AUTOMATED PHARMACY SYSTEM FOR DISPENSING UNIT DOSES OF PHARMACEUTICALS AND THE LIKE
First Claim
1. A system for storing and dispensing discrete doses of pharmaceuticals, comprising:
- a housing with an internal cavity having a front wall with first and second windows;
multiple storage locations positioned within the housing; and
a carrier assembly positioned and movable within the housing, the carrier assembly configured to receive a pharmaceutical dose package loaded into either the first or second window and convey the pharmaceutical dose package to one of the storage locations for storage therein, and further configured to retrieve a pharmaceutical dose package from one of the storage locations and return the pharmaceutical dose package to the first or second window for dispensing therefrom.
6 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system for storing and dispensing discrete doses of pharmaceuticals includes: a housing with an internal cavity having a front wall with first and second windows; multiple storage locations positioned within the housing; and a carrier assembly positioned and movable within the housing. The carrier assembly is configured to receive a pharmaceutical dose package loaded into either the first or second window and convey the pharmaceutical dose package to one of the storage locations for storage therein, and is further configured to retrieve a pharmaceutical dose package from one of the storage locations and return the pharmaceutical dose package to the first or second window for dispensing therefrom.
53 Citations
29 Claims
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1. A system for storing and dispensing discrete doses of pharmaceuticals, comprising:
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a housing with an internal cavity having a front wall with first and second windows; multiple storage locations positioned within the housing; and a carrier assembly positioned and movable within the housing, the carrier assembly configured to receive a pharmaceutical dose package loaded into either the first or second window and convey the pharmaceutical dose package to one of the storage locations for storage therein, and further configured to retrieve a pharmaceutical dose package from one of the storage locations and return the pharmaceutical dose package to the first or second window for dispensing therefrom. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 28, 29)
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7. A system for storing and dispensing discrete doses of pharmaceuticals, comprising:
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a housing with an internal cavity having a front wall with a window; multiple storage locations positioned within the housing; a carrier assembly positioned and movable within the housing; and a plurality of bins, each of the bins configured to reside in one of the storage locations; the carrier assembly configured to receive a bin that contains a pharmaceutical dose package loaded into the window and convey the bin and pharmaceutical dose package to one of the storage locations for storage therein, and further configured to retrieve a bin that contains a pharmaceutical dose package from one of the storage locations and convey the bin and pharmaceutical dose package to the window for dispensing therefrom. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A carrier assembly for a storage and dispensing apparatus, comprising:
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a base; a pair of jaws, the jaws having facing contact surfaces that are substantially parallel to each other; a first drive unit coupled to the jaws and the base configured to reciprocally drive the jaws toward and away from each other; and a second drive unit coupled to the jaws, the first drive unit and the second drive unit configured to convey the jaws in either direction substantially parallel to the contact surfaces. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A bin for receiving, storing and dispensing a pharmaceutical dose package, comprising:
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a box having first and second opposed, generally parallel side walls spanned by a floor and a rear wall; wherein the front end of the box is open; and wherein the first side wall includes an open-ended slot. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A carousel assembly, comprising:
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first and second sprockets; an endless member having a radially inward surface that engages the first and second sprockets, the endless member defining a generally oblong path; and a plurality of support members attached to the radially inward surface of the endless member and extending generally perpendicular to a plane defined by the oblong path; wherein the first sprocket has a plurality of perimeter pockets, the perimeter pockets being sized and configured to receive the support members as they travel along the oblong path. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27)
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Specification