Automated Will Call System

• US 20100059585A1
• Filed: 04/21/2009
• Published: 03/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Parata Systems, LLC (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Original Assignee: Parata Systems, LLC (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Inventors: Fellows, Eugene, Jordan, Michael, Denenberg, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,924,227 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/045 in a circular arrangement, e.g. towers
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/127 the circuit being confined in a vertical plane
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/137 with arrangements or automatic control means for selecting which articles are to be removed
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 17/00 Methods or arrangements for effecting co-operative working between equipments covered by two or more of main groups G06K1/00 - G06K15/00, e.g. automatic card files incorporating conveying and reading operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/54 about vertical axes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0042 for hiring of objects
• 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

A will call system for automating the management of storage and retrieval of items, preferably medical prescriptions. The automated system provides informational control of all items in the system. The automated will call monitors the length of time an item remains in the system, and into which location an item is placed. An article sensor provides absolute confirmation that an item has been placed or removed from a designated location in the storage unites. The automated will call system uses a controller to permit users to monitor and optimize the storage and retrieval procedures.

Claims

1. A method of providing filled prescriptions for specific patients, comprising:

receiving at a pharmacy a plurality of filled prescriptions for specific patients from a central fill location;

entering identifying information for each of the filled prescriptions into a controller associated with an automated will call system;

loading each of the filled prescriptions into a storage location in the automated will call system; and

tracking the storage location of each filled prescription with the controller.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the identifying information includes at least one of an identity of the specific patient and a prescription number.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the entering step comprises entering the identifying information into the controller by electronic transmission.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the identifying information is contained in identifying indicia on each of the filled prescriptions.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the entering step comprises sensing the identifying indicia with a device associated with the controller.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the identifying indicia comprises at least one of a bar code or a read/write tag.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the entering step comprises direct entry of the identifying information by pharmacy personnel.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the loading step comprises loading at least one of the filled prescriptions into a unique storage location in the automated will call system.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the loading step comprises loading at least one of the filled prescriptions into a storage location containing a matched prescription in the automated will call system.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving requests for the prescriptions at the pharmacy; and

sending the requests for the prescriptions to the central fill location.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising processing the received requests through an interactive voice response system.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the receiving step comprises receiving at least a portion of the plurality of filled prescriptions in a tote.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein a memory device is disposed on the tote and wherein the memory device contains the identifying information for each of the filled prescriptions contained in the tote.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the memory device comprises at least one of a bar code or a read/write tag.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the entering step comprises scanning the memory device to capture the identifying information.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the loading step comprises loading the tote into the automated will call system.

17. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving information input by a pharmacy customer into the automated will call system, the received information identifying at least one of the customer and a filled prescription for a specific patient, the customer having authorization to retrieve the filled prescription; and

providing the customer access to the storage location containing the filled prescription for the specific patient.

18. A method of filling prescriptions for specific patients, comprising:

collecting information for a plurality of prescriptions at a central fill location;

filling the prescriptions at the central fill location based on the collected information; and

transporting the filled prescriptions from the central fill location to at least one automated will call system located at a pharmacy.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the collecting step comprises receiving the information for the plurality of prescriptions at the pharmacy and relaying the information to the central fill location.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the collecting step comprises processing the information for the plurality of prescriptions through an interactive voice response system.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising loading at least a portion of the filled prescriptions into at least one tote at the central fill location.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein a memory device is disposed on the tote, and further comprising storing identifying information for each filled prescription on the memory device prior to transporting the filled prescriptions to the pharmacy.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the memory device comprises at least one of a bar code and a read/write tag.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising scanning the memory device at the pharmacy and sending the identifying information to a controller memory associated with the at least one automated will call system.

25. The method of claim 21, further comprising loading the tote into the at least one automated will call system.