Manual station systems and methods

• US 10,163,068 B2
• Filed: 11/22/2016
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Express Scripts Strategic Development, Inc. (The Cigna Group)
• Original Assignee: Express Scripts Strategic Development, Inc. (The Cigna Group)
• Inventors: Hoffman, Robert E., Joplin, Jonathan W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Logan, Kyle O
• Application Number:
  US15/358,326
• Publication Number:
  US 20180144285A1
• Time in Patent Office: 763 Days
• Field of Search: 700230
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/1378 the orders being assembled on fixed commissioning areas remote from the storage areas
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 11/203 for articles
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 43/08 Control devices operated by article or material being fed, conveyed or discharged and controlling the discharging devices B65G47/42
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/42 operated by article or material being conveyed and discharged B65G47/46 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 47/44 Arrangements or applications of hoppers or chutes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers

Abstract

A pharmaceutical filling system for a high volume pharmacy is described. The system can include a manual pick/pack device and method. The system may include a rotation assembly, a left door and a right door, both positioned below the rotation assembly, a left divider positioned below the left door, and a right divider positioned below the right door, and a left gathering table positioned below the left divider, and a right gathering table positioned below the right divider. The system may also include a control device in electronic communication with the rotation assembly, the doors and the dividers for control of same.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a housing having an upper portion with an inner upper passageway and a lower portion with at least two lower passageways;

a rotation assembly for engagement with an elevated tote to selectively rotate the elevated tote, the rotation assembly being positioned proximate the upper portion of the housing and configured to rotate the elevated tote to release contents carried by the elevated tote into the inner upper passageway of the housing;

at least one door positioned within the housing between the upper portion and the lower portion of the housing;

at least one actuator associated with each of the at least one door, the at least one actuator selectively opening the at least one door to allow passage from the inner upper passageway to one of the at least two lower passageways;

at least one slide positioned within each of the at least two lower passageways beneath the at least one door; and

at least one gathering table positioned at a bottom of each slide.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least two lower passageways includes a first inner lower passageway and a second inner lower passageway;

the at least one slide includes a first slide positioned within the first inner lower passageway beneath the at least one door, and a second slide positioned within the second inner lower passageway beneath the at least one door, and

the at least one gathering table includes a first gathering table positioned at a bottom of the first slide and a second gathering table positioned at a bottom of the second slide.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a control device in electronic communication with the rotation assembly and the actuators, the control device being operable to

direct the rotation assembly to rotate a said elevated tote, thereby releasing the contents of the elevated tote into the inner upper passageway of the housing, and

control one of the at least one actuator to open the at least one door, thereby allowing an object to pass through the at least one door into either the first inner lower passageway or the second inner lower passageway.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the at least one door includes a first door associated with the first inner lower passageway, and a second door associated with the second inner lower passageway, and

the at least one actuator includes two actuators, wherein a first actuator is associated with the first door and a second actuator is associated with the second door.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising:

a control device in electronic communication with the rotation assembly and the actuators, wherein the control device is operable to

direct the rotation assembly to rotate a said elevated tote, thereby releasing the contents of the tote into the inner upper passageway of the housing,

control the first actuator to open the first door, thereby directing a first object to pass through the first door into the first inner lower passageway, and

control the second actuator to open the second door, thereby directing a second object to pass through the second door into the second inner lower passageway.

6. The system of claim 4, further comprising:

a first divider positioned in the first inner lower passageway above the first slide for object staging above the first slide and first gathering table;

a second divider positioned in the second inner lower passageway above the second slide for object staging above the second slide and second gathering table;

a third actuator associated with the first divider for moving the first divider; and

a fourth associated with the second divider for moving the second divider.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising:

a control device in electronic communication with the rotation assembly and the actuators, wherein the control device is operable to

direct the rotation assembly to rotate a said elevated tote, thereby releasing the contents of the elevated tote into the inner upper passageway of the housing,

control the first actuator to open the first door, thereby directing a first object to pass through the first door into the first inner lower passageway,

control the second actuator to open the second door, thereby directing a second object to pass through the second door into the second inner lower passageway,

control the third actuator to open the first divider, thereby directing a third object to pass through the first divider onto the first slide,

control the fourth actuator to open the second divider, thereby directing a fourth object to pass through the second divider onto the second slide.

8. The system of claim 5, further comprising:

at least one door sensor device positioned above the doors to detect object presence or object absence within the inner upper passageway above the doors;

at least one divider sensor associated with each divider to detect object presence or object absence above the respective first and second dividers; and

at least one table sensor associated with each gathering table to detect object presence or object absence on the respective first and second gathering tables.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

a control device in electronic communication with the rotation assembly and the actuators, the control device being operable to

receive sensing data from the sensors,

direct the rotation assembly to rotate a said elevated tote upon detecting object absence above the doors within the inner upper passageway based on the sensing data, thereby releasing the contents of the elevated tote into the inner upper passageway of the housing,

control the first actuator to open the first door upon detecting object absence above the first divider based on the sensing data, thereby causing contents at the first door to pass through the first door into the first inner lower passageway,

control the second actuator to open the second door upon detecting object absence above the second divider based on the sensing data, thereby causing contents at the second door to pass through the second door into the second inner lower passageway,

control the third actuator to open the first divider upon detecting object absence on the first gathering table based on the sensing data, thereby causing contents at the first divider to pass through the first divider onto the first slide, and

cause the fourth actuator to open the second divider upon detecting object absence on the second gathering table based on the sensing data, thereby causing contents at the second divider to pass through the second divider onto the second slide.

10. The system of claim 2, wherein the first and second gathering tables each include a scanner device for scanning pharmaceutical order components, and a printer.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a control device in electronic communication with the rotation assembly and the actuators, wherein the control device is operable to

receive scan data regarding a scanned pharmaceutical order component from the scanner and determine additional pharmaceuticals order components associated with the scanned component, and

instruct the printer to print information associated with the order components.

12. A system comprising:

a rotation assembly;

a first door and a second door, both positioned below the rotation assembly;

a first divider positioned below the first door, and a second divider positioned below the second door;

a first gathering table positioned below the first divider, and a second gathering table positioned below the second divider; and

a control device in electronic communication with the rotation assembly, the doors and the dividers, the control device being operable to

rotate the rotation assembly upon detecting object absence positioned above the first and second doors,

open the first door upon detecting object absence above the first divider,

open the second door upon detecting object absence above the second divider,

open the first divider upon detecting object absence on the first gathering table, and

open the second divider upon detecting object absence on the second gathering table.

13. A system comprising:

a housing having an upper portion with an upper inner passageway and a lower portion with a plurality of lower passageways, the plurality of lower passageways including at least a lower left inner passageway and a lower right inner passageway,

a rotation assembly to engage with an elevated tote to selectively rotate the elevated tote, the rotation assembly being positioned proximate the upper portion of the housing and configured to rotate the elevated tote to release contents carried by the elevated tote into the inner passageway of the housing;

a plurality of doors including a left door associated with the left inner passageway, and a right door associated with the right inner passageway, and

a plurality of actuators including a left actuator associated with the left door and a right actuator associated with the right door, an actuator of the plurality of actuators to selectively door open to allow passage from the upper inner passageway to a particular lower inner passageway of the plurality of lower passageways;

a plurality of slides including a left slide positioned within the left inner passageway beneath the at least one door and a right slide positioned within the right inner passageway beneath the at least one door, and

a plurality of gathering tables including a left gathering table positioned at a bottom of the left slide and a right gathering table positioned at a bottom of the right slide.

14. A method comprising:

sensing object presence or object absence within an inner passageway of an upper portion of a housing;

causing a rotation assembly to rotate a tote upon detecting object absence within the inner passageway, thereby causing contents of the tote to fall into the inner passageway of the upper portion of the housing;

sensing object presence or object absence above a first divider or a second divider;

actuating a first door upon detecting object absence above the first divider, thereby causing an object previously held back by the first door to fall to the first divider;

actuating a second door upon detecting object absence above the second divider, thereby causing an object previously held back by the second door to fall to the second divider;

sensing object presence or object absence on a first gathering table or a second gathering table;

actuating the first divider upon detecting object absence on the first gathering table, thereby causing an object previously held back by the first divider to fall onto a first slide to the first gathering table; and

actuating the second divider upon detecting object absence on the second gathering table, thereby causing an object previously held back by the second divider to fall onto a second slide to the second gathering table.