System and method for management of return items

• US 10,733,578 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2014
• Issued: 08/04/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualanex, LLC
• Original Assignee: Qualanex, LLC
• Inventors: Ezell, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Santos-Diaz, Maria C
• Assistant Examiner(s): White, Lance William
• Application Number:
  US14/312,442
• Publication Number:
  US 20150371199A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,234 Days
• Field of Search: 705303
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2050/105 Cabinets
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 50/10 Furniture specially adapted for surgical or diagnostic appliances or instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 50/36 for collecting or disposing of used articles
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0832 Special goods or special handling procedures, e.g. handling of hazardous or fragile goods
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/30 Administration of product recycling or disposal
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/01 Customer relationship services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/014 Providing recall services for goods or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/22 Social work or social welfare, e.g. community support activities or counselling services
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/06 by returnable containers , i.e. reverse vending systems in which a user is rewarded for returning a container that serves as a token of value, e.g. bottles
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 90/00 Enabling technologies or technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions mitigation

Abstract

A method for collecting returned items or information about returned items and evaluating return policy criteria with respect to collected items, and a system for the same, are disclosed. The method includes providing a station, such as a kiosk terminal, preferably at a pharmacy location. The station includes a computer and a user interface including a touch screen interface. Items, for example, pharmaceutical items to be returned are brought to the station. The user enters information at the station, such as by scanning a bar code on a container of the item, weighing the item or its contents, and entering lot number and expiration date associated with the item. A system and method for facilitating recalls is also provided.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computer user interface device of a kiosk station, product information associated with a packaged item at the kiosk station, wherein the packaged item contains a pharmaceutical product, and wherein the product information comprises an indication that the pharmaceutical product is to be returned;

forming, via a special-purpose computer, a return determination based on whether the pharmaceutical product qualifies for a credit using return policy information and the product information, wherein the return policy information comprises database data on credit criteria for the pharmaceutical product;

obtaining verification information of the pharmaceutical product in accordance with the return policy information and the product information, wherein the obtaining of verification information of the pharmaceutical product comprises;

capturing an image of the packaged item via a camera at the kiosk station; and

weighing, via a scale at the kiosk station, the packaged item to obtain a weight of the packaged item and the pharmaceutical product, wherein a surface of the scale is within a field-of-view of the camera;

transmitting, to the pharmaceutical manufacturer, the verification information, wherein the verification information comprises the image and the weight;

providing credit information for the pharmaceutical product upon the return determination and the obtained verification information;

upon provision of the credit information, categorizing, via the special purpose computer, the pharmaceutical product based on the product information, wherein the categorizing includes at least one of determining that the pharmaceutical product of the packaged item belongs to a first category and determining that the pharmaceutical product of the packaged item belongs to a second category;

opening a first disposal channel in response to determining that the pharmaceutical product of the packaged item belongs to the first category, wherein the first disposal channel leads to a first container; and

opening a second disposal channel in response to determining that the pharmaceutical product of the packaged item belongs to the second category, wherein the second disposal channel leads to a second container, wherein the first container is spatially separated from the second container.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

providing a networked connection between a database server having policy parameters and the special-purpose computer, wherein the database server is configured to receive the information from the computer over said networked connection.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

determining an item category based on at least a portion of the product information.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the item category is either a non-controlled pharmaceutical substance or a controlled pharmaceutical substance.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein providing credit information for the pharmaceutical product upon the return determination and the obtained verification information comprises printing an identification number for association with the pharmaceutical product.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein a portion of the product information is an indication of a reason for returning the item.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein a portion of the product information includes a product number or bar code data.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the pharmaceutical product comprises pharmaceutical pills, and wherein a portion of the product information includes a quantity of pharmaceutical pills.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein a portion of the product information includes an expiration date of the pharmaceutical product.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein a portion of the product information includes a lot number associated with the pharmaceutical product.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising providing disposal instructions for the pharmaceutical product.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the pharmaceutical product comprises pharmaceutical pills, and wherein the pharmaceutical pills comprise at least one of tablets or capsules.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first category is that the pharmaceutical product is a controlled substance and the second category is that the pharmaceutical product is an uncontrolled substance.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the product information comprises a received weight of the packaged item and the pharmaceutical product, and wherein the verification information of the pharmaceutical product comprises comparing the received weight with the weight of the packaged item and the pharmaceutical product received from the scale.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the categorizing includes at least one of determining based on the verification information that the pharmaceutical product of the packaged item belongs to the first category and determining based on the verification information that the pharmaceutical product of the packaged item belongs to the second category.

15. A collection station comprising:

a camera configured to record a packaged item containing a pharmaceutical product;

a scale configured to weigh the packaged item, wherein a surface of the scale is in a field of view of the camera;

a first disposal channel providing access to a first container;

a second disposal channel providing access to a second container, wherein the second container is spatially separated from the first container;

a special-purpose computer and a user interface, wherein the special-purpose computer is configured to;

receive product information associated with the packaged item containing the pharmaceutical product via a user interface, wherein the product information comprises an indication that the pharmaceutical product is to be returned;

form a return determination based on whether the pharmaceutical product qualifies for a credit using return policy information and the product information, wherein the return policy information comprises database data on credit criteria for the pharmaceutical product;

obtain verification information of the pharmaceutical product in accordance with the return policy information and the product information, wherein the obtaining verification information of the pharmaceutical product comprises weighing via the scale the packaged item to obtain a weight of the packaged item and the pharmaceutical product and capturing via the camera an image of the packaged item;

transmit, to a pharmaceutical manufacturer, the verification information, wherein the verification information comprises the weight and the image; and

provide credit information for the pharmaceutical product upon the return determination and the obtained verification information;

upon providing the credit information, categorize the pharmaceutical product based on the product information, wherein the categorizing includes at least one of determining that the pharmaceutical product of the packaged item belongs to a first category and determining that the pharmaceutical product of the packaged item belongs to a second category;

open the first disposal channel in response to determining that the pharmaceutical product of the packaged item belongs to the first category;

open a second disposal channel in response to determining that the pharmaceutical product of the packaged item belongs to the second category, and

a networked connection between the special-purpose computer and an off-site database server configured to receive information from the special-purpose computer and evaluate the information in view of return policy compliance rules.

16. The collection station according to claim 15, wherein the scale is adapted to provide output weight information to the special-purpose computer.

17. The collection station according to claim 16, wherein the pharmaceutical product comprises pharmaceutical pills, and wherein the scale includes a pill counting tray adapted to allow a user to place and count the pharmaceutical pills.

18. The collection station according to claim 17, wherein the user interface comprises a touch screen interface, and further comprising a scanner adapted to scan a bar code on the packaged item containing the pharmaceutical product.

19. The collection station according to claim 15, wherein said using the camera at the collection station to record the packaged item comprises using the camera at the collection station to record the pharmaceutical product when the pharmaceutical item is distributed in the pill counting tray.

20. The collection station according to claim 15, wherein the camera is a top view camera providing a top view of the surface, further comprising a side view camera, wherein, when the packaged item is placed on the surface, the side view camera provides a side view of the packaged item.

21. A system for collecting items comprising:

a station having a special-purpose computing device having a user interface adapted to enable a user to enter product information associated with a packaged item, wherein the packaged item contains a pharmaceutical product, and wherein the product information comprises an indication that the pharmaceutical product is to be returned;

a camera configured to record the packaged item;

a scale configured to weigh the packaged item and the pharmaceutical product, wherein a surface of the scale is in a field of view of the camera;

a first disposal channel providing access to a first container;

a second disposal channel providing access to a second container, wherein the second container is spatially separated from the first container;

a database containing return policy information related to the pharmaceutical product, wherein the special-purpose computing device is configured to;

receive product information associated with the packaged item containing the pharmaceutical product via a user interface;

form a return determination based on whether the pharmaceutical product qualifies for a credit using the return policy information and the product information, wherein the return policy information comprises database data on credit criteria for the pharmaceutical product;

obtain verification information of the pharmaceutical product in accordance with the return policy information and the product information, wherein the obtaining verification information of the pharmaceutical product comprises weighing via the scale the packaged item to obtain a weight of the packaged item and the pharmaceutical product and capturing via the camera an image of the packaged item;

transmit, to the pharmaceutical manufacturer, the verification information, wherein the verification information comprises the weight and the image; and

provide credit information for the pharmaceutical product upon the return determination and the obtained verification information;

upon providing the credit information, categorize the pharmaceutical product based on the product information, wherein the categorizing includes at least one of determining that the pharmaceutical product belongs to a first category and determining that the pharmaceutical product belongs to a second category;

open the first disposal channel in response to determining that the pharmaceutical product of the packaged item belongs to the first category; and

open a second disposal channel in response to determining that the pharmaceutical product of the packaged item belongs to the second category.