AUTOMATED PHARMACY DRUG HANDLING AND PRESCRIPTION VERIFICATION SYSTEM AND METHOD
First Claim
1. A pharmaceutical handling and security system for automated prescription filling, said prescriptions being a specified quantity of pharmaceuticals ordered by a physician for each of a plurality of patients, the handling and security system comprisinga plurality of standardized containers adapted to receive selected quantities of pharmaceuticals according to said prescriptions;
- label means for labeling each of said standardized containers, the label means bearing machine-readable indicia of a patient'"'"'s prescription;
bulk pharmaceutical storage means for storing bulk pharmaceuticals prior to dispensing them into said containers;
indicia reading means for reading said machine-readable indicia on each container;
dispensing means for dispensing pharmaceuticals into said containers; and
sortition means for sorting a plurality of containers for said patient together for packaging and shipping to said patient.
3 Assignments
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Accused Products
Abstract
An intake to exit security system for high-volume pharmacies provides maximum security from tampering and assures accuracy. The system immediately assigns bar codes to shipments upon arrival and then tracks them through warehousing, bulk distribution, prescription dispensing and shipping to patients, hospitals and drugstores. Bar-coded lock neck devices secure bulk drug canisters to bar-coded dispensing machines at specified dispensing stations where the machines dispense drugs into pre-labeled prescription bottles according to prescription indicia on the labels. Bottles then undergo content analysis and certification before packaged and shipped to customers. A Ramon laser spectral analysis contrasts the bottle contents to a library of known spectral signatures of drugs, and the pharmacist is alerted to any detected difference. A simultaneously captured visual image of the pills enables the pharmacist visually to compare the contents to a library of known visual appearances of the drugs. Both analyses are recorded for prescriptions certified and forwarded to customers. Deviations are excised without disrupting flow of other prescriptions, and the system automatically reassigns an incorrectly filled prescription to another bottle which starts anew through the system. Full bottles of commonly used drugs and specialized containers for irregularly shaped objects, creams and ointments may be pre-filled and inventoried for later collation with prescription bottles at the packaging and shipping stage.
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Citations
10 Claims
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1. A pharmaceutical handling and security system for automated prescription filling, said prescriptions being a specified quantity of pharmaceuticals ordered by a physician for each of a plurality of patients, the handling and security system comprising
a plurality of standardized containers adapted to receive selected quantities of pharmaceuticals according to said prescriptions; -
label means for labeling each of said standardized containers, the label means bearing machine-readable indicia of a patient'"'"'s prescription; bulk pharmaceutical storage means for storing bulk pharmaceuticals prior to dispensing them into said containers; indicia reading means for reading said machine-readable indicia on each container; dispensing means for dispensing pharmaceuticals into said containers; and sortition means for sorting a plurality of containers for said patient together for packaging and shipping to said patient. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. An improved method of managing a pharmacy, said pharmacy having automated pharmaceutical dispensing, sorting and packaging systems for providing high-volume prescription filling services, the method comprising
providing a handling and security system having a plurality of standardized containers adapted to receive selected quantities of pharmaceuticals according to said prescriptions; -
label means for labeling each of said standardized containers, the label means bearing machine-readable indicia of a patient'"'"'s prescription; bulk pharmaceutical storage means for storing bulk pharmaceuticals prior to dispensing them into said containers; indicia reading means for reading said machine-readable indicia on each container; dispensing means for dispensing pharmaceuticals into said containers; content verification means for verifying the contents of said containers after filling; and sortition means for sorting a plurality of containers for said patient together for packaging and shipping to said patient;
then(a) causing the containers to be directed to said dispensing means according to said machine-readable indicia;
then(b) causing said dispensing means to dispense a quantity of said pharmaceuticals into said container according to said machine-readable indicia;
then(c) directing said containers to said content verification means for certification of accuracy of said pharmaceuticals within said container according to said machine-readable indicia;
then(d) directing said container to said sortition means for collation with others of said plurality of containers containing pharmaceuticals for said patient;
then(e) repeating steps (a)-(d), inclusive, for each additional container.
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Specification