Other

Innovation Associates, Inc.

Timothy William Limer

Todd Edward Bower

Joseph H Boyer

James P Boyer

Mark D Jones

Wayne David Klossner

Bruce Edward Holtje

James G McGonigal

Thomas J Donovan

Mark Andrew Fisher

Thomas P Boyer

David Timothy Royce

Michael J Hostetler

A novel puck and cover assembly and method for retaining the contents of a container, such as a prescription bottle, during processing and order-filling operations. The puck and cover assembly allows access to the opening of a container when required to perform operations, and automatically returns to cover the opening of a container when operations are completed, to prevent loss of any container contents.

Method and apparatus for retaining contents in a conveyed container

There is provided an automated prescription filling system using a robotic arm in combination with an automatic pharmaceutical dispenser having a plurality of individual pill-counting units, each under the control of its own microprocessor. The automatic pharmaceutical dispensers are modified for use with the robotic arm. Because tablet counting is completely independent of the robotic arm, system throughput is higher than in systems of the prior art. Unlike systems of the prior art, each individual pill-counting unit can be removed from behind the pharmaceutical dispenser so that the system need not be stopped for such service. The fact that counting operations are divorced from robotic arm movements allows the arm movements to be optimized and multiple prescriptions to be processed simultaneously. Controller software optimizes movement of the robotic arm based upon such factors as the fullness of the vial being transported.

Robotic arm and method for using with an automatic pharmaceutical dispenser

Growing community of inventors

Vestal, NY, United States of America

Timothy William Limer