Pill feeder
US10399764B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 4, 2016 |
| Grant date | Sep 3, 2019 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 4, 2036 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB65D2583/049
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A pill feeder accepts a quantity of pills and organizes the pills into a single file where each pill is output in a controlled orientation at a controlled rate. The pill feeder includes a rotating disk, a rotating rim, a lift gate, a separator gate, and an exit path. The rotating disk receives and moves pills in a rotation direction about a surface of the rotating disk at a first angular velocity. The rotating rim that moves pills received from the rotating disk in the same rotation direction as the rotating disk. The lift gate raises a height above the surface of the rotating rim that permits passage of a single layer of the plurality of pills. A transition to an exit chute of the pill feeder provides a plurality of slopes to control the orientation of pills transitioning from the rim to the exit chute.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.