U.S. patent application number 09/962019 was filed with the patent office on 2003-03-27 for tablet cassette cabinet assembly for automatic tablet dispensing and packaging system.
Invention is credited to Kim, Jun H..
Application Number | 20030056467 09/962019 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 25505325 |
Filed Date | 2003-03-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030056467 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kim, Jun H. |
March 27, 2003 |
Tablet cassette cabinet assembly for automatic tablet dispensing
and packaging system
Abstract
An automatic tablet dispensing and packaging system includes a
tablet packaging unit, a base cabinet, a swing cabinet, tablet
cassettes in each cabinet and tablet passages for dropping tablets.
The base cabinet is mounted on top of the packaging unit. The swing
cabinet is swingably engaged to the base cabinet so the swing
cabinet becomes swingable to and from the front surface of the base
cabinet, whereby the first swing cabinet is attached to and
swiveled on the base cabinet to open when required. The tablet
cassettes are detachably racked in said each cabinet in columns and
rows. When the swing cabinet is swung open, the tablet passages of
the swing cabinet are externally exposed to facilitate either
cleaning or vacuuming of the tablet passages.
Inventors: |
Kim, Jun H.; (Taegu,
KR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
PARK & SUTTON LLP
3255 WILSHIRE BLVD
SUITE 1110
LOS ANGELES
CA
90010
US
|
Family ID: |
25505325 |
Appl. No.: |
09/962019 |
Filed: |
September 24, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
53/167 ;
53/131.4; 53/284.7; 53/550 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65B 9/08 20130101; B65B
5/103 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
53/167 ;
53/131.4; 53/550; 53/284.7 |
International
Class: |
B65B 009/06; B65B
061/02 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An automatic tablet dispensing and packaging system, comprising:
a) a tablet packaging unit having an upper portion; b) a base
cabinet having a front surface and side ends, wherein the base
cabinet is mounted on top of the upper portion of the tablet
packaging unit; c) a first swing cabinet having a rear surface and
side edges, wherein a selected one of the side edges is swingably
engaged to one of the side ends of the base cabinet so that the
first swing cabinet becomes swingable to and from the front surface
of the base cabinet, whereby the first swing cabinet is attached to
and swiveled on the base cabinet to open when required; d) a
plurality of tablet cassettes each containing therein and dropping
therefrom a predetermined number of tablets, wherein the tablet
cassettes are detachably racked in said each cabinet in columns and
rows; and e) a plurality of upright tablet passages attached to
said each cabinet to communicate with the tablet cassettes in said
each cabinet, wherein the upright tablet passages are aligned with
the tablet cassette columns to facilitate the tablet guidance from
the tablet cassettes into the tablet packaging unit, wherein when
the first swing cabinet is swung open the upright tablet passages
of the first swing cabinet are externally exposed to facilitate
either cleaning or vacuuming of the tablet passages.
2. The system of claim 1 further comprising: a) a guide hopper
disposed beneath the cabinets into the tablet packaging unit so as
to guide the tablets selectively dropped from the tablet cassettes
into the tablet packaging unit; and b) a controller to administer
the tablet dropping from the tablet cassettes and the tablet
packaging in the tablet packaging unit.
3. The system of claim 1 wherein the first swing cabinet is
foldable so that the rear surface of the first swing cabinet can be
overlapped to itself when folded.
4. The system of claim 1 wherein the first swing cabinet is
hingedly connected to the base cabinet.
5. The system of claim 1 wherein the upright tablet passages for
the base cabinet are aligned in columns along the front surface of
the base cabinet to facilitate cleaning and vacuuming thereof.
6. The system of claim 1 further comprising at least a second swing
cabinet having a rear surface and side edges, wherein a selected
one of the side edges of the second swing cabinet is swingably
engaged to the selected one of the side edges of the first swing
cabinet, whereby the second swing cabinet is swiveled on the first
swing cabinet.
7. The system of claim 6 wherein the second swing cabinet is
foldable so that the rear surface of the second swing cabinet can
be overlapped to itself when folded.
8. The system of claim 1 wherein the tablet packaging unit
comprises: a) a printer to print respective information on a
packaging paper; and b) a heater assembly to package the tablets
released through the hopper into one or more partitioned paper bags
using the packaging paper.
9. The system of claim 1 wherein a magnetic holder is formed on a
central upper portion of the base cabinet to facilitate opening and
closing of the swing cabinet.
10. The system of claim 9 wherein the magnetic holder is
elastic.
11. An automatic tablet dispensing and packaging system,
comprising: a) a tablet packaging unit having an upper portion; b)
a base cabinet having a front surface and side ends, wherein the
base cabinet is mounted on top of the upper portion of the tablet
packaging unit; c) first and second swing cabinets each defined by
a front surface, a rear surface, an inner side end and an outer
side end, wherein said each swing cabinet is linearly aligned such
that the inner side ends of the swing cabinets approach each other,
wherein one of the side ends of said each swing cabinet is
swingably engaged to the base cabinet so that the first and second
swing cabinets become swingable to and from the front surface of
the base cabinet, whereby the first swing cabinet is attached to
and swiveled on the base cabinet to open when required; d) a
plurality of tablet cassettes each containing therein and dropping
therefrom a predetermined number of tablets, wherein the tablet
cassettes are detachably racked in said each cabinet in columns and
rows; and e) a plurality of upright tablet passages attached to
said each cabinet to communicate with the tablet cassettes in said
each cabinet, wherein the upright tablet passages are aligned with
the tablet cassette columns to facilitate the tablet guidance from
the tablet cassettes into the tablet packaging unit, wherein when
the first swing cabinet is swung open the upright tablet passages
of the first swing cabinet are externally exposed to facilitate
either cleaning or vacuuming of the tablet passages.
12. The system of claim 11 further comprising: a) a guide hopper
disposed beneath the cabinets into the tablet packaging unit so as
to guide the tablets selectively dropped from the tablet cassettes
into the tablet packaging unit; and b) a controller to administer
the tablet dropping from the tablet cassettes and the tablet
packaging in the tablet packaging unit.
13. The system of claim 11 wherein the first and second swing
cabinets are hingedly connected to the base cabinet.
14. The system of claim 11 further comprising at least third and
fourth swing cabinets each defined by a front surface, a rear
surface, and an inner side end and an outer side end, wherein the
third and fourth swing cabinets are linearly aligned such that the
inner side ends of the third and fourth swing cabinets approach
each other, wherein one of the side ends of said each third and
fourth swing cabinet is swingably engaged to said each first and
second base cabinet
15. The system of claim 11 wherein the upright tablet passages for
the base cabinet are aligned in columns along the front surface of
the base cabinet so that the upright tablet passages of the base
cabinet face against those of the first and second swing
cabinets.
16. The system of claim 11 wherein the tablet packaging unit
comprises: a) a printer to print respective information on a
packaging paper; and b) a heater assembly to package the tablets
released through the hopper into one or more partitioned paper bags
using the packaging paper.
17. The system of claim 11 wherein a magnetic holder is formed on a
central upper portion of the base cabinet to facilitate opening and
closing of the swing cabinets.
18. The system of claim 11 wherein the magnetic holder is elastic.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates to a pharmaceutical automation system.
More particularly, the present invention relates to a tablet
cassette cabinet assembly for an automatic tablet dispensing and
packaging system, which substantially increases tablet cassette
capacity within a limited space reserved for the system while
improving tablet cassette management efficiency.
[0002] An automatic tablet dispensing and packaging system is
generally provided with a tablet packaging portion and a tablet
dropping portion placed above the packaging portion. The tablet
dropping portion includes a plurality of tablet cassettes
containing different sets of tablets.
[0003] In order to increase capacity for housing the tablet
cassettes, a flat type cabinet or a cylindrical type cabinet has
been widely adopted to stack therein as many tablet cassettes as
the system allows. Each tablet in the tablet cassettes comes to
fall through a hole into the tablet packaging portion. So each hole
inevitably holds on its wall either dusts or debris out of the
dropping tablets. A tiny amount of tablet debris may result in
medical care for a patient taking tablets packaged through the
conventional tablet dispensing and packaging system.
[0004] A strong demand is to construct a system such that the hole
for tablet passage can be easily cleaned or vacuumed while
increasing system capacity of housing tablet cassettes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to
provide an automatic tablet dispensing and packaging system that
facilitates cleaning and vacuuming of tablet passages through which
tablets are dropped in a tablet packaging unit.
[0006] Another object of the present invention is to substantially
increase capacity of housing tablet cassettes in the system while
facilitating management efficiency of the system.
[0007] To achieve the above-described objects, an automatic tablet
dispensing and packaging system according to the present invention
comprises a tablet packaging unit having an upper portion and a
base cabinet having a front surface and side ends. The base cabinet
is mounted on top of the upper portion of the tablet packaging
unit.
[0008] The system also includes a first swing cabinet having a rear
surface and side edges. A selected one of the side edges is
swingably engaged to one of the side ends of the base cabinet so
that the first swing cabinet becomes swingable to and from the
front surface of the base cabinet, whereby the first swing cabinet
is attached to and swiveled on the base cabinet to open when
required. The system further includes a plurality of tablet
cassettes each containing therein and dropping therefrom a
predetermined number of tablets, wherein the tablet cassettes are
detachably racked in said each cabinet in columns and rows.
[0009] For a better performance, the system includes a plurality of
upright tablet passages attached to said each cabinet to
communicate with the tablet cassettes in said each cabinet. The
upright tablet passages are aligned with the tablet cassette
columns to facilitate the tablet guidance from the tablet cassettes
into the tablet packaging unit. When the first swing cabinet is
swung open the upright tablet passages of the first swing cabinet
are externally exposed to facilitate either cleaning or vacuuming
of the tablet passages. The first swing cabinet is foldable so that
the rear surface of the first swing cabinet can be overlapped to
itself when folded.
[0010] For a better performance, there are provided first and
second swing cabinets each defined by a front surface, a rear
surface, an inner side end and an outer side end, wherein said each
swing cabinet is linearly aligned such that the inner side ends of
the swing cabinets approach each other, wherein one of the side
ends of said each swing cabinet is swingably engaged to the base
cabinet so that the first and second swing cabinets become
swingable to and from the front surface of the base cabinet,
whereby the first swing cabinet is attached to and swiveled on the
base cabinet to open when required.
[0011] The advantages of the present invention are numerous in
that: (1) the foldable mechanism of the tablet cassette cabinets
enables a simultaneous vacuuming of each tablet passage in each
cabinet by simply opening the swing cabinet from the base cabinet,
wherein each tablet is dropped from each tablet cassette through
the upright tablet passage into the tablet packaging unit; (2) a
substantially increased number of tablet cassettes can be
accommodated in the system according to the present invention
without requiring additional installation space by providing the
swiveling multiple cabinet mechanism; and (3) the swiveling cabinet
system enables an additional cabinet installation with ease when
required, thereby increasing tablet cassette capacity.
[0012] Although the present invention is briefly summarized, the
fuller understanding of the invention can be obtained by the
following drawings, detailed description and appended claims.
BRIEF DESCIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] These and other features, aspects and advantages of the
present invention will become better understood with reference to
the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0014] FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of an automatic tablet
dispensing and packaging system according to the present
invention;
[0015] FIG. 2 is a cabinet-opened front view of the automatic
tablet dispensing and packaging system according to the present
invention;
[0016] FIG. 3 is a structural view showing a tablet cassette and an
annexed tablet passage for the system of the present invention;
[0017] FIG. 4 is a schematic top view of the system in FIG. 1,
wherein two rows of tablet cassettes are aligned such that tablet
passages face each other;
[0018] FIG. 5 is a schematic top view of the system in FIG. 1,
wherein two rows of tablet cassettes are aligned such that tablet
passages are spaced from each other; and
[0019] FIGS. 6-8 are operation views showing respective operations
of cabinets according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0020] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an automatic tablet dispensing
and packaging system 10 according to the present invention includes
a tablet packaging unit 12, a base cabinet 14, a first swing
cabinet 16 and a second swing cabinet 18. The tablet packaging unit
12 includes an upper portion 20. The base cabinet 14 is mounted on
top of the upper portion 20 of the tablet packaging unit 12.
[0021] Each cabinet 14, 16, 18 is formed to supportedly contain a
plurality of tablet cassettes 24 and tablet passages 26
communicating with the tablet cassettes 24 which are
upright-aligned in columns and rows. As further shown in FIG. 3, a
predetermined kind of tablets 28 are stored in each tablet cassette
24 in form of capsules or pills and a designated amount of tablets
28 are controllably released one by one into the tablet passages
26. The tablets 28 released from each tablet cassette 24 are guided
by each tablet passage 26 into a guide hopper 30 and then into the
tablet packaging unit 12.
[0022] In FIG. 2, the base cabinet 14 is defined by a front surface
13 and side ends 15, and the first and second swing cabinets 16, 18
are each defined by a rear surface 32 and side edges 34 such that
the side edges 34 of the swing cabinets 16, 18 become swingably
engaged to the side ends 15 of the base cabinet 14. For the
swingable engagement between the base cabinet 14 and the swing
cabinets 16, 18 there may be employed connection devices such as
hinges, swivels, hooks, and other known connection derivatives.
[0023] In this cabinet construction, the swing cabinets 16, 18
become swingable onto and from the front surface 13 of the base
cabinet 14 so that the first and second swing cabinets 16, 18 can
be attached to and swiveled on the base cabinet 14 to open when
required.
[0024] With the provision of the tablet cassette cabinets 14, 16,
18 in the tablet dispensing and packaging system 10, the plurality
of tablet cassettes 24 each serve to contain therein and drop
therefrom a predetermined number of tablets, and each tablet
cassette 24 is detachably racked in each cabinet 14, 16, 18 in
alignment of columns and rows.
[0025] Further referring to FIG. 3, the tablet passages 26 are
formed in an upright alignment and attached to each cabinet while
communicating with the corresponding tablet cassettes in each
cabinet. The upright tablet passages 26 are aligned with the tablet
cassette columns to facilitate the tablet guidance from the tablet
cassettes 24 into the tablet packaging unit 12.
[0026] FIG. 4 shows a plan view of FIG. 1 reflecting FIG. 2,
wherein the tablet passages 26 for the base cabinet 14 abut to the
corresponding ones of the swing cabinets 16, 18. As shown therein,
when the swing cabinets 16, 18 are swung open, the upright tablet
passages 26 of the swing cabinets 18 are externally exposed so as
to facilitate either cleaning or vacuuming of the tablet passages
26. Here, the cleaning or vacuuming of tablet passages 26 should be
implemented not only for the tablet passages themselves but also
for safety of patients who takes dosages prepared via the tablet
dispensing and packaging system 10. Also, the upright tablet
passages 26 for the base cabinets 14 are aligned in columns along
the front surface 13 of the base cabinet 14 to further facilitate
cleaning and vacuuming thereof.
[0027] As shown in FIG. 5, in an embodiment, the tablet cassettes
24 in the base cabinet 14 may be aligned to match with those in the
swing cabinets 16, 18 depending on demands in the market. Still in
this construction, the cleaning and vacuuming of the tablet
passages 26 may be facilitated by a swingable alignment of the base
cabinet 14.
[0028] With reference to FIGS. 6, 7 and 8, the swing cabinet
opening mechanism of the present invention will now be described.
In FIG. 6, the swing cabinet 16 is extended as long as the base
cabinet 14 and rotatably connected to the base cabinet 14 by a
hinge 40 so as to enable one of the side edges 34 of the swing
cabinet 16 to swivel on a corresponding one of the side ends 15 of
the base cabinet 14. Selectively, one or more additional swing
cabinets can be connected by hinges to the first swing cabinet 16
to increase tablet cassette capacity in the tablet dispensing and
packaging system 10.
[0029] As shown in FIG. 7, the first swing cabinet 16 may be
foldably connected to the second swing cabinet 18 such that the
rear surface 32 of each swing cabinet 16, 18 can be overlapped to
itself when folded, thereby improving efficiency of tablet passage
cleaning as well as cassette installation. FIG. 8 further
demonstrates the embodiment shown in FIG. 2.
[0030] Meanwhile, the guide hopper 30 is disposed beneath the
cabinets 14, 16, 18 into the tablet packaging unit so as to guide
the tablets 28 selectively dropped from the tablet cassettes 24
into the tablet packaging unit 12. A controller 42 may be provided
adjacent to the tablet packaging unit 12 to administer the tablet
dropping from the tablet cassettes 24 and the tablet packaging in
the tablet packaging unit 12.
[0031] The tablet packaging unit 12 includes a printer 44 to print
respective information on a packaging paper 48, a heater assembly
46 to package the tablets 28 released through the guide hopper 30
into one or more partitioned paper bags 50 using the packaging
paper 48. As further shown in FIG. 8, a magnetic holder 52 may be
formed on a central upper portion 54 of the base cabinet 14 to
facilitate opening and closing of the swing cabinets 16, 18,
wherein the magnetic holder 52 may be elastic.
[0032] The first and second swing cabinets 16, 18 in FIG. 8 are
each defined by a front surface 33, a rear surface 32, an inner
side end 35 and an outer side end 34, wherein said each swing
cabinet 16, 18 is linearly aligned such that the inner side ends
35, 35 of the swing cabinets approach each other, wherein one of
the side ends 34, 34 of said each swing cabinet 16, 18 is swingably
engaged to the base cabinet 14 so that the first and second swing
cabinets 16, 18 become swingable to and from the front surface 13
of the base cabinet 14. Accordingly, for example, the first swing
cabinet 16 is attached to and swiveled on the base cabinet 14 to
open when required.
[0033] The tablet dispensing and packaging system 10 in view of
FIG. 8 may further include at least third and fourth swing cabinets
(not shown) each defined by a front surface, a rear surface, and an
inner side end and an outer side end, wherein the third and fourth
swing cabinets are linearly aligned such that the inner side ends
of the third and fourth swing cabinets approach each other, wherein
one of the side ends of said each third and fourth swing cabinet is
swingably engaged to each first and second base cabinet 16, 18.
[0034] As discussed above, the advantages of the automatic tablet
dispensing and packaging system according to the present invention
are numerous. First, the swingable mechanism of the tablet cassette
cabinets enables a simultaneous vacuuming of each tablet passage in
each cabinet by simply opening the swing cabinets from the base
cabinet, wherein each tablet is dropped from each tablet cassette
through the upright tablet passage into the tablet packaging
unit.
[0035] Further, a substantially increased number of tablet
cassettes can be accommodated in the system according to the
present invention without requiring additional installation space
by providing the swiveling multiple cabinet mechanism. In addition,
the swiveling cabinet system enables an additional cabinet
installation with ease when required, thereby increasing tablet
cassette capacity.
[0036] Although the invention has been described in considerable
detail with reference to certain preferred versions thereof, other
versions are possible by converting the aforementioned
construction. Therefore, the scope of the invention shall not be
limited by the specification specified above and the appended
claims.
* * * * *