Article dispensing – Automatic control – Of discharge assistant operation
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-29
2001-08-07
Noland, Kenneth W. (Department: 3651)
Article dispensing
Automatic control
Of discharge assistant operation
C221S266000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06269971
ABSTRACT:
The present invention has general reference to a procedure and a device for dosing of a medicine. More exactly, the invention has reference to a procedure and a device for the taking out of a quantity of medicine from a storage of the medicine; a quantity that corresponds to a predetermined dose (total dose) of the active medical substance and for dispensing this quantity to a consumer.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In connection with administration of medicines ready for use two main groups of dosage forms or preparations can be identified. The largest group consists of medicines, known as dosed medicines. Examples of such preparations are tablets, capsules, injection ampoules and others, where each preparation unit contains a predetermined dose of the active medical substance. It can be said that one of the great advantages of this form of preparation is that the dosing of the medicine is built into the dosage form. Naturally, this puts high demands on what concerns the highest variation permitted of medicine content in the separate preparation units.
The other group of medicines consists of non-dosed medicines. Dosage forms as ointments, mixtures, powders, granulates, large volume parenterals and others belong to this group. From such dosage forms the quantity corresponding to the dose required in a specific case is taken out on each occasion of medicine administration. The reason why non-dosed forms are used is that in many cases the exact dose quantity of active medical substance required for administration to the patient can not be predicted.
The limit between dosed and non-dosed medicines is not clearly defined. Thus, packages of single doses of non-dosed medicine can be found.
A frequent problem with administration of a medicine is that the dose quantity required for administration to a certain patient is known, but the choice of doses, in the form of tablets or capsules for example, is relatively limited. Frequently, a tablet has to be broken in order to divide the original dose into halves or even into quarters. Despite this dividing up of the dose, uncertainty may still remain with regard to dose accuracy, i.e. the smallest possible effective dose. This problem is not limited to solid, essentially water-free preparations solely, but there is also an obvious need for exact adjustment of a medicine dose in a dissolved or dispersed form.
Through the present invention, this inconvenience is now eliminated to a large extent.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The invention is based on a new principle for the dosing of a medicine. In accordance with the invention, a procedure for dosing of a medicine is characterised in that a medicine is supplied in the form of equally large units or portions or partial doses, each of which contains a determined quantity of active medical substance and in that a number of such units, which taken together correspond to a predetermined dose quantity or total dose of the active medical substance are taken out from a storage of the medicine, whereupon these units collectively are dispensed to a consumer.
Preferably, the units are transported from the storage and fed out for dispensing in an essentially continuous movement and the transport is discontinued when the determined number of units have been dispensed. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the units are transferred from the storage to spaces each of which contains one unit, whereupon the spaces are moved to dispensing of the units and the movement is discontinued when a predetermined number of the units have been transferred to the spaces and moved to the dispensing.
Furthermore, the invention relates to a device for dosing and dispensing of medicine, characterised in that it includes
a) a storage container for a medicine;
b) a device for the feeding out of the medicine in the form of equally large units (partial doses) from the storage container and transport of the units to a dispensing device;
c) a device for counting the number of fed out units and for the discontinuance of the feeding-out, when a number of units that corresponds to a predetermined, adjustable dose quantity (total dose) of the medicine has been fed out. Preferably, the device for feeding-out and transport of the medicine units comprises a sequence of individual spaces, into which gradually one unit of a medicine is placed, which thereafter is transported to the dispensing device.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3823844 (1974-07-01), Linkemer et al.
patent: 5042685 (1991-08-01), Moulding, Jr. et al.
patent: 5337919 (1994-08-01), Spaudling et al.
patent: 5860563 (1999-01-01), Guerra et al.
patent: 0 246 048 (1987-11-01), None
patent: 0 719 537 (1996-07-01), None
Aquilonius Sten-Magnus
Nystrom Christer
Noland Kenneth W.
Sensidos AB
Young & Thompson
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