AUTOMATED SOLID PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCT PACKAGING MACHINE

• US 20130340391A1
• Filed: 08/20/2013
• Published: 12/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MTS Medication Technologies, Inc. (Omnicell Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: MTS Medication Technologies, Inc. (Omnicell Incorporated)
• Inventors: Siegel, Todd, Bagley, Stuart, STEVENSON, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 10,392,140 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 53/443
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 5/103 for packaging pills or tablets

Abstract

A fully automated pharmaceutical product packaging machine is capable of selectively depositing one or more different solid pharmaceutical products into an individual cavity for each of a plurality of individual patient product package cavities. The system employs a plurality of solid pharmaceutical product dispensing canisters which are capable of selectively dispensing a pre-designated number of solid pharmaceutical products. The machine fills a template containing temporary storage cavities and the template is automatically positioned over a sheet of clear plastic material containing a plurality of cavities corresponding to the cavities in the template. A barrier between the cavities in the template and the sheet of clear plastic material is moved and the pharmaceuticals in the template cavities drop into the corresponding cavities in the clear plastic sheet of material. The clear plastic sheet of material is then maneuvered into subsequent product packaging stations and the template is returned to beneath the canister region.

Claims

1-5. -5. (canceled)

6. A system for filling solid pharmaceutical product packaging comprising:

means for storing patient specific prescription data in a memory associated with a computer controller;

means for automatically effecting relative motion between a solid pharmaceutical product passageway located beneath a plurality of automated dispensing canisters and a plurality of cavity locations arranged in an array corresponding to individual cavities of a solid pharmaceutical product package to selectively position the passageway above a first one of the plurality of cavity locations;

means for automatically selectively dispensing one or more solid pharmaceutical products from each dispensing canister corresponding to a prescribed dose at a dosing time for a specific patient corresponding to the first location; and

means for automatically effecting relative motion between the solid pharmaceutical product passageway and each remaining cavity location and temporarily stopping at each cavity location of the array and automatically selectively dispensing one or more solid pharmaceutical products from each dispensing canister corresponding to a prescribed dose at a dosing time for the specific patient corresponding to each cavity location until all cavities for the patient prescription have been filled.

7. A system for filling solid pharmaceutical product packaging comprising:

means for storing patient specific prescription data in a memory associated with a computer controller;

a means for automatically effecting relative motion to selectively locate a first solid pharmaceutical product cavity location of an array of cavity locations beneath a dispensing passageway for a first solid pharmaceutical dispensing canister;

means for automatically causing the first solid pharmaceutical dispensing canister to eject a solid pharmaceutical product into the first cavity;

means for automatically effecting relative motion to selectively locate a second solid pharmaceutical product cavity location beneath a dispensing passageway for a second solid pharmaceutical dispensing canister;

means for automatically causing the second solid pharmaceutical dispensing canister to eject a solid pharmaceutical product into the second cavity;

means for automatically effecting relative motion to selectively locate a third solid pharmaceutical product cavity location beneath a dispensing passageway for a third solid pharmaceutical dispensing canister;

means for automatically causing the third solid pharmaceutical dispensing canister to eject a solid pharmaceutical product into the third cavity; and

means for automatically effecting relative motion between the solid pharmaceutical product passageway and each remaining cavity location of the array and temporarily stopping at each cavity location of the array and automatically selectively dispensing one or more solid pharmaceutical products from each dispensing each of a plurality of dispensing canisters corresponding to a prescribed dose at a dosing time for the specific patient corresponding at each cavity location until all cavities for the patient prescription have been filled.