Label printing assembly for use with a medicament dispensing control workstation

• US 6,206,590 B1
• Filed: 03/29/2000
• Issued: 03/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ScriptPro LLC
• Original Assignee: Scripto LLC
• Inventors: Thomas, Tracy I., Kudera, Keith W., Guerp, Lawrence E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hilten, John S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chau, Minh H.
• Application Number:
  US09/538,374
• Time in Patent Office: 363 Days
• Field of Search: 400/586, 400/611, 400/613, 400/615.2, 156/361, 156/362, 156/363, 156/364, 221/2, 221/6, 221/7, 221/135, 221/172, 221/183, 221/220, 700/235, 705/2
• US Class Current: 400/586
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 15/04 Supporting, feeding, or guiding devices; Mountings for web rolls or spindles
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/4075 Tape printers; Label printers
• CPC Class Codes: B65C 9/46 Applying date marks, code marks, or the like, to the label during labelling manually-controlled or operable apparatus having printing equipment B65C11/02; ticket printing and issuing G07B1/00 ; apparatus for ticket validating or cancelling G07B11/00
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2220/01 indicating an entity as a function of which control, adjustment or change is performed, i.e. input
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2511/51 Presence
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2513/50 Timing
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2701/194 Web supporting regularly spaced adhesive articles, e.g. labels, rubber articles, labels or stamps
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 29/62 diverting faulty articles from the main streams control devices detecting faulty articles B65H43/04
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 37/002 Web delivery apparatus, the web serving as support for articles, material or another web

Abstract

A label printing assembly (10) that effectively eliminates labeling errors caused by pharmacists placing the wrong prescription labels on medicine vials or packages. The label printing assembly is preferably configured for use with an automated medicament dispensing control workstation (11) and broadly includes a label print head (12), a label supply assembly (14), a label peeler assembly (16), and a control assembly (18).

Claims

1. A label printing assembly for use with a medicament dispensing control workstation, the label printing assembly comprising:

a label print head;

a label supply assembly for transporting a supply of blank labels carried on a release layer to the label print head so that the label print head can print label information on the blank labels to create printed labels;

a label peeler assembly operatively coupled with the label print head for at least partially separating the printed labels from the release layer so that an operator of the workstation can remove one of the printed labels from the label printing assembly to be placed on a medicine vial or package; and

a control assembly operatively coupled with the label peeler assembly for preventing the operator from retrieving one of the printed labels if the printed label is not removed from the printer assembly within a predetermined amount of time of being printed.

2. The label printing assembly as set forth in claim 1, the control assembly including a sensor coupled with the label peeler assembly for sensing presence of a printed label at the label peeler assembly.

3. The label printing assembly as set forth in claim 2, the control assembly further including a computer operatively coupled with the sensor and the label supply assembly for directing the label supply assembly to advance the printed label away from the label peeler assembly if the printed label has not been removed from the label peeler assembly within a predetermined amount of time.

4. The label printing assembly as set forth in claim 2, the control assembly further including a computer operatively coupled with the sensor and the label supply assembly for directing the label supply assembly to retract the printed label if the sensor determines that the printed label has not been removed before an operator attempts to use the label printing assembly to print another printed label.

5. The label printing assembly as set forth in claim 1, the label supply assembly including a label feed spool for holding the supply of blank labels, a label take-up spool for holding the release layer, and a motor for driving the label take-up spool so as to transport the supply of blank labels from the label feed spool, to the label print head, and by the label peeler assembly.

6. A label printing assembly for use with a medicament dispensing control workstation, the label printing assembly comprising:

a label print head;

a label supply assembly for transporting a supply of blank labels carried on a release layer to the label print head so that the label print head can print label information on the blank labels to create printed labels;

label peeler assembly operatively coupled with the label print head for at least partially separating the printed labels from the release layer so that an operator of the workstation can remove one of the printed labels from the label printing assembly to be placed on a medicine vial or package; and

a control assembly operatively coupled with the label peeler assembly for preventing the operator from retrieving one of the printed labels if an operator attempts to use the workstation to print another printed label before the printed label is removed from the printing assembly.

7. The label printing assembly as set forth in claim 6, the control assembly including a sensor coupled with the label peeler assembly for sensing presence of a printed label at the label peeler assembly.

8. The label printing assembly as set forth in claim 7, the control assembly further including a computer operatively coupled with the sensor and the label supply assembly for directing the label supply assembly to advance the printed label away from the label peeler assembly if the printed label has not been removed from the label peeler assembly within a predetermined amount of time.

9. The label printing assembly as set forth in claim 8, the control assembly further including a computer operatively coupled with the sensor and the label supply assembly for directing the label supply assembly to retract the printed label if the sensor determines that the printed label has not been removed before an operator attempts to use the label printing assembly to print another printed label.

10. The label printing assembly as set forth in claim 6, the label supply assembly including a label feed spool for holding the supply of blank labels, a label take-up spool for holding the release layer, and a motor for driving the label take-up spool so as to transport the supply of blank labels from the label feed spool, to the label print head, and by the label peeler assembly.