Method, apparatus, and computer program product for the packaging and verification of medication information

• US 10,262,114 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2013
• Issued: 04/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omnicell Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Aesynt, Inc. (Omnicell Incorporated)
• Inventors: Braun, Patrick J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Valvis, Alexander
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ferrero, Eduardo R
• Application Number:
  US14/013,566
• Publication Number:
  US 20150066205A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,056 Days
• Field of Search: 53410, 53411, 53476, 700214, 700215, 700216, 700240
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 5/04 Packaging single articles
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 5/08 Packaging groups of articles, the articles being individually gripped or guided for transfer to the containers or receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 5/103 for packaging pills or tablets
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 9/045 for single articles, e.g. tablets
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/001 Interfacing with vending machines using mobile or wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS

Abstract

Example embodiments of the present invention may provide an efficient method of identifying unit doses of medication, and more specifically, to dispensing, identifying, packaging, and labeling unit doses of medication for distribution. In particular, methods may include receiving medication information, causing identifying information related to the medication information to be printed to a web of material, where the identifying information is printed at regular intervals, and preparing a medication unit dose to be dispensed to a container. Methods may further include verifying that the medication unit dose corresponds to the identifying information printed to the web of material, and joining the web of material to the container in response to the dispensed unit dose corresponding to the identifying information.

Claims

1. An apparatus configured to package unit dose medications into containers comprising:

a printer configured to print identifying information about a medication to a web of material;

a dispenser configured to dispense a plurality of medication unit doses of different medication types, each to a respective container;

an image capture device configured to capture an image of at least one of the printed web or a dispensed medication unit dose;

a processor configured to verify that a dispensed medication unit dose matches identifying information of the printed web; and

a joining station configured to join the printed web to a container containing the dispensed medication unit dose in response to the processor verifying that the dispensed medication unit dose matches the identifying information of the printed web;

wherein the processor is configured to determine an order of dispensing of a plurality of different types of medications, and wherein the processor is configured to separate, within the order of dispensing, medications having a similar appearance by at least one medication there between having a dissimilar appearance in the order of dispensing of the plurality of different types of medications, wherein medications of similar appearance have a combination of color, shape, size, and indicia that satisfies a similarity threshold, and wherein medications of dissimilar appearance have a combination of color, shape, size, and indicia that does not satisfy the similarity threshold.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein identifying information about a medication comprises medication type and medication dose.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the joining station comprises at least one of an ultrasonic welder or a heating element, each configured to seal the printed web of material to the container containing the dispensed medication unit dose.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an indexing station configured to align the printed identifying information with the container containing the dispensed medication unit dose.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a medication hopper configured to supply medication to the dispenser.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a container forming station configured to form containers from a second web of material.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image capture device is configured to capture an image of the printed web and the dispensed medication unit dose simultaneously.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processor compares the identifying information about a medication on the web of material to the dispensed medication.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processor generates an alert in response to the identifying information about the medication on the web of material failing to correspond with the dispensed medication.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the unit dose container and the printed web of material are aligned with each other based on registration marks on the printed web of material and a web of material from which the unit dose container is formed.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image capture device is further configured to verify the dispensed medication unit dose as a correct medication type.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein in response to an order of dispensing of a plurality of different types of medication including two medication types that are dissimilar in appearance by one or more of shape, color, size, or indicia, increasing a threshold for verification of a unit dose of medication relative to the one or more of shape, color, size, or indicia.