MEDICATION DISPENSING CABINET SYSTEMS AND METHODS

• US 20160196409A1
• Filed: 03/15/2016
• Published: 07/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omnicell Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Omnicell Incorporated
• Inventors: Paydar, Akbar, Kim, Stanley, Richardson, Chris, Foot, John, Amini, Mahmoud, Morita, Stuart, Cartright, Jennifer, Kang, Kyung-Hee, Blank, Jeff, Gregg, Scott, Chai, Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 10,268,804 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0018 Constructional details, e.g. of drawer, printing means, input means
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/009 the reader being an RFID reader
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers

Abstract

A medication dispensing cabinet provides controlled access to medications and supplies stored in it. The cabinet may include at least one lockable storage compartment, and a controller that controls access to the at least one lockable storage compartment. The cabinet may include multiple printers integrated into the cabinet. The cabinet may include a camera operably coupled to the controller. The cabinet may include a set of cabinet electronics, and a power distribution and communications circuit board. The cabinet may include a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader, wherein the controller conditions access to the at least one lockable storage compartment on receipt of information from the RFID reader. Data may be stored in the controller according to an implementation of RAID technology. The controller may include multiple electronic communications network interfaces, and may include an out of band network communication channel. A dispensing cabinet may facilitate printing of labels for medications.

Claims

1-4. -4. (canceled)

5. A medication dispensing cabinet, comprising:

at least one lockable storage compartment;

a controller that controls access to the at least one lockable storage compartment; and

a camera operably coupled to the controller.

6. The medication dispensing cabinet of claim 5, wherein the camera is positioned to photograph a user of the medication dispensing cabinet.

7. The medication dispensing cabinet of claim 6, wherein a photograph taken using the camera of a user of the medication dispensing cabinet is associated with a usage log.

8. A medication dispensing cabinet, comprising:

at least one lockable storage compartment;

a set of cabinet electronics; and

a power distribution and communications circuit board, the power distribution and communications circuit board further including circuitry that provides a first set of required voltage supplies to the controller and provides a second set of required voltage supplies to the cabinet electronics, and wherein the power distribution and communications circuit board routes communication signals between the controller and the cabinet electronics.

9. The medication dispensing cabinet of claim 8, wherein the circuitry derives the two sets of required voltage supplies from a single source voltage.

10-17. -17. (canceled)

18. A medication dispensing cabinet, comprising:

at least one lockable storage compartment; and

a controller that controls access to the at least one lockable storage compartment, the controller including an out of band network communication channel that is independent of the state of an operating system in the controller.

19-30. -30. (canceled)