Granted Patent B2

US 12,324,788 · App. 18/184,714 · Granted Jun 10, 2025

Inventors: Edith Wilson (Healdsburg, CA); Gerardo Moreno (Pleasanton, CA); Guillermo Trejo (Gilroy, CA); Vikram Mehta (Dublin, CA); Herbert Lawson Fisher (Portola Valley, CA)

Assignee: Omnicell, Inc.

A61J7/0445A61F15/001A61J1/065A61J7/0076A61J7/0481B65D83/0409B65D83/0445B65D83/0454G07F11/18G07F11/52G07F11/58G07F11/62G07F17/0092A61J2200/70

Abstract

Claims (35)

1. A method for dispensing a vial, the method comprising:

receiving electrical signals at a dispensing mechanism via a connector from a cabinet in which the dispensing mechanism is installed, the dispensing mechanism defining an opening at the bottom of the dispensing mechanism, the dispensing mechanism comprising:

a cassette comprising:

a set of vertical channels of a shape and size to receive and hold a number of vials in vertical stacks, the set of vertical channels extending in a first direction; and

a plurality of rotatable receivers driven by an actuator, each of the rotatable receivers being positioned under a respective one of the vertical channels, each of the plurality of rotatable receivers defining a cavity having an open side, the cavity having a shape and size to receive a vial, and each of the plurality of rotatable receivers having an axis of rotation in a second direction, wherein the second direction is different than the first direction; and

a dispenser comprising:

the connector; and

the actuator, wherein the cassette and dispenser are separable;

operating the actuator in response to the received electrical signals to thereby rotate the plurality of rotatable receivers, thereby receiving a vial from one of the set of vertical channels into the cavity of one of the plurality of rotatable receivers; and

dropping the vial from its cavity through the opening when the one or the plurality of rotatable receivers is rotated such that the open side of the cavity has a downward vertical orientation.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein when the rotatable receivers are rotated, their respective cavities sequentially align with the vertical channels, such that upon alignment, one of the vials drops into the respective cavity through the open side of the cavity, and when one of the cavities holding a vial approaches the downward vertical orientation, a single vial drops from the open side of the downwardly-oriented cavity and through the opening.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the actuator comprises a motor, a solenoid, or a memory metal.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the actuator is a rotary actuator and each of the rotatable receivers comprises a respective gear.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the gears of the rotatable receivers are meshed such that the open sides of the receivers reach the downward vertical orientation at evenly spaced angular intervals of the actuator.

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein each of the rotatable receivers comprises a respective gear and the dispensing mechanism further comprises a driving gear driven by the actuator, and wherein the gears of the rotatable receivers are meshed such that the open sides of the receivers reach the downward vertical orientation at evenly spaced angular intervals of the driving gear.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the actuator is a motor, and the dispensing mechanism further comprises a belt coupled to the motor and the driving gear, wherein the belt transfers rotary motion of the motor to the driving gear.

8. The method of claim 2 , wherein the dispensing mechanism comprises at least two vertical channels.

9. The method of claim 2 , wherein the dispensing mechanism comprises at least three vertical channels.

10. The method of claim 2 , the dispensing mechanism further comprising:

one or more light emitters directed across the opening; and

one or more receivers that detect light from the one or more light emitters, the light emitter and the one or more receivers positioned such that the light emitted by at least one of the one or more emitters is interrupted by the passage of a dispensed item through the opening.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the one or more receivers detect light reflected from a far wall of the opening or from an item being dispensed.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the one or more receivers detect light received directly from one or more of the emitters.

13. The method of claim 2 , wherein:

the cassette does not include any active electrical components.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein:

the cassette includes a wirelessly-readable memory; and

the dispenser includes a reader for reading the wirelessly-readable memory.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the cassette further comprises a brake that is automatically engaged when the cassette is removed from the dispenser, the brake hindering rotation of the rotatable receivers when the brake is engaged.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein:

each of the rotatable receivers comprises a respective gear;

the brake includes a set of teeth that engage the gear of one of the rotatable receivers to hinder motion of the gear when the cassette is not coupled to the dispenser; and

the set of teeth of the brake is drawn out of engagement with the gear when the dispensing mechanism is coupled to the dispenser.

17. The method of claim 2 , the dispensing mechanism further comprising a hinged flap below the vertical channels, positioned such that a vial falling from its respective rotatable carrier hits the flap when it falls through the opening.

18. The method of claim 2 , the dispensing mechanism further comprising a tamper-evident mechanism that disables motion of the rotatable receivers before removal of the tamper-evident mechanism and installation of the dispensing mechanism in the cabinet.

Assignments (2)

Continuity (5)

References Cited (240)