Smart tray for dispensing medicaments
First Claim
1. A tray for dispensing medicament units, comprising:
- a housing;
a chamber within the housing to store the medicament units;
an outlet defined in the housing to dispense the medicament units; and
a rotatable disk within the housing and defining a radial groove configured to hold at least one medicament unit, the rotatable disk being positioned between the storage chamber and the outlet whereby when the rotatable disk rotates, the radial groove carries the at least one medicament unit from the chamber to the outlet.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The invention relates to a method and system that utilizes one or more cassettes or trays, which hold one or more types of medicaments, the cassettes or trays being configured for secure and intelligent dispensing of the medicaments. In one embodiment, a smart tray for dispensing medicaments includes: a housing; a chamber within the housing to store the medicament units; an outlet defined in the housing to dispense the medicament units; and a rotatable disk within the housing and defining at least one radial groove configured to hold at least one medicament unit, the rotatable disk being positioned between the storage chamber and the outlet whereby when the rotatable disk rotates, the at least one radial groove carries the at least one medicament unit from the chamber to the outlet. In a further embodiment, the smart tray includes a memory device within the housing to store information pertaining to the medicament units stored in the tray and/or information pertaining to the status or operation of the tray.
165 Citations
162 Claims
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1. A tray for dispensing medicament units, comprising:
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a housing;
a chamber within the housing to store the medicament units;
an outlet defined in the housing to dispense the medicament units; and
a rotatable disk within the housing and defining a radial groove configured to hold at least one medicament unit, the rotatable disk being positioned between the storage chamber and the outlet whereby when the rotatable disk rotates, the radial groove carries the at least one medicament unit from the chamber to the outlet. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101)
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42. A medicaments dispensing tray for dispensing medicament units, the tray adapted for use in conjunction with a medicaments dispensing machine, the tray comprising:
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a housing;
a chamber within the housing to store the medicament units;
an outlet defined in the housing to dispense the medicament units;
a rotatable disk assembly within the housing and defining at least one radial groove for holding at least one medicament unit, whereby when the rotatable disk assembly rotates, the radial groove carries the at least one medicament unit from the chamber to the outlet; and
a compressible medium located within the housing for pushing the stored medicament units from the chamber onto the rotatable disk assembly. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65)
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66. A medicaments dispensing tray for dispensing medicament units, the tray being used in conjunction with a medicaments dispensing machine, the tray comprising:
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a housing;
a chamber within the housing to store the medicament units;
an outlet defined in the housing to dispense the medicament units;
a sorting mechanism located in the housing for carrying medicament units from the chamber to the outlet;
a first scanner associated with the chamber for identifying at least one physical characteristic of the stored medicament units;
a memory device adapted to store information pertaining to the medicament units;
a second scanner associated with the outlet for counting the number of medicament units dispensed; and
a communication circuit adapted to communicate with the medicaments dispensing machine. - View Dependent Claims (67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81)
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82. A method for dispensing at least one medicament unit from a medicaments dispensing tray, the tray adapted for use in conjunction with a medicaments dispensing machine, the medicaments dispensing machine being capable of communicating over an electronic network, the tray comprising a memory and a medium for communicating with the medicaments dispensing machine, the method comprising the acts of:
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a. receiving a request for dispensing of a medicament unit;
b. obtaining information regarding the authenticity of medicaments based on at least one physical characteristic of the medicament unit;
c. obtaining information regarding the authenticity of a prescription for the medicament units from the electronic network;
d. verifying the validity of the request for dispensing by comparing the information obtained from acts b and c with information stored in the memory;
e. dispensing a medicament unit responsive to a valid request;
f. calculating the number of medicaments remaining in the tray using information stored in the memory;
g. updating the information stored in the memory; and
h. sending the updated information over the electronic network.
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102. A tray for dispensing medicament units, comprising:
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a housing;
a chamber within the housing to store the medicament units;
an outlet defined in the housing to dispense the medicament units;
a dispensing mechanism within the housing having a compartment for holding at least one medicament unit, and configured to transport at least one medicament unit from the chamber to the outlet for dispensing;
a scanning device associated with the chamber for identifying at least one physical characteristic of the medicament units stored in the chamber; and
wherein the tray is configured to be coupled to a medicaments dispensing machine and the tray further comprises at least one communication port for coupling the scanning device to circuitry within the medicaments dispensing machine, wherein the circuitry receives data from the scanning device to determine if incorrect or counterfeit medicament units are stored in the tray.
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103. A tray for dispensing medicament units, comprising:
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a housing;
a chamber within the housing to store the medicament units;
an outlet defined in the housing to dispense the medicament units;
a dispensing mechanism within the housing configured to transport at least one medicament unit from the chamber to the outlet for dispensing; and
a scanning device associated with the chamber for identifying at least one physical characteristic of the medicament units stored in the chamber, wherein the scanning device comprises a spectrometer for chemically analyzing the medicament units stored in the chamber.
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104. A tray for dispensing medicament units, comprising:
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a housing;
a chamber within the housing to store the medicament units;
an outlet defined in the housing to dispense the medicament units; and
a dispensing mechanism within the housing configured to transport at least one medicament unit from the chamber to the outlet for dispensing; and
a scanning device located adjacent to the outlet for counting each medicament unit that is dispensed from the outlet;
wherein the tray is configured to be coupled to a medicaments dispensing machine, the tray further comprising at least one communication port for coupling the scanning device to circuitry within the medicaments dispensing machine, wherein the circuitry receives data from the scanning device thereby to determine if incorrect or counterfeit medicament units are being dispensed by the medicaments dispensing tray.
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105. A tray for dispensing medicament units, comprising:
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a housing;
a chamber within the housing to store the medicament units;
an outlet defined in the housing to dispense the medicament units; and
a dispensing mechanism within the housing configured to transport at least one medicament unit from the chamber to the outlet for dispensing; and
a scanning device located adjacent to the outlet for counting each medicament unit that is dispensed from the outlet, wherein the scanning device comprises a spectrometer for chemically analyzing the medicament units dispensed at the outlet.
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106. A tray for dispensing medicament units, comprising:
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a housing;
a chamber within the housing to store the medicament units;
an outlet defined in the housing to dispense the medicament units;
a dispensing mechanism within the housing having a compartment for holding at least one medicament unit, and configured to transport at least one medicament unit from the chamber to the outlet for dispensing;
a scanning device associated with the chamber for identifying at least one physical characteristic of the medicament units stored in the chamber; and
wherein the tray is configured to be coupled to a medicaments dispensing machine and the tray further comprises at least one communication port for coupling the scanning device to circuitry within the medicaments dispensing machine, wherein the circuitry receives data from the scanning device to determine if incorrect or counterfeit medicament units are stored in the tray and wherein the medicaments dispensing machine drives the dispensing mechanism.
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107. A tray for dispensing medicament units, comprising:
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a housing;
a chamber within the housing to store the medicament units;
an outlet defined in the housing to dispense the medicament units; and
a dispensing mechanism within the housing configured to transport at least one medicament unit from the chamber to the outlet for dispensing;
wherein the tray is configured to be coupled to a medicaments dispensing machine, wherein the medicaments dispensing machine drives the dispensing mechanism, and wherein the tray is configured to be inserted into a slot of the medicaments dispensing machine, the tray further comprising an alignment element for aligning the tray during insertion of the tray into the slot of the medicaments dispensing machine. - View Dependent Claims (108)
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109. A tray for dispensing medicament units, comprising:
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a housing;
a chamber within the housing to store the medicament units;
an outlet defined in the housing to dispense the medicament units;
a dispensing mechanism within the housing configured to transport at least one medicament unit from the chamber to the outlet for dispensing;
a memory device for storing information pertaining to medicament units;
communication circuitry coupled to the memory device and adapted for communicating the information stored in the memory device to a device external to the tray; and
programmable logic circuitry for executing logic functions performed by the medicaments dispensing tray, wherein the logic comprises determining if the tray is coupled to medicaments loading equipment, coupled to a medicaments dispensing machine, in shipping transit mode, or in inventory mode. - View Dependent Claims (110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115)
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116. A medicaments dispensing tray for dispensing medicament units, the tray adapted for use in conjunction with a medicaments dispensing machine, the tray comprising:
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a housing;
a chamber within the housing to store the medicament units;
an outlet defined in the housing to dispense the medicament units;
a rotatable disk within the housing and defining at least one compartment for holding at least one medicament unit, whereby when the rotatable disk rotates, the compartment carries the at least one medicament unit from the chamber to the outlet; and
a compressible medium located within the housing for pushing stored medicament units from the chamber onto the rotatable disk. - View Dependent Claims (117)
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118. A medicaments dispensing tray for dispensing medicament units, the tray adapted for use in conjunction with a medicaments dispensing machine, the tray comprising:
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a housing;
a chamber within the housing to store the medicament units;
an outlet defined in the housing to dispense the medicament units;
a movable medium within the housing having a compartment for holding at least one medicament unit, wherein the movable medium is configured to transport the at least one medicament unit in the compartment from the chamber to the outlet for dispensing; and
a compressible medium located within the housing for transferring at least one stored medicament unit from the chamber into the compartment.
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119. A tray for dispensing medicament units, comprising:
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a housing;
a chamber within the housing to store the medicament units;
an outlet defined in the housing to dispense the medicament units;
a dispensing mechanism configured to move at least one medicament unit from the chamber to the outlet; and
a compressible medium located within the chamber and configured to expand as medicament units are dispensed so as to push remaining medicaments units toward the dispensing mechanism. - View Dependent Claims (120, 121, 122)
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123. A tray for dispensing medicament units, comprising:
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a housing;
a chamber within the housing to store the medicament units;
an outlet defined in the housing to dispense the medicament units;
a dispensing mechanism configured to transport at least one medicament unit from the chamber to the outlet; and
a compressible medium located within the chamber and configured to expand so as to reduce movement of the medicament units stored within the chamber. - View Dependent Claims (124, 125)
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126. A tray for dispensing medicament units, comprising:
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a housing;
a chamber within the housing to store the medicament units;
an outlet defined in the housing to dispense the medicament units;
a dispensing mechanism configured to transport at least one medicament unit from the chamber to the outlet; and
a compressible medium located within the chamber and configured to move remaining medicaments units toward the dispensing mechanism.
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127. A tray for dispensing medicament units, comprising:
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a housing;
a chamber within the housing to store the medicament units;
an outlet defined in the housing to dispense the medicament units;
a dispensing mechanism configured to transport at least one medicament unit from the chamber to the outlet; and
a compressible medium located within the chamber and configured to expand as medicament units are dispensed.
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128. A tray for dispensing medicament units, comprising:
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a housing;
a chamber within the housing to store the medicament units;
an outlet defined in the housing to dispense the medicament units;
a dispensing mechanism configured to transport at least one medicament unit from the chamber to the outlet; and
a compressible medium located within the chamber and configured to be decompressed so as to reduce movement of the medicament units stored within the chamber.
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129. A tray for dispensing medicament units, comprising:
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a housing;
a chamber within the housing to store the medicament units;
an outlet defined in the housing to dispense the medicament units;
a dispensing mechanism configured to transport at least one medicament unit from the chamber to the outlet; and
a compressible medium located within the chamber and configured to expand so as to ensure dispensing of substantially all the medicament units stored within the chamber.
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130. A medicaments dispensing tray for dispensing medicament units, the tray adapted for use in conjunction with a medicaments dispensing machine, the tray comprising:
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a housing;
a chamber within the housing to store the medicament units;
an outlet defined in the housing to dispense the medicament units; and
a rotatable disk within the housing and defining at least one compartment configured to hold at least one medicament unit, the rotatable disk being positioned between the storage chamber and the outlet whereby when the rotatable disk rotates, the at least one compartment carries the at least one medicament unit from the chamber to the outlet.
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131. A medicaments dispensing tray for dispensing medicament units, the tray adapted for use in conjunction with a medicaments dispensing machine, the tray comprising:
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a housing;
a chamber within the housing to store the medicament units;
an outlet defined in the housing to dispense the medicament units; and
a rotatable disk within the housing and defining at least one compartment configured to hold at least one medicament unit, the rotatable disk being positioned between the chamber and the outlet whereby when the rotatable disk rotates, the at least one compartment carries the at least one medicament unit from the chamber to the outlet, and wherein the compartment is adjustable in at least one dimension to accommodate a medicament unit of predetermined size. - View Dependent Claims (132)
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133. A medicaments dispensing tray for dispensing medicament units, the tray adapted for use in conjunction with a medicaments dispensing machine, the tray comprising:
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a housing;
a chamber within the housing to store the medicament units;
an outlet defined in the housing to dispense the medicament units; and
a rotatable disk within the housing and defining at least one compartment configured to hold at least one medicament unit, the rotatable disk being positioned between the chamber and the outlet whereby when the rotatable disk rotates, the at least one compartment carries the at least one medicament unit from the chamber to the outlet.
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134. A medicaments dispensing tray for dispensing medicament units, the tray adapted for use in conjunction with a medicaments dispensing machine, the tray comprising:
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a housing;
a chamber within the housing to store the medicament units;
an outlet defined in the housing to dispense the medicament units; and
a rotatable disk within the housing and defining at least one compartment configured to hold at least one medicament unit, the rotatable disk being positioned whereby when the rotatable disk rotates, the at least one compartment carries the at least one medicament unit from the chamber to the outlet, and wherein the compartment is sized to accommodate a predetermined quantity of medicament units.
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135. A medicaments dispensing tray for dispensing medicament units, comprising:
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a housing;
a chamber within the housing to store the medicament units;
an outlet defined in the housing to dispense the medicament units; and
a dispensing mechanism configured to dispense at least one medicament unit via the outlet; and
a compressible medium located within the chamber configured to push the at least one medicament unit from the storage chamber to the dispensing mechanism.
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136. A medicaments dispensing tray for dispensing medicament units, comprising:
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a housing;
a chamber within the housing to store the medicament units;
an outlet defined in the housing;
a dispensing mechanism within the housing configured to dispense at least one medicament unit via the outlet; and
a compressible medium located within the housing configured to push the at least one medicament unit from the storage chamber to the dispensing mechanism and to expand to occupy substantially all of the space within the chamber.
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137. A medicaments dispensing tray for dispensing medicament units, comprising:
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a housing;
a chamber within the housing to store the medicament units;
an outlet defined in the housing;
a dispensing mechanism within the housing configured to dispense at least one medicament unit via the outlet; and
a compressible medium located within the housing configured to push the at least one medicament unit from the storage chamber to the dispensing mechanism and to expand as medicament units are dispensed from the tray.
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138. A medicaments dispensing tray for dispensing medicament units, comprising:
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a housing;
a chamber within the housing to store the medicament units;
an outlet defined in the housing;
a dispensing mechanism within the housing configured to dispense at least one medicament unit via the outlet;
a scanning device associated with the chamber for identifying at least one physical characteristic of the medicament units stored in the chamber; and
wherein the tray is configured to be coupled to a medicaments dispensing machine, the tray further comprising at least one communication port for coupling the scanning device to circuitry within the medicaments dispensing machine, wherein the circuitry receives data from the scanning device to determine if incorrect or counterfeit medicament units are stored in the tray.
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139. A medicaments dispensing tray for dispensing medicament units, comprising:
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a housing;
a chamber within the housing to store the medicament units;
an outlet defined in the housing;
a dispensing mechanism within the housing configured to dispense at least one medicament unit via the outlet; and
a scanning device associated with the chamber for identifying at least one physical characteristic of the medicament units stored in the chamber, wherein the scanning device comprises a spectrometer for chemically analyzing the medicament units stored in the chamber.
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140. A medicaments dispensing tray for dispensing medicament units, comprising:
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a housing;
a chamber within the housing to store the medicament units;
an outlet defined in the housing; and
a dispensing mechanism within the housing configured to dispense at least one medicament unit via the outlet; and
a scanning device located adjacent to the outlet for counting each medicament unit that is dispensed from the outlet;
wherein the tray is configured to be coupled to a medicaments dispensing machine, the tray further comprising at least one communication port for coupling the scanning device to circuitry within the medicaments dispensing machine, and wherein the circuitry receives data from the scanning device thereby to determine if incorrect or counterfeit medicament units are being dispensed by the medicaments dispensing tray.
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141. A medicaments dispensing tray for dispensing medicament units, comprising:
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a housing;
a chamber within the housing to store the medicament units;
an outlet defined in the housing;
a dispensing mechanism within the housing configured to dispense at least one medicament unit via the outlet; and
a scanning device located adjacent to the outlet for counting each medicament unit that is dispensed from the outlet;
wherein the scanning device comprises a spectrometer for chemically analyzing the medicament units dispensed at the outlet.
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142. A medicaments dispensing tray for dispensing medicament units, comprising:
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a housing;
a chamber within the housing to store the medicament units;
an outlet defined in the housing;
a dispensing mechanism within the housing configured to dispense at least one medicament unit via the outlet;
a memory device for storing information pertaining to medicament units;
communication circuitry coupled to the memory device and adapted for communicating the information stored in the memory device to a device external to the tray; and
programmable logic circuitry within the housing and configured to execute logic functions performed by the medicaments dispensing tray;
wherein the logic comprises determining if the tray is coupled to medicaments loading equipment, coupled to a medicaments dispensing machine, in shipping transit mode, or in inventory mode. - View Dependent Claims (143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148)
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149. A medicaments dispensing tray for dispensing medicament units, comprising:
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a housing;
a chamber within the housing to store the medicament units;
an outlet defined in the housing to dispense the medicament units; and
a movable medium configured to carry at least one of the stored medicament units from the chamber to the outlet; and
a compressible medium located within the chamber configured to push the at least one medicament unit from the storage chamber to the dispensing mechanism.
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150. A medicaments dispensing tray for dispensing medicament units, comprising:
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a housing;
a chamber within the housing to store the medicament units;
an outlet defined in the housing;
a movable medium configured to carry at least one of the stored medicament units from the chamber to the outlet; and
a compressible medium located within the housing configured to push the at least one medicament unit from the storage chamber to the dispensing mechanism and to expand to occupy substantially all of the space within the chamber.
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151. A medicaments dispensing tray for dispensing medicament units, comprising:
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a housing;
a chamber within the housing to store the medicament units;
an outlet defined in the housing;
a movable medium configured to carry at least one of the stored medicament units from the chamber to the outlet; and
a compressible medium located within the housing configured to push the at least one medicament unit from the storage chamber to the dispensing mechanism and to expand as medicament units are dispensed from the tray.
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152. A medicaments dispensing tray for dispensing medicament units, comprising:
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a housing;
a chamber within the housing to store the medicament units;
an outlet defined in the housing;
a movable medium configured to carry at least one of the stored medicament units from the chamber to the outlet;
a scanning device associated with the chamber for identifying at least one physical characteristic of the medicament units stored in the chamber; and
wherein the tray is configured to be coupled to a medicaments dispensing machine, the tray further comprising at least one communication port for coupling the scanning device to circuitry within the medicaments dispensing machine, wherein the circuitry receives data from the scanning device to determine if incorrect or counterfeit medicament units are stored in the tray.
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153. A medicaments dispensing tray for dispensing medicament units, comprising:
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a housing;
a chamber within the housing to store the medicament units;
an outlet defined in the housing;
a movable medium configured to carry at least one of the stored medicament units from the chamber to the outlet; and
a scanning device associated with the chamber for identifying at least one physical characteristic of the medicament units stored in the chamber, wherein the scanning device comprises a spectrometer for chemically analyzing the medicament units stored in the chamber.
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154. A medicaments dispensing tray for dispensing medicament units, comprising:
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a housing;
a chamber within the housing to store the medicament units;
an outlet defined in the housing;
a movable medium configured to carry at least one of the stored medicament units from the chamber to the outlet; and
a scanning device located adjacent to the outlet for counting each medicament unit that is dispensed from the outlet;
wherein the tray is configured to be coupled to a medicaments dispensing machine, the tray further comprising at least one communication port for coupling the scanning device to circuitry within the medicaments dispensing machine, and wherein the circuitry receives data from the scanning device thereby to determine if incorrect or counterfeit medicament units are being dispensed by the medicaments dispensing tray.
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155. A medicaments dispensing tray for dispensing medicament units, comprising:
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a housing;
a chamber within the housing to store the medicament units;
an outlet defined in the housing;
a movable medium configured to carry at least one of the stored medicament units from the chamber to the outlet; and
a scanning device located adjacent to the outlet for counting each medicament unit that is dispensed from the outlet;
wherein the scanning device comprises a spectrometer for chemically analyzing the medicament units dispensed at the outlet.
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156. A medicaments dispensing tray for dispensing medicament units, comprising:
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a housing;
a chamber within the housing to store the medicament units;
an outlet defined in the housing;
a movable medium configured to carry at least one of the stored medicament units from the chamber to the outlet;
a memory device for storing information pertaining to medicament units;
communication circuitry coupled to the memory device and adapted for communicating the information stored in the memory device to a device external to the tray; and
programmable logic circuitry within the housing and configured to execute logic functions performed by the medicaments dispensing tray;
wherein the programmable logic circuitry comprises logic to determine if the tray is coupled to medicaments loading equipment, coupled to a medicaments dispensing machine, in shipping transit mode, or in inventory mode. - View Dependent Claims (157, 158, 159, 160, 161, 162)
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Specification