Automated Solid Pharmaceutical Product Packaging Machine

• US 20070125046A1
• Filed: 12/26/2006
• Published: 06/07/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MTS Medication Technologies, Inc. (Omnicell Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: MTS Medication Technologies, Inc. (Omnicell Incorporated)
• Inventors: Siegel, Todd, Bagley, Stuart, Stevenson, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,721,512 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 53/471
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 5/103 for packaging pills or tablets

Abstract

A fully automated pharmaceutical product packaging machine is capable of selectively depositing one or more different solid pharmaceutical products into an individual cavity for each of a plurality of individual patient product package cavities. The system employs a plurality of solid pharmaceutical product dispensing canisters which are capable of selectively dispensing a pre-designated number of solid pharmaceutical products. The machine fills a template containing temporary storage cavities and the template is automatically positioned over a sheet of clear plastic material containing a plurality of cavities corresponding to the cavities in the template. A barrier between the cavities in the template and the sheet of clear plastic material is moved and the pharmaceuticals in the template cavities drop into the corresponding cavities in the clear plastic sheet of material. The clear plastic sheet of material is then maneuvered into subsequent product packaging stations and the template is returned to beneath the canister region.

Claims

1. A method of filling solid pharmaceutical product packaging comprising the steps of:

providing a product package having plurality of cavities arranged in an array having rows and columns;

automatically selectively dispensing one or more solid pharmaceutical products from a plurality of different drug sources into a common funnel; and

automatically effecting relative motion in at least two directions between said common funnel and said plurality of product package cavities to selectively locate the funnel over individual ones of the cavities in order to place one or more solid pharmaceutical products from the plurality of different drug sources into each of said plurality of product package cavities, wherein the two directions of motion are generally perpendicular.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of during said step of selectively dispensing the solid pharmaceutical products, simultaneously sealing another pharmaceutical product package that has been previously filled with a variety of solid pharmaceuticals.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of printing information on a pharmaceutical package.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of substantially simultaneously dispensing first and second pharmaceuticals from first and second canister into a single cavity.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of automatically effecting relative motion comprises moving the product package cavities beneath the funnel such that each of the desired cavities is placed beneath the funnel.