Pill storage and dispensing cassette

• US 4,697,721 A
• Filed: 06/24/1985
• Issued: 10/06/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/1985
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Pharmaceutical Innovators Limited
• Original Assignee: Pharmaceutical Innovators Limited
• Inventors: Johnson, Robert D., Reyner, Mark F., Havener, John W., Kilburn, Norman W., Reyner, Franklin W. Jr., Whitver, Loren K.
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Assistant Examiner(s): Smith, P. McCoy
• Application Number:
  US06/748,404
• Time in Patent Office: 834 Days
• Field of Search: 221/97, 221/174, 221/197, 221/203, 221/211, 221/241, 221/281, 221/200, 221/201, 74/54, 74/96, 222/238, 301/374, 193/20, 193/21
• US Class Current: 221/211
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 35/08 using pocketed conveyors
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 57/20 Applications of counting devices for controlling the feed of articles other applications B65B65/08
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/1657 the picking arrangements using suction
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00

Abstract

An improved pill storage and dispensing cassette includes front and back side walls, opposite end walls, and opposite top and bottom walls defining a storage chamber therein. A rotatable pill conveying wheel is positioned in the back side wall and has a plurality of openings for holding and conveying a pill to a discharge chute upon actuation of a remote vacuum source. A separator member is positioned over the openings of the conveying wheel to dislodge the pills from the conveying wheel and such that the pills fall through the chute into the desired receptacle. An adjustment shoe is provided so that only one pill is held and conveyed by each opening in the conveying wheel. A central wall is included within the cassette to divide the pill chamber into forward and rearward compartments with the pills being primarily stored in the forward compartment with a limited number of pills passing through a recessed area in the central wall to the rearward compartment for conveyance by the conveying wheel. An agitator is positioned within the rearward compartment for rotation in the opposite direction as the conveying wheel to agitate the pills and prevent bridging across the top surface thereof. An insert is provided at the opening of the discharge chute to direct the dislodged pills into a receiving vial. The cassette also includes an enlarged opening over which a hopper is mounted such that pills can be continually loaded into the cassette during discharge of the pills therefrom.

Claims

1. An improved pill storage and dispensing cassette for use with a pill counting maching having a vacuum source therein, said cassette including a front side wall, a back side wall, opposite end walls, a top wall and a bottom wall defining a storage chamber;

a rotatable pill conveying wheel positioned in said back side wall and having a plurality of openings arranged annularly about the axis of rotation of said wheel for providing communication between said chamber and said vacuum source and for holding pills on said wheel upon actuation of said vacuum source;

a discharge in opening in communication with said chamber; and

a pill separator means positioned to operatively separate said pills from said wheel such that said pills are discharged through said discharge opening upon said wheel having conveyed said pills to said separator means;

improvement comprising;

an adjustment means in said chamber adjacent said wheel and being movably adjustable to selectively extend across a portion of at least one of said openings in said wheel during rotation of said wheel whereby each opening is limited to holding a single pill;

an access opening in said front wall to allow an adjustment tool to extend across said storage chamber to said adjustment means for providing continuous adjustment of said adjustment means during operation of said machine; and

a guide tube extending substantially between said access opening and said adjustment means to align said tool with said adjustment means and to prevent pills from falling out of said cassette through said access opening.

2. The cassete of claim 1 wherein said adjustment means includes a rotatable cam and a pivotable kick-off shoe having a cam follower surface for engagement with said cam whereby rotation of said cam causes said shoe to pivot for selective extension across a portion of one of said openings of said wheel.

3. The cassette of claim 2 wherein said cam and said cam follower surface each have a plurality of teeth for mating engagement with one another.