Storage apparatus with support structures

• US 10,045,909 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2013
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omnicell Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Aesynt, Inc. (Omnicell Incorporated)
• Inventors: Greyshock, Shawn T., Meyer, William A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ortiz, Rafael
• Application Number:
  US14/053,646
• Publication Number:
  US 20140034535A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,764 Days
• Field of Search: 206528-531, 206535, 206538, 206539, 206499, 206462, 206503, 206509, 206511, 206521, 206583, 206532, 206735, 206765, 220628
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/00 Containers specially adapted for medical or pharmaceutical purposes capsules or the like for oral use A61J3/07; specially adapted for surgical or diagnostic appliances or instruments A61B50/30; containers for radioactive substances G21F5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/007 wherein the storage and dispensing mechanism are configurable in relation to the physical or geometrical properties of the articles to be stored or dispensed
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/04 in which magazines the articles are stored one vertically above the other
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/08 arranged in two columns in staggered relationship
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/48 the storage containers or supports, e.g. magazine, being pivotally mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00

Abstract

A storage apparatus is provided. The storage apparatus defines a storage cavity having an opening at the upper surface of the storage apparatus with a substantially planar flange extending outwardly from the opening of the storage cavity and defines a plurality of support structures, each support structure (a) having an opening at the upper surface of the storage apparatus and (b) adapted to support the storage apparatus.

Claims

1. A storage apparatus for storing a pill, the storage apparatus comprising:

an upper surface defining a substantially planar flange;

a storage cavity having a first depth and an opening at the upper surface, the substantially planar flange extending outwardly from the opening of the storage cavity;

a plurality of support structures each having a second depth and an opening at the upper surface, the plurality of support structures comprising a first support structure and a second support structure, the first support structure mirroring the second support structure across a centerline of the storage apparatus; and

a substantially planar backing adhered to the substantially planar flange,

wherein;

the opening of the storage cavity (i) has a first opening cross-sectional area, (ii) the first opening cross-sectional area is sized to accept the pill, (iii) is covered by the substantially planar backing, such that the storage cavity, when covered, is sized to store the pill, and (iv) stores the pill,

the opening of each of the plurality of support structures (i) has a second opening cross-sectional area that is smaller than the first opening cross-sectional area of the opening of the storage cavity, (ii) the second opening cross-sectional area is sized to not accept the pill, and (iii) is covered by the substantially planar backing, and

the second depth of each of the plurality of support structures is greater than the first depth of the storage cavity, such that each of the plurality of support structures is configured to support the storage apparatus when resting on either a planar surface or a substantially planar backing of an adjacently positioned storage apparatus while simultaneously maintaining the storage cavity in a raised position that is not in contact with the planar surface or the substantially planar backing of the adjacently positioned storage apparatus.

2. The storage apparatus of claim 1, wherein the storage apparatus is a blister package.

3. The storage apparatus of claim 1, wherein (a) the storage cavity comprises a medication cavity and (b) each support structure has a substantially rectangular cross section.

4. The storage apparatus of claim 1, wherein each support structure extends in a direction away from the opening of the storage cavity.

5. The storage apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first support structure and the second support structure are positioned on opposite sides of the storage cavity.

6. The storage apparatus of claim 1, wherein the opening of each support structure at the upper surface of the storage apparatus comprises a substantially planar flange extending outwardly from the opening of the support structure.

7. A stack of storage apparatus, wherein each storage apparatus is for storing a pill and comprises:

an upper surface;

a storage cavity having a first depth and an opening at the upper surface, a substantially planar flange extending outwardly from the opening of the storage cavity;

a plurality of support structures each having a second depth and an opening at the upper surface, the plurality of support structures comprising a first support structure and a second support structure, the first support structure mirroring the second support structure across a centerline of the storage apparatus; and

a substantially planar backing adhered to the substantially planar flange,

wherein;

the opening of the storage cavity (i) has a first opening cross-sectional area, (ii) the first opening cross-sectional area is sized to accept the pill, (iii) is covered by the substantially planar backing, such that the storage cavity, when covered, is sized to store the pill, and (iv) stores the pill,

the opening of each of the plurality of support structures (i) has a second opening cross-sectional area that is smaller than the first opening cross-sectional area of the opening of the storage cavity, (ii) the second opening cross-sectional area is sized to not accept the pill, and (iii) is covered by the substantially planar backing, and

the second depth of each of the plurality of support structures is greater than the first depth of the storage cavity, such that each of the plurality of support structures is configured to support the storage apparatus when resting on either a planar surface or a substantially planar backing of an adjacently positioned storage apparatus while simultaneously maintaining the storage cavity in a raised position that is not in contact with the planar surface or the substantially planar backing of the adjacently positioned storage apparatus.

8. The stack of storage apparatus of claim 7, wherein for each storage apparatus, (a) the storage cavity comprises a medication cavity and (b) each support structure has a substantially rectangular cross section.

9. The stack of storage apparatus of claim 7, wherein for each storage apparatus, each support structure extends in a direction away from the opening of the storage cavity.

10. The stack of storage apparatus of claim 9, wherein for each storage apparatus, the first support structure and the second support structure are positioned on opposite sides of the storage cavity.

11. The stack of storage apparatus of claim 7, wherein stack of storage apparatus are stored in a magazine.

12. The stack of storage apparatus of claim 7, wherein for each storage apparatus, the substantially planar flange extending outwardly from each support structure is substantially parallel to the upper surface of each other storage apparatus.