Hopper for a pharmaceutical counter
AssigneeExpress Scripts Strategic Development, Inc.
InventorRobert E. Hoffman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A hopper of a pharmaceutical counter comprises a housing defining an interior sized to hold a plurality of pharmaceuticals. The housing defines an outlet in communication with the interior that is sized and shaped to permit the plurality of pharmaceuticals to move therethrough. The hopper also includes a baffle supported by the housing and disposed in the interior. The baffle is disposed between upper and lower ends of the interior. The baffle is arranged to support a portion of the plurality of pharmaceuticals above the baffle when the plurality of pharmaceuticals is held in the interior of the housing. This relieves the head pressure of the pharmaceuticals at the outlet.
Claims18
A method of installing a hopper in a pharmaceutical counter array, the pharmaceutical counter array including a plurality of pharmaceutical counters, the method comprising:
- removing an existing hopper from a first pharmaceutical counter of the plurality of pharmaceutical counters, the existing hopper having a first volume for holding pharmaceuticals;
- removing a second pharmaceutical counter of the plurality of pharmaceutical counters from the pharmaceutical counter array, the second pharmaceutical counter disposed directly above the first pharmaceutical counter in the pharmaceutical counter array;
- and
- installing the hopper in the first pharmaceutical counter, the hopper having a second volume for holding pharmaceuticals, the second volume being greater than the first volume;
- wherein the hopper occupies at least a portion of a space previously occupied by the second pharmaceutical counter in the pharmaceutical counter array before the second pharmaceutical counter was removed from the pharmaceutical counter array.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.