US RE35743 · Granted 1998-03-17
The Smart Med Cart That Stops Nurses From Grabbing the Wrong Pill
Imagine a locked medication cart on wheels that a nurse can't open until she types in a patient ID code. The cart then automatically grabs the exact pills that patient needs, records what was given and when, and makes sure nobody accidentally hands out someone else's medicine. It's like a vending machine, but for prescription drugs in a hospital.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a mobile medication dispensing cart that combines hardware and software to control access to patient medications. What's protected here is the specific system where a microprocessor validates a patient ID code entered by a nurse, then mechanically retrieves the correct medication from onboard storage and transfers it to a nurse-accessible area—while simultaneously logging the date, time, and quantity dispensed. The patent also covers a fully automatic apparatus that uses a computer to match a patient's identity to appropriate medications, then deploys a carrier mechanism to retrieve tablets or capsules from fixed containers and release them for human administration.
Why it matters
This patent addresses a critical hospital safety problem: medication errors that harm or kill patients. By automating the link between patient identity and the exact drugs they should receive, the system reduces dangerous mistakes caused by human error or distraction. The automatic record-keeping also creates an audit trail that helps hospitals track medication administration and comply with regulatory requirements. This kind of controlled-access dispensing became foundational to modern hospital pharmacy systems.
Real-world use
Every time a nurse in a hospital needs to give a patient their scheduled medication, she might be using a descendant of this smart cart—typing in a room number or patient ID to unlock just the pills that person needs.
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..!..Iadd.A fully automatic apparatus for dispensing medications in tablet or capsule form for a patient is disclosed. This apparatus includes several open containers to hold tablets or capsules, with the location of each container fixed relative to the apparatus, and with the containers not readily accessible to an unauthorized person. The apparatus also includes a computer programmed to correlate a patient's identity with the medications that are appropriate for the patient. The computer controls a carrier that moves to the location of each of the containers holding medication appropriate for the patient. The carrier retrieves the medication from each such container, and then releases the medication in a location where it may readily be retrieved by a human to administer to the patient.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US RE35743
- Filing date
- 1996-03-01
- Grant date
- 1998-03-17
- Assignee
- Pearson Ventures, L.L.C.
- Inventor(s)
- —
- CPC class
- A61J7/0481
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