Apparatus For Sealing Hypodermic Needles On Syringe Barrels

Abstract

The skirt of a cap carrying a sheathed hypodermic needle is crimped under the mouth bead of a syringe barrel by a pair of diametrically opposed crimping members pivoted into and out of engagement with said skirt. When the crimping members are in engagement with cap skirt, said members are rotated 540.degree. in one direction and subsequently rotated 540.degree. in the opposite direction. The 1,080.degree. of rotation can be performed on one cap skirt or 540.degree. of rotation can be performed on each succeeding cap skirt in opposite directions.

Description

The present application disclose means for performing the step at station N of my patent application Ser. No. 264,960 filed June 21, 1972.

The present invention comprises a vertical channel for supporting a multiple compartment hypodermic syringe with a syringe barrel containing a liquid extended into the channel and a syringe barrel containing a powder extended above said channel. The multiple compartment hypodermic syringes are intermittently advanced along the channel to be successively positioned between a pair of diametrically opposed crimping members pivotally mounted and actuated into and out of engagement with the skirt of a sheathed hypodermic needle carrying cap loosely mounted on the powder carrying syringe barrel. During the advancement of the syringes on the channel, the crimping members are out of engagement with cap skirt and during the periods of rest, the crimping members are in engagement with the cap skirt. Prior to the engagement of the crimping members with the cap skirt, the cap is firmly engaged with the bead mouth of the syringe barrel by a reciprocating plunger. After the crimping members are engaged with the cap skirt and during the time the cap is firmly engaged with the beaded mouth of the syringe barrle, the crimping members are rotated in one direction for 540.degree. and rotated in the opposite direction for 540.degree. to produce a tight and even crimp. Also the crimping members are in the same position relative to the cap skirt at the start and at the end of a complete rotation of 540.degree. or 1,080.degree. so that when the crimping or spinning members are pivoted away from the cap skirt, the syringe barrels are advanced without interference.

It is the object of the invention to effectively perform the step at station N of my patent application serial No. 264,960.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of the crimping members, plunger and means for actuating said crimping members and plunger;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the crimping members, on an enlarged scale, looking at the right hand side of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of means for pivoting the crimping members and reciprocating the plunger and their actuating mechanisma;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary elevational view of the mechanism to impart reciprocatory rotation to the crimping members;

FIG. 6 is a view looking at the left hand side of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an elevational view showing the position of the crimping members pivoted from the cap and the plunger firmly engaging the cap on the beaded mouth of the syringe barrel;

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7 showing the crimping members in position to seal the cap to the mouth of the syringe barrel;

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIGS. 7 and 8 showing the position of the crimping members and the plunger after the cap is sealed to the mouth of the syringe barrel;

FIG. 10 is an elevational view of the mouth of a syringe barrel having a pierceable closure cap sealed thereto and a hypodermic needle carrying cap loosely mounted thereon, as shown in FIG. 7; and

FIG. 11 is an elevational view of the syringe barrel mouth and the crimping members sealing the hypodermic needle carrying cap to said mouth, as shown in FIG. 8.

The embodiment of the invention is shown as comprising a table 12 supporting a vertical channel 13 having rails 14 on top of the walls of said channel 13 to engage a flange 15 at the bottom or lower end of a powder carrying syringe barrel 16 having a cap 17 loosely mounted on a pierceable closure cap 18, FIGS. 10 and 11, secured to a beaded mouth 19 of the syringe barrel 16. The cap 17 carries a hypodermic needle 20 enclosed by a sheath 21. The channel 13 is of sufficient depth or height to accommodate a liquid carrying barrel 22, as shown in FIG. 1. The syringe barrels 16 and 22 are intermittently advanced along the rails 14 by a walking-beam mechanism, as indicated at 23 in FIGS. 1, 2, 7, 8 and 9. The syringe barrels 16 are retained against lateral movement on the rails 14 by a guide rail 24 supported by the table 12.

The skirt of the cap 17 extends below the beaded mouth 19 and said extended skirt portion is crimped under said mouth 19 to seal the cap 17 to the syringe barrel 16. This is accomplished during the rest period in the advancing movement of the syringe barrels 16 on the rails 14 by a pair of crimping members comprising rollers or discs 25 rotatably supported by carriers 26 secured to levers 27 pivotally mounted between two parallelly spaced bars 28 secured at the center on opposite sides of a tubular shaft 29 rotatably supported in bearings 30 mounted in a casing 31 carried by a tubular post 32 on the table 12, as shown in FIG. 1. The rollers 25 are yieldingly urged away from the cap skirt by springs 33 having the ends anchored to the levers 27 above the bars 28. Said springs 33 also maintain contact between rollers 34 rotatably mounted on the upper ends of the levers 27 and a tapering cam face of a sleeve 35 slidable on the tubular shaft 29 and reciprocated on said shaft 29 by a cam disc 36, FIGS. 2 and 4, fixed on a shaft 37 rotatably supported below the table 12 and continuously rotated by suitable motive means, not shown. The cam disc 36 reciprocates an arm 38 pivotally mounted on a shaft 39 supported by a frame 40 below the table 12, as shown in FIG. 4, and carrying a cam follower 41 engaging the cam disc 36 under the influence of a spring 42 connected to the free of the arm 38 and anchored to the base of the frame 40. The reciprocation of the arm 38 is transmitted to the sleeve 35 by a rod 43 pivoted at one end to the arm 38 adjacent to the spring 42 and the opposite end of the rod 43 is pivotally connected to one end of an arm 44 having the other end secured on one end of a stud 45 pivotally supported by the casing 31, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, inclusive. An arm 46 is secured at one end on the stud 45 and the opposite end of said arm 46 is bifurcated and the forks 47 thereof are provided with rollers 48 operatively engaged in an annular groove 49 in the sleeve 35, so that the lowering of the spring end of the arm 38 will lift the sleeve 35 and permit the springs 33 to move the rollers 25 away from the extended portion of the skirt of the cap 17. The raising of the spring end of the arm 38 by the cam disc 36 against the force of the spring 42 will lower the sleeve 35 and actuate the rollers 25 into engagement with said extending portion of the cap skirt against the force of the springs 33.

Prior to the actuation of the rollers 25 into engagement with the extended portion of the cap skirt, the cap 17 is held on the beaded mouth 19 of the syringe barrel 16 by a plunger 50 slidable in the tubular shaft 29 and having the lower end projecting below the tubular shaft 29 and provided with a recess 51 to engage the tip portion of the sheath 21, as shown in FIG. 7. The upper end of the plunger 50 projects above the tubular shaft 29 and is pivotally mounted in elongated openings 52 in bifurcation forks 53 at one end of a lever 54 connected to a sleeve 55 pivotally mounted in the casing 31. A lever 56 is fixed to the sleeve 55 and pivotally connected to one end of a rod 57 having the opposite end pivotally connected to one end of an arm 58 pivotally mounted at the opposite end on the shaft 39, FIGS. 2 and 4. An intermediate portion of the arm 58 is provided with a cam follower 59 engaging a cam disc 60 fixed on the shaft 37. Contact between the follower 59 and the cam disc 60 is maintained by a spring 61 connected at one end to the end of the arm 58 provided with the rod 57 and the opposite end of the spring 61 is anchored to the frame 40. The rod 57 is provided with an adjustable coupling 62, as shown in FIG. 4, to adjust the distance of travel of the plunger 50.

During the engagement of the rollers 25 with the extended skirt portion of the cap 17 and the engagement of the plunger 50 with the tip of the sheath 21, the tubular shaft 29 is rotated 540.degree. in opposite directions or a total of 1,080.degree.. This is accomplished by a rack 63 slidably supported in a slide-bar 64 suspended from the table 12, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The rack 63 is reciprocated by a grooved cam disc 65 secured on a shaft 80. A roller 66 is mounted on an arm 67 pivoted on the frame 40 with the roller 66 engaging a groove 68 in the cam disc 65. The reciprocation of the arm 67 is transmitted to the rack 63 by an adjustable link 69 pivotally connected at the opposite ends to the rack 63 and the arm 67. The rack 63 meshes with a pinion 70 secured on the lower end of a shaft 71 rotatably supported by a bearing 72 on the bottom of the table 12. The shaft 71 is extended through the tubular post 32 and the upper end of said shaft 71 is provided with a sprocket wheel 73 fixed to said shaft 71 and engaged by an endless chain 74 having one stretch engaged by a sprocket wheel 75 rotatable on a stud 76 adjustably mounted in a slot 77 in a transverse member 78 supported by the casing 31, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, inclusive, to maintain the chain 74 taut. The chain 74 is also extended around a sprocket wheel 79 secured on the upper end of the tubular shaft 29, whereby reciprocation of the rack 63 is transmitted to reciprocal rotation of the rollers 25 around the extended skirt portion of the cap 17.

The reciprocal rotation of the rollers 25 around the cap 27 can be timed by arranging the rack 63 to rotate the tubular shaft 29 in one direction for 540.degree. for sealing the cap 17 to the beaded mouth 19 and then permitting the walking beam mechanism 23 to advance the syringe barrel 16 from the rollers 25 and positioning the succeeding syringe barrel 16 having a loose cap 17 on its beaded mouth 19 between the rollers 25 which are subsequently pivoted into engagement with the extended skirt portion of the loosely mounted cap 17 and rotated around said loosely mounted cap 17 in the direction opposite to the direction of rotation about the skirt of the cap 17 on the preceding syringe barrel 16 for 540.degree.. Also the configurations of the cam discs 36 and 60 have to be changed so that the sleeve 35 and the plunger 50 are raised after the rollers 25 are rotated 540.degree..

After a cap 17 is sealed to the beaded mouth 19, the cam 36 will space the rollers 25 from the sealed cap 17 on diametrical opposite sides of the cap 17, as shown in FIG. 9, as they were when the loosely mounted cap 17 was positioned between said rollers 25, as shown in FIG. 7, so that said syringe barrel 16 having a cap 17 sealed to its beaded mouth 19 can be advanced by the walking beam mechanism 23 from the spaced rollers. Also after a cap 17 is sealed to the beaded mouth 19, the cam 60 simultaneously with the spacing of the rollers 25 will lift the plunger 50 from the tip of the sheath 21.

Claims

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In apparatus for sealing a sheathed hypodermic needle carrying cap on the mouth of a syringe barrel, means for supporting the syringe barrel having a sheathed hypodermic needle carrying cap loosely mounted on the mouth of said syringe barrel, a plunger reciprocally mounted in vertical alignment above the hypodermic needle on the syringe barrel and actuated to engage the sheath of the hypodermic needle when the syringe barrel is stationary on the supporting means, a pair of crimping members pivotally mounted to extend on diametrically opposite sides of the cap, means to pivot said crimping members into and out of engagement with the cap, and means to reciprocally rotate the crimping members when the crimping members are engaging the cap and the plunger is engaging the sheath of the hypodermic needle.

2. In apparatus as claimed in claim 1, a tubular shaft rotatably mounted, reciprocally supporting the plunger, pivotally supporting the crimping members and slidably supporting the means to pivot the crimping members.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the means to rotate the crimping members comprises a shaft rotatably mounted in parallel spaced relation to the tubular shaft and operatively connected to said tubular shaft, and a rack and pinion mechanism operatively connected to the parallel shaft to impart reciprocal rotation to both shafts and the crimping members.

4. In apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the pinion is secured on the parallel shaft, a continuously rotating cam disc, and a cam follower engaging said cam disc and operatively connected to the rack.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means to support the syringe barrel comprises a vertical channel having the upper end of each wall of the channel provided with rails to engage and support the syringe barrel.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the syringe barrel carries a second syringe barrel extending from the lower end of the first syringe barrel, and the channel is of sufficient height to receive said second syringe barrel.

7. In apparatus as claimed in claim 1, a pair of continuously rotating cam discs, the first cam disc being operatively connected to the plunger and the second cam disc being operatively connected to the means to pivot the crimping members, the first cam disc being arranged to actuate the plunger into engagement with the sheath prior to the second cam disc pivoting the crimping members into engagement with the cap and both cam discs arranged to actuate the plunger and crimping members from the sheath and the cap after completion of the rotation of the crimping members.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means to reciprocally rotate the crimping members, is arranged to rotate said crimping member 540.degree. in one direction.

9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means to reciprocally rotate the crimping members is arranged to position the crimping members on the same diametrically opposite sides of the cap at the start and at the end of each complete rotation of the crimping members.

10. In apparatus as claimed in claim 7, a pair of tensioned pivotal arms, the first arm being engaged and reciprocated by the first cam disc and operatively connected to the plunger to reciprocate said plunger, and the second arm being engaged and reciprocated by the second cam disc and operatively connected to the means to pivot the crimping members.