MEDICAMENT DISPENSING MACHINE

• US 20140144544A1
• Filed: 01/30/2014
• Published: 05/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yuyama Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Yuyama Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: YUYAMA, Shoji, KOIKE, Naoki, IMAI, Takafumi, KUMANO, Yoshinori, MAEDA, Akira, MITANI, Mitsuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 9,767,635 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 141/1
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 43/46 using grippers
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 5/103 for packaging pills or tablets
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 59/02 Arrangements to enable adjustments to be made while the machine is running
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/16 Delivery means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/165 using xyz-picker or multi-dimensional article picking arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/70 in which the articles are formed in the apparatus from components, blanks, or material constituents
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00

Abstract

The medicament dispensing machine enables to use vials having various sizes and shapes without changing a part in the machine or without performing a special operation. The medicament dispensing machine contains a discharging unit that receives a vial filled with a medicament from a medicament filling means and discharges out of a vial discharging window. The discharging unit contains a vial gripping means having a pair of gripping arms that grip a vial, a body of gripping means having the vial gripping means, a moving means that moves the vial gripping means from the medicament filling means to the vial discharging window, and an orientation changing mechanism that changes the orientation of the body of gripping means. With a coordination of the movement of the body of gripping means toward the vial discharging window, the orientation changing mechanism makes the gripping arms orient to the vial discharging window.

Claims

1. A medicament dispensing machine, comprising:

a medicament filling device having a first vial gripping device for filling an empty vial with a medicament;

a discharging unit having a second vial gripping device for receiving a vial filled with the medicament from the first vial gripping device;

a vial discharging window for discharging the vial filled with the medicament by the second vial gripping device; and

an input device for receiving information about the vial filled with the medicament;

wherein the second vial gripping device waits for receipt of the input signal from the input device before discharging the vial filled with the medicament from the vial discharging window.

2. The medicament dispensing machine of claim 1, wherein the second vial gripping device waits until permitting access to the vial filled with the medicament is generated.

3. The medicament dispensing machine of claim 2, wherein the permitting access is generated when a person requesting access has authority to pick up the vial filled with the medicament.

4. The medicament dispensing machine of claim 2, wherein the permitting access is generated when the person requesting access is the same as the person initiating the dispensing or the person requesting access has authority to pick up medicament for the person initiating the dispensing.

5. The medicament dispensing machine of claim 1, wherein the medicament filling device identifies whether the medicament filling device has performed filling of the empty vial with the medicament based on the input information inputted by the input device.

6. A medicament dispensing machine, comprising:

a medicament filling device having a first vial gripping device for filling an empty vial with a medicament;

a discharging unit having a second vial gripping device for moving the vial filled with the medicament for discharging;

a vial discharging window for discharging the vial filled with the medicament by the second vial gripping device;

a storage area located between the first and the second vial gripping devices for storing the vial filled with the medicament;

an input device for receiving information about the vial filled with the medicament; and

a controller for permitting access to the vial filled with the medicament based on the information inputted by the input device;

wherein the first vial gripping device moves the vial filled with the medicament to the storage area and the second vial gripping device moves the vial filled with the medicament toward the vial discharging window after the controller permits access to the vial filled with the medicament.

7. The medicament dispensing machine of claim 6, wherein the storage area has a delivery table so that the first vial gripping device leaves the vial filled with the medicament on said delivery table, and the second vial gripping device picks up and move the vial filled with the medicament to one of the holding members.

8. The medicament dispensing machine of claim 6, wherein the permitting access is generated when a person requesting access has authority to pick up the vial filled with the medicament.

9. The medicament dispensing machine of claim 6, wherein the permitting access is generated when the person requesting access is the same as the person initiating the dispensing or the person requesting access has authority to pick up medicament for the person initiating the dispensing.

10. The medicament dispensing machine of claim 6, wherein the medicament filling device identifies whether the medicament filling device has performed filling of the empty vial with the medicament based on the input information inputted by the input device.

11. A method, comprising:

filling an empty vial with a medicament while holding the empty vial with one vial gripping device;

moving the vial toward a discharging window;

passing the vial from the one vial gripping device to another vial gripping device before discharging;

identifying the vial which requires service;

inputting user information;

determining if the user has authority to access the vial; and

issuing an unlock command for discharging through the discharging window.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the service includes one of discharging, cleaning, stocking, and maintenance.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein a storage area is located between the one and another vial gripping devices.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the storage area has several holding members that temporarily hold the vial filled with the medicament.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the storage area has a delivery table so that the one vial gripping device leaves the vial filled with the medicament on said delivery table, and another vial gripping device picks up and move the vial filled with the medicament to one of the holding members.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the one vial gripping device leaves the vial filled with the medicament on the delivery table and another vial gripping device picks up the vial filled with the medicament from one of the holding members after determining if the user has authority to access the vial.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the one vial gripping device leaves the vial filled with the medicament on the delivery table and another vial gripping device picks up the vial filled with the medicament from one of the holding members after issuing the unlock command for discharging.