Location triggering for prescription ready notifications

• US 10,430,556 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2014
• Issued: 10/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walgreen Co. (Walgreens Boots Alliance Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Walgreen Co. (Walgreens Boots Alliance Incorporated)
• Inventors: McCauley, Tim, Turkington, Jon, Dhar, Abhinav, Kozic, Dejan, Eby, Nicholas
• Primary Examiner(s): Gort, Elaine
• Assistant Examiner(s): Reichert, Rachelle L
• Application Number:
  US14/249,492
• Publication Number:
  US 20150294084A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,000 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 80/00 ICT specially adapted for facilitating communication between medical practitioners or patients, e.g. for collaborative diagnosis, therapy or health monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/244 using a network of reference devices, e.g. beaconing

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus are disclosed to notify and route a customer to a prescription pickup location. A communication device detects the proximity of a prescription customer to an associated pharmacy location. The customer is then notified when the prescription is available at the pharmacy location based on identifying customer information and the location information. Once the pharmacy location is detected, the communication device sends the identifying customer information and the location information to a pharmacy computing device. The communication device then displays a notification that a prescription is available for the prescription customer at the pharmacy based on a determination made by the pharmacy computing device using the location information and the identification information. In addition, the communication device can display a map of the pickup location, various prompts to the customer to establish payment and/or to determine whether the customer has questions for pharmacy staff.

Claims

1. A method for providing a prescription pickup location for a prescription order, comprising:

receiving, by a mobile communication device at a pharmacy, one or more transmitted beacon parameters that are transmitted from a beacon communication device that is positioned at a predetermined pharmacy location at the pharmacy, the beacon parameters including a calibrated receive power value;

detecting, by the mobile communication device, a proximity of the mobile communication device to the predetermined pharmacy location when the mobile communication device is within a threshold distance of the beacon communication device based upon an analysis of the one or more transmitted beacon parameters;

in response to detecting the proximity of the mobile communication device to the predetermined pharmacy location, triggering an execution of an application installed on the mobile communication device to cause the mobile communication device to transmit (i) prescription customer identification information and (ii) the proximity to a server at the pharmacy;

when the server determines (i) that the mobile communication device is positioned at the predetermined pharmacy location based upon the proximity, (ii) that the prescription is available for the prescription customer at the pharmacy based upon a correlation of the prescription customer identification information to stored prescription information, and (iii) a prescription pickup location from among several possible prescription pickup locations based upon an application of one or more rules that utilize information associated with the prescription order and the prescription customer, receiving, in the mobile communication device, a notification that a prescription is available for the prescription customer at the determined prescription pickup location; and

in response to receiving the notification, displaying, on the mobile communication device, (i) an indication that the prescription is available for the prescription customer at the pharmacy, and (ii) the prescription pickup location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of detecting the proximity of the mobile communication device to the predetermined pharmacy location comprises:

detecting the proximity of the mobile communication device to the predetermined pharmacy location by determining a received signal strength value of a signal used by the beacon communication device to transmit the one or more transmitted beacon parameters, and comparing the received signal strength value to the calibrated receive power value such that, when the received signal strength value is greater than the calibrated receive power value, the proximity of the mobile communication device to the predetermined pharmacy location is detected.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of receiving the one or more transmitted beacon parameters comprises:

receiving the one or more transmitted beacon parameters from the beacon communication device in accordance with a personal area network (PAN) communication protocol.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification is a push notification.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the prescription pickup location as a first location when a payment transaction initiated by the mobile communication device is successful; and

displaying the prescription pickup location as a second location when the payment transaction is unsuccessful.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the act of displaying the prescription pickup location comprises:

displaying a map of the pharmacy including an indication of the first location or the second location.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the act of displaying the prescription pickup location further comprises:

displaying the map of the pharmacy including a route between a location of the mobile communication device and the first location or the second location.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying, by the mobile communication device, a prompt requesting whether questions need to be submitted to a pharmacist,

wherein the information associated with the prescription order includes user input entered via the mobile communication device in response to the prompt.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the prescription order includes one of more of:

user input received from the mobile communication device;

payment information associated with the prescription order;

a type of prescription drug associated with the prescription order; and

a location of the mobile communication device.

10. A non-transitory computer readable media having instructions stored thereon in a mobile communication device for providing a prescription pickup location for a prescription order, that when executed by a processor cause the mobile communication device to:

receive one or more transmitted beacon parameters that are transmitted from a beacon communication device that is positioned at a predetermined pharmacy location at a pharmacy, wherein the one or more transmitted beacon parameters include a calibrated receive power value;

analyze the one or more transmitted beacon parameters to detect a proximity of the mobile communication device to the predetermined pharmacy location when the mobile communication device is within a threshold distance of the beacon communication device;

in response to detecting the proximity of the mobile communication device to the predetermined pharmacy location, trigger an execution of an application installed on the mobile communication device to cause the mobile communication device to transmit prescription customer identification information, and the proximity, to a server at the pharmacy;

when the server determines (i) that the mobile communication device is positioned at the predetermined pharmacy location based upon the proximity, (ii) that the prescription is available for the prescription customer at the pharmacy based upon a correlation of the prescription customer identification to stored prescription information, and (ii) a prescription pickup location from among several possible prescription pickup locations based upon an application of one or more rules that utilize information associated with the prescription order and the prescription customer, receiving, in the mobile communication device, a notification transmitted by the server that a prescription is available for the prescription customer at the determined prescription pickup location; and

in response to receiving the notification, to display (i) an indication that the prescription is available for the prescription customer at the pharmacy and (ii) the prescription pickup location.

11. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 10, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the processor to detect the proximity of the mobile communication device to the predetermined pharmacy location by determining a received signal strength value of a signal used by the beacon communication device to transmit the one or more transmitted beacon parameters and comparing the received signal strength value to the calibrated receive power value such that, when the received signal strength value is greater than the calibrated receive power value, the proximity of the mobile communication device to the predetermined pharmacy location is detected.

12. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 10, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the mobile communication device to receive the one or more transmitted beacon parameters from the beacon communication device in accordance with a personal area network (PAN) communication protocol.

13. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 10, wherein the notification is a push notification.

14. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 10, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the mobile communication device to:

display the prescription pickup location as a first location when a payment transaction initiated by the mobile communication device is successful; and

display the prescription pickup location as a second location when the payment transaction is unsuccessful.

15. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 14, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the mobile communication device to display a map image of the first location or the second location.

16. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 15, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the mobile communication device to display the map image including a route between a location of the mobile communication device and the first location or the second location.

17. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 10, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, further cause the mobile communication device to display a prompt requesting whether questions need to be submitted to a pharmacist,

wherein the information associated with the prescription order includes user input entered via the mobile communication device in response to the prompt.

18. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 10, wherein the information associated with the prescription order includes one of more of:

user input received from the mobile communication device;

payment information associated with the prescription order;

a type of prescription drug associated with the prescription order; and

a location of the mobile communication device.

19. A method for providing a prescription pickup location for a prescription order, comprising:

displaying, by a mobile communication device, a first indication that the mobile communication device has entered a pharmacy based on a detection of a proximity of the mobile communication device to a beacon communication device that is positioned at a predetermined pharmacy location at the pharmacy when the mobile communication device is within a threshold distance of the beacon communication device;

in response to detecting the proximity of the mobile communication device to the predetermined pharmacy location, triggering an execution of an application installed on the mobile communication device to cause the mobile communication device to transmit information identifying the prescription customer and the predetermined pharmacy location to a server at the pharmacy,

when the server determines (i) that the mobile communication device is positioned at the predetermined pharmacy location based upon the proximity, (ii) that the prescription is ready at the pharmacy based upon a correlation of the information identifying the prescription customer and the pharmacy to stored prescription information, and (iii) a prescription pickup location from among several possible prescription pickup locations based upon an application of one or more rules that utilize information associated with the prescription order and the prescription customer, receiving, in the mobile communication device, a notification that a prescription is available for the prescription customer at the determined prescription pickup location; and

in response to receiving the notification, displaying, by the mobile communication device (i) a second indication that the prescription is available for the prescription customer at the prescription pickup location, and (ii) a map of the pharmacy including the prescription pickup location at the pharmacy.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

displaying, at the mobile communication device, one or more of the following;

a prompt requesting a method of payment for the prescription; and

an image representative of payment for the prescription.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

detecting the proximity of the mobile communication device to the beacon communication device by (i) determining a received signal strength value of a signal transmitted by the beacon communication device, (ii) receiving a calibrated receive power value encoded into the signal, and (iii) comparing the received signal strength value to the calibrated receive power value such that, when the received signal strength value is greater than the calibrated receive power value, the proximity of the mobile communication device to the beacon communication device is detected.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the one or more transmitted beacon parameters transmitted by the beacon communication device are received by the mobile communication device in accordance with a personal area network (PAN) communication protocol.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

displaying the prescription pickup location as a first location when a payment transaction initiated by the mobile communication device is successful; and

displaying the prescription pickup location as a second location when the payment transaction is unsuccessful.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the act of displaying the map of the pharmacy further comprises:

displaying the map including a route between a location of the mobile communication device and the first location or the second location.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein the information associated with the prescription order includes one of more of:

user input received from the mobile communication device;

payment information associated with the prescription order;

a type of prescription drug associated with the prescription order; and

a location of the mobile communication device.