Patent ID: 8271138

Claim:
An automated pharmacy admixture system, comprising: a supply of a plurality of different types of medical containers, said plurality of different types of medical containers comprising items selected from the group consisting of syringes, IV bags, and vials; a compounding system disposed in a substantially aseptic chamber to transfer medicaments between medical containers; a robotic manipulator system to transport medical containers within the substantially aseptic chamber; and a gripper device for handling a syringe having a barrel within the substantially aseptic chamber, the gripper device comprising: a pair of gripper fingers, each gripper finger comprising a first jaw, the first jaw comprising a recess to grasp the syringe barrel, the recess comprising a first tapered contact surface having a leading edge to contact the syringe barrel, wherein the first tapered contact surface is disposed at an angle with respect to a longitudinal axis of the syringe barrel when the gripper fingers are in contact with the syringe barrel; and an actuator to engage the gripper fingers to grasp the syringe barrel based on inputted or stored motion profile parameters, wherein the gripper fingers provide a ratio of slip force to grip force at least about three times greater than gripper fingers with an untapered contact surface.