Article dispensing – With recorder – register – indicator – signal or exhibitor
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-24
2001-02-20
Noland, Kenneth W. (Department: 3651)
Article dispensing
With recorder, register, indicator, signal or exhibitor
C221S279000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06189727
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a device or arrangement for dispensing various medications that have been prescribed for patients, and is more specifically directed to a compact, inexpensive, and simple arrangement for dispensing pre-filled containers of medicaments, which can be capsules, pills, liquids, salves, etc. The invention is more particularly concerned with a semi-automated technique for filling patient prescription orders in a fashion that minimizes both the risk of human error and the occurances of mechanical failure. The invention is favorably applied to a semi-automated pharmaceutical dispensing cabinet that is for use in a hospital, a small satellite pharmacy, a clinic or a doctor's office.
The need for a prescription distribution cart or cabinet has long been recognized, and various medicine cabinets and carts have been proposed previously, in which patient and prescription data are stored on a computer and the stored data are employed in filling prescriptions from an automated cabinet or supply store. An example of an automated drug dispensing system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,485. In that system, bottles of pills or other prescription drugs are arranged in stacks or vertical bins within a locked cabinet. Patient information is entered into a computer, which actuates a pair of solenoids associated with one of the vertical bins, causing one bottle to drop down from that bin onto a ramp. The bottle then rolls down to a delivery area. In practice, these vertical drug containers can sometimes jam at the locations of the solenoids, and prevent the medication from being dispensed. As the cabinet is locked during dispensing, there is no way for the attendant to unjam the bin involved and correct the situation. Also, the stacks or bins in this arrangement do not keep track of the number of bottles or containers actually remaining in them. Instead, the computer can only keep track of the number of dispensing operations, and assumes that the bins had all been full at the onset.
Other medication dispensing arrangements have also been proposed, and some of these are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,785,969; U.S. Pat. No. 5,292,029; U.S. Pat. No. 5,597,995; U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,487; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,842,976.
However, none of these proposes a simple, reliable semi-automated drug dispensing cabinet that minimizes both human error and mechanical problems, and which can serve in a wide variety of health care environments.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a drug dispensing cabinet that avoids the drawbacks of the prior art.
It is another object to provide a semi-automated dispensing cabinet with a locked door that opens to an authorized attendant upon entry of an authorization code (e.g., by way of a magnetic or bar-code card or badge, or by entry of a PIN).
It is a further object to provide a drug dispensing cabinet in which bottles or containers in the cabinet are automatically identified for selection for the authorized attendant, and provides visual or audible feedback to the attendant when the correct container has been lifted out and also when an incorrect container has been lifted out.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a semi-automated pharmaceutical dispensing arrangement provides a nurse, pharmacist, or other medical/pharmacy attendant with one or more filled containers to satisfy a prescription order for a patient. A drug cabinet has an enclosure or housing and a front door. The door is kept locked normally, but a control mechanism permits opening of the front door for an authorized attendant and permits the attendant to obtain the pre-filled bottles or containers of prescription medication to satisfy a patient's prescription order. Within the cabinet is an array of linear dispensing modules, each module containing a front-to-back row of containers filled with a particular respective medicament. Each module includes means to permit containers to be manually lifted out from the front of the module one at a time by the attendant. A pusher mechanism in the module pushes the containers forward, so that when one container is lifted out another container behind it is pushed into position for removal. The modules each include means for accounting for the number of containers in the respective module. Each of the modules also have an associated signaling device, such as an LED that lights up to identify to the attendant the module from which a container is to be taken to satisfy the patient prescription order. A controller processor is associated with the cabinet, and can be, for example, a small stand-alone computer, or a central computer that is networked into one or several of these cabinets. The controller processor includes means for inputting patient-medication information and provides a signal to the signaling means of the appropriate one of the modules in the cabinet that contains the medicament prescribed for that patient.
The dispensing module favorably includes a sensor to detect when a container has been removed from it. In response to this, the controller processor generates a first indication, i.e., an audible tone or chime, when the attendant has removed the container, from the correct module, that contains the prescribed medicament for the patient. If the attendant mistakenly takes a container from a different module, a second indication is generated, i.e., another alarm tone or buzzer, to alert the attendant that he or she has taken a container from the wrong module. In this latter case, there is a return cabinet into which the attendant can place the container. The return container has a drop-only bin into which the containers can be inserted but not removed, and a door that can be opened only by authorized pharmacy personnel to collect the mistakes or return containers.
In each of the modules there are guide means for holding said containers in a row and guiding them as they are pushed from back to front. The pusher mechanism biases against a final one of the containers to push it forward, and a sensor device tracks the position of the final container in the respective row. This position corresponds to the number of containers in the module that remain to be dispensed. The sensor device can be a rotary sensor, such as a potentiometer, encoder wheel, or the like. These have the advantage of maintaining their state in the event of a power outage. Alternatively, the sensor can include an optical, magnetic, or other presence sensor that travels with the pusher mechanism and detects indicia such as reflectors, teeth on a locator bar, or the like, corresponding to the positions of the medicine containers in the row.
In one preferred mode there are forty of these modules in the cabinet, arrayed eight across and five high. There could be more or fewer modules, depending upon the specific user application.
The method of semi-automatically dispensing prescribed medication, and filling a prescription order for a patient, can be easily carried out using the cabinet of this invention. The nurse, pharmacist, health practitioner, or other attendant inputs patient and/or prescription data into the associated computer or processor device. This may include an employee PIN to gain access to the cabinet, and patient identification. The patient's medical and prescription information may be already contained in the computer. Each of the modules has an LED or other signaling means that lights to identify to the attendant that module from which to lift out a container to satisfy the patient's prescription. Then the attendant lifts out the container from that module. The container is scanned, e.g., using a bar code scanner, to verify that this is the medication that is intended. An associated printer prints out a label, with prescription information and instructions for the patient concerning administration of the medication. This may then be affixed onto the container.
When the attendant selects the container from the indicated m
Molldrem, Jr. Bernhard P.
Noland Kenneth W.
S&S X-Ray Products, Inc.
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