Suspended storage system for pharmacy

• US 7,887,146 B1
• Filed: 08/18/2002
• Issued: 02/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: GSL Solutions, Inc. (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Original Assignee: GSL Solutions, Inc. (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Inventors: Louie, Shelton, Garrett, Stephen A.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, HANH VAN
• Application Number:
  US10/223,308
• Time in Patent Office: 3,103 Days
• Field of Search: 312/117, 312/248, 312/211, 312/351, 312/209, 312/23, 312/128, 312/234.1, 211/85.15, 248/339, 248/440
• US Class Current: 312/209
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/16 Holders for containers
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/64 in which the articles are individually suspended from stationary supports
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49002 Electrical device making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49069 Data storage inductor or core

Abstract

A storage system for a pharmacy that has a frame containing a rack-like structure with a plurality of storage carriers detachably suspended therefrom. The carriers are sized to receive filled prescription orders and the like and include individual identifiers that facilitate locating the carriers at a specific location on the rack-like structure. Preferably, the storage system includes a tracking system that detects, monitors, and displays to a worker the location of the storage carrier containing a particular customer'"'"'s prescription order, thereby providing easy retrieval of the customer'"'"'s prescription order.

Claims

1. A storage device for use in a pharmacy, said storage device including:

a frame;

a rack-like structure operably secured to the frame, said rack-like structure having defined locations thereon with each location denoted by a visual identifier;

a storage carrier detachably secured to one of said defined locations on said rack-like structure, said storage carrier having a mounting portion for being detachably secured to the rack-like structure and a receptacle portion, said storage carrier having a unique carrier identifier that corresponds with the visual identifier at said one of said defined locations on the rack-like structure;

said one of said defined locations selected by a pharmacy worker-operably securing said mounting portion of said storage carrier to one of said defined locations to define a worker selected location, said one of said defined locations chosen by the pharmacy worker from any available location of said defined locations;

a filled prescription order manually received within said receptacle portion of said carrier by the pharmacy worker;

said filled prescription order containing a unique prescription order and associated with a customer of the pharmacy; and

,

computer means for automatically detecting and correlating said customer with the visual identifier at said selected location on the rack-like structure when the worker positions the storage carrier at the worker selected location on the rack-like structure thereby allowing the location of the storage carrier containing said filled prescription order to be determined.

2. The storage device for use in a pharmacy of claim 1, wherein said receptacle portion is compressible to thereby minimize the size of the storage carrier when installed on the rack-like structure.

3. The storage device for use in a pharmacy of claim 2, wherein said receptacle portion has a left side, a right side and creased front and rear sides extending therebetween, thereby allowing said receptacle portion to be compressible.

4. The storage device for use in a pharmacy of claim 1, wherein said rack-like structure includes a plurality of horizontal rods spaced vertically apart from each other.

5. The storage device for use in a pharmacy of claim 1, wherein said rack-like structure includes a rod, and said mounting portion has a hook that operably engages said rod.

6. The storage device for use in a pharmacy of claim 5, wherein said hook and said visual identifier is slidable along said rod, thereby allowing a plurality of storage containers secured to said rod and compressed on said rod.

7. The storage device for use in a pharmacy of claim 1, wherein said rack-like structure includes a plurality of spaced-apart slots, and said mounting portion includes a hook that operably engages said slots.

8. The storage device for use in a pharmacy of claim 7, wherein said hook, said slots, and said visual identifiers are slidable along said rack-like structure.

9. The storage device for storing prescription orders in a pharmacy of claim 7 wherein said hook has a t-shaped cross section, and said slot operably engages said hook to hold said storage carrier on said rack-like structure.

10. The storage device for use in a pharmacy of claim 1, wherein said carrier identifier is computer readable, and further including:

a computer system having sensors for detecting the presence of said carrier identifier adjacent to a visual identifier at the worker selected location on the rack-like structure such that the location of said storage carrier on said rack-like structure is detected by said computer system and provided to a pharmacy worker.

11. The storage device for use in a pharmacy of claim 10, wherein said carrier identifier is a unique bar code, and said sensor is a bar code reader in communication with the computer system.

12. The storage device for use in a pharmacy of claim 10, wherein said carrier identifier is a radio-frequency identification tag, and said sensor is a radio-frequency identification tag reader in communication with the computer system.

13. The storage device for use in a pharmacy of claim 10, wherein the computer system correlates a customer'"'"'s information with the visual identifier at the location on the rack-like structure of the storage carrier containing said customer'"'"'s filled prescription order and displays this information to a pharmacy worker.

14. The storage device for use in a pharmacy of claim 13, wherein said computer system detects a particular customer, and said computer system alerts the pharmacy worker when a storage carrier is removed from said rack-like structure and said customer information corresponding with the filled prescription order contained in said storage carrier fails to correlate with said particular customer.

15. The storage device for use in a pharmacy of claim 13, further including a transducer in communication with the computer system, said transducer operable by the computer system to alert a pharmacy worker based on a predetermined criteria.

16. The storage device for use in a pharmacy of claim 15, wherein said computer system detects a particular customer, and said predetermined criteria includes operating said transducer when a storage carrier is removed from said rack-like structure and said customer information corresponding with the filled prescription order contained in said storage carrier fails to correlate with said particular customer.

17. The storage device for use in a pharmacy of claim 15, wherein said transducer is a light positioned adjacent to said visual identifier on said rack-like structure.

18. A storage system for use in a pharmacy, said storage system including:

a computer system; and

,

a storage device in communication with said computer system, said storage device having;

a frame;

a rack-like structure operably secured to the frame, said rack-like structure having defined locations thereon with each location denoted by a unique identifier;

a storage carrier detachably secured to one of said defined locations on said rack-like structure, said storage carrier having a mounting portion for being detachably secured to the rack-like structure and a receptacle portion, said one of said defined locations selected by a pharmacy worker from any available location of said defined locations by the pharmacy worker detachably securing said mounting portion to one location of said defined locations to define a worker selected location;

a filled prescription order received manually within said receptacle portion of said carrier;

said filled prescription order associated with a customer of the pharmacy;

a computer readable identification tag secured to the mounting portion of said storage carrier, said tag having a unique tag identifier associated with the storage carrier;

a tag reader in communication with the computer system, said tag reader reads said computer readable identification tag when said mounting portion is positioned on said rack-like structure;

wherein the tag reader detects and the computer system automatically correlates the filled prescription order with the unique identifier associated with the selected location near which the storage carrier is manually placed, thereby facilitating the location and retrieval of the customer'"'"'s filled prescription order from the worker selected location in the storage device.

19. The storage system for use in a pharmacy of claim 18, wherein said computer readable tag is a radio-frequency identification tag and said tag reader is a radio-frequency identification reader.

20. The storage system for use in a pharmacy of claim 18, wherein said receptacle portion is compressible to thereby minimize the size of the carrier portion when installed on the rack-like structure.

21. The storage system for use in a pharmacy of claim 18, wherein said receptacle portion has a left side, a right side and creased front and rear sides extending therebetween, thereby allowing said receptacle portion to be compressible.

22. The storage system for use in a pharmacy of claim 18, further including a transducer in communication with the computer system, said transducer operable by the computer system to alert a pharmacy worker based on a predetermined criteria.

23. The storage system for use in a pharmacy of claim 22, wherein said transducer is operably secure to said rack-like structure.

24. The storage system for use in a pharmacy of claim 18, wherein said mounting portion is a hook.

25. The storage system for use in a pharmacy of claim 18, wherein said tag reader is positioned adjacent a defined location on said rack like structure.

26. The storage system for use in a pharmacy of claim 18, wherein said computer system detects when a storage container is removed from the rack-like structure to define a removed storage container and verifies that the filled prescription within the removed storage container is associated with the customer.

27. The storage system for use in a pharmacy of claim 23, further including a transducer operably secured to the storage system and in communication with the computer system, said transducer is activated when said computer system determines that the filled prescription in the removed storage carrier is not associated with the customer, thereby alerting a pharmacy worker that an incorrect storage container has been removed from the rack-like structure.