Medication dispenser station
First Claim
1. A medication dispenser station, comprising:
- a plurality of cassettes each for receiving a respective one of a plurality of different medications in individual doses, each of said cassettes including a discharge opening for discharge passage of the medication therefrom, each of said cassettes comprising a tray having a tray floor with said discharge opening formed therein, and a carousel rotatably supported upon said tray floor, said carousel defining a generally vertically open plurality of compartments arranged in an annular array for rotation over said discharge opening, each of said compartments being adapted to receive an individual dose of medication;
a cabinet;
means for mounting said cassettes within said cabinet in a generally vertical stack, with said discharge openings of said plurality of cassettes being generally vertically aligned to define a generally vertically oriented discharge chute;
driving means for individually driving each of said cassettes to displace a dose of the medication received therein into alignment with said discharge opening whereby the displaced dose of medication falls through said chute when said cassettes are mounted within said cabinet, said driving means comprising a drive motor carried by each of said cassettes, and means for coupling said drive motor for each cassette to a source of power when said cassette is installed into the cabinet;
means for locking said cassettes within said cabinet to prevent direct access thereto from the cabinet exterior;
control means accessible from the exterior of said cabinet to control operation of said driving means for causing any selected one of said cassettes to displace a dose of the medication therein into alignment with said discharge opening; and
receiver means accessible from the exterior of said cabinet and positioned at a lower end of said chute whereby medication falling through said chute falls into said receiver means for access from the cabinet exterior.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A medication dispenser station is provided for controlled access to and dispensing of a plurality of different medications. The dispenser station comprises a lockable cabinet containing multiple medication-containing cassettes associated respectively with the different medications and mounted in a vertical stack, with the cassettes having aligned discharge openings cooperatively defining an open discharge chute. Each cassette includes a tray supporting a respective one of a plurality of rotatable carousels having vertically open compartments preloaded with individual doses of a respective one of the different medications. A control unit for the dispenser station responds to appropriate data input using an externally accessible keypad to rotate a selected carousel within its associated tray to sweep the medication within one of the carousel compartments into the discharge chute. The thus-selected medication falls through the chute into an externally accessible receiver to permit removal from the dispenser station for administration to a patient.
-
Citations
17 Claims
-
1. A medication dispenser station, comprising:
-
a plurality of cassettes each for receiving a respective one of a plurality of different medications in individual doses, each of said cassettes including a discharge opening for discharge passage of the medication therefrom, each of said cassettes comprising a tray having a tray floor with said discharge opening formed therein, and a carousel rotatably supported upon said tray floor, said carousel defining a generally vertically open plurality of compartments arranged in an annular array for rotation over said discharge opening, each of said compartments being adapted to receive an individual dose of medication; a cabinet; means for mounting said cassettes within said cabinet in a generally vertical stack, with said discharge openings of said plurality of cassettes being generally vertically aligned to define a generally vertically oriented discharge chute; driving means for individually driving each of said cassettes to displace a dose of the medication received therein into alignment with said discharge opening whereby the displaced dose of medication falls through said chute when said cassettes are mounted within said cabinet, said driving means comprising a drive motor carried by each of said cassettes, and means for coupling said drive motor for each cassette to a source of power when said cassette is installed into the cabinet; means for locking said cassettes within said cabinet to prevent direct access thereto from the cabinet exterior; control means accessible from the exterior of said cabinet to control operation of said driving means for causing any selected one of said cassettes to displace a dose of the medication therein into alignment with said discharge opening; and receiver means accessible from the exterior of said cabinet and positioned at a lower end of said chute whereby medication falling through said chute falls into said receiver means for access from the cabinet exterior. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
-
-
11. A medication dispenser station, comprising:
-
a cabinet having a door movable between open and closed positions to respectively permit and prevent access to the cabinet interior; a plurality of cassettes each including a tray having a tray floor with a discharge opening therein, and a carousel defining a plurality of generally vertically open compartments arranged in an annular array for rotation through a position overlying said discharge opening; said carousels of said plurality of cassettes being adapted to be loaded with a respective plurality of different medications by loading individual doses of said medications into said carousel compartments; means for mounting said cassettes within the interior of said cabinet in a vertically stacked array with said discharge openings cooperatively defining an open vertical chute; means for selectively locking said door in said closed position to preclude direct access to said cassettes within said cabinet; means defining an externally accessibly receiver at a lower end of said chute; and control means for rotating a selected one of said carousels through a rotational increment sufficient to displace said compartments of said selected carousel to sweep a dose of the medication therein into said chute, whereby the medication dose falls through said chute into said receiver for access from the exterior of the cabinet, said control means comprising a plurality of drive motors individually associated with and carried by said cassettes, and means for coupling said drive motor for each cassette to a power source when said cassette is mounted into the cabinet. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
-
-
17. A medication dispenser station, comprising:
-
a cabinet; a plurality of cassettes each for receiving a respective one of a plurality of different medications in individual doses, each of said cassettes including a discharge opening for discharge passage of the medication therefrom; means for mounting said cassettes within said cabinet in a generally vertical stack, with said discharge openings of said plurality of cassettes being generally vertically aligned to define a generally vertically oriented discharge chute; and driving means for individually driving each of said cassettes to displace a dose of the medication received therein into alignment with said discharge opening whereby the displaced dose of medication falls through said chute when said cassettes are mounted within said cabinet, said driving means comprising a drive motor carried by each of said cassettes, and means for coupling said drive motor for each cassette to a source of power when said cassette is installed into the cabinet.
-
Specification