Method and Apparatus for Tracking the Distribution of Pharmaceutical Products

• US 20080140715A1
• Filed: 02/07/2006
• Published: 06/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sartin Group Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: Sartin Group Pty Limited
• Inventors: Hakos, George
• Application Number:
  US11/883,840
• Publication Number:
  US 20080140715A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/104.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A method for use in tracking the transaction of pharmaceutical-related products from a supplier to a receiver, said method being operable on a computer system including a first server interconnected to a relatively remote second server via a communication link, wherein said method includes the steps of: (i) inputting transaction information into the second server, said transaction information including electronically encoded data representing a unique signature of the receiver for verifying the identity of the receiver; (ii) transmitting the transaction information from the second server to the first server via the communication link; (iii) storing the transaction information received by the first server in a database of the first server; (iv) generating a report based on the transaction information stored in the database.

Claims

1. A method for use in tracking the transaction of pharmaceutical-related products from a supplier to a receiver, said method being operable on a computer system including a first server interconnected to a relatively remote second server via a communication link, wherein said method includes the steps of:

(i) inputting transaction information into the second server, said transaction information including electronically encoded data representing a unique signature of the receiver for verifying the identity of the receiver;

(ii) transmitting the transaction information from the second server to the first server via the communication link;

(iii) storing the transaction information received by the first server in a database of the first server;

(iv) generating a report based on the transaction information stored in the database.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the supplier includes a sales representative of a pharmaceutical company.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the receiver includes at least one of:

(a) a medical practitioner; and

(b) a pharmacist.

4. A method as claimed in any claim 1 including the step of interconnecting the first sever with a plurality of second servers via the communication link.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4 wherein the communication link includes at least one of:

(a) the Internet;

(b) a Wide-Area-Network;

(c) a Local-Area-Network.

6. A method as claimed in any claim 1 including the step of implementing a security protocol across the communication link.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6 wherein the security protocol includes a data encryption protocol for encrypting/decrypting data communicated between the first server and the plurality of second servers.

8. A method as claimed in any claim 1 including the step of providing a database for storing transaction information.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8 wherein the database is interfaced with the first server.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the second server includes at least one of:

(a) a PDA;

(b) a portable computer; and

(c) a mobile phone.

11. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the transaction information includes at least one of the following details of the transaction:

(a) data representing an identity of the receiver;

(b) data representing an identity of the supplier;

(c) data representing an identity of the product being distributed;

(d) data representing a quantity of the product being distributed;

(e) data representing a time and/or date at which the product is distributed;

(f) data representing a location where the distribution takes place;

(g) data representing an expiry date of the product being distributed;

(h) data representing a batch number of the product being distributed.

12. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the signature of the receiver includes at least one of:

(a) a hand-written signature encoded in electronic format;

(b) a unique code and/or password; and

(c) a unique biometric characteristic.

13. A method as claimed in claim 1 including the step of inputting transaction information into the second server includes the use of at least one of:

(a) a keypad;

(b) a scanner such as a bar-code scanner; and

(c) a touch-screen display.

14. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least some of the transaction information is encoded in bar-code format whereby it can be scanned in to the second server by a bar-code scanner.

15. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein transaction information relating to a time and/or date of a transaction is provided in the form of a timestamp.

16. A method as claimed in claim 15 wherein the time stamp is generated by reference to a GPS network clock.

17. A method as claimed in claim 16 wherein a clock of the second server is synchronised with the GPS network clock.

18. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein transaction information relating to a location of the transaction is generated by reference to a GPS network navigation system.

19. A method as claimed in claim 16 including the step of interfacing the second server with the GPS network.

20. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of transmitting the transaction information from the second server to the first server is carried out using at least one of the following communication methods:

(a) E-mail;

(b) facsimile;

(c) Short-Message-Service;

(d) GPRS.

21. A method as claimed in claim 1 including the step of verifying the authenticity of the received signature data.

22. A method as claimed in claim 21 including the step of performing a correlation of the received signature with a pre-recorded sample of the receiver'"'"'s signature.

23. A method as claimed in claim 22 wherein the step of correlating the received signature with a pre-recorded sample is automatically performed by a computer program.

24. A method as claimed in claim 21 including the step of generating a notification where a signature is unsuccessfully verified.

25. A method as claimed in claims claim 1 wherein the step of generating a report is performed automatically on a predetermined periodic basis.

26. A method as claimed in claim 1 including the step of automatically communicating the report to a third party.

27. A method as claimed in claim 26 wherein the step of communicating the report to a third party includes the use of at least one of:

(a) E-mail;

(b) Facsimile;

(c) Short-Message-Service;

(d) Printed message utilising conventional mailing system;

(e) GPRS;

or

(f) a Web page accessible via the Internet.

28. A method as claimed in claim 27 wherein the Web page includes a secured Web page.

29. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the step of transmitting information from the second server to the first server is effected substantially in real-time.

30. A computerised system programmed to perform the method steps in accordance with claim 1.

31. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the method steps in accordance with claim 1.

32. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a data structure produced in accordance with the method steps of claim 1.

33. In combination with a computer system, a graphical-user interface including a display and a selection device, a method of providing and selecting from a menu on the display, the method steps of claim 1.

34. A report generated in accordance with the method steps of claim 1.