A packaging device for packaging discrete medicaments in pouches that is configured to form and fill the pouches in an elongated web to contain the medicaments comprises a web drive for guiding the elongated web in a transport direction along a web trajectory, wherein the packaging device further comprises a sealing station along the web trajectory, wherein the sealing station is configured to apply a seal to the elongated web to form at least a part of a pouch.

In an automated machine that forms a vertically positioned and horizontally traversing web of plastic film into bags, the apparatus opens, fills and closes the bags and provides slack in the bag walls to close the bag. The bag upper longitudinal edge portions are separated at a bag opening and closing assembly for thereby opening and filing a bag with material. While the bag is being filled, the bag is supported on a conveyor. The conveyor is raised vertically toward the opening and closing assembly while the bag is being closed for thereby providing slack in the bag walls. The conveyor horizontally conveys the filled bag under while a gripping and pulling assembly pulls the bag longitudinal portions into a heat sealing assembly whereat the bag walls are fused together and sealed closed. The bag is thereafter conveyed away therefrom and the conveyor is again placed in its lower position.

In an automated machine that forms a vertically positioned and horizontally traversing web of plastic film into bags and fills the bags with material, the apparatus forms the bags sealed side edges as well as aligned perforations whereat the bags are severed from one another after they are filled with material. The web includes a pair of parallel proximate plastic film walls. A vertically positioned heat seal bar is moveable onto the web severing the walls along a separation line and forming the fore and aft sealed side edges of the bags. A perforation knife is aligned with and positioned vertically above the heat seal bar, and is simultaneously moveable onto the web walls with the heat seal bar thereby forming a vertical perforation line at a web longitudinal edge portion. The separation line and perforation line in the web are thereby aligned.

In an automated machine that forms a vertically positioned and horizontally traversing web of plastic film into bags and fills the bags with material, the apparatus opens the bags by separating the bag upper longitudinal edge portions. First and second opposing slide gates on opposite sides of the bags normal traversing plane are moveable between closed and open positions. Longitudinal channels on each of the slide gates receive and clampingly grip the bag longitudinal edge portions when the gates are moved away from their closed positions. The bag edge portions are thereby gripped and separated from one another when the gates are opened for thereby opening and filling the bags. While opening the gates, additional longitudinal edge portions are pulled into the apparatus and, while closing the gates, the additional edge portions are pulled out therefrom. The longitudinal edge portions freely traverse through the channels when the gates are closed.

Packaging apparatuses for loading and sealing products into a web of interconnected bags, and methods of using them, are provided. In one aspect, the packaging apparatus includes an intermittently advancing web conveyor that also indexes vertically to facilitate stacked loading of products into the bags. In another aspect, the packaging apparatus includes a dividing seal station that applies a center seal dividing the bag into separate sealed subcompartments, some of the bag contents being distributed to each compartment, such as one of two trays to each subcompartment. To facilitate distribution of contents and even sealing, the dividing seal station may include a dividing sealer lower support that oscillates vertically to promote settling of contents and gases in the bag before applying a dividing seal.

The invention relates to a device for packaging of medicine-units, comprising a controllable conveyor for conveying a packaging film extending in a longitudinal direction along a path through the device in a direction of conveyance, a first controllable medicine-unit dispensing device positioned at a first location along the path, at least one second controllable medicine-unit dispensing device, positioned at a second location along the path downstream in the conveying direction relative to the first controllable medicine-unit delivery device, a controller, arranged for controlling the conveyor for moving stepwise in the direction of conveyance and simultaneously controlling the first and at least second dispensing device for dispensing a medicine-unit between displacement steps of the conveyor.

The invention relates to a device for packaging of medicine-units, comprising a controllable conveyor for conveying a packaging film extending in a longitudinal direction along a path through the device in a direction of conveyance, a first controllable medicine-unit dispensing device positioned at a first location along the path, at least one second controllable medicine-unit dispensing device, positioned at a second location along the path downstream in the conveying direction relative to the first controllable medicine-unit delivery device, a controller, arranged for controlling the conveyor for moving stepwise in the direction of conveyance and simultaneously controlling the first and at least second dispensing device for dispensing a medicine-unit between displacement steps of the conveyor.

A method for packaging discrete medicaments in pouches in a packaging device includes transporting the elongated web along a web trajectory, printing information on the elongated web related, feeding the discrete medicaments to the elongated web, inspecting the elongated web to determine whether there is a fault related to the elongated web, and in response to a fault being detected, printing a fault indication or a fault symbol on the elongated web, and forming an empty pouch at the position of the fault indication or fault symbol.

A method for packaging discrete medicaments in pouches in a packaging device includes transporting the elongated web along a web trajectory, printing information on the elongated web related, feeding the discrete medicaments to the elongated web, inspecting the elongated web to determine whether there is a fault related to the elongated web, and in response to a fault being detected, printing a fault indication or a fault symbol on the elongated web, and forming an empty pouch at the position of the fault indication or fault symbol.

A package opening device of a continuous horizontal packaging machine includes upper and lower package opening units and a squeezing unit. The upper package opening unit includes two upper slide blocks, and two upper suction members respectively fixed to and driven by the upper slide blocks to relatively move in a transverse direction. The squeezing unit includes a guide rail extending in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the transverse direction, and two pushing blocks slidably disposed on the guide rail and movable relative to each other. The lower package opening unit is lower than the upper package opening unit in a height direction perpendicular to the horizontal and transverse directions, and includes two lower slide blocks, and two lower suction members respectively fixed to and driven by the lower slide blocks to relatively move in the transverse direction.