Drug coding and delivery system

• US 5,700,998 A
• Filed: 10/31/1995
• Issued: 12/23/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Yoram Palti
• Original Assignee: Yoram Palti
• Inventors: Palti, Yoram
• Primary Examiner(s): Hajec, Donald T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Le, Thien Minh
• Application Number:
  US08/550,930
• Time in Patent Office: 784 Days
• Field of Search: 235/462, 235/467, 235/375, 235/464, 235/494, 156/69, 156/64, 40/360, 40/630, 40/638, 40/306
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2205/10 Bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2205/20 Colour codes
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2205/40 by shape or form, e.g. by using shape recognition
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 3/005 Coating of tablets or the like coating of sweetmeats or confectionery A23G3/20; coating of granules in general B01J2/006
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 3/007 Marking tablets or the like apparatus for printing on tablets or the like B41F17/36
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/2072 characterised by shape, structure or size; Tablets with holes, special break lines or identification marks; Partially coated tablets; Disintegrating flat shaped forms A61K9/0004, A61K9/0056, A61K9/0065 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 2019/06243 concentric-code
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/66 Trinkets, e.g. shirt buttons or jewellery items recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers

Abstract

A method of coding drug pills in which a machine readable code is placed on the outer surface of the drug pills. The code includes the name and dosage of the pill. The code is a linear bar code, a radial bar code, a code on the outer peripheral edge of a tablet, or a coaxial code extending completely around a capsule. The code is applied to the pill by a) engraving the outer surface of the pill, b) by applying a code label, or c) by painting the code on the pill. In a method of distributing coded drug pills, the identification information is read from the pill. A desired drug delivery information file for a patient is also read. The identification information for the drug pill is compared to the desired drug delivery information prior to delivery of the pill to the patient. An alarm is generated upon detection of discrepancies between the pill identification information and the desired drug delivery information. A drug delivery system includes: a code reader for reading identification information from individually coded drugs and from patients; an input device for retrieving the desired drug delivery information; a comparator for comparing the identification information for an individually coded drug with the desired drug delivery information for the patient; and an alarm signal that is initiated upon detecting a discrepancy between the identification information for a drug to be delivered to a patient and the desired drug delivery information.

Claims

1. A method of delivering a drug pill to a patient, the method comprising:

(a) placing a machine readable bar code on the outer surface of the pill, the code comprising identification information including the name and dosage form of the drug for insuring proper administration of the drug to the patient;

(b) reading the bar code identification information from the pill with a code reader;

(c) reading desired drug delivery information for the patient from a drug delivery information file with a code reader;

(d) comparing the identification information on the pill with the desired drug delivery information;

(e) generating an alarm upon detection of discrepancies between the pill identification information and the desired drug delivery information; and

(f) delivering the drug pill to the patient in the absence of the generation of an alarm in accordance with step (e).

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the drug pill is a tablet.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the machine readable bar code is located on an outer peripheral edge of the tablet.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the drug pill is a capsule.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the machine readable bar code extends completely around the capsule.