US 8,511,478 B2 · Container dispersion wheel

Abstract

A multi-pharmaceutical dispensing station includes a circular platform around which a plurality of individual dispensers is arrayed at a convenient loading height. Cylindrical, empty prescription containers bearing indicia of the patient and pharmaceutical to be dispensed into each container. Incident containers first enter an entraining column, where sensors detect the indicia and determine the proper dispenser to which to direct the container. The containers then drop into a dispersion wheel which translates them around the circular station and aligns them with a vertical chute leading to the designated dispenser. Slidable gates cover the chutes until the transport system determines they are above the proper dispenser, then open to drop the containers into the designated dispenser. The dispersion wheel may be used in other applications, such as container content verification, and may include container processing stations along its perimeter for processing the containers before sending them on.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A rotatable dispersion apparatus for dispersing objects to a plurality of destinations according to indicia borne on said objects, the objects being dimensionally stable and having walls bearing indicia identifying the destination to which said objects are to be dispersed, the dispersion wheel comprising

an annular platform supported by a base and having a vertical axis;
a plurality of conduits coupled to the platform, each conduit having an input port adapted to receive said objects one at a time, said conduits leading from the dispersion apparatus to a predetermined destination where said objects receive processing;
coaxial annular lower and upper plates disposed a spaced distance apart above the annular platform;
a plurality of cups sandwiched between said lower and upper plates, each cup forming a conduit between a pair of lower and upper openings surrounded and defined by said lower and upper plates, each of said cups being adapted to receive one of said objects and to be rotatably aligned with one of said input ports;
a plurality of gate means disposed between said cups and said input ports and adapted articulate between an open position to admit an object from one of said cups into one of said input ports and a closed position blocking said input port and retaining said object within said cup;
and
controller means for operating said dispersion wheel.

4 more elements

A dispersion wheel adapted to disperse containers to a plurality of destinations according to indicia borne on said containers, the containers having an interior surrounded by cylindrical walls, a transverse bottom closing said interior, a mouth opposite said bottom for admitting materials, and indicia borne on said container walls indicating the identity and quantity of said materials to be dispensed into said interior, the dispersion wheel comprising

an annular platform supported by a base and having a vertical axis;
a plurality of container conduits coupled to the platform, each container conduit having an input port adapted to receive said containers one at a time, said container conduits leading from the dispersion wheel to a predetermined destination where said containers receive dispensed materials;
coaxial annular lower and upper plates disposed a spaced distance apart above the annular platform;
a plurality of cylindrical cups sandwiched between said lower and upper plates, each cup forming a conduit between a pair of lower and upper openings surrounded and defined by said lower and upper plates, each of said cups being adapted to receive one of said containers and to be rotatably aligned with one of said input ports;
a plurality of gate means disposed between said cups and said input ports and adapted articulate between an open position to admit a container from one of said cups into one of said input ports and a closed position blocking said input port and retaining said container within said cup;
and
controller means for operating said dispersion wheel.

4 more elements

An improved method of directing pharmaceutical prescription bottles to one of a plurality of bulk dispensers of pharmaceuticals for filling said bottles according to a predetermined prescription indicia borne on said bottles, said plurality of bulk dispensers being disposed around an annular platform having a vertical axis, each of said bulk dispensers having a corresponding input conduit adapted to convey said bottles to said dispenser one at a time, said input conduits extending coplanar with said vertical axis to terminate in an input port above said platform, the method comprising

providing a rotatable dispersion wheel coaxial with and disposed above the annular platform and coupled to said input conduits, the dispersion wheel having
a plurality of cylindrical cups adapted to receive one of said bottles and to be rotatably aligned with one of said input conduits;
a gate disposed above each of said input conduits and adapted to open to admit a bottle from one of said cups into one of said input conduits;
and
a servo motor coupled to said dispersion wheel and adapted rapidly to rotate said dispersion wheel either clockwise or counterclockwise around said vertical axis;
providing a bottle accumulator disposed above said dispersion wheel and adapted to read said bottle indicia and to release said bottle into one of said cups;
and
providing controller means for operating said dispersion wheel;
then
operating said controller means to
(a) direct each bottle into said accumulator;
then
(b) operating said bottle accumulator to read said bottle indica to determine a select one of said plurality of dispensers to which said bottle is to be directed;
then
(c) operating said bottle accumulator to drop said bottle into one of said cups in said dispersion wheel;
then
(d) rotating said dispersion wheel to translate said bottle to a position above said input conduit leading to said select one of said plurality of dispensers;
then
(e) operating said gate to drop said bottle into said input conduit leading to said select one of said plurality of dispensers;
and then
(f) repeating steps (a)-(e), inclusive, for each additional bottle.

18 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Container dispersion wheel

Life of this patent

Container dispersion wheel

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims15