11415results about "Coin-freed apparatus details" patented technology

A lancet is pressed against a puncture needle cartridge while fitting a puncture needle loading inlet of the lancet to the axis of a puncture needle on the puncture needle cartridge. In order to facilitate the operation, one of plural puncture needles, arranged in parallel, is tilted up from its initial position at a predetermined angle, and the puncture needle is guided into a puncture needle holding rod of the lancet. Simultaneously, the puncture needle is pressed up to a position where the rear end part of the needle pushes the bottom surface of a puncture needle loading chamber of the puncture needle holding rod, whereby the puncture needle is loaded. When discarding a used puncture needle, the puncture needle is inserted into a lancet guide member of the puncture needle cartridge, whereby the puncture needle is reliably captured to be discarded.

Inventory maintenance is improved for a system of one or more vending machines by providing one or more vending machines with unique identifiers, and means for collecting and transmitting information concerning goods dispensed and other status to a remote location where processing means provide an efficient service schedule.

A system for dispensing a customised nutritional serving is made up of ingredients stored within a device incorporating the system. The device has a controller in whose memory is stored an inventory of the ingredients available in the device, their compositions and properties and customer profile data. The controller is programmed to formulate a serving which best matches the customised serving selected by the customer within constraints set by the programming taking into account the inventory of ingredients and the health profile of the customer. The customer is then presented with the selected serving and either accepts it or modifies it. The device is then programmed to prepare and dispense the final selection.

The present invention comprises a system and method for administering medications to a plurality of patients in a medication institution. A preferred system comprises a workflow program for generating a scheduler, wherein the scheduler coordinates the administration of medications to the patients, a medicine cabinet, responsive to said scheduler, for storing medications and dispensing the medications to an authorized user for administration to the patients, the workflow program providing the cabinet with patient specific information relating to said dispensation of the medications including a physician order for each patient, and a medicine cart, coupled to the medicine cabinet, for instructing said authorized user in the administration of said medication to each of said patients. The cart comprises a plurality of patient specific cart drawers for storing the medication to be administered to each patient, wherein each cart drawer remains unidentified as patient specific until the medication cart receives said patient specific information, and a cart processor, wherein the cart drawers are filled with medicine from the medicine cabinet for each patient associated with each patient specific cart drawer in accordance with the respective physician order for each patient.

The invention provides methods and apparatus for dispensing items from a dispensing unit. According to the invention, the dispensing unit comprises a plurality of locations in which the items are held, a processor in which records corresponding to the items on the unit are stored, and a plurality of item switches corresponding to the locations in which the items are held. The item switches are connected to the processor so that a user of the dispensing unit can input records of items removed from the unit into the processor. The apparatus described is particularly suited for dispensing medical supplies although the apparatus will be usable for other types of items as well. Preferred embodiments will include a plurality of visual indicators, typically in the form of light emitting diodes, corresponding to the locations in which the items are held. Upon selection of a desired item from a list of items held by the unit, the visual indicator corresponding to the item is actuated so that the user can locate the desired item quickly and conveniently with the help of the visual indicator.

The invention provides methods and apparatus for dispensing items from a dispensing unit. According to the invention, the dispensing unit comprises a plurality of locations in which the items are held, a processor in which records corresponding to the items on the unit are stored, and a plurality of item switches corresponding to the locations in which the items are held. The item switches are connected to the processor so that a user of the dispensing unit can input records of items removed from the unit into the processor. The apparatus described is particularly suited for dispensing medical supplies although the apparatus will be usable for other types of items as well. Preferred embodiments will include a plurality of visual indicators, typically in the form of light emitting diodes, corresponding to the locations in which the items are held. Upon selection of a desired item from a list of items held by the unit, the visual indicator corresponding to the item is actuated so that the user can locate the desired item quickly and conveniently with the help of the visual indicator.

To render digital content encrypted according to a content key (KD) on a first device having a public key (PU1) and a corresponding private key (PR1), a digital license corresponding to the content is obtained, where the digital license includes the content key (KD) therein in an encrypted form. The encrypted content key (KD) from the digital license is decrypted to produce the content key (KD), and the public key (PU1) of the first device is obtained therefrom. The content key (KD) is then encrypted according to the public key (PU1) of the first device (PU1 (KD)), and a sub-license corresponding to and based on the obtained license is composed, where the sub-license includes (PU1 (KD)). The composed sub-license is then transferred to the first device.

An automated drug dispensing system includes a cabinet adapted to store a variety of prepackaged pharmaceuticals in a plurality of bins for filling patient prescriptions. Each bin stores a particular variety of packaged multiple-dose pharmaceutical. Each variety of pharmaceutical is associated with a particular code. A controller receives request signals and in response generates dispense signals. Each bin includes a dispenser coupled to the controller for dispensing the packaged pharmaceuticals therefrom in response to a dispense signal sent from the controller. After a package is dispensed, a code reader determines the code of the dispensed package and verifies whether the code on the dispensed package matches the code of the requested package.

Secure access distribution machines and methods for distributing a plurality of medical items to an authorized user. The distribution machine includes a housing enclosing a plurality of bins for storing medical items mounted on carousels. Once the distribution machine has been provided with user identification data, patient identification data, and an item selection, the plurality of carousels is actuated to move a bin holding a selected medical item to a location behind an access door in the housing. The user can then reach into the housing to manually retrieve and then verify the removal of the selected medical item. Only one access door into the housing is opened at any time, thereby preventing unauthorized removal of medical items stored in any other bins within the housing.

To obtain a digital license for rendering a piece of digital content, a license requester contacts a license provider and sends a license request. The license provider checks the license request for validity and negotiates with the license requestor terms and conditions for the requested license. The license provider generates the requested license and issues the generated license to the license requestor.

An article dispensing machine and article transport storage unit are shown that permit articles slated for inventory to be delivered in secure manner from a centralized inventory supply center to an article dispensing machine forming part of an article distribution system. The article transport storage unit is locked during transport from the supply center to the machine and does not become unlocked until fully installed within the machine.

A system and process for securing goods delivered to and retrieved from a secure storage unit is provided. The system utilizes a locker having an interior into which at least one good may be inserted and secured by a door via a locking mechanism. Access to the interior of the locker is controlled by a server which is in communication with the locker via an Internet or other network connection. The server controls the accessing and operation of the locker either directly or in combination with a controller. The controller is suitably situated in a kiosk that provides user interfaces by which customers, vendors, and / or carriers access and utilize the locker. The locker may be any suitable storage container including garages, mailboxes, heated / cooled compartments, and other storage units. The kiosk may also include other vending machines and dispensing devices, the operation of which are preferably controlled by the server.

A medication dispensing unit is provided for tracking medical products having a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag uniquely associated therewith. The dispensing unit includes compartments for receiving medical products therein, and readers for reading the RFID tags associated with the medical products in the compartments. A processor is coupled to the readers for receiving and processing readings of the RFID tags in the compartment to identify the medical products in the compartments. The processor may identify a medical product removed from a compartment by determining a difference between readings of the RFID tags in the compartment taken before and after the medical product is removed from the compartment. The processor may verify that the medical product removed from the compartment is authorized to be removed or confirmed that an identified patient is intended to receive the medical product being removed from the compartment. A system and method for counterfeit prevention is disclose, as is specimen, blood, organ and the like, tracking.