US 5,292,029 · Granted 1994-03-08
The Smart Medication Cart That Logged Every Pill Before Hospitals Had Computers
Imagine a wheeled cabinet in a hospital that holds different medications for different patients, and it only opens the right drawer for the right medicine when the nurse punches in a patient ID code. The machine also records exactly when, what, and how much medication was given—creating an automatic paper trail that prevents mix-ups and mistakes.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a mobile medication storage and dispensing system where a microprocessor controls access to medications stored in a cart based on patient identification codes entered by a nurse. What's protected here is the combination of: a cart holding multiple patients' medications organized by patient; a keyboard interface connected to an onboard computer; software that matches the entered patient code to the correct medication location; mechanical components that automatically retrieve or unlock the specified medication; and an automated record-keeping function that logs the time, date, and quantity of every dose dispensed.
Why it matters
This patent bridges manual medication administration—prone to human error and incomplete documentation—with early computerized control and accountability. Before electronic health records became standard, this system created a locked, auditable record of medication dispensing that reduced incorrect dosing incidents and gave hospitals traceable proof of what was given to which patient. It represents an early recognition that combining physical access control with automatic documentation could save lives in hospital settings.
Real-world use
Every time a nurse wheels a medication cart to patient rooms and punches in a patient code to unlock the right drawer, they're using the core logic this patent locked down decades ago.
Original USPTO abstract
In a nurse administered medication dispensing system a mobile cart contains a plurality of doctor prescribed medication in accordance with a like plurality of patients scheduled to receive such medication. The medication containers stored in the cart is accessible by the nurse only in response to a patient ID code entered by the nurse into the keyboard of a cart supported microprocessor including a software program responding to the input code energizing mechanical components which obtains the medication from an onboard supply and transfers it to a specified nurse accessible cubicle or which releases secured medication dispensing units on or in the cart and records the time, date and quantity of medication dispensed.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 5,292,029
- Filing date
- 1991-08-29
- Grant date
- 1994-03-08
- Assignee
- Pearson Walter G
- Inventor(s)
- PEARSON; WALTER G.
- CPC class
- A61G12/001
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