SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PRINTING EDIBLE MEDICAMENT DOSAGE CONTAINERS HAVING IDENTIFYING INDICIA AT DISPENSING SITES

• US 20180036205A1
• Filed: 08/03/2016
• Published: 02/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Wilsher, Michael J., Stevenson, Duncan I.
• Granted Patent: US 10,460,624 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2205/30 Printed labels
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 3/007 Marking tablets or the like apparatus for printing on tablets or the like B41F17/36
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/106 using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/182 in parallel batches
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/753 Medical equipment; Accessories therefor bloodbags, medical bags B29L2031/7148; artificial eyes B29L2011/0008
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/00 Teaching, or communicating with, the blind, deaf or mute audible presentation of material to be studied G09B5/04; devices or methods for replacing direct visual or auditory perception by another kind of perception A61F9/08, A61F11/04; audible indication of meter readings or of colour G01D7/12; watches for blind persons G04B25/02; speech analysis, speech recognition G10L; sound-recording or reproducing, per se G11B
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/003 using tactile presentation of the information, e.g. Braille displays

Abstract

A system and method enables production of medicament containers with edible material at a site for dispensing medicaments. The containers are formed in shapes that indicate the contents of the containers and can be formed with indicia that indicate the times for taking the medicaments. Additionally, the containers can be formed with raised protuberances that provide information regarding the medicaments in the containers. In one embodiment, the raised protuberances are in Braille.

Claims

1. A method for producing medicament containers at a dispensing site comprising:

using a computer and interface to select container configuration data from a database for a medicament to be dispensed;

entering data corresponding to times for taking doses of the medicament with the computer and interface;

sending the container configuration data and the entered data to a three-dimensional (3D) object printer; and

operating the 3D object printer with reference to the container configuration data and the entered data to form at least one container with indicia indicating at least one time for taking the medicament, the at least one container being formed with edible material.

2. The method of claim 1, the entering of the data further comprising:

entering data for a number of containers to be produced and a configuration of an array of the number of containers; and

the operation of the 3D object printer further including production of an array of containers having the entered number of containers.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

modifying container configuration data with reference to the data corresponding to the times for taking doses of the medicament; and

operating the 3D object printer with reference to the modified container configuration data to produce at least one container.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

entering data regarding visually impairment of a person receiving the container through the computer and interface;

modifying container configuration data with reference to the data corresponding to the times for taking doses of the medicament and the data regarding visually impairment of the person receiving the container; and

operating the 3D object printer with reference to the modified container configuration data to produce at least one container with raised protuberances in response to data being entered that the person receiving the container is visually impaired.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the raised protuberances correspond to a code for assisting visually impaired persons.

6. The method of claim 5 where the raised protuberances correspond to Braille.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the raised protuberances correspond to alphanumeric characters.

8. The method of claim 1, the operation of the 3D object printer further comprising:

forming the container as a sun symbol to indicate daytime taking of the dose.

9. The method of claim 1, the operation of the 3D object printer further comprising:

forming the container as a moon symbol to indicate nighttime taking of the dose.

10. The method of claim 1, the operation of the 3D object printer further comprising:

forming the container as a body part symbol to indicate a type of medicament stored in the container.

11. A system for producing medicament containers at a dispensing site comprising:

a database in which container configuration data for a plurality of medicament containers are stored;

a computer having an interface configured to select container configuration data from the database for a medicament to be dispensed and to receive data corresponding to times for taking doses of the medicament; and

a three-dimensional (3D) object printer operatively connected to the computer to receive container configuration data and data corresponding to time for taking doses of the medicament, the 3D object printer operating with reference to the container configuration data and the data corresponding to time for taking doses of the medicament to form at least one container with edible material and having indicia indicating at least one time for taking the medicament.

12. The system of claim 11, the computer having the interface being further configured to receive data for a number of containers to be produced and a configuration of an array of the number of containers;

and

the 3D object printer operating with reference to the data for a number of containers to be produced and a configuration of an array of the number of containers to produce an array of containers having the entered number of containers.

13. The method of claim 11, the computer having the interface being further configured to:

modify container configuration data with reference to the data corresponding to the times for taking doses of the medicament; and

the 3D object printer operating with reference to the modified container configuration data to produce at least one container.

14. The system of claim 11, the computer having the interface is further configured to:

receive data regarding visually impairment of a person receiving the container;

modify container configuration data with reference to the data corresponding to the times for taking doses of the medicament and the data regarding visually impairment of the person receiving the container; and

the 3D object printer operating with reference to the modified container configuration data to produce at least one container with raised protuberances in response to data being entered that the person receiving the container is visually impaired.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the 3D object printer operates to produce the at least one container with raised protuberances that correspond to a code for assisting visually impaired persons.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the 3D object printer operates to produce the at least one container with raised protuberances that correspond to Braille.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein the 3D object printer operates to produce the at least one container with raised protuberances that correspond to alphanumeric characters.

18. The system of claim 11 wherein the operation of the 3D object printer with reference to the container configuration data and the data corresponding to time for taking doses of the medicament forms the container as a sun symbol to indicate daytime taking of the dose.

19. The system of claim 11 wherein the operation of the 3D object printer with reference to the container configuration data and the data corresponding to time for taking doses of the medicament forms the container as a moon symbol to indicate nighttime taking of the dose.

20. The system of claim 11, the operation of the 3D object printer with reference to the container configuration data and the data corresponding to time for taking doses of the medicament forms the container as a body part symbol to indicate a type of medicament stored in the container.