Drawer operating system
First Claim
1. A drawer operating system comprising:
- a) a plurality of drawers, and a latching means connected to each of said drawers,b) each of said drawers being connected to a pulley,c) a cable connected around each pulley of each of said drawers, the cable being wound around a drum,wherein the pulleys and drum comprise means for allowing those drawers whose latching means have been unlatched to open, when the cable is unwound from the drum, and wherein the pulleys and drum also comprise means for closing the drawers when the cable is wound onto the drum.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A mechanical system opens a selected drawer in a multiple-drawer cabinet. The drawers are arranged in rows and columns. A selected drawer is unlatched by moving a rod which has protruding fingers, only one of which is positioned to engage a latch in a column of drawers. When the rod moves longitudinally, the selected drawer becomes unlatched. The unlatched drawer can open only to a distance determined by a cable which unwinds from a drum and passes around a pulley attached to the drawer. Thus, by controlling the rotation of the drum, the system can be programmed to open the drawer only to a distance which exposes the first non-empty compartment in the drawer. A computer controls the selection and opening of the drawers. The computer keeps a record of which compartments of each drawer have been emptied. Each time a drawer is opened, it is opened to the next non-empty compartment, allowing access to one and only one compartment in the drawer. The invention is therefore especially useful in dispensing medications and other similar articles in a hospital environment.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A drawer operating system comprising:
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a) a plurality of drawers, and a latching means connected to each of said drawers, b) each of said drawers being connected to a pulley, c) a cable connected around each pulley of each of said drawers, the cable being wound around a drum, wherein the pulleys and drum comprise means for allowing those drawers whose latching means have been unlatched to open, when the cable is unwound from the drum, and wherein the pulleys and drum also comprise means for closing the drawers when the cable is wound onto the drum. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A drawer operating system comprising:
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a) a plurality of drawers, each drawer having a latch, b) a rod, the rod having a longitudinal axis, the rod having a surface which has a circumference, the rod having fingers extending from the rod, each of said fingers being located near a different latch, each of said fingers being disposed in a different position around the circumference of the rod, wherein each latch includes means for engagement of the latch with one of said fingers, c) means for rotating the rod about its longitudinal axis, and d) means for translating the rod along its longitudinal axis, wherein rotation of the rod selects one of said latches for engagement with one of said fingers, and wherein longitudinal translation of the rod causes the selected latch to become engaged with said one of said fingers. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A drawer operating system comprising:
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a) a plurality of drawers, and a latching means connected to each of said drawers, the drawers being movable linearly from a closed position to an open position, b) means for selecting at least one drawer to be opened and for unlatching said selected drawer, c) means for linearly moving said drawer to the open position, and d) means for variably limiting the distance to which said drawer can move.
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Specification