• 专利附录
  • 专利说明
  • 权利要求
  • 类似技术
  • 同族专利
  • 引用文献
  • 法律状态
  • 优先权
    • 专利摘要:
    The present invention relates to a medicine locker comprising a drug delivery compartment and one or more drug storing compartments connected with the drug delivery compartment. The drug delivery compartment and drug storing compartments can be accessed from the front opening, and the access via the front opening to the drug delivery compartment and drug storing compartments can be opened or closed by means of a sliding closure element, slidably attached to slide bars mounted on the side walls.
    公开号:DK202000309A1
    申请号:DKP202000309
    申请日:2020-03-09
    公开日:2021-11-10
    发明作者:Møller Hansen Jesper
    申请人:Peoples Robots Aps；
    IPC主号:
    专利说明:

    DK 2020 00309 A1 1
    A MEDICINE LOCKER The present invention relates to a medicine locker with restricted access to the drug distributing parts.
    BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, drugs or medicaments have been distributed or provided to patients in a manual fashion. In such manual distribution methods and systems, a patient re- ceives a prescription from a medical practitioner in writing, and the prescribed medicaments may thereafter be purchased at a pharmacy. This method of manual distribution of medicaments has several problems associated with it. One problem is that wrong medicines or wrong dosages may be dispensed due to human error, po- tentially causing serious injury to the patient, or even death. Another problem with manual distribution methods is that unauthorized medicines that have not been pre- scribed by a medical practitioner can be dispensed in error, or the medicaments can be stolen due to inadequate tracking and non-secure storage and transit of the medicaments. Furthermore, current manual distribution methods do not monitor for counterfeit medications, medication side effects and timely intake of prescribed medicines by the patient. For example, a patient may skip or delay the intake of a medicament, or take the medicament too frequently, which could reduce the effect of the medicament or even be harmful to the patient. In order to overcome the above-mentioned problems, several automated medica- ment distribution systems have been developed. Typically, these automated drug dispensing systems are isolated units, placed at specified locations within a hospital, pharmacy, a patient's home, or other strategic location. These dispensing systems may be programmed for scheduled dispensation of medicines. To ensure authorized dispensing of medicaments, one or more automated drug dispensing systems can be connected to a remote computer or processor which monitors the activities of each dispensing machine. Such remote computers/processors serve an authorization node, which allows a medical practitioner or other authorized personal to control the dispensing of medicaments to one or more patients. Additionally, each remote computer may be
    DK 2020 00309 A1 2 connected to a central computer or node that controls and monitors a larger number of automatic dispensing machines in a wider geographic area.
    Remote medication management systems are useful systems which provide for the ability to store medications that are accessed via a computing terminal or other simi- lar interface which implements security measures to prohibit unauthorized access to medications.
    The result is that medications are stored in a secure manner that can prevent theft and unauthorized usage of medications, as well as reduce the number of instances where prescriptions may be mixed up or incorrect dosages applied dur- ing patient care.
    Many remote medication management systems accomplish such benefits via the use of separated physical containers inside of the remote medica- tion management system.
    However, such systems operate by having mechanical locks pieced on every physi- cal container inside of the remote medication management system.
    Such systems are effective at preventing unauthorized access to medications due to the mechani- cal locks, where access to any physical container is only allowed following authenti- cation and/or the entering of a valid medication order for medication stored in said container.
    However, the use of mechanical locks on every single physical container results in such remote medication management systems being very expensive, which may be unfeasible for some facilities, particularly smaller, independent clinics and pharmacies.
    In addition, having separate locks on every physical container can make resupply and inventory of the system time consuming and difficult.
    In some cases, the manufacturer or distributer or the remote medication management sys- tem may require locked physical containers to be returned to them, or to an author- ized third party, for resupply of medications, which complicates the process further and results in additional expenses that may be unfeasible for some facilities.
    Thus, there is a need for a remote medication management system that may pro- vide controlled access to medications that can achieve the benefits of traditional re- mote medication management systems, particularly the prevention of usage of in- correct medications and controlled access to medication, without the need for me- chanical locks to be placed on every physical container.
    DK 2020 00309 A1 3
    DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a medicine locker that can distribute medication in a reliable and safe manner without the use of mechanical locks.
    It is also an object to provide a medicine locker that can monitor and record the deliv- ery of drugs. In a first aspect, the present invention relates to a medicine locker, said medicine locker having a front side and back side, said back side being connected with a bot- tom wall, a top wall and two parallel side walls connecting the bottom wall and the top wall, said medicine locker comprising from the bottom wall and upwards: a drug delivery compartment; one or more drug storing compartments connected with the drug delivery com- partment; and where the drug delivery compartment and drug storing compartments can be accessed from a front opening, and wherein the access via the front opening to the drug delivery compartment and drug storing compartments can be opened or closed by means of a sliding closure ele- ment, slidably attached to slide bars mounted on the side walls, and where said clo- sure element is arranged to slide in a plane which is perpendicular to the plane of the side walls into a first position for allowing access to said drug delivery compart- ment, or into a second position for allowing access to the drug storing compart- ments, and wherein the sliding of the sliding closure element is controlled by a con- trol unit, where said control unit is arranged to receive an instruction from a first source, such as a medical practitioner, and arranged to open said medicine locker into said first or said second position in response to a code from a second source such as a drug distributor, e.g. a nurse.
    By the term “drugs” is generally meant medicine in the form of prescription drugs prescribed by a medical practitioner. The drugs may be in any form, such as solid or liquid, e.g. in the form of pills, ampoules or in a bottle.
    The sliding closure element is a kind of door or gate, which in its closed position pre- vents access to the interior of the locker, i.e. the drug delivery compartment and
    DK 2020 00309 A1 4 drug storing compartments. However, the sliding closure element is not hinged as a traditional door or gate a one edge, which would allow a pivotal movement around the hinge. The sliding closure element is connected at two opposing edges in slide bars in the side walls. Thus, the sliding closure element is capable of sliding up- wards and downwards, and closing the locker, or sliding to the first and second posi- tion, allowing access to the drug delivery compartment, or the drug delivery com- partment and the drug storing compartments, respectively. The sliding closure ele- ment slides in a plane parallel with the plane of the front opening, The sliding motion of the sliding closure element is controlled by a control unit. The control unit is preferably a programmable computer device, which is programmed to monitor the condition and function of the medicine locker. Programmable computer devices used as control units are well-known, and can be programmed by a skilled person. The sliding elements can also be controlled manually, and the manual oper- ation may serve as a safety procedure if the control unit fails.
    Although it is possible to operate the medicine locker manually, in an embodiment of the medicine locker the sliding closure element is connected to an actuator, and the actuator is controlled by the control unit. Thus, when the actuator is activated by the control unit, the actuator can affect the sliding closure element to slide to a desired position determined by the control unit. The actuator may be an electrically driven motor.
    The control unit is also adapted to determine the position of the sliding closure ele- ment. Thus, the control unit may, if desired, display the position of the sliding closure element on display, and moreover, the control unit may ensure that the sliding clo- sure element is in the correct position.
    In an embodiment of the medicine locker, the control unit is arranged to receive an instruction from a first source, such as a medical practitioner, and arranged to open the medicine locker into the first or said second position in response to a code from a second source, such as a drug distributor, e.g. a nurse.
    Thus, it is possible to operate the medicine locker via a remote control, without the need for physical locks or keys. The instructions are preferably sent to the control unit from a first source, such as a medical practitioner, and the corresponding code
    DK 2020 00309 A1 is preferably sent to the control unit from a second source, such as a drug distribu- tor, e.g. a nurse. The medical practitioner sends the code to the drug distributor, such that the medicine locker can only be opened using both the instructions and the code. 5 According to an embodiment of the medicine locker, the control unit is adapted to determine the drug present in the drug delivery compartment. Thus, a person, such as a medical practitioner, can obtain information from the control unit about the drugs and the amount of drugs present in the medicine locker. Such information is very useful when treating a patient.
    In an embodiment, the medicine locker comprises a supervision devise, such as a camera. When the medicine locker comprises a supervision device, such as a detec- tor or camera, the medicine locker is capable of recording incidents appearing in the vicinity of the locker. Such incidents may e.g. be attempts to obtain unauthorized ac- cess to the locker. Thus, the medicine locker can record such attempts. In an embod- iment, the supervision device is mounted in the sliding closure elements. The camera may also be used to enter the code such as e.g. a QR code, into the control unit.
    The invention also relates to a method for controlling the access to a medicine locker, said medicine locker having a front side and back side, said back side being connected with a bottom wall, a top wall and two parallel side walls connecting the bottom wall and the top wall, where the front opening comprises a sliding closure el- ement, slidably attached to slide bars mounted on the side walls, and controlled by a control unit, said method comprising the steps of: via a remote controller sending one of the instructions A or B: A: instructing the control unit to move the slidable closure element to a first position providing access to a drug delivery compartment, and maintain the slidable closure element in the first position for a predetermined time when a first code is en- tered; B: instructing the control device to move the slidable closure element to a second position providing access to one or more drug storing compartments, and maintain the slidable closure element in the second position for a predetermined time when a second code is entered;
    DK 2020 00309 A1 6 wherein, when the instruction A is selected, a first drug distributor is requested to enter the first control code and collect drug distributed in the drug delivery compart- ment, and deliver the drug to a patient; or wherein, when the instruction B is selected, a second drug distributor is requested to enter the second control code and provide drugs to the one or more drug storing compartments. According to the method, a person, e.g. a medical practitioner, may send an instruc- tion to the control unit via a remote controller, such as a mobile phone.
    When instruction A is sent to the control unit, a first code is also sent to the first drug distributor, which may e.g. be a nurse. The nurse then goes to the medicine locker and enters the first code, e.g.wireless via a mobile phone, and when the locker opens to the first position, the nurse collects the drug distributed in in the drug deliv- ery compartment. The slidable closure element remains open for e.g. 30 seconds, 1 minute or 2 minutes, which should give the nurse sufficient time to collect the drug. When instruction B is sent to the control unit, a second code is also sent to the sec- ond drug distributor, which may e.g. be a pharmacist. When the second code and optional additional information is received, the pharmacist will go to the medicine locker and enter the second code, e.g. by using a mobile phone, and when the locker opens to the second position, the pharmacist places the desired drug in drug storing compartments. The slidable closure element remains open for e.g. 30 seconds, 2 minute or 5 minutes, or 10 minutes, which should give the pharmacist sufficient time to place the drugs in the drug storing compartments. The predetermined time intervals specified above need not necessarily be fixed in the manner described above. The nurse and the pharmacist may in an embodiment have the option to determine how long the predetermined time should be. They may also have the option of closing the slidable closure element before the predeter- mined time has passed. To obtain a proper function of the medicine locker, the drug storing compartments and the drug delivery compartment are connected, and the drug storing compart-
    DK 2020 00309 A1 7 ments can distribute drugs to the drug delivery compartment in response to instruc- tions from the control unit. The instructions from the control unit may be the result of an instruction from a medical practitioner, sending a message about prescribed drugs to a patient.
    In an embodiment, the medicine locker records and stores information about drugs distributed from the drug storing compartments to the drug delivery compartment. Thus, it is possible to obtain documentation about the drug delivered to and from the locker.
    The medicine locker may also record and store all activity when the slidable closure element is in the first position or in the second position. This feature also serves to provide documentation about the drug delivered to and from the locker.
    In an embodiment, the medicine locker records and stores incidents of attempts to obtain unauthorised opening. This recording feature is a safety feature which may be used in connection with an alarm, which may activate in case of unauthorised opening of the medicine locker. The recording may also help identifying the person or persons who attempt unauthorised opening of the medicine locker.
    The medicine locker can be made from any desirable material, such as metal, steel, composite and plastic material. Preferably, the locked is made from steel.
    DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The invention will now be described in further details with reference to drawings in which: Figure 1 shows the medicine locker; Figure 2 shows the medicine locker with the slidable closure element in the first po- sition; Figure 3 shows the medicine locker with the slidable closure element in the second position;
    DK 2020 00309 A1 8 Figure 4 show the medicine locker with the slidable closure element in a position giving access to the control parts of the locker; and Figure 5 shows the interior of the locker from the front plane.
    The figures are only intended to illustrate the principles of the invention and may not be accurate in every detail. Moreover, parts which do not form part of the invention may be omitted. The same reference numbers are used for the same parts through- out the figures.
    Figure 1 shows an embodiment of the medicine locker 1. The medicine locker has a front side 2 and a back side 3, a bottom wall 4, a top wall 5, and two parallel side walls 6a and 6b. The front side 2 of the medicine locker 1 is closed by the slidable closure element 10.
    Figure 2 shows the medicine locker 1 where the slidable closure element 10 is in the first position, allowing access to the drug delivery compartment 11 via the front side
    2.
    Figure 3 shows the medicine locker 1 where the slidable closure element 10 is in the second position, allowing access to the drug delivery compartment 11 and the drug storing compartments via the front side 2.
    When the slidable closure element 10 is in the first position and the second position, the slidable closure element 10 has moved upwards in relation to the position where the slidable closure element 10 closes the medicine locker 1, as seen in figure 1. The slidable closure element 10 moves in slide bars mounted on the side walls 6a and 6b.
    Figure 4 shows the medicine locker 1 where the slidable closure element 10 is in the third position, providing access to a technical control compartment 13. In this third position, the slidable closure element 10 has moved downwards in relation to the position where the slidable closure element 10 closes the medicine locker 1, as seen in figure 1.
    DK 2020 00309 A1 9 In the technical control compartment 13, the control unit 14 is located. Moreover, a refrigerant device 15, which serves to cool the drug delivery compartment 11 and the drug storing compartments 12, is placed in the technical control compartment
    13. The actuators 16a and 16b, which serve to move the slidable closure element 10, are also located in the technical control compartment 13.
    Figure 5 shows the medicine locker 1 from the front side 2 without the slidable clo- sure element 10.
    From the bottom wall 4 to the top wall 5, the following elements are located in the medicine locker: the drug delivery compartment 11, the drug storing compartments 12, the refrigerant device 15, and the control unit 15. On the side walls 6a and 6b the actuators 16a and 16b are mounted.
    The above figures only illustrate some embodiments, and it is clear that other em- bodiments may be realized by the skilled person. The slidable closure element may e.g. be able to be in more than three positions, and the drug delivery compartment and the drug storing compartments may be arranged in a different manner.
    权利要求:
    Claims (10)
    [1] 1. A medicine locker, said medicine locker having a front side and back side, said back side being connected with a bottom wall, a top wall and two parallel side walls connecting the bottom wall and the top wall, said medicine locker comprising from the bottom wall and upwards: a drug delivery compartment; one or more drug storing compartments connected with the drug delivery com- partment; and where the drug delivery compartment and drug storing compartments can be accessed from a front opening, and wherein the access via the front opening to the drug delivery compartment and drug storing compartments can be opened or closed by means of a sliding closure ele- ment, slidably attached to slide bars mounted on the side walls, and where said clo- sure element is arranged to slide in a plane which is perpendicular to the plane of the side walls into a first position for allowing access to said drug delivery compart- ment, or into a second position for allowing access to the drug storing compart- ments, and wherein the sliding of the sliding closure element is controlled by a con- trol unit.
    [2] 2. A medicine locker according to claim 1, wherein the sliding closure element is connected to an actuator, said actuator being controlled by the control unit.
    [3] 3. A medicine locker according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit is adapted to determine the position of the sliding closure element.
    [4] 4. A medicine locker according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said control unit is arranged to receive an instruction from a first source, such as a medi- cal practitioner, and arranged to open said medicine locker into said first or said sec- ond position in response to a code from a second source, such as a drug distributor, e.g. a nurse.
    [5] 5. A medicine locker according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the con- trol unit is adapted to determine the drug present in the drug delivery compartment.
    DK 2020 00309 A1 11
    [6] 6. A medicine locker according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said medicine locker comprises a supervision devise, such as a camera.
    [7] 7. A method for controlling the access to a medicine locker, said medicine locker having a front side and back side, said back side being connected with a bottom wall, a top wall and two parallel side walls connecting the bottom wall and the top wall, where the front opening comprises a sliding closure element, slidably attached to slide bars mounted on the side walls, and controlled by a control unit, said method comprising the steps of: via a remote controller sending one of the instructions A or B: A. instructing the control unit to move the slidable closure element to a first position, providing access to a drug delivery compartment, and maintain the slidable closure element in the first position for a predetermined time when a first code is en- tered; B. instructing the control device to move the slidable closure element to a sec- ond position, providing access to one or more drug storing compartments, and main- tain the slidable closure element in the second position for a predetermined time when a second code is entered; Wherein, when the instruction A is selected, a first drug distributor is requested to enter the first control code and collect drug distributed in the drug delivery compart- ment, and deliver the drug to a patient; or Wherein, when the instruction B is selected, a second drug distributor is requested to enter the second control code and provide drugs to the one or more drug storing compartments.
    [8] 8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the drug storing compartments and the drug delivery compartment are connected, and the drug storing compartments dis- tribute drugs to the drug delivery compartment in response to instructions from the control unit.
    [9] 9. A method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the medicine locker records and stores information about drugs distributed from the drug storing compartments to the drug delivery compartment.
    DK 2020 00309 A1 12
    [10] 10. A method according to any of claims 7-9, wherein the medicine locker records and stores all activity when the slidable closure element is in the first position or in the second position, and wherein the medicine locker records and stores incidents of attempt to obtain unauthorised opening of the medicine locker.
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    同族专利:
    公开号 | 公开日
    DK180641B1|2021-11-10|
    引用文献:
    公开号 | 申请日 | 公开日 | 申请人 | 专利标题
    法律状态:
    2021-11-10| PAT| Application published|Effective date: 20210910 |
    2021-11-10| PME| Patent granted|Effective date: 20211110 |
    优先权:
    申请号 | 申请日 | 专利标题
    DKPA202000309A|DK180641B1|2020-03-09|2020-03-09|Medicine cabinet|DKPA202000309A| DK180641B1|2020-03-09|2020-03-09|Medicine cabinet|
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