Automated Apparatus for Dispensing Medicaments

Abstract

Apparatus for delivering a medicament to a user has a drug vault including pre-packaged product storage containers holding inventory pre-packaged medicament products, and containers holding inventory bulk medicament. A control system is operable to dispense bulk medicament from the bulk product storage containers, to package the dispensed inventory bulk medicament as dispensed packaged medicament products, and to pick and deliver medicament products to a delivery zone.

1 . Apparatus for delivering medicaments to users, the apparatus comprising a drug vault having a pre-packaged product storage container for containing pre-packaged medicament product, a bulk product storage container for containing bulk form medicament, and a control system operable to effect at least a part of a process to dispense bulk form medicament from the bulk product storage container, to pack as a dispensed packaged medicament product the dispensed bulk form medicament, and to pick and deliver medicament products to a delivery zone. 
     
     
         2 . Apparatus as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein at least a part of the control system is commonly deployed in handling both the pre-packaged medicament products and the dispensed packaged medicament products. 
     
     
         3 . Apparatus as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the control system includes a medicament packaging module operable to dispense and package the bulk form medicament as a dispensed packaged medicament product that is one of a bottle, a box and a foil package. 
     
     
         4 . Apparatus as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising a metering module operable to meter a selected amount of the bulk form medicament and to deliver the selected amount from the bulk product storage container. 
     
     
         5 . Apparatus as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the bulk form medicament is stored as individually dispensable items, and the metering module is operable to meter the selected amount of the bulk form medicament as a metered plurality of individually dispensable items. 
     
     
         6 . Apparatus as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the metering module further includes a singulator mechanism successively to take items of the individually dispensable items and to deliver the taken items for packing, and a counter to count the number of items taken from the individually dispensable items in bulk form and delivered for packing. 
     
     
         7 . Apparatus as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein the individually dispensable items are one or more of pills, lozenges and capsules. 
     
     
         8 . Apparatus as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the bulk form medicament is stored in the bulk product storage container as a liquid. 
     
     
         9 . Apparatus as claimed in  claim 8 , further comprising a metering module operable to meter the bulk form medicament as a metered volume of the liquid. 
     
     
         10 . Apparatus as claimed in  claim 8 , the bulk storage container located within a refrigerated zone whereby liquid medicament stored therein is maintained at a lowered temperature to prevent heat-induced deterioration thereof. 
     
     
         11 . Apparatus as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising a treatment mechanism operable to alter the bulk form medicament from an inventory state to a dispensing state prior to the bulk form medicament being dispensed and packaged as the dispensed packaged medicament product. 
     
     
         12 . Apparatus as claimed in  claim 11 , the treatment mechanism operable to effect at least one of mixing, agitating and diluting of the bulk form medicament product. 
     
     
         13 . Apparatus as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising a user-interface module configured to receive prescription information input from a user, a control module to interpret the prescription information and to issue commands to the control system on the basis of the received prescription information, thereby to cause the control system to select between picking and delivering the pre-packaged medicament product to a delivery zone, and picking and delivering the dispensed medicament product to the delivery zone. 
     
     
         14 . Apparatus as claimed in  claim 13 , further comprising a network interface for connection of the apparatus into a network, the network interface operable to transmit state of the apparatus information onto the network and operable to receive command information from the network for control of the control system. 
     
     
         15 . Apparatus as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein the drug vault is configured for secure storage of the medicaments, and is connected to the user-interface module, with the user-interface forming a front end of the apparatus and the drug vault forming a back end of the apparatus.