Medication packaging and dispensing system
First Claim
1. Apparatus for packaging and dispensing medication units for unit-dosage administration to patients, said apparatus comprising:
- a machine body;
a packaging station on said body;
a reservoir for holding a quantity of identical medication units;
a feeder means on said body and coupled to said reservoir to deliver medication units individually from said reservoir to said packaging station;
packaging material supply means to supply packaging material in two media to said packaging station;
merging means at the packaging station and merging portions of the two media together around said medication units at the packaging station and sealing portions of the two media together around said units to thereby individually package said units; and
marking means by the path of travel of one medium of said media, and marking said one medium with patient identification and medication sortation and administration information at spaced locations on said one medium for each individual package of medication unit;
said feeder means and merging means being arranged to place identical medication units in a plurality of said individual packages in continuous succession in the merged media.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A medication packaging and dispensing machine has a solid oral medication feeder bowl mounted near the top and a sizing disk in the feeder bowl to receive the medication units such as capsules or tablets from the bowl and deliver them individually to a drop tube through which they descend to a packaging station. Packing strip material stored in two rolls is pulled into the packaging station by a cooperating pair of rotary pull and seal platens which move the strips around the medication units and seal the strips together perimetrically around each unit. A printer prints medication and patient identifying information and prescribed administration date and time information on one of the strips for each unit as the strip is moved toward the packaging station. Gear drive and gear belt drive means and position sensing switch and motor control means coordinate the movement of the disk drive with the movement of the platens and the printer whereby each packaged unit has relevant information printed thereon. Units are packaged continuously, thereby developing a continuous strip of packages of units of one identity for a series of patients, with prescription information for each packaged unit shown on the package as prescribed and identified with the prescription information previously stored or simultaneously entered in a machine controlling computer.
-
Citations
20 Claims
-
1. Apparatus for packaging and dispensing medication units for unit-dosage administration to patients, said apparatus comprising:
-
a machine body; a packaging station on said body; a reservoir for holding a quantity of identical medication units; a feeder means on said body and coupled to said reservoir to deliver medication units individually from said reservoir to said packaging station; packaging material supply means to supply packaging material in two media to said packaging station; merging means at the packaging station and merging portions of the two media together around said medication units at the packaging station and sealing portions of the two media together around said units to thereby individually package said units; and marking means by the path of travel of one medium of said media, and marking said one medium with patient identification and medication sortation and administration information at spaced locations on said one medium for each individual package of medication unit; said feeder means and merging means being arranged to place identical medication units in a plurality of said individual packages in continuous succession in the merged media. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
-
-
6. A method of dispensing medications in unit dosage form comprising the steps of:
-
marking medication packaging material in a continuous strip with successive discrete information blocks on the strip, each block having therein the identification of the medication unit, its strength, lot number, expiration date, identification of patient for whom it is prescribed, the date and time prescribed for administration to the patient, and bar code identification of the medication; enclosing the medication units with the strip, each successive medication unit being confined to a different one of said blocks on the strip whereby the medication identification is visibly associated with the medication unit; and enclosing in each block of a series of blocks on the strip, a medication unit identical to the medication unit in the next preceding block and next succeeding block on the strip. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8)
-
-
9. A medication packaging and dispensing machine comprising:
-
a body; a feeder bowl coupled to said body; a sizing disk in said feeder bowl to receive medication units from said bowl and carry them individually to a discharge outlet; a product drop tube having an inlet associated with said outlet to receive said units and guide them individually to a packaging station; a disk indexing and driving hub receiving said disk on said hub; packaging material strips; pulling and sealing rollers at said packaging station and engaging said packaging strips and moving said strips around said medication units at said packaging station and sealing said strips together perimetrically around said units individually in said strips to form a strip of packages of said units; printer means printing identifying information on one of said strips as said one strip is moved toward said packaging station; coordinating means for coordinating the movement of said disk driving hub with the movement of said rollers and printing by said printer whereby each packaged medication unit has relevant information printed thereon and successive packages on the strip of packages contain identical medication units. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
-
Specification