PILL DISPENSER WITH INTERCHANGEABLE PLATEN HAVING ELECTRONICALLY READABLE IDENTIFICATION

• US 20090321469A1
• Filed: 06/27/2008
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: QEM Incorporated
• Original Assignee: QEM Incorporated
• Inventors: Knoth, Norman D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,958,701 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 221/7
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 5/103 for packaging pills or tablets

Abstract

A device for dispensing pills includes a set of pill canisters and a control for releasing a desired quantity of pills from a selected pill canister at a target location. Several platens are provided, each of the plurality of platens having a machine-readable platen identifier. A frame is situated beneath the target location. The frame is adapted to move in both an X axis and a Y axis and adapted to accept and hold a selected platen of a set of platens whereas the selected platen holds and supports a target container into which the desired quantity of pills is deposited and the machine-readable platen identifier is read by the device for dispensing pills to determine which of the plurality of platens is the selected platen.

Claims

1. A device for dispensing pills, the device comprising:

a plurality of pill canisters;

a control adapted to release a desired quantity of the pills from a selected pill canister of the plurality of pill canisters, the control adapted to release the desired quantity of the pills at a target location;

a plurality of platens, each of the plurality of platens having a machine-readable platen identifier; and

a frame situated beneath the target location, the frame adapted to accept and hold a selected platen of the plurality of platens and the frame adapted to move the selected platen in both an X axis and a Y axis;

whereas the selected platen holds and supports a target container into which the desired quantity of the pills are deposited and whereas the machine-readable platen identifier is read by the device for dispensing pills to determine which of the plurality of platens is in the frame.

2. The device for dispensing pills of claim 1, wherein the machine-readable identifier is an RFID.

3. The device for dispensing pills of claim 1, wherein the machine-readable identifier is a readable and writeable RFID.

4. The device for dispensing pills of claim 1, wherein the device for dispensing pills reads data from the machine-readable platen identifier and the device for dispensing pills uses the data read from the machine-readable platen identifier to determine which platen of the plurality of platens is loaded in the frame.

5. The device for dispensing pills of claim 1, whereas the device for dispensing pills reads data from the machine-readable platen identifier and determines which platen of the plurality of platens is in the frame and responsive to the data read from the machine-readable platen identifier, the device for dispensing pills runs a software program specific to filling the target container supported by the selected platen.

6. The device for dispensing pills of claim 1, whereas the device for dispensing pills reads a software program from the machine-readable platen identifier and the device for dispensing pills runs the software program to fill the target container supported by the selected platen.

7. The device for dispensing pills of claim 1, whereas the device for dispensing pills reads a set of parameters from the machine-readable platen identifier and the device for dispensing pills runs a generic software program and the generic software program uses the set of parameters to fill the target container supported by the selected platen.

8. A method for dispensing pills, the method comprising:

providing a device for dispensing pills comprising;

a plurality of pill canisters;

a control adapted to release a desired quantity of the pills from a selected pill canister of the plurality of pill canisters, the control adapted to release the desired quantity of the pills at a target location;

a plurality of platens, each platen having a machine-readable identifier;

a frame situated beneath the target location, the frame adapted to accept and hold an active platen of the platens and the frame adapted to move the active platen in both an X axis and a Y axis;

selecting a target package;

selecting the active platen, the active platen adapted to hold and support the target package;

placing the target package into the active platen;

inserting the active platen into the frame;

reading data from the machine-readable platen identifier;

using the data to dispense pills into the target package by the device for dispensing pills;

removing the active platen from the frame; and

removing the target package from the active platen.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the machine-readable identifier is an RFID.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the RFID is readable and writeable.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of using the data to dispense pills into the target package further comprises using the data to determine which of the plurality of platens is loaded in the frame based upon the data read from the machine-readable platen identifier.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of using the data to dispense pills into the target package further comprises using the data to select a software program by the device for dispensing pills and running the software program to fill the target container supported by the active platen.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the data includes a software program and the step of using the data to dispense pills into the target package further comprises running the software program to fill the target container supported by the selected platen.

14. A device for dispensing pills, the device comprising:

a plurality of pill canisters, each canister containing a quantity of pills;

a means for selecting a source pill canister from the plurality of pill canisters;

a means for releasing a desired quantity of the pills from the source pill canister, the means for releasing adapted to release the desired quantity of the pills at a target location;

a plurality of platens, each platen having a means for identification;

an active platen selected from the plurality of platens;

a means for removably holding the active platen, the means for removably holding the active platen adapted to move the active platen in both an X axis and a Y axis and the means for removably holding the active platen situated beneath the target location; and

a means for reading the means for identification;

whereas the active platen holds and supports a target container into which the desired quantity of pills is deposited.

15. The device for dispensing pills of claim 14, wherein the means for identification is an RFID and the means for reading the means for identification is an RFID reader.

16. The device for dispensing pills of claim 14, wherein the means for identification is a bar code and the means for reading the means for identification is a bar code scanner.

17. The device for dispensing pills of claim 14, whereas the device for dispensing pills reads data from the means for identification and determines which of the plurality of platens is in the frame and responsive to the data, the device for dispensing pills runs a software program specific to filling the target container supported by the active platen in the frame.

18. The device for dispensing pills of claim 14, whereas the device for dispensing pills reads a software program from the means for identification and the device for dispensing pills runs the software program to fill the target container supported by the active platen in the frame.

19. The device for dispensing pills of claim 14, whereas the device for dispensing pills reads a set of parameters from the means for identification and the device for dispensing pills runs a generic software program and the generic software program uses the set of parameters to fill the target container supported by the active platen in the frame.

20. The device for dispensing pills of claim 14, whereas the means for identification has writeable storage.