Pill printing and identification

• US 6,776,341 B1
• Filed: 11/03/1999
• Issued: 08/17/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Robert J. Hess, Scott L. Sullivan
• Original Assignee: Robert J. Hess, Scott L. Sullivan
• Inventors: Sullivan, Scott L., Hess, Robert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, THIEN MINH
• Application Number:
  US09/432,469
• Time in Patent Office: 1,749 Days
• Field of Search: 235/462-1-4, 235/383, 235/375, 235/472-1-4, 235/382.5, 235/380, 235/494, 235/470, 235/454, 271/1, 271/2, 271/5.1
• US Class Current: 235/462.01
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/08 by coded identity card or credit card or other personal identification means without personal verification means G07F7/02
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0054 with control of supplementary check-parameters, e.g. weight or number of articles

Abstract

A machine readable code on a label of a pill or imprinted directly thereon. The code may be used to track the identity of the pill for purposes of avoiding mix-up or trademark violations. The code has patterns whose resolution is too small for the unaided eye to discern.

Claims

1. A system of controlling the distribution of pills between a manufacturer and a consumer, said system comprising:

a machine-readable code on a surface of each of said pills, said code conveying information relating to one of lot number, date of manufacture, date of expiration, location of manufacture, and National Drug Code number, and;

a scanner adapted to read said machine-readable code of said at least one of said pills; and

a scanner arranged to scan said at least one of said pills during distribution between said manufacturer and said consumer so that said scanned pill may be identified.

6. A pill according to claim 1, the code having a coded pattern that is too difficult for an unaided human eye after glancing the coded pattern to discern differences within the coded pattern that may distinguish the coded pattern from others of the same type.

7. A pill as in claim 6, wherein the coded pattern lacks alphanumeric characters.

8. A pill as in claim 7, further comprising a label on which is printed the machine readable code, said label being on a body of the pill.

9. A pill as in claim 1, wherein the pill is any one of a tablet and capsule.

2. A pill containing a drug and having a surface, said pill comprising:

a machine-readable code located on said surface, said code relating to one of drug information, manufacturing information, and contraindications of the drug.

3. A pill according to claim 2, wherein said pill includes a transparent layer defining an outer surface and an inner surface, said code being located on said inner surface so that said code may be machine-read through said transparent layer.

4. A pill according to claim 2, wherein said machine-readable code is a 2-dimensional, high-density bar code matrix.

5. A pill according to claim 4, wherein said 2-dimensional, high-density bar code matrix is a PDF-417 tape bar code.

10. A process for applying a bar code to a surface of a pill, comprising the steps of:

a) providing a thin sheet of biocompatible material;

b) applying said code onto one surface of said thin sheet; and

c) adhering said thin sheet to said surface of said pill.

11. A method of obtaining information concerning a pill, comprising the steps of:

scanning a bar code on a surface of the pill to obtain a result;

accessing a database in response to the result being obtained from the scanning of the bar code;

searching the database for a correlation with the result;

making an indication based on the correlation to provide information concerning the pill; and

making a determination with respect to suitability for administration of the pill based on the information.

12. A method as in claim 11, further comprising:

ascertaining from the information a likelihood as to whether the pill has been subjected to any one of tampering, unauthorized repackaging and unauthorized gray market entry.

13. A method as in claim 11, further comprising the stop of detecting a presence or absence of a further code that is incorporated within the bar code, and based on the detecting, making a further indication.

14. A method as in claim 11, comprising the steps of:

in response to the determination being favorable, administering the pill for consumption.

15. A method as in claim 11, further comprising the step of:

comparing the information with previously retrieved information to ascertain whether a combination of pills taken one after the other may cause ill effects, the indication reflecting what was ascertained from the comparing.

16. A method as in claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

clocking a time of day as the scanning occurs; and

storing in memory the time of day and the information in a manner that associates them together in response to completion of the steps of retrieving and clocking.

17. A method as in claim 16, further comprising the steps of:

making an indication that signifies whether an efficacy condition of the pill is effective or ineffective;

further clocking a time of day corresponding to when the indication was made; and

further storing the further clocking of the time of day in association with the efficacy condition.

18. A method as in claim 17, further comprising the steps of further scanning a further bar code associated with a nutritional substance to be consumed,

accessing a further database in response to the further scanning of the bar code;

finding a further correlation to the scanned further bar code in a further database by making a further comparison;

retrieving further information from the further database that is associated with the further correlation in response to the step of finding the further correlation; and

further clocking a further time of day corresponding to when the scanned further bar code of the nutritional substance was made, storing the further time of day and the further information in association with each other.

19. A method as in claim 11, further comprising the steps of

scanning a further bar code on a container of the pill;

comparing the scanned further bar code and the result for a match;

making an indication of the match in response to completion of the step of comparing.

20. A method as in claim 11, further comprising:

prior to scanning, selecting the pill to be dispensed from a dispensing machine,

obtaining authorization information to authorize dispensing the pill from the dispensing machine,

verifying the authorization information; and

dispensing the selected pill provided the authorization information was verified.

21. An apparatus to dispense pills, comprising.

a dispensing machine configured to obtain authorization information to authorize dispensing a pill,

a verifier of the authorization information;

a selector of the pill to be dispensed,

a scanner of a bar code on the selected pill, and an access device that accesses a database containing information corresponding to the scanned bar code, the dispensing machine being configured to dispense the selected pill provided the authorization information was verified by the verifier.