Mail manifest systems and methods

• US 10,546,265 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2019
• Issued: 01/28/2020
• 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): Cumbess, Yolanda R
• Application Number:
  US16/408,993
• Publication Number:
  US 20190266551A1
• Time in Patent Office: 263 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/00 Storing articles, individually or in orderly arrangement, in warehouses or magazines conveyor combinations in warehouses, magazines or workshops B65G37/00; stacking of articles B65G57/00; removing articles from stacks B65G59/00; loading machines B65G65/02
• 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 an outflow conveyor, and an injection conveyor to inject a package located thereon onto the outflow conveyor. The injection conveyor can be adjacent to the outflow conveyor and oriented substantially perpendicular to the outflow conveyor. The system can also include a monitoring system positioned to perform package monitoring of the outflow conveyor and to image the package on the outflow conveyor after the package has been injected onto the outflow conveyor. The monitoring system can be further configured to determine an intended destination of the package based on an identifier detected on the package in the image captured by the monitoring system. A routing device can be positioned to perform package routing of the package to an accumulation area for packages based on the determination of the intended destination of the package.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an inflow conveyor;

an outflow conveyor;

a staging conveyor;

a station positioned adjacent the staging conveyor;

an actuator coupled to the inflow conveyor, the actuator to direct a package from the inflow conveyor to the station for placement onto the staging conveyor; and

an injection conveyor to inject the package located thereon into an open slot on the outflow conveyor by accelerating the package from a still position, the package advanced onto the injection conveyor from the staging conveyor, the injection conveyor being adjacent to the outflow conveyor and oriented substantially perpendicular to the outflow conveyor.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the station includes a ramp and a table, and wherein the actuator directs the package from the inflow conveyor down the ramp to the table.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an additional station positioned adjacent the staging conveyor;

a level sensor in communication with the injection conveyor to monitor package volume at the station and the additional station; and

an additional actuator coupled to the inflow conveyor, the additional actuator to direct an additional package from the inflow conveyor to the additional station for placement onto the staging conveyor based on monitoring of package volume at the station and the additional station.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the level sensor is a banner level sensor.

5. The system of claim 3, further comprising:

a second station positioned adjacent a second staging conveyor; and

a control device in communication with the level sensor positioned to monitor a volume of additional packages at each of the first and second stations, the control device controlling the actuator to route the package to the station with a lowest volume of packages.

6. The system of claim 3, further comprising:

a second station positioned adjacent a second staging conveyor; and

a control device configured to count a number of packages at a first station and a number of additional packages at the second station, the control device controlling the actuator to route a subsequence package to one of the first station and the second station with a lower number of packages.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the outflow conveyor is cleated.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the outflow conveyor includes an imager to image the package on the outflow conveyor after the package has been injected onto the outflow conveyor and using the image to assist in determining an intended destination of the package.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the outflow conveyor includes a backstop positioned opposite the injection conveyor as a package injection barrier.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a monitoring system including a scale to weigh an additional package, the monitoring system further configured to;

verify a weight of the additional package is within a predetermined amount from an expected weight of the additional package, and

flag the additional package as an exception when the weight of the additional package is not within the predetermined amount from the expected weight of the additional package.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the monitoring system is further configured to:

access data regarding expected pharmaceutical contents in the package from a database based on an identifier on the package imaged by the monitoring system; and

determine the expected weight of the expected pharmaceutical contents and any additional materials within the package and the package.

12. A system comprising:

an inflow conveyor;

an outflow conveyor;

a staging conveyor;

a station positioned adjacent the staging conveyor;

a scanner at one of the outflow conveyor, the station, or both, the scanner to read an identifier on a package at one of the outflow conveyor, the station, or both to identify the package and an order;

an actuator coupled to the inflow conveyor, the actuator to direct the package from the inflow conveyor to the station for placement onto the staging conveyor; and

an injection conveyor to inject a package located thereon into an open slot on the outflow conveyor by accelerating the package from a still position, the package advanced onto the injection conveyor from the staging conveyor, the injection conveyor being adjacent to the outflow conveyor and oriented at an angle to the outflow conveyor.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the outflow conveyor includes a scale conveyor, a camera conveyor, a cleated conveyor, or combinations thereof.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the injection conveyor includes a belt comprised of plastic, rubber, or combinations thereof.

15. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a monitoring system positioned to perform package monitoring of the outflow conveyor and to image the package on the outflow conveyor after the package has been injected onto the outflow conveyor, the monitoring system being further configured to determine an intended destination of the package based on the identifier detected on the package by the scanner; and

a routing device positioned to perform package routing of the package to a package accumulation area for based on the determination of the intended destination of the package.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the monitoring system includes a scale to weigh an additional package, the monitoring system further configured to:

verify a weight of the additional package is within a predetermined amount from an expected weight of the additional package, and

flag the additional package as an exception when the weight of the additional package is not within the predetermined amount from the expected weight of the additional package.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the monitoring system is further configured to:

access data regarding expected pharmaceutical contents and additional materials within the package from a database based on the identifier on the package imaged by the monitoring system; and

determine the expected weight of the expected pharmaceutical contents and the additional materials within the package and the package itself.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the injection conveyor includes a conveyor belt made of a material having a coefficient of friction such that the injection conveyor may accelerate the package from still to approximately 10.4 inches per second in approximately one second.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the outflow conveyor includes a center divider positioned opposite the injection conveyor, and wherein the center divider is configured to inhibit the package from overshooting the outflow conveyor when the injection conveyor injects the package into the open slot on the outflow conveyor.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising a sensor positioned to monitor the outflow conveyor and in communication with the injection conveyor, wherein the sensor is configured to detect the open slot on the outflow conveyor.