FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a dispensing method and system and more particularly, but not exclusively, to a medicine dispensing method and system.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

South African provisional patent application number 2017/00357 entitled "DISPENSING UNIT AND METHOD OF DISPENSING" in the name of RIGHT EPHARMACY (PTY) LTD is incorporated herein, in its entirety, by way of reference. Dispensing methods and systems and medicinal automated dispensing methods and systems are well-known and widely used.

Prior art medicine sachet dispensing units include worm feeders or elongate wires onto which sachets are attached. The wires may puncture the main compartments of the sachets. The worm feeders may also similarly puncture the sachets bus adversity affecting the expiry date of the medicine contained inside the sachet.

A further difficulty with the dispensing of medicine sachets is that they may contain different amounts or volumes of medicine and thus have different thicknesses. A worm feeders particularly unsuitable for this type of dispensing.

The following prior art is relevant for the background of the current invention:

TOOL WITH SUCTION CUP(S) FOR HANDLING ROBOT

WO 2009077692 A1

Abstract: " The invention relates to a tool that comprises a body (1) in the form of a compact unit made of an appropriate material of the thermoplastic resin material type. The body (1) is adapted for placing the vacuum generator, in the form of a cartridge (3), as close as possible to the suction cup (2). It comprises a bore for housing the cartridge (3), and a very short inner circuit between the vacuum chamber (4) and the suction cup (2). The body (1) can be mounted on a base (20) in order to form a compact tool that comprises a plurality of bodies (1), wherein said bodies (1) are arranged vertically in pairs and are assembled to said base (20) at the protrusion (11) bearing the corresponding suction cup (2) and located under said base (20)."

AUTOMATIC BAGGING MEDICINE DELIVERY MACHINE AND MEDICINE DELIVERY METHOD THEREOF CN 102424127 A

Abstract: "The invention discloses an automatic bagging medicine delivery machine, which comprises two medicine feeding mechanisms, a medicine collecting mechanism, two bag opening mechanisms and a bag making mechanism, wherein all mechanisms are fixed on a support frame, the two medicine feeding mechanisms are parallel and are fixedly arranged above the medicine collecting mechanism for being matched with each other to realize the medicine feeding, the two bag opening mechanisms are parallelly and fixedly arranged between the medicine feeding mechanism and the medicine collecting mechanism and are used for opening medicine bags, and the bag making mechanism is arranged at the lateral side of the medicine collecting mechanism and is used for making the medicine bags and filling the medicine bags. A medicine delivery method based on the automatic bagging machine has the steps of bag making, bag filling, medicine filling, opening sealing and bag taking. Through the mechanical automatic program control, the medicine filling speed is high, the time and the labor are saved, in addition, the crossed pollution of medicine is avoided, the medicine cleanness is reached, and in addition, the machine is easy to dismount and is convenient to maintain."

MEDICATION DISPENSING SYSTEM WO 2017044568 A1

Abstract: "Methods and systems for a drug supply with an associated dosing regimen are described. Sachets may to store at least one pharmaceutical drug. A dosing bag holds at least one sachet and stores a specific pharmaceutical dose. Dosing bag assemblies are formed from one or more than one dosing bag and can be connected together to form a package. A book may be formed to include a plurality of drug containing bags or bag assemblies, which may form pages in the booklet. The dosing bags may be removed from the pages to allow the patient to take the specific pharmaceutical dose with them, alternatively, the dosing bag may be opened in the booklet and the specific pharmaceutical dose may be taken."

AUTOMATED WAREHOUSE STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL SYSTEM US 20160236865 A1

Abstract: "A system for the automated storage and retrieval of items in a warehouse which may be installed on current and existing warehouse shelving networks. One or more robotic arms are mounted on moving carriages which traverse the horizontal edge of select shelving systems along guideways mounted along said edges. The robotic arms may access the shelving units directly above and/or below the respective shelves of the robotic arms. An end effector located on the end of the robotic arm features a scanning device to accurately locate desired items based on the scanning of a barcode or other optical reading means. The end effector grabs the desired item, and the robotic arm system then transports the desired item to or from a picking station for delivery or storage, respectively. The system operates quickly and economically due to the inclusion of one or more robotic arms and the ability to operate on existing warehouse shelving networks."

The robotic arm described in the above US patent application includes a scanner to accurately locate desired items based on the scanning of a barcode or other optical reading means.

SOFT PACKAGE GRAB ROBOT CN 203319262 U

Abstract: " The utility model discloses a soft package grab robot which comprises a mechanical arm, wherein an absorption device is arranged on the mechanical arm and comprises a mounting plate, suckers and a connecting rod; the suckers are distributed on and fixedly connected onto the mounting plate, and the mounting plate is fixedly connected to the connecting rod; and suction ports are formed in the suckers, the suction ports of all the suckers on the mounting plate are located on the same operation plane, and the lifting direction of the mechanical arm is intersected with and inclined to the operation plane. According to the soft package grab robot, the suckers are fixed on the mounting plate in the best manner by optimizing the structure of the absorption device on the mechanical arm, and the operation planes inclined relative to the lifting direction of the mechanical arm are formed in the suckers, so that more suckers can be sufficiently contacted with the upper surface of a soft package, the better package absorption effect can be realized, therefore, the soft package grab robot is suitable for soft package absorption operation."

The above disclosure discloses suckers but does not disclose the use of vacuum or negative pressure to grab a soft package.

VACUUM SUCTION-LIFT UNSTACKING MECHANISM OF SOFT BAGGED PACKAGE

CN 104803203 A

Abstract: "The invention relates to a vacuum suction-lift unstacking mechanism of a soft bagged package, which is an unstacking operating mechanism used for soft bagged products such as white sugar, manganese powder, cement, fertilizers and the like. The vacuum suction-lift unstacking mechanism is mainly formed in a way that a square connecting base, a vacuum suction-lift cylinder, a vacuum chuck, a left clamping cylinder, a right clamping cylinder, a left clamping fork claw and a right clamping fork claw are combined and connected. The vacuum suction -lift unstacking mechanism of the soft bagged package is the vacuum suction-lift unstacking operating mechanism of the soft bagged package, which is matched with manipulator stacking, and the vacuum suction-lift unstacking mechanism has the advantages of simple and compact structure, good operating quality, high efficiency and reliability and has good popularization and application prospects." The above Chinese patent application discloses the use of negative pressure for lifting a soft or flexible bag.

VACUUM GRIPPING APPARATUS US 8560121 B2

Abstract: "A gripper grasps irregular and deformable work pieces so as to lift and hold packaged, processed, or raw, and manipulate the work pieces for the purpose of material handling, assembly, packaging, and other robotic and automated manipulative functions. A vacuum is induced at multiple points through a flexible gripping hood to provide lifting force to, and facilitate rapid movement of, work pieces. An array of lighting devices and a double ring array of segmented mirrors provide uniform illumination to ensure accurate positioning of the gripping hood with respect to the work piece to be manipulated." STORAGE SYSTEM WITH ADJACENT LOCKERS CONTROLLED BY A MICROPROCESSOR DEVICE US 5231272 A

Abstract: "A storage system with adjacent lockers comprising a keyboard-visualizing display screen connected to a microprocessor device and enabling an attendant to record the identity of a user; a dispenser device for delivering to the user a ticket onto which are stored at least the number of the locker assigned to the user and his identity and a device associated with each locker for receiving and reading the ticket, said system being applicable in railway stations or airports." DEVICE FOR STORING AND DISPOSING ARTICLES FOR WITHDRAWAL US 20040129779 A1

Abstract: "Device for storage of objects which can be used by arbitrary, identified users, where there is an enclosed space (11) which is closed with a lockable door ( 12), and where the lockable door (12) is provided with a lock (13) which can be opened with a code or an encoded element, especially and ID-card which requires identification of the user, and where each object which is incorporated in the enclosed space is provided with an individual remotely readable identification, such as an electronic ID-card ( 18). The enclosed space can be a wardrobe provided with at least one ID-reader (15, 16) which can ascertain the presence of a plurality of objects (17). The ID-readers ( 15, 16) are prepared to register the presence of an object only when the door (12) to the wardrobe is closed. The ID-reader as well as the lock (13) is connected with a data network for registering user identities and content."

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR REMOTELY COORDINATING THE SECURE DELIVERY OF GOODS US 6882269 B2

Abstract: "A system and process for securing goods delivered to and retrieved from a secure storage unit is provided. The system utilizes a locker having an interior into which at least one good may be inserted and secured by a door via a locking mechanism. Access to the interior of the locker is controlled by a server which is in communication with the locker via an Internet or other network connection. The server controls the accessing and operation of the locker either directly or in combination with a controller. The controller is suitably situated in a kiosk that provides user interfaces by which customers, vendors, and/or carriers access and utilize the locker. The locker may be any suitable storage container including garages, mailboxes, heated/cooled compartments, and other storage units. The kiosk may also include other vending machines and dispensing devices, the operation of which are preferably controlled by the server."

The above locker dispenser system discloses heated and/or cooled compartments for storing goods to be dispensed.

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR REMOTELY COORDINATING THE SECURE DELIVERY OF GOODS WO 20020071 19 A1

Abstract: "A system and process (100) for securing goods delivered to and retrieved from a secure storage unit is provided. The system utilizes a locker (120) having an interior into mechanism. Access to the interior of the locker is controlled by a server (102) which is in communication with the locker via an Internet or other network connection ( 124, 128). The server controls the accessing and operation of the locker either directly (122, 132) or combination with a controller (116). The controller is suitably situated in a kiosk (202) that provides user interfaces (112) by which customers, vendors, and/or carriers access and utilize the locker. The locker may be any suitable storage container including garages, mailboxes, heated/cooler compartment, and other storage units (206). The kiosk may also include other vending machines and dispensing device, the operation of which are preferably controlled by the server." SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF INVENTORY MANAGEMENT UTILIZING UNATTENDED FACILITIES US 7055741 B2

Abstract: "An inventory management system utilizes unattended facilities remote from a central warehouse for service parts logistics. Items are placed in inventory in secure enclosures at the unattended facilities by the inventory management service or are delivered directly to the unattended facility. The unattended facilities may be located near one or more customers to reduce a service technician's travel time and customers' inventory costs. A service technician utilizes a passcode to retrieve needed items. The service technician may order items that are not kept in the inventory of the unattended facility in which case the items may be delivered to the unattended facility and the service technician may receive a notification related to all the items that comprise an order that the order is ready for pick up at an unattended facility. Unused, used or damaged parts may be returned by a technician to a remote secure enclosure where such returned parts may be retrieved and disposed of, repaired or placed back into inventory if not damaged or after repair, and the processing of such returned parts begins by information entered into a data entry device at the remote secure enclosure location. Return items that are not damaged may be included in the inventory of an unattended facility."

The above system, instead of being a dispensing system, is an item deposit system which items require servicing by a service provider.

Pickup boxes for dispensing of purchased goods are also well-known. A purchaser normally receives a code via his mobile telephone which code can be used to open a locker at the centralised dispensing location.

The following article on medicine dispensing pick-up lockers was published was published on 24 October 2016:

BY LUNGELO SHEZI ON 24TH OCTOBER GENERAL NEWS

"Medicine-dispensing lockers to be launched soon in SA

The smart medicine-dispensing locker system which won this year's R1 million Hack.Jozi grand prize is almost ready to launch its pilot phase.

Created by Neo Hutiri, the Technovera Locker System is designed to shorten the time chronic patients spend queuing for their repeat prescriptions to be filled, as well as streamlining operations for state healthcare facilities, and improving compliance and reducing the cost of chronic patient care. Since winning Hack.Jozi, Hutiri has gone on to win Samsung South Africa Launching People - Mixed Talents competition for the solution, bagging R50 000 startup capital and access to over R300 000 worth of business support tools from Samsung's partners.

Together with the Department of Health, the Innovation Hub, the Cities of Tshwane and Joburg, as well as medical and pharmaceutical stakeholders and patients, Technovera has been developed and will be piloted in the near future. "Proving compliance, security and confidentiality, as well as ensuring that the system innovates within the constraints of a highly regulated environment, has been challenging," Hutiri said about developing the system.

"However, I believe that the digitised, smart system will deliver a broad range of benefits to healthcare service providers and patients alike, with the potential to integrate into other centralised health care and patient management systems for enhanced service delivery in future," he said.

How it will work

The Technovera solution includes a smart locker, an SMS notification system and chronic medication collection tracking.

Patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimens, for example, who are stable chronic patients, typically have a six-month repeat prescription with an evaluation due every six months.

For five of every six months, the process of collecting the repeat prescription need not involve the nurse, patients could simply be authenticated and collect their medication. "By introducing this innovation, we can allow for pre-packed medication to be placed in smart locker cubicles and automatically notify the patients via SMS that their prescriptions are ready for collection," Hutiri explained.

Each patient is validated by entering a one-time PIN and their cellphone number, which electronically unlocks their compartment." This article does not disclose the use of cooled or humidity controlled lockers nor does it disclose the possibility of a consultation with a pharmacist or other authorised medicine dispenser. In many countries, there is a shortage of pharmacists or other qualified personnel authorised to dispense medicine. In most cases, it is a requirement that a patient has the option to receive a consultation in respect of the use of the medicine at the time when the medicine is dispensed to them.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION It is an object of this invention to provide a dispensing system and method of the type described above or a dispensing system and method which, at least partially, alleviates some of the above-mentioned difficulties.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with this invention there is provided a medicine dispensing system comprising a grabber means and a scanner means attached to a movable support.

The movable support is a three-dimensionally movable support. There is provided for the movable support to be a robotic arm.

A further feature of the invention provides for the grabber means to include an abutment means for abutting an object or item to be grabbed and for the abutment means to form a cavity between the item and the abutment means.

A tube, which terminates in the cavity, creates a negative pressure inside the cavity. There is provided to for the scanner to be a barcode scanner, a camera, an electromagnetic scanner or any other convenient scanner. A second scanner can be used to scan an underside or a side of a grabbed item using the robotic arm, and which item's barcode or other identification means is not visible using the first scanner. The item grabbed is a sachet or other plastics material bag filled with medicine.

A third and/or fourth scanner is located above and below a delivery shoot.

The scanner located below the delivery shoot is located below a transparent section of the delivery shoot.

There is provided for a stopper to be activated in case the third and/or fourth scanner senses that an incorrect medicine is being dispensed. There is provided for the medicine bags to be loaded in an elongate cross-sectionally square or rectangular cartridge mounted substantially upright or at an angle and having advancement means for advancing the bags loaded therein as the bags are being grabbed and dispensed by the robotic arm. This invention extends to a medicine delivery method comprising the steps of:

- grabbing a flexible bag filled with medicine using a grabbing means at an end of a movable support; and

- scanning an identification marking or identification means which is discernible or detectable on the flexible bag, using a scanner, in close proximity to a free end of the movable support, to identify the medicine contained therein.

The method extends to the step of moving the grabbed bag over a second scanner in case the first scanner was unable to read or sense the identification marking or means. The method further extends to releasing the bag, in close proximity to an upper end of a dispensing chute. A further feature of the invention provides for the dispensing chute to allow the medicine bag to slide downwards thereon under force of gravity; alternatively, for the dispensing chute to be a conveyor belt or to include a conveyor or movable section. There is still further provided for the method to include the step of scanning the bag from above the dispensing chute and/or from below the dispensing chute, through a transparent section thereof.

A further step includes activating a stopper to prevent the dispensing of the bag containing the medicine in case the third and/or fourth scanner detects or senses that an incorrect medicine is being dispensed.

In accordance with a third aspect of this invention there is provided a pickup locker set including remote communication means which may include audio and/or visual communication means for communicating with a person authorised to consult on the dispensing of medicine, at the time before or after a patient uses a code to open a locker and to remove prescribed medicine therefrom, previously placed therein by a service provider. These and other features of the invention are described in more detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the invention are described below by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 : shows a schematic diagram of a medicine dispensing system and method with a robotic arm in a first position;

Figure 2: shows the same diagram of figure 1 but with the robotic arm a second position; Figure 3: shows the same diagram as figures 1 and 2 but with the robotic arm in a third position;

Figure 4: shows the same diagram as figures 1 to 3 but with the robotic arm in a fourth position; and

Figure 5: shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a medicine sachet dispenser cartridge.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

With reference to the drawings, in which like features are indicated by like numerals, a medicine dispensing system and method is generally indicated by reference numeral 1 . The system 1 includes a grabber means (17 and 18) and a scanner means 16 attached to a movable support 2. The movable support is a robotic arm and a grabber means includes fingers 18 and suckers or abutment means 17.

A scanner 16, in the form of a barcode reader, is also attached at the end of the robotic arm 2.

A stack of dispensing cartridges 3 in the form of elongate rectangular or square tubes (3a to 3g) are mounted at an angle so that the open ends, from where medicine bags 14 that are stacked there in are dispensed, face upward from the horizontal.

A second barcode scanner for is also provided.

A delivery chute 7, is located at an angle to the horizontal so that a medicine bag placed thereon will slide downwards, under force of gravity, to a dispensing receptacle formed between a front face 12, a door 1 1 and a lower end of the dispensing or delivery chute 7. The door 1 1 may be opened using handle 10. The door opens only once a patient has been positively identified or after having entered a code relating to the medicine to be dispensed and to the patient.

The delivery shoot has a transparent section 8 and a third scanner 5, also in the form of a barcode scanner, is located underneath the transparent section.

A fourth scanner 6 is situated above the delivery chute 7.

With reference to figure 4, a stopper 13 is shown in an activated position in which it extends normally upwardly from the delivery chute 7.

Figure 5 shows a close-up view of a cartridge with the medicine bags located therein and an advancement means in the form of a ram 15 moving the medicine bags 14 towards the open end of the cartridge (in the direction of the arrow in the drawing) as the medicine bags are being grabbed and dispensed as described further below.

In use, and is shown by the arrow in figure 1 , the robotic arm is used to move the fingers 18 and the suckers 17 onto a plastics material medicine bag 14 located in one of the cartridges 3. A suction tube (not shown) creates a negative pressure in a cavity formed between the suckers 17 and the flexible medical bag 14 so that the medical bag attaches to the free end of the robotic arm. The scanner 16 is used to scan a barcode printed on the medicine bag. In case the scanner is unable to read the barcode, the robotic arm moves the grabbed medicine bag past scanner 4 in an attempt to get a barcode reading.

If a barcode reading is not achieved, the bag may be discarded in discard bin and the process may start afresh.

Once the medicine bag is positively identified the robotic arm deposits the medicine bag at an upper end of the delivery chute where it slides down into receptacle 9, under force of gravity. Scanners 5 and 6 are now used to finally identify the medicine bag. In case of an incorrect reading, the stopper 13 is activated to stop the dispensing of the medicine bag i.e. to stop the medicine bag from sliding into the dispensing receptacle area. As shown in figure 4, once the medicine bag 14 is stopped, the robotic arm may be used to retrieve the medicine bag from the dispensing chute and discard it in the discard bin.

When medicine, that is located in the flexible plastics material bags, is loaded into the cartridges, the location of different medicines are recorded in a computing means operated by bespoke software. In a further embodiment, pickup lockers maybe preloaded with medicine to be dispensed to patients. The patient will receive a telephonic message including a code, as is known in the art. When the patient retrieves the medicine using the code to open the door to the specific locker allocated to that patient, the patient will have the option to consult with an authorised person in respect of the medicine being dispensed. The authorised person may communicate with the patient from a remote location using a communication means which may include both audio and visual capabilities. Additionally, the lockers or at least some of them may be refrigerated and temperature controlled. Further additionally, the humidity inside the lockers may also be controllable.

It is envisaged that the invention described herein will be convenient to use and will provide a failsafe method and system in that various checks and balances ensure that the correct medicine will be dispensed. Not only will the location of medicine relative to each cartridge be recorded and pre-programmed into computer software controlling the system but up to 4 scanners may be used to confirm that the correct medicine is being dispensed. The location and orientation of the cartridges also saves space thus allowing for smaller dispensing units to be located at convenient locations. The use of the suckers, which may be made of a flexible plastics material, as well as the vacuum forming tube ensures that the medicine bags are not punctured and remain intact when handled by the robotic arm.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various other embodiments of the invention are possible without departing from the scope thereof. For example, instead of using barcode scanners, cameras near field sensors or other electromagnetic sensors may be used. In addition, instead of dispensing the medicine down and inclined dispensing chute, under force of gravity, a combination of such a chute and conveyor means or moving parts may be used.