MEDICAMENT INVENTORY SYSTEM AND METHOD
First Claim
1. An apparatus comprising:
- a casing adapted to contain one or more medicament units;
a sensory unit disposed within the casing and adapted to determine when a medicament unit is dispensed from the casing; and
a communications module adapted to transmit inventory information related to said one or more medicament units to a remote module.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The invention relates to a method and system that utilizes one or more cassettes or trays, which hold one or more types of medicaments, the cassettes or trays being configured for intelligent dispensing of the medicaments. In one embodiment, a smart tray for dispensing medicaments includes: a housing; an information storage device that maintains inventory information regarding medicament units in the tray; and a communication device to transfer the inventory information between the information storage device and an external computing apparatus to facilitate inventory maintenance. In a further embodiment, the smart tray includes a mechanism to determine a quantity of medicament units dispensed from the tray to facilitate inventory tracking.
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Citations
77 Claims
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1. An apparatus comprising:
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a casing adapted to contain one or more medicament units; a sensory unit disposed within the casing and adapted to determine when a medicament unit is dispensed from the casing; and a communications module adapted to transmit inventory information related to said one or more medicament units to a remote module. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A medicament container comprising:
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a housing adapted to store medicament units; an outlet adapted to dispense medicament units; a sensory unit disposed within the housing and adapted to determine a number of medicament units dispensed from the outlet; and a transmitter adapted to transmit the number to an external device. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9)
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10. The medicament container of 8, wherein the medicament container comprises a display component adapted to indicate a status condition of the medicament container.
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11. A device for storing medicament units, the device comprising:
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a compartment adapted to contain a number of medicinal entities; a memory module adapted to record the number of medicinal entities contained within the compartment; an update module adapted to update the number recorded in the memory module upon receiving an indication that the number has changed; and a sensory unit contained within the compartment and adapted to determine if the number of medicinal entities contained within the compartment has changed. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14)
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15. A method of tracking a quantity of medicaments contained within a medicament container, the method comprising:
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keeping an electronic count of medicaments contained within the medicaments container, wherein the electronic count is adapted to be stored within a storage device disposed within the medicament container; determining whether a medicament has been dispensed from the medicament container via a sensory unit disposed within the medicament container; and updating the electronic count upon determining that the medicament has been dispensed from the medicament container. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A method of transmitting inventory information related to medicinal entities contained within a housing, the method comprising:
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electronically scanning a portion of the housing to determine whether a medicinal entity has traversed a first location; updating a data value in a memory module contained within the housing upon determining that a medicinal entity has traversed the first location, wherein the data value is adapted to indicate the number of medicinal entities remaining in the housing; and electronically transmitting the data value to a remote module. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A computer readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, perform a process comprising:
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writing a value at a first location in memory, wherein the value is indicative of the number of medicaments stored within a medicament container, and wherein the memory is disposed within the medicament container; updating the value upon determining a change in the number of medicaments stored within the medicament container, wherein the change is determined by a sensory unit that is at least partially disposed within the medicament container; receiving a request to read the value; and transmitting the value in response to the request. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. An apparatus comprising:
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a compartment adapted to house a plurality of medicaments; a memory device disposed within the compartment and adapted to store data pertaining to at least one medicament housed within the compartment; and a communication device disposed within the compartment and adapted to automatically communicate the data to an insurance agency in order to facilitate automatic claim processing. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. A method comprising:
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determining when a medicament has been dispensed from a medicament container via a sensory unit disposed within the medicament container; updating a set of data stored within a memory module disposed within the medicament container upon determining that a medicament has been dispensed; and automatically communicating the set of data to an insurance agency in order to facilitate automatic claim processing. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39)
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40. An apparatus comprising:
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a housing adapted to contain a plurality of medicament units prescribed to one or more patients; a sensory unit disposed within the housing and adapted to determine when a medicament unit has been dispensed from the housing; an update module adapted to update a number of medicament units contained within the housing upon determining that a medicament unit has been dispensed from the housing; and a communications module adapted to submit a request to order additional medicament units based at least in part upon whether the number is less than or equal to a predetermined value. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48)
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49. A method comprising:
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determining from a sensor disposed within a medicament tray whether a medicament has been dispensed from the medicament tray; updating a count of medicaments stored within a memory module contained within the medicament tray upon determining that a medicament has been dispensed; and submitting an electronic order for additional medicaments if the value of the count is less than a predetermined value. - View Dependent Claims (50, 51, 52)
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57. An apparatus comprising:
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a housing adapted to contain a plurality of medicaments; a memory module contained within the housing and adapted to store inventory information pertaining to the plurality of medicaments contained within the housing; and a communication device contained within the housing and adapted to transmit a signal to at least one of a patient and a caregiver if it is determined that the additional medicaments are to be ordered. - View Dependent Claims (53, 54, 55, 56, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63)
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64. A method comprising:
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receiving data from a sensory unit disposed within a medicament container, wherein the data is adapted to indicate a change in a number of medicaments contained within the medicament container; updating a count of medicaments contained within the medicament container, wherein the count is adapted to be stored within a memory module contained within the medicament container; determining from the count whether additional medicaments are to be ordered; and automatically generating a communication to at least one of a patient and a caregiver if it is determined that additional medicaments are to be ordered. - View Dependent Claims (65, 66, 67, 68, 69)
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70. An apparatus comprising:
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a housing adapted to contain a plurality of medicaments; a memory module contained within the housing and adapted to store inventory information pertaining to the plurality of medicaments contained within the housing; and logic contained within the housing and adapted to determine when to reorder medicaments based at least in part upon the inventory information, wherein the logic is adapted to automatically transmit a reorder request to an external device upon determining that a reorder is necessary and thereafter receive a confirmation message from the external device indicating receipt of the reorder request. - View Dependent Claims (71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77)
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Specification