Patent ID: 6834775
Filing Date: 2004-12-28
Classification: A61J,G07F

Abstract:
A medicine dispensing system, for providing medications to a patient in medicine carriers, each medicine carrier having an associated appropriate times of the day at which it has been taken, as determined by a pharmacist, comprising:a housing, the housing defining an interior space, and having a medicine retrieval compartment having a retrieval door which is openable by the user, the housing also having a pharmacist access door, the pharmacist access door having a lock such that the pharmacist access door is not operable by the patient; a plurality of tubes, each of the tubes extending horizontally and having an open end, a back end, and a plurality of carrier positions evenly spaced between the open end and back end, the carrier positions are each bordered by a pair of division bumps which are capable of holding one of the medicine carriers therebetween, a chute extending in front of the open end of the tubes and connecting the open end of the tubes with the medicine retrieval compartment; and at least one actuator motor, the actuator motor having a shaft and a plunger located at one end of the shaft, the plunger capable of movement within at least one of the tubes for advancing all medicine carriers located in that tube toward the open end of said tube until one of the medicine carriers falls from the open end into the chute and into the medicine retrieval compartment; and a control unit, the control unit programmable by the pharmacist to determine the appropriate time of day when one of the medicine carriers is to be dispensed to the patient; for determining when that time of day has been reached; and for operating the at least one actuator motor to dispense that carrier when that time of day has been reached.