Systems and methods for accumulation

• US 10,294,029 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2016
• Issued: 05/21/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2011
• 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., Christopher, Jerry W., Eller, Charles E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Waggoner, Timothy R
• Application Number:
  US15/000,395
• Publication Number:
  US 20160130087A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,218 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/00 Sorting according to destination collating the pages of a book B42C1/00
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 5/34 Sorting according to other particular properties material testing per se G01N; quality control G07C3/14
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 5/3412 according to a code applied to the object which indicates a property of the object, e.g. quality class, contents or incorrect indication sorting according to size measured by light-responsive means B07C5/10; sorting according to optical properties B07C5/342; for packages B65D79/02; for information carriers G06K7/00
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 5/36 Sorting apparatus characterised by the means used for distribution sorting according to destination B07C3/003, B07C3/02
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 5/361 Processing or control devices therefor, e.g. escort memory
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 5/38 Collecting or arranging articles in groups
• CPC Class Codes: B21B 41/00 Guiding, conveying, or accumulating easily-flexible work, e.g. wire, sheet metal bands, in loops or curves; Loop lifters
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 43/52 using roller-ways or endless conveyors
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 5/04 Packaging single articles
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 57/02 responsive to absence, presence, abnormal feed, or misplacement of binding or wrapping material, containers, or packages
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 7/2807 Feeding closures
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 7/2842 Securing closures on containers in general B65B51/00
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/1373 for fulfilling orders in warehouses
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/1378 the orders being assembled on fixed commissioning areas remote from the storage areas
• CPC Class Codes: B67B 3/02 by applying flanged caps, e.g. crown caps, and securing by deformation of flanges
• CPC Class Codes: B67B 3/06 Feeding caps to capping heads
• CPC Class Codes: B67B 3/26 Applications of control, warning, or safety devices in capping machinery
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/00 Methods or arrangements for processing data by operating upon the order or content of the data handled logic circuits H03K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

Method and systems for accumulation are described. In one embodiment, a dispensing station includes a receiving opening, a dispensing opening and a storage area. The dispensing station receives and dispenses a container. A transportable storage system includes multiple partitions disposed on a carrier portion to define multiple carriage sections. The carriage sections are electronically identifiable and selectively hold or eject the container. A bin apparatus for receiving the container includes a movable portion to selectively hold and release the container. A control unit for commanding the bin apparatus to dispense the container to a desired carriage section of the transportable storage system is provided. Additional methods and systems are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying at least one order component of a prescription order by accessing an identification attribute of the at least one order component;

associating the at least one order component with a prescription order;

accumulating a plurality of order components, including the at least one order component, at at least one location in an automated pharmacy fulfillment system with the plurality of order components being in a common orientation, wherein accumulating includes dropping the plurality of order components onto a moving carrier while maintaining the common orientation of the plurality of order components;

aggregating the plurality of order components from the at least one location onto a moving carrier that supports and moves the plurality of order components and maintaining the common orientation of the plurality of order components; and

ejecting the plurality of aggregated order components while maintaining the common orientation of the plurality of order components.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one order component includes at least one unit-of-use container and wherein accumulating includes accumulating the at least one unit-of-use container as one of the plurality of order components.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying includes labeling the at least one order component of the prescription order.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a container that includes prescription drug contents.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein aggregating depends on a time for a slowest order component to be dispensed.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein accumulating includes tracking the plurality of order components.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein aggregating includes tracking a rotational movement of the moving carrier.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein aggregating is performed at or before one rotation of the moving carrier.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein aggregating includes coordinating a release of the plurality of order components from the location with movement of the moving carrier.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying includes scanning the at least one order component.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein aggregating includes scanning an RFID tag on each order component of the plurality of order components.

12. A method for filling a prescription order comprising:

identifying a plurality of order components of the prescription order by accessing at least one order component identification attribute of the plurality of order components;

associating the plurality of order components with a prescription order;

accumulating the plurality of order components of a prescription order at at least one dispensing station with the plurality of order components being in a common orientation, wherein accumulating comprises;

holding the plurality of order components at an incline relative to a carrier section of a moving carrier; and

moving a movable portion of the dispensing station to drop the order components to the carrier section with the order components being in the common orientation;

aggregating the plurality of order components from the dispensing stations onto the carrier section at the common orientation; and

ejecting the aggregated plurality of order components.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein aggregating comprises:

receiving the plurality of order components from accumulating the plurality of order components; and

scanning the plurality of order components after receiving to identify the order components in the carrier section to verify that the order components in a carrier section are for a prescription order.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising ejecting the plurality of order components from the carrier section to a packing and shipping system.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein scanning the plurality of order components comprises:

reading an RFID tag at each carrier section of a plurality carrier sections of the moving carrier to track the carrier section that moves along a track.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein associating the plurality of order components comprises:

transporting at least one order component of the plurality of order components to be accumulated at the dispensing station;

identifying the at least one order component with a robot picker to pick a container from a conveyor;

positioning the container proximal to a container scanner; and

rotating the container about an axis during a scanning of a label of the container.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one order component identification attribute is stored in an machine readable code that associates container to the contents in the container.

18. A prescription order filling method comprising:

accumulating a plurality of prescription bottles at a dispensing station;

holding at least one prescription bottle of the plurality of prescription bottles at a storage area of the dispensing station;

dispensing the at least one prescription bottle from a dispensing opening at the dispensing station, wherein dispensing includes scanning the at least one prescription bottle to identify the at least one prescription bottle before the at least one prescription bottle exits the dispensing opening;

receiving the at least one prescription bottle from the dispensing station at a bin apparatus that includes a fixed portion and a movable portion to selectively hold and release the at least one prescription bottle from the bin apparatus;

transporting the at least one prescription bottle in one of a plurality of partitions disposed on a carrier portion, wherein transporting includes identifying a carriage section of a plurality of carriage sections of the carrier portion that is configured to selectively hold and eject the at least one prescription bottle, and hold the at least one prescription bottle at a substantially same orientation as the at least one prescription bottle had at the bin apparatus; and

tracking the at least one prescription bottle identified by the scanning to associate the at least one prescription bottle to a prescription order, wherein tracking includes commanding the bin apparatus to dispense the at least one prescription bottle to the carriage section among the plurality of carriage sections to fill the prescription order.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein transporting the at least one prescription bottle comprises:

selecting the at least one prescription bottle from the storage area; and

aligning the at least one prescription bottle to a container scanner to identify the at least one prescription bottle,

wherein receiving the at least one prescription bottle includes moving a movable portion to allow the at least one prescription bottle on a floor of the bin apparatus to release the at least one prescription bottle therein toward the carrier portion.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the floor of the bin apparatus is at a first angle and the carriage section is at a second angle, and wherein the second angle is less than or equal to the first angle.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein tracking the at least one prescription bottle comprises:

scanning the carriage section to identify the carriage section among the plurality of carriage sections; and

opening an exit chute to remove the at least one prescription bottle from the identified carriage section.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein accumulating the plurality of prescription bottles comprises storing the plurality of prescription bottles at a rack in the storage area.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising selecting, using a robot picker, the at least one prescription bottle from the rack and aligning the at least one prescription bottle to a container scanner to identify the at least one prescription bottle.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein dispensing the at least one prescription bottle comprises:

tracking a location of the carriage section; and

ordering release of the at least one prescription bottle from the bin apparatus when the carriage section associated with a set prescription order is aligned with the bin apparatus.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein dispensing the at least one prescription bottle comprises:

controlling a plurality of bin apparatus to release a plurality of the prescription bottles to a same carriage section associated with the set prescription order.