Kvm Technologies, Inc.

Owen Healthcare, Inc.

Lisa W Rogers

Thomas L Kraft

John A Thompson, Iii

John F Berry

Scott A Kelley

Michael C Kuchar

Vincent C Weido

Mark G Henckel

Van W Hoskins

Clifford D Ober

Robert R Mayer, Jr

James W Meador

Kenneth E Reynolds

Ronald J Kokot

Van Hoskins

Robert Meyers

Lou Waters

Stuart S Crader

David Loebig

A medication dispenser for use in a hospital or other medical setting comprises a plurality of containers for holding medication units, packaging apparatus for containing one or more medication units in a package and robotics for manipulating a selected container to transfer one or more medication units from the container directly to said package. Since medication is directly transferred from the container to the package, no cross-contamination occurs.

Medication dispenser system

A vacuum operated system for individually dispensing items of oral solid medicine from bulk storage to a user, where the medicine is dispensed under computer control, and the quantity and type of medicine is selected in advance by the user. The invention includes medicine dispensing equipment and a computer that provides a user interface. A plurality of storage containers arranged in a rotatable carousel or a rectilinear array may contain various pharmaceutical articles, or various types, dosages, ages, and lot numbers of medicines. The storage containers may be easily refilled by inserting modular refill cartridges into the storage containers. After a user enters certain data into the computer, the invention aligns a universal vacuum probe with the storage container that contains the desired items. The universal vacuum probe is lowered to the desired storage container and engaged with a container probe that is exclusive to that storage container. After a vacuum source creates suction within the universal vacuum probe and the container probe, the universal vacuum probe and the container probe are operated to individually extract items from the storage container. In one embodiment, the extracted items are dispensed into a cup for retrieval by a user. In another embodiment, one or more items are packaged separately in an envelope, which is stored in a portable envelope-organizing tote along with other envelopes containing items requested by that user.

Vacuum operated medicine dispenser

Envelope

Portable envelope-organizing tote

An apparatus for dispensing single homogeneous units upon rotation of the apparatus comprising a generally circular walled container having a bottom for holding the singular homogeneous units. A discharge area located distally from the bottom for receiving the single homogeneous units and for discharging them upon rotation of the apparatus. A helical spiraled rib member located on the generally circular walled container extending from the bottom of the container and along the circular walls of the container for creating during rotation a continuously variable inclined surface along the helical spiraled rib member and the circular walls of the container for advancing single homogeneous units along said helical spiralled rib member and the generally circular walls of the container until a single homogeneous unit reaches the discharge area for discharge from the container. The helical spiraled rib member has a helix depth from the circular wall of the container sufficient for advancing only a single homogeneous unit along the helical spiraled rib member and the generally circular wall of the container until a single homogeneous unit reaches the discharge area. The helical spiralled rib member has a helix angle sufficient relative to the length of the generally circular walled container from the bottom to the discharge area for creating during rotation a sufficient inclined surface for advancing single homogeneous units to the discharge area. Further, this invention provides removable caps which are used to seal these containers from the ambient environment when not being used for dispensing of single homogeneous units.

Rotating apparatus for dispensing single homogeneous units

Growing community of inventors

Houston, TX, United States of America

Lisa W Rogers