Automatic prescription dispensing system
First Claim
1. An automatic prescription dispensing system comprising a multiplicity of pill dispensers in one conveyer line, each of said dispensers defining a fill position and each being operable to dispense pills into a pill bottle in the fill position of such dispenser, the fill positions of said dispensers being arranged in columns and rows, a conveyer comprising means to carry pill bottles arranged in columns and rows, carrying the columns of pill bottles severally through the columns of fill positions so that each pill bottle in a column passes through fill positions to receive pills from each pill dispenser of a corresponding column, control means to selectively predetermine each of said pill bottles to receive a specific prescription and operable to simultaneously release the pills of different prescriptions into selected pill bottles from said pill dispensers, each pill bottle receiving the pills of a prescription when the pill bottle predetermined to receive such prescription reaches a fill position of a pill dispenser containing the pills of such prescription, said pill dispensers being controlled by said control means to release the number of pills called for in said prescriptions.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
In an automatic prescription dispensing system, a multiplicity of pill dispensers dispensing the pills of different prescriptions are arranged in columns and rows. A conveyer organizes open and labeled pill bottles in columns corresponding to the columns of the pill dispensers and carries the columns of pill bottles severally past and beneath the pill dispensers in the array. The pill bottles are carried in bottle carriers which in turn are carried by pallets on a conveyer. When a pill bottle gets to a pill dispenser containing the pills to be dispensed for the prescription of a pill bottle, the pills are released from the dispenser into the pill bottle, whereby a plurality of pill bottles passing under the array of dispensers are filled simultaneously. The pill dispensers count the pills out one at a time and accumulate the pills of a prescription before the pill bottle to receive such prescription reaches the dispenser and then releases the pills en masse into the pill bottle.
144 Citations
16 Claims
- 1. An automatic prescription dispensing system comprising a multiplicity of pill dispensers in one conveyer line, each of said dispensers defining a fill position and each being operable to dispense pills into a pill bottle in the fill position of such dispenser, the fill positions of said dispensers being arranged in columns and rows, a conveyer comprising means to carry pill bottles arranged in columns and rows, carrying the columns of pill bottles severally through the columns of fill positions so that each pill bottle in a column passes through fill positions to receive pills from each pill dispenser of a corresponding column, control means to selectively predetermine each of said pill bottles to receive a specific prescription and operable to simultaneously release the pills of different prescriptions into selected pill bottles from said pill dispensers, each pill bottle receiving the pills of a prescription when the pill bottle predetermined to receive such prescription reaches a fill position of a pill dispenser containing the pills of such prescription, said pill dispensers being controlled by said control means to release the number of pills called for in said prescriptions.
- 8. An automatic prescription dispensing system comprising a multiplicity of pill dispensers in one conveyer line, each of said dispensers defining a fill position and each being operable to dispense pills into a pill bottle in the fill position of such dispenser, the fill positions of said dispensers being arranged in a column, a conveyer arranged to carry a column of pill bottles through said fill positions bringing each pill bottle in said column through each of said fill positions in sequence so that at a given time a plurality of said pill bottles will be in a different one of said fill positions, control means to selectively predetermine each of said pill bottles to receive a specific prescription and operable to simultaneously release pills of different prescriptions into said pill bottles from said pill dispensers, each pill bottle receiving the pills of a prescription when such pill bottle reaches a fill position of a pill dispenser containing pills of such prescription, said pill dispensers being controlled by said control means to release the number of pills called for in said prescriptions.
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16. An automatic prescription dispensing system, comprising a multiplicity of pill dispensers in a single conveyer line, each conveyer line comprising means to carry pill bottles past said pill dispensers so that said pill bottles pass through positions to receive pills from said pill dispensers, control means to selectively predetermine each of said pill bottles to receive a specific prescription and operable to simultaneously release pills of different prescriptions into selected pill bottles from said pill dispensers, each pill bottle receiving pills of a prescription when the pill bottle predetermined to receive such prescription reaches the pill dispenser containing the pills of such prescription, said pill dispensers being controlled by said control means to release the number of pills called for in said prescriptions, said conveyer comprising means to carry a multiplicity of pill bottle carriers in sequence past said pill dispensers, said bottle carriers each comprising means to receive and carry a plurality of bottles in a predetermined arrangement.
Specification