Automatic drug dispenser

Details Automatic drug dispenser Automatic drug dispenser

1999-03-09

2001-05-15

Bollinger, David H. (Department: 3651)

Article dispensing

Automatic control

Of supply to dispenser

C221S013000, C700S215000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06230927

ABSTRACT:

The invention relates to an automatic drug dispenser for automatically dispensing at least one prepacked drug in response to a prescription signal that is fed to the dispenser and comprises information about at least one prescribed drug, the dispenser comprising:
at least one cartridge which, in use, is filled with prepacked drugs, the drugs each being provided with a drug identification code;
conveying means for selecting a prepacked drug from the cartridge and for subsequently conveying the selected drug from the cartridge;
detecting means for detecting a drug identification code of a drug; and
a control unit for controlling the conveying means in response to the prescription signal and the drug identification code detected by means of the detecting means.
Such automatic dispenser is known from, inter alia, international patent application WO 95/25423. The known dispenser is used in a pharmacy system for prescribing and delivering drugs to a patient. In the known system, a doctor enters a prescription in which a prepacked drug is prescribed for a patient into an input unit, which is for instance designed as a personal computer. The input unit generates a signal which is fed, possibly via a pharmacy computer installed at a pharmacy, to the automatic drug dispenser. After reception of the prescription signal, the automatic drug dispenser will select the prescribed, prepacked drug from the cartridge by means of the conveying means. The selected product is conveyed to a position which enables detection of the drug identification code by means of the detecting means. This drug identification code is fed to the control unit. The control unit checks whether the drug identification code corresponds to the drug prescribed by means of the prescription signal. If this is the case, the drug can be conveyed, by means of the conveying means, to a location for dispensing to the patient.
It is also possible that a patient himself inputs a prescription at an input unit. In that case, too, the input unit will generate a prescription signal which is fed to the automatic drug dispenser. The input unit can then for instance be disposed directly beside the automatic drug dispenser. Of course, the input unit may also form a part of the automatic drug dispenser. The input unit can consist of a card reader capable of reading out a chipcard containing a prescription for obtaining the prescription signal. The drug desired by the patient can then directly be received for use. It is also possible that the prescription signal is inputted via an input unit disposed at the doctor's. The doctor also inputs the prescription on a chipcard of the patient. Next, the patient goes to the dispenser which reads out the chipcard by means of a card reader. The control unit then checks whether the prescription signal read out from the chipcard corresponds to the prescription signal obtained from the dispenser. When the two prescription signals correspond, the drug in question can be dispensed. Of course, this may also involve drugs that are available to the public without a doctor's and/or pharmacist's intermediation. Although the chances of the known dispenser dispensing a drug that does not correspond to the prescription signal are extremely small, the object of the present invention is to increase the reliability of the known dispenser still further. Moreover, the known dispenser has as a drawback that it does not offer any possibilities of loading the dispenser in one operation with large amounts of possibly mutually different drugs. The object of the invention is to provide a dispenser which does have this possibility and wherein the reliable operation of the dispenser is moreover optimized.
To this end, according to the invention, the at least one cartridge comprises a cartridge identification code detectable by the detecting means, wherein, in use, the detecting means detect the cartridge identification code of the at least one cartridge and feed it to the control unit for further processing.
As the at least one cartridge is designed so as to be removable from the dispenser, it in possible to load the dispenser in one operation with a cartridge which in turn comprises a large number of possibly mutually different, prepacked drugs. Because the cartridge identification code is fed to the control unit, this control unit can establish and further process the identity of the cartridge. For instance, during the selection of a drug, it can be checked whether the conveying means of the dispenser approach the proper cartridge, in which the drugs are stored that correspond to the prescription signal. In that case, the cartridge identification code is hence used for performing an additional checking operation during the selection and dispensing of the prepacked drug. However, the cartridge identification code can also be used during the loading of the automatic drug dispenser with drugs. For this purpose, the control unit can for instance comprise input means for feeding to the control unit information about the cartridge identification code of cartridges that are going to be inserted into the dispenser. Then, the dispenser itself can check, on the basis of the detected cartridge identification code, whether the correct cartridges have been inserted. It can also be established in what position the cartridges are located within the dispenser.
Preferably, the control unit comprises a data storage unit storing the cartridge identification code of the at least one cartridge, the drug identification code of the drugs with which the cartridge is filled and the position of the cartridge in the dispenser, wherein the control unit, on the basis of the prescription signal:
determines the drug identification code of the prescribed drug;
determines, from the data storage unit, the position of the cartridge in which the drug represented by the prescription signal is stored;
checks whether the cartridge identification code detected at that location by the detecting means corresponds to the cartridge identification code determined for the position in question from the data storage unit; and
checks, by means of the detecting means, whether the drug identification code, detected by the detecting means, of the drug selected by the conveying means corresponds to the drug identification code determined for the cartridge in question from the data storage unit.
In particular, the conveying means comprise a controllable gripper that is controlled by the control unit, with the detecting means comprising a first sensor mounted on the gripper.
To further improve the logistics of the provisioning of the automatic drug dispenser, according to a particular embodiment of the invention, the dispenser is loaded with at least one removable rack to which a number of cartridges are detachably connected, the dispenser further comprising at least one rack detector connected to the control unit for detecting the presence of the rack in the dispenser.
By inserting a rack having a large number of cartridges attached thereto into the automatic drug dispenser, it is provided that a very large number of drugs can be inserted into the dispenser. According to this particular embodiment, each cartridge is preferably loaded with the sane prepacked drugs. The chance of a wrong drug being selected by the apparatus is thus virtually nil. As it is, the filling of the cartridges can be performed with great precision in advance without there being a real chance or different types of drugs being loaded in one and the same cartridge. With regard to the dispensing process of the drugs, once loaded in the dispenser, it can be stated chat in this particular case, the cartridge identification code also involves an identification of the prescribed drug, because of the cartridges is loaded with the same drugs. Because the prepacked drugs themselves are further provided with a drug identification code, a double check is in fact performed by the dispenser, which minimizes the theoretical risk of an error.


REFERENCES:
patent: 3917045 (1975-11-01), Williams et al.
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