FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a cartridge and more particularly, but not exclusively, to a cartridge for storing, transporting and dispensing sachets containing medicine.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

In practice a robot can be used for the dispensing of medicine. Medicine containers are stored in a storage device. The robot has a mechanism, for example, an extendable arm with some kind of grabbing device at a front end thereof, to assist in removing the medicine containers from the storage device to dispense it.

The existing storage devices are designed for the storage and dispensing of medicine bottles or boxes. Sachets cannot conveniently be dispensed from existing storage devices without, for example, first loading a sachet in a bespoke sachet dispensing container box. The arm then grabs the box instead of the sachet.

Use of such individually loaded boxes consumes a lot of space in a dispenser. Consequently, the storage system needs to be refilled more often, making it a labour-intensive process in addition to taking up unnecessary space. OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of this invention to provide a cartridge that, at least partially, alleviates the abovementioned difficulty.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with this invention there is provided a cartridge comprising a housing having a door with activation means to open the door and locking means to secure the door in a closed position and effective volume adjustment means insertable inside the housing to adjust an operative cross- sectional area of the housing.

There is provided for the adjustment means to be insertable in a number of positions inside the housing to adjust an operative cross-sectional area of the housing.

There is provided for the activation means to be a stub that extends co- planarly from an operatively upper edge of the door.

A further feature of the invention provides for the locking means to be a locking pin movable between an inoperative position in which the pin is retracted from an opening in the housing or the door and part thereof seats in the door or the housing and an operative position in which at least a free end of the pin extends into an opening in the housing or the door with an opposite end of the pin inside the door of the housing. There is provided for the pin to be magnetically operable.

There is further provided for the pin to be biased to its operative position with a coil spring.

A still further feature of the invention provides for the adjustment means to be plate having slots that cooperate to engage the plates substantially rectangular to each other and for edges of the plates to engage in slots in inner walls of the housing.

The housing has a notch on its outside for engagement in a spring-loaded locking mechanism. There is also provided for the housing to have a male or female snap fit securing means for securing the housing in a dispensing apparatus.

These and other features of invention are described in more detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS An embodiment of the invention is described below by way of example only and with reference to the drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a top front-left perspective view of a cartridge with an opened door in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 shows a front perspective view of the cartridge in figure 1 ;

Figure 3 shows a bottom left perspective view of the cartridge of figures 1 and 2;

Figure 4 shows a cross sectional view along the length of the cartridge of figures 1 to 3, loaded with sachets;

Figure 5 shows a left bottom perspective view of a number of stacked cartridges of the cartridges of figures 1 to 4;

Figure 6 shows a left bottom perspective view of the stacked cartridges of figure 5, with doors of the cartridges open; and Figure 7 shows assembled divider plates for use in the cartridge of

figures 1 to 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING With reference to the drawings, a cartridge is generally indicated by reference numeral 1.

The cartridge includes a box formed by five panels, joined normally to each other to form a rectangular box with an open top. The box has a left side panel 17 and right side panel 18. These side panels are parallel to each other. A top panel 20 and bottom panel 21 are also parallel to each other. A rear panel 19 closes off the box, at its rear end.

The top or roof panel 20 of the box has a centrally located cut-out 6 in a front edge thereof, in other word in the open end of the box.

Parallel grooves 5 extend lengthwise on the inside surfaces of the left and right side panels. The grooves in the side panels are opposed to and aligned with each other.

Parallel grooves 22 extend lengthwise on the inside surface of the bottom panel or floor.

Holes 8 in the top front inner surfaces of the side panels (17 and 18) receive hinge rods 16 of a door 2. The hinge rods 16 extend normally away from top left and right sides of a door 2. The door is used to selectively close off or open the open front end of the box.

The door is a rectangular panel, for selectively opening and closing the front end of the cartridge 1. A co-planar rectangular push lip or tab 15 extends centrally from a top edge of the door 2. When the door is hinged to its open position, the tab locates in the cut-out of the roof panel.

A step 9 in the front inside edge of the bottom panel provides a seat for receiving an free edge of the door when the door is in its closed position. The Two blind bores 7 are situated and spaced apart in the step. The bores extend operatively downwardly into the step.

Two magnets 3 are embedded in the free, outer edge of the door 2. The magnets 3 are short, round rods located in complementary shaped bores in the side of the door, their axes parallel with a major axis of the door. The magnets 3 are movable between a first position in which the magnets extend out of the side of the door and a second position in which the magnets 3 are retracted into the door.

Springs 3a are located inside the bore between the ceiling of the bores 7 and the top inner surfaces of the magnets 3.

When the magnets are retracted into the door, under opposing magnetic force, the door can hinge to its closed position. Once in its closed position, the opposing magnetic force can be removed so that the magnets move partially out of the door so that their free ends locate in the blind bores.

A radio frequency (RF) tag (4) is located on the left side of the bottom surface of the bottom panel. The right side panel 18 is wider than the left side panel 17 so that a bottom edge thereof extends past the bottom panel 21 to form an elongate bottom side lip 23. The lip 23 has a notch 12 therein.

The rear panel 19 similarly extends past the bottom panel to form an elongate bottom rear lip 24. A male retainer clip 11 having a base and an outwardly extending male section with a thickened outer end, is secured to an inner surface of lip 24 with a screw 10.

Vertical divider plates 13 and horizontal divider plates 14 are insertable in the cartridge to define a storage space having a smaller cross sectional area and thus volume to the empty box. Figures 3 and 6 specifically show panels thus inserted in the box to form a smaller storage space. The divider plate 14 is rectangular and its opposing long edges fit slidingly into opposing grooves 5 in the inside surface of the left and right panels (17 and 18).

The divider plates (13 and 14) have co-operating slots 25 therein. The divider plates slidingly engage with each other’s slots so that they extend at a right angle to each other. Figure 7 and 8 show this engagement process. When the plates are thus engaged, their opposing long edges slidingly engage in the grooves (5 and 22).

The magnets 3 are biased towards their first position in which they extend from the door, with coil springs co-axially located behind each magnet 3. The door 2 is moveable between its closed position in which its free side seats in the step 9. In this position, as described above, the magnets 3 are in their first position so that their front or free ends locate in the blind bores 7. The door 2 is hingeable to an open position by applying an opposing magnetic force to the magnets to force them out of engagement with the blind bores allowing the door to hinge out of its closed position to its open position. A force acting parallel to a main axis of the box, acting on the tab, causes movement of the door from its closed position to its open position. In its open position, the door 2 extends substantially co-planarly with the top panel 20, away from the cartridge 1 , with the tab locating in the cut-out.

In other words, the door 2 is hinged to its open position by first applying an opposing magnetic force to the magnets to force them to retract onto the blind bores, enough so that their fee ends are free of the blind bores. Thereafter, the tab is pushed or forced rearwardly to hinge the door to it open position.

In use, the dividers are used and inserted in the box to define a storage container having a smaller cross sectional area than the box itself. This adjusted surface areas is chosen to allow a sachet containing medicine to snugly fit therein. A number of such sachets are stacked inside this adjusted container as he specifically is shown in figure 4.

A number of such cartridges may be stacked in a matrix at an angle as shown in figure 5. The angle is chosen to allow the sachets to remain flat on top of each other so that they may not easily fall out or be removed from the cartridges. Robotic arm having a suction cup at its front end may now be used to remove sachets from the cartridges once the dispensing apparatus has opened the doors of the cartridges by pushing on the tab 15.

Dispensing apparatus also reads information relating to the cartridge as well as the medicine that it contains by interrogating the RF tag 10. A spring- loaded locking mechanism catches into the notches 12 on each of the cartridges and the male securing means 11 snap fits into a complementary shaped female securing means. Of course, magnets located in the dispensing apparatus causes the magnets 3 to disengage from the holes in the step of the floor of the cartridge to thus allow the door to be opened.

It is envisaged that the cartridge described herein will be convenient to use to store, transport and dispense medicine sachets. Whilst in transit, the door is securely locked with hidden magnets but the door is easily opened once the cartridge is loaded into a bespoke dispensing apparatus. Once installed into a dispensing apparatus the cartridges are held in place with the securing means 11 and with the securing means engaging in the notch 12. Information relating to the medicine and other information relating to the cartridge may be downloaded from the radiofrequency tag. As a result of the angle of installation of the cartridges the sachets remain securely stored within the cartridges under force of gravity until they are forcibly removed.