MEDICINE DISPENSING APPARATUS

• US 3,556,342 A
• Filed: 05/05/1969
• Issued: 01/19/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Joseph S. Guarr
• Original Assignee: Joseph S. Guarr
• Inventors: Guarr, Joseph S.
• Application Number:
  US04/821,652
• Time in Patent Office: 624 Days
• US Class Current: 221/2
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0084 for multiple medicaments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/342 Cards defining paid or billed services or quantities
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/00 Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/025 by means, e.g. cards, providing billing information at the time of purchase, e.g. identification of seller or purchaser, quantity of goods delivered or to be delivered

Abstract

A medicine dispensing apparatus is mounted in a cabinet having a medicine receiving hopper therein. A plurality of medicine dispensing housings are mounted in the cabinet with each communicating with the hopper. A magazine containing medicine in the form of a plurality of pills, capsules, tablets, ampuls and the like is movably mounted within each housing and a reciprocable plunger is engaged by each magazine. Plunger moving means are mounted within the cabinet and are selectively engaged and activated for moving the respective magazine from a medicine retaining position and return. Interaction of an interposer slidably mounted in each housing, an inclined slide surface in a medicine containing chamber within each magazine, and a slidable door permit ejection of a single unit of medicine such as a pill, capsule, tablet, ampul or the like from the respective magazine for each movement of the respective magazine to the medicine dispensing position.

Claims

1. A medicine dispensing apparatus comprising:

a. a cabinet having a medicine receiving hopper therein;

b. a medicine dispensing device mounted in said cabinet and communicating with said hopper;

c. a medicine containing magazine movably mounted within said medicine dispensing device;

d. a reciprocable plunger positioned to be engaged by said magazine;

e. plunger moving means for moving said plunger and magazIne from a medicine retaining position to a medicine dispensing position and return;

f. an ejecting device operative to dispense a single unit of medicine from said magazine and to maintain the remainder therein; and

g. a trap door normally closing an exit of said hopper.

2. A medicine dispensing apparatus comprising:

a. a cabinet having a medicine receiving hopper therein;

b. a plurality of medicine dispensing devices mounted in said cabinet with each communicating with said medicine receiving hopper;

c. medicine containing magazines each adapted to be movably mounted within each of said medicine dispensing devices;

d. a plurality of reciprocable plungers each positioned to be engaged by one of said respective magazines;

e. plunger moving means for moving said respective plunger and magazine from a medicine retaining position to a medicine dispensing position and return;

f. ejecting devices for dispensing a single unit of said medicine from said respective magazine while retaining the remainder therein;

g. means selectively engaging respective plunger moving means for dispensing said single unit of medicine; and

h. a trap door normally closing an exit of said hopper.

3. The medicine dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim 2 including:

a. a magazine supporting member having a magazine engaging position for initially limiting travel of said respective magazine within said respective medicine dispensing device and a nonengaging position for permitting travel of said respective magazine to said medicine dispensing position; and

b. said respective plunger being adapted to engage said respective magazine supporting member during said movement from said medicine retaining position to said medicine dispensing position for moving said magazine supporting member from said magazine engaging position to said nonengaging position whereby said respective magazine may travel to said medicine dispensing position in response to said plunger moving means.

4. The medicine dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein each of said magazines includes:

a. an elongate closed medicine chamber;

b. an inclined slide surface at one end of said medicine chamber, said slide surface being positioned to be engaged by a first unit of medicine; and

c. an exit for said units of medicine, said exit being at said one end of said medicine chamber.

5. The medicine dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim 4 wherein each of said magazines includes:

a. a slidable door normally closing said medicine chamber exit;

b. means for opening said slidable door during said travel of said magazine to said medicine dispensing position; and

c. means for closing said slidable door during said return to said medicine retaining position.

6. The medicine dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim 5 wherein:

a. said slide surface is beveled downwardly and outwardly adjacent said exit whereby said first unit of medicine engages said slide surface and is positioned adjacent said exit;

b. said medicine chamber is internally shaped to align a plurality of units of medicine therein except said first unit; and

c. an upper edge of said exit is beveled downwardly and outwardly substantially parallel with said slide surface thereby cooperating with said slide surface for ejection of said first unit of medicine when said door is open.

7. The medicine dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim 6 wherein each of said ejecting devices for dispensing a single unit of said medicine includes;

;

a. an interposer slidably mounted in each of said medicine dispensing devices, said interposer having a medicine engaging position extending into said medicine chamber when said respective magazine is in said medicine dispensing position; and

b. a way in each of said magazines communicating with said medicine chamber at said slide surface and shaped to engage and move said respective interposer to said mediciNe engaging position.

8. The medicine dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim 7 wherein:

a. said interposer is positioned in said medicine engaging position during said magazine travel to said medicine dispensing position;

b. said interposer is positioned to engage a side surface of said first unit of medicine and to guide said first unit outwardly from said chamber during said magazine travel to said medicine dispensing position; and

c. said interposer is positioned to engage a second unit of medicine at a bottom surface thereby supporting said remainder of units of medicine in said magazine after said first unit is dispensed.

9. The medicine dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim 8 wherein:

a. said second unit of medicine is positioned above said downwardly and outwardly beveled slide surface when engaged by said interposer; and

b. said second unit of medicine is aligned with said remainder of units of medicine when engaged by said interposer.

10. The medicine dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim 3 including resilient means engaging said magazine supporting member and said medicine dispensing device for urging said magazine supporting member into contact with said first unit of medicine, said contact positioning said magazine supporting member in said magazine engaging position whereby said magazine supporting member is positioned to be engaged by said respective plunger.

11. The medicine dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim 10 wherein:

a. said magazine supporting member has a second magazine engaging position with said magazine supporting member being positioned for nonengagement by said plunger whereby said magazine remains in engagement with said magazine supporting means; and

b. said resilient means is biased to urge said magazine supporting member into said second magazine engaging position when said medicine chamber contains no units of medicine therein.

12. The medicine dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim 2 including:

a. said cabinet having a door for access to said medicine dispensing devices;

b. hinge means for moving said door between an open position and a closed position;

c. locking means for maintaining said door in said closed position;

d. a movable safety member mounted in said cabinet and having a plurality of projections; and

e. a linkage connected to said locking means and to said safety member operative to move said safety member from an operative position to a safe position when said locking means in unlocked, said safe position having said safety member projections positioned to be engaged by said plungers thereby preventing said plungers moving said respective magazines to said respective medicine dispensing position.

13. The medicine dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim 2 including:

a. a selector member mounted on said cabinet and movable between a plurality of selected positions corresponding to respective magazines;

b. detent means retaining said selector member in said respective selected positions; and

c. said plunger moving means being operatively connected to said selector member, said plunger moving means being positioned to engage said respective plunger in response to moving said selector member to said respective selected position.

14. The medicine dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim 13 including:

a. key operated means mounted in said cabinet for operating said plunger moving means, said key operated means having an elongate lever movable between a locked position and an operative position;

b. an abutment member mounted on said cabinet and positioned to be engaged by one end of said lever when said lever is in said locked position;

c. an elongate bar mounted in said cabinet, said bar being movable from a first position to a second position and return to said first position, said bar being engaged with said respective plunger moving means during said movement from said first position to Said second position, said second position having said respective plunger moving means engaging said plunger while in said medicine dispensing position;

d. a way in said cabinet, said key operated means being movable in said way; and

e. linkage means connecting said key operated means and said bar whereby movement of said key operated means moves said bar from said first position to said second position whereby said bar engages said plunger moving means and moves same with said respective magazine from said medicine retaining position to said medicine dispensing position during movement of said bar from said first position to said second position.

15. The medicine dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim 14 including:

a. recording means mounted in said cabinet for recording each selected dispensing of medicine, said recording means being operative to record said respective selected magazine moved to said medicine dispensing position, and b. a plurality of code designations associated with said recording means representing contents of respective magazines whereby said respective code designation is recorded by said recording means in response to movement of said respective selected magazine to said medicine dispensing position.

16. The medicine dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim 15 including:

Time clock means associated with said recording means and operative to record time of each selection of said unit of medicine.

17. The medicine dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim 16 including:

a. a plurality of keys each operative to move said lever of said key operative means from said locked position to said operative position;

b. each of said keys having a representative code designation; and

c. said recording means being responsive to said respective representative code designation.

18. The medicine dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim 13 including:

a. indicating means mounted on said cabinet and operative to indicate said respective selected position of said plunger moving means; and

b. said indicating means being aligned with said respective selected magazine.