Administering of Medication

Abstract

Apparatuses to facilitate administering of medication. Cassettes of the apparatuses include several novel aspects.

1 . A medication administering apparatus comprising:
 a housing including a compartment and a first electrical connector corresponding to the compartment;   a cassette carried in the compartment and including a housing carrying a second electrical connector; and   an electromechanical latch to selectively couple the cassette to the housing;   wherein when the cassette is engaged to the housing, the second electrical connector couples to the first electrical connector and the electromechanical latch locks the cassette to the housing.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the electromechanical latch is carried by the cassette housing. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2  wherein the electromechanical latch includes an actuator having a pin engaged in a first locking aperture of the housing, wherein the pin includes a cam surface and the housing includes a side portion that has a second locking aperture and that engages the cam surface of the pin to displace the pin from the locking aperture of the housing until the first and second locking apertures align at which point the pin snaps into engagement with the locking apertures to lock the cassette to the housing. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein the electromechanical latch is carried by the housing. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 4  wherein the housing further includes a backplane and the electromechanical latch is coupled to the backplane. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 5  wherein the electromechanical latch includes an electromechanical actuator coupled to the backplane and including a pin, and a lever pivotably coupled to the backplane and including a front end for coupling to the cassette and a rear end coupled to the pin of the actuator. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 6  wherein the actuator is coupled to a rear surface of the backplane, the front end of the lever extends through an aperture of the backplane and terminates in a bayonet having a cam surface and a barb for engaging the cassette. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 5  wherein the electromechanical latch includes a motor and drivetrain coupled to the backplane and a pivotable lever coupled to an output shaft of the drivetrain, wherein the lever has a first leg to lock the cassette thereto and a second leg to eject the cassette. 
     
     
         9 . A medication administering apparatus comprising:
 a housing including a compartment and a backplane carrying a first electrical connector corresponding to the compartment; and   a cassette carried in the compartment and including a housing carrying a second electrical connector, wherein when the cassette is engaged to the housing, the second electrical connector couples to the first electrical connector.   
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 9  further comprising a computer in communication with the first electrical connector, wherein when the second electrical connector couples to the first electrical connector the computer recognizes the cassette. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 10  further comprising a biometric security device coupled to the computer to verify at least one of an identification of an administering attendant who is to administer medication or a patient who is to receive administered medication. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 11  wherein the biometric security device identifies the administering attendant as he/she approaches the administering apparatus as an initial security measure, and receives access verification from the administering attendant as a secondary security measure. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 10  further comprising a tamper device in communication with the computer to alert personnel that security of the apparatus is being compromised according to at least one of the following three different alerts: 1) when an attempt is being made to forcibly remove the cassette from the apparatus when the cassette has not been unlocked, wherein the cassette will travel a predetermined distance before a switch is tripped to set off an alarm; 2) when an attempt is being made to forcibly remove medication from the apparatus out of the cassette, wherein output from a medication administering counter is sensed by the computer when a material handler has not been triggered to move; or 3) the apparatus has been tipped from its normal horizontal position, wherein a level sensor is tripped to set off an alarm. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 10  further comprising a proximity sensing device in communication with the computer to determine when someone other than a presently authorized user is in a position to view a touchscreen of the apparatus. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the backplane has an aperture and the cassette is disposed on one side of the backplane. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , further comprising a locking apparatus disposed on an opposite side of the backplane to selectively couple the cassette to the housing, wherein the locking apparatus includes a portion extending through the aperture in the backplane to engage the cassette. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 16  wherein the locking apparatus includes an electromechanical latch that includes a motor and drivetrain coupled to the backplane and having an output shaft, and wherein the electromechanical latch also includes a pivotable element coupled to the output shaft and having a locking portion to lock the cassette, wherein the motor is energized to cause the pivotable element to pivot so that the locking portion unlocks the cassette. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 17  wherein the pivotable element also has an ejecting portion to eject the cassette and wherein the motor is energized to cause the pivotable element to pivot so that the ejecting portion pushes the cassette outward for removal. 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 17  wherein the locking portion of the pivotable element terminates in a bayonet having a cam surface and a barb, and wherein the cassette includes a rear wall with a locking aperture into which the bayonet of the pivotable element extends so that the barb engages a rear inside surface of the rear wall when the pivotable element locks the cassette. 
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 16  wherein the locking apparatus includes an electromechanical latch that includes a motor and drivetrain coupled to the backplane and having an output shaft, and wherein the electromechanical latch also includes a pivotable element coupled to the output shaft and having a barb to lock the cassette, wherein the motor is energized to cause the pivotable element to pivot so that the pivotable element unlocks the cassette and so that the pivotable element pushes the cassette outward for removal. 
     
     
         21 . The apparatus of  claim 16  wherein the locking apparatus includes an electromechanical actuator coupled to the backplane and including a shot pin, and a pivotable element pivotably coupled to the backplane and having a front end that locks the cassette and a rear end coupled to the shot pin of the actuator, wherein the actuator may advance the shot pin to pivot the pivotable element so that the front end unlocks the cassette so that the cassette may be pulled away from the backplane. 
     
     
         22 . The apparatus of  claim 21  wherein the front end of the pivotable element terminates in a bayonet having a cam surface and a barb, and wherein the cassette includes a rear wall with a locking aperture into which the bayonet of the pivotable element extends so that the barb engages a rear inside surface of the rear wall when the pivotable element locks the cassette. 
     
     
         23 . A medication administering cassette for a medication administering apparatus, comprising:
 a housing to carry medication; and   a material handler carried by the housing to convey a strip of material out of the housing, and including a prime mover, a transmission coupled to the prime mover, laterally spaced drive elements coupled to the transmission, and laterally spaced driven elements operatively coupled to the drive elements,   wherein the prime mover drives the transmission and the transmission drives the drive elements and the drive elements engage the strip of material against the driven elements to convey the strip of material along a feed direction and to bias the strip of material in opposed directions transverse to the feed direction.   
     
     
         24 . The cassette of  claim 23  wherein the drive elements and the driven elements include opposed pairs of gears that are tapered to bias the strip material in the opposed directions.