We claim:
1. Arrangement for making textured film solid cleanser holders comprising a solid cleanser feed conveyor horizontally rotatably mounted on a first frame work and provided with a plurality of spaced solid cleanser holding pockets along the length thereof, a film feeding unit comprising a film unwind top roll and a film unwind bottom roll rotatably mounted on a stand at the feed end of the feed conveyor, a solid cleanser holder forming unit comprising a pair of horizontally contrarotatable conveyors disposed spaced one below the other and mounted on a second framework which is located close to the discharge end of the feed conveyor, a solid cleanser holder sealing unit, a solid cleanser holder cutting unit, a film scoring unit and a horizontally rotatable waste film carrying conveyor mounted on the second frame work in tandem with the solid cleanser holder forming unit and a plurality of film tensioning rollers and a plurality of film pulling units provided in the path of the textured film and an intermittent differential drive unit connected to the feed conveyor, contra-rotatable conveyors film scoring unit, waste film carrying conveyor and film pulling units.
2. Arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the solid cleanser holding pockets comprises a pair of spaced upright members fitted across the length of the feed conveyor and the first framework is provided with a flat protrusion at the discharge end of the feed conveyor extending to the feed end of the contrarotatable conveyors.
3. Arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the film lamination units comprises a first pneumatic cylinder mounted on the top horizontal member of a first supporting structure and having a first piston reciprocating therein, the first piston rod protruding down from the first cylinder through the top horizontal member of the first supporting structure, the cylinder side and piston side of the first cylinder being connected to a pneumatic supply through a 5-port 2 position solenoid operated direction control valve, a movable laminator plate fitted to a first guide plate which in turn is fitted to the protruding end of the first piston rod up and down slidably engaged over guide rods of the first supporting structure, a stationary die plate fitted at the base of the first supporting structure aligned with the movable die plate, the movable die plate and stationary die plate having formed with the sockets corresponding to the size of the solid cleanser holders and provided with electric heating elements connected to an AC supply through thermostat and temperature.
4. Arrangement as claimed in claim 3, wherein the electric heating elements comprise electric conductors.
5. Arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the solid cleanser holder cutting unit comprises a second pneumatic cylinder mounted on the top horizontal member of a second supporting structure and having a second piston reciprocating therein, the second piston reciprocating therein, the second piston rod protruding down from the second cylinder through the top horizontal member of the second supporting structure, the cylinder side and piston side of the second cylinder being connected to the pneumatic supply through a 5-port 2-position solenoid operated direction control valve, a movable punch plate fitted to a third guide plate which in turn is fitted to the protruding end of the second piston rod and up and down slidably engaged over guide rod of the second supporting structure, the movable punch plate being provided with a film retainer flange at the front side, the film retainer flange being movably held tension spring stressed, a stationary die plate fitted at the base of the second supporting structure aligned with a movable punch plate, the movable punch plate and corresponding stationary die plate having formed with die cavities larger the die sockets in the movable die plate and corresponding stationary die plate registering with the profiles of the edges or frills of the solid cleanser, the bottom of the die cavity in the stationary die plate being open and the base of the third supporting structure being provided with a corresponding opening therethrough.
6. Arrangement as claimed in claim 5, wherein the punch plate is provided with a pair of holes defining neck portions, a pair of screw members each being movably disposed in each of the holes with the heads of the screw members adapted to abut against then shoulders of the neck portions, the film retainer flange being in thread engagement with the edges of the screw members and tension spring stressed against the movable punch plate.
7. Arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the film scoring unit comprises an anvil roller whose shaft is rotatably supported in a pair of first vertical oblong slots provided in a pair of spaced first vertical side plates of a third supporting structure, a rotary disc cutter disposed across and close to the anvil roller and fitted on a shaft rotatably height adjustably mounted in the first vertical oblong slots in the first vertical side plates and stressed by tension springs in abutment with the edges of first setting screws secured through the top horizontal member of the fourth supporting structure in thread engagement therewith and provided with first lock nuts.
8. Arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the film pulling units comprises a pair of horizontally contrarotatable rollers disposed one below the other in contact and having their shafts rotatably mounted in a second pair of second vertical oblong slots provided in a pair of spaced second vertical side plates of a fifth supporting structure, the top roller being height adjustable with second setting screws secured through the top horizontal member of the fourth supporting structure in thread engagement therewith, the edges of the second setting screws being provided with second lock nuts.
9. Arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein the intermittent differential drive unit comprises a geared motor connected to the feed conveyor, contrarotatable conveyors, film scoring unit, waste film carrying conveyor and film pulling units through sprockets and chains and gears and a 6-station. Geneva drive, in which the teeth ratio of the sprocket on the geared motor shaft to the sprocket on the Geneva driver shaft in 2:3 and the teeth ratio of the sprocket on the geared motor shaft to each of the sprockets of the feed conveyor, contrarotatable conveyors, film scoring unit, waste film carrying conveyor and each of the film pulling units is 1:1 and the teeth ratio of the gears of the shafts of the film scoring unit and each pulling unit is 1:1.
10. Arrangement for making textured film solid cleanser holders substantially as herein described particularly with reference to FIGS. 1 to 18 of the accompanying drawings.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A centrifuge and disposable combination for centrifugally separating a composite fluid into component parts thereof comprising
a rotor comprising
a plurality of composite fluid containmentseparation areas, each fluid containmentseparation area comprising
a composite fluid area;
a component collection area; and
a fluid channel;
a roller pump mechanism disposed concentrically with the rotor;
a plurality of disposables, each disposable comprising
a composite fluid bag in one of the composite fluid areas;
a component collection bag in one of the component collection areas; and
tubing in one of the fluid channels and connected to the composite fluid bag and the component collection bag of the disposable;
a motor for rotating the rotor wherein the roller pump mechanism engages the tubing of each disposable for rotating the roller pump mechanism with the rotor during separation of the composite fluid.
2. The combination of claim 1 further comprising a stopping mechanism to stop the rotation of the roller pump mechanism with the rotor wherein a separated component is pumped through the tubing of each disposable to the component collection bag.
3. The combination of claim 2 wherein the stopping mechanism is a brake to stop the rotation of the roller pump mechanism while the rotor continues to rotate.
4. The combination of claim 2 wherein the stopping mechanism changes the speed of rotation of the roller pump mechanism relative to the rotor to stop the rotation of the pump mechanism with the rotor.
5. A centrifugation configuration for centrifugally separating a composite fluid into component parts thereof, said configuration comprising
a rotor comprising
a plurality of fluid containmentseparation areas, each fluid containmentseparation area comprising
a composite fluid area; and
a component collection area;
a roller pump mechanism disposed concentrically with the rotor;
a plurality of fluid channels wherein each fluid channel is disposed in fluid communication with a composite fluid area and disposed in fluid communication with a component collection area; whereby each fluid channel is adapted to engage said roller pump mechanism so as to provide a fluid pumping relationship for moving a respective separated component from each composite fluid area to each component collection area through each fluid channel.
6. A centrifugation configuration according to claim 5 in which each composite fluid area comprises a first bag; and each component collection area comprises a second bag.
7. A centrifugation configuration according to claim 5 in which said roller pump mechanism is operable to move with said rotor when not engaged in a pumping operation and alternately operable to be disengaged from said rotor when operating in a pumping operation.
8. A centrifugation configuration according to claim 5 wherein the composite fluid to be separated is whole blood and the whole blood is separated into first and second components, namely, a heavier phase component and a lighter phase component.
9. A centrifugation configuration according to claim 8 wherein the heavier phase component includes red blood cells and the lighter phase component includes plasma.
10. The centrifuge configuration of claim 8 wherein said rotor further comprises at least one sensor for sensing the flow of heavier phase component from each composite fluid area to said fluid channel and for producing a signal in response thereto.
11. The centrifuge configuration of claim 10 wherein said rotor further comprises at least one clamp for receiving the signal from said sensor and for clamping at least one fluid channel in response thereto.
12. The centrifuge configuration of claim 11 wherein said rotor further comprises a battery mounted on said rotor for providing electricity to said clamp.
13. The centrifuge configuration of claim 10 wherein said rotor further comprises a generator mounted on said rotor to provide electricity to said sensor.
14. A centrifugation configuration according to claim 5 wherein the composite fluid to be separated is whole blood and the whole blood is separated into a heavier phase red blood cell component and a lighter phase plasma component and an intermediate phase platelet component.
15. A centrifugation configuration according to claim 5 wherein each composite fluid area comprises
a disposable composite fluid container;
wherein each component collection area comprises
a component collection container;
wherein each fluid channel comprises
a tubing line; whereby each composite fluid container is connected to one of said component collection containers by said tubing line to form a connected disposable system, and whereby each tubing line is adapted to be engaged with said roller pump mechanism.
16. A centrifugation configuration according to claim 15 wherein the disposable system further comprises a second component container; and whereby said second component container is connected to said composite fluid container by said tubing line.
17. The centrifugation configuration of claim 5 further comprising a centrifugal drive motor base wherein said rotor is disposed in an operable rotor-driving position on said centrifugal drive motor base.
18. The centrifugation configuration of claim 17 wherein said roller pump mechanism is engaged with said centrifugal drive motor base during a separation stage, and further comprising a brake for disengaging said roller pump mechanism from said centrifugal drive motor base during a pumping operation.
19. A centrifugation configuration according to claim 18 in which said roller pump mechanism is operable to move with said rotor when not engaged in a pumping operation and alternately operable to be not engaged with said rotor when operating in a pumping operation.
20. The centrifugation configuration of claim 17 wherein said roller pump mechanism is engaged with said centrifugal drive motor base during a separation stage to rotate with said rotor and further comprising a mechanism for changing the speed of one of said rotor or said roller pump mechanism so that said roller pump mechanism and rotor have relative motion with respect to the other during a pumping operation.
21. The centrifuge configuration of claim 5 further comprising
a plurality of buckets, each bucket containing one of said composite fluid containmentseparation areas wherein each bucket comprises
a wall separating said bucket into said composite fluid area and said component collection area.
22. The centrifuge configuration of claim 5 further comprising
a plurality of buckets, each bucket containing one of said composite fluid containmentseparation area; and
a moveable expresser in each said bucket.
23. The centrifugation configuration of claim 5 wherein the rotor comprises a pump raceway for receiving each fluid channel and the roller pump mechanism further comprises a roller adapted to engage each fluid channel.
24. A centrifuge for separating a blood composite fluid into components comprising
a rotor comprising
a plurality of separation areas fixedly mounted thereon, wherein each separation area comprises
a blood composite fluid area; and
an associated component collection area; and
a roller pump assembly cooperating with the rotor and adapted to pump separated components from each blood composite fluid area to each associated component collection area.