Vacuum drum pill counter

• US 20030111484A1
• Filed: 08/06/2002
• Published: 06/19/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pearson Research & Development Limited
• Original Assignee: Pearson Research & Development Limited
• Inventors: Funderburk, Todd R., Pearson, Walter G., Murdock, Dennis J.
• Granted Patent: US 6,997,341 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 221/211
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/02 Pill counting devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/1657 the picking arrangements using suction
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/44 in which magazines the articles are stored in bulk
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00

Abstract

A vacuum driven pill counter having a counter housing with a pill discharge aperture formed therein. vacuum disk is rotatably positioned in the housing and has a front wall including a pill aperture and an agitating finger extending outwardly from the front wall. A vacuum source is positioned in communication with the housing and is capable of drawing a vacuum through the pill aperture in the vacuum disk. A torque source is operatively connected to the vacuum disk in order to rotate the vacuum disk. A pill shelf is positioned adjacent to the front wall of the vacuum disk and a pill separator for removing pills retained on the pill apertures by the vacuum source is connected to the pill shelf. Finally, a pill sensor is positioned to detect pills which will exit the discharge aperture.

Claims

1. A vacuum driven pill counter comprising:

a. a counter housing with a pill discharge aperture formed therein;

b. a vacuum disk rotatably positioned in said housing, said vacuum disk having a front wall including a pill aperture and an agitating finger extending outwardly from said front wall;

c. a vacuum source communicating with said housing and capable of drawing a vacuum through said pill aperture in said vacuum disk;

d. a torque source operatively connected to said vacuum disk in order to rotate said vacuum disk;

e. a pill shelf positioned adjacent to said front wall of said vacuum disk;

f. a pill separator for removing pills retained on said pill apertures by said vacuum source; and

g. a pill sensor positioned to detect pills which will exit said discharge aperture.

2. The vacuum driven pill counter according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of pill apertures with an agitating finger positioned between at least two of said plurality of pill apertures.

3. The vacuum driven pill counter according to claim 1, wherein said agitating finger comprises a flexible polymer material.

4. The vacuum driven pill counter according to claim 3, wherein said agitating finger is less than about 0.25 inches in diameter.

5. The vacuum driven pill counter according to claim 1, wherein said agitating fingers are positioned between said pill apertures.

6. The vacuum driven pill counter according to claim 1, wherein said vacuum disk is positioned on a rotating vacuum drum.

7. The vacuum driven pill counter according to claim 6, wherein said front wall of said vacuum drum is formed by a separate plate member.

8. The vacuum driven pill counter according to claim 1, wherein said front wall of said vacuum disk forms a disk face plane and said fingers extend in a direction outwardly from said disk face plane.

9. The vacuum driven pill counter according to claim 8, wherein said fingers extend in a direction substantially perpendicular from said disk face plane.

10. The vacuum driven pill counter according to claim 1, wherein said pill separator includes a channel sized to allow the passage of said agitating fingers through said pill separator.

11. The vacuum driven pill counter according to claim 1, wherein a motor mount flange is attached to a rear wall of said housing and a timing gear is position on said motor mount flange, said timing gear being positioned to transfer torque to said vacuum disk.

12. The vacuum driven pill counter according to claim 1, wherein a pill tube extends through said housing.

13. The vacuum driven pill counter according to claim 12, wherein said pill separator is positioned on said pill tube.

19. The vacuum driven pill counter according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of vacuum driven pill counters arranged in an array with each pill counter holding a separate type of pill;

20. The vacuum driven pill counter according to claim 19, said plurality of vacuum driven pill counters further including control circuitry determining which individual vacuum driven pill counter is activated and the number of pills counted.

21. A vacuum driven pill counter according to claim 1, said vacuum driven pill counter further including a gate and a sensor on a pill tube.

22. The vacuum driven pill counter according to claim 20, said plurality of vacuum driven pill counters further including a gate and a sensor on a pill tube.

14. A vacuum driven pill counter comprising:

a. a counter housing with a pill discharge aperture formed therein;

b. a vacuum drum positioned in said housing, said vacuum drum having a front wall, a rear wall, and a perimeter wall, said front wall including a plurality of pill apertures and said front wall being capable of rotating relative to said counter housing;

c. a hollow drum hub forming a vacuum connection to said vacuum drum;

d. a vacuum source drawing a vacuum through said drum hub in order to induce a vacuum through said pill apertures in said vacuum drum;

e. a torque source operatively connected to said vacuum drum in order to rotate said vacuum drum;

f. a pill shelf positioned adjacent to said front wall of said vacuum drum;

g. a pill separator for removing pills retained on said pill apertures by said vacuum source; and

h. a pill sensor positioned to detect pills which will exit said discharge aperture.

15. The vacuum driven pill counter according to claim 14, wherein said front wall is fixed to said vacuum drum and said vacuum drum rotates relative to said counter housing.

16. A vacuum driven pill counter comprising:

a. a counter housing with a pill discharge aperture formed therein;

b. a vacuum disk rotatably positioned in said housing, said vacuum disk having a pill aperture formed therein;

c. a vacuum source communicating with said housing and capable of drawing a vacuum through said pill aperture in said vacuum disk;

d. a torque source operatively connected to said vacuum disk in order to rotate said vacuum disk;

e. a pill shelf positioned adjacent to said front wall of said vacuum disk;

f a pill separator for removing pills retained on said pill apertures by said vacuum source;

g. a pill sensor positioned to detect pills which will exit said discharge aperture; and

h. a selective pill feeder having a passage communicating to said pill shelf, said pill feeder regulating the pills allowed to accumulate on said pill shelf by restricting and unrestricting said passage.

17. A pill packaging apparatus comprising:

a. a pill packager capable of receiving a plurality of pills at a pill collection point, directing said plurality of pills to a first pill package, sealing said pills in said first pill package, and advancing a second pill package to said collection point; and

b. a plurality of pill counting devices each directing counted pills to said pill collection point, each of said pill counting devices further including a rotating disk utilizing a vacuum source to move pills through said counting devices.

18. A pill packaging apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said rotating disk has a agitating finger formed thereon.

23. A plate member for use in a vacuum driven pill counter, said plate member comprising:

a. a plate body having a front wall;

b. a plurality of apertures form around the circumference of said plate body and formed through said plate body; and

c. at least one agitating finger connected to and extending outwardly from said front wall and positioned between two of said plurality of apertures.