Medication dispensing system including medicine cabinet and tray therefor

• US 6,636,780 B1
• Filed: 11/07/2000
• Issued: 10/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: 3Am IP, LLC
• Original Assignee: MDG Medical, Inc.
• Inventors: Asseo, Gilead, Haitin, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Walsh, Donald P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Butler, Michael E.
• Application Number:
  US09/706,872
• Time in Patent Office: 1,078 Days
• Field of Search: 700/241, 700/242, 700/243, 700/244, 700/236, 700/237, 705/2, 705/3, 368/1, 368/11, 221/2, 221/7
• US Class Current: 700/236
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 12/001 Trolleys for transport of medicaments, food, linen, nursing supplies carts specially adapted for surgery or diagnosis A61B50/13; hand carts B62B3/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 2205/10 Bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2205/30 Printed labels
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0069 Trays for holding or distributing medicines display trays A47F3/14; serving trays A47G23/06
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 5/18 specially adapted for controlling several coin-freed apparatus from one place
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/001 Interfacing with vending machines using mobile or wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/002 Vending machines being part of a centrally controlled network of vending machines
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/65 stored on portable record carriers, e.g. on smartcards, RFID tags or CD
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers

Abstract

A medication dispensing system includes a medicine cabinet having a plurality of compartments for containing supplies of different kinds of medications to be accessed by a healthcare attendant for preparing individual medication dosages for named patients; and a tray having a plurality of sections for receiving a plurality of receptacles each adapted to contain one or more medication dosages prescribed for a named patient. The medicine cabinet includes a processor having a memory for storing the names of patients and their prescribed medication dosages, and a display screen for displaying the patient names and their respective prescribed medication dosages. The tray includes a display screen for displaying the patient names and their respective medication dosages, and a communication link with the medicine cabinet through which the cabinet processor communicates to the tray the patient names and their respective medication dosages.

Claims

1. A medication dispensing system, comprising:

a medicine cabinet having a plurality of drawers for containing supplies of different kinds of medications to be accessed by a healthcare attendant for preparing individual mediation dosages for named patients;

and at least one tray having a plurality of sections for receiving a plurality of receptacles each adapted to contain one or more medication dosages prescribed for a named patient;

said medicine cabinet including a cabinet processor having a memory for storing the names of patients and their prescribed medication dosages, a display screen for displaying said patient names and their respective prescribed medication dosages, and an expansion cabinet including an additional plurality of drawers for containing additional supplies of medications, a communication link with said cabinet processor for selectively controlling said additional plurality of drawers, and a plurality of light indicators, one for each of said additional drawers controlled by said processor;

said tray including a display screen for displaying the patient names and their respective medication dosages, and a communication link with said medicine cabinet through which said cabinet processor communicates to said tray the the patient names and their respective medication dosages.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said drawers in the medicine cabinet are normally locked but which are selectively unlocked by said cabinet processor when containing a medication supply to be included in a prescribed medication dosage for a named patient.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein said medicine cabinet further includes a plurality of light indicators, one for each of said drawers controlled by said cabinet processor, to indicate the compartment containing the medication supply to be included in a prescribed medication dosage for a named patient.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein said tray further includes a reader device for reading an identification of a named patient to enable matching the read identification with an identification communicated by said medicine cabinet of a named patient to receive a prescribed medication dosage.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein said reading device is a bar code reader to read the bar code on a wrist band carried by the respective patient.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein said tray further includes a light indicator for each of said sections selectively energizable to indicate the section to receive the receptacle of a prescribed medication dosage for a named patient.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein said tray sections are circular wells in the tray, and said light indictors are of annular configuration circumscribing their respective wells.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein said medicine cabinet further includes a label printer for printing the names of new medications to be introduced into empty drawers to receive supplies of the new medications.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein said cabinet processor further stores in its memory a running inventory of each medication supply in each drawers including all quantities supplied less all dosages removed.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a central processor having a memory for storing said patient names and the respective medication dosages prescribed for said patients;

and a communication link with said medicine cabinet through which said central processor communicates to said cabinet processor the patient names and their respective prescribe medication dosages.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein one of said processors stores in its memory running inventories of the medications in said drawers including all quantities introduced into the respective drawer less all dosages removed therefrom.

12. The system according to claim 10, wherein said tray includes an input device for inputting data regarding vital signs of a respective patients, and said communication link of the tray with the cabinet processor communicates said vital signs data to said central processor via said cabinet processor and its communication link with the central processor.

13. The system according to claim 10, wherein the system further comprises a plurality of portable computer units for use by physicians and/or pharmacists;

each of said portable computer units including an input device for inputting data regarding a prescribed medication dosage for a named patient, a storage device for storing the electronic signature of the user, and a communication link for communicating to said central processor said inputted data and said electronic signature.

14. A medicine cabinet for a medication dispensing system, said medicine cabinet comprising:

a housing including a plurality of drawers for containing supplies of different kinds of medications to be accessed by a health care attendant for preparing individual medication dosages for named patients;

a processor having a memory for storing the names of patients and their prescribed medication dosages;

a display screen for displaying said patient names and their respective prescribed medication dosages; and

and an expansion cabinet including an additional plurality of drawers for containing additional supplies of medications, a communication link with said cabinet processor for selectively controlling said additional plurality of drawers, and a plurality of light indicators, one for each of said additional drawers controlled by said processor.

15. The medicine cabinet according to claim 14, wherein said medicine cabinet further includes a plurality of light indicators, one for each of said drawers controlled by said processor, to indicate the drawer containing the medication supply to be included in a prescribed medication dosage for a named patient.

16. The medicine cabinet according to claim 15, wherein said drawers are normally locked but which are selectively unlocked by said processor when containing a medication supply to be included in a prescribed medication dosage for a named patient.

17. The medicine cabinet according to claim 16, wherein said housing is of rectangular configuration, and said drawers are arranged therein according to a rectangular matrix of a plurality of horizontal rows and vertical columns.

18. The medicine cabinet according to claim 16, wherein said housing is of cylindrical configuration, and said drawers are arranged therein according to a cylindrical matrix of a plurality of horizontal circular rows and vertical columns.

19. The medicine cabinet according to claim 18, wherein said medicine cabinet further includes a selector movable within said cylindrical matrix along a circular horizontal path, and also along a linear vertical path, to selectively enable said drawers for removing a medication supply therefrom and for replenishing the medication supply therein.

20. The medicine cabinet according to claim 14, wherein said medicine cabinet further includes a label printer for printing the names of new medications to be applied to empty drawers to receive supplies of the new medications.

21. The medicine cabinet according to claim 14, wherein said processor further stores in its memory a running inventory of each medication supply in each drawer including all quantities supplied less all dosages removed.