Schema for identification of solid form drugs

• US 6,543,692 B1
• Filed: 08/31/2000
• Issued: 04/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gerhard Nellhaus, Richard E. Peterson
• Original Assignee: Gerhard Nellhaus, Richard E. Peterson
• Inventors: Peterson, Richard E., Nellhaus, Gerhard
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THIEN MINH
• Application Number:
  US09/652,528
• Time in Patent Office: 950 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/462-1-4, 235/472-1-4, 235/494, 235/383, 235/454, 53/55, 531/68, 534/98
• US Class Current: 235/462.01
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2205/10 Bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2205/50 using icons or symbolic figures, e.g. by a graphical representation symbolising the type of pathology or the organ by an image
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 3/007 Marking tablets or the like apparatus for printing on tablets or the like B41F17/36
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/66 Trinkets, e.g. shirt buttons or jewellery items recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69

Abstract

A bar code schema for identification of solid form drugs, such as pills, tablets, capsules and the like using a data matrix type symbology for compact coding that is easily deciphered in combination with a common visual symbol that is easily recognized, the schema incorporating a portable code reading pen.

Claims

1. A drug identification system for marking solid form drugs comprising a pill imprint having a first marking in the form of a human recognizable symbolic icon and a second marking in the form of a machine readable bar code,

wherein the human recognizable symbolic icon provides a general identification suitable for categorical identification and communication, and the machine readable bar code provides an item identification.

2. The drug identification system of claim 1 wherein the marking is a composite marking that combines the first icon marking and the second bar code marking into a composite symbol.

3. The drug identification system of claim 2 wherein the symbolic icon marking provides a target for the bar code marking.

4. The drug identification system of claim 3 wherein the bar code is a 2D bar code.

5. The drug identification system of claim 4 wherein the 2D bar code is a data matrix type bar code.

6. The drug identification system of claim 4 wherein the 2D bar code is a matrix of squares with corner orientation squares and remaining data squares.

7. The drug identification system of claim 4 wherein the 2D bar code is a hybrid data matrix code with a data field and an orientation and granularity frame around the perimeter of the data field, wherein the frame and field are comprised of squares having a dimension and the squares of the data field have a dimension twice the dimension of the squares of the frame.

8. The drug identification system of claim 1 in combination with a portable bar code reader pen having a drug identification display for displaying drug item identifications responsive to a bar code read.

9. The portable bar code reader of claim 8 wherein the reader is in the form of a pen and the bar code is in the form of a 2D bar code.

10. The drug identification system of claim 1 in combination with a database with pictorial images of drugs wherein a select bar code identifies a particular drug and is linked to the pictorial image of the identified drug.

11. The drug identification system of claim 1 wherein the 2D bar code is a hybrid data matrix code with a data field and two contiguous orientation bars around two sides of the perimeter of the data field, wherein the orientation bars are comprised of like kind squares having a dimension and the squares of the data field have a dimension twice the dimension of the squares of the frame.