Vial gripping mechanism for automatic medicament dispensing machine
First Claim
1. A vial gripping mechanism operable to protect a sensor for use in an automatic medicament dispensing machine, the mechanism comprising:
- a first rotatable jaw;
a second jaw coupled to an output shaft of a jaw motor and operable to rotate toward the first jaw thereby gripping a vial;
a swing arm rotatably secured to the mechanism, the swing arm including a sensor end and a cam end;
a cam operable to cause rotation of the swing arm;
a shield fixedly secured to the mechanism and operable to protect the sensor end when the swing arm is in a shielded position; and
a motor operable to move the swing arm relative to the cam such that the sensor end is rotated between the shielded position and a sensing position.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A vial gripping mechanism (10) includes a pivotally mounted swing arm (26). A sensor receiving array (44) is mounted to a sensor end (34) on an inward edge (46) of the arm (26). A channel (38) protecting a cable (64) follows an outside edge (42) from the receiving array (44) to a cam end (36). A torsion spring (28) forces the cam end (36) against a cam (30) which is fixedly mounted to the mechanism (10) adjacent the arm (26). By action of the mechanism (10), the arm (26) is moved relative to the cam (30) such that in a sensing position, the receiving array (44) is directly opposite a sensor transmitting array (74), and in a shielded position, the receiving array (44) is housed within a shield (32). The shield (32) is fixedly mounted to the mechanism (10) and protects the receiving array (44) while in transit.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A vial gripping mechanism operable to protect a sensor for use in an automatic medicament dispensing machine, the mechanism comprising:
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a first rotatable jaw;
a second jaw coupled to an output shaft of a jaw motor and operable to rotate toward the first jaw thereby gripping a vial;
a swing arm rotatably secured to the mechanism, the swing arm including a sensor end and a cam end;
a cam operable to cause rotation of the swing arm;
a shield fixedly secured to the mechanism and operable to protect the sensor end when the swing arm is in a shielded position; and
a motor operable to move the swing arm relative to the cam such that the sensor end is rotated between the shielded position and a sensing position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A vial gripping mechanism operable to protect a sensor while in transit for use in an automatic medicament dispensing machine, the mechanism comprising:
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a first rotatable jaw;
a second jaw coupled to an output shaft of a jaw motor and operable to rotate toward the first jaw thereby gripping a vial;
a swing arm rotatably secured to the mechanism, the swing arm including a sensor end, a cam end, and a channel which protects a cable;
at least a portion of the sensor affixed to the sensor end;
a cam fixedly mounted to the mechanism;
a torsion spring operable to push the cam end against the cam;
a shield operable to protect the sensor end when the swing arm is in a shielded position by surrounding the sensor end on at least three sides; and
a motor operable to move the swing arm relative to the cam such that the sensor end is rotated between the shielded position and a sensing position.
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11. A medicament dispensing machine for dispensing and counting countable medicaments, the medicament dispensing machine comprising:
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a plurality of medicament dispensers operable to store and dispense medicaments;
a plurality of vial dispensers operable to store and dispense empty vials;
a sensor receiving array and a sensor transmitting array together operable to aid in counting medicaments; and
a vial gripping mechanism operable to move within the machine, the mechanism including a first rotatable jaw, a second jaw coupled to an output shaft of a jaw motor and operable to rotate toward the first jaw thereby gripping a vial, a swing arm rotatably secured to the mechanism, a cam operable to cause rotation of the swing arm, a shield fixedly mounted to the mechanism and operable to protect a sensor end of the swing arm when the swing arm is in a shielded position, and a motor operable to move the swing arm relative to the cam such that the sensor end is rotated between the shielded position and a sensing position. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification