Vacuum pill dispensing cassette and counting machine
First Claim
1. A medication storing and dispensing cassette, comprising:
- a housing defining at least a portion of a chamber for storing a medication, at least a portion of a pick-up area, and defining at least a portion of a discharge chute sized to temporarily store a quantity of the medication;
a divider wall positioned between said chamber for storing a medication and said pick-up area;
a gate controlling an exit end of said discharge chute;
a rotatable wheel having openings proximate to the periphery thereof, the openings being configured to pick up at least a portion of the medication, said wheel positioned such that a portion of said wheel is in communication with said pick-up area while another portion of said wheel is adjacent to an entrance end of said discharge chute;
a calibration arm positioned adjacent said rotatable wheel; and
a baffle positioned to block those openings in that portion of the wheel adjacent to said discharge chute so as to release the portion of the medication picked up by the openings.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A medication storing and dispensing cassette is comprised of a housing defining at least a portion of a bulk storage chamber for storing a medication, defining at least a portion of a pick-up area, and defining at least a portion of a discharge chute sized to temporarily store a quantity of the medication. A divider wall is positioned between the bulk storage chamber and the pick-up area. A gate is positioned to control an exit end of the discharge chute. A rotatable conveying wheel having openings proximate to the periphery thereof is positioned such that a portion of the wheel is in communication with the pick-up area while another portion of the wheel is adjacent to an entrance end of the discharge chute. A calibration arm is positioned adjacent the openings of the rotatable wheel. A baffle is positioned to block those openings in that portion of the rotatable wheel adjacent to the discharge chute. An air agitation system is provided so that pills may be moved from the bulk storage chamber to the pick-up area.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A medication storing and dispensing cassette, comprising:
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a housing defining at least a portion of a chamber for storing a medication, at least a portion of a pick-up area, and defining at least a portion of a discharge chute sized to temporarily store a quantity of the medication; a divider wall positioned between said chamber for storing a medication and said pick-up area; a gate controlling an exit end of said discharge chute; a rotatable wheel having openings proximate to the periphery thereof, the openings being configured to pick up at least a portion of the medication, said wheel positioned such that a portion of said wheel is in communication with said pick-up area while another portion of said wheel is adjacent to an entrance end of said discharge chute; a calibration arm positioned adjacent said rotatable wheel; and a baffle positioned to block those openings in that portion of the wheel adjacent to said discharge chute so as to release the portion of the medication picked up by the openings. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A medication storing and dispensing cassette, comprising:
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a housing defining at least a portion of a chamber for storing a medication, at least a portion of a pick-up area, and defining at least a portion of a discharge chute, said discharge chute having an entrance end within said housing and an exit end defining an exit from said housing; a divider wall positioned between said chamber for storing a medication and said pick-up area; a rotatable wheel having openings proximate to the periphery thereof, the openings being configured to pick up at least a portion of the medication, said wheel positioned such that a portion of said wheel is in communication with said pick-up area while another portion of said wheel is adjacent to said entrance end of said discharge chute; a calibration arm positioned adjacent said rotatable wheel; and a baffle positioned to block those openings in that portion of the wheel adjacent to said discharge chute so as to release the portion of the medication picked up by the openings, said housing having an air intake opening in communication with the bottom of said chamber. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification