The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jul. 15, 2003
Filed:
Jan. 07, 2002
Shane P. Coughlin, Kansas City, MO (US);
Michael E. Coughlin, Mission Hills, KS (US);
Stacy Orr, Shawnee, KS (US);
Timothy Surgeon, Archie, MO (US);
Scriptpro LLC, MIssion, KS (US);
Abstract
A pill count sensor ( ) comprises an electromagnetic energy emitting array ( ) and an electromagnetic energy receiving array ( ), with a pill detection zone ( ) defined therebetween; a sensor amplifier ( ); a control board ( ) interfaced with a computing device ( ); and interconnecting cabling ( ). The electromagnetic energy emitting and receiving arrays ( ) emit and receive, respectively, beams of electromagnetic energy ( ) across the zone ( ) such that any pill ( ) entering the zone ( ) is detected by a resulting disruption in received electromagnetic energy at the receiving array ( ). The sensor amplifier ( ) is operable to automatically self-calibrate in order to compensate for detected electromagnetic energy levels, and to generate a pill sense signal in response to a detected pill ( ). The control board ( ) is operable to increment a pill count.