SYSTEM FOR AUTHENTICATING PRESCRIPTIVE DRUGS AT THE TIME OF DISPENSING

• US 20090223990A1
• Filed: 02/03/2009
• Published: 09/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kenneth S. Bailey, Paul Mula
• Original Assignee: Kenneth S. Bailey, Paul Mula
• Inventors: Mula, Paul, Bailey, Kenneth S.
• Application Number:
  US12/365,143
• Publication Number:
  US 20090223990A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 221/2
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers

Abstract

Prescription drugs are automatically determined and dispensed.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a prescription dispensing system, having a plurality of individual containers therein, each individual container in a specified location, and each container having a quantity of prescription medication therein;

a container inspection device, which optically inspects the container device, and automatically determines contents within said container based on said inspection;

a selector which selects one of said containers, responsive to an external request; and

sends said container to another location.

2. A system as in claim 1, further comprising a prescription verification computer, which verifies information indicative of a prescription prior to causing said selector to select said one of said containers.

3. A system as in claim 2, wherein said pill selector includes a robotic arm.

4. A system as in claim 1, wherein said inspection device reads a bar-code from said container that indicates the contents of the container.

5. A system as in claim 1, wherein said container holds pills, and said inspection device optically determines characteristics of a pill inside said pill bottle.

6. A system as in claim 2, wherein said prescription verification computer verifies at least one aspect of the prescription.

7. A system as in claim 2, wherein said prescription verification computer verifies at least one aspect of an employee who is filling the prescription before allowing the prescription to be filled.

8. A method, comprising:

storing prescription medicine in a holder in which different items of prescription medicine are automatically maintained in different locations in the holder;

automatically removing said prescription medication from areas in the holder to dispense items in the prescription medication; and

using a computer to automatically verify at least one aspect of a prescription, and only when said at least one aspect of the prescription has been verified, using the computer to automatically control said automatically removing.

9. A method as in claim 8, further comprising verifying contents of the prescription medication that is removed prior to dispensing.

10. A method as in claim 9, wherein said automatically verify comprises verifying a patient name on said prescription.

11. A method as in claim 9, wherein said prescription medication is verified using an optical sensor.

12. A method as in claim 11, wherein said optical sensor senses a bar-code on a prescription container.

13. A method as in claim 11, wherein said optical sensor verifies at least one characteristic of pills that are within a container by imaging through the container.

14. A method as in claim 9, wherein said prescription medication is automatically verified by verifying a weight of the medication.

15. A method as in claim 8, wherein said holder stores holders in a two-dimensional array.

16. A method as in claim 9, further comprising automatically verifying characteristics of an employee dispensing the pills prior to said dispensing.

17. A method as in claim 16, wherein said characteristics of the employee are verified by a biometric reader.

18. A method as in claim 16, wherein said characteristics of the employee are verified by detecting a name badge.