Vacuum drum pill counter

• US 6,561,377 B1
• Filed: 12/14/2001
• Issued: 05/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pearson Research & Development Limited
• Original Assignee: Pearson Research & Development Limited
• Inventors: Pearson, Walter G., Murdock, Dennis J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Noland, Kenneth W.
• Application Number:
  US10/017,113
• Time in Patent Office: 515 Days
• Field of Search: 221/7, 221/13, 221/211, 221/97, 221/203, 221/200, 221/201, 221/277, 221/278, 111/177, 111/178
• US Class Current: 221/7
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/02 Pill counting devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/1657 the picking arrangements using suction
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/44 in which magazines the articles are stored in bulk
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00

Abstract

A vacuum driven pill counter includes a counter housing with a pill discharge aperture formed therein. An integrally formed vacuum drum is rotatably positioned in the housing and the vacuum drum includes a front wall, a rear wall, and a perimeter wall. The front wall of the vacuum drum has a plurality of pill apertures formed therein. A vacuum source communicates with the housing such that the vacuum sources is capable of drawing a vacuum through the pill apertures formed in the vacuum drum and a torque source is operatively connected to the vacuum drum in order to rotate the vacuum drum. A pill shelf is positioned adjacent to the front wall of the vacuum drum and a pill separator removes pills retained on the pill apertures while a pill sensor detects pills which are removed by the pill separator and exit the discharge aperture. Additionally, the pill counter may include a pill feeder. The pill feeder has a frame with a top and bottom aperture and with the bottom aperture being positioned over an opening in the counter housing. A pill reservoir is positioned on the frame to allow pills to flow into the top aperture of the frame. A feed gate positioned within the frame is slidably movable between the top and bottom apertures.

Claims

1. A vacuum driven pill counter comprising:

a. a counter housing with a pill discharge aperture formed therein;

b. an integrally formed vacuum drum rotatably positioned in said housing, said vacuum drum having a front wall, a rear wall, and a perimeter wall, said front wall including a plurality of pill apertures formed therein;

c. a vacuum source communicating with said housing and capable of drawing a vacuum through said pill apertures in said vacuum drum;

d. a torque source operatively connected to said vacuum drum in order to rotate said vacuum drum;

e. a pill shelf positioned adjacent to said front wall of said vacuum drum, said pill shelf being arcuate in shape and having a surface inclined downwardly toward said pill drum;

f. a pill separator for removing pills retained on said pill apertures by said vacuum source, said pill separator having a sloping surface positioned adjacent to said pill drum and being connected to said pill shelf;

g. a pill sensor positioned to detect pills which will exit said discharge aperture; and

h. control circuitry receiving a signal from said pill sensor and ceasing or changing operation of said pill counter upon a predetermined condition and including a user interface for entering instructions for said control circuitry.

2. The vacuum driven pill counter according to claim 1, wherein said predetermined condition is a given number of pills being detected by said sensor.

3. The vacuum driven pill counter according to claim 1, wherein said discharge passage includes at least one sloping surface.

4. The vacuum driven pill counter according to claim 1, wherein said torque source is a speed controllable electric motor.

5. The vacuum driven pill counter according to claim 4, wherein said motor and said vacuum drum have timing gears to reduce the rotational speed said motor transfers to said vacuum drum.

6. The vacuum driven pill counter according to claim 1, wherein said surface of said pill separator is black.

7. The vacuum driven pill counter according to claim 1, wherein an aperture blocking strip covers a predetermined number of pill apertures.

8. The vacuum driven pill counter according to claim 1, wherein said user interface includes a key pad and viewing screen.

9. A vacuum driven pill counter comprising:

a. a counter housing with a pill discharge aperture formed therein;

b. an vacuum drum rotatably positioned in said housing, said vacuum drum having a front wall, a rear wall, and a perimeter wall, said front wall including a plurality of pill apertures formed therein, said vacuum drum further including a hollow shaft communicating with an interior space of said vacuum drum;

c. a vacuum source communicating with said housing and capable of drawing a vacuum through said pill apertures in said vacuum drum;

d. a torque source operatively connected to said vacuum drum in order to rotate said vacuum drum;

e. a pill shelf positioned adjacent to said front wall of said vacuum drum;

f. a pill separator for removing pills retained on said pill apertures by said vacuum source;

g. a pill sensor positioned to detect pills which will exit said discharge aperture; and

h. control circuitry receiving a signal from said pill sensor and ceasing or changing operation of said pill counter upon a predetermined condition and including a user interface for entering instructions for said control circuitry.

10. The vacuum driven pill counter according to claim 9, wherein said hollow shaft extends between said front and rear wall of said vacuum drum and a vacuum aperture in formed in said shaft between said front and rear walls.

11. The vacuum driven pill counter according to claim 9, further including a selective pill feeder having a pill reservoir and a selectively operable feed gate separating said pill reservoir from said pill shelf.

12.The vacuum driven pill counter according to claim 11, wherein said pill feeder further comprises:

a. a frame having a top and bottom aperture, said bottom aperture being positioned over an opening in said counter housing;

b. said pill reservoir positioned on said frame to allow pills to flow into said top aperture of said frame;

c. said feed gate positioned within said frame to be slidably movable between said top and bottom apertures.

12. The vacuum driven pill counter according to claim 9, wherein said front wall of said vacuum drum is a separately formed vacuum disk.

13. A vacuum driven pill counter comprising:

a. a counter housing with a pill discharge aperture formed therein;

b. a vacuum drum rotatably positioned in said housing, said vacuum drum having a front wall, a rear wall, and a perimeter wall, said front wall including a plurality of pill apertures formed therein;

c. a vacuum source communicating with said housing and capable of drawing a vacuum through said pill apertures in said vacuum drum;

d. a torque source operatively connected to said vacuum drum in order to rotate said vacuum drum;

e. a pill shelf positioned adjacent to said front, wall of said vacuum drum;

f. a pill separator for removing pills retained on said pill apertures by said vacuum source;

g. a pill sensor positioned to detect pills which will exit said discharge aperture, wherein said sensor is either a white light emitter or a laser light emitter; and

h. control circuitry receiving a signal from said pill sensor and ceasing or changing operation of said pill counter upon a predetermined condition and including a user interface for entering instructions for said control circuitry.

14. A vacuum driven pill counter comprising:

a. a counter housing with a pill discharge aperture formed therein;

b. a vacuum drum rotatably positioned in said housing, said vacuum drum having a front wall, a rear wall, and a perimeter wall, said front wall including a plurality of pill apertures formed therein;

c. a vacuum source communicating with said housing and capable of drawing a vacuum through said pill apertures in said vacuum drum;

d. a torque source operatively connected to said vacuum drum in order to rotate said vacuum drum;

e. a pill shelf positioned adjacent to said front wall of said vacuum drum;

f. a pill separator for removing pills retained on said pill apertures by said vacuum source;

g. a pill sensor positioned to detect pills which will exit said discharge aperture;

h. control circuitry receiving a signal from said pill sensor and ceasing or changing operation of said pill counter upon a predetermined condition and including a user interface for entering instructions for said control circuitry; and

i. said vacuum drum having a switch activator for indicating to said control circuitry when said vacuum drum has rotated a given angular distance.

15. A vacuum driven pill counter comprising:

a. a counter housing with a pill discharge aperture formed therein;

b. a vacuum disk rotatably positioned in said housing, said vacuum disk having a plurality of pill apertures formed therein;

c. a vacuum source communicating with said housing and capable of drawing a vacuum through said pill apertures in said vacuum disk;

d. a torque source operatively connected to said vacuum disk in order to rotate said vacuum disk;

e. a pill shelf positioned adjacent to said front wall of said vacuum disk;

f. a pill separator for removing pills retained on said pill apertures by said vacuum source;

g. a pill sensor positioned to detect pills which will exit said discharge aperture; and

h. a selective pill feeder regulating the pills allowed to accumulate on the pill shelf.

16. The vacuum driven pill counter according to claim 16, wherein said pill feeder further comprises:

a. a frame having a top and bottom aperture, said bottom aperture being positioned over an opening in said counter housing;

b. said pill reservoir positioned on said frame to allow pills to flow into said top aperture of said frame;

c. a feed gate positioned within said frame to be slidably movable between said top and bottom apertures.

17. The vacuum driven pill counter according to claim 17, wherein said pill feed further comprises a pivot arm connected at a first to said feed gate and connected at a second point to a linear activator device, whereby extension and retraction of said linear activator device opens and close said feed gate.

18. The vacuum driven pill counter according to claim 18, wherein said linear activator device is a solenoid.

19. The vacuum driven pill counter according to claim 18, wherein said feed gate is biased in a shut position.

20. A vacuum driven pill counter comprising:

a. a counter housing;

b. a vacuum disk rotatably positioned in said housing, said vacuum disk having a plurality of pill apertures formed therein;

c. a vacuum source communicating with said housing and capable of drawing a vacuum through said pill apertures in said vacuum disk;

d. a torque source operatively connected to said vacuum disk in order to rotate said vacuum disk;

e. control circuitry for operating said pill counter, said control circuitry performing the step of adjusting the speed of the rotation of said vacuum disk.

21. The vacuum driven pill counter according to claim 21, wherein said control circuitry performs the step of generating a signal to advance a pill container conveyor after a predetermined number of pills have been dispensed into a pill container.

22. The vacuum driven pill counter according to claim 21, wherein said control circuitry performs the step of generating a signal to open a pill dispenser a predetermined length of time.

23. A vacuum driven pill counter comprising:

a. a counter housing;

b. vacuum disk rotatably positioned in said housing, said vacuum disk having a plurality of pill apertures formed therein;

c. a vacuum source communicating with said housing and capable of drawing a vacuum through said pill apertures in said vacuum disk;

d. a torque source operatively connected to said vacuum disk in order to rotate said vacuum disk;

e. control circuitry for operating said pill counter said control circuitry performing the step of adjusting the direction of rotation of said vacuum disk.

24. A vacuum driven pill counter comprising:

a. a counter housing;

b. a vacuum disk rotatably positioned in said housing, said vacuum disk having a plurality of pill apertures formed therein;

c. a vacuum source communicating with said housing and capable of drawing a vacuum through said pill apertures in said vacuum disk;

d. a torque source operatively connected to said vacuum disk in order to rotate said vacuum disk;

e. control circuitry for operating said pill counter, said control circuitry performing the step of controlling the operation of a pill container conveyor.

25. A vacuum driven pill counter comprising:

a. a counter housing;

b. a vacuum disk rotatably positioned in said housing, said vacuum disk having a plurality of pill apertures formed therein;

c. a vacuum source communicating with said housing and capable of drawing a vacuum through said pill apertures in said vacuum disk;

d. a torque source operatively connected to said vacuum disk in order to rotate said vacuum disk;

e. control circuitry for operating said pill counter, said control circuitry performing the step of ceasing operation of said pill counter based on a criteria other than a number pills detected by said sensor.

26. A vacuum driven pill counter comprising:

a. a counter housing;

b. a vacuum disk rotatably positioned in said housing, said vacuum disk having a plurality of pill apertures formed therein;

c. a vacuum source communicating with said housing and capable of drawing a vacuum through said pill apertures in said vacuum disk;

d. a torque source operatively connected to said vacuum disk in order to rotate said vacuum disk.

e. control circuitry for operating said pill counter, said control circuitry performing the step of adjusting the vacuum force generated by said vacuum source based upon an input by a user.