Methods and systems for pallet sizing and pucking

• US 10,086,974 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2015
• Issued: 10/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Express Scripts Strategic Development, Inc. (The Cigna Group)
• Original Assignee: Express Scripts Strategic Development, Inc. (The Cigna Group)
• Inventors: Joplin, Jonathan W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Adams, Gregory W
• Application Number:
  US14/798,344
• Publication Number:
  US 20170015005A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,177 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 15/0052 multiple gripper units or multiple end effectors
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/0093 co-operating with conveyor means
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 3/003 Filling medical containers such as ampoules, vials, syringes or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 57/16 and operating to stop, or to control the speed of, the machine as a whole
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 9/045 for single articles, e.g. tablets
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 19/44 Elements or devices for locating articles on platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 2201/0261 Puck as article support
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers

Abstract

A pharmaceutical order filling system uses pucks disposed on a pallet to accommodate a plurality of container sizes into which pharmaceuticals can be dispensed. An order processing device receives a pharmaceutical order and identifies a size of container into which a pharmaceutical in the pharmaceutical order should be dispensed. A pallet sizing and pucking device is configured: to configure a pallet with a plurality of pucks adapted to accommodate containers and to configure the pucks on a pallet in a manner that will facilitate efficient fulfillment of the pharmaceutical order.

Claims

1. A pharmaceutical order filling system comprising:

an order processing device to receive pharmaceutical orders;

a plurality of pucks including a first group of pucks adapted to receive a first set of containers and a second group of pucks adapted to receive a second set of containers, the containers being from the first set of containers or the second set of containers; and

a pallet sizing and pucking device coupled to the order processing device, the pallet sizing and pucking device including a plurality of pucking stations adapted to configure a pallet having a plurality of inserts with a plurality of pucks associated with a pharmaceutical order,

wherein the pallet sizing and pucking device includes;

a gripper assembly including a plurality of gripper heads, each gripper head adapted to grip and to release each puck of the plurality of pucks, wherein each gripper head is one of biased opened and biased closed, wherein each gripper head of the plurality of gripper heads is an independently actuated, pneumatic gripper head adapted to grip and to release each puck of the plurality of pucks, and wherein the plurality of gripper heads are adapted to align with a row of inserts of the plurality of inserts;

a puck conveyor that circulates a group of the plurality of pucks among the plurality of pucking stations, a first puck conveyor adapted to circulate the first group of the plurality of pucks, a second puck conveyor that is adapted to circulate the second group of the plurality of pucks, and a puck holding area, wherein the puck holding area comprises a portion of the puck conveyor and a stop unit; and

wherein at least one pucking station of the plurality of pucking stations includes a robot arm, the robot arm adapted to selectively place at least one of the pucks onto the pallet and to selectively remove at least one of the pucks from the pallet, wherein the robot arm is adapted to selectively remove the puck from the puck holding area when the puck is gripped by the gripper assembly and to selectively place the puck over an insert of the plurality of inserts when the puck is released by the gripper assembly, and wherein the robot arm is adapted to selectively place a group of the plurality of pucks onto a row of inserts of the plurality of inserts, each puck being from at least one of the first group of the plurality of pucks and the second group of the plurality of pucks.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein an insert of the row of inserts is substantially cylindrical and has an internal diameter of approximately 2.3 inches, and wherein each puck of the first group of pucks comprises an interior wall and an exterior wall and is adapted to receive the insert between the interior wall and the exterior wall of the puck.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the second container is a different size than the first container and wherein each puck of the second group of pucks is a different size than each puck of the first group of pucks.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein each puck of the first group of pucks is configured to receive a container having a volume of approximately 75 cubic centimeters and each puck of the second group of pucks is configured to receive a container having a volume of approximately 120 cubic centimeters.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising an alignment element configured to fit within a gripper head of the plurality of gripper heads and within an insert of a row of inserts, wherein the alignment element is adapted to maintain alignment of the plurality of gripper heads with the row of inserts.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the gripper head is one of spring assist closed and spring assist open.

7. A system comprising:

a pharmaceutical order processing device to process orders to be filled using containers;

a plurality of pucks including a first group of the plurality of pucks adapted to receive a first set of containers and a second group of the plurality of pucks adapted to receive a second set of containers;

a pallet sizing and pucking device communicatively connected to the order processing device, the pallet sizing and pucking device comprising a control subsystem to receive a configuration preference from the order processing device; and

wherein the pallet sizing pucking device further comprises a pallet sizing and pucking subsystem to configure a pallet with pucks from the first group of pucks and the second group of pucks adapted to receive the containers from the first set of containers and the second group of containers according to the configuration preference,

wherein the pallet sizing and pucking subsystem comprises a plurality of pucking stations,

wherein each pucking station of the plurality of pucking stations comprises a robot arm and an alignment element, wherein the robot arm is adapted to selectively place at least one of the pucks onto the pallet and to selectively remove at least one of the pucks from the pallet, each robot arm comprising a gripper assembly, wherein the alignment element is adapted to fit within a gripper head of the gripper assembly and within an insert of a row of inserts on the pallet, and wherein the alignment element is adapted to maintain alignment of the gripper head with the row of inserts, and

wherein the pallet sizing and pucking subsystem further comprises a puck conveyor adapted to circulate a group of the pucks among the pucking stations.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the gripper head is adapted to grip and to release each puck of the plurality of pucks, wherein the gripper head is one of biased opened and biased closed.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the gripper head is an independently actuated, pneumatic gripper head adapted to grip and to release each puck of the plurality of pucks.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the pallet sizing and pucking subsystem further comprises a first puck conveyor adapted to circulate the first group of the plurality of pucks and a second puck conveyor adapted to circulate the second group of the plurality of pucks.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the pallet sizing and pucking subsystem further comprises a puck holding area, wherein the puck holding area comprises a portion of the puck conveyor and a stop unit.

12. A pharmaceutical order filling system comprising:

an order processing device to receive pharmaceutical orders;

a plurality of pucks including a first group of pucks adapted to receive a first set of containers and a second group of pucks adapted to receive a second set of containers, the containers being from the first set of containers or the second set of containers; and

a pallet sizing and pucking device coupled to the order processing device, the pallet sizing and pucking device including a plurality of pucking stations adapted to configure a pallet having a plurality of inserts with a plurality of pucks associated with a pharmaceutical order,

wherein the pallet sizing and pucking device includes;

a gripper assembly including gripper heads, each gripper head adapted to grip and to release each puck of the plurality of pucks, wherein each gripper head is one of spring assist closed and spring assist open, wherein each gripper head of the plurality of gripper heads is an independently actuated, pneumatic gripper head adapted to grip and to release each puck of the plurality of pucks, and wherein the plurality of gripper heads are adapted to align with a row of inserts of the plurality of inserts;

a puck conveyor that circulates a group of the plurality of pucks among the plurality of pucking stations, a first puck conveyor adapted to circulate the first group of the plurality of pucks, a second puck conveyor that is adapted to circulate the second group of the plurality of pucks, and a puck holding area, wherein the puck holding area comprises a portion of the puck conveyor and a stop unit; and

wherein at least one pucking station of the plurality of pucking stations includes a robot arm, the robot arm adapted to selectively place at least one of the pucks onto the pallet and to selectively remove at least one of the pucks from the pallet, and wherein the robot arm is adapted to selectively remove the puck from the puck holding area when the puck is gripped by the gripper assembly and to selectively place the puck over an insert of the plurality of inserts when the puck is released by the gripper assembly.