Smart Medicine Container
First Claim
1. A dispenser for dispensing a predetermined number of dosages of a medicine from a bulk supply of the medicine, comprising:
- storage compartment for receiving the bulk supply of the medicine therein, the storage compartment having a discharge port;
first conveyor having inlet and outlet ends and traveling at a first rate of speed, the first conveyor receiving at least one dosage of medicine thereon from the discharge port and transporting the at least one dosage to the outlet end;
second conveyor having an inlet and outlet ends, the second conveyor traveling at a second rate of speed greater than the first rate of speed;
wherein the inlet end of the second conveyor receives the at least one dosage from the outlet end of the first conveyor and transports that at least one dosage to the outlet end of the second conveyor; and
pill recovery system and apparatus disposed within the dispenser having means to collect pills remaining on first and second conveyors and deposit into the storage compartment.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Present invention discloses a dispenser having means to dispense desired number of pills from a bulk supply of pills contained in the dispenser. The dispenser comprises of storage compartment having bulk supply of pills and having a discharge port emptying into counting compartment. The counting compartment contains first and second conveyors moving at first and second speed; wherein the second speed is greater than the first speed thereby enabling pill separation; the second conveyor discharges pills into dispensing compartment. Sensors are strategically placed along the conveyors to count pills discharged into dispensing compartment. A pill recovery system and apparatus is disposed inside the dispenser having means to recover pills remaining on first and second conveyors upon completion of a dispensation cycle and there after deposit recovered pills back into the storage compartment for use in future dispensation cycles.
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Citations
13 Claims
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1. A dispenser for dispensing a predetermined number of dosages of a medicine from a bulk supply of the medicine, comprising:
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storage compartment for receiving the bulk supply of the medicine therein, the storage compartment having a discharge port; first conveyor having inlet and outlet ends and traveling at a first rate of speed, the first conveyor receiving at least one dosage of medicine thereon from the discharge port and transporting the at least one dosage to the outlet end; second conveyor having an inlet and outlet ends, the second conveyor traveling at a second rate of speed greater than the first rate of speed;
wherein the inlet end of the second conveyor receives the at least one dosage from the outlet end of the first conveyor and transports that at least one dosage to the outlet end of the second conveyor; andpill recovery system and apparatus disposed within the dispenser having means to collect pills remaining on first and second conveyors and deposit into the storage compartment. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A method of dispensing a predetermined number of dosages of a medicine from a bulk supply of the medicine, comprising:
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a dispenser having; first storage compartment for receiving the bulk supply of the medicine therein, storage compartment having a discharge port; second counting compartment having first conveyor traveling at a first rate of speed, the first conveyor receiving at least one dosage of medicine thereon from the discharge port and transporting the at least one dosage to the outlet end; and
second conveyor traveling at a second rate of speed greater than the first rate of speed;
the inlet end of the second conveyor receiving at least one dosage of medicine from the outlet end of the first conveyor and transporting that at least one dosage to the outlet end into a dispensing compartment;third dispensing compartment providing user access to dispensed dosage of medicine; and pill recovery system and apparatus recovering pills remaining on first and second conveyors upon completion of dispensation cycle; and
depositing collected pills into storage compartment. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8)
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9. A dispenser for dispensing a predetermined number of dosages of a medicine from a bulk supply of the medicine, comprising:
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storage compartment for receiving the bulk supply of the medicine therein, the storage container having a discharge port; counting compartment having means to receive at least one pill from storage compartment and dispense at least one dosage of medicine into collecting compartment; collecting compartment providing user access to dispensed dose of medicine; and pill recovery system and apparatus disposed within the dispenser having means to recover pills remaining in counting compartment after a dose of medicine has been dispensed; and
deposit recovered pills into storage compartment. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13)
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Specification