Pill dispenser with interchangeable platen having electronically readable identification

• US 7,958,701 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2008
• Issued: 06/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: QEM Incorporated
• Original Assignee: QEM Incorporated
• Inventors: Knoth, Norman D.
• Primary Examiner(s): GERRITY, STEPHEN FRANCIS
• Application Number:
  US12/163,615
• Publication Number:
  US 20090321469A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,082 Days
• Field of Search: 534/73, 534/75, 534/93, 535/00, 535/01, 531/68, 535/39, 532/01, 532/35, 532/37, 532/44, 532/46, 532/47, 532/48, 532/49, 532/55, 53/64, 53/67, 221/121, 221/124, 221/129, 221/132, 700/240, 700/241, 700/243
• US Class Current: 53/473
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 5/103 for packaging pills or tablets

Abstract

A device for dispensing pills includes a set of pill canisters and a control for releasing a desired quantity of pills from a selected pill canister at a target location. Several platens are provided, each of the plurality of platens having a machine-readable platen identifier. A frame is situated beneath the target location. The frame is adapted to move in both an X axis and a Y axis and adapted to accept and hold a selected platen of a set of platens whereas the selected platen holds and supports a target container into which the desired quantity of pills is deposited and the machine-readable platen identifier is read by the device for dispensing pills to determine which of the plurality of platens is the selected platen.

Claims

1. A device for dispensing pills, the device comprising:

a plurality of pill canisters, each of the pill canisters containing pills;

a control adapted to release a desired quantity of the pills from a selected pill canister of the plurality of pill canisters, the control adapted to release the desired quantity of the pills at a target location;

a plurality of platens, each of the platens being substantially planar and having edges, each of the plurality of platens having a machine-readable platen identifier, each of the platens having a different configuration of pill locations corresponding to one of more specific packaging configurations;

a frame situated beneath the target location, the frame having at least three walls, each of the walls interfacing to a corresponding edge of a selected platen that has been placed in the frame, the selected platen is removably and interchangeably held in the frame and the selected platen moves in both an X axis and a Y axis responsive to movement of the frame in both the X axis and the Y axis;

a reading device for reading data from the machine-readable platen identifier; and

a determining device reads the data from the reading device and determines which platen of the plurality of platens is loaded in the frame;

whereas the selected platen removably holds and supports a target container and the frame moves the selected platen in the X and the Y direction responsive to the determining device, thereby depositing the desired quantity of the pills into the a target package that is held by the selected platen.

2. The device for dispensing pills of claim 1, wherein the machine-readable identifier is an RFID.

3. The device for dispensing pills of claim 1, wherein the machine-readable identifier is a readable and writeable RFID.

4. The device for dispensing pills of claim 1, wherein the device for dispensing pills moves the selected platen in either the X axis, Y axis or both responsive to the data.

5. The device for dispensing pills of claim 1, wherein the device for dispensing pills selects a software program based upon the data and runs the software program to fill the target container supported by the selected platen.

6. The device for dispensing pills of claim 1, wherein the data comprises a software program and the device for dispensing pills runs the software program and the software program controls movement of the frame for dispensing the pills into the target container.

7. The device for dispensing pills of claim 1, wherein the data comprises a set of parameters and the device for dispensing pills runs a generic software program and the generic software program controls movement of the frame to dispense the pills into the target container.

8. A method for dispensing pills, the method comprising:

providing a device for dispensing pills comprising;

a plurality of pill canisters, each of the pill canisters containing pills;

a control adapted to release a desired quantity of the pills from a selected pill canister of the plurality of pill canisters, the control adapted to release the desired quantity of the pills at a target location;

a plurality of platens, each platen having a machine-readable identifier each of the platens having a different configuration of pill locations corresponding to one of more specific packaging configurations;

a frame situated beneath the target location, the frame adapted to removably accept and hold an active platen of the platens and the active platen moving in an X axis and a Y axis responsive to the frame moving in the X axis and the Y axis;

selecting a first target package;

selecting a first platen from the plurality of platens, the first platen adapted to hold and support the first target package;

placing the first target package into the first platen;

inserting the first platen into the frame;

reading data from the machine-readable platen identifier;

using the data to dispense pills into the first target package by the device for dispensing pills;

removing the first platen from the frame;

removing the first target package from the first platen;

selecting a second target package;

selecting a second platen from the plurality of platens, the second platen adapted to hold and support the second target package;

placing the second target package into the second platen;

inserting the second platen into the frame;

reading a second data from the machine-readable platen identifier of the second platen;

using the second data to dispense pills into the target package by the device for dispensing pills.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the machine-readable identifier is an RFID.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the RFID is readable and writeable.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of using the data to dispense pills into the target package further comprises using the data to determine which of the plurality of platens is loaded in the frame based upon the data read from the machine-readable platen identifier.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of using the data to dispense pills into the target package further comprises selecting a software program based upon the data and running the software program, the software program controlling movement of the active platen in the X axis, Y axis or both and the software program releasing the pills by operating the control.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the data comprises a software program and the step of using the data to dispense pills into the target package further comprises running the software program, the software program controlling movement of the active platen in the X axis, Y axis or both and the software program releasing the pills by operating the control.

14. A device for dispensing pills, the device comprising:

a plurality of pill canisters, each canister containing a quantity of pills;

a means for selecting a source pill canister from the plurality of pill canisters;

a means for releasing a desired quantity of the pills from the source pill canister, the means for releasing adapted to release the desired quantity of the pills at a target location;

a plurality of platens, each platen having a means for identification, each of the platens being substantially planar and having at least three edges;

an active platen selected from the plurality of platens;

a means for removably holding the active platen, the means for removably holding the active platen adapted to hold the active platen by at least the three edges and to move the active platen in both an X axis and a Y axis and the means for removably holding the active platen situated beneath the target location, whereas the active platen is placed into the means for removably holding and removed from the means for removably holding without tools; and

a means for reading data from the means for identification;

wherein the active platen holds and supports a target container into which the desired quantity of pills is deposited.

15. The device for dispensing pills of claim 14, wherein the means for identification is an RFID and the means for reading the means for identification is an RFID reader.

16. The device for dispensing pills of claim 14, wherein the means for identification is a bar code and the means for reading the means for identification is a bar code scanner.

17. The device for dispensing pills of claim 14, wherein the device for dispensing pills selects a software program based upon the data, the device for dispensing pills runs the software program and the software program controls movement of the means for removably holding the active platen and dispenses the pills into the target container.

18. The device for dispensing pills of claim 14, wherein the data comprises a software program and the device for dispensing pills runs the software program and the software program controls movement of the means for removably holding the active platen and dispenses the pills into the target container.

19. The device for dispensing pills of claim 14, wherein the data comprises a set of parameters and the device for dispensing pills runs a generic software program and the generic software program controls movement of the means for removably holding the active platen and dispenses the pills into the target container.

20. The device for dispensing pills of claim 14, wherein the means for identification has writeable storage.