Method of dispensing a pharmaceutical product

• US 20080071421A1
• Filed: 09/28/2007
• Published: 03/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia, Lapstun, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 7,676,382 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/231
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/367 involving electronic purses or money safes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/018 Certifying business or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0185 Product, service or business identity fraud
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G07D 7/004 using digital security elements, e.g. information coded on a magnetic thread or strip
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/20 Manipulating the length of blocks of bits, e.g. padding or block truncation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

A method of dispensing a pharmaceutical product, the pharmaceutical product being associated with packaging having disposed thereon or therein coded data, at least some of the coded data being indicative of at least an identity of the pharmaceutical product. The method uses a computer system which receives indicating data from a sensing device, in responsive to sensing of the coded data. The computer system uses the indicating data and a dispensing database to determine at least one criterion for dispensing the pharmaceutical product. The computer system causes the pharmaceutical product to be dispensed if the at least one criterion is satisfied.

Claims

1. A method of dispensing a pharmaceutical product, the pharmaceutical product being associated with packaging having disposed thereon or therein coded data, at least some of the coded data being indicative of at least an identity of the pharmaceutical product, the method including, in a computer system:

receiving indicating data from a sensing device, the sensing device being responsive to sensing of the coded data to generate indicating data at least partially indicative of the identity;

determining, using the indicating data and from a dispensing database, at least one criterion for dispensing the pharmaceutical product; and

,

causing the pharmaceutical product to be dispensed if the at least one criterion is satisfied.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one criterion is indicative of an intended recipient of the pharmaceutical product, and wherein the method includes, in the computer system:

determining identity data indicative of an identity of an individual requesting the pharmaceutical product;

comparing the identity data to the at least one criterion; and

,

determining the at least one criterion to be satisfied if the identity of the individual is the same as the identity of the intended recipient.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the sensing device includes a data store for storing the identity data, and wherein the method includes determining the identity data from the data store.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one criterion is indicative of at least one of:

an intended time for dispensing the pharmaceutical product;

an intended date for dispensing the pharmaceutical product; and

,

an intended location for dispensing the pharmaceutical product.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the coded data includes a number of coded data portions, each coded data portion being indicative of at least part of a signature, the signature being a digital signature of at least part of the identity, wherein, in response to sensing of at least one coded data portion, the sensing device generates indicating data at least partially indicative of at least one signature part, and wherein the method includes, in the computer system:

determining, from the indicating data, a determined identity and at least one determined signature part;

authenticating the pharmaceutical product using the determined identity and the at least one determined signature part; and

,

dispensing the pharmaceutical product in response to a successful authentication.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the entire signature is encoded within a plurality of coded data portions and wherein the method includes, in the sensing device, sensing a number of coded data portions to thereby determine the entire signature.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the method includes, in the computer system, communicating with a database, the database storing data relating the pharmaceutical product, including at least one of:

authentication data, including at least a key associated with a signature, the signature being a digital signature of at least part of the identity;

tracking data, the tracking data being at least partially indicative of tracking information including at least one of;

an owner of the pharmaceutical product;

one or more transactions performed using the pharmaceutical product;

a location of the pharmaceutical product; and

,

a location of the sensing device; and

,

product data, the product data being at least partially indicative of product information including at least one of;

a product cost;

a patient identifier;

a user identifier;

an owner identifier;

manufacture date;

batch number;

product manufacturer;

product distributor;

product supplier;

issue country;

ingredients;

storage conditions;

disposal conditions;

serial number;

expiry date;

effects;

side-effects;

conditions for use;

instructions for use;

links to further information;

contra-indications; and

,

dosage.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the method includes, in the computer system, causing display of at least one of:

results of authentication;

tracking information; and

,

product information.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the identity is formed at least in part from at least one of:

a coded data portion identity;

an identity of the pharmaceutical product;

an EPC;

an identity of the packaging; and

,

an identity of a region of the packaging.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein packaging includes at least one of:

a blister pack;

a bottle;

a bottle lid;

a label;

a box; and

,

a leaflet.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein the coded data is substantially invisible to an unaided human.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein the coded data is printed on the surface using at least one of:

an invisible ink; and

,

an infrared-absorptive ink.

13. A method according to claim 1, wherein the coded data is provided substantially coincident with visible human-readable information.

14. A method according to claim 5, wherein the coded includes a number of coded data portions, and wherein at least some of the coded data portions encode at least one of:

a location of the respective coded data portion;

a position of the respective coded data portion on the surface;

a size of the coded data portions;

a signature part;

a size of a signature;

an identity of a signature part;

units of indicated locations; and

,

at least part of a data object, the entire data object being encoded at least once by a plurality of coded data portions.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein the data object includes at least one of:

Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) data;

text data;

image data;

audio data;

video data;

application data;

contact data;

information;

business card data; and

,

directory data.

16. A method according to claim 1, wherein the coded data includes at least one of:

redundant data;

data allowing error correction;

Reed-Solomon data; and

,

Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) data.

17. A method according to claim 5, wherein the digital signature includes at least one of:

a random number associated with the identity;

a keyed hash of at least the identity;

a keyed hash of at least the identity produced using a private key, and verifiable using a corresponding public key;

cipher-text produced by encrypting at least the identity;

cipher-text produced by encrypting at least the identity and a random number; and

,

cipher-text produced using a private key, and verifiable using a corresponding public key.

18. A method according to claim 1, wherein the coded data is arranged in accordance with at least one layout having n-fold rotational symmetry, where n is at least two, the layout including n identical sub-layouts rotated 1/n revolutions apart about a centre of rotation, at least one sub-layout including rotation-indicating data that distinguishes that sub-layout from each other sub-layout.

19. A method according to claim 1, wherein the coded data is arranged in accordance with at least one layout having n-fold rotational symmetry, where n is at least two, the layout encoding orientation-indicating data comprising a sequence of an integer multiple m of n symbols, where m is one or more, each encoded symbol being distributed at n locations about a centre of rotational symmetry of the layout such that decoding the symbols at each of the n orientations of the layout produces n representations of the orientation-indicating data, each representation comprising a different cyclic shift of the orientation-indicating data and being indicative of the degree of rotation of the layout.

20. A method of dispensing a pharmaceutical product, the pharmaceutical product being associated with packaging having disposed thereon or therein coded data, at least some of the coded data being indicative of at least an identity of the pharmaceutical product, the method including, in a sensing device:

sensing at least some of the coded data;

determining, using the sensed coded data, indicating data at least partially indicative of the identity; and

,

transferring the indicating data to a computer system, the computer system being responsive to the indicating data for;

determining, using the indicating data and from a dispensing database, at least one criterion for dispensing the pharmaceutical product; and

,

causing the pharmaceutical product to be dispensed if the at least one criterion is are satisfied.