Medication dispensing system

Abstract

A medication dispensing system is provided with several cooperating components which help to accommodate the responsible handling of medications. These systems include a user interface to receive input from the user and to present appropriate information/notices/alarms. Further, physical controls and multiple sensors are provided to detect tampering, misuse, and attempts to inappropriately access medications contained within the dispensing system. This misuse can thus be detected, and appropriate notifications can be provided, where appropriate. Further, by adding network communications capabilities, notices can be widely communicated to others, and operation of the medication dispensing system can be controlled and/or monitored remotely.

1 . A medication dispensing system, comprising:
 a cassette having a plurality of separated chambers, with each chamber being configured to contain a plurality of medications;   a housing containing the cassette and accommodating the controlled access to a predetermined chamber, the housing comprising a base and a movable cover, wherein the movable cover has an access opening which is positionable above any one of the plurality of chambers, the housing further containing an accelerometer to sense undesired movements of the housing which suggests tampering or attempts to damage;   a drive mechanism coupled to the base and the movable cover to control movement of the cassette relative to the base;   a user interface coupled to the housing, the user interface capable of presenting information to a user, and to receive commands from a user; and   a control system operatively coupled to the user interface and the drive mechanism, the control system configured to receive and manage a dispensing schedule having a plurality of dispensing events, wherein each dispensing event comprises a dispensing type and dispensing time, the control system further configured to generate appropriate drive control signals in response to a dispensing event, which causes the drive mechanism to position the movable cover so that the access opening is positioned above a designated chamber, the control system further configured to receive signals from the accelerometer indicative of said undesired movements and produce a warning signal to the user interface.   
     
     
         2 . The dispensing system of  claim 1  wherein the control system comprises a controller and a memory, and wherein the dispensing schedule is maintained within the memory. 
     
     
         3 . The dispensing system of  claim 1  wherein the user interface comprises a programmable touchscreen panel. 
     
     
         4 . The dispensing system of  claim 1  wherein the drive mechanism is configured to produce stray electrical current when the cassette physically moved. 
     
     
         5 . The dispensing system of  claim 4  wherein the control system will detect the stray electrical electrical current and will cause a warning signal to be displayed on the user interface. 
     
     
         6 . The dispensing system of  claim 1  further comprising a communications interface allowing the control system to share information with a remote computing system. 
     
     
         7 . The dispensing system of  claim 6  wherein the communication interface is a WIFI transceiver capable of communicating with a WIFI enabled network. 
     
     
         8 . The dispensing system of  claim 1  wherein the control system comprises a processor, memory and communication interfaces to receive signals from the user interface. 
     
     
         9 . The dispensing system of  claim 1  wherein the base and cover are securely coupled to one another and include tamper prevention mechanisms, comprising at least one of an opening switch, a locking screw, or an interlocking spring loaded tab.