AUTOMATED PRECISION SMALL OBJECT COUNTING AND DISPENSING SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20090218363A1
• Filed: 03/02/2009
• Published: 09/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tension International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Terzini Holdings LLC
• Inventors: TERZINI, ROBERT
• Granted Patent: US 8,392,020 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 221/4
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/02 Pill counting devices
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 35/08 using pocketed conveyors
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 5/103 for packaging pills or tablets
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 57/20 Applications of counting devices for controlling the feed of articles other applications B65B65/08

Abstract

A small object dispenser adapted to receive a canister of objects such as pills, the canister being coupled atop it through a secure, bar-code matched gate operated by a central controller. A hopper below the gate directs smaller quantities of objects into a charge block adapted to measure out a select number of objects into an angularly disposed, circular counter where they accumulate atop a movable plate forming the bottom of the counter. The plate bears slots around its perimeter adjacent the cylindrical walls of the counter. As the central controller operates a servo motor to rotate the plate in measured increments, it urges a precise count of objects from the bottom of the counter to a port through which they fall one at a time into a receptacle such as a prescription bottle. Orientation means on the interior of the walls orient objects so that only a single object may fall into each slot, thereby preventing overfilling. A separate sensor counts the objects as they fall to verify quantity and guard against underfilling due to empty slots.

Claims

1. A small object dispenser for accurately counting and dispensing measured quantities of small objects into receptacles, the small objects having a lesser dimension and a greater dimension, the dispensing unit comprising

a cabinet having an interior

a hopper disposed in the interior;

a top disposed above the hopper and surrounding and defining an input port disposed above the hopper, the input port closed by an input gate; and

an outfall port disposed below the hopper;

an object counter disposed between the hopper and the outfall port, the object counter having

cylindrical chamber walls having an interior surface surrounding and defining a chamber having a chamber diameter;

plate means disposed coaxial with the chamber at one end thereof and forming a chamber floor;

a step motor coupled to an axle extending through the plate means coaxial with the chamber;

a chute disposed above the chamber and adapted to funnel the small objects from the hopper into the chamber;

recharge means removably coupled to the cabinet for recharging the hopper with small objects;

controller means adapted to operate the dispensing unit; and

security means for securely tracking the small objects through the dispensing unit.

2. The dispensing unit according to claim 1 and further comprising

object orientation means coupled to the plate means for orienting small objects to assure an accurate count thereof.

3. The dispensing unit according to claim 1 wherein the plate means comprises

a circular lower plate coaxial with the chamber and having

a lower plate circumference having a diameter substantially coextensive with the chamber diameter;

and

a plurality of slots walls disposed in pairs around the circumference of the lower plate and extending radially inward a select distance to terminate at a tangential slot back, each pair of slot walls and slot back defining an object slot adapted to receive a small object;

a circular upper plate disposed atop and coaxial with the lower plate and having a beveled upper plate circumference disposed substantially adjacent the object slots of the lower plate;

whereby the upper plate supports small objects introduced into the chamber and the beveled circumference of the upper plate urges the small objects one at a time into the lower plate object slots.

4. The dispensing unit according to claim 3 and further comprising

a scarp disposed on the interior surface of the chamber walls a spaced distance above the upper plate corresponding to the lesser dimension of the small objects, the scarp extending radially inward toward the chamber axis to cover the object slots in the lower plate.

5. The dispensing unit according to claim 3 and further comprising

a brush disposed on the interior surface of the chamber walls;

bristles extending from the brush normal to the upper plate and adapted to sweep excess small objects from the object slots.

6. The dispensing unit according to claim 1 wherein the recharge means comprises

a canister adapted to contain a measured quantity of the small objects, the canister having a canister neck;

a lock neck coupled to the canister neck and having

an upper surface and a lower surface;

a canister port extending through the lock neck from the upper surface to the lower surface thereof; and

attachment means for attaching the lock neck to the canister;

an actuator-controlled lock neck gate disposed across the canister port at the lower surface and adapted to articulate between a closed position blocking the canister port and an open position

whereby the lock neck removably seals the canister when the canister neck is attached within the canister port and the lock neck gate is in the closed position.

7. The dispensing unit according to claim 6 wherein the attachment means comprises

a plurality of annular channels disposed within the canister port of the lock neck;

and

a plurality of lugs disposed on an outer surface of the canister neck and extending radially outward therefrom, the plurality of lugs corresponding in size, number and position to the plurality of annular channels within the annular port.

8. The dispensing unit according to claim 6 wherein the security means comprises

a first bar code disposed on the canister to give the canister a unique canister identity;

a second bar code disposed on the lock neck to give the lock neck a unique lock neck identity;

a third bar code disposed on the cabinet to give the cabinet a unique cabinet identity;

a plurality of receptacle bar codes, each receptacle bar code disposed on one receptacle to give the receptacle a unique receptacle identity;

a first bar code reader adapted to

(a) read the first and second bar code S and convey the canister and lock neck identities to the controller means; and

(b) read the third bar code and convey the cabinet identity to the controller means;

a second bar code reader adapted to read each receptacle bar code and to convey the receptacle identity to the controller means;

whereby the controller means associates together the canister, lock neck and cabinet identities to define a small object identity for the dispensing unit,

and

whereby the controller means contrasts the receptacle identity with the small object identity of the dispensing unit to confirm that the small objects are to be dispensed into the receptacle before operating the dispensing unit to dispense the small objects.

9. The dispensing unit according to claim 8 and further comprising

a circular plate coaxial with and coupled to the axle and adapted to be rotated by the step motor through a plurality of discrete angular, the plate having a circumference surrounding and defining a plurality of slots, each slot adapted to receive a small object;

a sensor disposed at the outfall port and adapted to sense each small object as it leaves the dispensing unit;

whereby the controller means

(a) operates the step motor to rotate the circular plate and to incrementally urge a small object into the receptacle; and

(b) monitors the sensor to record passage of each small object to determine and confirm the quantity of small objects urged into the receptacle.

10. The dispensing unit according to claim 1 wherein the security means comprises

a dispensing unit identifier disposed on the cabinet;

at lest one recharge means identifier disposed on the recharge means;

a receptacle identifier disposed on a plurality of receptacles; and

identifier reading means for reading the dispensing unit identifier, the at least one recharge means identifier and the receptacle identifier and transmitting signals to the controller means

whereby the controller means associates the cabinet, recharge means and receptacles together using their respective identifiers and records the number and type of small objects dispensed into the receptacle by the dispensing unit.

11. The dispensing unit according to claim 10 wherein

the dispensing unit identifier, the at least one recharge means identifier and the receptacle identifier are bar codes;

and

the identifier reading means is a bar code reader.

12. A pharmaceutical dispensing unit adapted to dispense pharmaceuticals into prescription bottles, the dispensing unit comprising

a cabinet surrounding a cabinet interior, the cabinet bearing a cabinet identifier and having

a hopper disposed within cabinet interior;

an input port disposed above the hopper;

a lockable gate disposed across the input port; and

an outfall port disposed below the hopper;

a lock neck removably coupled to the cabinet above the hopper, the lock neck bearing a lock neck identifier and having

a canister port communicating with the hopper; and

a lock neck gate disposed across the canister port;

a canister adapted to contain a measured quantity of pharmaceuticals, the canister bearing a canister identifier and having a canister neck removably journaled within the canister port;

a counter disposed between the hopper and the outfall port and having

a chamber having cylindrical walls and coupled to a step motor by an axle;

a circular lower plate coupled to the axle and coaxial with the chamber, the plate having a plurality of slots disposed around its circumference adjacent the chamber walls; and

a controller adapted to operate the dispensing unit.

13. The dispensing unit according to claim 12 and further comprising

a scarp disposed on the chamber walls above the lower plate and substantially covering the slots.

14. The dispensing unit according to claim 12 and further comprising

a brush disposed on the interior surface of the chamber walls;

bristles extending from the brush normal to the upper plate and adapted to sweep excess small objects from the object slots.

15. An improved method of dispensing pharmaceuticals into a plurality of prescription bottles, each prescription bottle bearing a bottle identifier associated with a predetermined prescription for the bottle, the method comprising

providing

a plurality of dispensing units, each dispensing unit having

identifier means for identifying each dispensing unit;

a pharmaceutical counter adapted to count and dispense a quantity of the pharmaceuticals into each bottle through an output port in the dispensing unit;

a hopper adapted to hold a quantum of one type of pharmaceuticals;

a charging block for periodically urging a quantity of pharmaceuticals from the hopper into the counter;

recharge means for periodically recharging the hopper; and

sensing means coupled to the output port for sensing pharmaceuticals as they are dispensed into the bottles;

bottle routing means for routing select ones of the prescription bottles through one of the plurality of dispensing units for filling; and

a controller for operating the plurality of dispensing units and the bottle routing means to direct each bottle to one of the dispensing units;

then

operating the controller to

(a) cause the bottle routing means to route one of a plurality of prescription bottles to each dispensing unit according to the bottle identifier;

then

(b) cause the counter to dispense a predetermined quantity of pharmaceuticals into the bottle;

(c) receive signals from the sensor means and interpret them as indicating the dispensing of each pharmaceutical;

then

(d) stopping the counter when the predetermined quantity of pharmaceuticals have been dispensed into the bottle;

then

(e) repeating steps (a)-(d), inclusive, for each additional prescription bottle.