Cassette Control Including Presence Sensing and Verification

• US 20150196458A1
• Filed: 01/14/2014
• Published: 07/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Capsa Solutions LLC
• Original Assignee: Kirby Lester LLC (Capsa Solutions LLC)
• Inventors: Schultz, David A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,977,871 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers

Abstract

A method for controlling medicament dispensing from a cassette moved from a mount for the cassette includes mounting the cassette fully on the mount, the cassette being loaded with bulk-form medicaments, generating a first signal indicating that the cassette is fully mounted, enabling operation of the cassette responsive to the first signal, unmounting the cassette at least partially from the mount, generating a second signal indicating that the cassette has been at least partially unmounted, and disabling further operation of the cassette responsive to the second signal even if the cassette is fully remounted. The method may include also generating a third signal indicating that the cassette is ready for further dispensing of medicaments, remounting the cassette fully on the mount, generating the first signal indicating that the cassette is fully remounted, and enabling further operation of the cassette responsive to the first and third signals after disabling further operation of the cassette.

Claims

1. A method for controlling medicament dispensing from a cassette moved from a mount for the cassette, the method comprising:

mounting the cassette fully on the mount, the cassette being loaded with bulk-form medicaments;

generating a first signal indicating that the cassette is fully mounted;

enabling operation of the cassette responsive to the first signal;

unmounting the cassette at least partially from the mount;

generating a second signal indicating that the cassette has been at least partially unmounted; and

disabling further operation of the cassette responsive to the second signal even if the cassette is fully remounted.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising, after disabling:

generating a third signal indicating that the cassette is ready for further dispensing of medicaments;

remounting the cassette fully on the mount;

generating the first signal indicating that the cassette is fully remounted; and

enabling further operation of the cassette responsive to the first and third signals.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the first signal includes contacting a switch with the cassette when the cassette is fully mounted.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein generating the second signal includes spacing the cassette from the switch when the cassette is at least partially unmounted.

5. The method of claim 2 further comprising, after enabling operation of the cassette, dispensing medicaments from the cassette.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein dispensing medicaments from the cassette includes dispensing all of the medicaments from the cassette.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising, after unmounting the cassette at least partially from the mount, loading further bulk-form medicaments into the cassette.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the cassette includes a lid and the method further comprises, after unmounting the cassette at least partially from the mount and before loading further bulk-form medicaments into the cassette:

allowing the lid to open when the cassette is at least partially unmounted; and

opening the lid permitting the medicaments to be loaded into the cassette.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising, before or after loading further bulk-form medicaments into the cassette, verifying that the cassette was correctly loaded with the medicaments.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein generating the third signal indicating that the cassette is ready for further dispensing of medicaments includes triggering the third signal with a user-input device.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein triggering the third signal with the user-input device includes placing a finger against a fingerprint reader user-input device.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein triggering the third signal with the user-input device includes placing a finger against a touch screen video display user-input device.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein triggering the third signal with the user-input device includes reading a code associated with the cassette with a code reader user-input device.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the second signal includes starting a timer.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising starting a timer after generating the second signal before mounting the cassette fully on the mount.

16. The method of claim 2 further comprising generating a fourth signal identifying the cassette, a fifth signal identifying a container holding a medicament for pouring into the cassette and sixth signal identifying a match of the cassette and the container holding a medicament before enabling further operation of the cassette.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the container holding a medicament holds an unclaimed prescription with medicaments to be restocked into the cassette.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the container holding a medicament is a supply container which holds a quantity of medicaments to replenish the cassette.