Drug storage and dispensing apparatus

• US 6,513,679 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2001
• Issued: 02/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Greenwald Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: Shlomo Greenwald, Zipora Greenwald
• Inventors: Greenwald, Shlomo, Greenwald, Zipora
• Primary Examiner(s): SKAGGS JR, H GRANT
• Application Number:
  US09/887,637
• Publication Number:
  US 20020195459A1
• Time in Patent Office: 592 Days
• Field of Search: 221/296, 221/298, 221/287, 221/289, 221/241, 221/197, 221/2, 221/3, 221/312.R
• US Class Current: 221/287
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/03 for pills or tablets containers for pills or tablets with special dispensing means therefor B65D83/04
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0084 for multiple medicaments
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00

Abstract

A device to automatically dispense solid medicinal units, such as pills, capsules, or the like, based upon patient needs. The medicinal units are stored in long, thin tubes. Each tube stores, in single-line, vertical fashion, a series of units of the same drug. The medicinal units, thusly stored, are efficiently dispensed from the bottom portion of the tube through a novel valve. In some embodiments, the valve is a permanent part of the tube; in others, the valve separates and re-connects to the tube to facilitate refilling of empty tubes at a drug refilling center. In still another embodiment, the valve comprises a thin wall molted elastic rubber tube sleeve mounted on the lower part of the plastic tube containing the medicinal units. In such embodiment, small holes or slits in the lower portion of the plastic tube accommodate the portions of the elastic tube sleeve that act as shutter and catcher doors controlling the dispensing of the medicinal units; the outer tube sleeve is manipulated by a valve control mechanism during drug extraction.

Claims

1. A device for storing and dispensing solid medicinal units comprising:

a) a drug tube having a cavity for storing medicinal units in a vertical column, having at least three wings running a length of the cavity and protruding internally from an interior wall of the cavity such that each medicinal unit stored therein touches the interior wall thereof only at the wings; and

b) a dispensing valve disposed at a bottom portion of the drug tube for dispensing one medicinal unit per cycle, comprising;

i) a catcher comprising a pair of half-doors, movable between a closed position blocking the cavity and an open position;

ii) a shutter comprising a pair of half-doors, movable between a closed position blocking the cavity and an open position, located below the catcher and defining a chamber therebetween, the chamber being of a size to hold one medicinal unit;

iii) a catcher solenoid coupled to each half-door of the catcher for movement of the catcher between the closed position and the open position;

iv) a shutter solenoid coupled to each half-door of the shutter for movement of the shutter between the closed position and the open position;

such that when the catcher is in the closed position and the shutter solenoid moves the shutter to the open position, one medicinal unit is dispensed from the chamber, and when the shutter is in the closed position and the catcher solenoid moves the catcher to the open position, the chamber is loaded with one medicinal unit.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the drug tube is permanently attached to the dispensing valve.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the drug tube is removable from the dispensing valve.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein each drug tube and dispensing valve have mating indexing forms such that a drug tube can be operatively connected to a dispensing valve only when dimensions of a medicinal unit dispensable by the chamber are the same as the dimensions of medicinal units storable in the tube.

5. The device of claim 4, in which the indexing forms are opposing protrusions and indentations.

6. The device of claim 1, in which the catcher further comprises a closure confirmation system comprising a plurality of electrical contacts located adjacent to the catcher, the catcher being at least partially electrically conductive, such that the catcher completes a circuit between the electrical contacts when the catcher is in the closed position.

7. The device of claim 1, in which the shutter further comprises a closure confirmation system comprising a plurality of electrical contacts located adjacent to the shutter, the shutter being at least partially electrically conductive, such that the shutter completes a circuit between the electrical contacts when the shutter is in the closed position.

8. The device of claim 1, in which:

a) the catcher solenoid comprises a solenoid spring which biases the catcher toward the closed position; and

b) the catcher comprises a door having a door spring biasing the door toward the cavity;

the door spring being a weak spring relative to the solenoid spring.

9. A device for storing and dispensing solid medicinal units comprising:

a) a drug tube having at least one cavity for storing medicinal units in one vertical column;

each cavity having a shutter aperture disposed at a bottom portion thereof and a plurality of catcher apertures disposed above the shutter aperture, the shutter aperture and plurality of catcher apertures being spaced apart a distance substantially equal to a height of one medicinal unit to be stored within the cavity;

b) an elastic rubber sleeve mounted upon at least a lower part of the drug tube, comprising, for each internal cavity within the drug tube, one shutter door slidably inserted into the shutter aperture of the internal cavity and protruding into the cavity such that it prevents the medicinal units stored therein from falling; and

, for each catcher aperture, one catcher door disposed in an open position when no force is exerted upon it;

c) for each cavity in the drug tube, a catcher solenoid which, when actuated, pushes a catcher door into the cavity through a catcher aperture, preventing any downward movement of medicinal units above the catcher aperture;

d) for each cavity in the drug tube, a shutter door pull solenoid which, when actuated, pulls a shutter door of a drug tube situated in the extraction station out through a shutter aperture in which the shutter door is slidably inserted, thus allowing downward movement of at least one medicinal unit above the shutter aperture;

such that when a catcher solenoid is activated and the shutter solenoid is activated, medicinal units below the catcher door operated by the catcher are dispensed.

10. The device of claim 9, in which the drug tube further comprises at least three wings running a length of each cavity and protruding internally from an interior wall of the cavity such that each medicinal unit stored therein touches the interior wall thereof only at the wings.

11. The device of claim 9, further comprising an elevator for moving the catcher solenoid to a selected catcher door.

12. The device of claim 11, in which the elevator comprises a vertical screw, parallel to the drug tube, and the catcher solenoid is mounted upon a threaded collar surrounding the screw, such that rotation of the screw causes the catcher solenoid to be moved vertically along the drug tube from one catcher door to another.

13. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the drug tube further comprises a closure confirmation system for confirming closure of the catcher and shutter doors, comprising:

a thin wall, disposed between the rubber sleeve and the drug tube upon which the sleeve is mounted, adapted to fit over the drug tube and having one or more shutter depression rings, one fitting into each shutter aperture, and one or more catcher depression rings, each fitting into one catcher aperture, wherein all depression rings have an upper side and a lower side;

a plurality of contacts, one on each depression ring'"'"'s upper side and one on each depression ring'"'"'s lower side;

an electrically conducting strip connecting in parallel all contacts on the lower side of all catcher depression rings;

an electrically conducting strip connecting in parallel all contacts on the upper side of all catcher depression rings;

a pair of shutter conducting strings, one connected to the contact on the upper side of a shutter depression ring and the other connected to the contact on the lower side of the same shutter depression ring; and

a plurality of metal rings, one on each shutter door and each catcher door;

such that, when the shutter door or one of the catcher doors is closed, the metal ring on that door presses against the depression ring and electrically shorts the upper contact to the lower contact, which closes a current loop causing a signal confirming that the door is closed.