Medicine dispensing apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10308386-B2
Application number	US-201213485831-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 31, 2012
Priority date	Jun 2, 2011
Publication date	Jun 4, 2019
Grant date	Jun 4, 2019

Abstract

A medicine dispensing apparatus fills a vial having a polygonal cross-sectional shape with medicines to dispense the medicines. The apparatus contains a stocker, a first vial transporting unit, a vial orienting unit, a labeling unit, a second vial transporting unit, a medicine filling unit, and a vial discharging window. The stocker stores the vial. The first vial transporting unit transports the vial from the stocker to the labeling unit. The vial orienting unit adjusts an orientation of the vial. The labeling unit labels the vial. The second vial transporting unit transports the vial from the labeling unit to the medicine filling unit. The medicine filling unit fills the vial with the medicines. The second vial transporting unit further transports the vial from the medicine filling unit to the vial discharging window, where the vial is discharged through the vial discharging window.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A medicine dispensing apparatus for dispensing medicines filled in a vial having a polygonal cross-sectional shape with a plurality of corner portions, the apparatus comprising:
a stocker that stocks the vial;
a labeling unit that labels the vial;
a vial transporting unit that transports the vial from the stocker to the labeling unit, said vial transporting unit comprises a vial erecting unit configured to place the vial in a standing position with its opening facing upward;
a first vial orienting unit that adjusts coarsely an orientation of the vial;
a second vial orienting unit that adjusts precisely the vial by obtaining information about a transverse cross-sectional shape of the vial and thereby rotating the vial around a rotational axis extending in a longitudinal direction of the vial and identifying a transverse orientation of the vial by detecting anyone of said plurality of corner portions so as to determine a starting position for labeling the vial, based at least in part on said information; and
a medicine filling unit that fills the vial with the medicines.

2. The medicine dispensing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a vial discharging window through which the vial is discharged out of the medicine dispensing apparatus; and
a second vial transporting unit that transports the vial from the labeling unit to the medicine filling unit and that transports the vial from the medicine filling unit to the vial discharging window.

3. The medicine dispensing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second vial orienting unit comprises at least two pressing members, where at least one of said pressing members has a surface with a shape that fits with a shape of a portion of the lateral side of the vial.

4. The medicine dispensing apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the pressing members comprise:
a first arm having a surface, whose shape corresponds to a shape of an edge portion of the lateral surface of the vial; and
a second arm having a surface, whose shape corresponds to a shape of the corner portion of the lateral surface of the vial.

5. The medicine dispensing apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the pressing members comprise at least three arms, each of which is configured to press an edge portion of the lateral surface of the vial.

6. The medicine dispensing apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the pressing members comprise at least three arms, each of which is configured to press the corner portion of the lateral surface of the vial.

7. The medicine dispensing apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the pressing members comprise:
a wall; and
an arm facing the wall and configured to move toward the wall, wherein the arm comprises a surface having a shape that fits with the shape of the portion of the lateral surface of the vial.

8. The medicine dispensing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein after determining the starting position, the labeling unit labels the lateral surface of the vial, which is disposed between the one corner and its next adjacent corner, without any protrusion of a label into next adjacent corner or next adjacent lateral surface of the vial.

9. The medicine dispensing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second vial orienting unit comprises a first and second rollers.

10. The medicine dispensing apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the first and second rollers are aligned in tandem and placed vertically so that rotational axes of the first and second rollers are in parallel with vial's longitudinal axis.

11. The medicine dispensing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first vial orienting unit is disposed upstream of the labeling unit.

12. The medicine dispensing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second vial orienting unit is disposed adjacent to the labeling unit.

Assignees

• Koike Naoki
• Imai Takafumi
• Matsumura Kazuaki
• Tsugui Takuya
• Tsukamoto Kazunori
• Yuyama Mfg Co Ltd

Inventors

• Koike Naoki
• Imai Takafumi
• Matsumura Kazuaki
• Tsugui Takuya
• Tsukamoto Kazunori

Classifications

• B65B43/52

  using roller-ways or endless conveyors · CPC title

• G07F17/0092

  for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles (medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00) · CPC title

• B65B5/103

  for packaging pills or tablets · CPC title

• B65B43/46 Primary

  using grippers · CPC title

• B65C1/047

  by rotating the article about one of its axes · CPC title