Lighting system and methods for a dispensing device

• US 6,039,467 A
• Filed: 12/05/1996
• Issued: 03/21/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Omnicell Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Omnicell Technologies Inc.
• Inventors: Holmes, William K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Terrell, William E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PARK, WONKI K
• Application Number:
  US08/761,726
• Time in Patent Office: 1,202 Days
• Field of Search: 364/479.01, 364/479.11, 364/479.07, 364/479.06, 364/479.1, 364/479.12, 364/479.14, 364/479.13, 312/348.3, 312/223.1, 312/223.5, 312/223.6, 312/223.2, 221/2, 221/3
• US Class Current: 700/231
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 12/001 Trolleys for transport of medicaments, food, linen, nursing supplies carts specially adapted for surgery or diagnosis A61B50/13; hand carts B62B3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers

Abstract

The invention provides an exemplary dispensing unit which includes a cabinet having a plurality of drawers. A plurality of light sources are attached to a bottom of each of the drawers. A liner is removably held within each of the drawers above the light sources. Further, a plurality of adjustable dividers are provided to divide the liner into a plurality of bins for holding items. A processor having a memory for storing a list of items which are held within the bins and an entry device for entering a request for item removal is further provided. A plurality of light indicators are operably attached to the dividers and are arranged such that each light indicator is aligned with a corresponding light source.

Claims

1. A dispensing system, comprising:

a cabinet having at least one storage location;

a plurality of dividers which divide at least a portion of the storage location into a plurality of bins for holding items, wherein at least some of the dividers are adjustable to provide for multiple possible bin arrangements;

a processor having a memory for storing a list of items which are held within the bins and an entry device for entering requests for item removal; and

a plurality of light indicators attached to at least some of the dividers, wherein the light indicators are arranged such that at least one light indicator uniquely identifies one of the bins when lighted, wherein the storage location further includes a plurality of light sources which are in communication with the processor and which provide light to the light indicators, wherein for every possible bin arrangement in said portion of said storage location there is at least one light source and one corresponding light indicator, wherein the processor further includes information relating to the arrangement of the dividers, and wherein selection of one of the items from the list of items causes the processor to send a signal to actuate at least one of the light sources which are associated with the bin having the selected item.

2. A The system of claim 1, wherein the storage location includes a plurality of connecting points which are arranged such that the dividers will form orthogonal bins when connected to the connecting points, and wherein the light sources are arranged in a two dimensional array such that at least two light indicators are always aligned with at least two light sources for each bin.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the light indicators comprise light pipes which are placed into direct contact with the light sources when the dividers are placed into the storage location.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the light pipes comprise elongate columns of a light transmitting material.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the light sources comprise LEDs.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the storage location comprises a frame and a removable liner to which the dividers are removably attached, and wherein the light sources are fixedly attached to the frame so that placement of the tray onto the frame places the light indicators in alignment with the light sources.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the liner includes an identification device having information regarding the arrangement of the dividers and the items stored in each bin, wherein the storage location further includes a reader for reading the information from the identification device upon placement of the liner onto the frame and transferring the information to the processor.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the storage location comprises a retractable drawer.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising a drawer lock within the cabinet which locks the drawer until receiving a signal from the processor.

10. The system of claim 8, further comprising a plurality of retractable drawers, each having a visual indicator located thereon, wherein the selection of an item from the list of items actuates the visual indicator on the drawer having the selected item.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising a sensor to detect if one of the drawers is retracted from the cabinet.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the light indicator comprises an arrow.

13. A dispensing unit, comprising:

a cabinet having a plurality of drawers, wherein a plurality of light sources are attached to a bottom of each of the drawers;

a liner removably held within each of the drawers above the light sources;

a plurality of adjustable dividers which divides at least a portion of the liner into a plurality of bins for holding items, wherein at least some of the dividers are adjustable to provide for multiple possible bin arrangements;

a processor having a memory for storing a list of items which are held within the bins and an entry device for entering requests for item removal; and

a plurality of light indicators which are attached to the dividers, wherein the light indicators are arranged such that each light indicator is aligned with a corresponding light source, wherein the light sources are in communication with the processor, wherein for every possible bin arrangement in said portion of said liner there is at least one light source and one corresponding light indicator, wherein the processor further includes information relating to the arrangement of the dividers, and wherein selection of one of the items from the list of items causes the processor to send a signal to actuate at least one of the light sources which are associated with the bin having the selected item.

14. The dispensing unit of claim 13, wherein the light indicators are arranged such that at least two of the light indicators are associated with each bin.

15. The dispensing unit of claim 13, wherein the light indicators are in direct contact with the light sources when the liner is placed into the drawer.

16. The dispensing unit of claim 13, wherein the drawers have a height that is either two inches or four inches.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the light indicators comprise light pipes which are each constructed of an elongate column of a light transmitting material.

18. The system of claim, 13, wherein the light sources comprise LEDs.

19. A method for dispensing items from a dispensing unit having a plurality of retractable drawers which are divided with dividers to form a plurality of bins for holding the items, wherein at least one of the drawers includes a plurality of light sources, the method comprising:

adjusting at least some of the dividers in the drawer having the light sources to form a preferred arrangement of the bins;

providing the dispensing unit with information on the preferred arrangement;

entering item identification information into the dispensing unit to select a desired type of item from one of the bins having the preferred arrangement;

withdrawing the drawer having the selected item;

lighting at least one of the light sources to light at least one light indicator which is attached to at least one of the dividers which forms the bin having the selected item; and

removing a desired quantity of the selected type of item from the bin.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising entering user and patient identification information in the dispensing unit before selecting the item.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising actuating a visual indicator on the drawer having the selected item.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising entering into the dispensing unit the quantity of items removed from the bin.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising closing the drawer after removing the desired quantity and making a discrepancy record if the quantity of items removed was not previously entered.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the dividers are coupled to a liner, and further comprising removing the liner and replacing the liner with a second liner having a full inventory of items.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the second liner has a bin arrangement which is different that the arrangement of the first liner, and further comprising selecting an item from the list of items and lighting at least two light indicators which are adjacent the bin having the selected item.

26. A dispensing system, comprising:

a cabinet having at least one storage location;

a plurality of dividers at least some of which are adjustable to provide for multiple possible bin arrangements, wherein the dividers divide at least a portion of the storage location into a plurality of bins for holding items;

a processor having a memory for storing a list of items which are held within the bins and an entry device for entering requests for item removal; and

means attached to at least one of the dividers and connected to the processor to light at least a portion of one of the bins to guide a user to a selected item such that selection of one of the items from the list of items causes the processor to send a signal to the lighting means to cause the portion of the bin having the item to be lighted regardless of the particular bin arrangement.

27. A dispensing system, comprising:

a cabinet having at least one storage location;

a plurality of adjustable dividers which divide the storage location into a plurality of bins for holding items;

a processor having a memory for storing a list of items which are held within the bins and an entry device for entering requests for item removal; and

a plurality of light indicators operably attached to at least some of the dividers, wherein the light indicators are arranged such that at least one light indicator uniquely identifies one of the bins when lighted;

wherein the storage location further includes a plurality of light sources which are in communication with the processor and which provide light to the light indicators, wherein the storage location comprises a frame and a removable liner to which the dividers are removably attached, and wherein the light sources are fixedly attached to the frame so that placement of the tray onto the frame places the light indicators in alignment with the light sources.