Integrated automated drug dispenser method and apparatus

• US 6,256,967 B1
• Filed: 12/11/1998
• Issued: 07/10/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ArXium, Inc. (Van Humbeck Family)
• Original Assignee: AutoMed Technologies Incorporated (Cencora, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hebron, Terrance J., Vandy Bogurt, Douglas L.
• Primary Examiner(s): KIM, EUGENE LEE
• Application Number:
  US09/209,995
• Time in Patent Office: 942 Days
• Field of Search: 535/01, 535/00, 531/68, 534/95, 53/55, 53/77, 531/312, 531/313, 534/11, 534/37, 220/890, 221/1, 221/2, 221/9, 221/10, 221/12, 221/13, 221/92, 221/96, 221/129-131, 221/200, 221/203, 221/206, 221/207, 364/479.05, 364/479.07, 364/479.11, 364/479.12, 364/479.14, 364/479.1, 414/740, 414/739, 414/783, 901/31, 901/36
• US Class Current: 53/501
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 5/103 for packaging pills or tablets
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 57/20 Applications of counting devices for controlling the feed of articles other applications B65B65/08
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/44 in which magazines the articles are stored in bulk
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0042 for hiring of objects
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00

Abstract

A method and a system 100 is provided for automatically dispensing prescriptions according to a patient'"'"'s order. The system 100 includes at least one line 105 of machines that can automatically fill a patient'"'"'s prescription order with countable oral solid drugs and unit of use drugs, under the control of an appropriate control system, within the same machine 105. The apparatus of the invention includes numerous components that are integrated into a singular process. A robotic assembly 140 may be used to manipulate and transport vials, canisters 130, and bins 145 within the system. The robotic assembly 140 may further include a gripper assembly 20. The canister 130 may include means to accelerate a drug during the drug'"'"'s movement through the canister 130 in order to increase the separation distance between drugs. The canister 130 may also include singulation control for maintaining drugs in a nearly single-file order as the drugs move through the canister 130. An unscrambler 110 may be used to position the vial for pick up by the robotic assembly 140. The robotic assembly 140 moves the vial to a vibratory dispenser 190 where it is filled with a drug according to the patient'"'"'s order. The vibratory dispenser 190 may further include at least a single drive unit for vibrating the canister 130 and a quick coupling mechanism for fixedly engaging the canister 130. A labeler 170 applies a patient specific label to the vial. Vials and unit of use drugs may be collected in accumulation receptacles 165 prior to delivery to a patient. The methods of the invention include a process for varying the vibrations of the canister 130 by the vibratory dispenser 190 in response to the amount of drug in the canister. A process for optimizing the storage location of a canister 130 based on drug use is also provided.

Claims

1. Apparatus for automatically filling prescription orders for oral solid medication and unit-of-use articles in accordance with patient-specific prescription order information comprising:

a controller for receiving the patient-specific prescription information and for controlling prescription filling apparatus for filing the prescription order;

a plurality of unit-of-use containers for containing unit-of-use articles;

a plurality of oral solid medication containers for containing oral solid medication contained therein;

at least one vibratory dispenser operatively controlled by the controller and including a coupling for attachment of an oral solid medication container in a detachable relationship, the dispenser providing vibration to a coupled container in response to the prescription information so that medication is dispensed from the container into a vial;

at least one robotic transport assembly operatively controlled by the controller, the transport assembly for transporting the oral solid medication containers to and from the at least one vibratory dispenser and for transporting the unit-of-use containers to at least one predetermined location positioned about the apparatus in response to the prescription information; and

a vial transport assembly operatively controlled by the controller, the vial transport assembly for transporting empty vials to a vibratory dispenser and filled vials to at least one of the predetermined locations in response to the prescription information;

whereby the filled prescription order is collected in at least one predetermined location.

2. The prescription filling apparatus of claim 1 wherein the predetermined location is an accumulator and the unit-of-use articles and filled vials according to a patient-specific prescription order are transported to the accumulator for collection.

3. The prescription filling apparatus of claim 1 further including a vial labeler.

4. The prescription filling apparatus of claim 3 further including a vial capper for capping filled vials.

5. The prescription filling apparatus of claim 1 wherein the unit-of-use containers are bins.

6. The prescription filling apparatus of claim 5 further including a plurality of bin storage shelves, each shelf for storing at least one bin.

7. The prescription filling apparatus of claim 1 wherein the oral solid medication containers are canisters comprising:

a canister body having a bottom wall, at least one sidewall and inner and outer canister surfaces, at least one wall defining a discharge opening through which the oral solid medication is discharged from the canister and the at least one sidewall defining an opening through which medication is loaded into the canister;

a gate positioned with respect to the opening, the gate having a first position preventing medication from being dispensed and a second position allowing medication to be dispensed through the opening;

a coupling mechanism attached to the canister for detachably coupling the canister to the vibratory dispenser;

an accelerator ramp positioned in the canister along at least a portion of the inner sidewall surface for providing internal vertical acceleration to the oral solid medication and to facilitate separation of the medication within the canister; and

a dispensing ramp abutting the accelerator ramp and having a ramp surface portion for receiving medication from the accelerator ramp and for directing the medication to the discharge opening.

8. The prescription filling apparatus of claim 7 further including a plurality of canister storage shelves, each shelf for storing at least one canister.

9. The prescription filling apparatus of claim 7, wherein the coupling mechanism is a magnetically-attractive member designed for mating with a magnet positioned on the vibratory dispenser.

10. The prescription filling apparatus of claim 7, wherein the dispensing ramp surface portion is of a predetermined width so as to cause the medication to be arranged in a substantially single row.

11. The prescription filling apparatus of claim 1 wherein the vibratory dispenser includes:

at least one drive unit for vibrating an oral solid medication container mounted thereon;

a coupling mechanism attached to the vibratory dispenser for detachably coupling the oral solid medication container to the vibratory dispenser; and

a sensor positioned in an oral solid medication dispensing path, the sensor registering a count when the dispensed oral solid medication passes the sensor.

12. The prescription filling apparatus of claim 11, wherein the coupling mechanism is a magnet designed for mating with a magnetically-attractive member positioned on the oral solid medication container.

13. The prescription filling apparatus of claim 11, wherein the vibratory dispenser vibrates the canister by varying an amplitude component of the vibration.

14. The prescription filling apparatus of claim 11 wherein the vibratory dispenser vibrates the canister by varying the frequency component of the vibration.

15. The prescription filling apparatus of claim 11 further including:

a comparator for comparing the amount of dispensed medication to the amount of medication to be dispensed including a comparison at a vial filling cycle end period; and

if the comparison at the vial filling cycle end period shows that less than all of the medication has been dispensed, the controller causes the vibratory dispenser to provide at least one vibratory pulse to dispense any remaining medication from the canister.

16. The prescription filling apparatus of claim 1 wherein the robotic transport assembly comprises:

a drive mechanism for positioning the assembly to grip a canister or bin; and

a gripper assembly coupled to the drive mechanism for gripping a canister or bin.

17. The prescription filling apparatus of claim 16 wherein the drive mechanism comprises:

a plurality of guides arranged in an orthogonal coordinate system; and

a motor for moving the assembly along the guides.

18. The prescription filling apparatus of claim 16 wherein the gripper assembly comprises:

at least two generally opposed fingers moveable between an open, release position and a closed, gripping position;

a rotatable cam operatively connected to the fingers for opening and closing the fingers; and

at least one limit switch for sensing whether the fingers are in the opened of closed positions.

19. The prescription filling apparatus of claim 18 further including a motor for rotating the cam.

20. The prescription filling apparatus of claim 1 wherein the vial transport assembly is the robotic transport assembly.

32. The prescription filling apparatus of claim 1 wherein the oral solid medication containers are canisters comprising:

a canister body having a bottom wall, at least one sidewall and inner and outer canister surfaces, at least one wall defining a discharge opening through which the oral solid medication is discharged from the canister and the at least one sidewall defining an opening through which medication is loaded into the canister;

a gate positioned with respect to the discharge opening, the gate having a first position preventing medication from being dispensed and a second position allowing medication to be dispensed through the opening;

a medication separation structure positioned with respect to the canister inner surface, the separation structure having a first end for receiving oral solid medication from the canister, a second end in communication with the discharge opening and a separation surface therebetween on which the medication is transported along the surface to the discharge opening; and

a coupling mechanism attached to the canister for detachably coupling the canister to the vibratory dispenser.

21. A method for filling patient prescription orders consisting of oral solid medication and unit-of-use articles comprising the steps of:

providing patient prescription order information to a controller;

assigning each prescription order to a filling process;

transporting a canister containing oral solid medication to a vibratory dispenser;

transporting an empty vial to the dispenser;

vibrating the canister to dispense the oral solid medication into the vial;

transporting the filled vial to a predetermined accumulation area; and

at any time after the prescription assigning step, transporting a unit-or-use article to the predetermined accumulation area;

whereby, the patient'"'"'s filled prescription order is assembled in the predetermined accumulation area.

22. The method of claim 21 comprising the further step of labeling the vial before or after the filling step.

23. The method of claim 22 comprising the further step of capping the vial after the filling step.

24. The method of claim 21 wherein the step of assigning each prescription to a filling process further comprises the step of identifying a storage location of the canister or bin.

25. The method of claim 21 wherein the step of assigning each prescription to a filling process further comprises the step of assigning an accumulation area to the prescription order so that the filled prescription order can be collected in the accumulation area.

26. The method of claim 21 wherein the canister vibrating step further includes the step of sensing the vibration of the canister and sensing of the vibration is used to control the vibration.

27. The method of claim 26 further comprising the step of changing a frequency of the vibration.

28. The method of claim 26 further comprising the step of changing an amplitude of the vibration.

29. A system for automatically filling prescriptions comprising:

at least one machine for automatically dispensing unit-or-use medication or articles;

a plurality of canisters for storing oral solid medication;

at least one machine for automatically dispensing oral solid medication, the at least one dispensing machine comprising a vibratory dispenser on which a canister is mounted for vibrating the canister to cause oral solid medication to be dispensed from the canister;

a quick coupling mechanism attaching the canister to the vibratory dispenser, the coupling mechanism permitting rapid coupling and decoupling of the canister from the dispenser;

at least one machine for automatically labeling and capping the vials.

30. The system of claim 29 wherein the at least one machine for labeling and capping the vials includes a first machine for labeling the vials and a second machine for capping the vials.

31. The system of claim 29 wherein the coupling mechanism comprises:

a magnet attached to the vibratory dispenser;

a magnetically-attractive member attached to the canister;

whereby, the canister is detachably coupled to the vibratory dispenser by the action of the magnet and the magnetically-attractive member.