Article dispensing apparatus for selectively dispensing articles

• US 4,047,635 A
• Filed: 07/02/1976
• Issued: 09/13/1977
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/1975
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Arthur A. Bennett Jr
• Original Assignee: Arthur A. Bennett Jr
• Inventors: Bennett, Arthur A. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tolberg, Stanley H.
• Application Number:
  US05/702,235
• Time in Patent Office: 438 Days
• Field of Search: 221/2, 221/13, 221/94, 221/115, 221/120, 221/122, 221/15, 221/5, 221/75, 221/86, 206/538, 194/4 R
• US Class Current: 221/5
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0445 for preventing drug dispensing during a predetermined time period
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0454 for dispensing of multiple drugs
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0463 for multiple patients
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0481 working on a schedule basis

Abstract

An apparatus and method for selectively dispensing articles is disclosed. The apparatus is especially suited for dispensing pills in hospitals and nursing homes, wherein stringent controls are needed to prevent mistakes in dispensing or misuse of prescribed pills. The apparatus comprises a plurality of magazines or cassettes, each magazine containing a number of doses of a particular pill prescribed for the patient. The pill magazines are locked so that the pills cannot be removed without insertion into the dispensing apparatus, with the dispensing apparatus being operable only by authorized personnel. The magazines contain a plurality of rotatable compartments for storing several days supply of the particular pill, each compartment containing the unit dose prescribed for the particular patient. As is often the case in hospitals and at nursing homes, where a patient is to take more than one pill at a particular time, a plurality of magazines are inserted into the dispensing apparatus, and then the dispenser is activated to dispense from the magazines those pills required at that time. In addition, it is contemplated that various magazines can only be activated at particular times in the day so that a pill cannot be dispensed except at the times prescribed for the patient.

Claims

1. An apparatus for dispensing preselected pharmaceutical doses in readily handled units such as in pill or capsule form, the apparatus comprising:

a. a housing structure;

b. a plurality of magazines arranged to be removably received in the housing structure, each magazine adapted to contain a plurality of preselected similar pharmaceutical dosages differing from the dosages in the other magazines;

c. means for activating selected magazines to cause discharge of a dosage from each selected magazine to produce a preselected multiple dosage;

d. each magazine including means providing access to the dosages contained in the magazine and lock means for each magazine to prevent unauthorized access to the dosage therein;

e. and other lock means preventing discharge of dosages when the magazine is removed from the housing structure.

2. An apparatus for discharging articles into a receiver comprising:

a. a housing structure having a chamber arranged to removably receive a plurality of dispenser magazines inserted horizontally therein;

each magazine having a vertically aligned upper and lower opening therein, the openings of the dispenser magazines being in vertical alignment when the magazines are disposed in the housing structure chamber;

b. a magazine wheel rotatable in each magazine, and including a ring of compartments open at their axial ends for sequential alignment with the openings in its corresponding magazine;

c. means for advancing selected magazine wheels to discharge the contents of corresponding compartments into a receiver;

d. and a locking means for each magazine to prevent rotation of the corresponding magazine wheel when removed from the housing structure.

3. An apparatus for discharging articles into a receiver comprising:

a. a housing structure having a chamber arranged to removably receive a plurality of dispenser magazines inserted horizontally therein;

each magazine having a vertically aligned upper and lower opening therein, the openings of the dispenser magazines being in vertical alignment when the magazines are disposed in the housing structure chamber;

b. a magazine wheel rotatable in each magazine, and including a ring of compartments open at their axial ends for sequential alignment with the openings in its corresponding magazine;

c. means for advancing selected magazine wheels to discharge the contents of corresponding compartments into a receiver;

d. each magazine including a removable cover to expose the corresponding magazine wheel for reloading articles therein;

e. and a concealed lock means for each magazine to prevent unauthorized removal of its cover.

4. An apparatus for discharging articles into a receiver comprising:

a. a housing structure having a chamber arranged to removably receive a plurality of dispenser magazines inserted horizontally therein, each magazine having a vertically aligned upper and lower opening therein, the openings of the dispenser magazines being in vertical alignment when the magazines are disposed in the housing structure chamber;

b. a magazine wheel rotatable in each magazine, and including a ring of compartments open at their axial ends for sequential alignment with the openings in its corresponding magazine;

c. and means for advancing selected magazine wheels to discharge the contents of corresponding compartments into a receiver;

advancing means including a drive member carried by the housing structure and extending into a corresponding magazine for engagement with its magazine wheel; and

a pawl to prevent reverse movement of the magazine wheel.

5. An apparatus as defined in claim 4, wherein:

a. a second pawl engages the magazine wheel in cooperation with the reverse movement preventing the pawl to lock the magazine wheel against movement in either direction to prevent removal of articles from the magazines;

b. and magnetic means is provided for releasing the second pawl.

6. An article dispensing apparatus suitable for selectively dispensing a plurality of dissimilar articles comprising at least two magazines along a substantially vertical axis;

a. said magazines comprising a plurality of compartments, said compartments being separated by radially extending sidewalls and being rotatable around a center portion from which the sidewalls extend;

b. said magazines having a bottom portion containing an opening approximately the size of one of the compartments, the openings between the magazines being in substantially vertical alignment such that when a compartment of a magazine containing an article is rotated into vertical alignment with the openings, the article is dispersed out of the magazine and through the openings of all of the magazines beneath it;

c. each of said magazines having a top portion for sealing and locking the articles in the compartments which may be opened for filling the magazines;

d. said magazine having a locking means which contacts said rotatable compartments to prevent manual rotation of said compartments upon removal of the magazines from the dispensing apparatus;

e. said magazines having a switching means electrically connected to a control means;

f. a control means for selectively activating a drive means;

g. and drive means comprising a plurality of drive wheels corresponding to the number of magazines which rotate the compartments of each magazine and which may be selectively activated by the control means and which upon rotation of a compartment into alignment with the openings is deactivated by the switch means.

7. A pharmaceutical dosage dispensing magazine for use in conjunction with a dispensing drive means, the magazine comprising:

a. a wheel member having a ring of dosage receiving compartments;

b. an enclosure for the rotatable member having an outlet for dispensing dosages from the wheel member;

c. means carried by the wheel member engageable by the drive means for turning the wheel member in increments to effect discharge of dosages in sequence;

d. means operable when the enclosure is removed from the drive means for locking the wheel member against rotation to return the dosages in their respective pockets.

8. A pharmaceutical dosage dispensing magazine as defined in claim 7, wherein:

a. the enclosure includes a removable cover to provide access to the compartments for replacing dosages;

b. and means within the enclosure operable by an external key means to remove the cover.

9. An apparatus for discharging articles into a receiver comprising:

a. a housing structure having a chamber arranged to removably receive a plurality of dispenser magazines inserted horizontally therein;

each magazine having a vertically aligned upper and lower opening therein, the openings of the dispenser magazines being in vertical alignment when the magazines are disposed in the housing structure chamber;

b. a magazine wheel rotatable in each magazine, and including a ring of compartments open at their axial ends for sequential alignment with the openings in its corresponding magazine;

c. means for advancing selected magazine wheels to discharge the contents of corresponding compartments into a receiver;

d. each magazine including a slidable cover on one side thereof, the cover having a locking boss;

a locking pawl within the magazine engagable with the locking boss to secure the cover; and

magnetic means engagable with the magazine, when free of the housing structure, for disengaging the locking pawl and boss to permit removal of the cover.

10. An apparatus for discharging articles into a receiver comprising:

a. a housing structure having a chamber arranged to removably receive a plurality of dispenser magazines inserted horizontally therein;

each magazine having a vertically aligned upper and lower opening therein, the openings of the dispenser magazines being in vertical alignment when the magazines are disposed in the housing structure chamber;

b. a magazine wheel rotatable in each magazine, and including a ring of compartments open at their axial ends for sequential alignment with the openings in its corresponding magazine;

c. means for advancing selected magazine wheels to discharge the contents of corresponding compartments into a receiver;

said means including a plurality of drive wheels corresponding to the neumber of magazines, an activating means to cause selected drive wheels to engage and advance corresponding magazine wheels; and

deactivating means to cause disengagement of the drive wheels from the magazine wheels on predetermined rotation.