MEDICINE DISPENSER

• US 20090294467A1
• Filed: 08/23/2006
• Published: 12/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yuyama Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Yuyama Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Yuyama, Hiroyuki, Kumano, Yoshinori, Minami, Tasuku
• Granted Patent: US 8,295,977 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 221/8
• 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

(Object) To enable, in an operation of supplying a medicine to a medicine cassette, in which it is typical that the medicine once put in a vial bottle is recovered to a medicine cassette (medicine receiving container), an operation of specifying the medicine cassette to which the medicine is to be supplied to be performed more accurately and more efficiently.

(Solving Means) Information used for specifying the medicine is read by reading a prescription code (d31) recorded as a bar code on a vial bottle (S202) or is input as search information through an operation portion (S221). As a result, a cassette shelf (2) (cassette code (d21)) to which a medicine cassette (1) for receiving the medicine corresponding to the input information is mounted is specified (S203, S224), and a shelf lamp (3) provided to the specified cassette shelf (2) is brought into a predetermined notification display state (blinking state).

Claims

1. A medicine dispensing device provided with:

a plurality of medicine receiving containers;

a plurality of container mounting portions each of which is provided with a predetermined display portion and to each of which each of the medicine receiving containers is mounted; and

medicine filling means for filling a medicine of a kind and in an amount corresponding to contents of a prescription from the medicine receiving containers to a dispensing container,

the medicine dispensing device comprising;

medicine specifying information input means for inputting medicine specifying information used for specifying the medicine;

container mounting portion specification means for specifying the container mounting portion to which the medicine receiving container, for receiving the medicine corresponding to the medicine specifying information inputted through the medicine specifying information input means, is mounted; and

notification display control means for bringing the display portion provided to the container mounting portion specified by the container mounting portion specification means into a notification display state.

2. A medicine dispensing device according to claim 1, wherein the medicine specifying information input means comprises medicine specifying information reading means for reading from the dispensing container the medicine specifying information recorded thereon.

3. A medicine dispensing device according to claim 2, further comprising storage means for storing prescription and medicine reception correspondence information in which prescription identification information for identifying the prescription and container mounting portion identification information for identifying the container mounting portion are brought into correspondence with each other,

wherein the container mounting portion specification means specifies, based on the prescription identification information and the prescription and medicine reception correspondence information which are read as the medicine specifying information by the medicine specifying information reading means, the container mounting portion to which the medicine receiving container, for receiving the same medicine as the medicine filled to the dispensing container from which the prescription identification information is read, is mounted.

4. A medicine dispensing device according to claim 3, further comprising dispensing history information accumulation means for allowing the storage means to accumulate and store the dispensing history information including prescription identification information corresponding at least to medicine filling when a predetermined dispensing process is performed for the medicine receiving container to which the medicine filling is performed by the medicine filling means,

wherein a part or an entire portion of the prescription and medicine reception correspondence information is constituted by the dispensing history information.

5. A medicine dispensing device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, further comprising:

expiration date storage means for storing an expiration date of the medicine accommodated in each of the dispensing containers;

expiration date reading means for reading, from the expiration date storage means, the expiration date of the medicine accommodated in the medicine receiving container mounted to the container mounting portion specified by the container mounting portion specification means; and

expiration date warning notification means for notifying a predetermined warning in a case where a result of a comparison between the expiration date read by the expiration date reading means and a current date and time does not match predetermined allowable conditions.

6. A medicine dispensing device according to claim 1, further comprising storage means for storing, in advance, medicine and reception correspondence information in which medicine information relevant to each of the medicines and to container mounting portion identification information for identifying the container mounting portion are brought into correspondence with each other, wherein:

the container mounting portion specification means includes;

medicine information search means for searching the medicine and reception correspondence information for candidates for medicine information relevant to medicine specifying information input by the medicine specifying information input means and for presenting the candidate through predetermined information display means; and

medicine information selection means for selecting one piece of the medicine information from the candidates for the medicine information presented by the medicine information search means; and

the container mounting portion specification means specifies the container mounting portion corresponding to the medicine information selected by the medicine information selection means from the medicine and reception correspondence information.

7. A medicine dispensing device according to claim 6, wherein the medicine specifying information and the medicine information include one or more of name information, color information, shape information, and size information, of the medicine, medicine identification information for identifying each of the medicines, and appearance photograph information of the medicine.

8. A medicine dispensing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising:

a first medicine remaining amount update means for updating, by subtraction, remaining amount information of the medicine in each of the medicine receiving containers stored in predetermined storage means according to a filling amount of the medicine filled by the medicine filling means;

medicine supply amount obtaining means for obtaining a medicine supply amount to an object medicine receiving container which is the medicine receiving container for receiving the medicine corresponding to input information inputted through the medicine specifying information input means; and

a second medicine remaining amount update means for updating, in a case where the medicine is supplied to the object medicine receiving container, remaining amount information of the medicine in the object medicine receiving container by addition of the medicine supply amount obtained by the medicine supply amount obtaining means.

9. A medicine dispensing device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising:

container attachment and detachment detecting means for detecting an attachment and detachment state of the medicine receiving container for each of the container mounting portions; and

container erroneous-removal warning means for performing, for the container mounting portion other than the container mounting portion having the display portion brought into the notification display state by the notification display means, a predetermined warning notification in a case where removal of the medicine receiving container is detected by the container attachment and detachment detecting means.