Drug storage/discharge apparatus

• US 6,012,602 A
• Filed: 03/05/1999
• Issued: 01/11/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Yuyama Seisakusho
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Yuyama Seisakusho
• Inventors: Hayashi, Hirotaka, Koike, Naoki, Yuyama, Shoji
• Primary Examiner(s): Olszewski, Robert P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): McAllister, Steven B.
• Application Number:
  US09/263,203
• Time in Patent Office: 312 Days
• Field of Search: 221/92, 221/124, 221/130, 221/131, 221/132, 221/133, 221/120
• US Class Current: 221/130
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0084 for multiple medicaments

Abstract

A drug storage/discharge apparatus which makes it possible to easily clean its drug discharge paths and to visually check if the guide paths have been cleaned sufficiently, and which does not require high dimensional and assembling accuracy for component parts. Each cabinet supports a plurality of vertically arranged rows of feeders on both sides thereof. A plurality of feeders forming each row are coupled together, and each feeder row thus coupled together has one end thereof pivotally coupled to the cabinet so as to be pivotable into its open position. When in the closed position, the feeder rows form one side wall of each drug guide path. The drug guide paths are exposed by drawing out the cabinet and opening the feeder rows on one side of the cabinet.

Claims

1. A drug storage/discharge apparatus comprising:

a plurality of drug feeders mounted adjacent a fixed member and being arranged in a plurality of columns each of said columns having a plurality of said drug feeders; and

a plurality of drug guide paths extending along said columns of said drug feeders, respectively, such that at least one wall of each of said drug guide paths is formed by said drug feeders,

wherein said drug feeders in each column are coupled together to form a plurality of feeder column assemblies, and each of said feeder column assemblies has a first end that is pivotally coupled to said fixed member so as to be pivotable between an open position and a closed position independently of the other of said feeder column assemblies.

2. The drug storage/discharge apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein movement of each of said feeder column assemblies to the open position exposes interior surfaces of said respective drug guide path.