System for dispensing drugs
AssigneeRx Excell Inc.
InventorNicholas Lion
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A prescription dosage unit dispensing system including a housing having a plurality of cells, each cell adapted to contain a base-port subunit including a dosage unit dispensing device, a disposable drug-containing tower unit containing in sealed condition a single type of solid dosage unit is operatively connected to the base-port subunit and a device for securing a vial in place so that it can receive the solid dosage units from the drug-containing tower unit as instructed manually or via automated microprocessor/computer control.
Claims27
A prescription dosage unit dispensing system comprising:
- (a) a housing comprising a plurality of cells, each cell being dimensioned and arranged to receive a base-port subunit;
- (b) at least one base-port subunit positioned within a corresponding one of said plurality cells, said base-port subunit being operable to dispense a preselected number of solid dosage units into a vial;
- and
- (c) at least one disposable drug-containing tower unit containing, in sealed condition, a single type of solid dosage unit, said at least one tower unit being dimensioned and arranged for releasable engagement with a corresponding base-port subunit and having at one end thereof a defeatable seal, wherein said corresponding base-port subunit is configured to open the defeatable seal upon insertion of a sealed drug-containing tower unit into an associated cell.
The system of claim I further including a vial transport assembly operative to retain a vial in place while solid dosage units are dispensed thereinto through a base-port subunit and to transport a filled vial to a discharge opening of the dispensing system.
A prescription dosage unit dispensing system comprising:
- (a) a housing comprising a plurality of cells, each cell being dimensioned and arranged to receive a base-port subunit;
- (b) at least one base-port subunit positioned within a corresponding one of said plurality cells, said base-port subunit being operable to dispense a preselected number of solid dosage units into a vial;
- and
- (c) at least one disposable drug-containing tower unit containing, in sealed condition, a single type of solid dosage unit, said at least one tower unit being dimensioned and arranged for releasable engagement with a corresponding base-port subunit and having at one end thereof a defeatable seal, wherein said corresponding base-port subunit is configured to open the defeatable seal upon insertion of a sealed drug-containing tower unit into an associated cell, said at least one tower unit further including indicia corresponding to at least one characteristic of the solid dosage units contained therein, and wherein said system further includes a sensor operative to recognize said indicia and to generate signals representative of said at least one characteristic.
A disposable drug-containing tower unit for use in a prescription dosage dispensing system, comprising an elongated canister containing, in sealed condition, a single type of solid dosage unit, said elongated canister being dimensioned and arranged for releasable engagement with a corresponding base-port subunit of said dispensing system and having at one end thereof a defeatable seal and including indicia corresponding to at least one characteristic of the solid dosage units contained therein, whereby a sensor of the dispensing system may recognize said indicia and whereby a corresponding base-port subunit of the dispensing system may be configured to open the defeatable seal upon insertion of the canister into a cell thereof.
A prescription dosage unit dispensing system comprising:
- (a) a housing comprising a plurality of cells, each cell being dimensioned and arranged to receive a base-port subunit;
- (b) at least one base-port subunit positioned within a corresponding one of said plurality cells, said base-port subunit being operable to dispense a preselected number of solid dosage units into a vial;
- and
- (c) at least one disposable drug-containing tower unit containing, in sealed condition, a single type of solid dosage unit, said at least one tower unit being dimensioned and arranged for releasable engagement with a corresponding base-port subunit, wherein said corresponding base-port subunit is operative to open said at least one sealed drug-containing tower unit, said at least one tower unit further including indicia corresponding to at least one characteristic of the solid dosage units contained therein, and wherein said system further includes a sensor operative to recognize said indicia and to generate signals representative of said at least one characteristic.
A prescription dosage unit dispensing system comprising:
- (a) a housing comprising a plurality of cells, each cell being dimensioned and arranged to receive a base-port subunit;
- (b) at least one base-port subunit positioned within a corresponding one of said plurality cells, said base-port subunit being operable to dispense a preselected number of solid dosage units into a vial;
- and
- (c) at least one drug-containing tower unit containing, in sealed condition, a single type of solid dosage unit, said at least one tower unit being dimensioned and arranged for releasable engagement with a corresponding base-port subunit and including indicia corresponding to at least one characteristic of solid dosage units contained therein, and wherein said system further includes a sensor operative to recognize said indicia and to generate signals representative of said at least one characteristic.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.