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PILL DISPENSING APPARATUS

  • US 20130151005A1
  • Filed: 12/12/2012
  • Published: 06/13/2013
  • Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2011
  • Status: Abandoned Application
First Claim
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1. A pill dispensing apparatus for filing one or more prescriptions for a customer order having a plurality of storage locations for pill form medicines, a first side and a second side comprising:

  • a controller;

    a conveyor extending substantially across the pill dispensing apparatus between the first side and the second side;

    a plurality of smart totes carried on the conveyor for movement across the pill dispensing apparatus toward the second side arranged for accumulating prescriptions for a customer'"'"'s order comprising;

    a vial storage area arranged to receive vials of automatically filled prescriptions for a customer'"'"'s order;

    a storage area for manually filled prescriptions for a customer'"'"'s order;

    a circuit board and microprocessor arranged to provide an interface connection to controller; and

    a tote display connected to the circuit board arranged for displaying the prescriptions for the customer'"'"'s order assigned to the smart tote by controller;

    a communication link operatively connecting the interface of respective smart totes with the controller;

    a plurality of dispensing units respectively positioned in the plurality of storage locations each arranged to hold and dispense a pill form medicine to fill a prescription;

    at least one vial feed module operatively connected to the controller and arranged to store empty vials and sequentially feed empty vials;

    at least one labeler module operatively connected to the controller and arranged to receive vials from the at least one vial feed module and, under control of the controller, print and apply a label for one of the prescriptions for a customer'"'"'s order to a vial; and

    a vial transport module operatively connected to the controller and movably mounted to the pill dispensing apparatus to;

    transport a labeled vial from the one of the at least one labeler modules to a location for automatically filling the vial for one of the prescriptions from a dispensing unit containing the pill form medicine corresponding to the label; and

    transport the vial containing the one of the prescriptions to the vial storage area on the smart tote assigned to the customer'"'"'s order.

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