Patent Application
20090204254
The present disclosure relates generally to the reliable storage and distribution of items, such as drugs, and more particularly, a method and apparatus for storing, transporting, receiving, refilling, and tracking drugs through their channels of distribution.
It is known in the art to dispense drugs at a healthcare location or other care facility through an automated dispensing machine using pockets (or “receptacles”) within drawers for later removal and administration by doctors and nursing staff. Specific uses for modular receptacles, having a bottom and a plurality of sides and an attached top that may be actuated to open to expose the contents of the receptacle, have been described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,116,461 and 6,338,007, for example. The receptacle may include an information storage device, such as a memory chip, for storing information regarding the contents of the receptacle. The systems described by these patents utilize modular receptacles that are presented for removal by “popping” the receptacles up from the system drawer. The mechanism used for popping is relatively complicated, with significant tolerance stack-up issues, leading to the receptacles sometimes not popping when they should, or popping at undesired times.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,011,999 discloses a system of drawers holding receptacles, each with electronic locks provided to secure respective lids of the receptacles. A processor communicates with the locks to actuate the lids, which are spring biased, such that the lids pop open when directed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,905,653, for example, discusses the use of visual indicators providing a cue to a user as to which lid on a receptacle to open or which medication to remove for distribution to patients. The system described in this patent uses immovable bins that are not transportable or easily reconfigurable. Thus, the visual indicator does not tell the user which receptacle to remove or reconfigure.
The presently disclosed embodiments are directed to solving one or more of the problems presented in the prior art, described above, as well as providing additional features that will become readily apparent by reference to the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
One or more preferred embodiments are directed to a method for controlling removal of one or more receptacles from a receptacle tray. The method comprises indicating, using a removal indicator, which of the one or more receptacles to remove, and manually removing the indicated one or more receptacles from the receptacle tray.
One or more embodiments may include simultaneously unlatching a plurality of the one or more receptacles including one or more of the indicated one or more receptacles to be manually removed from the receptacle tray, by energizing a motor to drive a latch element in an unlatch direction to unlatch a plurality of the one or more receptacles; determining whether one or more of the indicated one or more receptacles remains for removal; and if none of the indicated one or more receptacles remains for removal, energizing the motor to drive the latch element in a latch direction
One or more preferred embodiments provide an apparatus for controlling removal of one or more receptacles from a receptacle tray, using a removal indicator indicating which of the one or more receptacles to manually remove from the receptacle tray.
Certain embodiments are directed to an apparatus for securing one or more receptacles while allowing for easy insertion of the receptacle(s) into a mating tray. The apparatus comprises a receptacle tray having a plurality of mating units, and at least one receptacle with two or more tangs protruding from a front face of the receptacle closest to a connector interface, where two of the two or more tangs are configured to mate with respective mating units in the receptacle tray. Each receptacle further includes one or more protrusions, toward a rear direction of the receptacle with respect to the two or more tangs, which are configured to mate with respective mating units in the receptacle tray. Contacting ramp features of the receptacle tray may be used to cause the tangs to engage mating features of the tray.
Embodiments are directed to an apparatus for securing one or more receptacles in a receptacle tray, where the receptacle tray includes a retaining mechanism that engages hooks of a plurality of receptacles simultaneously, and the retaining mechanism includes: a motor driving a latch element in an unlatch direction; an indicator indicating where to place a receptacle; a processor determining whether one or more receptacles remains to be placed in the receptacle tray, wherein if no receptacles remain to be placed in the receptacle tray, and energizing the motor to drive the latch element in a latch direction.
Cooperating mechanical features of the receptacles and trays give a reliable means for inserting receptacles into trays and provide exceptionally accurate control of the relative position of the receptacle within the tray, particularly in the vicinity of the connector interface, resulting in a reliable electrical connection.
As will become evident by the following Description and Drawings, by indicating which receptacles to remove and manually removing the indicated receptacles via a gripping mechanism, a consistent and reliable electrical connection between the receptacle and the tray will be maintained over a longer period of time, while providing the capability of easily reconfiguring the receptacles and securely transporting items with the receptacles.
Of course, the present invention is not limited to the aforementioned embodiments, and other features of the embodiments will become apparent after review of the hereinafter set forth Brief Description of the Drawings, Detailed Description, and the Claims, or may be learned by practice of the invention.
The foregoing aspects of the embodiments described herein will become more readily apparent by reference to the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
a) and 7(b) are bottom and top isometric views of a receptacle, respectively, according to certain embodiments disclosed.
a) and 8(b) are isometric views of a portion of a receptacle tray that interfaces with a receptacle, according to certain embodiments disclosed.
a), 9(b) and 9(c) show the interaction between a receptacle and a receptacle tray during receptacle insertion according to certain embodiments disclosed.
a), 11(b) and 11(c) show a close up view of element D showing alternative means for holding down a receptacle in a receptacle tray, according to certain embodiments disclosed.
a) and 21(b) are flowcharts illustrating a method of simultaneously unlatching and simultaneously latching one or more receptacles, according to certain embodiments disclosed.
a), 22(b) and 22(c) show alternate means for performing a multi-latch function, according to certain embodiments disclosed.
Reference will now be made in detail to the presently disclosed embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.
Referring now to
Receptacles 1 as described herein require a reliable electrical connection to a receptacle tray 2 for various purposes, including: secure control of receptacle lid unlatching; storage and retrieval of information in the receptacle circuit; and control of the receptacle locating illuminator.
In the schematic shown in
The user removes the illuminated receptacle 1a using a gripping feature 4 on the receptacle 1a. In the embodiments depicted in
In certain embodiments, processor 33 determines whether the user has the authority to remove the specified receptacle(s) 1 at step 205. If it is determined that the user is authorized to remove the requested receptacle 1, only then does the process proceed to step 210, where the receptacle(s) 1 to be removed are indicated. If the user is not authorized to remove the specified receptacle(s) 1, then the process is terminated.
At step 210 the one or more receptacles 1 to be removed are indicated using a removal indicator 5, such as an illuminator 5. Here, the processor 33 receives the user request of operation 200 and determines the location of the desired receptacle(s) 1. The processor 33 instructs the receptacle tray circuit 32 to activate the removal indicator 5, which may supply power to the removal indicator 5 directly through the receptacle connector 21 or may send a signal to the receptacle tray circuit 32 to cause it to power the removal indicator 5.
As described above, the removal indicator 5 may be an illuminator 5 connected to the receptacle(s) 1 to be removed. For example,
From step 210, the process moves to step 220, where the one or more indicated receptacles 1a are manually removed using the gripping mechanism 4. For example,
In certain embodiments, from step 220 the process proceeds to step 230, where the removal of receptacles 1 is detected. The receptacle tray circuit 32 detects the removal of a receptacle 1 by the loss of electrical continuity between the receptacle tray circuit 32 and the receptacle circuit 31.
From step 230, the process moves to step 240, where it is determined whether the proper receptacles 1a (i.e., the indicated receptacles) were removed. If, in fact, the receptacle(s) 1a that is removed, as detected by the receptacle tray circuit 32, is the receptacle(s) 1a that was indicated at step 210, then the process proceeds to step 250 and the receptacle tray circuit 32 deactivates the removal indicator 5a. Several methods may be employed by the receptacle tray circuit 32 to detect when one or more receptacles 1a are removed. As a first example, a multiplexing circuit can detect directly the location of a connector that is disconnected. As a second example, each receptacle 1a may have a unique ID, and a circuit can interrogate each receptacle 1a to see which one is missing without actually having to know the location. Of course, these types of circuits are merely exemplary, and one of ordinary skill in the art would realize that other methods may be employed using the receptacle tray circuit 32 in order to detect removal of a receptacle 1a without departing from the scope of the claimed invention.
The process may proceed to step 260, where the receptacle tray circuit 32 sends a message to the processor 33 informing the processor 33 that the receptacle(s) 1a has been removed.
In the case where the user has removed one or more receptacles 1 that have not been approved for removal, then the process proceeds to step 270. The removal is sensed by the receptacle tray circuit 32, and a message is sent to the processor 33. The processor 33 can perform various operations in this case, including recording this variance in a log file (for tracking security exceptions) and sending a message to the user to replace the improperly removed receptacle 1. In addition, at step 280, one or more indicators 5 on receptacles 1 or the receptacle tray 2 may turn on or flash on and off in the case that the user removed the wrong receptacle(s) 1 (i.e., receptacle(s) that were not indicated for removal) to indicate the location(s) of the improperly removed receptacle(s) 1. The disclosed embodiments are not limited to illuminators turning on or flashing on and off to signal the removal of the wrong receptacle(s) 1, and one skilled in the art would realize that various indicating methods could be used to provide equivalent features, such as audible indications, or other visual indicators.
a) is a bottom isometric view of a receptacle 1, according to certain embodiments disclosed. Two tangs 27 protrude outwardly beyond a front face (i.e., the face closest to the connector 21, in certain embodiments). The terms front and back are used for present explanatory purposes to indicate a relationship to connector(s), and are not to be limiting in terms of spatial orientation. It is also noted, that the present invention is not limited to any particular number of tangs 27, even though only 2 are depicted in order to constrain the receptacle 1 in the receptacle tray 2. The receptacle 1 includes two reference surfaces 6a for vertical positioning near the front of the receptacle. In the illustrated embodiment, the reference surfaces 6a are the bottom surfaces of the two tangs 27; however, other surfaces near the front of the receptacle 1 could alternately be used.
b) is a top isometric view of a receptacle 1 showing the top retaining surfaces 38 of the tangs 27. The depth 74 of top retaining surfaces 38 is closely controlled relative to the reference surfaces 6a in order to provide sufficient position control.
Referring back to
a) is a top isometric view of a portion of a receptacle tray 2 that interfaces with the receptacle 1, according to certain embodiments. A front guide 14 guides the receptacle tangs 27 into the mating tray features during receptacle insertion. Reference surfaces 13a, which are controlled relative to vertical reference surfaces 12 mate with reference surfaces 6a for vertical positioning of the front of the receptacle(s) 1. It is noted that maintaining secure vertical positioning near the contact 21 of the receptacle 1 is essential for providing a reliable electrical connection to the receptacle tray 2 for various purposes. Embodiments are not limited to any particular number of reference surfaces 13a, but the number of reference surfaces 13a corresponds to the number of reference surfaces 6a. Reference surface 13b interfaces with the back vertical reference surface 6b of the receptacle 1. Reference surface 13b is shown as a raised boss, but other configurations may be employed. Longitudinal mating feature 18a interfaces with protrusion 11, where closely controlled depth dimension 9 fits securely with the width 18c of longitudinal mating feature 18a, in order to maintain longitudinal control of the receptacle 1 in the receptacle tray 2. Closely controlled lateral dimensions 16 and 17 correspond to the closely controlled tang width 7 and the width 8a of the back protrusion 11 of the receptacle 1 in order to maintain lateral control of the receptacle 1 in the receptacle tray 2. It is noted that maintaining secure vertical positioning near the contact 21 of the receptacle 1 is essential for providing a reliable electrical connection to the receptacle tray 2 for various purposes.
b) is a bottom isometric view of a portion of the receptacle tray 2, according to aspects of the disclosure. The depth 75 of the vertical reference surfaces 12 is closely controlled relative to the depth 74 of the tangs 27 in order to provide accurate vertical position control of the receptacle 1 within the receptacle tray 2. This arrangement of mating features provides unique and accurate positioning of the contacts 21 and 20 of the receptacle 1 and receptacle tray 2, respectively, by fully constraining the receptacle 1 without over-constraints that could cause binding or increase tolerances.
a), 9(b) and 9(c) show the interaction between a receptacle 1 and a receptacle tray 2 during receptacle insertion. Referring now to
b) shows the receptacle 1 when the front has been pushed all the way down so that the front vertical reference 6a of the receptacle 1 bears against the front vertical reference surface 13a of the receptacle tray 2. As the user continues to push on the receptacle 1, the ramp 15 begins to slip against the edge 36 of the longitudinal mating feature 18a. The receptacle tang 27 slides forward (in a direction shown by arrow 43) so that the top 38 of the receptacle tang 27 seats under the vertical reference surface 12 of the receptacle tray 2.
c) shows the receptacle in a fully seated condition, with area D shown enlarged in different embodiments in
a)-11(c) show a plurality of alternative close-up views of area D, according to various embodiments. The receptacle 1 may be only held down by its own weight, with no latch, as shown in
As discussed earlier, with reference to
As an illustrative example of a tray assembly with a latch mechanism,
a) and 21(b) are flowcharts illustrating a method of simultaneously unlatching and simultaneously latching one or more receptacles according to disclosed embodiments after a user has requested removal or insertion, respectively, of one or more receptacles 1 through the user interface 34, as described at steps 200 to 205 of
From step 300, the process proceeds to step 310 where the receptacle tray circuit 32a energizes the motor 51 which drives the rod 50 in the unlatch direction until flag 59 interrupts the light beam sensor 17b, at which point the motor 51 is deactivated. From operation 310, the process moves to step 320 where the receptacle tray circuit 32a, for example, signals the appropriate row circuit 66 to turn on the proper removal indicator 5 or placement indicator 28.
From step 320, the process proceeds to step 330 where the user removes the indicated receptacle 1a, using the gripping feature 4 on the receptacle 1a, as described above, or inserts one or more receptacles 1. The receptacle tray circuit 32a detects the removal of the receptacle(s) 1 by the loss of continuity between the receptacle tray circuit 32a and the row circuit 66. The receptacle tray circuit 32a deactivates the removal indicator 5 or the placement indicator 28 and may, according to certain embodiments, transmit a message to the processor 33 that the receptacle 1 has been removed or inserted (i.e., added).
From step 330, the process proceeds to step 335 where removal of the receptacle(s) 1 is detected. Here, according to certain embodiments, it may be determined whether the proper receptacle(s) 1 were removed, as described with reference to step 240 of
The process proceeds to step 340 where the processor 33 determines if there are any more receptacles 1 to be removed to the receptacle tray 2. If not, the process moves to step 350 where the motor 51 operates to re-latch the receptacle(s) 1 in the receptacle tray 2 until the flag 59 interrupts the sensor 17a, at which point the motor is deactivated. At this point, according to certain embodiments, the processor 33 completes the transaction with the user via the user interface 34, for example. The process may additionally transmit a message to a processor informing that the receptacle(s) 1 have been removed, as described with reference to step 260 of
b) shows a method of simultaneously unlatching and simultaneously latching one or more receptacles according to disclosed embodiments after a user has requested insertion of one or more receptacles 1 into tray 2. Referring to
From step 400, the process proceeds to step 410 where the receptacle tray circuit 32a energizes the motor 51 which drives the rod 50 in the unlatch direction until flag 59 interrupts the light beam sensor 17b, at which point the motor 51 is deactivated, in order to unlatch the proper locations of the receptacle(s) 1 to be inserted. From operation 410, the process moves to step 420 where the receptacle tray circuit 32a, for example, signals the appropriate row circuit 66 to turn on a placement indicator 28.
From step 420, the process proceeds to step 430 where the user inserts the indicated receptacle 1a, using the gripping feature 4 on the receptacle 1a, as described above, or inserts one or more receptacles 1. The receptacle tray circuit 32a detects the insertion of the receptacle(s) 1 by the continuity between the receptacle tray circuit 32a and the row circuit 66. The receptacle tray circuit 32a deactivates the placement indicator(s) 28 and may, according to certain embodiments, transmit a message to the processor 33 that the receptacle 1 has been inserted (i.e., added).
From step 430, the process proceeds to step 435 where removal of the receptacle(s) 1 is detected. Here, according to certain embodiments, it may be determined whether the proper receptacle(s) 1 were removed, as described with reference to step 240 of
The process proceeds to step 440 where the processor 33 determines if there are any more receptacles 1 to be added to the receptacle tray 2. If not, the process moves to step 450 where the motor 51 operates to re-latch the receptacle(s) 1 in the receptacle tray 2 until the flag 59 interrupts the sensor 17a, at which point the motor is deactivated. At this point, according to certain embodiments, the processor 33 completes the transaction with the user via the user interface 34, for example. The process may additionally transmit a message to a processor informing that the receptacle(s) 1 have been inserted, as described with reference to step 260 of
a), 22(b) and 22(c) show alternate embodiments for performing the multi-latch function described herein, using a motor 51. For example,
b) shows the latch sliders 49 being driven by rotating shaft 69, actuated by the motor 51, through a gear train 67. The latch sliders 49 slide along arrow α in a latch and unlatch direction to cause latching and unlatching, respectively, by engaging and disengaging hooks 10 and latching elements 36.
c) shows the gear train replaced by a crank mechanism, with cranks 70, actuated by rotating shaft 69 actuated by the motor 51, and crank arms 71, which drives sliders 49 which slides along arrow α in a latch and unlatch direction to engage and disengage, respectively, latching elements 36 and hooks 10. The disclosed embodiments of the multi-latch mechanism and similar mechanisms could be employed.
Additional configurations of the receptacles 1 and receptacle tray 2 may be used. For example, the receptacle connector 21 and the tray connector 20 may be mated horizontally, and/or the hook feature may be formed on the back of the receptacle 1 to provide a lower profile. In this case, the latching mechanisms described above could still be implemented.
Cooperating mechanical features of the receptacles and trays provide a reliable arrangement for inserting receptacles into trays and provide exceptionally accurate control of the relative position of the receptacle within the tray, particularly in the vicinity of the connector interface, resulting in a reliable electrical connection. These features also limit the amount of free motion at the connector when the receptacle is seated.
Further, by indicating which receptacles to remove and manually removing the indicated receptacles via a gripping mechanism, a consistent and reliable electrical connection between the receptacle and the tray will be maintained over a longer period of time, while providing the capability of easily reconfiguring the receptacles within trays and securely transporting items within the receptacles.
The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.
