MOBILE MEDICATION STORAGE AND DISPENSING APPARATUS

• US 20070078562A1
• Filed: 09/26/2006
• Published: 04/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Translogic Corporation (Midea Group Co., Ltd)
• Original Assignee: Sabal Medical, Inc. (Midea Group Co., Ltd)
• Inventors: Park, William
• Granted Patent: US 7,747,347 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/243
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 12/001 Trolleys for transport of medicaments, food, linen, nursing supplies carts specially adapted for surgery or diagnosis A61B50/13; hand carts B62B3/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2205/10 Bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0069 Trays for holding or distributing medicines display trays A47F3/14; serving trays A47G23/06
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0084 for multiple medicaments
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/54 about vertical axes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/62 in which the articles are stored in compartments in fixed receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00

Abstract

The medication apparatus includes a mobile housing assembly and a plurality of tray members supported therein for rotation on a central mounting assembly. A lockable access door is present in the housing assembly for controlled access to the trays. A tray locking assembly locks and unlocks the trays individually in a plurality of angular positions so that each of the compartments on a particular tray member can be presented before the door. A drive assembly selectively engages and rotates each tray individually when the tray is unlocked. A control system, including a stored program, identifies a compartment associated with a particular patient or associated with particular medications, unlocks the tray associated with the desired compartment, and rotates the tray to present the compartment before the access door, which is then unlocked and openable.

Claims

1. A mobile medication apparatus, comprising:

a mobile housing assembly;

a plurality of tray members, supported in a vertical stack within the housing assembly, mounted to be rotatable individually about a central support assembly;

a lockable door in the housing assembly for providing selected access to the trays therein;

a locking assembly for locking and unlocking the tray members individually;

a plurality of compartment members, individually openable, positionable on the individual tray members and rotatable therewith;

a central drive assembly, including a motor, for engaging and rotating each tray individually; and

a control system, including a stored program, for identifying a selected compartment, located on a particular tray, into and from which medications are stored and retrieved, for unlocking the particular tray containing the selected compartment, for energizing the drive assembly for the one tray to present the selected compartment to the door and for unlocking the door, thereby making the selected compartment available to a user.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the locking assembly includes a plurality of tray locking solenoid members, each solenoid member mounted and operable to lock an associated tray at a plurality of angular positions.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the central drive assembly includes a tower member and a plurality of tray drive solenoids mounted on the tower member for engagement, respectively, with each tray member, and wherein the control assembly includes means for energizing the tray drive solenoid associated with the tray containing the selected compartment.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, including means for entering identifying information for a patient, wherein the stored program identifies the compartment having medications selected for said patient.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing assembly is supported by wheels so that it is moveable.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the compartments have lids with an interference fit with the remainder of the compartment, and wherein the compartments have an interference fit with the tray on which they are positioned.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control drive system includes a stepper motor and encoder, or a servo drive system, for rotating the tray member through a plurality of angular movements of known magnitude.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the tray members has an open sector which is presented to the door when the tray member is in its home position, such that there is no access to the compartments on any of the trays other than the selected compartment on the particular tray.

9. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein each tray locking solenoid member is engaged with its associated tray except when the tray is to be moved, each tray drive solenoid member is disengaged from its associated tray unless the tray is to be moved during an operation.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the lockable door is configured to reveal a portion of all of the tray members when the door is open.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cart is powered by a battery, which is positioned at the bottom of the housing, providing a stable ballast for the cart.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cart includes two different kinds of compartments, one compartment being arranged and configured for patient-specific medications, the other compartment being significantly larger, to house larger items.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the one compartment is subdividable.