초록 ▼

A medication dispenser that includes a receptacle having a counting compartment with a first opening into the receptacle and a second opening through which the pills are dispensed. To be dispensed, the pills must passthrough the counting compartment and are counted during such passage. Both openings

A medication dispenser that includes a receptacle having a counting compartment with a first opening into the receptacle and a second opening through which the pills are dispensed. To be dispensed, the pills must passthrough the counting compartment and are counted during such passage. Both openings are blocked or unblocked by logic built into or remotely connected to the dispenser, which logic determines whether the pills in the compartment should be dispensed. In one embodiment of the dispenser, the pills are counted by sensing the amount of light that is passed through the compartment. The logic counts the pills by subtracting the amount of light transmitted through the compartment when it contains pills from the amount of light transmitted through an empty compartment and comparing the result to the known size of the pills. In an alternative embodiment, the pills are weighed in the counted compartment and the weight is compared to the known weight of a single pill. In a second alternative embodiment, radiation emitted by the pills is counted with a radiation detector.

대표청구항 ▼

A process of dispensing a plurality of units of medication, said units being contained within the hollow interior of a receptacle having a compartment disposed between and in communication within the hollow receptacle interior and the receptacle exterior and having means for counting the number of m

A process of dispensing a plurality of units of medication, said units being contained within the hollow interior of a receptacle having a compartment disposed between and in communication within the hollow receptacle interior and the receptacle exterior and having means for counting the number of medication units in said compartment, said process comprising the steps of: maneuvering at least one medication unit from said hollow receptacle interior into said compartment; preventing said at least one medication unit from passing from said compartment to the receptacle exterior as said at least one medication unit is being maneuvered from said hollow receptacle interior into said compartment; counting the number of medication units in said compartment with said counting means; preventing said at least one medication unit from passing between said compartment and the receptacle exterior as the number of medication units in said compartment is counted by said counting means; permitting said at least one medication unit to pass from said compartment to the receptacle exterior after the number of medication units in said compartment has been counted by said counting means; and preventing medication units from passing between the hollow receptacle interior and said compartment whenever said at least one medication unit is permitted to pass from said compartment to the receptacle exterior.