Title:  Method of manufacturing caplets with a gelatin cover

United States Patent:  6,126,767

Inventors:  Smith; Floyd S. (Kalamazoo, MI); Crim; Mark E. (Allegan, MI)

Appl. No.:  312819

Disclosed is a novel simulated capsule medicament consisting of a solid core covered with two shrink-wrapped, hard-shell gelatin capsule halves. The solid cores are covered with the hard-shell gelatin capsule halves by individually shrink-wrapping onto first one end of the core a first hard-shell gelatin capsule half and then individually shrink-wrapping onto a second end of the core a second hard-shell gelatin capsule half.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention thus provides a novel simulated capsule medicament consisting of a solid core, such as a caplet, covered with two shrink-wrapped, hard-shell gelatin capsule halves. The solid cores are covered with the hard-shell gelatin capsule halves by individually shrink-wrapping onto first one end of the core a first hard-shell gelatin capsule half and then individually shrink-wrapping onto a second end of the core a second hard-shell gelatin capsule half. The two shrink-wrapped capsule halves preferably abut, but do not overlap, at a point about midway of a longitudinal axis of the medicament. Any gap between the two shrink-wrapped capsule halves may be covered by transverse banding the covered caplet with a standard gelatin band. In one embodiment, the two shrink-wrapped hard-shell gelatin capsule halves may be of different colors to form a simulated two color, capsule-like medicament.

Claim 1 of 10 Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A method for covering a caplet with hard-shell gelatin capsule halves to produce a simulated capsule-like medicament comprising:

(a) providing a first holding means and a second holding means for said caplet;

(b) inserting a first end of said caplet into said first caplet holding means while leaving a second end of said caplet exposed;

(c) placing a hard-shell gelatin capsule half on said second exposed end of said caplet;

(d) dipping said hard-shell capsule covered second exposed end of said caplet into a hot water bath to plasticize said hard-shell capsule half;

(e) permitting said plasticized hard-shell capsule half to dry to form a shrink-wrapped hard-shell covered second end;

(f) displacing said caplet from said first holding means;

(g) inserting said hard-shell capsule covered second end of said caplet into said second caplet holding means while leaving said first end of said caplet exposed;

(h) placing a hard-shell gelatin capsule half on said first exposed end of said caplet;

(i) dipping said hard-shell capsule covered first exposed end of said caplet into a hot water bath to plasticize said hard-shell capsule half;

(j) permitting said plasticized hard-shell capsule half to dry to form a shrink-wrapped hard-shell covered first end, said shrink-wrapped hard-shell gelatin capsule half coverings on said first and second ends substantially covering said caplet;

(k) displacing said caplet from said second holding means.

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