MEDICAL CABINET ACCESS BELT OPTIMIZATION SYSTEM
First Claim
1. A secured drawer for a supply cabinet, the drawer comprising:
- a plurality of compartments arranged end to end from a first end to a second end;
a first roller supported at the first end;
a second roller supported at the second end;
a belt having a first opening and a second opening larger than the first opening, the belt being moveably supported by the rollers and being moveable to align at least one of the openings with one of the compartments while restricting access to at least one of the compartments; and
a belt actuator operable to selectively move the belt in either a first direction or a second direction to change access from one of the compartments to another of the compartments, the actuator being configured to move the belt in the direction which minimizes the time required to change access from one compartment to another.
9 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A cabinet for securely storing items includes a drawer enclosure, a drawer, a cover, an electric actuator, and a switch. The drawer is slidable at least partially into and out of the enclosure, and includes a compartment. A cover which is configured as a metal belt is designed to selectively block access to the compartments of the drawer when the cover is in a first configuration, and to allow access to the compartment when the cover is in a second configuration. The electric actuator is designed to move the cover from the first configuration to the second configuration in one of two directions. The actuator selects the direction to reduce the time required to make such movement.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A secured drawer for a supply cabinet, the drawer comprising:
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a plurality of compartments arranged end to end from a first end to a second end; a first roller supported at the first end; a second roller supported at the second end; a belt having a first opening and a second opening larger than the first opening, the belt being moveably supported by the rollers and being moveable to align at least one of the openings with one of the compartments while restricting access to at least one of the compartments; and a belt actuator operable to selectively move the belt in either a first direction or a second direction to change access from one of the compartments to another of the compartments, the actuator being configured to move the belt in the direction which minimizes the time required to change access from one compartment to another. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A storage system for securely storing items therein, comprising:
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a drawer unit having a plurality of compartments formed therein; a belt rotatably disposed about the compartments of the drawer unit and having at least a first opening formed therein, the belt being rotatable in either a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction to align the opening with a compartment to provide access to at least one of the plurality of compartments while restricting access to at least one of the plurality of compartments; and a belt actuator which selectively rotates the belt to provide access to one of the plurality of compartments, the direction of rotation being selected to minimize the time required to move the opening to provide access to compartments. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A storage system for securely storing items therein, comprising:
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a drawer unit comprising a plurality of compartments formed therein; a cover comprising a first opening and a second opening formed therein, wherein the first opening has a wider area than the second opening; an actuator that selectively moves the cover during operational use of the system; and a controller in communication with the actuator, wherein the controller directs the actuator to move the cover such that either the first opening or the second opening is aligned with a designated compartment, depending upon the size of the designated compartment. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A storage system for securely storing items therein, comprising:
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a drawer unit comprising a plurality of compartments formed therein; a cover covering the plurality of compartments, wherein the cover comprises an opening that may be selectively aligned with a designated compartment to allow access thereto; an actuator that selectively moves the belt during operational use of the system; a sensor configured to detect a position of the cover; and a controller in communication with the actuator and the sensor, wherein the controller receives data from the sensor that is representative of the position of the cover relative to the drawer unit, and directs the actuator to move the cover such that the opening is aligned with the designated compartment during operational use of the system. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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Specification