Methods for Item Management

• US 20130126545A1
• Filed: 01/16/2013
• Published: 05/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chudy Group LLC (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Original Assignee: Chudy Group LLC (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Inventors: Chudy, Duane S., Montgomery, Larry, Spernow, James T.
• Granted Patent: US 9,355,221 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 221/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/03 for pills or tablets containers for pills or tablets with special dispensing means therefor B65D83/04
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2205/10 Bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2205/20 Colour codes
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2205/60 using magnetic or electronic identifications, e.g. chips, RFID, electronic tags
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0069 Trays for holding or distributing medicines display trays A47F3/14; serving trays A47G23/06
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/04 Arrangements for time indication or reminder for taking medicine, e.g. programmed dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 5/04 Packaging single articles
• CPC Class Codes: B65G 1/02 Storage devices furniture A47B; shop fittings A47F
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/22 Social work or social welfare, e.g. community support activities or counselling services
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/62 in which the articles are stored in compartments in fixed receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/60 relating to nutrition control, e.g. diets
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms

Abstract

Item-management systems, apparatus, and methods are described, preferably for management of items such as medicaments. In a method embodiment, a method of hand-loading a container with at least one type of medicament is provided. A portable container having plural cells for holding medicament-type items is gotten and is docked at a docking station. Visible information, preferably viewable on the docked container, indicates the cell into which each medicament is to be hand-loaded. The visible information assists a user to hand-load a medicament into the correct cell. The docked container is removed from the docking station after the cells have been loaded with the medicaments.

Claims

1. A method for management of medicament-type items enabling pharmacy personnel to rapidly and accurately perform repetitive manual tasks of hand-loading a holder having medicament-holding cells with at least one type of medicament, the method comprising the steps of:

docking a portable holder having medicament-holding cells with a pharmacy docking station, the docking station including structure to which the holder is temporarily docked during hand-loading of medicaments into the cells, the pharmacy docking station further including circuitry which enables operation of indicators between at least yes and no states to provide visible information viewable on the docked holder indicating the cell into which each medicament is to be hand-loaded;

indicating the cell of the docked holder into which each medicament is to be hand-loaded by operating the docking station circuitry so that an indicator is in the yes state to provide the visible information viewable on the docked holder proximate the cell into which the medicament is to be hand-loaded; and

hand-loading the medicament into the indicated cell.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the indicating step further includes activating the indicator.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the indicator is a lamp.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising, before the indicating step, the steps of:

displaying a type of medicament to be hand-loaded into the docked holder; and

selecting the displayed type of medicament,

whereby the selecting triggers the indicating step.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

carrying the holder to an automated dispensing machine; and

transferring the medicaments from the holder to the automated dispensing machine.

6. A method of hand-loading a container with at least one type of medicament, the method comprising the steps of:

getting a portable container, the container having plural cells for holding medicaments;

docking the container at a docking station having structure to which the container is temporarily docked during hand-loading of medicaments into the cells, the docking station further having circuitry which enables control of visible information viewable on the docked container between at least yes and no states to indicate the cell into which each medicament is to be hand-loaded;

controlling the visible information through the docking station circuitry such that the yes state information is visible on the docked container proximate the cell into which each medicament is to be hand-loaded;

hand-loading a medicament into the cell proximate the yes state information; and

removing the docked container from the docking station after the cells have been loaded with the medicaments.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the getting step further includes getting one container of a plurality of containers.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the controlling step further includes activating an indicator to provide the yes state information.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the indicator is a lamp.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the controlling step further includes providing the yes state information through the docked container when the indicator is activated.

11. The method of claim 6 further comprising, before the controlling step, the steps of:

displaying a type of medicament to be hand-loaded into the docked container; and

selecting the displayed type of medicament, whereby the selecting triggers the controlling step.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising, if any medicaments remain to be hand-loaded into the docked container, repeating the displaying, selecting, controlling and hand-loading steps until all of the medicaments have been hand-loaded into the docked container.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising, after all of the medicaments have been hand-loaded into the docked container, the steps of:

docking the container with the docking station if the container is not already docked;

displaying each type of medicament that was hand-loaded into the docked container;

for each type of displayed medicament, controlling the visible information through the docking station circuitry such that the yes state information is visible on the docked container proximate the cell into which each medicament was hand-loaded; and

verifying that the medicament in each cell proximate the yes state information is of the correct type.

14. A method for enabling a human to rapidly and accurately perform repetitive manual tasks of hand-loading a container having cells with at least one type of item in an arrangement for packaging of the items, the method comprising the steps of:

docking a portable container having cells for holding items with a docking station, the docking station including structure to which the container is temporarily docked during hand-loading of items into the cells, the docking station and a controller controlling visible information between at least yes and no states such that the visible information is viewable on the docked holder to indicate to the human the cell into which each item is to be hand-loaded;

operating the controller and the docking station to control the visible information such that yes state information is visible to the human on the docked container proximate the cell into which each item is to be hand loaded in the arrangement for packaging; and

hand-loading each item into the cell proximate the yes state information.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the items are medicaments.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the operating step further includes activating an indicator to provide the yes state information.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of removing the docked container from the docking station after the cells have been hand-loaded.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising, after the removing step, the steps of:

docking a further portable container having item-holding cells with the docking station; and

performing the operating and hand-loading steps for the cells of the docked further container.

19. The method of claim 14 further comprising, before the operating step, the steps of:

displaying a type of item to be hand-loaded into the container; and

selecting the displayed type of item, whereby the selecting triggers the operating step.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising, if any item remains to be hand-loaded into the container, repeating the displaying, selecting, operating, and hand-loading steps until all of the items have been hand-loaded into the container.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising, after all of the items have been hand-loaded into the container, the steps of:

docking the container with the docking station if the container is not already docked;

displaying each type of item that was hand-loaded into the container;

operating the controller and the docking station to control the visible information such that yes state information is provided for each displayed type of item; and

verifying that the item in each cell proximate the yes state information is of the correct type.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising, after the verifying step for each type of item, the steps of:

carrying the container to an automated dispensing machine; and

transferring the items from the container to the automated dispensing machine for the packaging.