immediately below via the capsule passages in the respective shutter ring. All the capsules in the second capsule holder ring will fall down into the capsule holding openings of the third capsule holder ring immediately below via the capsule passages in the respective shutter ring and so on. Accordingly in each cycle of operation of the capsule drying machine, all the capsules in the capsule holder rings will travel down from one upper capsule holder ring to the corresponding lower capsule holder ring immediately below and while travelling down from the topmost capsule holder ring to the subsequent capsule holder rings below sequentially, the sealed capsules will get dried by the air being blown by the blower through the perforations in the air distribution chamber. All the dried capsules in the bottom most capsule holder ring will drop down into the exit chute when the capsule holding

openings in the bottom most capsule holder ring are aligned with the capsule passages in the corresponding bottommost shutter ring.
A main disadvantage of the above capsule drying machine is that the cam mechanism for horizontally angularly displacing the shutter rings with respect to the capsule holder rings must be precise and accurate to ensure that the capsule holding openings in the capsule holder rings and capsule passages in the shutter rings are properly and accurately aligned and misaligned to hold the capsules in the capsule holding openings and to allow the capsules to drop down through the capsule passages in the shutter rings, respectively. As a result, the construction of the capsule drying machine is complicated and complex. As the shutter rings are rotating in unison with the capsule holder rings and as the shutter rings are to be displaced horizontally angularly with respect to the capsule holder rings, the shutter rings should be thick and mechanically strong to withstand the mechanical forces experienced by the shutter rings. As a result of this and as a result of the cam mechanism, the cost of the capsule drying machine increases. Because of the large thickness of the shutter rings, the number of pairs of capsule holder rings and shutter rings that can be accommodated in a given capacity capsule drying machine is reduced. As a result, the productivity of the capsule drying machine is reduced.

Further, because of the relative movement of the shutter rings with respect to the capsule holder rings, there is a possibility for the capsules, especially small capsules, to get trapped between the capsules holder rings and corresponding shutter rings and get damaged while travelling from the capsule holder rings to the shutter rings. This will not only reduce productivity but will also jam and damage the capsule drying machine. The power consumption of the capsule drying machine also increases as both the capsule holder rings and shutter rings are to be rotated in unison and the shutter rings are also to be displaced with respect to the capsule holder rings. Further as all the capsules in each of the capsule holder rings are released into the capsule holder rings immediately below at a time at the end of each cycle of operation of the drying machine and as all the capsules in the topmost capsule holder ring are travelling down together to the bottommost capsule holder ring sequentially, the residence time for the capsules in the drying chamber may become inadequate and the capsules may not get properly dried.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention there is provided a machine for drying capsules, the machine comprising a drying chamber, an air distribution chamber located in the air drying chamber and having a plurality of perforations, a blower mounted at the top of the air distribution chamber and a capsule carrying platform disposed in the air drying chamber around the air

distribution chamber, wherein the capsule carrying platform comprises a plurality of pairs of rotary capsule holder rings and stationary shutter rings disposed one below another, each of the shutter rings being disposed below each of the capsule holder rings, each of the capsule holder rings comprising a plurality of capsule holding openings around it in a circular configuration and in a spaced apart manner and each of the shutter rings having a capsule passage, the capsule holder rings being disposed for rotation about a vertical axis and the capsule passages in the topmost shutter ring to the bottom most shutter ring being staggered and an exit chute disposed below the bottom most shutter ring aligned with the capsule passage therein.
According to the invention there is also provided a method of drying capsules in a drying chamber comprising a plurality of flat rotary members disposed one below another rotatably about a vertical axis and adapted to releasably hold a plurality of capsules in a circular configuration and in a spaced apart manner and release the capsules one by one, the method comprising allowing the capsules to travel on the rotary members and to drop down from a top rotary member to a bottom rotary member immediately below one by one and allowing the capsules to dry progressively with air blown over the capsules while travelling down from the topmost rotary member to the bottommost rotary member and allowing the capsules in the bottommost rotary member to exit the drying chamber one by one.

The following is a detailed description of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :
Fig 1 is a cross-sectional view of a capsule drying machine according to an embodiment of the invention;
Fig 2 is an isometric view of the shutter rings of the capsule drying machine of Fig 1; and
Fig 3 is an isometric view of the capsule holder rings of the capsule drying machine of Fig 1.
The capsule drying machine 1 as illustrated in Figs 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings comprises a drying chamber 2 mounted on a machine bed 3. 4 is an air distribution chamber located in the drying chamber and having a plurality of perforations 5. 6 is a blower mounted at the top of the air distribution chamber. 7 is a capsule carrying platform comprising a plurality of rotary capsule holder rings 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d, 8e, 8f and 8g disposed in the drying chamber around the air distribution chamber one below another in a spaced apart manner and mounted on an upright member 9 which in turn is mounted on a rotary platform 10,

The capsule carrying platform also comprises a plurality of stationary shutter rings 1 la, lib, 1 lc, l1d, l1e, 1 If and 1 lg. The shutter rings are mounted on a vertical member 12 which in turn is mounted at the bottom of the drying chamber. Each of the capsule holder rings is associated with a shutter ring disposed below each capsule holder ring. Each of the capsule holder rings comprises a plurality of capsule holding openings 13 around it in a circular configuration and in a spaced apart manner. Each of the shutter rings comprises a capsule passage 14. The geometry of the capsule holding openings in the capsule holder rings and the capsule passages in the shutter rings corresponds to the geometry of the capsules. The capsule passages in the topmost to the bottom most shutter rings are staggered. The rotary platform 10 is mounted on a shaft 15 disposed in a tubular extension 16 at the bottom of the drying chamber using bearings 17 for rotation about a vertical axis. Drive mechanism for the shaft is not illustrated and described as such is not necessary for understanding the invention. The drive mechanism for the shaft may be any known drive mechanism of known construction. 18 is an exit chute disposed below the bottommost shutter ring aligned with the capsule passage therein.
During operation of the capsule drying machine, the shaft 15 rotates in a cyclic manner and with the shaft the rotary platform 10 and hence the capsule holder rings 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d, 8e, 8f and 8g also rotate in a cyclic manner. The shutter rings are non-rotating and are stationary.

Normally the shutter rings block or close the capsule holding openings in the capsule holder rings from below. Sealed capsules (not shown) to be dried are fed into the capsule holding openings 13 of the topmost capsule holder ring 8a one by one via a feed inlet 19 in the drying chamber 2 in each cycle of operation of the drying machine. At the end of each cycle of operation of the drying machine, the capsule holding openings in each of the capsule holder rings align with the capsule passage in the corresponding shutter ring one by one. During alignment of the capsule holding openings in the capsule holder rings with the capsule passage in the corresponding shutter rings, the capsules in the capsule holder rings pass through the capsule passage in the corresponding shutter ring and enter a capsule holding opening in the capsule holder ring immediately below one at a time.
Thus during rotation of the capsule holder rings, capsules travel on the capsule holder rings. Each capsule in a capsule holding opening 13 of the topmost capsule holder ring 8a travels down into a capsule holding opening of the capsule holder ring 8b immediately below via the capsule passage 14 in shutter ring 11a and each capsule in a capsule holding opening of the capsule holder ring 8b travels down into a capsule holding opening of the capsule holder ring 8c immediately below via the capsule passage in the shutter ring 1 lb and so on. In a similar fashion, capsules in the capsule holding openings in the capsule holder rings 8d, 8e and 8f will travel down one by one through the capsule passage 14 in the respective shutter rings

11c, l1d, 1 le and 1 11f. As the capsule passages in the shutter rings are staggered, capsules in the topmost to bottommost capsule holder rings also drop down through the capsule passages one by one in a staggered manner that is at intervals or with a time difference to provide room for an incoming capsule in a capsule holding opening of a lower capsule holder ring. While the capsules travel on the capsule holder rings and while travelling down from the topmost capsule holder ring to the bottommost capsule holder ring one by one sequentially and progressively, they get dried progressively by the air being blown by the blower through the perforations 5 of the air distribution chamber. Dried capsules in the bottommost capsule holder ring will fall down into the exit chute 18 one by one when the capsule passage in the bottommost shutter ring aligns with the capsule holding openings in the bottommost capsule holder ring one by one.
In the capsule drying machine of the invention the shutter rings are non rotatable and are stationary. The cam mechanism for horizontally angularly displacing the shutter rings has been eliminated. As the shutter rings are stationary, they need not be thick and mechanically very strong as in the case of the conventional capsule drying machine. Instead the shutter rings can be thinner. As a result of all this, the construction of the capsule drying machine is simplified. The cost of the capsule drying machine is reduced and the machine is rendered cost effective. As the thickness of the shutter rings is reduced, a larger number of capsule

holder rings and shutter rings can be accommodated in a given capacity of the capsule drying machine. As a result productivity of the capsule drying machine is increased. As the shutter rings are stationary and there is no relative movement between the shutter rings and capsule holder rings, possibility of entrapment of the capsules between the capsule holder rings and shutter rings, especially in the case of small capsules, is avoided. Damage to the capsules is eliminated and productivity is further increased. As the shutter rings do not rotate and rotation is imparted only to the capsule holder rings power consumption by the capsule drying machine is also reduced. Further, as the capsules travel on the capsule holder rings and also from the topmost capsule holder ring to the bottom most capsule holder ring one by one in a sequential and progressive manner, the residence time for the capsules in the drying machine is effectively increased so as to ensure proper drying of the capsules. According to the method of the invention also capsules are released one by one from a top rotary member to a bottom rotary member immediately below and from the bottom most rotary member so as to ensure proper and effective drying and to achieve the advantages as stated above.
The above embodiment of the invention is by way of example and should not be construed and understood to be limitative of the scope of the invention. The rotary stationary shutter rings can be mounted in any other manner. The capsule holder rings can be mounted for rotation in a different manner. The geometries of the capsule holder rings and shutter rings

less. The geometry of the capsule holding openings and capsule passages will vary depending upon the geometry of the capsules. The stationary shutter rings are optional in case the capsule holder rings are configured to be flat rotary members adapted to releasably hold a plurality of capsules in a circular configuration and in a spaced apart manner and release the capsules one by one. Besides medicines or neutraceuticals, especially liquid medicines or neutraceuticals, the filled capsules may contain any other substance or liquid. Besides capsules, the machine can also be used for drying any other similar articles. Such variations in the construction and/or configuration of the capsule drying machine of the invention are obvious to those skilled in the art and are to be construed and understood to be within the scope of the invention.

We claim :
1. A machine for drying capsules, the machine comprising a drying chamber, an air distribution chamber located in the air drying chamber and having a plurality of perforations, a blower mounted at the top of the air distribution chamber and a capsule carrying platform disposed in the air drying chamber around the air distribution chamber, wherein the capsule carrying platform comprises a plurality of pairs of rotary capsule holder rings and stationary shutter rings disposed one below another, each of the shutter rings being disposed below each of the capsule holder rings, each of the capsule holder rings comprising a plurality of capsule holding openings around it in a circular configuration and in a spaced apart mariner and each of the shutter rings having a capsule passage, the capsule holder rings being disposed for rotation about a vertical axis and the capsule passages in the topmost shutter ring to the bottom most shutter ring being staggered and an exit chute disposed below the bottom most shutter ring aligned with the capsule passage therein.
2. A method of drying capsules in a drying chamber comprising a plurality of flat rotary members disposed one below another rotatably about a vertical axis and adapted to releasably hold a plurality of capsules in a circular configuration and in a

spaced apart manner and release the capsules one by one, the method comprising allowing the capsules to travel on the rotary members and to drop down from a top rotary member to a bottom rotary member immediately below one by one and allowing the capsules to dry progressively with air blown over the capsules while travelling down from the topmost rotary member to the bottommost rotary member and allowing the capsules in the bottommost rotary member to exit the drying chamber one by one.