Hard capsule containing multiple joints

Abstract

To provide a hard capsule whose upper part includes multiple locking parts, thereby allowing the manufacture of hard capsules with various specifications.SOLUTION: A hard capsule comprises a hard capsule upper part 200 and a hard capsule lower part 300. The hard capsule upper part 200 includes a first upper locking part 211 and a second upper locking part 212.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a hard capsule having a top portion including a plurality of connecting portions, which allows hard capsules of various specifications to be manufactured. [Background technology]

[0002] People take drugs and health functional foods to treat illnesses, improve their health, etc. The most common dosage form for oral drugs or health functional foods is tablets, which can be broadly divided into tablets and capsules, and capsules can be broadly divided into soft capsules and hard capsules.

[0003] Tablets are a form in which solidified medicine is coated to dissolve and be absorbed in the body. Soft capsules are generally made using gelatin, and are produced by placing active ingredients and additives between two sheets made of gelatin, and then applying pressure to the sheets to form a soft capsule. Therefore, soft capsules are formed in one piece without any separation or cracks. Hard capsules have an outer shell with the top and bottom joined together, and are produced by placing active ingredients and additives inside. In general, hard capsules are easier and less expensive to produce than soft capsules.

[0004] Hard capsules can be manufactured using either cold gelation or thermal gelation, depending on their gel properties. The thermal gelation method utilizes the gelation of HPMC (hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose) at high temperatures. Specifically, it utilizes the gelation of a hard capsule composition by immersing a hot mold pin in a hard capsule composition at room temperature or above, which gels and adheres to the heated mold pin. The cold gelation method utilizes a gelling agent, in which the mold pin is immersed in a hard capsule composition containing the gelling agent at room temperature or above and then dried. In both the cold gelation and thermal gelation methods, the immersed mold pin is dried, and then the upper and lower hard capsules are separated from the mold pins and assembled. The upper and lower hard capsules are then separated in a filling machine, and active ingredients are inserted inside. The upper and lower hard capsules are then reassembled to produce a final product, such as a drug or health functional food.

[0005] Meanwhile, hard capsule sizes are standardized, and hard capsules of an appropriate size are selected depending on the amount and characteristics of the active ingredients to be placed inside the hard capsule. However, by joining the top and bottom of a hard capsule of a specific size, only hard capsules of a specific size can be manufactured, and hard capsules of various sizes cannot be manufactured. Therefore, in order to manufacture hard capsules of various sizes, there is a problem that hard capsules of various sizes must be prepared or manufactured. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Korean Utility Model Registration No. 20-0202632 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The present invention is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems, and makes it possible to manufacture hard capsules of various specifications by joining the upper and lower parts of hard capsules each having a plurality of joining portions. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To achieve this, multiple joints can be formed to produce hard capsules of various specifications. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] By joining the upper and lower parts of the hard capsule according to the present invention, hard capsules of various specifications can be manufactured.

[0010] The hard capsule according to the present invention can be used to manufacture hard capsules of various specifications, which can increase the production speed and simplify the manufacturing process.

[0011] The hard capsules according to the present invention can be used to manufacture hard capsules of various specifications, and by manufacturing only hard capsules according to the present invention, inventory management can be made easier. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is what a conventional hard capsule looks like. [Figure 2] 1 shows the appearance of a hard capsule according to one embodiment before bonding. [Figure 3] 10 shows a state of temporary bonding according to one embodiment. [Figure 4] 1 illustrates a first coupling state according to an embodiment. [Figure 5] 10 illustrates a second coupling state according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] The present invention can be achieved entirely by the following description. The following description should be understood as describing specific examples of the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto. Also, it should be understood that the attached drawings are for the purpose of aiding understanding, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0014] The embodiments of the present disclosure can be modified in various ways and implemented in various forms, and therefore should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives within the scope of the same idea and technical features of the present disclosure.

[0015] The specifications for hard capsules are as shown in Table 1 below. Table 1 lists the length of the hard capsule upper part (Cap) and lower part (Body), the length in the partially joined state (Open L), the length in the joined state (Closed L), and the outside diameter of the hard capsule upper part (Cap) and lower part (Body).

[0016] [Table 1]

[0017] The hard capsule 100 is composed of a hard capsule upper part 200 and a hard capsule lower part 300, with the diameter of the hard capsule upper part 200 being larger than that of the hard capsule lower part 300. Therefore, the hard capsule lower part 300 is inserted into the hard capsule upper part 200 to form the hard capsule 100. The hard capsule upper part 200 and the hard capsule lower part 300 are formed with an upper connecting part 210 and a lower connecting part 310, respectively. The connecting parts 210 and 310 are concave, so that the hard capsule upper part 200 and the hard capsule lower part 300 cannot be separated when they are connected.

[0018] The present disclosure will be described in more detail with reference to the following examples, but the present disclosure is not limited to these examples.

[0019] Example 1 Two connecting parts were formed in the hard capsule upper part 200, and a mold pin capable of manufacturing capsules of size #00EL and size #00 was manufactured. Then, transparent hard capsule upper and lower parts were manufactured using a capsule manufacturing process (SUHEUNG's EMBO CAPS® VG PRO).

[0020] As shown in Fig. 2, the hard capsule upper part 200 of Example 1 is formed with a first upper joint part 211 and a second upper joint part 212. The hard capsule lower part 300 of Example 1 is formed with a lower joint part 310. The provisionally joined state of the hard capsule of Example 1 is shown in Fig. 3.

[0021] 4, the first coupling state is the state in which the first upper coupling portion 211 of the hard capsule upper portion 200 of Example 1 is in contact with the lower coupling portion 310 of the hard capsule lower portion 300. The first coupling state corresponds to Size #00.

[0022] 5, the second coupling state is a state in which the second upper coupling portion 212 of the hard capsule upper portion 200 of Example 1 is in contact with the lower coupling portion 310 of the hard capsule lower portion 300. The second coupling state corresponds to Size #00EL.

[0023] <Comparative Examples 1 and 2> Hard capsules of only one size were produced using a capsule manufacturing process (SUHEUNG EMBO CAPS VG PRO). Comparative Example 1 corresponds to Size #00EL, and Comparative Example 2 corresponds to Size #00.

[0024] <Comparative Experiment of Filling Properties between Example 1 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2> The filling properties of the capsules of Size #00EL and Size #00 manufactured in Example 1 were compared with those of Comparative Examples 1 and 2 (Size #00EL and Size #00). As a result, it was confirmed that the filling properties of the method of Example 1 were the same as those of Comparative Examples 1 and 2.

[0025] [Table 2] [Explanation of symbols]

[0026] 100: Hard capsule 200: Hard capsule top 210: Joint at the top of the hard capsule 211: First upper joint of hard capsule 212: Second upper joint of hard capsule 300: Lower part of hard capsule 310: Joint at the bottom of the hard capsule

Claims

1. In a hard capsule consisting of an upper hard capsule and a lower hard capsule, the hard capsule upper portion includes a first annular upper coupling portion and a second annular upper coupling portion; the hard capsule lower portion includes one annular lower joint portion; In the first coupled state, the first upper coupling portion and the lower coupling portion are coupled to each other along the entire periphery, In the second coupled state, the second upper coupling portion and the lower coupling portion are coupled to each other along the entire periphery, The hard capsule has a lower portion formed with only the lower coupling portion as a coupling portion coupled to the first upper coupling portion and the second upper coupling portion, the first upper joint portion, the second upper joint portion, and the lower joint portion have inner circumferential surfaces each having an arc-shaped cross section extending toward the center line of the hard capsule when cut along a plane passing through the center line of the hard capsule; the outer peripheral surfaces of the first upper joint portion, the second upper joint portion, and the lower joint portion have a vertical cross section cut along a plane passing through a center line of the hard capsule, the vertical cross section having an arc shape recessed toward the center line; The hard capsule has a different size in the first combined state and the second combined state.

2. A hard capsule as described in claim 1, characterized in that the upper part of the hard capsule is formed with only one first upper joining part and one second upper joining part as joining parts that join with the lower joining part.

Images