Apparatus and methods for automated dispensing of medications and supplements
First Claim
1. A system for assembling and dispensing a pharmaceutical order comprising one or more unit dose individually packaged items selected from a plurality of different unit dose individually packaged items, the system comprising:
- a storage module containing one or more of each of the unit dose individually packaged items of the pharmaceutical order;
a conveyor comprising selectively assigned spaces that receive one or more of the individually packaged items associated with the pharmaceutical order and adapted to transport the packaged items;
a pick device movable vertically and horizontally to access said storage module and configured to retrieve an individually packaged item from said storage module;
a transfer receptacle associated with said pick device and movable with said pick device;
a transfer station proximate to said conveyor and configured to receive the one or more packaged items directly from said transfer receptacle; and
an actuator associated with said transfer station and operative to advance the one or more packaged items from said transfer station to said conveyor when said selectively assigned spaces of the conveyer, associated with the pharmaceutical order, are in registration with said transfer station,wherein the pick device is a unified structure that retrieves the individually packaged item from the storage module and transfers the individually packaged item directly to the transfer receptacle when the transfer receptacle is in a first position adjacent to the pick device,wherein the transfer receptacle is configured to rotate away from the pick device to a second position to deliver the individually packaged item to the transfer station, andwherein the pick device is affixed to the storage module.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system for assembling and dispensing an order made up of one or more individually packaged items from a plurality of different individually packaged items includes a storage module containing one or more packages of each of the items, and a conveyor having selectively assignable spaces configured to receive the packaged items associated with a particular order and to transport the packaged items to a processing location. A pick device is movable relative to the storage module and is configured to retrieve a package from the storage module. A transfer station adjacent the conveyor receives one or more of the packaged items from the pick device and an actuator associated with the transfer station moves the packaged items from the transfer station to the conveyor when the assigned space associated with the order is in the registration with the transfer station.
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Citations
40 Claims
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1. A system for assembling and dispensing a pharmaceutical order comprising one or more unit dose individually packaged items selected from a plurality of different unit dose individually packaged items, the system comprising:
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a storage module containing one or more of each of the unit dose individually packaged items of the pharmaceutical order; a conveyor comprising selectively assigned spaces that receive one or more of the individually packaged items associated with the pharmaceutical order and adapted to transport the packaged items; a pick device movable vertically and horizontally to access said storage module and configured to retrieve an individually packaged item from said storage module; a transfer receptacle associated with said pick device and movable with said pick device; a transfer station proximate to said conveyor and configured to receive the one or more packaged items directly from said transfer receptacle; and an actuator associated with said transfer station and operative to advance the one or more packaged items from said transfer station to said conveyor when said selectively assigned spaces of the conveyer, associated with the pharmaceutical order, are in registration with said transfer station, wherein the pick device is a unified structure that retrieves the individually packaged item from the storage module and transfers the individually packaged item directly to the transfer receptacle when the transfer receptacle is in a first position adjacent to the pick device, wherein the transfer receptacle is configured to rotate away from the pick device to a second position to deliver the individually packaged item to the transfer station, and wherein the pick device is affixed to the storage module. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A method of filling a pharmaceutical order that includes one or more individual unit dose packaged items selected from a plurality of different individual unit dose packaged items, the method comprising:
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identifying a dedicated space on a conveyor for receiving one or more of the packaged items for the pharmaceutical order; moving the conveyor toward a processing location; picking a packaged item for the pharmaceutical order from a storage location using a pick device which is movable vertically and horizontally to access the packaged item and which is a unified structure that retrieves the packaged item from the storage location, the pick device being affixed to a storage module; transferring the packaged item from the pick device to a transfer receptacle, which is associated with said pick device and movable with said pick device, the transfer receptacle receiving the packaged item from the pick device when the transfer receptacle is in a first position adjacent to the pick device; advancing the packaged item from the transfer receptacle to a transfer station, the transfer station receiving the packaged item directly from the transfer receptacle by rotating the transfer receptacle away from the pick device to a second position to deliver the packaged item to the transfer station; and advancing the packaged item from the transfer station to the dedicated space of the conveyer when the dedicated space is in registration with the transfer station. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28)
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29. A system for assembling and dispensing a pharmaceutical order comprising one or more unit dose individually packaged items selected from a plurality of different unit dose individually packaged items, the system comprising:
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a storage module containing one or more of each of the unit dose individually packaged items of the pharmaceutical order; a conveyor comprising selectively assigned spaces that receive one or more of the individually packaged items associated with the pharmaceutical order and adapted to transport the packaged items; a pick device movable to retrieve an individually packaged item from said storage module; a transfer receptacle associated with said pick device and movable with said pick device; a transfer station that receives the one or more packaged items directly from said transfer receptacle; and an actuator associated with said transfer station and operative to advance the one or more packaged items from said transfer station to said conveyor when said selectively assigned spaces of the conveyer, associated with the pharmaceutical order, are in registration with said transfer station, wherein the pick device is a unified structure that retrieves the individually packaged item from the storage module and transfers the individually packaged item directly to the transfer receptacle when the transfer receptacle is in a first position adjacent to the pick device, and wherein the transfer receptacle is configured to rotate away from the pick device to a second position to deliver the individually packaged item to the transfer station. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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Specification