Method and apparatus for manufacturing filled linkers

1. A method of manufacturing a linker including a jacket radially confining a preformed tablet, the tablet having a longitudinal axis, axial end faces intersecting the longitudinal axis, an outer surface extending between the axial end faces, and recessed lands surrounding the axial end faces, the method comprising:

a) grasping the tablet with a plurality of first pincers;

b) positioning the grasped tablet and first pincers with respect to a molding apparatus;

c) closing mold walls with respect to the tablet such that the mold walls move from a first position to a second position, the second position being radially inward of the first position with respect to the longitudinal axis of the tablet;

d) injecting jacket material to substantially cover the outer tablet surface and at least a portion of the plurality of first pincers to form the jacket, wherein jacket material flows into the recessed lands;

e) extracting the jacketed tablet and the plurality of first pincers from the molding apparatus; and

f) a removing the first pincers from the jacketed tablet.

2. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the molding apparatus includes a plurality of second pincers for at least partially supporting the tablet.

3. The method as in claim 1 , further including exposing a plurality of voids when removing the first pincers from the jacketed tablet.

4. The method as in claim 1 , wherein grasping the tablet with a plurality of first pincers includes grasping the tablet about the outer tablet surface.

5. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the grasping, positioning, injecting, extracting, and removing steps are accomplished automatically.

6. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the positioning step includes spacing an end of the tablet away from a mold end, whereby a jacket is formed with a closed axial end wall.

7. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the molding apparatus includes an inside surface having contours for forming one or more snap-fit elements on the outside of the jacket, and wherein the injecting step includes flowing jacket material around the contours to provide integral snap-fit elements.

8. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the molding apparatus includes an inside surface having a circumferential relief for forming a raised band on the linker jacket, and wherein the injecting step includes flowing jacket material into the relief to form an integral band.

9. The method as in claim 8 , wherein the injecting step includes flowing the injector material into a mold interior through the relief.

10. The method as in claim 1 , further including positioning the grasped tablet with respect to the mold apparatus via the plurality of first pincers and a plurality of second pincers.

11. The method as in claim 1 , further including positioning the tablet includes cooperatively supporting the tablet via the plurality of first pincers and a via a plurality of second pincers.

12. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the jacket is injection molded of a material selected from hydroxypropyl methylcellulose acetate succinate, polyvinyl alcohol, hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose, and acrylic or methacrylic acid-based polymers.

13. A method of manufacturing a linker including a jacket radially confining a preformed tablet, the tablet having a longitudinal axis, axial end faces intersecting the longitudinal axis, an outer surface extending between the axial end surfaces, and a recessed land surrounding one of the axial end faces, the method comprising:

grasping the tablet with a plurality of first pincers about the recessed land;

positioning the grasped tablet and the first pincers with respect to a molding apparatus;

closing mold walls with respect to the tablet such that the mold walls move from a first position to a second position, the second position being radially inward of the first position with respect to the longitudinal axis of the tablet;

injecting jacket material into the molding apparatus such that the outer surface of the tablet is substantially surrounded by the injected jacket material; and

extracting the jacketed tablet from the molding apparatus.

14. The method as in claim 13 , further including:

injecting jacket material into the recessed land and covering at least a portion of the first pincers; and

removing the first pincers from the jacketed tablet to expose a plurality of voids formed in the jacket.

15. The method as in claim 13 wherein the grasping, positioning, closing, injecting, and extracting, steps are accomplished automatically.

16. The method as in claim 13 , wherein the positioning step includes spacing an axial end face of the tablet relative to the molding apparatus so as to form a jacket with a closed axial end wall.

17. The method as in claim 13 , wherein the positioning step includes positioning the tablet relative to the molding apparatus so as to form a jacket having at least one open end wall exposing at least one of the axial end faces of the tablet.

18. The method as in claim 13 , wherein the positioning step includes positioning the tablet relative to the molding apparatus so as to form a jacket having open end walls exposing the axial end faces of the tablet.

19. The method as in claim 13 , wherein the molding apparatus includes an inside surface having contours for forming one or more snap-fit elements on the outside of the jacket, and wherein the injecting step includes flowing jacket material around the contours to provide integral snap-fit elements.

20. The method as in claim 13 , wherein the jacket is injection molded of a material selected from hydroxypropyl methylcellulose acetate succinate, polyvinyl alcohol, hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose, and acrylic or methacrylic acid-based polymers.

21. A method of manufacturing a dosage form including a jacket radially confining a preformed tablet, the tablet having a longitudinal axis, axial end faces intersecting the longitudinal axis, and a radial wall extending between the axial end faces, the method comprising:

grasping the tablet with a plurality of first pincers;

positioning the grasped tablet and the first pincers with respect to a molding apparatus;

closing mold walls with respect to the tablet such that the mold walls move from a first position to a second position, the second position being radially inward of the first position with respect to the longitudinal axis of the tablet;

injecting jacket material into the molding apparatus such that the tablet radial wall is substantially surrounded by the injected jacket material and a first one of the axial end faces is at least partially exposed; and

extracting the jacketed tablet from the molding apparatus.

22. The method as in claim 21 , further including:

injecting jacket material to cover at least a portion of the first pincers; and

removing the first pincers from the jacketed tablet to expose a plurality of voids formed in the jacket.

23. The method as in claim 21 , wherein the positioning step includes spacing the tablet relative to the molding apparatus so as to form a jacket with a closed axial end wall covering a second one of the axial end faces.

24. The method as in claim 21 , wherein the positioning step includes positioning the tablet relative to the molding apparatus such that a second axial end face is exposed.

25. The method as in claim 21 , wherein the molding apparatus includes an inside surface having contours for forming one or more snap-fit elements on the outside of the jacket, and wherein the injecting step includes flowing jacket material around the contours to provide integral snap-fit elements.

26. The method as in claim 21 , further including injecting jacket material into the molding apparatus such that at least a portion of the injected jacket material flows radially inward relative to the outer surface of the tablet toward a central axis of the tablet.

27. The method as in claim 21 , wherein the tablet further includes a recessed land surrounding one of the axial end faces, the method further including injecting jacket material into the molding apparatus such that at least a portion of the injected jacket material flows into the recessed land.

28. The method as in claim 21 , wherein the jacket is injection molded of a material selected from hydroxypropyl methylcellulose acetate succinate, polyvinyl alcohol, hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose, and acrylic or methacrylic acid-based polymers.

29. A method of manufacturing a linker including a jacket radially confining a preformed tablet, the tablet having a longitudinal axis, axial end faces intersecting the longitudinal axis, an outer surface extending between the axial end faces, and a recessed land surrounding one of the axial end faces, the method comprising:

a) grasping the tablet with a plurality of first pincers;

b) positioning the grasped tablet and first pincers with respect to a molding apparatus;

c) closing mold walls with respect to the tablet such that the mold walls move from a first position to a second position, the second position being radially inward of the first position with respect to the longitudinal axis of the tablet;

d) injecting jacket material to substantially cover the outer tablet surface and at least a portion of the plurality of first pincers to form the jacket, wherein jacket material flows into the recessed land;

e) extracting the jacketed tablet and the plurality of first pincers from the molding apparatus; and

f) removing the first pincers from the jacketed tablet.

30. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the grasping step includes grasping a radial outermost wall of the tablet with the plurality of first pincers.