U.S. patent application number 14/022291 was filed with the patent office on 2014-06-19 for medication dispensing cart.
This patent application is currently assigned to MV CIRCUIT DESIGN, INC.. The applicant listed for this patent is MV CIRCUIT DESIGN, INC.. Invention is credited to Len Hom, Stanley Kim, Nathaniel Moody, Gerardo Moreno, Markos Paradissis, Akbar Paydar, Chris Richardson, Victor Santini, Laszlo Virag.
Application Number | 20140172158 14/022291 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46207479 |
Filed Date | 2014-06-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140172158 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Paradissis; Markos ; et
al. |
June 19, 2014 |
MEDICATION DISPENSING CART
Abstract
Embodiments of the invention provide medication dispensing carts
and methods. The medication dispensing carts may include a base
having wheels that allow the carts to be transported within a
facility, a computing device configured to receive input from a
user, a display device communicatively coupled with the computing
device for displaying information to the user, a post that couples
the display device with the base, and a plurality of cassettes that
have one or more bins within which medical supplies are stored. The
plurality of cassettes may be coupled with the post and the post
may include a plurality of communication ports that communicatively
couple one or more of the cassettes with the computing device to
perform or provide various functions.
Inventors: |
Paradissis; Markos;
(Vermillion, OH) ; Kim; Stanley; (Mountain View,
CA) ; Richardson; Chris; (Mountain View, CA) ;
Moreno; Gerardo; (Mountain View, CA) ; Santini;
Victor; (Mountain View, CA) ; Moody; Nathaniel;
(Mountain View, CA) ; Virag; Laszlo; (Mountain
View, CA) ; Hom; Len; (Mountain View, CA) ;
Paydar; Akbar; (Mountain View, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
MV CIRCUIT DESIGN, INC. |
Vermillion |
OH |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
MV CIRCUIT DESIGN, INC.
Vermillion
OH
|
Family ID: |
46207479 |
Appl. No.: |
14/022291 |
Filed: |
September 10, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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13312817 |
Dec 6, 2011 |
|
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14022291 |
|
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61420262 |
Dec 6, 2010 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
700/232 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61B 50/30 20160201;
G01K 3/005 20130101; A61B 2050/0014 20160201; G01K 3/04 20130101;
G07F 9/002 20200501; F25D 29/008 20130101; F25D 29/00 20130101;
G16H 20/13 20180101; G07F 9/105 20130101; A61B 50/10 20160201; G07F
17/0092 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
700/232 |
International
Class: |
G06F 19/00 20060101
G06F019/00 |
Claims
1. A medication dispensing cart comprising: a base having wheels
that allow the medication dispensing cart to be moved within a
facility; a computing device configured to receive input from a
user; a display device communicatively coupled with the computing
device for displaying information to the user; and a plurality of
cassettes or drawers each having at least one bin within which
medical supplies are stored, wherein at least one of the plurality
of cassettes or drawers is communicatively coupled with the
computing device via a communication port.
2-44. (canceled)
Description
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to Provisional U.S. Patent
Application No. 61/420,262 filed Dec. 6, 2010, entitled "Medication
Dispensing Cart." This application is also related to U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 12/278,263 filed on Feb. 12, 2007, by
Rickelhoff, entitled "Medication Dispensing Cart;" and further
related to Provisional U.S. Patent Application No. 60/839,104 filed
Aug. 21, 2006, by Rickelhoff, entitled "Solar Charged Mobile
Working Stations."
[0002] The entire disclosures of all of the aforementioned
Provisional and Non-Provisional U.S. Patent Applications are hereby
incorporated by reference, for all purposes, as if fully set forth
herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The invention relates generally to mobile carts and more
specifically to mobile medication carts for dispensing medication
to patients in hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers,
and/or other care facilities.
[0004] In the health care industry, an important component of
patient care is providing and administering the proper medications
and/or medical treatments, such as delivering drugs, applying or
replacing bandages, treating wounds, and the like. Medications or
treatments, in the form of pills (e.g., capsules, liquids, and the
like), injections, inhalants, topical medications, bandages, and
the like are given to patients to relieve pain, to prevent or
eliminate infections, to care for wounds, to promote healing,
and/or to treat illnesses and disease. Administering medications
may involve delivering determined doses at specified intervals
throughout the day and/or night over one or several days, weeks, or
months depending on the condition being treated.
[0005] Some medications should not be taken together due to
potential adverse reactions, or are carefully controlled because of
their potential effect on the body or their potential for misuse or
abuse. In addition, if the wrong medication is administered to a
patient, or if the correct medication is given but in too large a
dosage or too frequently, adverse effects may result. Accordingly,
it is important that doctors, nurses, staff, management, and the
like of hospitals and other care facilities (e.g., nursing homes)
ensure that patients take only prescribed medications in accordance
with their prescriptions. Usually, administrative controls and
paper records, sometimes augmented by security measures, are used
to achieve these objectives. However, due to the importance of
properly administering the correct medications to the correct
patient in the correct doses, there remains a need for improved
methods of delivering medications to patients in a controlled
manner.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] Embodiments of the invention provide medication dispensing
carts and methods. According to one aspect, embodiments of the
invention provide a medication dispensing cart that may include a
base having wheels that allow the medication dispensing cart to be
moved within a facility. The medication dispensing cart may also
include a computing device configured to receive input from a user
and a monitor communicatively coupled with the computing device for
displaying information to the user. The medication dispensing cart
may further include a post that couples the monitor with the base.
The post may include a plurality of communication ports that couple
with cassettes. The medication dispensing cart may additionally
include a plurality of cassettes each having at least one bin
within which medical supplies are stored. The plurality of
cassettes may be coupled with the post and at least one of the
plurality of cassettes may be communicatively coupled with the
computing device via one of the communication ports of the
post.
[0007] In some embodiments, one or more of the cassettes include a
guide light that is configured to illuminate to display a location
of a bin of the cassette. The medication dispensing cart may
additionally include a stand-by button that sets the monitor in a
stand-by mode when activated so that information is not displayed
on the monitor when in the stand-by mode. The medication dispensing
cart may additionally include a stand-by indicator configured to
display a first display when the monitor is in the stand-by-mode
and a second display when the monitor is not in the stand-by
mode.
[0008] The medication dispensing cart may additionally include a
power system controller and at least one battery. The power system
controller may be configured to adjust the power usage of the
medication dispensing cart or adjust a power discharge setting of
the battery based on an operational need of the medication
dispensing cart or a condition of the battery. In some embodiments,
the medication dispensing cart may include two batteries that
provide power to the medication dispensing cart. One of the
batteries may be removable from the medication dispensing cart
without adversely affecting the power provided to the medication
dispensing cart. The medication dispensing cart may also include a
housing within which the battery or batteries are inserted. The
housing may include a latch mechanism to lock the battery within
the housing. One or both of the batteries may be a hot swappable
smart battery and the power system controller may include an
interface port that communicatively couples the power system
controller with the smart battery. The smart battery may include a
gauge (e.g., a gas gauge or other energy gauge) to generate
readings of the battery's remaining capacity. In some embodiments,
the medication dispensing cart may additionally include a backup
battery configured to allow access to one or more of the bins
during a power failure of the medication dispensing cart.
[0009] In some embodiments, the cassettes are coupled with the post
to form a cassette stack. The cassette stack may include a
combination of large cassettes and small cassettes or only include
large or small cassettes. The large cassettes may include bins
ranging in height between about 4 inches and about 8 inches, and
preferably about 6 inches, and the small cassettes may include bins
ranging in height between about 2 inches and about 4 inches, and
preferably about 3 inches. In some embodiments, the post includes a
backplane that includes the plurality of communication ports that
couple with the cassettes. The computing device or backplane may be
configured to determine a cassette configuration of the plurality
of cassettes when the plurality of cassettes are coupled with the
post. In some embodiments, the monitor includes a discharge element
coupled to a touch screen. The discharge element may be configured
to dissipate a static charge generated by a user of the medication
dispensing cart or the touch screen. In some embodiments, the
medication dispensing cart may be one of a plurality of medication
dispensing carts wirelessly networked with a central administrator
system that centrally controls one or more aspects or functions of
the medications dispensing cart and/or centrally gathers, monitors,
and/or stores information related to the medication dispensing cart
and/or a patient associated therewith. In some embodiments,
medication dispensing cart can persist data through network
outages, transferring information from the cart to the central
administration system, or any server, and/or from the central
administration system, or server, to the cart when a network
connection (wireless or wired) is restored.
[0010] According to another aspect, embodiments of the invention
may provide a method of configuring a medication dispensing cart.
The method may include providing a medication dispensing cart that
includes a cassette system controller, a base, a monitor that
displays information to a user, and a post that couples the monitor
with the base. The post may have at least one interface port that
communicatively couples the cassette system controller with one or
more cassettes. The method may also include providing a plurality
of cassettes that each include at least one bin within which
medical supplies are stored and coupling each of the plurality of
cassettes with the post so that the plurality of cassettes form a
cassette stack and so that at least one of the cassettes is
communicatively coupled with the cassette system controller via the
at least one interface port.
[0011] The method may further include identifying with the cassette
system controller a type of the at least one cassette
communicatively coupled with the cassette system controller and/or
identifying with the cassette system controller a configuration of
the cassette stack. The method may additionally include configuring
the cassette system controller to operate with the at least one
cassette based off the identification of the type of the at least
one cassette. In some embodiments, identifying the type of the at
least one cassette may include: determining a size of the cassette
from among a plurality of different sized cassettes, determining
that the cassette comprises a patient-specific bin, and/or
determining that the cassette comprises a utility specific bin. In
some embodiments, identifying a configuration of the cassette stack
may include determining an arrangement of different sized cassettes
in the cassette stack and/or determining an association between a
patient and a cassette designated to store medical supplies
specifically for the patient.
[0012] According to another aspect, embodiments of the invention
may provide a method of configuring a medication dispensing cart
that may include providing a medication dispensing cart comprising
a cassette system controller, providing a plurality of cassettes
that each include at least one bin within which medical supplies
are stored, coupling each of the plurality of cassettes with the
medication dispensing cart so that the plurality of cassettes form
a cassette stack and so that at least one of the cassettes is
communicatively coupled with the cassette system controller, and
identifying with the cassette system controller either or both: a
type of the at least one cassette communicatively coupled with the
cassette system controller and/or a configuration of the cassette
stack.
[0013] The method may also include decoupling a first battery from
the medication dispensing cart without adversely affecting an
amount of power provided to the medication dispensing cart. The
first battery may be one of a plurality of batteries providing the
amount of power to the medication dispensing cart and the
medication dispensing cart may be operated based entirely or
essentially entirely off battery power. The method may further
include queuing information related to the medication dispensing
cart or a patient on a storage medium of the medication dispensing
cart when a central administrator system is offline and
transmitting the information to the central administrator system
when the central administrator system is online.
[0014] According to another aspect, embodiments of the invention
may provide a method of providing power to a medication dispensing
cart. The method may include providing a medication dispensing cart
comprising a power system controller, providing a plurality of
cassettes that each include at least one bin within which medical
supplies are stored, coupling each of the plurality of cassettes
with the medication dispensing cart, and coupling at least one
battery with the power system controller. The power system
controller may be configured to adjust a power usage of the
medication dispensing cart or adjust a power discharge of the at
least one battery based on an operational need of the medication
dispensing cart or a condition of the battery.
[0015] In some embodiments, the medication dispensing cart may
include at least two batteries coupled with the power system
controller and the method may also include decoupling a first
battery from the power system controller while the medication
dispensing cart is operational without adversely affecting an
amount of power provided to the medication dispensing cart. The
medication dispensing cart may be operated based entirely or
substantially off battery power. In some embodiments, the
medication dispensing cart may further include a cassette system
controller and the plurality of cassettes may be coupled with the
medication dispensing cart so that at least one of the cassettes is
communicatively coupled with the cassette system controller. In
such embodiments, the method may further include identifying (with
the cassette system controller) either or both: a type of the at
least one cassette communicatively coupled with the cassette system
controller and/or a configuration of the cassette stack.
[0016] According to another aspect, embodiments of the invention
may provide a medication dispensing cart including a base having
wheels that allow the medication dispensing cart to be moved within
a facility, a computing device configured to receive input from a
user, a display device communicatively coupled with the computing
device for displaying information to the user, a plurality of
cassettes each having at least one bin within which medical
supplies are stored, a power system controller, and at least one
battery coupled with the power system controller. The power system
controller may be configured to adjust a power usage of the
medication dispensing cart or adjust a power discharge of the at
least one battery based on an operational need of the medication
dispensing cart or a condition of the battery.
[0017] In some embodiments, the medication dispensing cart may
include two batteries that provide power to the medication
dispensing cart. One of the batteries, and preferably both
batteries, may be removable from the medication dispensing cart
during operation of the medication dispensing cart without
adversely affecting the power provided to the medication dispensing
cart. The medication dispensing cart may also include a housing
within which the battery (or batteries) is inserted. The housing
may include a latch mechanism to lock the battery within the
housing. The battery, and preferably both batteries, may be a hot
swappable smart battery and the power system controller may include
an interface port that communicatively couples the power system
controller with the smart battery.
[0018] In some embodiments, the medication dispensing cart may
further include a backup battery that is configured to allow access
to one or more of the bins during a power failure of the medication
dispensing cart, or failure of the batteries powering the
medication dispensing cart. In some embodiments, the medication
dispensing cart may further include a post that couples the display
device with the base. The post may include a plurality of
communication ports that couple with cassettes and the plurality of
cassettes may be coupled with the post. In such embodiments, at
least one of the plurality of cassettes, and preferably all
cassettes, may be communicatively coupled with the computing device
via one of the communication ports of the post.
[0019] According to another aspect, embodiments of the invention
may provide a method of providing power to a medication dispensing
cart. The method may include providing a medication dispensing cart
that includes a power system controller, providing a plurality of
cassettes that each include at least one bin within which medical
supplies are stored, coupling each of the plurality of cassettes
with the medication dispensing cart, and coupling at least one
battery with the power system controller. The power system
controller may be configured to adjust a power usage of the
medication dispensing cart or adjust a power discharge of the at
least one battery based on an operational need of the medication
dispensing cart or a condition of the battery.
[0020] In some embodiments, the medication dispensing cart may
include at least two batteries coupled with the power system
controller and the method may also include decoupling a first
battery from the power system controller while the medication
dispensing cart is operational without adversely affecting an
amount of power provided to the medication dispensing cart. The
first battery may be removed from the medication dispensing cart
while the cart is being operated based entirely or substantially
off battery power. In some embodiments, the medication dispensing
cart may also include a cassette system controller and the
plurality of cassettes may be coupled with the medication
dispensing cart so that at least one of the cassettes is
communicatively coupled with the cassette system controller. In
such embodiments, the method may further include identifying, with
the cassette system controller, a type of the at least one cassette
communicatively coupled with the cassette system controller and/or
a configuration of the cassette stack.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0021] The present invention is described in conjunction with the
appended figures:
[0022] FIGS. 1A-C illustrate various front perspective views of a
medication dispensing cart according to an embodiment of the
invention.
[0023] FIGS. 2A-C illustrate various rear perspective views of the
medication dispensing cart of FIGS. 1A-C according to an embodiment
of the invention.
[0024] FIGS. 3A-D illustrate various perspective views of a power
system for the medication dispensing cart of FIGS. 1A-C according
to an embodiment of the invention.
[0025] FIGS. 4A-B illustrate various perspective views of a battery
that may be used with the power system of FIGS. 3A-D according to
an embodiment of the invention.
[0026] FIGS. 5A-D illustrate various views of a cassette system and
individual cassettes of the medication dispensing cart of FIGS.
1A-C according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0027] FIG. 6 illustrates a block diagram of an operating system
that may be used for the medication dispensing cart of FIGS. 1A-C
according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0028] FIG. 7 illustrates a block diagram of a medication cart
system according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0029] FIG. 8 illustrates a process for using a medication cart
according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0030] FIG. 9 illustrates a process for configuring a medication
cart according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0031] FIG. 10 illustrates another process for configuring a
medication cart according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0032] FIG. 11 illustrates a method for powering a medication
dispensing cart according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0033] In the appended figures, similar components and/or features
may have the same numerical reference label. Further, various
components of the same type may be distinguished by following the
reference label by a letter that distinguishes among the similar
components and/or features. If only the first numerical reference
label is used in the specification, the description is applicable
to any one of the similar components and/or features having the
same first numerical reference label irrespective of the letter
suffix.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0034] The ensuing description provides exemplary embodiments only,
and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability or
configuration of the disclosure. Rather, the ensuing description of
the exemplary embodiments will provide those skilled in the art
with an enabling description for implementing one or more exemplary
embodiments. It being understood that various changes may be made
in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from
the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended
claims.
[0035] Specific details are given in the following description to
provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it
will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the
embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. For
example, circuits, systems, networks, processes, and other elements
in the invention may be shown as components in block diagram form
in order not to obscure the embodiments in unnecessary detail. In
other instances, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms,
structures, and techniques may be shown without unnecessary detail
in order to avoid obscuring the embodiments.
[0036] Also, it is noted that individual embodiments may be
described as a process which is depicted as a flowchart, a flow
diagram, a data flow diagram, a structure diagram, or a block
diagram. Although a flowchart may describe the operations as a
sequential process, many of the operations can be performed in
parallel or concurrently. In addition, the order of the operations
may be re-arranged. A process may be terminated when its operations
are completed, but could have additional steps not discussed or
included in a figure. Furthermore, not all operations in any
particularly described process may occur in all embodiments. A
process may correspond to a method, a function, a procedure, a
subroutine, a subprogram, etc. When a process corresponds to a
function, its termination corresponds to a return of the function
to the calling function or the main function.
[0037] The term "storage medium" or "machine-readable medium"
includes, but is not limited to portable or fixed storage devices,
optical storage devices, wireless channels and various other
mediums capable of storing, containing or carrying instruction(s)
and/or data. A code segment or machine-executable instructions may
represent a procedure, a function, a subprogram, a program, a
routine, a subroutine, a module, a software package, a class, or
any combination of instructions, data structures, or program
statements. A code segment may be coupled to another code segment
or a hardware circuit by passing and/or receiving information,
data, arguments, parameters, or memory contents. Information,
arguments, parameters, data, etc. may be passed, forwarded, or
transmitted via any suitable means including memory sharing,
message passing, token passing, network transmission, etc.
[0038] Furthermore, the process described herein may be
implemented, at least in part, either manually or automatically.
Manual or automatic implementations may be executed, or at least
assisted, through the use of machines, hardware, software,
firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or
any combination thereof. When implemented in software, firmware,
middleware or microcode, the program code or code segments to
perform the necessary tasks may be stored in a machine readable
medium. A processor(s) may perform the necessary tasks.
[0039] In one aspect, embodiments of the invention provide an
apparatus for dispensing medication, such as a medication
dispensing cart having a computer with a computer monitor and a
controller. The medication dispensing cart may include a power
system having one or more hot swappable batteries and a power
system controller. The medication dispensing cart may also include
a cassette system with a cassette controller and one or more
individual cassettes. The computer controller, the power system
controller, and the cassette controller may be interfaced with the
medication dispensing cart. The computer controller may receive
computer controller input and generate computer controller output.
The power system controller may receive power system input and
generate power system output. Further, the cassette controller may
receive cassette input and generate cassette output. Although the
application generally refers to "cassettes" that are removable from
the medication dispensing cart, it should be realized that the
cassettes could be or include drawers that are built into the
medication dispensing cart. For example, in some embodiments the
cassettes are drawers coupled with the cart so that the drawers are
not removable from the medication dispensing cart. For convenience
the drawers will be referred to herein as "cassettes" although it
should be realized that use of non-removable drawers is also
contemplated.
[0040] In one embodiment, one or more of the cassettes may include
a guide light that illuminates when the cassette or a bin of the
cassette is accessed so as to visually display the location of the
cassette and/or bin. The medication dispensing cart may further
include a stand-by button that places the computer monitor in a
stand-by mode when pressed, and may include a stand-by indicator
associated with the stand-by button. The stand-by indicator may
include a first display (e.g., a green LED) that indicates when the
stand-by mode is off and a second display (e.g., a red LED) that
indicates when the stand-by mode is on.
[0041] The hot-swappable battery or batteries may be Li-polymer
batteries. In one embodiment, the power system and/or hot-swappable
batteries are configured so that a battery may be removed from the
power system without affecting the power provided to the medication
dispensing cart. The power system may include a battery latch
mechanism to lock the hot swappable battery within the power
system. The hot swappable battery or batteries may be a smart
battery and the power system may include a System Management Bus
(SMB) port that allows the power system to communicate with the
smart battery(s). The smart battery(s) may also include a gauge
(e.g., gas gauge) to generate readings of the battery's remaining
capacity.
[0042] The power system controller may be communicatively coupled
with a backup battery (e.g., a third battery) that is configured to
provide access to one or more bins during a power failure of the
medication dispensing cart (e.g., the backup battery may provide
power to locking mechanisms so that medication stored within the
cart can be accessed if the hot-swappable battery(s) fail). The
backup battery may also detect and alarm when intrusion or
otherwise unauthorized access occurs after the batteries and
accessible power sources are removed. The cassettes system may
comprise a combination of large cassettes, small cassettes, and the
like. In one embodiment, the large cassettes comprise cassettes
ranging in height between about 4 inches and about 8 inches and the
small cassettes comprise cassettes ranging in height between about
2 inches and about 4 inches.
[0043] The medication dispensing cart may additionally include a
post having a backplane that communicatively couples with one or
more of the cassettes. The backplane may identify the configuration
of the cassette system (i.e., the arrangement and number of large
and small cassettes included in the cassette system) and/or may
identify the size of each of the cassettes of the cassette system
(i.e., identify whether each cassette is large or small) when the
cassettes are communicatively coupled with the backplane.
[0044] The computer monitor may include a discharge element coupled
to a touch screen. The discharge element may be configured to
dissipate a charge generated by a user of the medication dispensing
cart and/or the touch screen.
[0045] Referring now to the figures, FIGS. 1A-C illustrate a
medication dispensing cart 10 (e.g., a Mobile Medication System
(MMS) cart) that includes a computer/monitor 12 (also referred to
herein as touch screen 12), preferably an all-in-one unit having
the computing device positioned within housing 14 behind the
display monitor, although other configurations (e.g., separate
computing devices and monitors) could be used. FIG. 1A illustrates
medication cart 10 without any cassettes 76 attached to a backplane
27 while FIG. 1B illustrates a plurality of cassettes 76 attached
to backplane 27. FIG. 1C illustrates an enlarged view of backplane
27 of a medication cart 10 showing various features of the
backplane. In some embodiments, computer monitor 12 comprises a
touch screen display that allows a caregiver or other user to
interface with the computing device and input information thereto
by selecting one or more menus, inputting information, and the like
via contacting monitor 12 with a finger or input device. Medication
cart 10 also includes a work surface 16 comprising a slide out
keyboard 18. Keyboard 18's keypad provides a second information
input mechanism so that various information, such as entry of
security access codes, patient related information, and the like
may be input into the system. For example, medication information,
caregiver ID, doses, patient information, time, date, and the like
may be input into the computing system as treatments and/or
medications are administered to the patient.
[0046] Work surface 16 is mounted atop post 24, which is carried in
turn by a rolling base 26. Work surface 16 can optionally include
holders 37 for storing items, such as antibacterial lotions,
medical supplies (gloves, and the like), writing instruments,
writing pads, drinks, and the like which the caregiver or user may
need when administering care with medication cart 10. Medication
dispensing cart 10 may include other peripheral devices, such as a
barcode scanner (not shown), mouse (not shown), etc. The keyboard
18, barcode scanner, mouse, and/or other devices may be sealed to
prevent the spread of infectious diseases. Medication cart 10
and/or work surface 16 may be configurable so that additional
peripheral device may be connected to medication cart 10, such as a
vital life sign monitor, scanner, etc.
[0047] Touch screen 12 may include a ground guard 13 to reduce or
eliminate electrostatic discharge, which may shock a user of the
cart 10 or damage sensitive equipment, such as the computer system
or touch screen controller. Ground guard 13 may discharge
electrostatic charges generated as the caregiver/user performs
various duties, such as administering treatment or medications to
patient located within a facility. Ground guard 13 may be
positioned around an outer periphery of touch screen 12 to
dissipate such charges. In some embodiments, ground guard 13
comprises a metal frame (e.g., metal strip and/or gasket) around
the periphery of touch screen 12. The metal frame may be
electrically grounded to medication cart 10 (e.g., an electrically
conductive chassis of medication cart 10) so that electric charges
are dissipated as the caregiver/user touches and interacts with
monitor 12.
[0048] To further prevent damage to the computer system from static
discharge, the computing device positioned within housing 14 behind
the touch screen 12 may be enclosed in a protective case so that
system is encapsulated and protected form any such discharge.
Further, other commonly handled components, such as the keyboard
18, a mouse (not shown), a scanner (not shown), and the like may be
designed to dissipate static charges as the user handles those
items, such as by grounding those components with the medication
cart's electrically conductive chassis.
[0049] Post 24 may be vertically adjustable so that the
caregiver/user can interact comfortably with touch screen 12,
cassettes 76, work surface 16, and the like from a seated or
standing position and/or to accommodate caregivers/users of various
height. Post 24 may be a telescoping device having an outer post
member 25 that slidingly receives an inner post member 23. In an
exemplary embodiment, post 24 is vertically adjustable by pressing
a pivot switch 29 that electronically controls a lifting mechanism.
For example, switch 29 may be electrically coupled with a power
system 28 and mechanical means (not shown), such as a screw/nut
drive system that utilizes a number of small ball screws, a
hydraulic lifting mechanism, and the like. In operation, a user
would press switch 29 to pivot the switch in one direction, such as
forward, and thereby lower post 24. Likewise, the user would press
switch 29 to pivot the switch in the opposite direction, such as
backward, and thereby raise post 24. Power system 28 may control
the vertical adjustment of post 24 via an actuator (not shown)
connected to the mechanical means (not shown). In some embodiments,
power system 28 includes a sensor (e.g., current sensor) connected
to the actuator that may override the vertical adjustment of post
24 based on the occurrence of one or more conditions, such as the
weight of an object on work surface 16 and/or the load placed upon
post 24 (e.g., the weight of the cassette system and all of its
contents) exceeding a defined limit. For example, if the combined
weight of the work surface 16, touch screen 12, cassettes 76 and
contents, and the like exceed a defined limit, the actuator will be
tripped and post 24 will not be moveable upon actuation of switch
29. The sensor, or an additional sensor, may also function to
disable movement of post 24 in response to sensing an obstruction
that would impede vertical adjustment of the post 24, such as an
object positioned above or below work surface 16. The sensed
obstruction may trip the actuator by providing a measured current
that indicates the obstruction. In other embodiments, post 24 may
be mechanically adjusted, such as by turning a hand crank or other
mechanical elevating mechanism.
[0050] In one embodiment, outer post member 25 includes the
electrical backplane 27 (see FIG. 1C). Backplane 27 includes one or
more ports 81 configured to receive and electronically couple with
a cassette 76 (see FIG. 1B). As described below, cassette 76 may be
coupled or stacked with other cassettes to form a cassette stack 30
(also referred to herein as cassette system 30) as shown in FIG.
1B. Backplane 27 may also be electronically coupled with a cassette
controller unit (see FIG. 6) that controls or interfaces with the
one or more plurality of cassettes 76 of cassette stack/system 30
to provide the various access controls and/or features described
herein. Backplane 27 may house the cassette controller for
monitoring the status and activities of cassettes 76 and/or
receiving input for touch screen 12. In other embodiments, the
cassette controller may be a separate unit apart from the backplane
27.
[0051] Some of the features that may be provided by the cassette
controller and/or backplane 27 include: controlling the locking and
unlocking of each of the bins of the individual cassettes,
detecting the open/close condition of the individual bins,
detecting the lock/unlock condition of the individual bins locking
mechanism, automatically detecting the cassette type and
configuration (e.g., detecting whether the cassette 76 is a roughly
3 inch or 6 inch cassette), automatically detecting the presence of
a cassette 76 electronically coupled with (i.e., plugged into) a
port 81, controlling the guiding lights, charging of the backup
battery, switching the power source between the main power source
(i.e., lithium ion battery, external power source, etc.) and the
backup battery, controlling an alarm mechanism, interfacing with
other components of the cart 10 and/or other components of other
systems (e.g., central administrator), and the like.
[0052] The cassette controller and/or backplane 27 may include a
storage medium (e.g., non-volatile memory, EEPROM, etc.) so that
the conditions of the cart 10 and/or cassettes 76 may be monitored
and recorded. For example, the cassette controller and/or backplane
27 may record and/or store information about the opening/closing of
the bins, alarm conditions such as when unauthorized bin access
occurs, power loss and recovery of the cart 10 occurs, and the
like. This history can be provided to a central administrator, such
as a central administrator 400 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, so that the
real time condition of the cart 10 and/or the history of the cart
10 can be monitored.
[0053] The cassette controller and/or backplane 27 may perform
self-diagnostic tests to determine the status of the cassette
controller and/or backplane 27, for example, to determine when a
failure of the cassette controller and/or backplane 27 occurs. The
cassette controller and/or backplane 27 may monitor the input
voltage from a power source, the backup battery voltage, the
cassette controller/backplane board temperature, solenoid load
current, and the like. If a malfunction or other abnormality is
detected, the cassette controller may report any problems to one or
more systems, such as the central administrator 400, to alert the
system that repairs may be needed. Cart 10 may include a status
indicator (not shown) such as an indicator light (not shown) on
backplane 27 and/or work surface 16 that notifies the user of a
potential problem. Further, the cassette controller and/or
backplane 27 may also monitor the status of cart 10 and/or
cassettes 76. For example, the cassette controller and/or backplane
27 may be electronically coupled with one or more sensors (not
shown) to determine if the lock mechanism is locked or unlocked, if
the door is open or closed, etc. In one embodiment, the sensors
respond to requests/communications received from the cassette
controller and/or backplane 27. In another embodiment, the sensors
provide information without receiving requests from the cassette
controller, such as when the sensors sense a bin is opened and/or a
locking mechanism is disengaged, etc.
[0054] For example, the cassette controller and/or backplane 27 may
receive an input from a caregiver or other user to unlock one of
the cassettes 76 that includes a patient's medications. The
cassette controller and/or backplane 27 may instruct a locking
mechanism, such as a solenoid, to unlock the requested cassette 76
and/or bin. To ensure that the locking mechanism has actually
unlocked the requested cassette 76 and/or bin and that an
error/failure has not occurred, the cassette controller and/or
backplane 27 may be coupled with a sensor (e.g., photointerrupter
sensor, etc.) and feedback loop and the status of the locking
mechanism may be determined, such as if the solenoid has been
disengaged. Likewise, a sensor may be used to determine if the bin
door is opened or closed. In this manner, the actual status of the
locking mechanism and/or bin may be determined to ensure that the
actual status corresponds with what the cart's control system
(and/or central administrator) believes the status to be (e.g.,
verifying that the bin is actually closed). The status of the
locking mechanism and/or bin may be checked intermittently (e.g.,
at specified or irregular time intervals) or continuously. If the
status of the bin is other than that expected by the cart's control
system (e.g., the locking mechanism is unlocked when the control
system indicates the locking mechanism as being locked), the cart's
control system may be updated, the discrepancy recorded, an alarm
triggered, and/or a control system (e.g., central administrator)
alerted to notify one or more individuals or systems about the
discrepancy. Likewise, the history of any discrepancies can be
stored so that the individual carts and/or the entire cart system
can be monitored and problems addressed.
[0055] As individual cassettes 76 are plugged into the ports 81,
the cassette controller and/or backplane 27 may automatically
detect the type of cassette that is plugged in. For example, the
cassette controller and/or backplane 27 may determine if the
cassette 76 is a large or small cassette (e.g., roughly 3 inch
cassette, 6 inch cassette, or another size) and may automatically
configure the port to interface with the cassette based on this
determination, such as be installing or using the appropriate
device controls/drivers, using or modifying appropriate software,
and the like. In this manner, various combinations of cassette
types may be used with the medication cart 10 depending on a
patient's needs and/or depending on other situations. In addition,
the cassette controller and/or backplane 27 may further monitor the
charge of the backup battery, control the charging of the backup
battery, control the guide lights, and/or control the cassette
override inputs as described below.
[0056] Referring now to FIGS. 2A-C, illustrated are various rear
views of the present medication cart 10 showing touch screen 12,
work surface 16, post 24, and power system 28, which is supported
by rolling base 26. Work surface 16 can further include hidden USB
port 80 for use if additional electronic devices need to be
employed, such as scanners, vital sign monitors, mouse devices, and
the like. Touch screen 12 may be attached to post 24 or the rear
surface of work surface 16 via mount 35 to maximize the usable area
of work surface 16 (i.e., provide the maximum work space to the
caregiver/user). Touch screen 12 may be mounted using a tiltable
bracket 34 so that the viewing angle of touch screen 12 can be
adjusted to accommodate the caregiver/user. A clear hard covering
may be applied over the monitor portion of computer/monitor 12 in
order to make computer/monitor less susceptible to scratches and
impact. The covering may be about an 1/8.sup.th inch thick and made
of acrylic polymeric plastic or other suitable plastic polymer.
[0057] Work surface 16 may include a standby button 39 (e.g., a
HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) button)
that may be used to quickly place touch screen 12 into a standby or
disabled mode so as to protect sensitive information that may be
displayed on touch screen 12. For example, touch screen 12 may
display patient information, which may include sensitive
information such as medical history, prescribed medications, and/or
other personal information. If the medication cart 10 is in a
public area, such as when the cart is being moved between patient
rooms, standby button 39 may be pressed to override the input
signals from the computer system and black out touch screen 12.
Standby button 39 may include a standby indicator that visually
displays the standby status of the standby button and touch screen
12, such as to display whether the monitor is in standby or
disabled mode. The standby indicator may be color coordinated to
display the status of the standby button and/or touch screen 12.
For example, standby button 39 may be green when touch screen 12 is
not in standby or disabled mode and red when touch screen 12 is in
standby or disabled mode.
[0058] When touch screen 12 is in standby or disabled mode, touch
screen 12 may not display anything (e.g., screen is black) so that
the monitor and/or computer system appears to be off. In other
embodiments, the standby or disabled mode may generate a screen
saver image or series of images/videos that are displayed.
Providing a standby indicator allows a caregiver or other user to
quickly determine whether the screen is blank or in screen save
mode due to touch screen 12 being in standby or disabled mode or
being powered off. In this manner, accidental restarts may be
avoided that may otherwise occur due to a caregiver/user mistakenly
powering off cart 10's computer system's when touch screen 12 does
not respond to inputs from a mouse, keyboard, or touch screen
input. Avoiding accidental restarts may avoid deletion of material
entered into, but not yet stored in, the computer system and/or may
avoid other problems associated with not realizing that touch
screen 12 is in standby or disabled mode (e.g., interruption of
data continuity, mistaken belief that cart 10 is malfunctioning,
etc).
[0059] In some embodiments, cart 10's computer system may
automatically switch touch screen 12 to standby or disabled mode
after a predefined time has elapsed without input from the
caregiver/user to conserve battery power and/or protect sensitive
information. The standby button's 39 indicator may display when the
monitor 12 is in such standby or disabled mode.
[0060] Power system 28 may include a battery receptacle 50 having
one or more slots 52 (element 302 of FIGS. 3A-D) that are
configured to receive a battery. Power system 28 may be placed near
the bottom of medication cart 10 to lower the cart 10's center of
gravity and provide stability to the cart. Additional aspects of
power system 28 are illustrated in FIGS. 3-4.
[0061] Referring now to FIGS. 3A-D, power system 28, which is
connected through post 24 to touch screen 12, includes a power
system controller (not shown, but see FIG. 6) and a plurality of
battery slots 302 that are configured to receive a battery 402 (see
FIG. 4). Power system 28 is coupled with and supported by rolling
base 26. Power system 28 may be detachably coupled with an external
power supply, such as through a detachable power cord 322. Power
system 28 may include a universal AC power input so that the power
cord 322 may be swapped to match the AC plug, thereby allowing the
medication cart to be used in virtually any country. Power system
28 may power medication cart 10 via the external power supply
(i.e., without a battery) and/or may charge batteries 402 when
connected with the external power supply. Power system 28 may
further include a power supply bracket 326 to secure the external
power supply (e.g., power cord 322) to the power system 28.
[0062] Battery slots 302 may each slidably receive a battery 402.
Disposed toward a bottom surface of battery slots 302 may be one or
more ports, 306 and 308, that electrically couple or plug into
corresponding connectors on the battery (see FIG. 4). Ports, 306
and 308, may each be a five-pin electrical connector configured to
support and/or operate with hot swappable smart Li-polymer battery
packs. In one embodiment, port 306 may be a power connection port
that draws power from the battery 402 during operation of
medication cart 10 and/or provides power to the battery 402 when an
external power supply is plugged into the power system 28. In this
manner, power system 28 may recharge battery(s) 402 plugged into
power system 28. In some embodiments, port 308 may be a System
Management Bus (SMB) port. The SMB port 308 may allow the power
system controller to communicate with the battery during use and/or
charging. For example, through SMB port 308 and/or power connection
port 306, the power system controller can communicate with the
battery to monitor and track usage and/or charging of the battery
and thereby maximize the lifespan and/or potential of the
battery.
[0063] For example, the power system controller can receive
information from the battery such as an optimal charge current
and/or charge voltage and vary either or both the charge current or
voltage during a charge cycle. Similarly, the power system
controller can receive information from the battery about an
optimal discharge current and/or discharge voltage during operation
of the cart 10 and adjust the cart's power settings and battery
usage accordingly. As the battery is charged and/or ages during
use, the charge and/or usage requirements of the battery may
change. This information (i.e., the changed charge and/or usage
information) may be provided to the power system controller from
the battery so that the charge setting (i.e., current and/or
voltage) and/or usage settings (i.e., charge and/or voltage
supplied from each battery) may be adjusted in real time, and
thereby optimize the charge and/or usage of the battery. In this
manner, the charge and/or operation of each battery may be
monitored by the power system controller. Other features that the
power system controller and/or battery can monitor and/or control
include: The battery cell voltages, battery pack voltages, charge
current, discharge current, charging temperature, discharging
temperature, idle mode temperature, and the like. The communication
between the battery and the power system controller allows the
medication cart to accommodate and adjust to different batteries so
that battery usage and/or charging is optimized regardless of the
batteries used. Further, this information may be monitored and
provided to a central administrator 400 so that battery performance
and/or cart performance may be monitored.
[0064] If the stress levels of the battery (i.e., the operational
temperature, voltage, current, etc.) exceed pre-defined parameters,
the power control system may disconnect the battery from use and/or
charging and alert one or more other systems, such as a central
administrator 400 and/or the cart's monitor/computer controller.
For example, the battery may communicate to the power system
controller (via SMB port 308) that the current and/or voltage of a
charge exceeds a safe amount (or is excessive for optimal
charging). Upon receiving such a request, the power system
controller can adjust the current and/or voltage provided or
disconnect the battery from charging so as to avoid malfunctioning
or failure of the battery. In some embodiments, the power system
controller, and/or the battery itself, can reset the battery after
the stress condition is cleared. By monitoring the condition of the
battery(s) and adjusting the charging and/or operational demands
accordingly, the power control system may avoid catastrophic
failure of the battery and, thus, failure of the medication cart
10. As explained below, if the power system controller is
unresponsive to requests from the battery (e.g., a request to
adjust the current and/or voltage), the battery itself may
disconnect from the power system to avoid malfunctioning or
failure. The power system controller and battery may function in a
similar manner during operation so as to adjust the power
requirements demanded of the battery and/or disconnect the battery
from power system 28.
[0065] Further, the power system controller may record historical
data about each of the batteries used. This data may be used for
debugging or monitoring purposes, such as to determine when a
battery needs replacement or to determine an optimal arrangement
for the batteries within a fleet of medication carts. This
historical data may be provided and/or stored by the central
administrator. The historical/lifetime data for each battery may
include: maximum/minimum temperature, maximum/minimum cell voltage,
maximum/minimum pack voltage, maximum charge current, maximum
discharge current, maximum charge power, maximum discharge power,
life maximum average discharge current, life maximum average
discharge power, average temperature, etc.
[0066] Each battery may include a unique serial number that is read
by the power system controller and/or provided by the battery so
that the data (i.e., real time and/or historical) for each battery
may be recorded and monitored regardless of whether the battery is
used with the same medication cart 10 or different medication
carts. In other words, the power system controller is able to
recognize each battery that is used with the medication cart and
provide battery data to central administrator 400 that corresponds
with the specific battery used. In this way, the central
administrator may keep a database of each battery used in the
system. The database may include an identifier for each cart the
batteries were used with, the performance of each battery over
their lifetime, and/or the real time status of each battery.
[0067] Power system 28 may include hot swappable dual battery slots
302, or put another way, the battery slots 302 may be hot
swappable. Hot swappable battery slots 302 may allow for a battery
to be removed from power system 28 without interrupting the power
provided to the medication cart 10 (e.g., without loss of power, or
data, to computer/monitor 12). FIG. 3D illustrates power system 28
having a single battery 402 inserted within one of two battery
slots 302. The single battery 402 is able to provide sufficient
power to operate medication cart 10. Medication cart 10 may
automatically adjust to draw power from one of the batteries as the
other battery is detached and removed from one of the battery slots
302. Individual batteries 402 may be removed from power system 28
to charge the battery, replace the battery, inspect the battery,
perform maintenance, and the like. Further, because an individual
battery 402 is capable of powering medication cart 10, the
medication cart is not susceptible to failure due to the failure of
a single battery. In other words, each battery 402 may act as a
backup power supply in case of failure of the other battery.
Further, the hot swappable feature of the power system 28 provides
for continuous operability of the medication cart 10 without having
to plug in the medication cart to recharge the batteries. For
example, the medication cart could essentially run indefinitely
without plugging the medication into an external power source,
provided the batteries are regularly removed and/or recharged.
[0068] The power system controller may communicate status
information about the battery to power system 28, which information
may be visually displayed via one or more displays 318 (e.g., LED
indicators) of power system 28. For example, FIG. 3A illustrates
display 318 comprising the following indicators: an external power
supply indicator AC that shows when an external power supply is
plugged into power system 28, a fault indicator F that displays
when a battery is malfunctioning or otherwise has a problem, an
indicator for one or more battery slots 302 that shows when a
battery is connected with each slot (e.g., indicators 1 and 2), and
a charge level indicator C that shows the charge level of a
selected battery or the charge level of the power system. The
charge level of each battery may be displayed via indicator C by
selecting either indicator 1 or 2, otherwise indicator C may
display the overall power level of power system 28. In this manner,
the caregiver/medication cart user may quickly determine the real
time status of each battery being used for power system 28 or
determine the overall power level for power system 28.
[0069] Each battery slot 302 may additionally include a receiving
mechanism that facilitates in receiving battery 402 into the slot
(see FIG. 3C). For example, power system 28 may include a first
slide member 310A and a second slide member 310B that correspond
with slide guides (see FIG. 4) on the battery to facilitate in
slidably receiving battery 402 within battery slot 302. The first
slide member 310A and second slide member 310B may be sized and/or
shaped differently so as to properly orient battery 402 upon
insertion into the slot 302. In other words, the slide members may
be shaped and/or sized so that battery 402 is only receivable in
one orientation (i.e., the battery only fits into the slot in one
direction).
[0070] Each slot 302 may further include a latching mechanism 314
that detachably couples the battery in the slot 302. The latching
mechanism 314 may be a recessed portion in the slot that is
configured to receive a latch or hook (see FIG. 4) of battery 402.
Other forms of detachably coupling the battery are also
contemplated herein, which may include detents, grooves and
corresponding members or gaskets, coupling cam mechanisms, locks,
pins, screws, and the like. The latching mechanism may allow for
quick release of the battery from within the slot so that a user
may quickly exchange batteries in one or more of the slots with a
single hand. For example, the user may grasp the battery with one
hand and engage a removal member with a finger or thumb to unlock
the battery within the slot.
[0071] Power system 28 may further include a lid 330 (see FIG. 3B)
that is pivotally coupled with power system 28 to enclose and/or
secure the batteries within slots 302. FIG. 3B illustrates the
power system 28 including two batteries 402 coupled within battery
slots 302 with the lid 330 enclosing the batteries within the power
system. The figure further shows displays 318 indicating a full
charge level C for power system 28 and/or for one of the selected
batteries.
[0072] Referring now to FIGS. 4A-B, illustrated is a battery 402
that may be used with power system 28. Battery 402 may be a hot
swappable smart Li-polymer battery pack (Lithium ion battery). The
Li-polymer battery pack may provide a longer battery life, higher
energy content per weight, and substantially no periodic
maintenance charge when compared to similar lead-acid batteries. In
one embodiment, each battery pack provides a voltage range of 13.0
to 16.4 volts, and preferably in the range of 14.8 volts.
[0073] As discussed, battery 402 can be charged in combination with
cart 10 or independently of cart 10. Work surface 16 may include a
plug rest 33 (shown in FIG. 2) for conveniently storing the power
cord 322 when the cart 10 is being moved, operated solely on
battery power, or not in the vicinity of a power source. Each
individual battery 402 may be designed to power cart 10 through at
least one eight hour shift before requiring recharging, and
preferably through at least one 10 hour shift. In other words, each
battery 402 may power medication cart 10 for at least a single 8-10
hour shift. This operational time of a single battery may allow the
other battery to be removed for recharging, inspecting,
maintenance, and the like. When two batteries are used the
operational time can be extended to last beyond two shifts, or
approximately 18-20 hours.
[0074] Battery 402 may include one or more connectors, 430 and 434,
that allow the battery to communicate information to an external
source, such as the power system controller and/or an external
battery charger. Connector 430 may be a power connector that
corresponds with port 306 in power system 28 to provide power to
power system 28 and/or receive power from an external source.
Likewise, connector 434 may be a SMB connector that corresponds
with SMB port 308 in power system 28. The battery 402 may
additionally include an internal interface board (not shown) that
monitors the characteristics described above (e.g., charge, voltage
current, temperature, etc) and communicates this information to the
external source. External communication from the interface board
may be provided via SMB connector 434 and/or power connector 430.
For example, during charging, the interface board may initially
provide, via SMB connector 434, information to an external battery
charger or the power system controller regarding an optimal charge
current and/or voltage, which current and/or voltage the battery
charger and/or power system controller may provide. As the battery
charges, the optimal charge current and/or voltage may change,
which may be detected by the interface board and relayed to the
battery charger and/or power system controller. Similarly, the
interface board may itself monitor the current and/or voltage
provided by battery 402 during operation of the cart 10 and relay
this information to the power system controller. The interface
board may also monitor the current and/or voltage provided from or
received by the power connector 430 and provide this information to
an external source.
[0075] As described above, battery 402 may include several layers
of protection to protect against malfunction and/or catastrophic
failure, which may damage the medication cart 10 and/or cart's
control system. For example, the interface board may detect when
stress levels (e.g., temperature, current, voltage, etc.) exceed
predefined parameters. In such instances, the board may relay this
information, via SMB connector 434, to an external source (e.g.,
the power system controller and/or battery charger) so that one or
more adjustments may be made and/or the battery may disconnect
itself from the external source. Further, battery 402 may reset
itself once the stress condition is cleared or otherwise taken care
of.
[0076] Battery 402 may utilize gas gauging technology, such as
Texas Instrument Impedance Track.RTM. (TI bq20z90 IC), to generate
accurate readings of the battery's remaining capacity. The battery
may support the Smart Battery Specification (SBS) v1.1 (i.e., may
be SBS v1.1 compliant) or other standards. Battery 402 may include
one or more displays 408 that indicate the status of the battery,
such as the charge level. To show the status (e.g., charge level),
battery 402 may include a battery status button 406, which, when
pressed, provides an status indication via display 408, such as
illuminating one or more LEDs. The battery's case 404 may be
constructed of a flame retardant plastic. The case may be
ultrasonically welded together and/or comprise one or more screws
to fasten the case together. The battery may also comprise a unique
serial identifier that identifies the individual battery. The
information associated with the unique serial identifier may be
stored internally in one or more storage mediums. This unique
identifier may also be provided to an external source via SMB
connecter when the battery is coupled with the external source,
such as a battery charger or power system 28.
[0077] The battery's case 404 may include slide guides 420A & B
disposed on opposite sides of the case that correspond with slide
members 310A & B, respectively. The slide guides 420A & B
may be shaped and/or sized so that each slide guide corresponds
only with one of slide members 310A & B to ensure that the
battery is properly oriented when it is inserted into slot 302. The
battery may further include a handle 422 so that the battery 402
may be easily transported and may additionally include a locking
mechanism (see FIG. 4A), such as latch 414 that is configured to
lock into recess portion 314 of power system 28. As the battery 402
is slid into slot 302, the latch 414 may retract into handle 422
until the battery is fully positioned within slot 302. Afterwhich,
latch 414 may lock into recess 314, such as by being outwardly
biased via a spring (not shown) disposed within handle 422. Latch
414 may be coupled with a removal member, such as knob 416, that
retracts latch 414 within handle 422 when engaged (e.g., when slid
along handle 422). In this manner a user may easily remove the
battery by grasping handle 422 and engaging knob 416, which
retracts latch 414 within the handle, thereby unlocking the battery
402 and allowing the battery to be removed from slot 302. As
described above, battery 402 may include other locking mechanisms,
which may include detents, pins, compliant members, locking cams,
screws, etc.
[0078] Medication cart 10 may also include a backup battery (not
shown) that provides some cart functionality in case of a complete
power failure of battery(s) 402. The backup battery may be a
lead-acid battery or a Li-polymer battery. The backup battery may
allow medication cart 10 to remain operational for a short period
of time so that one or more operations may be completed, such as
administering medications, providing treatment, locking and
securing narcotics within cart 10, entering patient or treatment
information into cart 10's computer system, and the like. Further,
the backup battery may be electrically coupled with the cassette
controller and/or backplane 27 to provide complete access to all
the cassettes 76 in case of a complete power failure. Complete
access to all the cassettes 76 in the event of a complete power
failure may be provided upon providing one or more inputs, such as
by engaging an administrator key and one other key (e.g., nurse
key). Upon providing the inputs (e.g., administrator and nurse
key), the backup battery may override the system control locks and
provide access to any or all the cassettes 76. In this manner, any
or all cassettes 76 may be accessed even when the cart's control
system is non-operational, thereby allowing access to medication
and/or personal possessions that may be kept in the cassette (i.e.,
in one of the cassette's bins). In addition, the power system
controller may control the charging of the backup battery to ensure
that the backup battery is charged in case of a complete power
failure.
[0079] Referring now to FIGS. 5A-D, FIG. 5A illustrates an
exploded, detailed view of the cassette system 30. FIGS. 5B-D
illustrate an individual cassette 76 of the cassette system 30.
Cassette system 30 is preferably modularized, and includes a
cassette manager 70. The cassette system 30 is generally connected
to work surface 16 and wired to touch screen 12 via backplane 27.
More particularly, the top of cassette manager 70 may be fastened
to the under surface of work surface 16. Accordingly, cassette
manager 70 includes fasteners 74 (e.g., bolts) along its top
surface that allow cassette manager 70 to be bolted to the under
surface of work surface 16. Optionally, cassette manager 70
includes a first key override lock 71 and a second key override
lock 73 that may be operable with the battery backup (not shown) as
described above to provide access to any or all the cassettes
and/or bins in case of a complete power failure or for any other
reason.
[0080] Beneath cassette manager 70, at least one cassette 76 is
latched. As briefly described above, cassettes 76 may vary in size.
In one embodiment, the cassettes may range in size between about 4
and 8 inches in height (and preferably about 6 inches) and/or about
2 and 4 inches in height (and preferably about 3 inches), although
a variety of sizes are contemplated herein. Cassette system 30 may
include any combination of sized cassettes 76. In one embodiment,
if cassette system 30 includes all large sized cassettes (e.g., 4-8
inch cassettes), up to 6 cassettes may be included in cassette
system 30. In another embodiment, if cassette system 30 includes
all small sized cassettes (e.g., 2-4 inch cassettes), up to 12
cassettes may be included in cassette system 30. In still other
embodiments, cassette system 30 may include any combination of
large and small sized cassettes so that more or less cassettes may
be added (i.e., 8 cassettes, 10 cassettes, etc.). As soon as a
cassette 76 is added, it may be sensed or identified by backplane
27 and/or the cassette controller and may not be opened except by a
user with an authorizing pass code. As described above, backplane
27 may automatically configure itself to operate with the various
sized cassettes and cassette configurations.
[0081] FIGS. 5B and 5D illustrate cassette 76's connector 72 that
couples with port 81 on the backplane 27. Connector 72 may
communicatively couple the cassette system controller or backplane
27 (or cart 10's computer system) with cassette 76 so that the
various cassette functionalities described herein may be provided,
such as: locking and unlocking cassette bins, illuminating the
guide lights, assigning cassette bins as patient specific or
utility specific bins, sensing the lock/unlock status of bins,
sensing whether the bins are open or closed, and the like. Cassette
76 may further include a post 77 that corresponds with an aperture
(see FIG. 1C, element 75) on backplane 27. Post 77 may facilitate
in properly aligning cassette 76 with backplane 27 to ensure that
connector 72 easily plugs into the port 81. When cassette 76 is
plugged into backplane 27, the cassette controller unit may sense
the size of the cassette (i.e., sense whether the cassette is
roughly 6 inch or roughly 3 inch cassette as described herein), and
may further sense the cassette 76 configuration of cassette system
30. Backplane 27 may also sense additional information associated
with cassette 76, such as whether one or both of the bins are
designated as patient specific or utility bins. Patient specific
bins may be bins that have been assigned for use in storing
personal belongings of the patient and/or medication specifically
prescribed for the patient and/or specifically for use for the
patient. Utility bins may be bins that have been assigned to carry
common items used by caregivers or other users as they assist the
patients (e.g., bandages, gauze pads, syringes, over the counter
medications, etc). Utility bins may automatically open upon
receiving an authentication of the caregiver or user or may not
require any authentication to open. The cassettes and/or bins may
be re-assignable by the nurse and/or central administrator. In some
embodiments, cart 10 may include all utility bins and/or cassettes,
all patient specific bins and/or cassettes, or any combination
thereof.
[0082] Each cassette 76 (and cassette manager 70) may include a
latching mechanism. The latching mechanism may include a plurality
of dovetail-shaped cutout portions 80 that are dimensioned to
receive dovetail-shaped projections 84 of an adjacent cassette 76.
Dovetail shape projections 84 may be positioned on the top surface
of the cassette 76, while the dovetail shaped cutouts are
positioned on the bottom surface of the cassette 76. Similarly,
cassette manager 70 may include a plurality of dovetail-shaped
cutout portions 80 on its bottom surface so that cassette manager
70 may couple with a cassette 76 positioned immediately below
cassette manager 70. In operation, dovetail projections 84 may
simply slide into dovetail cutouts 80.
[0083] As illustrated, cassette manager 70 and cassette 76 are
generally U-shaped to facilitate engagement with post 24 by fitting
around post 24. The U-Shaped cut out portion of cassette 76 and/or
cassette manager 70 may include a flat portion that includes
connector 72 and post 77. The flat portion may correspond with the
flat backplane 27. Each cassette 76 typically has at least two bins
94 that are independently lockable through electronic locks 100 and
that have corresponding sensors 110. Sensors 110 determine if a bin
94 is open or closed and or may determine if the electronic lock
100 is engaged or disengaged as described above. Also, as described
above, the cassette controller and/or backplane 27 may continually
monitor the status of the bins 94 so that upon unauthorized access,
an alarm is sounded and an email is sent to a system administrator
(e.g., central administrator). In some embodiments, all or a
majority of locks 100 are software controlled, while in other
embodiments, locks 100 may use keys or a combination of keys and
software lock. For example, lock 100 could include a software
controlled solenoid actuator connected to a lever.
[0084] Cart 10's computer system (e.g., touch screen 12) can be
programmed to lock and secure every bin 94 unless and until
unlocked by an authorized user having an appropriate level of
authorization who inputs a correct security code via keyboard 18,
touch screen 12, a scanner (e.g., bar code scanner), and the like.
The cassette controller may have a time out feature so that all
cassettes and/or bins are locked if an input is not received from a
caregiver or other user within a defined time period, for example,
if a bin 94 is not opened within a predefined time after being
unlocked.
[0085] In another embodiment, cart 10's computer system (e.g.,
touch screen 12) may provide access to a patients bin 94 upon a
positive verification of the patient, such as by scanning a
patient's wristband. Access to the bin 94 may also require two
positive identifications of the patient, such as by scanning the
patients' wristband and receiving a confirmation of a secondary
identifier from the caregiver or user that the patient identified
by the system is in fact the patient being treated. The
confirmation (i.e., secondary identifier) may include receiving an
input from the caregiver via the touch screen, keyboard, mouse, and
the like acknowledging that the patient's characteristics displayed
on touch screen 12 (e.g., patient's sex, height, weight, name, age,
hair color, etc.) match the actual patient receiving care. Upon
receiving the secondary identifier and/or providing cassette 76
access based on authorizing the patient, guide lights 90 for the
patient's bin 94 may be illuminated to visually guide the caregiver
to where the patient's bin is located.
[0086] Access to a bin 94 containing narcotics may require two pass
codes; otherwise one pass code may unlock a bin 94. Each user
(e.g., a nurse) may have his or her own pass code or codes so that
cart 10's computer system identifies each user who accesses each
bin 94 by the pass code used. Likewise, cart 10's computer system
may record the time and date of the access by that user. This
access information (e.g., date, time, user, etc.) may be reported
to the central administrator 400 (see FIG. 6) so that bin access
may be monitored. Central administrator 400 may network a plurality
of medication carts 10 so that a nurse's identifier and/or password
is capable of unlocking and operating any medication cart 10
networked to the central administrator 400.
[0087] Cart 10 may be optionally provided with a plug-in scanner
for reading medication containers to facilitate in accurately
loading cassettes 76/bins 94 and/or providing cart 10's computer
system (or central administrator 400) with information about the
medications being loaded into each bin 94. In this way, the system
administrator (e.g., central administrator 400) can have a real
time inventory of medications in all carts in its system, knowing
exactly what type and how much medication is in each bin 94 of each
cart.
[0088] As described above, each cassette 76 may include one or more
guiding lights 90 that illuminate (e.g., the exemplary illumination
region shown in cross hatch in FIG. 5A) a portion or the entire
face of bin 94 to visually display a bin 94 having a needed medical
supply and/or corresponding to an identified patient. For example,
when a nurse provides an authorization code to access a patient's
bin 94, the guide light 90 may illuminate the inner third of the
face of the bin 94 (e.g., illuminate a third of the bin closest to
the post) so that the nurse may quickly identify which bin is the
patient's bin that has been unlocked. In some instances, more than
one bin 94 may be assigned to a patient so that upon entry of an
authorization code and selection of that patient, the face of
multiple bins illuminate. Similarly, guide lights 90 may illuminate
a specific one of the patient's bins 94 based on a selection of a
drug to administer to the patient that the system recognizes is
kept in the specific bin. In this manner, the system may
differentiate between multiple bins 94 assigned to a specific
patient. Likewise, the system may illuminate guide lights 90 of a
utility bin when general medications are required.
[0089] Referring now to FIG. 6, illustrated is a block diagram of
an operational system of cart 10 (e.g., cart 10's computer system).
The operational system includes a computer controller and interface
logic 200 that receives computer controller input and generates
computer controller output. For example, computer controller 200
processes user input, such as the identity of user, the biometric
information of user, pass codes entered by user, etc. and performs
one or more cassette, bin, power, and/or batter related functions,
such as: locking/unlocking bins, assigning cassettes and/or bins as
patient-specific or utility specific, monitoring the status of
cassettes and/or bins, identifying or determining the cassette
stack configurations and/or cassette sizes, facilitating in loading
and administration of medications, monitoring and/or adjusting
battery power (e.g., current and/or voltage), monitoring battery
status, monitoring and/or adjusting cart 10's power usage,
decoupling unstable batteries, and/or any of the other functions
described herein. Computer controller 200 may perform these various
functions with the assistance of the various other controllers
described herein and specifically shown and described in FIG. 6,
such as the power system controller, the cassette controller, and
the like. It should be realized that although the computer
controller 200, cassette controller 500, and power system
controller 600 are shown and generally described herein as separate
control systems, in some embodiments cart 10's computer system
comprises all these controllers or a single controller that
performs the controller functions described herein.
[0090] The user information and/or access information (e.g., date,
time, user, etc.) may be reported to the central administrator 400
so that cassette/bin access and/or user access may be monitored by
the central administrator. Further, central administrator 400 may
tie all the medication carts 10 in the system together and may tie
all users in the system together so that a nurse's identifier
and/or password is capable of unlocking and operating any of the
medication carts 10 tied to the central administrator 400, thereby
eliminating the need for passwords specific to each cart. Further,
when a user is terminated from employment, central administrator
400 may render the user's identifier and password inoperable,
thereby eliminating the possibility that the user may use their
password to gain access to a cart.
[0091] Computer controller 200 may provide output to cassette
system 30 via backplane 27 and/or cassette controller 500 relating
to the designation of cassettes 76 and/or bins 94 included in the
cassette system 30 (e.g., outputs patient cassette and/or bin
assignments, patient specific bin assignments, utility bin
assignments, etc.). The designation of cassettes 76 and/or patient
specific bins 94 may be tied with the central administrator 400,
such as a hospitals Admission Discharge Transfer (ADT) system so
that cassettes 76 and/or bins 94 are automatically assigned by the
ADT system upon admittance into the hospital and assignment to a
bed. Depending upon the needs of the patient, the ADT system may
assign multiple cassettes or bins and/or determine the size of the
cassettes 76 needed (e.g., roughly 6 inch or roughly 3 inch
cassettes). Further, the cassette and/or bin assignments may be
automatically transferred by the ADT system as the patients is
transferred between rooms and/or floors within the hospital. In
some embodiments, the cassette/bin assignments are stored in a
memory medium of the cassette (or centrally on a network) so that
the assignment information is automatically uploaded to the cart
10's computer system (e.g., computer controller 200) when the
cassette is plugged into a port 81 of backplane 27.
[0092] In another embodiment, the ADT system provides information
about patients that have been assigned to the ward in which the
nurse is working and one or more patients may be assigned to the
nurse, such as by the nurse assigning the patients to themselves.
When the nurse logs into the computer controller 200 (e.g., the
cart's 10 control system), the system may provide the nurse with a
listing of the patients in the ward. The nurse may select a patient
and then select a cassette 76 and/or bin 94 from a display provided
on touch screen 12 or may select an auto-assignment function in
which the cart automatically assigns one or more cassettes 76
and/or bins 94. The patient's information (e.g., medical history,
medication, room number, etc.) may be automatically provided to the
cart 10 and associated with the assigned cassettes 76 and/or bins
94 so as to eliminate the need for the nurse to manually input any
information. Cassette 76 and/or bin 94 selections/assignments may
be provided to the central administrator 400, so that the
cassette/bin assignment is monitored and/or recorded.
[0093] Information that is communicated to the cart and/or from the
cart may be queued so that information that is not immediately
deliverable may be subsequently delivered. For example, if the
patient information, such as patient assignments, medical history,
medications, and the like is provided to a specific medication cart
10 (i.e., computer/monitor controller) from central administrator
400, but is unable to be delivered due to power failure of the cart
and/or network, the information may be queued so that upon
returning online (either the cart or network or both), the
information is resent to the medication cart 10. Likewise, each
medication cart 10 may be fully operational despite the central
administrator 400 and/or network (i.e., wireless network 300) going
down. The cart 10 may have a redundant system in place so that when
the cart becomes disconnected from the network, the cart is still
fully operational, thereby allowing cart 10 to interact and record
events, such as the battery status, cassette and/or bin status,
access status, patient cassette and/or bin association, etc. When
the central administrator 400 and/or network (e.g., wireless
network 300) returns online or otherwise becomes available,
medication cart 10 may communicate the information recorded while
the central administrator and/or network was down. In this manner,
the transition between cart functionality when the network and/or
central administrator 400 is online and offline may be seamless or
near seamless.
[0094] In addition, the operating system (e.g., cart 10's computer
system) can, in real time, inventory medication as it is loaded
into each bin 94 and as it used, as well as which user is
dispensing the medication. Additionally, cart 10 may be equipped
with a wireless network connection 300, preferably through SMTP
(simple mail transfer protocol) so that the cart 10, or a user of
that cart, can communicate with a central administrator 400 about
conditions of the cart, such as a low battery, user access, and the
like. Cart 10 may also communicate with administrator 400 without
the active assistance of the user. Accordingly, the status and
whereabouts of cart 10 can be constantly and effectively monitored
through wireless communication along with the status of the
batteries, user access history, and the like as described
above.
[0095] As previously described, the cassette system 30 may also
include cassette controller and interface logic 500, which may be
housed in or otherwise communicatively coupled with backplane 27.
This cassette controller 500 receives input from the computer
controller 200 about the cassettes 76 and/or bins 94 and their
designations and also automatically determines the size of the
attached cassettes 76 and the configuration of the cassette system
30, which information may be relayed to computer controller 200. As
described above, cassette controller 500 can lock and unlock bins
94 based upon receiving an authorized input and/or receiving an
override input. Furthermore, the cassette controller 500 may log
bin access and status, including when they are opened and by whom.
Accordingly, the cassette system 30 has the ability to monitor
itself. Similarly, power system 28 also includes power system
controller and interface logic 600, which monitors the condition
and/or charging of battery(s) 402. The power system controller 600
may also control the raising and lowering of post 24. The power
system controller 600 may communicate with central administrator
400 to provide status information about the battery and/or other
conditions of cart 10. Cart 10's computer system (e.g., touch
screen 12) may also automatically report (e.g., via email, SMS,
MMS, and the like) an attempt to break into cart 10, a log of the
charging system, a log of the times and the identities of users who
have accessed each cassette. Other information can also be
reported.
[0096] Illustrated in FIG. 7 is a simplified system 700 of a
central administrator 400 that may centrally manage a plurality of
medication carts 10. Central administrator 400 may be tied to a
hospitals Admission Discharge Transfer (ADT) system, Pharmacy
Information System (PIS), administration system, and/or Automated
Dispensing Machine (ADM). Further, the central administrator may be
a sub-component of the ADT/ADM system or may be a separate control
system. Each of the medication carts 10 may include a power system
controller, cassette controller, and computer/monitor controller as
described above, which monitors information about various aspects
of the cart (e.g., user access, cassette/bin access, battery
status, patient information, unauthorized access, etc.). This
information may be provided to the central administrator 400 so
that the central administrator can centrally manage the real time
status and historical status of each cart 10. In essence, the
central administrator 400 is capable of monitoring and recording
every event that occurs at the medication cart 10, such as the user
access history (i.e., based on user identifier and/or password),
battery history, cart location history (i.e., floor assignment),
patient history, etc. Further, the central administrator may
differentiate between events, such as differentiate between whether
a bin 94 access occurs due to a nurse authentication (i.e., input
user identifier and password) or a patient authentication (i.e.,
patient wristband scan and secondary identifier).
[0097] Further, the central administrator 400 may centrally manage
the batteries used in the medication carts 10 and monitor the users
that operate the carts. The information may be provided via one or
more networks, such as wireless network 300 or a wired network.
Further, the central administrator 400 may directly interact with
the medication carts 10 (shown by the solid lines directly
connecting central administrator 400 and carts 10) and/or may
indirectly interact with the carts by interacting with a
sub-controller system 710, which in turn directly interacts with
the carts 10. For example, the medication carts 10 may directly
interact with a sub-controller system 710 that is located on the
floor or ward where the cart resides. The sub-controller system 710
may be controlled by the central administrator 400, such as the
hospital administration system. Information exchanged between the
cart 10 and the central administrator 400 may be routed through the
sub-controller system 710 so that additional information (e.g.,
floor specific information) may be added and/or unnecessary
information removed. Further, the central administrator 400 may
quickly transfer or exchange information between carts 10, such as
transferring patient information when a patient is transferred
between floors.
[0098] The information provided to the central administrator 400
may be stored in a database 702, which may be remote from central
administrator 400 or included therewith. The information may be
stored for a predetermined amount of time (e.g., store information
for a year). Further, central administrator 400 may be coupled with
or include a monitoring and reporting system 704 that monitors real
time and historical data about each cart 10 including: battery
status and/or history (charge rate, discharge state, shutdown
events), user access (logon, logoff), access events, bin
access/activity (unlock, lock, open, close), etc. The monitoring
and reporting system 704 may generate one or more email
notifications/or paper reports (e.g., work orders) based on real
time or historical events that occur (or have occurred), such as
when a dead battery is detected, low battery is detected, an
unauthorized cassette/bin access occurs, a patient medication
schedule is missed, excessive and repeated bin access is observed,
etc. The monitoring and reporting system 704 may further generate
one or more reports based on system/cart audits performed. The
auditing and/or monitoring parameters for batteries, users, access
events, etc. may be predefined in the system so that reports are
automatically generated when the parameters are exceeded.
[0099] Because central administrator 400 may be tied to the
hospital's ADT, PIS, and/or ADM systems, information input into one
of those systems may be immediately available and provided to the
medication chart. For example, as medications are provided or
updated by a pharmacist, the additions or modifications can
immediately or nearly immediately be displayed, via the PIS, on
touch screen 12 of medication cart 10. Likewise, dosage amounts
and/or frequency input into touch screen 12 of cart 10 may be
immediately available to the supervising physician or doctor.
Medication cart 10 may be operable with pre-existing hospital
systems so that no additional hardware and/or software is needed to
integrate medication cart 10 into the system. Thus, carts 10 may be
essentially plugged into and used with currently operating
administration systems.
[0100] Illustrated in FIG. 8 is a process flow diagram for
operational use and features of the medication cart system. As
shown, at block 800 one or more cassettes 76 or a cassette system
30 may be plugged into backplane 27. The cassette controller system
and/or backplane 27 may automatically determine the type of each
cassette 76 (i.e., large or small) and the configuration of the
cassettes in the cassette system 30. At 802, a decision may be made
by medication cart 10 about the status of the battery(s) 402 (e.g.,
charge level, operating condition, etc.). The battery 402 may
perform a self-diagnostic test and provide the results to the power
system controller via SMB connector 434 and SMB port 308. The power
system controller may provide the battery status to the central
administrator 400 via wireless network 300 so that the real time
status and/or historical status of the battery may be monitored. If
either battery 402 needs replacing, the battery(s) may be hot
swapped for a newly charged battery or an external power source may
be plugged into power system 28 to recharge the battery(s).
[0101] At 804, each of the bins 94 may be designated as patient
specific or utility bins by the central administrator 400 and/or a
nurse or other user of the medication cart 10. At block 806, one or
more patients may be assigned to a cassette 76 and/or bin 94 by the
central administrator 400 and/or nurse (e.g., the central
administrator may assign the patient to a floor or a nurse and the
medication cart 10 can auto assign the cassettes 76 and/or bins 94
of the cassette system 30). Upon assigning each cassette and/or
bin, the patient's information may be automatically provided to the
medication cart 10 from the central administrator and associated
with the assigned cassettes/bins. The information about the bin 94
designations and/or bin assignments may be provided to the central
administrator 400 via wireless network 300 (or a wired network), so
that the central administrator can centrally manage all the
cassette systems 30 and individual bins 94 along with managing
hospital staff and patients.
[0102] Any reassignments of the bins or transfers of the patient
can be provided to the central administrator 400 so that the
central administrator is informed of the real time status of each
bin 94 and/or cassette 76 and the patient is always assigned a bin.
At block 808, as the nurse is administering medication or otherwise
helping the patient, the bin associated with that patient may be
unlocked. For example, the medication cart 10 may authenticate the
nurse, such as by verifying a nurse identifier and password that is
specific to the nurse. Upon authenticating the nurse, the nurse may
select a patient from a touch screen display and the corresponding
bin may be unlocked. Alternatively or additionally, at block 810,
the nurse may scan the wristband or other identifier of the patient
and/or provide a secondary identifier of the patient to unlock the
patient's bin 94. The secondary identifier may include providing a
confirmation that the patient displayed on monitor 12 is in fact
the patient being treated, such as by selecting a confirmation
button on the touch screen. At block 812, the bin controller and/or
backplane 27 may control a locking mechanism (e.g., solenoid) to
unlock the patient's bin).
[0103] In some embodiments, the patient's bin 84 may be unlocked in
a bin management program displayed on touch screen 12 (e.g., when
assigning drawers to patients) or when the patient is selected,
such as by selecting the patient from a patient list (e.g., from
ADT) or scanning a patient identifier on the patient's wrist band,
and the like. In some embodiments, the patient's bin may be locked
when the caregiver or user switches from a patient specific screen,
selects another patient, logs off, and/or after a period of
inactivity. In some embodiments, utility bins may be un-locked when
a caregiver or user is authenticated into the system. These bins
may remain un-locked while the caregiver or user is logged in and
may lock when the caregiver or user logs out or after a period of
inactivity.
[0104] At block 814, the bin controller and/or backplane 27 may
verify, via one or more sensors, that the locking mechanism is
disengaged and that the patient's bin 94 is in fact unlocked. At
block 816, via bin controller or backplane 27, a guide light 90 may
be illuminated on the patient's bin 94 to visually notify the nurse
of the location of the patient's bin. Any utility bins may also be
unlocked upon authenticating the nurse and/or patient. At block
818, the bin controller and/or backplane 27 may verify, via one or
more sensors, the status of the bin 94 to determine whether a
patient's bin is in fact open or closed. Information about the
authentication of the nurse and/or patient and accessing of the bin
may be provided, via wireless (or wired) network 300, to central
administrator 400 so that the real time status of the patient,
nurse, and/or bins 94 may be determined and the historical status
may be monitored. Likewise, any malfunction of the medications cart
10, such as non-unlocking bins, non-opening or closing bins, power
failure, etc. may be reported to the central administrator as well.
Other information may also be reported, such as unauthorized
access, etc.
[0105] At block 820, information about the patient may be input
into the medication cart, via touch screen, keyboard, mouse, etc.
This information may be provided to the central administrator 400.
At block 822, one or more emails, reports, or other notifications
may be generated and provided to an appropriate person or system in
response to monitoring the cart, users, patients, etc. For example,
an email may be provided to a hospital staff to change the cart's
low battery or recharge the battery or a report may be generated to
transfer a patient to a new floor based on a doctor's
recommendation.
[0106] Referring now to FIG. 9, illustrated is a method for
configuring a medication dispensing cart. At block 910, a
medication dispensing cart may be provided. The medication
dispensing cart may include a cassette system controller, a base, a
monitor that displays information to a user, and a post that
couples the monitor with the base, such as those described herein.
The post may have at least one interface port that communicatively
couples the cassette system controller with one or more cassettes.
At block 920, a plurality of cassettes may be provided that each
include at least one bin within which medical supplies are stored.
At block 930, each of the plurality of cassettes may be coupled
with the post so that the plurality of cassettes form a cassette
stack and so that at least one of the cassettes is communicatively
coupled with the cassette system controller via the at least one
interface port.
[0107] Referring now to FIG. 10, illustrated is another method for
configuring a medication dispensing cart. At block 1010, a
medication dispensing cart is provided. The medication dispensing
cart may include a cassette system controller. At block 1020, a
plurality of cassettes are provided that each include at least one
bin within which medical supplies are stored. At block 1030, each
of the plurality of cassettes are coupled with the medication
dispensing cart so that the plurality of cassettes form a cassette
stack and so that at least one of the cassettes is communicatively
coupled with the cassette system controller. At block 1040, the
cassette system controller identifies a type of the at least one
cassette communicatively coupled with the cassette system
controller and/or a configuration of the cassette stack.
[0108] Referring now to FIG. 11, illustrated is a method of
providing power to a medication dispensing cart. At block 110, a
medication dispensing cart is provided. The medication dispensing
cart may include a power system controller. At block 1120, a
plurality of cassettes are provided that each include at least one
bin within which medical supplies are stored. At block 1130, each
of the plurality of cassettes are coupled with the medication
dispensing cart. At block 1140, at least one battery is coupled
with the power system controller. The power system controller may
be configured to adjust a power usage of the medication dispensing
cart or adjust a power discharge of the at least one battery based
on an operational need of the medication dispensing cart or a
condition of the battery.
[0109] In some embodiments, the medication dispensing cart may
include at least two batteries coupled with the power system
controller and the method may also include decoupling a first
battery from the power system controller while the medication
dispensing cart is operational, or being operated, without
adversely affecting an amount of power provided to the medication
dispensing cart. The first battery may be a hot swappable battery
and/or smart battery as described herein so that the battery may be
removed from the medication dispensing cart and inspected,
recharged, replaced, repaired, and the like. The battery may also
communicate with the power system controller regarding a charge
and/or discharge status, a problem, and the like. One or more
settings or conditions of the battery may be adjusted by the power
system controller and/or the battery itself based on the
information communicated to the power system controller. The
battery may be removed from the medication dispensing cart while
the cart is being operated based entirely or substantially off
battery power.
[0110] In some embodiments, the medication dispensing cart may also
include a cassette system controller and the plurality of cassettes
may be coupled with the medication dispensing cart so that at least
one of the cassettes is communicatively coupled with the cassette
system controller. In such embodiments, the method may further
include identifying (with the cassette system controller) a type of
the at least one cassette communicatively coupled with the cassette
system controller and/or a configuration of the cassette stack.
[0111] Having described several embodiments, it will be recognized
by those of skill in the art that various modifications,
alternative constructions, and equivalents may be used without
departing from the spirit of the invention. Additionally, a number
of well-known processes and elements have not been described in
order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present invention.
Accordingly, the above description should not be taken as limiting
the scope of the invention.
[0112] Where a range of values is provided, it is understood that
each intervening value, to the tenth of the unit of the lower limit
unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, between the upper
and lower limits of that range is also specifically disclosed. Each
smaller range between any stated value or intervening value in a
stated range and any other stated or intervening value in that
stated range is encompassed. The upper and lower limits of these
smaller ranges may independently be included or excluded in the
range, and each range where either, neither or both limits are
included in the smaller ranges is also encompassed within the
invention, subject to any specifically excluded limit in the stated
range. Where the stated range includes one or both of the limits,
ranges excluding either or both of those included limits are also
included.
[0113] As used herein and in the appended claims, the singular
forms "a", "an", and "the" include plural referents unless the
context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to
"a process" includes a plurality of such processes and reference to
"the device" includes reference to one or more devices and
equivalents thereof known to those skilled in the art, and so
forth.
[0114] Also, the words "comprise," "comprising," "include,"
"including," and "includes" when used in this specification and in
the following claims are intended to specify the presence of stated
features, integers, components, or steps, but they do not preclude
the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers,
components, steps, acts, or groups.
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