Medicament dispensing authorization

• US 7,996,105 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2007
• Issued: 08/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Helene Laliberte, Michael Handfield
• Original Assignee: Helene Laliberte, Michael Handfield
• Inventors: Handfield, Michael, Laliberte, Helene
• Primary Examiner(s): Waggoner; Timothy R
• Application Number:
  US11/841,942
• Publication Number:
  US 20080029532A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,450 Days
• Field of Search: 700/237, 700/240
• US Class Current: 700/237
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/03 for pills or tablets containers for pills or tablets with special dispensing means therefor B65D83/04
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2205/30 Printed labels
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0076 Medicament distribution means with pill counting devices A61J7/02; with time indication A61J7/04; containers or packages with special means for dispensing contents B65D83/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0084 for multiple medicaments
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/66 Trinkets, e.g. shirt buttons or jewellery items recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/24 Rotary or oscillatory members
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/38 in which the magazines are horizontal
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/44 in which magazines the articles are stored in bulk
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/62 in which the articles are stored in compartments in fixed receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and system that utilizes one or more cassettes or trays that hold medicaments for dispensing. In one embodiment a medicaments container includes a housing configured to be inserted in an apparatus; a chamber coupled to the housing and configured to store a plurality of medicament units; and control logic disposed within the housing and configured to determine whether the medicaments container is authorized for operation with the apparatus, and to generate an alert if the medicaments container is not authorized for the apparatus.

Claims

1. A medicaments container configured to operate with a medicaments dispensing machine, comprising:

a housing;

a dispenser disposed in the housing of the medicaments container, wherein the dispenser is configured to dispense a medicament unit from the medicaments container in response to an external signal from the medicaments dispensing machine; and

control logic disposed within the housing of the medicaments container and configured to determine whether the medicaments container is authorized for operation with the medicaments dispensing machine, and to generate an alert if the medicaments container is not authorized for operation with the medicaments dispensing machine.

2. The medicaments container of claim 1, further comprising a chamber coupled to the dispenser and configured to store a medicament unit for dispensation.

3. The medicaments container of claim 1, wherein said alert comprises at least one of an electronic message, an error code, a visual alert, and an audible alert.

4. The medicaments container of claim 1, wherein the control logic comprises at least one of hardware and software.

5. The medicaments container of claim 1, wherein the medicaments dispensing machine comprises a medicament dispensing machine.

6. A medicaments container configured to operate with a medicaments dispensing machine, comprising:

a housing;

a dispenser disposed in the housing of the medicaments container, wherein the dispenser is configured to dispense a medicament unit from the medicaments container in response to an external signal from the medicaments dispensing machine; and

control logic disposed within the housing of the medicaments container and configured to determine whether the medicaments container is authorized for the medicaments dispensing machine, and to prevent dispensation of medicament units from the medicaments container if the medicaments container is not authorized for the medicaments dispensing machine.

7. The medicaments container of claim 6, further comprising a chamber coupled to the dispenser and configured to store a medicament unit for dispensation.

8. The medicaments container of claim 6, wherein said control logic comprises at least one of hardware and software.

9. A medicaments container configured to operate with a medicaments dispensing machine, comprising:

a housing;

a dispenser disposed in the housing of the medicaments container, wherein the dispenser is configured to dispense a medicament unit from the medicaments container in response to an external signal from the medicaments dispensing machine; and

control logic disposed within the housing of the medicaments container and configured to determine whether the medicaments container is authorized for the medicaments dispensing machine, and to prevent the medicaments dispensing machine from engaging the medicaments container if the medicaments container is not authorized for the medicaments dispensing machine.

10. The medicaments container of claim 9, further comprising a chamber coupled to the dispenser and configured to store a medicament unit for dispensation.

11. The medicaments container of claim 9, wherein said control logic comprises at least one of hardware and software.

12. A medicaments container configured to operate with a medicaments dispensing machine, comprising:

a housing;

a dispenser disposed in the housing of the medicaments container, wherein the dispenser is configured to dispense a medicament unit from the medicaments container in response to an external signal from the medicaments dispensing machine; and

control logic disposed within the housing of the medicaments container and configured to determine whether the medicaments container is authorized for the medicaments dispensing machine, and to disable the dispenser if the medicaments container is not authorized for the medicaments dispensing machine.

13. The medicaments container of claim 12, further comprising a chamber coupled to the dispenser and configured to store a medicament unit for dispensation.

14. The medicaments container of claim 12, wherein said control logic comprises at least one of hardware and software.

15. A medicaments container configured to operate with a medicaments dispensing machine, comprising:

a housing;

a dispenser disposed in the housing of the medicaments container, wherein the dispenser is configured to dispense a medicament unit from the medicaments container in response to an external signal from the medicaments dispensing machine; and

control logic configured to determine whether the medicaments container is authorized for the medicaments dispensing machine.

16. The medicaments container of claim 15, further comprising a chamber coupled to the dispenser and configured to store a medicament unit for dispensation.

17. The medicaments container of claim 15, further comprising control logic configured to generate an alert if the medicaments container is not authorized for the medicaments dispensing machine.

18. The medicaments container of claim 15, further comprising control logic configured to prevent dispensation of medicament units from the medicaments container if the medicaments container is not authorized for the medicaments dispensing machine.

19. The medicaments container of claim 15, further comprising control logic configured to disable the medicaments container if the medicaments container is not authorized for the medicaments dispensing machine.

20. The medicaments container of claim 15, further comprising control logic configured to prevent the medicaments dispensing machine from engaging the medicaments container if the medicaments container is not authorized for the medicaments dispensing machine.

21. A medicaments container configured to operate with a medicaments dispensing machine, comprising:

means for dispensing a medicament unit from the medicaments container in response to an external signal from the medicaments dispensing machine;

means for determining whether the medicaments container is authorized for the medicaments dispensing machine; and

means for generating an alert if the medicaments container is not authorized for the medicaments dispensing machine.

22. A medicaments container configured to operate with a medicaments dispensing machine, comprising:

means for dispensing a medicament unit from the medicaments container in response to an external signal from the medicaments dispensing machine;

means for determining whether the medicaments container is authorized for the medicaments dispensing machine; and

means for preventing dispensation of medicament units from the medicaments container if the medicaments container is not authorized for the medicaments dispensing machine.

23. A medicaments container, comprising:

means for dispensing a medicament unit from the medicaments container in response to a signal from an apparatus;

means for determining whether the medicaments container is authorized for the apparatus; and

means for disabling the medicaments container if the medicaments container is not authorized for the apparatus.

24. A medicaments container configured to operate with a medicaments dispensing machine, comprising:

means for dispensing a medicament unit from the medicaments container in response to an external signal from the medicaments dispensing machine;

means for determining whether the medicaments container is authorized for the medicaments dispensing machine; and

means for inhibiting the communication of information between the medicaments container and the medicaments dispensing machine.

25. Computer readable program code embodied on a computer readable medium and executable by a processing device in a medicaments container configured to operate with a medicaments dispensing machine, to authorize dispensation of a medicament unit from the medicaments container, comprising:

computer readable code for dispensing a medicament unit from the medicaments container in response to an external signal from the medicaments dispensing machine;

computer readable code for determining whether the medicaments container is authorized for the medicaments dispensing machine; and

computer readable code for generating an alert if the medicaments container is not authorized for the medicaments dispensing machine.

26. Computer readable program code embodied on a computer readable medium and executable by a processing device in a medicaments container configured to operate with a medicaments dispensing machine, to authorize dispensation of a medicament unit from the medicaments container, comprising:

computer readable code for dispensing a medicament unit from the medicaments container in response to an external signal from the medicaments dispensing machine;

computer readable code for determining whether the medicaments container is authorized for the medicaments dispensing machine; and

computer readable code for preventing dispensation of medicament units from the medicaments container if the medicaments container is not authorized for the medicaments dispensing machine.

27. Computer readable program code embodied on a computer readable medium and executable by a processing device in a medicaments container, to authorize dispensation of a medicament unit from the medicaments container, comprising:

computer readable code for dispensing a medicament unit from the medicaments container in response to a signal from an apparatus;

computer readable code for determining whether the medicaments container is authorized for the apparatus; and

computer readable code for disabling the medicaments container if the medicaments container is not authorized for the apparatus.

28. Computer readable program code embodied on a computer readable medium and executable by a processing device in a medicaments container configured to operate with a medicaments dispensing machine, to authorize dispensation of a medicament unit from the medicaments container, comprising:

computer readable code for dispensing a medicament unit from the medicaments container in response to an external signal from the medicaments dispensing machine;

computer readable code for determining whether the medicaments container is authorized for the medicaments dispensing machine; and

computer readable code for inhibiting the communication of information between the medicaments container and the medicaments dispensing machine.

29. Computer readable program code embodied on a computer readable medium and executable by a processing device in a medicaments container configured to operate with a medicaments dispensing machine, to authorize dispensation of a medicament unit from the medicaments container, comprising:

computer readable code for dispensing a medicament unit from the medicaments container in response to an external signal from the medicaments dispensing machine; and

computer readable code for determining whether the medicaments container is authorized for the medicaments dispensing machine.