Method for dispensing medications

• US 20070187424A1
• Filed: 05/26/2006
• Published: 08/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cerner Innovation, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Cerner Innovation, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Bedore, William, Schifman, Edward
• Granted Patent: US 7,673,772 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 221/123
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/56 the storage containers or supports both rotating and moving axially
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00

Abstract

A medication dispenser provides automation to the steps of locating and acquiring unit-based doses of certain medications to be administered to a patient. The dispenser includes a frame and one or more cartridges that may be mounted onto the frame. A set of slots sized for holding unit-based doses of medication extend through a body portion of the cartridge. A movement device is also positioned relative to the frame and is configured to induce movement of selected unit-based medication doses out of associated slots in the cartridge, so that the dispensed doses may be retrieved.

Claims

1. A method for automated dispensing of unit-based doses of medication, comprising:

providing a container having a body defining a plurality of slots, wherein the slots are sized for holding unit-based doses of medication;

receiving an input associated with a particular unit-based dose of medication to be dispensed;

positioning an effector relative to a specified slot of the plurality of slots holding the particular unit-based dose of medication to be dispensed; and

imparting, by the effector, a force on the particular unit-based dose of medication within the specified slot to induce movement thereof out of the specified slot.

2. The method of claim 1, where receiving an input includes receiving an input identifying the particular unit-based dose of medication to be dispensed, the method further comprising:

determining, based on the input received, the location of the specified slot of the plurality of slots holding the particular unit-based dose of medication to be dispensed; and

generating, based on the location of the specified slot, a command signal to control the aligning of the container and the effector.

3. The method of claim 1, where receiving an input includes receiving an input identifying the location of the specified slot of the plurality of slots holding the particular unit-based dose of medication to be dispensed, the method further comprising:

generating, based on the location of the specified slot, a command signal to control the aligning of the container and the effector.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of additional effectors are provided, and wherein the step of aligning the container and the effector includes aligning the container and the plurality of effectors such that one effector designated by the input received is positioned relative to the specified slot of the plurality of slots holding the particular unit-based dose of medication to be dispensed, and the effector designated by the input received imparts a force on the particular unit-based dose of medication within the specified slot to induce movement thereof out of the specified slot.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the unit-based doses of medication is individually packaged with an associated identification marking.