FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970 (39 of 1970)
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2006
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
[See section 10, Rule 13]
POWDER FEEDER FOR A CAPSULE FILLING MACHINE;
SCITECH CENTRE, A COMPANY INCORPORATED UNDER SECTION 25 OF THE COMPANIES ACT, 1956, WHOSE ADDRESS IS 7, PRABHAT NAGAR, JOGESHWARI (WEST), MUMBAI - 400 102, MAHARASHTRA, INDIA
THE FOLLOWING SPECIFICATION DESCRIBES THE INVENTION.
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TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION:
The present invention relates to a capsule filling machines/device and particularly a powder feeder of the capsule filling machines or tabletting device.
BACKGROND ART OF THE INVENTION:
Conventional capsule filling machine comprises an empty-capsule loader assembly, rotating turret, powder feeder and dosing assembly. The capsule loader assembly loads the empty capsules in dies provided on the rotating turret in a predefined way that is cap up and body down. Then cap and body of the capsules separate while rotating and the dosing assembly doses a pre-determined quantity of the product such as pharmaceutical powder from the powder feeder into empty body of the capsules in the form of plugs. After filling, the body of the capsule is closed with the cap and then discharged.
The powder feeder comprises a hopper having an opening connected to a tub of dosing assembly by a tube for delivery of the powder, a stirrer mounted centrally inside the hopper, said stirrer has a blade to push powder in the opening of the hopper and a control system having sensors fitted in the dosing assembly for sensing level of the powder in the tub, said control assembly actuates the stirrer to deliver the required quantity of the powder to the tub. The powder feeder delivers powder to the tub when a sensor senses the level in the dosing disc is below the required level. The control system on sensing actuates the
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Stirrer of the powder feeder resulting in the delivery of the powder in the tub. Further, the sensor senses the required level is achieved and the control system stops the stirrer in order to stop the flow of the powder. However, in case of free flow or very free flow powder, powder keeps flowing through the opening by gravity causing overflow of powder in the dosing assembly thereby jamming the machine, causing weight variations and thereby resulting into imprecise dosing of formulation in tablets or filled capsules.
Thus there is a need in the art for assembly, which can control the flow of the powder, particularly free flow or very free flow powder through the feeder.
Brief description of the invention:
FIG.1 shows a powder feeder according to the present invention. FIG. 2 shows a stirrer of the present invention
Description of the invention:
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a feeder to obviate aforementioned problem.
According to one of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a powder feeder (100) is shown in Fig 1. The powder feeder comprises a hopper (110) having an opening (112) the bottom, a tube connecting said opening (112) of the hopper (110) to a tub (not shown) of dosing
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assembly (not shown), a stirrer (120) mounted centrally inside the hopper (110) to push powder in the opening (112) of the hopper (110) and a control system (not shown) having sensors (not shown) fitted in the dosing assembly for sensing level of the powder in the tub for actuating the stirrer to deliver the require quantity of the powder from the hopper to the tub, wherein one of the blades (122) of the stirrer (120) has a cover plate (124) (Fig 2) to cover the opening (112) of hopper for stopping free flow of the powder to the tub.
According to the present invention, the control system of the powder feeder is programmed to stop the stirrer at a predetermined position for covering the opening (112) of the hopper (110) by a cover plate (124).
The stirrer of the powder feeder assembly according to the present invention starts rotating when the sensor of the control system senses the predetermined low level of the powder in the tub thereby starts delivering powder in the tub. As soon as the sensor senses that the powder level in the tub is reached to the predetermined level, the sensor passes the signal to the control system and the control system stops the stirrer enabling the cover plate closing the opening of the hopper positively.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, a capsule-filling machine comprising of a powder feeder of the first embodiment of the present invention.
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According to the still another embodiment of the present invention, a tabletting machine comprising of a powder feeder of the first embodiment of the present invention.

Dated this 10in day of July, 2006,
FOR SCITECH CENTRE
By their Agent



(MANISH SAURASTRI) KRISHNA & SAURASTRI

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