Method of opening a medicine package
First Claim
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1. A method of dispensing medicine to a person comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a package of medicine provided with a code indicating information concerning the characteristics of the medicine;
(b) providing a machine having means for identifying the medical needs of the person and for determining whether the dispensing of the medicine to the person will help satisfy the medical needs of the person, means for reading the code and transmitting the information indicated by the code to said identifying and determining means, means for rendering the code unreadable only when said identifying and determining means determines that the medicine in the package will help satisfy the medical needs of the person, and means for opening the package only when said identifying and determining means determines that the medicine in the package will help satisfy the medical needs of the person;
(c) reading the code by the reading and transmitting means;
(d) rendering the code unreadable by the rendering means;
(e) opening the package by the opening means; and
(f) delivering the medicine to the person.
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Abstract
A medicine package including a reservoir containing the medicine, the package bearing a machine readable code indicative of the characteristics of the medicine contained therein. If from reading the code it is determined that the medicine contained in the package can be used to satisfy the needs of a particular patient, then the package is opened and the code is rendered unreadable by the machine. A machine for reading the code, opening the package, rendering the code unreadable, and maintaining a record of the dispensing of the medicine to a particular patient is also disclosed.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A method of dispensing medicine to a person comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing a package of medicine provided with a code indicating information concerning the characteristics of the medicine; (b) providing a machine having means for identifying the medical needs of the person and for determining whether the dispensing of the medicine to the person will help satisfy the medical needs of the person, means for reading the code and transmitting the information indicated by the code to said identifying and determining means, means for rendering the code unreadable only when said identifying and determining means determines that the medicine in the package will help satisfy the medical needs of the person, and means for opening the package only when said identifying and determining means determines that the medicine in the package will help satisfy the medical needs of the person; (c) reading the code by the reading and transmitting means; (d) rendering the code unreadable by the rendering means; (e) opening the package by the opening means; and (f) delivering the medicine to the person.
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2. A method of administering medication comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing a package containing the medication, said package provided with a machine readable code indicating the contents of the package, said package capable of being opened substantially only with a tool; (b) providing a machine including a tool capable of opening the package, means for reading the code such that the code of the package is read by the reading means wherever the package is opened by the tool; and (c) opening the package by the tool. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method of administering medication comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing a package containing the medication, said package provided with a machine readable code indicating the contents of the package, the opening of said package capable of being initiated only with a tool; (b) providing a machine including a tool capable of initiating the opening of the package, means for reading the code such that the code of the package is read whenever the opening of the package is initiated by the tool; (c) initiating the opening of the package by the tool; and (d) opening the package. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification