JP2001252892A - Tablet cutting tool - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tool capable of easily and efficiently cutting a tablet in a package while restricting generation of cutting powder, easily enabling short-period storage of a cut tablet, and enabling the cut tablet to be taken out speedily. SOLUTION: On a rest A where a package 1 including tablets T sealed and packaged are placed, a cutter B capable of cutting the tablets T in the placed package 1 with a packaging material 1a is installed to be vertically movable to operate, and a cutting regulation means is provided for regulating the maximum cutting lower position of the cutter B to a position where a bottom surface side packaging material 1b of the package 1 is not cut or separated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a tablet cutting tool used in the medical field, food field, and the like. More specifically, the present invention relates to a press-through pack (PTP), a blister package, and the like.
The present invention relates to a tablet cutting device used to divide (divide into two) a plurality of tablets in a package in which tablets are hermetically sealed according to the usage amount, ease of use, and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional tablet cutting apparatus, as shown in FIG. 12, a thin plate is formed on one end of a mounting table 50 made of synthetic resin which can be stably installed on a table or the like along the center line of the mounting table 50. A cutting operation arm 52 made of synthetic resin, to which the blade body 51 is fixed with an adhesive or the like, is pivotably mounted on the horizontal axis X so as to be swingable up and down. One inclined surface 50a located on the swing fulcrum side of the cutting operation arm 52 is formed on the mounting surface of the naked tablet T taken out of the package, and the inclined mounting surface 50a The V-shaped guide projection 53 for moving and guiding the naked tablet T so that the center position thereof matches the blade passing position of the blade body 51 is integrally formed.

[0003]

In the case of the conventional tablet cutting device, it is necessary to cut the bare tablets T taken out of the package one by one on the inclined mounting surface 50a of the mounting table 50. In addition, it takes time to cut the tablet, and the cut powder of the tablet easily scatters around. In addition, when the cut tablets are to be stored for a short period of time, they have to be transferred to a special storage container prepared separately, and thus there has been a problem that much labor is required for the short-term storage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above situation, and a main problem thereof is that a tablet in a package can be cut efficiently and easily while suppressing generation of cutting powder. In addition, it is an object of the present invention to provide a tablet cutting device that can easily store cut tablets in a short period of time and can also quickly take out cut tablets.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tablet cutting apparatus, comprising: a table on which a package in which tablets are hermetically packaged is placed; A cutter that can be cut together with the packaging material is movably mounted in the up-down direction, and cutting control means for restricting the maximum cutting lowering position of the cutter to a position where the bottom packaging material of the package is not cut and separated is provided. is there. According to the above-mentioned characteristic configuration, the packaging body in which the tablets are hermetically sealed is placed on the mounting table in a state where the tablet storage portion or the center of the tablets matches the blade passing position of the cutter, and then the cutter is lowered. When operated, the tablets in the package can be pushed out together with the packaging material. In addition, at this time, since the maximum cutting lowering position of the cutter is regulated by the cutting restricting means at a position where the packaging material on the bottom side of the package is not cut and separated, the shape as the packaging body even when the tablet is cut is provided. Is substantially maintained, and the cut tablet remains stored in the original tablet storage section. Furthermore, even when taking out the cut tablets in the tablet storage section of the package, the cutout in each tablet storage section is performed by bending the bottom side packaging material so that the cut formed in the front side packaging material is expanded. The tablets can be ejected in batches or in a similar situation.
Therefore, cutting can be performed efficiently and easily without taking out the tablets in the package one by one, while suppressing generation of cutting powder, and short-term storage of the cut tablets can also be easily performed. At the same time, it is possible to quickly take out the cut tablets.

A characteristic configuration of the tablet cutting device according to a second aspect of the present invention is that the mounting surface of the mounting table is configured to be inclined such that the mounting surface is located at a position closer to one end in the longitudinal direction of the cutter. According to the above-mentioned characteristic configuration, when the package in which the tablets are hermetically packed is placed on the mounting table, the tablets move by their own weight along the inner peripheral surface of the tablet storage section of the package, and the center position of the tablets is Since the correction is automatically performed on the center line of the tablet storage section, the accuracy of tablet division can be improved.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tablet cutting apparatus comprising: a table for storing a tablet storage portion positioned at the head of a tablet row of a package; A fixed receiving portion having a receiving groove for receiving in a matching state, and a receiving portion capable of receiving a tablet storage portion located at the head of another tablet row adjacent to the tablet storing portion received by the fixed receiving portion. The present invention is characterized in that a movable receiving portion provided with a groove and movable in the left-right direction with respect to the fixed receiving portion is provided. According to the above-mentioned characteristic configuration, when the package is set on the mounting surface of the mounting table, the tablet storage portion positioned at the head of both tablet rows of the package is inserted into the receiving groove of the fixed receiving portion and the movable receiving portion. The center line of the tablet row received in the receiving groove of the fixed receiving portion can be accurately adjusted to the cutting edge passing position of the cutter. In addition, even if the adjacent interval between the two tablet rows in the package varies depending on the type of tablets, etc., the movable receiving portion can be moved and adjusted in the left-right direction in accordance with the variation in the adjacent interval. Any of a plurality of types of packages having different adjacent intervals can be accurately adjusted to the cutting edge passage position of the cutter. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently and easily set the package on the mounting table while improving the tablet dividing accuracy for any of a plurality of types of packages having different adjacent intervals between the tablet rows.

In the tablet cutting device of the present invention, an alignment line parallel to at least the cutting edge of the cutter may be formed on the mounting surface of the mounting table. According to the above configuration, when setting the package on the mounting surface of the mounting table, by aligning the side edge of the package with high processing accuracy along the alignment line formed on the mounting surface. Since the center line of the tablet row can be parallel or almost parallel to the cutting edge of the cutter, the setting operation of the package on the mounting table can be efficiently and easily performed while improving the dividing accuracy of each tablet of the package. be able to.

In the tablet cutting device of the present invention, the cutter may be provided with a cover that is detachably attached to the cutter so as to be detachable from above while projecting below the cutting edge so as to be movable upward. According to the above-mentioned feature configuration, while covering the blade edge of the cutter with the cover, when the cover comes into contact with another object such as a mounting table as the cutter is lowered, only the cutter is lowered, and the tablets in the package are removed. It will be pushed out with the packaging material. Therefore, with a simple modification of merely covering the cutter with the cover from above, safety measures for the cutting edge of the cutter can be taken while reliably performing the cutting action on the tablets in the package.

[0010] In the tablet cutting device of the present invention, fastening means for replacing a thin plate-shaped blade body with a swinging arm pivotally attached to a bracket of a mounting table so as to swing up and down around a horizontal axis, An operating grip may be provided to constitute the cutter, and an elastic body may be provided between the base end of the swing arm and the mounting table to urge the swing arm to swing upward. According to the above configuration, not only the blade body of the cutter can be easily replaced, but also the fastening means and the operation grip are provided by an elastic body provided between the base end of the swing arm and the mounting table. Since the swing arm provided can be urged to swing upward, the handling of the cutter is facilitated, and the setting operation of the package on the mounting table can be easily performed.

In the tablet cutting device of the present invention, a plurality of elastic legs are provided on the bottom surface of the mounting table, and the other end in the longitudinal direction of the cutter is provided so that the mounting surface of the mounting table is inclined. The height of the elastic leg positioned may be larger than the height of the elastic leg positioned on one end side in the cutter longitudinal direction. According to the above configuration, the mounting surface of the mounting table is configured to have an inclined posture by using the elastic legs for mounting and supporting the mounting table in an anti-vibration state and changing their height. Therefore, the center position of the tablet is automatically corrected on the center line of the tablet storage section, and the accuracy of tablet division can be improved.

In the tablet cutting apparatus according to the present invention, the cutting restricting means may be configured such that the gap between the mounting surface of the mounting table and the cutting edge of the cutter corresponds to the thickness of the packaging material on the bottom side of the package or a dimension close to the thickness. In this case, a guide groove may be formed in the stopper so as to contact the cutter and prevent further lowering, and guide the lowering of the cutter to the maximum cutting lowering position. According to the above configuration, the gap between the blade edge of the cutter at the maximum cutting and descending position and the mounting surface is regulated by the stopper to an interval corresponding to the thickness of the bottom surface side packaging material of the package or a size close thereto. Thereby, the tablet in the package can be cut efficiently and easily without taking out the tablet one by one, and the cutting can be performed while suppressing the generation of the cutting powder, and the cut tablet can be easily stored for a short time. However, in particular, the guide groove formed in the stopper can smoothly guide the cutter down to the maximum cutting and lowering position with little fluctuation.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS [First Embodiment] FIGS. 1 to 11
Indicates a tablet cutting device used in the medical field, and a tablet T
A plurality of tablets T in the package 1 placed on the surface of a metal mounting table A formed in a rectangular shape in a plan view in a state where the package 1 sealedly packaged can be placed. A cutter B that can be cut in the push-off state together with the material 1a is mounted so as to be movable in the vertical direction, and the maximum cutting and lowering position of the cutter B is restricted to a position where the bottom side packaging material 1b of the package 1 is not cut and separated. The cutter B is further provided with a synthetic resin cover 3 which is detachably mounted on the cutter B so as to be detachable from above while projecting below the cutting edge.
Are movably provided upward.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the table A has a tablet storage section 1 A located at the head of the tablet row of the package 1.
Receiving portion 4 made of a metal plate having a V-shaped receiving groove 4a for receiving the same in a state where the storage center position thereof matches the blade passing position of the cutter B, and the V-shaped fixing receiving portion 4 A V-shaped receiving groove 5a capable of receiving the tablet storage portion 1A positioned at the head of another tablet row adjacent to the tablet storage portion 1A received by the shape receiving groove 4a; And a movable receiving portion 5 made of a metal plate, which can be adjusted within a predetermined range in the left-right direction, and a concave portion 8 formed at a position corresponding to the mounting surface of the mounting table A is provided with a cutter. A synthetic resin mat 6 in which a vertical alignment line P1 parallel to the cutting edge of B and a horizontal alignment line P2 orthogonal thereto are formed by appropriate means such as printing is attached.

On both longitudinal sides of the bottom surface of the mounting table A,
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a hollow first elastic leg 7A extending over the entire width of the mounting table A, and a pair of narrow second elastic legs 7B located on both sides in the width direction of the mounting table A. And a first elastic member positioned at the other end in the cutter longitudinal direction such that the mounting surface of the mounting table A is inclined downward toward one end in the cutter longitudinal direction. The height of the leg 7A is configured to be larger than the height of the second elastic leg 7B located at one end side in the cutter longitudinal direction.

The package 1 is a press-through pack package as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, and its surface side packaging material 1a is made of a transparent base made of a thermoplastic resin such as polyvinyl chloride or polypropylene. A cylindrical tablet storage portion 1A for storing the tablet T is bulged at a plurality of portions that are formed of a material sheet and that are separated by a predetermined pitch in the vertical and horizontal directions. The bottom-side wrapping material 1b of the package 1 is made of an aluminum foil or a thin rigid plastic sheet provided with a heat seal layer for sealing the opening of each tablet storage section 1A on the front-side wrapping material 1a. Each of the tablet storage units 1 is pressed by pushing the bottom side packaging material 1b by finger operation.
It is configured so that the tablet T in A can be taken out.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the cutter B has an operation grip 11 mounted between a pair of left and right metal plate brackets 10 protruding from one end of the mounting table A in the longitudinal direction. Connect the base end of the swing arm 12 to the pivot screw shaft 13.
The swing arm 12 is provided with a fastening means C for fixing the thin plate-shaped blade body 14 so as to be freely replaceable, while being pivotally mounted on the horizontal axis X around the axis X via a shaft.

The fastening means C is provided on one side surface of the swing arm 12 with an engaging pin 17 which is removably engaged with a through hole 14a formed at one longitudinal end of the blade body 14; A reaction force receiving plate 18 that contacts the upper edge of the blade body 14 engaged with the pin 17 and receives the cutting reaction force is fixed, and the blade body 14 engaged with the engagement pin 17 is fixed. A metal holding plate 19 for holding and fixing the swing arm 12 with the swing arm 12 is detachably attached with a screw 20.
On the other side surface, a metal pressing plate 21 for preventing the upward movement of the holding plate 19 is detachably attached via a synthetic resin backing plate 22 and screws 23. .

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a portion of the upper surface of the mounting table A opposite to the base end of the swing arm 12 swings the swing arm 12 upward. In other words, a first retracting operation position (an operation position indicated by a solid line in FIG. 2) at which a space for easily setting the package 1 can be secured between the mounting surface and the cutting edge. ), A compression coil spring 25 which is an example of an elastic body that urges the swing arm 12 to the lifting side is provided in a vertical position via a mounting shaft 26 using a screw. Between the moving arm 12 and one of the brackets 10, a second retracting operation position in which the swinging arm 12 is retracted and pivoted further above the biasing holding position (first retracting operation position) of the swing arm 12 by the compression coil spring 25. (See the operation position indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 2). Elastic locking mechanism 27 for holding is provided.

As shown in FIG. 11, the elastic locking mechanism 27 has a cylindrical screw 27a screwed to the bracket 10,
Hemispherical locking groove 2 formed on the other side of swing arm 12
A locking ball 27c which is detachable from the locking ball 27b;
and a compression coil spring 27d that urges c toward the engagement side. When the swing arm 12 at the first retreat operation position is lifted to the second retreat operation position, the locking ball 27c of the elastic locking mechanism 27 is moved by the elastic biasing force of the compression coil spring 27d. Locking groove 2
7b, and the cutter B is held at the second retreat operation position. When the operation grip 11 is swung downward or upward in this state, the locking ball 27c of the elastic locking mechanism 27 is moved.
Is disengaged from the locking groove 27b of the swing arm 12 against the elastic biasing force of the compression coil spring 27d, and the locking action by the elastic locking mechanism 27 is released.

7 and 8, the gap between the upper surface of the mat 6, which is the mounting surface of the mounting table A, and the cutting edge of the cutter B is formed on the bottom side of the package 1 as shown in FIGS. Packaging material 1
b or an interval corresponding to a thickness close to the thickness (the first
In the embodiment, when the packaging material 1a and 1b are flatly joined (an interval corresponding to the thickness of the packaging materials 1a and 1b), the cutter B comes into contact with the tip side portion of the swing arm 12 of the cutter B. And a stopper made of a metal plate for preventing further lowering, and is attached via a screw to a side edge portion on the short side of the mounting table A located at one end side in the cutter longitudinal direction. At the same time, a slit-shaped guide groove 2a is formed in the stopper 2 for guiding the swing arm 12 of the cutter B to descend to the maximum cutting lower position.

Then, the package 1 in which the tablet T is hermetically sealed is placed on the mounting table A in a state where the center of the tablet storage section 1A or the tablet T coincides with the cutting edge passing position of the cutter B. After that, when the cutter B is lowered and swung, the tablets T in the package 1 are stored in the tablet storage section 1A of the front side packaging material 1a.
Can be pushed out with.

In addition, at this time, the stopper 2 prevents the bottom-side packaging material 1b of the package 1 from being cut and separated, more specifically, the flatness of both packaging materials 1a and 1b excluding the portion where the tablet storage portion 1A is formed. Since the maximum cutting / lowering position of the cutter B is regulated at a position where the shape-joined portion (flat heat-sealed portion) is not cut and separated, the shape of the package 1 is substantially maintained even when the tablet T is cut. The cut tablet T remains stored in the original tablet storage section 1A.

Further, even when the cut tablet T in the tablet storage section 1A of the package 1 is taken out, the bottom side packaging material 1b is formed so that the cut formed in the tablet storage section 1A of the front side packaging material 1a is expanded. To bend, more specifically, the flat joining portion (flat heat fusion portion) of both packaging materials 1a, 1b
By performing the bending operation, the cut tablets T in each of the tablet storage sections 1A can be discharged in a lump or in a state close thereto. Further, the guide groove 2a formed in the stopper 2 allows the cutter B to be smoothly guided down to the maximum cutting / lowering position with little fluctuation.

The fixed receiving portion 4 is shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 0, the center position Y of a V-shaped receiving groove 4a which is formed in an L-shape and has a notch formed at one end thereof.
Is fixed to the mounting table A with screws 29 and the like in a state where it is located above the cutting edge passing position of the cutter B, and the upper edge 4b along the left and right direction guides the movable receiving portion 5 to slide in the left and right direction. It is also used for the surface. Therefore, when the tablet storage portion 1A of the package 1 is brought into contact with the V-shaped receiving groove 4a of the fixed receiving portion 4, the tablet storage portion 1A of the package 1 It moves downward while being guided by the character-shaped receiving groove 4a, and the center position of the tablet storage section 1A is automatically corrected to the cutting edge passing position of the cutter B. Moreover, at this time, the tablet T moves by its own weight along the cylindrical inner peripheral surface of the tablet storage section 1A, and the center position of the tablet T is automatically corrected on the center line of the tablet storage section 1A. The synergy of the correcting action can improve the accuracy of dividing the tablet T.

Further, between the mounting portion of the fixed receiving portion 4 and the mounting table A, a plate slightly larger than the thickness of the flat joint portion (flat heat fusion portion) of both packaging materials 1a and 1b. Between the upper surface of the mat 6 serving as the mounting surface and the V-shaped receiving portion of the fixed receiving portion 4 with a thick spacer 33 interposed therebetween, a flat joining portion (flat heating portion) of the two packaging materials 1a and 1b. (Fused portion) is formed.

The movable receiving portion 5 is shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 0, it is formed in an L-shape, a V-shaped receiving groove 5a is cut out at one end thereof, and is fixed to the mounting table A at a portion along the left-right direction. A sliding guide / long hole 5b which is fitted to a pair of left and right pins 30 to restrict the movable range of the movable receiving portion 5 in the left / right direction.
Are formed.

The mounting table A has a fixed receiving portion 4.
A decorative cover 31 made of a metal plate that covers the mounting base of the movable receiving portion 5 and the mounting base of the movable receiving portion 5 is detachably mounted via screws 32, and the stopper 2 projects upward from the decorative cover 31. A through hole 31a is formed.

On the inner surface of the cover 3, the cutter B
A strip-shaped magnet 34 that can be attracted is attached to the upper side surface of the swing arm 12. As shown in FIG. 6, while the blade body 14 of the cutter B is covered with the cover 3, the lower end surface of the cover 3 is moved along with the lower swing operation of the cutter B such as the mounting table A and the decorative cover 31. When it comes into contact with another object, only the cutter B swings downward against the attraction magnetic force of the band-shaped magnet 34,
The tablet T in the package 1 is pushed out together with the front side packaging material 1a. Therefore, it is possible to take a safety measure for the cutting edge of the cutter B while reliably exerting the cutting action on the tablet T in the package 1 by a simple modification in which the cover 3 is put on the cutter B from above.

[Other Embodiments] (1) As the cutting restricting means 2, the cutter B
Is set to the maximum cutting and lowering position of the tablet T in the package 1 placed.
Can be reliably pushed off together with the upper surface side packaging material 1a,
In addition, any structure may be used as long as it can be restricted to a position where the bottom side packaging material 1b of the package 1 is not cut and separated. Further, even if the cutting edge of the cutter B bites into a part of the bottom-side packaging material 1b of the package 1, the bottom-side packaging material 1b only needs to be separated. (2) In the above-described first embodiment, the cutter B is pivotally attached to the mounting table A so as to be swingable around the horizontal axis. However, the cutter B is moved in parallel or almost parallel to the mounting surface. It may be configured as follows. (3) The fastening means C may have any structure as long as the blade body 14 can be exchangeably fixed to the swing arm 12. (4) In the above-described first embodiment, the mounting surface of the mounting table A is configured to be inclined, but the mounting surface of the mounting table A may be configured to be horizontal. (5) In the first embodiment described above, the tablet T in the package 1 is divided into two with the packaging material by the cutter B, but the tablet T in the package 1 is divided into three or more with the packaging material. You may comprise so that it may divide.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view showing a first embodiment of a tablet cutting tool of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an overall side view.

FIG. 3 is an overall exploded perspective view.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a cutter B.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional side view before cutting.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional front view before cutting.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional side view at the time of cutting.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional front view at the time of cutting.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged plan view of a main part showing the setting of a package having a small adjacent row of tablet rows.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged plan view of a main part showing a setting of a package having a large adjacent distance between tablet rows.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged sectional view of an elastic locking mechanism.

FIG. 12 is an overall perspective view showing a conventional tablet cutting tool.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List A Mounting table B Cutter C Fastening means T Tablet X Horizontal axis P1 Alignment line 1 Package 1A Tablet storage section 1a Front side packaging material 1b Bottom side packaging material 2 Cutting restricting means (stopper) 2a Guide groove 3 Cover 4 Fixed receiving Stop portion 4a Receiving groove (V-shaped receiving groove) 5 Movable receiving portion 5a Receiving groove (V-shaped receiving groove) 7A First elastic leg 7B Second elastic leg 10 Bracket 11 Operating grip 12 Swing arm 14 Blade Body 25 Elastic body (compression coil spring)

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A mounting table for mounting a package in which tablets are hermetically packaged is mounted with a cutter capable of cutting a tablet in the mounted package together with a packaging material in a vertically movable manner. The maximum cutting lower position of the cutter,
A tablet cutting tool provided with cutting restricting means for restricting a position at which a packaging material on a bottom surface side of a package is not cut and separated. 2. The tablet cutting tool according to claim 1, wherein the mounting surface of the mounting table is configured to be inclined such that it is located at a position closer to one end in the longitudinal direction of the cutter. 3. A fixed mounting provided with a receiving groove for receiving a tablet storage portion located at the head of a tablet row of a package in a state where the storage center position of the tablet storage portion coincides with the cutting edge passage position of a cutter. A receiving portion and a receiving groove capable of receiving a tablet storage portion located at the head of another tablet row adjacent to the tablet storage portion received by the fixed receiving portion, and capable of receiving the tablet storage portion, and The tablet cutting tool according to claim 1, further comprising a movable receiving portion that is movable in the left-right direction.