Patents by Inventor Nathan Hollis MacDonald

Nathan Hollis MacDonald has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Apparatus and method for dispensing medication
    Patent number: 6607094
    Abstract: Apparatus and method for storing medicaments in bulk and individually dispensing solid medicaments, such as medicine in tablet or pill form, including a rotatable carousel having a plurality of circumferentially spaced-apart upwardly opening storage compartments, each receiving a plurality of identical medicaments in bulk different than the medicaments in each other compartment. Disposed on the carousel between each alternate pair of compartments is a vertical discharge chute which is rotated into alignment with a dispensing station after one of the medicaments is removed from one of the compartments. A vacuum operated probe is pivotally mounted on the frame opposite the dispensing station for swinging movement between a lower position, in which a terminal end of the probe is inside the compartments in engagement with a medicament therein, and a raised position above the carousel, allowing the carousel to rotate to a position in which the adjacent discharge chute is aligned with the terminal probe end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2003
    Inventor: Nathan Hollis MacDonald
  • APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR DISPENSING MEDICATION
    Publication number: 20030024943
    Abstract: Apparatus and method for storing medicaments in bulk and individually dispensing solid medicaments, such as medicine in tablet or pill form, including a rotatable carousel having a plurality of circumferentially spaced-apart upwardly opening storage compartments, each receiving a plurality of identical medicaments in bulk different than the medicaments in each other compartment. Disposed on the carousel between each alternate pair of compartments is a vertical discharge chute which is rotated into alignment with a dispensing station after one of the medicaments is removed from one of the compartments. A vacuum operated probe is pivotally mounted on the frame opposite the dispensing station for swinging movement between a lower position, in which a terminal end of the probe is inside the compartments in engagement with a medicament therein, and a raised position above the carousel, allowing the carousel to rotate to a position in which the adjacent discharge chute is aligned with the terminal probe end.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2001
    Publication date: February 6, 2003
    Inventor: Nathan Hollis MacDonald