Drug dispenser and quantity input device

• US 6,181,982 B1
• Filed: 09/13/1999
• Issued: 01/30/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Yuyama Seisakusho
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Yuyama Seisakusho
• Inventors: Koike, Naoki, Yuyama, Shoji, Shimizu, Hirohisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Ellis, Christopher P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Butler, Michael E.
• Application Number:
  US09/394,677
• Time in Patent Office: 505 Days
• Field of Search: 700/240, 700/244, 700/236, 700/235, 700/242, 700/241, 709/3
• US Class Current: 700/236
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 5/18 specially adapted for controlling several coin-freed apparatus from one place
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/002 Vending machines being part of a centrally controlled network of vending machines
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty

Abstract

A device which can reduce the workload on operators during replenishment and stocktaking of drugs stored in a drug dispenser. The drug dispenser has a memory for storing data on the initial number of drugs in each of the drug feeders, a processor for calculating the number of drugs currently remaining in each drug feeder by subtracting the number of drugs discharged from each feeder from the initial number of drugs in each drug feeder, and a display for displaying the name of drugs if the number of drugs currently remaining in any drug feeder is smaller than a predetermined value. With this arrangement, an operator can easily see which drug feeders are short of drugs without directly checking the respective feeders by removing them from shelves. The workload on operators for drug replenishment is thus reduced.

Claims

1. An input device comprising:

a reader means for reading identification data affixed to each of a plurality of drug feeders of a drug dispenser;

means for determining a name of drugs in each of the plurality of drug feeders based on the identification data read by said reader means;

a weighing means for weighing each of the plurality of drug feeders containing drugs;

a processing means for calculating a weight of the drugs in each of the plurality of drug feeders based on the weight data obtained by said weighing means and calculating a number of drugs currently remaining in each of the plurality of drug feeders by dividing the weight of the drugs in each of the plurality of drug feeders by a unit weight of the drugs in each of plurality of drug feeders, respectively; and

a transmission means for transmitting data on the drug names and the number of drugs remaining in each of the plurality of drug feeders to the drug dispenser.