MEDICINE SUPPLY APPARATUS

• US 20100100231A1
• Filed: 12/23/2009
• Published: 04/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PHC Holdings Corporation
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Biomedical Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation), Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Koichi, ISHIWATARI, Hitoshi, Nakamura, Shigeyuki, Haraguchi, Manabu, Uema, Shinya
• Granted Patent: US 8,220,224 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/225
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 5/103 for packaging pills or tablets
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 61/26 for marking or coding completed packages
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/42 the articles being delivered by motor-driven means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/62 in which the articles are stored in compartments in fixed receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/64 in which the articles are individually suspended from stationary supports
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty

Abstract

A medicine supply apparatus which comprises, in a case accommodating section 8, a plurality of tablet cases 3 for accommodating medicine and charges or supplies medicine into a bag 72, which medicine has been discharged from each tablet case 3 based on a prescription. An identification code 26 is provided for each of the tablet cases 3 and read by an optical sensor 33 provided inside the case accommodating section 8, whereby discharge of medicine is controlled. A motor 14 for driving a discharge drum for the tablet case 3 is checked for disconnection by being regularly energized. The operating time and the frequency of operation of parts that wear out, such as the motors, are stored for use in failure prediction. Time slots in which medicine should be taken are printed, each in a different color, by a color printing mechanism 73 on the bag 72 into which medicine is charged.

Claims

1. A medicine supply apparatus which comprises a plurality of tablet cases for accommodating medicines, provided within a case accommodating section of a main body;

a chute through which medicines discharged from the tablet cases pass;

a hopper provided below the chute; and

a charging device for charging medicines received by the hopper into a container such as a bag or a bottle, the medicine supply apparatus comprising;

identification means that is provided at each of the tablet cases and has identification information for identifying the tablet case; and

a reader for reading, in a non-contact manner, the identification information in the identification means for the tablet cases provided within the case accommodating section.

3. A medicine supply apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a control device for controlling discharge of medicine from tablet cases on the basis of the identification information read by the reader.

4. A medicine supply apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising an information output device, wherein the control device outputs information about exchange of tablet cases to the information output device on the basis of the identification information read by the reader.

5. A medicine supply apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the information about exchange of tablet cases includes information indicating medicines to be accommodated within the case accommodating section.

6. A medicine supply apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the information about exchange of tablet cases includes information for indicating the accommodated positions of the tablet cases accommodating medicines which are not designated among the tablet cases accommodated within the case accommodating section, as exchangeable medicines.

7. A medicine supply apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the information output device is a display device.

2. A medicine supply apparatus which comprises a plurality of tablet cases for accommodating medicines and a case accommodating section for accommodating the plurality of tablet cases and which selects a tablet case accommodating a designated medicine, takes the medicine out of the tablet case, and charges the same into a container, the medicine supply apparatus comprising:

an identifier that is provided at each of the tablet cases and indicates identification information for the tablet case; and

a reader for reading, in a non-contact manner, the identification information indicated by the identifiers for the tablet cases provided within the case accommodating section, wherein selection of the tablet case accommodating the designated medicine is controlled on the basis of the identification information read by the reader.

8. A medicine supply apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the identifier is an optically readable identification code provided on the surface of each of the tablet cases, and the reader is an optical sensor for reading the identification code.

9-30. -30. (canceled)