Apparatus and method for dispensing medication

Apparatus for storing and dispensing solid medicaments comprising:

• a frame having a medicament retrieving and dispensing station thereon;
• a carousel, mounted on said frame for rotation about a vertical axis, and including
• a plurality of circumferentially spaced-apart, upwardly opening compartments for storing the medicaments in bulk;
• means for rotating said carousel about said vertical axis to dispose any selected one of said compartments at said retrieving and dispensing station;
• and
• medicament retrieving means swingably mounted on said frame between a lowered, pill retrieving position detachably coupled to a solid medicament in the selected compartment and an elevated position above the selected compartment for lifting a solid medicament from said selected compartment to an elevated position above said carousel.

Apparatus for storing and dispensing solid medicaments comprising:

• a frame having a medicament retrieving and dispensing station;
• a bulk storage carousel, rotatably mounted on said frame for rotation about a vertical axis, including
• a plurality of circumferentially spaced, upwardly opening compartments for storing a plurality of solid medicaments in bulk in each compartment different than the plurality of solid medicaments in each other compartment;
• a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart vertical discharge passages through said carousel adjacent said compartments;
• means for rotating said carousel about said axis to dispose any selected one of said compartments and said discharge passages at said station;
• and
• means on said frame for individually removing a medicament from the selected one of said compartments when said selected one of said compartments is disposed at said station and raising it to an elevated position above said carousel and for releasing the elevated medicament and discharging it to the selected one of the discharge passages when the selected one of the discharge passages is at said station.

Apparatus for storing and dispensing solid medicaments comprising:

• a frame having a medicament retrieving and dispensing station thereon;
• bulk storage means moveably mounted on said frame including a plurality of individual, bulk storage compartments for storing a plurality of solid medicaments in each of the compartments different than the plurality of solid medicaments in each of the other bulk storage compartments;
• means for moving said bulk storage means on said frame to selectively dispose any selected one of said compartment at said dispensing station;
• and
• medicament retrieving means for retrieving an individual medicament from said selected compartment including
• a single lifting probe having a hollow conduit provided with one end mounted on said frame and adapted to be coupled to a vacuum source and an opposite integral cantileverly supported tip end moveable relative to said selected one of said compartments between a lower medicament grasping position in airtight sealed relation with a single random solid medicament in said selected compartment and a raised position removed from said selected compartment to lift said random solid medicament to a raised level above said selected compartment.

Apparatus for storing and dispensing solid medicaments comprising:

• a frame having a medicament retrieving and dispensing station;
• bulk storage means, moveably mounted on said frame, having a plurality of bulk storage bins for storing a plurality of substantially identical solid medicaments in each of a plurality of separate upwardly opening compartments different than the solid medicaments in all other bins;
• means for moving said bulk storage means on said frame in a path of travel to successively present successive ones of said plurality of storage bins at said dispensing station;
• medicament grasping means at said dispensing station for removing a single random medicament from any selected one of said bins and depositing it at said station comprising;
• a single vacuum operated probe having one end pivotally mounted on said frame at said station and an opposite integral free end swingable between a raised position removed from said plurality of storage bins when the bulk storage means is being moved and a lower medicament lifting position sealed in airtight relation to the random medicament disposed in any selected one of said bins at said station.

Apparatus for storing and dispensing solid medicaments comprising:

• a frame having a retrieving and dispensing station thereon for mounting a storage container;
• a rotary carousel, rotatably mounted on said frame about a vertical axis, including a plurality of circumferentially spaced, upwardly opening compartments for storing a plurality of solid medicaments in each compartment different than the medicaments in each other compartment;
• means for rotating said carousel to successively dispose said compartments at said station;
• a vacuum operated probe including one end adapted to be coupled to a source of vacuum and a free cantileverly supported terminal end adapted to be sealingly engaged to a single solid medicament in any selected one of said compartments;
• means mounting said one end of said probe on said frame, for swinging movement in response to rotation of said carousel about said vertical axis to successively dispose said terminal end in a lowered position engaging a solid medicament in each successive compartment disposed at said station and a raised position above said compartments when said compartments are moving to and from said station;
• and
• means for selectively coupling a source of vacuum to said one end when said free terminal end is in any selected one of said compartments to cause said free terminal end to randomly sealingly engage one random medicament in said selected compartment to be carried thereby and lifted by said terminal end to said raised position above said selected compartment.

Apparatus for storing and individually dispensing solid medicaments comprising:

• a frame;
• a carousel including
• a hub rotatably mounted on said frame for rotation about a vertical axis,
• a plurality of upwardly opening, medicament receiving compartments for storing a plurality of solid medicaments in each compartment including
• a radially outer, annular wall having an upper edge, and
• a plurality of circumferentially spaced radial vanes spanning said hub and said annular wall;
• a plurality of medicament dispensing passages provided through said carousel in radial alignment with said radial vanes;
• and
• a vacuum finger having one end, swingably mounted on said frame and adapted to be coupled to a source of vacuum, and an opposite free terminal end cantileverly supported on said one end;
• cooperating cam means and cam follower means on said annular sidewall and said vacuum finger for guiding said vacuum finger to vertically swing and dispose said free end in a lowered position sealed in airtight relation with a random medicament in a selected one of said bins and a raised position holding said random medicament above said selected one of said bins or any selected one of said passages at said dispensing station as said carousel rotates about said vertical axis.

A method of storing solid medicaments in bulk and individually dispensing medicaments at a retrieving and dispensing station comprising the steps of:

• storing a plurality of medicaments in each of a plurality of upwardly opening circumferentially spaced compartments of a carousel which is rotatable about a vertical axis, different than the medicaments in each of the other compartments;
• vertically downwardly swinging an elongate vacuum finger from a raised position in which a terminal tip end of the finger is above the carousel to a lowered position with the terminal tip end of the finger being in airtight sealed relation with one of the medicaments in a selected one of the compartments;
• applying vacuum forces to the vacuum finger and said tip end when said terminal tip end is in the selected compartment to sealingly engage and hold the one medicament to the tip end;
• vertically upwardly swinging the elongate vacuum finger and the one medicament sealed to said tip end to the raised position;
• rotating the carousel about the vertical axis to a position in which a discharge passage in the carousel adjacent said selected compartment is vertically aligned with said tip end at said station;
• and
• releasing the vacuum to said vacuum finger at said station and discharging the lifted medicament to said discharge passage at said station.

A method of storing solid medicaments in bulk and individually dispensing solid medicaments comprising the steps of:

• storing solid medicaments in bulk form in each compartment of a plurality of separate, circumferentially spaced medicament storage compartments which are mounted on a rotary carousel rotatable about a vertical axis;
• rotating said carousel about said axis to successively present said storage compartments to a dispensing station;
• retrieving one of said medicaments from one selected compartment and elevating it to an elevated position above said carousel;
• and
• releasing the medicament in said elevated position above said carousel.

Apparatus for storing solid medicaments in bulk and individually dispensing medicaments comprising:

• a frame having a retrieving and dispensing station;
• bulk storage apparatus having a plurality of bulk storage bins for storing a plurality of solid medicaments in bulk in each bin different than the solid medicaments in each other bin;
• means for moving said bulk storage means to successively dispose said bins at said station,
• a vacuum operated probe having one end adapted to be coupled to a source of vacuum, and an opposite terminal tip end for retrieving a medicament;
• means mounting said one end of said vacuum probe on said frame for free fall, in response to movement of said bulk storage means, from a raised position in which said terminal tip end is above said carousel and a lowered position in which said terminal tip end is successively received in each of the bins positioned at said station;
• and
• means reacting between said frame and said bulk storage means for raising said probe to a position above said bulk storage apparatus as said bulk storage apparatus