Abstract:
A cassette for dispensing pills whereby the cassette is coupled to a drive motor that operates in continuous revolution and the internal gears of the cassette translate the continuous motion into a stepping motion, whereby at each step, a system of turning members permit one pill to drop from the cassette into a target container.

Description:
[0001]     This application is related to U.S. application Ser. No. titled, “MACHINE TO AUTOMATE DISPENSING OF PILLS,” which was filed on even date herewith; attorney docket number 2108.1 and inventor Norman D. Knoth. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present invention relates to the field of dispensing solid pharmaceuticals and more particularly to an apparatus that stores pills or capsules and provides for accurately dispensing the same.  
         [0004]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0005]     There have been many approaches to dispensing medicine in pill form. U.S. Pat. No. 2,690,856 to Trondle filed Dec. 3, 1951 describes a drum method whereby a large drum would hold a supply of pills and a rotary base for dispensing the pills.  
         [0006]     U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,861 to Yuyama, filed Dec. 29, 1988 is hereby incorporated by reference. It describes a feeder for dispensing capsules whereby the capsules are guided into channels in a rotor and the capsules are discharged one by one each time the pocket aligns with a feed opening in a bottom plate. Unfortunately, if the capsule is slow to clear the pocket, it can get sliced or cause the rotor to jam. Additionally, it is possible for more than one capsule to escape at the same time.  
         [0007]     U.S. Pat. No. 6,208,911 to Yamaoka, filed Dec. 23, 1997 is hereby incorporated by reference. It describes a solid drug filling apparatus whereby a rotary plate with a plurality of receiving sections, whereby the tablets rest. Discharge orifices are formed through the bottom portion of the receiving sections. A shutter opens or closes the orifice releasing the tablet. Unfortunately, if the tablet is slow to clear the orifice, it can get sliced or cause the shutter to jam. Additionally, it is possible for more than one tablet to escape at the same time.  
         [0008]     U.S. Pat. No. 6,256,963 B2 to Kim, filed Oct. 23, 2000 is hereby incorporated by reference. It describes a cassette for sorting and counting tablets. It has a drum with a plurality of teeth whereby the tablets are guided into teeth of the drum and fall into a bin as the drum rotates. Unfortunately, the tablets can jam when entering the teeth of the drum or jam between the teeth of the drum and the wall of the cassette.  
         [0009]     US Patent Publication 2005/0230413 A1 to Kim, filed Jan. 12, 2005 is hereby incorporated by reference. It describes a cassette for dispensing capsules with a passage at one end and a discharge driver that is a conic rotating body within the cassette with divisions on the outer circumference and is turned by a motor. Unfortunately, jamming is an issue, in that the abstract conveys that the motor can be reversed to clear jams. Additionally, it is possible for more than one capsule to escape at the same time.  
         [0010]     What is needed is an apparatus that will store pills, capsules, tablets or the like; and dispense at a rate that can be accurately counted and can dispense them with minimal breakage.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0011]     An object of the present invention is to provide a device that will store pills and capsules.  
         [0012]     Another objective of the present invention is to provide a device that accurately dispenses pills and capsules while limiting damage or breakage of the pills and capsules.  
         [0013]     In one embodiment, a cassette for storing and dispensing pills is disclosed including an enclosure having a removable lid adapted to allow the introduction of the pills into the enclosure. A cassette vane top ring is situated at a bottom end of the enclosure such that gravity urges the pills through a central opening in the cassette vane top ring and into pill vanes in the top surface of a dome-shaped cassette vane. Below the cassette vane is a cassette vane bottom finish with a plurality of pill indexes. Beneath the cassette vane bottom finish is a pill vane plate for supporting the pills within the pill indexes, preventing them from falling until they pass over a pill drop opening in the pill vane plate. A partition is situated between the cassette vane bottom finish and the pill vane plate over the pill drop opening to prevent the pills from falling from the pill vanes into the pill drop opening. A gear system couples a drive wheel to the cassette vane bottom finish and to the cassette vane and is adapted to rotate the cassette vane bottom finish and to the cassette vane in a rotate/pause movement in response to a continuous rotation of the drive wheel.  
         [0014]     In another embodiment, a method for dispensing pills is disclosed including storing the pills above a dome-shaped cassette vane, the cassette vane including pill vanes. Then, urging the pills into the pill vanes by gravity and turning a drive wheel in continuous movement. The continuous movement of the drive wheel is converted into a start/stop movement of a vane shaft and the vane shaft is coupled to the cassette vane and a cassette vane bottom finish allowing one of the pills to drop from each pill vane into each of a plurality of pill indexes within the cassette vane bottom finish, the cassette vane bottom finish turning in step with the cassette vane and the pills supported by a pill vane plate under the cassette vane bottom finish. This allows one pill to drop out of one of the pill indexes into a pill drop opening for each rotation of the drive wheel and a partition between the pill vane plate and the pill index located over the pill drop opening prevents more than one of the pills from dropping.  
         [0015]     In another embodiment, a cassette for storing and dispensing pills is disclosed including an enclosure for storing the pills having a removable lid. A cassette vane top ring is situated at a bottom end of the enclosure such that gravity urges the pills through a central opening in it and into a plurality of pill vanes disposed in the top surface of a cassette vane. A cassette vane bottom finish with a plurality of pill indexes is situated below the cassette vane. A pill vane plate is situated beneath the cassette vane bottom finish and is adapted to support the pills within the pill indexes, preventing the pills from falling until the pills pass over an opening in the pill vane plate. A partition is situated between the cassette vane bottom finish and the opening, preventing the pills from falling from the pill vanes into the opening. A gear is adapted to couple a drive wheel to the cassette vane bottom finish and to the cassette vane. The gear rotates the cassette vane bottom finish and the cassette vane in a rotate/pause movement in response to a continuous rotation of the drive wheel.  
         [0016]     In another embodiment, means for dispensing pills is disclosed including a device for storing the pills, a device for accepting a continuous rotation and for converting the continuous rotation into a rotate/pause sequence and a device for indexing the pills to allow only one pill to drop through an opening on each rotate/pause sequence.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0017]     The invention can be best understood by those having ordinary skill in the art by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:  
         [0018]      FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of the cassette of the present invention.  
         [0019]      FIG. 2  illustrates an exploded view of the cassette of the present invention.  
         [0020]      FIG. 3  illustrates a sectional view of the cassette along cut lines  3 - 3  of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0021]      FIG. 4  illustrates a first operational perspective of the vane and gear system of the present invention.  
         [0022]      FIG. 5  illustrates a second operational perspective of the vane and gear system of the present invention.  
         [0023]      FIG. 6  illustrates a third operational perspective of the vane and gear system of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0024]     Reference will now be made in detail to the presently preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Throughout the following detailed description, the same reference numerals refer to the same elements in all figures. Throughout the description (including the claims), the description discusses dispensing pills. For the purpose of this application, the word pill is used to represent anything that can be dispensed by the device of the present invention and there is no limitation placed upon that which is dispensed. For example, tablets, capsules, caplets and gel-caps can be dispensed as well as coated candy and marbles. The present invention works well with most any solid object and can be scaled to work for much larger objects as well.  
         [0025]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a perspective view of the cassette of the present invention is shown. The cassette  10  has a substantially cylindrical cassette tube  14 , preferably made from a transparent material such as glass or acrylic plastic, such that the remaining supply of pills within the cassette is readily visible. A cassette lid  12  is removably attached to the top of the cassette tube  14  to prevent spillage of pills. One or more handles  20  are held in place between two holder brackets  16 / 18  providing a grip to hold the cassette  10  and assist in removing the cassette  10  from a carousel (not shown). The cassette vane top ring  30  provides support for the weight of the pills within the cassette tube  14  and funnels the pills towards the cassette vane  32  and into the individual pill vanes  34  and consequently, into the pill index  38  of the cassette vane bottom finish  36 . The cassette vane top ring  30  is angled toward the center to allow pills to travel toward the individual pill vanes  34  by the force of gravity. In the preferred embodiment, the top surface of the cassette vane top ring  30  is conically shaped so that it supports the weight of the pills above it while channeling the pills into the pill vanes  34 . In most embodiments, the bottom surface of the cassette vane top ring  30  conforms to the shape of the top of the cassette vane  34 . Pills rest on top surface of the pill vane plate  40 . The base of the cassette  10  is made from a cassette body cover  50  and a cassette body  52 . In the preferred embodiment, the pill handling parts are made of a smooth, non-absorbent material such as nylon or Teflon, allowing the pills to flow smoothly while preventing buildup of contaminants from powders present in the pill supply. The cassette body cover  50  and the cassette body  52  are preferably made of a structural material such as steel or hard plastic and held together with fasteners.  
         [0026]     Referring to  FIG. 2 , an exploded view of the cassette of the present invention is shown. The cassette  10  has a substantially cylindrical cassette tube  14 , preferably made from a transparent material such as glass or acrylic plastic, such that the remaining supply of pills within the cassette tube  14  is readily visible. A lid  12  is removably attached to the top of the cassette tube  14  to prevent spillage of pills. Handles  20  are held in place between two holder brackets  16 / 18  providing a grip to hold the cassette  10  and assist in removing the cassette from a carousel (not shown). Integrated into the bottom holder bracket  18  is a partition  19  that is spring-loaded by spring  17 . The cassette vane top ring  30  provides support for the weight of the pills within the cassette tube  14  and funnels the pills towards the cassette vane  32  and into the individual pill vanes  34  and consequently, into the pill index  38  of the cassette vane bottom finish  36 . The pills rest on top of the pill vane plate  40 . As will be shown, the pill travels around the top of the vane plate  40  within one of the pill indexes  38  of the cassette vane bottom finish  36  until it reaches the pill drop opening  42 , at which time it drops through the pill drop tube  62 . The partition  19  keeps pills that are above the pill drop opening  42  (in the pill index  38 ) from dropping when the pill index  38  coincides with the pill drop opening  42 . The partition  19  is held in place with a spring  17 , such that if a pill mis-registers, the spring  17  allows the partition  19  to move, preventing the mis-registered pill from dropping and preventing jamming the cassette  10 .  
         [0027]     The cassette vane  32 , the cassette vane bottom finish  36  and the drive gear-B  59  are held in relationship to each other by the sync pins  33  emanating from the cassette vane  32  and passing through holes  37  in the cassette vane bottom finish  36 . The drive gear-B  59  interfaces with the drive gear-A  56  with a drive gear-A pin  51 . The drive gear-A  56  is driven by the drive pin  61  that turns with the drive wheel  60 . The drive pin  61  passes through the cassette body  52 , a bearing  58 , the drive gear-A  56  and another bearing  54  and is held in place by the cassette body cover  50 .  
         [0028]     The vane shaft  35  passes through the cassette vane bottom finish  36 ; the vane plate  40 ; the cassette body cover  50 ; the drive spacer  57 ; the drive gear-B  59 ; the cassette body  52 ; and a bearing  64 . The vane shaft  35  is held in place by a shaft collar  66 .  
         [0029]     Referring to  FIG. 3 , a sectional view of the cassette along cut lines  3 - 3  of  FIG. 1  is shown. The cassette  10  has a substantially cylindrical cassette tube  14 , preferably made from a transparent material such as glass or acrylic plastic, such that the remaining supply of pills within the cassette tube  14  is readily visible. A lid  12  is removably attached to the top of the cassette tube  14  to prevent spillage of pills. A handle  20  is held in place between two holder brackets  16 / 18  providing a grip to hold the cassette  10  and assist in removing the cassette from a carousel (not shown). Integrated into the bottom holder bracket  18  is a partition  19  that is spring-loaded by spring  17 . The cassette vane top ring  30  provides support for the weight of the pills within the cassette tube  14  and funnels the pills towards the cassette vane  32  and into the individual pill vanes  34  and consequently, into the pill index  38  of the cassette vane bottom finish  36 . The pills rest on top of the pill vane plate  40 . As will be shown, the pill travels around the top of the vane plate  40  within one of the pill indexes  38  of the cassette vane bottom finish  36  until it reaches the pill drop opening  42 , at which time it drops through the pill drop tube  62 . The partition  19  keeps pills that are above the pill drop opening  42  (in the pill index  38 ) from dropping when the pill index  38  coincides with the pill drop opening  42 . The partition  19  is held in place with a spring  17 , such that if a pill mis-registers, the spring  17  allows the partition  19  to move, preventing the mis-registered pill from dropping and preventing jamming the cassette  10 .  
         [0030]     Vane shaft  35  passes through the cassette vane bottom finish  36 , the vane plate  40 , the cassette cover  50 , the drive spacer  57 , the drive gear-B  59 , the cassette body  52  and a bearing  64 ; and the vane shaft  35  is held in place by a collar  66 . The cassette vane  32 , the cassette vane bottom finish  36  and the drive gear-B  59  are held in relationship to each other by the sync pins  33  emanating from the cassette vane  32 . The drive gear-B  59  interfaces with the drive gear-A  56  which is driven by the drive pin  61  that turns with the drive wheel  60 . The drive pin  61  passes through the cassette body  52 , a bearing  58  (not visible), the drive gear-A  56  and another bearing  54  and is held in place by the cassette body cover  50 .  
         [0031]     Drive gear-A  56  and drive gear-B  59  with drive gear-A pin  51  and drive gear-B slots  53  comprise a gearing system that provides an indexed rotate/pause motion to the cassette vane  32 . In the preferred embodiment, these gears  56 / 59  form what is known as a Geneva drive mechanism. The Geneva drive mechanism has a function to convert continuous rotation into intermittent rotation (rotate/pause) by a set angle. That is, when a continuous rotation is inputted, the Geneva drive mechanism outputs an alternate repetition of rotation and stoppage, i.e. a rotation through a set angle followed by a stopping period, and then a rotation through the same set angle. Generally, a Geneva drive mechanism includes a driven member defining arcuate recesses and radially outwardly opening slots arranged alternately at predetermined intervals around the driven member and a driving member for intermittently rotating the driven member. An example of a Geneva drive mechanism is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publications Kokai No. S60-64357 and No. H6-40507 as an example.  
         [0032]     In the preferred embodiment, the Geneva drive translates a continuous turning motion of the drive wheel  60  into a rotate/pause motion in which the cassette vane  32  will turn until one pill index  38  is positioned above the pill drop opening  42 , then the cassette vane  32  will stop, allowing the pill to fall by gravitational forces. It is important the pill index  38  stops for an interval for several reasons. The first is to allow the pill to completely clear the interface between the cassette vane bottom finish  36  and the vane plate  40  so that the pill isn&#39;t crushed or so the pill doesn&#39;t cause a jam. Second, the stopping motion allows for exactly one pill to drop, thereby permitting a more accurate count of pills being dispensed, perhaps by a photo sensor coupled with the pill drop tube  62 .  
         [0033]     Referring to  FIG. 4-6 , a first, second and third operational perspective of the vane and gear system of the present invention is shown. In  FIG. 4 , the drive gear-A  56  continuously rotates while pills are being dispensed and is driven by a motor (not shown) coupled to it by the drive wheel  60  and the drive shaft  61 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , the drive gear-A  56  has rotated one full turn and drive gear-B  59  has rotated ⅕ th  of a turn which occurred when the drive peg  51  was positioned in one of the five drive gear-B slots  53 , so drive gear-B  59  is currently stopped and a pill  100  is dropping from a pill index  38  through the pill drop opening  42  and through the pill drop tube  62 . The drive spacer  57 , cassette vane bottom finish  36  and cassette vane  32  are also stopped since they are coupled by the vane shaft  35 . Note the position of pill  104  which is within a pill index  38  and resting upon vane plate  40 . Pill  102 , which is within a pill vane  34  of the cassette vane  32 , is prevented from dropping by the partition  19 .  
         [0034]     Continuing with  FIG. 5 , the drive gear-A  56  has rotated another ⅕ th  of a turn and the pin  51  has engaged with the drive gear-B  59  slot  53 , forcing the drive gear-B  59  to rotate, shown rotated 1/10 th  of a rotation from its position in  FIG. 4 . Since the pill  102  is no longer over the partition  19 , it has dropped into a pill index  38  and a pill  104  has traveled 1/10 th  of a rotation. A pill  106  is now partially in view and is rotating towards the drop position. As the drive gear-A  56  continues to turn; drive gear-B  59  continues its ⅕ th  of a turn until the pin  51  disengages the slot  53  as shown in  FIG. 6 . At this point in the rotation, the pill  106  is positioned over the pill drop opening  42  and drops through the pill drop tube  62 . This process continues until the requested number of pills drop, at which time the drive motor (not shown) is stopped and drive gear-A  56  stops turning and hence, no more pills are released.  
         [0035]     It can be seen that the motor stop time is not critical, in that, the time from the completion of a ⅕ th  turn of drive gear-B  59  until the pill drop is counted and the power to the motor is withdrawn and inertial movement of the motor and drive stops, the motor is allowed to rotate drive gear-A up to at least 288 degrees because no subsequent pills will even start moving toward the pill drop opening  42  until it reaches that position. Furthermore, the drive gear-A can continue even further, in that the pill will not drip until the pill index  38  rotates far enough for the pill to be located over the pill drop opening  42 . Therefore, the Geneva drive mechanism provides accurate pill dispensing without the requirement for expensive servo motors with elaborate breaking systems.  
         [0036]     Although shown with five gear teeth, providing one pill drop per revolution of the drive wheel  60 , the present invention is not limited to five. For example, in an alternate embodiment, a six tooth gear is used. In that embodiment, the cassette vane  32  has six pill vanes  34  and the cassette vane bottom finish has six pill indexes  38 . In other embodiments, the number of gear teeth is not equal to the number of pill indexes  38  (and pill vanes  34 ). For example, in some embodiments, there may be six gear teeth and only three evenly spaced pill vanes  34  and pill indexes  38 . In that embodiment, one pill would drop for every two revolutions of the drive wheel  60 . Furthermore, in some embodiments, there are more than one pill drop openings  42  and an equal number of pill drop tubes  62 . For example, using a 6-tooth gear and two pill drop openings  42 , two pills drop every rotation of the drive wheel  60 .  
         [0037]     In some embodiments, the pill vane  34  and pill index  38  are sized for a particular pill dimension, to assure only one pill fits in each pill vane and to assure the pill does not extend above the top of the cassette vane bottom finish  36 , whereby it may jam as the cassette vane bottom finish  36  rotates the pill into the drop position. Both the width of the pill vane  34 /pill index  38  and the thickness of the cassette vane bottom finish  36  are sized to accommodate the pill dimension. The pill drop opening  42  and pill drop tube  62  only need be large enough to accommodate the largest pill dimension and, therefore, need not be sized differently for different pill dimensions.  
         [0038]     Equivalent elements can be substituted for the ones set forth above such that they perform in substantially the same manner in substantially the same way for achieving substantially the same result.  
         [0039]     It is believed that the system and method of the present invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood by the foregoing description. It is also believed that it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the components thereof without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention or without sacrificing all of its material advantages. The form herein before described being merely exemplary and explanatory embodiment thereof. It is the intention of the following claims to encompass and include such changes.