Pill Dispensing System and Apparatus
OwnerThomas J. Shawinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An automatic pill dispensing system and apparatus are disclosed that include a plurality of pill storage cartridges, a control system configured to dispense pills at predetermined times and intervals. The dispensed medications, dosage times, patient compliance information, other prescription information are programmed or available to a caregiver, physician, other medical personnel or pharmacist either directly or remotely by a caregiver through an interface that is not accessible to the patient. The apparatus signals the patient at appropriate times and pills are dispensed when the patient depresses a single dispense button to discharge the prescribed medications into a tray.
Claims31
An automatic pill dispensing apparatus for dispensing pills to a patent according to a prescription schedule comprising:
- a housing comprising an information input/output display and a dispense button;
- at least one rotatable cartridge located inside the housing comprising a plurality of individual pill compartments, each cartridge having a plurality of dispensing positions in which one of the pill compartments is open at each dispense position;
- a pivoted dispense bar for closing the open pill compartment when the cartridge is in one of the dispense positions and a sweeping wire;
- a driver comprising a motor, at least one engageable clutch and complementary gears for rotating a cartridge to a successive dispensing position;
- a control unit comprising
- (a) prescription dispense time input for each cartridge,
- (b) linking capability,
- (c) prescription dispense time sorting,
- (d) motor, clutch and gear control,
- (e) patient notification comprising audible alarm control and remote notification control;
- wherein, upon depression of the dispense button, the dispense bar pivots down which opens the pill compartment and the sweeping wire moves downward through the pill compartment and dislodges a pill into a dispense tray allowing patient access to the pill.
An automatic pill dispensing apparatus for dispensing pills to a patient according to a prescription schedule comprising:
- at least two rotatable cartridges capable of storing a plurality of pills and having a plurality of dispensing positions;
- a control unit comprising
- (a) prescription dispense time input for each cartridge,
- (b) prescription dispense time sorting,
- (c) motor, clutch and gear control,
- (d) user notification comprising audible alarm control and remote notification control;
- wherein the pill dispensing apparatus dispenses the pill from the cartridge upon activation from the patient.
An automatic pill dispensing apparatus for dispensing pills to a patient according to a prescription schedule comprising:
- at least two rotatable cartridges capable of storing a plurality of pills and having a plurality of dispensing positions;
- a control unit comprising
- (a) prescription dispense time input for each cartridge,
- (b) linking capability,
- (c) prescription dispense time sorting,
- (d) motor, clutch and gear control
- (e) user notification comprising an audible alarm control;
- wherein the pill dispensing apparatus dispenses the pill from the cartridge upon activation from the patient.
The automatic pill dispensing apparatus of claim 26 wherein the control unit further comprises a vacation notification.
An automatic pill dispensing apparatus for dispensing pills to a patient according to a prescription schedule comprising:
- at least two rotatable cartridges capable of storing a plurality of pills and having a plurality of dispensing positions;
- a control unit comprising
- (a) prescription dispense time input for each cartridge,
- (b) linking capability,
- (c) prescription dispense time sorting,
- (d) motor, clutch and gear control,
- (e) user notification comprising audible alarm control and remote notification control;
- wherein the pill dispensing apparatus dispenses the pill from the cartridge upon activation from the patient.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.