1. A pharmaceutical package comprising:
a substantially oxygen impermeable container;
at least one oxygen scavenging element disposed in the container; and
at least one packaged pharmaceutical product disposed in the container.
2. A pharmaceutical package as in claim 1 further comprising air disposed in the container, the at least one oxygen scavenging element disposed in the container so as to scavenge oxygen from the air within the container.
3. A pharmaceutical package as in claim 1 wherein the at least one oxygen scavenging element and the at least one packaged pharmaceutical component are vacuumed packed.
4. A pharmaceutical package as in claim 1 further comprising a support tray supporting the at least one oxygen scavenging element and the at least one packaged pharmaceutical product.
5. A pharmaceutical package as in claim 4 wherein the support tray is disposed in the container.
6. A pharmaceutical package as in claim 1 wherein the container comprises the support tray.
7. A pharmaceutical package as in claim 4 wherein the support tray has a first recess for receiving the at least one oxygen scavenging element.
8. A pharmaceutical package as in claim 7 wherein the support tray has a second recess for receiving the at least one packaged pharmaceutical product.
9. A pharmaceutical package as in claim 4 wherein the support tray is formed from thermoplastic.
10. A pharmaceutical package as in claim 9, wherein the thermoplastic is selected from the group consisting of low density polyethylene, high density polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene and polycarbonate.
11. A pharmaceutical package as in claim 9 wherein the thermoplastic further comprises an oxygen scavenger.
12. A pharmaceutical package as in claim 4 wherein the support tray further comprises an attachment element.
13. A pharmaceutical package as in claim 12, wherein the attachment element is an adhesive, Velcro, staple, nail, screw, thread, wire, or sliding groves.
14. A pharmaceutical package as in claim 4 wherein the support tray is stackable.
15. A pharmaceutical package as in claim 1 wherein the container is a flexible container.
16. A pharmaceutical package as in claim 1 wherein the container is a rigid container.
17. A pharmaceutical package as in claim 1 wherein the container comprises a metal foil, a laminate comprising metal foil, glass, oxides of silicon, or amorphous carbon.
18. A pharmaceutical package as in claim 17 wherein the metal foil comprises aluminum, zinc, nickel, tin, iron, copper, chromium, cobalt, silver, gold, magnesium, manganese, lead, galvanized iron, composite of nickel on aluminum, a composite film of iron on aluminum, a composite of zinc on silver, a composite of zinc on copper, a composite of zinc on aluminum, metal oxides, or a combination thereof.
19. A pharmaceutical package as claim 17 wherein the laminate comprises polypropylene, polyethylene, polyester, polystyrene, polyamide, EVOH, polyurethane, copolymers thereof, or blends thereof.
20. A pharmaceutical package as in claim 1 wherein the container comprises a resealable closure.
21. A pharmaceutical package as in claim 1 wherein the at least one oxygen scavenging element comprises metal particulate reactive with oxygen.
22. A pharmaceutical package as in claim 1 wherein the at least one oxygen scavenging element comprises particulate iron.
23. A pharmaceutical package as in claim 21 wherein the at least one oxygen scavenging element is substantially centrally located within the container.
24. A pharmaceutical package as in claim 1 wherein the at least one packaged pharmaceutical product comprises a pharmaceutical product disposed in an oxygen permeable package.
25. A pharmaceutical package as in claim 24 wherein the pharmaceutical product is oxygen sensitive.
26. A pharmaceutical package as in claim 24 wherein the pharmaceutical product is 5-amino-2-hydroxybenzoic acid.
27. A pharmaceutical package as in claim 1 further comprising a plurality of packaged pharmaceuticals disposed in the container.
28. A method for packaging an oxygen sensitive pharmaceutical product comprising encasing at least one packaged pharmaceutical product and at least one oxygen scavenging element in at least one substantially oxygen impermeable container.
29. A method as in claim 28 wherein the step of encasing comprises encasing air in the container and the at least one oxygen scavenging element in the container so as to scavenge oxygen from the air within the container.
30. A method as in claim 28 wherein the step of encasing comprises vacuum packing the at least one oxygen scavenging element and the at least one packaged pharmaceutical product within the container.
31. A method as in claim 28 further comprising the step of supporting the at least one oxygen scavenging element and the at least one packaged pharmaceutical product on a support tray.
32. A method as in claim 31 wherein the step of encasing comprises encasing the support tray in the container.
33. A method as in claim 28 wherein the container comprises the support tray.
34. A method as in claim 31 wherein the step of supporting comprises disposing the at least one oxygen scavenging element in a first recess in the support tray.
35. A method as in claim 34 wherein the step of supporting comprises disposing the at least one packaged pharmaceutical product in a second recess in the support tray.
36. A method as in claim 31 wherein the support tray is formed from thermoplastic.
37. A method as in claim 36 wherein the thermoplastic is selected from the group consisting of low density polyethylene, high density polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene and polycarbonate.
38. A method as in claim 36 wherein the thermoplastic further comprises an oxygen scavenger.
39. A method as in claim 31 further comprising attaching the at least one packaged pharmaceutical product central to the support tray.
40. A method as in claim 39 wherein the step of attaching comprises attaching the at least one packaged pharmaceutical product with an adhesive, Velcro, staple, nail, screw, thread, wire, or sliding groves.
41. A method as in claim 31 wherein the support tray is stackable.
42. A method as in claim 28 wherein the container is a flexible container.
43. A method as in claim 28 wherein the container is a rigid container.
44. A method as in claim 28 wherein the container comprises a metal foil, a laminate comprising metal foil, glass, oxides of silicon, or amorphous carbon.
45. A method as in claim 44 wherein the metal foil comprises aluminum, zinc, nickel, tin, iron, copper, chromium, cobalt, silver, gold, magnesium, manganese, lead, galvanized iron, composite of nickel on aluminum, a composite film of iron on aluminum, a composite of zinc on silver, a composite of zinc on copper, a composite of zinc on aluminum, metal oxides, or a combination thereof.
46. A method as in claim 44 wherein the laminate comprises polypropylene, polyethylene, polyester, polystyrene, polyamide, EVOH, polyurethane, copolymers thereof, or blends thereof.
47. A method as in claim 28 wherein the container comprises a resealable closure.
48. A method as in claim 28 wherein the at least one oxygen scavenging element comprises metal particulate reactive with oxygen.
49. A method as in claim 28 wherein the at least one oxygen scavenging element comprises particulate iron.
50. A method as in claim 49 wherein the at least one oxygen scavenging element is substantially centrally located within the container.
51. A method as in claim 28 wherein the at least one packaged pharmaceutical product comprises a pharmaceutical product disposed in an oxygen permeable package.
52. A method as in claim 51 wherein the pharmaceutical product is oxygen sensitive.
53. A method as in claim 51 wherein the pharmaceutical product is 5-amino-2-hydroxybenzoic acid.
54. A method as in claim 28 wherein the step of encasing comprises encasing a plurality of packaged pharmaceuticals disposed in the container.
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. An aligning device for a printing member in a printer,
the printer including
a supplying unit configured to hold a rolled printing member in a one-end supporting manner; and
a printing unit configured to print information of a predetermined content on the printing member that is fed in a strip from the supplying unit to a transfer path, wherein
the supplying unit includes:
an attachment tubular shaft having a cylindrical shaft to which a core tube of the printing member is applied from a free end of the cylindrical shaft, and a one-side contact circular plate disposed at a push-in end of the cylindrical shaft which is on an opposite side from the free end,
a pinion rotatably provided within the cylindrical shaft of the attachment tubular shaft and on a line across a width direction of the transfer path,
a pair of racks extending along an axial direction of the cylindrical shaft, the racks being so positioned and also engaged with the pinion such that the pair of racks are movable in opposite directions from each other;
a push-in projection at a one-side contact end of one of the racks and also projecting in a radial direction of the cylindrical shaft, and configured to push the one of the racks toward the push-in end of the cylindrical shaft by means of a core tube of the printing member;
a positioning projection swingably attached to a positioning end of the other of the racks, and configured to detachably engage with any of a plurality of positioning engagement holes defined in the cylindrical shaft, each engagement hole is at a predetermined interval along the axial direction from the other engagement holes,
wherein the push-in projection drives the racks and the pinion by the pushing of the core tube toward the push-in end of the cylindrical shaft, and the positioning projection engages with one of the positioning engagement holes in the cylindrical shaft at a position at which the core tube is determined to be at a central position across the width direction of the transfer path, whereby the core tube is positioned at the central position across the width direction.
2. The aligning device for the printing member in the printer according to claim 1, further comprising
a printing member width measuring plate that rotates in conjunction with the pinion, and the one-side contact circular plate of the attachment tubular shaft faces toward the printing member width measuring plate,
the printing member width measuring plate rotates as the core tube of the printing member pushes into the cylindrical shaft, thereby providing a predetermined width correspondent interval from the one-side contact circular plate, and
as the printing member is fed from the core tube to the transfer path, the one-side contact circular plate rotates while maintaining the width correspondent interval from the printing member width measuring plate, and the width correspondent interval is measured along with this rotation, thereby allowing calculation of a width of the printing member.
3. The aligning device for the printing member in the printer according to claim 2, wherein
the cylindrical shaft includes therein:
a first pulley configured to rotate coaxially with the pinion;
a belt that is wound around the first pulley;
a second pulley spaced away from the first pulley and around which the belt is wound; and
a bevel gear provided for the second pulley, and
the printing member width measuring plate is rotated by the bevel gear, thereby allowing measurement of the width of the printing member.
4. The aligning device for the printing member in the printer according to claim 1, further comprising:
a rack biasing member configured to bias at least one of the racks such that the at least one of the racks decreases the width corresponding to the printing member attached to the cylindrical shaft.
5. The aligning device for the printing member in the printer according to claim 1, further comprising:
a projection biasing member configured to bias the positioning projection such that the positioning projection engages with an end of the core tube through the positioning engagement hole.
6. The aligning device for the printing member in the printer according to claim 1, further comprising:
a hollow core placeable to the cylindrical shaft in an identical manner with the core tube of the printing member, wherein
the hollow core is configured to push the push-in projection toward the one-side contact circular plate, and cause the positioning projection to be set into the cylindrical shaft.
7. The aligning device for the printing member in the printer according to claim 6, further comprising:
a sectorial locking plate configured to maintain the positioning projection set into the cylindrical shaft after the hollow core pushes the push-in projection to the one-side contact circular plate and then is pulled out of the cylindrical shaft.