Medication dispensing cart

• US 4,114,965 A
• Filed: 11/04/1976
• Issued: 09/19/1978
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/1976
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Artromick International, Inc. (Capsa Solutions LLC)
• Original Assignee: Trans-Aid Corporation
• Inventors: Oye, Lloyd J., Ogden, Barry
• Primary Examiner(s): Downey, Kenneth
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sakran, Victor N.
• Application Number:
  US05/738,802
• Time in Patent Office: 684 Days
• Field of Search: 312/209, 312/290, 312/71, 312/72, 312/286, 312/237, 312/250, 312/245
• US Class Current: 312/209
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2031/003 with drawers, trays or shelves
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2031/006 Medication carts
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 31/00 Service or tea tables, trolleys, or wagons serving trays A47G23/06; features relating to running gear or to movement by hand B62B
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 12/001 Trolleys for transport of medicaments, food, linen, nursing supplies carts specially adapted for surgery or diagnosis A61B50/13; hand carts B62B3/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2203/723 Impact absorbing means, e.g. bumpers or airbags

Abstract

A portable medication dispensing cart comprised of a cabinet portably mounted on casters and a plurality of medication drawers or bins which are convenient and easy to use. The cabinet includes swing-away doors that lock to provide security as well as a vertically oriented automatic locking drawer for controlled drug security. The medication drawers are installed in removable and interchangeable racks or cassettes. The rear of the cabinet has a tilt-out panel supporting a waste receptacle communicating with an aperture in the upper surface of the cabinet when the panel is in the closed position. The top or working surface of the cabinet is provided with a flexible holder for a removable lamp and a variable size cup dispenser accessible through an aperture in the top surface. The cabinet has all-around bumper protection both top and bottom with the top bumper providing handles at each end of the portable cabinet. Cabinet mounted knobs or socket balls engage keyhole slots in a bracket fastened to a wall to secure the cart when not in use.

Claims

1. A portable medicine dispensing cart comprising:

a cabinet having a hollow interior enclosed by four sides, a bottom and a flat top working surface;

hinged door means on one side providing access to said hollow interior;

a plurality of medication storage bins slidably supported in removable wire rack cassettes in said hollow interior accessible behind said hinged door means;

a pair of lockable, slidably extendable, vertically oriented drawers, one above the other, adjacent to said plurality of medicated storage bins;

said vertical drawers being divided into a plurality of compartments with a compartment accessible from the top and a bottom compartment accessible from a side adjacent to said medication bins, whereby said vertical drawers and medication storage bins may be simultaneously accessible;

a cart wall locking security system comprising;

a wall bracket having a pair of horizontally aligned keyhole slots,

a pair of socket balls secured to the rear wall of said cabinet adapted to engage said horizontal keyhole slots of said bracket,

a hole in said wall bracket,

a spring-loaded pin extending out of the rear wall of said cabinet and adapted to engage the hole in said wall bracket when said socket balls are fully engaged in said keyhole slots,

holding means for holding said pin in an extended position when said cart is secured,

an adjustable size cup dispenser accessible through a circular aperture in said top surface comprising;

retaining means circumjacent said circular aperture in said top surface for retaining said cups; and

resilient means for adjusting said retaining means for different size cups.

2. The medication cart according to claim 1 wherein said holding means for holding said pin in an extended position when said cart is secured comprises:

a bracket secured to one of said vertical drawers;

a spring-loaded plunger pin slidably supported in said bracket;

whereby said plunger pin is held in an extended position whenever said vertical drawer is locked.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said retainer adjusting means for said cup dispenser comprises:

a plurality of stepped flanges around the periphery of said circular aperture;

a removable resilient elastic band engaging the respective steps of said flanges for restricting the size of the circular opening, said size restriction being determined by which step of the plural flanges said resilient means is engaging.

4. The medication cart according to claim 1 wherein the side of said cabinet opposite said hinged doors includes:

a tilt-out panel;

a waste receptacle supported on said panel accessible through an aperture in said top working surface when said tilt-out panel is closed comprising;

a shelf rack attached to said tilt-out panel;

a roll of tear-off disposable plastic bags supported on said shelf;

a rectangular hollow bracket attached to said tilt-out panel above said shelf;

whereby a replacement waste bag is automatically pulled up through said rectangular hollow bracket when a full bag is removed.