Automatic drug dispenser

• US 6,230,927 B1
• Filed: 03/09/1999
• Issued: 05/15/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Instymeds Corporation
• Original Assignee: Consumer Health Entrepreneurs B.V., Medimaat B.V.
• Inventors: Schoonen, Albert Jozef Martinus, Schaap, Cornelius wilhelmus Henricus
• Primary Examiner(s): Bollinger, David H.
• Application Number:
  US09/214,870
• Time in Patent Office: 798 Days
• Field of Search: 221/9, 221/10, 221/13, 221/123, 221/197, 221/210, 700/215
• US Class Current: 221/10
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0084 for multiple medicaments

Abstract

Automatic drug dispenser for automatically dispensing at least one prepacked drug. The dispenser comprises at least one cartridge which, in use, is filled with prepacked drugs, wherein the drugs are each provided with a drug identification code and the cartridge with a cartridge identification code. There are further provided conveying means for selecting a prepacked drug from the cartridge and for subsequently conveying the selected drug from the cartridge. By means of detecting means, the drug identification code of a selected drug and a cartridge identification code of the at least one cartridge are detected and fed to a control unit for further processing.

Claims

1. An automatic drug dispenser for automatically dispensing at least one prepacked drug in response to a prescription signal that is fed to the dispenser and comprises information about at least one prescribed drug, wherein the dispenser. comprises:

at least one cartridge which, in use, is filled with prepacked drugs, the drugs each being provided with a drug identification code;

conveying means for selecting a prepacked drug from the cartridge and for subsequently conveying the selected drug from the cartridge;

detecting means for detecting a drug identification code of a drug; and

a control unit for controlling the conveying means in response to the prescription signal and the drug identification code detected by means of the detecting means,

characterized in that the at least one cartridge is designed so as to be removable from the dispenser and comprises a cartridge identification code detectable by the detecting means, wherein, in use, the detecting means detect the cartridge identification code of the at least one cartridge and feed it to the control unit for further processing.

2. An automatic drug dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit comprises a data storage unit storing the cartridge identification code of the at least one cartridge, the drug identification code of the drugs with which the cartridge is filled, and the position of the cartridge in the dispenser, wherein, on the basis of the prescription signal, the control unit:

determines the drug identification code of the prescribed drug;

determines, from the data storage unit, the position of the cartridge storing the drug represented by the prescription signal;

checks whether the cartridge identification code detected by the detecting means at said location corresponds to the cartridge identification code determined for the position in question from the data storage unit; and

checks, by means of the detecting means, whether the drug identification code, detected by the detecting means, of the drug selected by the conveying means corresponds to the drug identification code determined for the cartridge in question from the data storage unit.

3. An automatic drug dispenser according to claim 2, characterized in that the control unit controls the conveying means for dispensing the selected drug only where the detected drug identification code and the detected cartridge identification code respectively correspond to the drug identification code and the cartridge identification code determined from the data storage unit.

4. An automatic drug dispenser according to claim 2, characterized in that the conveying means comprise a controllable gripper controlled by the control unit, and wherein the detecting means comprise a first sensor mounted on the gripper.

5. An automatic drug dispenser according to claim 4, characterized in that the detecting means further comprise a second sensor, wherein the control unit, in use:

controls, on the basis of the prescription signal, the gripper towards the position of the cartridge obtained from the data storage unit;

detects by means of the first sensor the cartridge identification code of the cartridge located at the position of the gripper;

checks whether the detected cartridge identification code corresponds to the cartridge identification code stored for the position in question in the data storage unit;

controls the gripper for conveying the drug from the cartridge to the second sensor if the detected cartridge identification code corresponds to the cartridge identification code stored in the data storage space;

detects by means of the second sensor the drug identification code of the drug; and

controls the gripper for further conveying the drug for dispensing the drug if the detected drug identification code corresponds to the drug identification code stored for the relevant cartridge in the data storing means.

6. An automatic drug dispenser according to claim 2, characterized in that the control unit generates an alarm signal when the cartridge identification code detected by the detecting means at said location does not correspond to the cartridge identification code stored for the location in question in the data storage unit.

7. An automatic drug dispenser according to claim 2, characterized in that the control unit generates an alarm signal when the drug identification code of the selected drug detected by the detecting means does not correspond to the drug identification code stored for the relevant cartridge in the data storage unit.

8. An automatic drug dispenser according to claim 2, characterized in that the control unit does not dispense a drug when the drug identification code of the selected drug detected by the detecting means does not correspond to the drug identification code stored for the relevant cartridge in the data storage unit.

9. An automatic drug dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that the dispenser further comprises a printer printing, for instance on the basis of the prescription signal, the name of a patient, the drug and the dosage of the drug on a label for the selected drug to be released.

10. An automatic drug dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that the dispenser is loaded with at least one removable rack to which a number of cartridges are detachably connected and wherein the dispenser further comprises at least one rack detector connected to the control unit for detecting the presence of the rack in the dispenser.

11. An automatic drug dispenser according to claim 10, characterized in that the dispenser comprises input means for inputting, at the control unit, information about the cartridge identification codes of cartridges attached to a new rack to be inserted into the dispenser and about the associated positions of the cartridges in the rack.

12. An automatic drug dispenser according to claim 10, characterized in that when it is detected, by means of the rack detector, that a rack is slid into the dispenser, the control unit detects by means of the detecting means the cartridge identification codes and the associated positions of the cartridges.

13. An automatic drug dispenser according to claim 11, characterized in that the control unit compares the cartridge identification codes and the associated positions detected by means of the detecting means with the information, inputted via the input means, about the cartridge identification codes and the associated positions.

14. An automatic drug dispenser according to claim 13, characterized in that the control unit generates an alarm signal when the comparison carried out by the control unit yields a difference.

15. An automatic drug dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that the dispenser further comprises means for establishing the identity of a patient, wherein the control unit compares the patient'"'"'s identity with the identity of a patient incorporated into the prescription signal.

16. An automatic drug dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that the cartridge is filled with a number of identical prepacked drugs.

17. An automatic drug dispenser according to claim 1, characterized in that the automatic drug dispenser comprises a card reader capable of reading out a chipcard in which a prescription is stored for obtaining the prescription signal.

18. An automatic drug dispenser for automatically dispensing at least one prepacked drug in response to a prescription signal that is fed to the dispenser and comprises information about at least one prescribed drug, wherein the dispenser, in use, is loaded with at least one cartridge which, in use, is filled with prepacked drugs, the drugs each being provided with a drug identification code, wherein the dispenser comprises:

conveying means for selecting a prepacked drug from the cartridge and for subsequently conveying the selected drug from the cartridge;

detecting means for detecting a drug identification code of a drug; and

a control unit for controlling the conveying means in response to the prescription signal and the drug identification code detected by means of the detecting means, characterized in that the at least one cartridge with which, in use, the dispenser is loaded, is designed so as to be removable from the dispenser and comprises a cartridge identification code detectable by the detecting means, wherein, in use, the detecting means detects the cartridge identification code of the at least one cartridge and feeds it to the control unit for further processing.