AUTOMATED PRESCRIPTION FILLING SYSTEM/METHOD WITH AUTOMATED LABELING AND PACKAGING SYSTEM/METHOD AND AUTOMATED ORDER CONSOLIDATION SYSTEM/METHOD
First Claim
1. A bottle transfer system, comprising:
- a plurality of storage locations, each storage location having a top side and a bottom side;
a stoppage mechanism disposed on each of the plurality of storage locations, the stoppage mechanism having an open position and a closed position;
a first transport mechanism obtaining a bottle and feeding the bottle to one of the plurality of storage locations, wherein the bottle is held by the one of the plurality of storage locations when the stoppage mechanism is in the closed position;
a second transport mechanism moving the stoppage mechanism from the closed position to the open position;
input system to input the patient specific order in a computer system, said patient specific order comprising one or more bottles and patient specific literature corresponding to the patient specific order; and
said computer system coupled to the first and second transport mechanisms for identifying one or more storage locations, wherein the computer system instructs the first transport mechanism to transfer the one or more bottles corresponding to a patient specific order to one or more of the plurality of storage locations, wherein the computer system further instructs the second transport mechanism to transfer the stoppage mechanism of the one or more of the plurality of storage locations from the closed position to the open position when the one or more bottles corresponding to the patient specific order has been transferred to the one or more of the plurality of storage locations and are ready for dispensing with other components of the patient specific order, including at least one of another bottle and the patient specific literature corresponding to the patient specific order.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Computer assisted systems, methods and mediums for filling one or more orders. One embodiment of the present invention is a system that includes an order consolidation station configured to receive at least one bottle containing pills individually counted and/or at least one package containing pharmaceutical products without having been designated for any of the orders when the package was created and/or at least one literature pack optionally including patient specific information. The order consolidation station is further configured to combine automatically the received bottle and/or package and/or literature pack into a container to be sent to a recipient including, for example, mail order pharmacies, wholesalers and/or central fill dealers for subsequent distribution or sale including retailer distribution or sale. The bottle is specifically designated for the order, and the order generally includes at least one prescription for the package.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A bottle transfer system, comprising:
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a plurality of storage locations, each storage location having a top side and a bottom side; a stoppage mechanism disposed on each of the plurality of storage locations, the stoppage mechanism having an open position and a closed position; a first transport mechanism obtaining a bottle and feeding the bottle to one of the plurality of storage locations, wherein the bottle is held by the one of the plurality of storage locations when the stoppage mechanism is in the closed position; a second transport mechanism moving the stoppage mechanism from the closed position to the open position; input system to input the patient specific order in a computer system, said patient specific order comprising one or more bottles and patient specific literature corresponding to the patient specific order; and said computer system coupled to the first and second transport mechanisms for identifying one or more storage locations, wherein the computer system instructs the first transport mechanism to transfer the one or more bottles corresponding to a patient specific order to one or more of the plurality of storage locations, wherein the computer system further instructs the second transport mechanism to transfer the stoppage mechanism of the one or more of the plurality of storage locations from the closed position to the open position when the one or more bottles corresponding to the patient specific order has been transferred to the one or more of the plurality of storage locations and are ready for dispensing with other components of the patient specific order, including at least one of another bottle and the patient specific literature corresponding to the patient specific order. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A container transfer system, comprising:
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a plurality of storage locations, the plurality of storage locations storing one or more containers corresponding to a patient specific prescription order, said plurality of storage locations including a stoppage mechanism having an open position and a closed position; a first transport mechanism obtaining the one or more containers and transferring said one or more containers to one or more of the plurality of storage locations, wherein said one or more containers are stored by the one or more of the plurality of storage locations when the stoppage mechanism is in the closed position; a second transport mechanism responsively connected to transfer the stoppage mechanism from the closed position to the open position; input system to input the patient specific order in a computer system, said patient specific order comprising one or more containers and patient specific literature corresponding to the patient specific order; and said computer system coupled to the first and second transport mechanisms for identifying one or more storage locations, wherein the computer system instructs the first transport mechanism to transfer the one or more containers corresponding to a patient specific order to one or more of the plurality of storage locations, wherein the computer system further instructs the second transport mechanism to transfer the stoppage mechanism of the one or more of the plurality of storage locations from the closed position to the open position when the one or more containers corresponding to the patient specific order has been transferred to the one or more of the plurality of storage locations and are ready for dispensing with other components of the patient specific order, including at least one of another container and the patient specific literature corresponding to the patient specific order. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification