Automated prescription filling system/method with automated labeling and packaging system/method and automated order consolidation system/method

• US 8,275,481 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2010
• Issued: 09/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Express Scripts Strategic Development, Inc. (The Cigna Group)
• Original Assignee: Medco Health Solutions Incorporated (The Cigna Group)
• Inventors: Rice, Dennis Wayne, McErlean, James G., Hess, E. Christian, Shupert, P. Thomas, Leu, Chih-Jen, Howell, Robert G., Szesko, Michael J., Booler, Andrew P., Monkhouse, Peter, Walton, Douglas W., Bell, Michael W. G., Lasher, Christopher J., Bonkenburg, Thomas P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Crawford, Gene
• Assistant Examiner(s): JONES, YOLANDA RENEE
• Application Number:
  US12/710,718
• Publication Number:
  US 20100152884A1
• Time in Patent Office: 945 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 700/244
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 5/103 for packaging pills or tablets
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 61/20 for adding cards, coupons or other inserts to package contents adding unpacking elements B65B61/18
• CPC Class Codes: B65C 2009/0018 Preparing the labels
• CPC Class Codes: B65C 9/0015 Preparing the labels or articles, e.g. smoothing, removing air bubbles
• CPC Class Codes: B65C 9/22 by wetting, e.g. by applying liquid glue or a liquid to a dry glue coating
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/40 relating to drugs, e.g. their side effects or intended usage
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/10 Methods of surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1002 with permanent bending or reshaping or surface deformation of self sustaining lamina
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1028 by bending, drawing or stretch forming sheet to assume shape of configured lamina while in contact therewith
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1033 Flexible sheet to cylinder lamina
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1051 by folding
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1326 Severing means or member secured thereto also bonds
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1339 Delivering cut part in sequence to serially conveyed articles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1768 Means simultaneously conveying plural articles from a single source and serially presenting them to an assembly station
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1771 Turret or rotary drum-type conveyor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1773 For flexible sheets

Abstract

Computer assisted systems, methods and mediums for filling one or more orders. One embodiment of the present invention is a system that includes an order consolidation station configured to receive at least one bottle containing pills individually counted and/or at least one package containing pharmaceutical products without having been designated for any of the orders when the package was created and/or at least one literature pack optionally including patient specific information. The order consolidation station is further configured to combine automatically the received bottle and/or package and/or literature pack into a container to be sent to a recipient including, for example, mail order pharmacies, wholesalers and/or central fill dealers for subsequent distribution or sale including retailer distribution or sale. The bottle is specifically designated for the order, and the order generally includes at least one prescription for the package.

Claims

1. A bottle transfer system for transferring one or more bottles, comprising:

a plurality of storage receptacles;

a transport mechanism to transport one or more bottles to one of the plurality of storage receptacles, the one or more bottles being stored by the one of the plurality of storage receptacles;

a computer system to

receive a patient specific order, the patient specific order including the one or more bottles,

identify and determine one or more storage receptacles among the plurality of storage receptacles, the transport mechanism to transfer the one or more bottles corresponding to the patient specific order to the one or more storage receptacles, and

control transfer of the one or more bottles from at least one of the plurality of storage receptacles when the one or more bottles are ready for dispensing with other components of the patient specific order, the other components including an additional bottle, patient specific literature corresponding to the patient specific order, or both the additional bottle and the patient specific literature; and

a bottle dispenser including a bottle buffer to receive the one or more bottles associated with the patient specific order,

wherein the bottle buffer is disposed and configured to release the received one or more bottles.

2. The bottle transfer system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of storage receptacles form at least one table, the transport mechanism being disposed on a top side of the at least one table, and an additional transport mechanism being disposed on a bottom side of the at least one table.

3. The bottle transfer system of claim 1, further comprising:

an order consolidation station to print at least one customized literature pack for the patient specific order including patient specific information; and

insert automatically the at least one customized literature pack into a container.

4. The bottle transfer system of claim 1, further comprising:

an order consolidation station including at least one identifier detector to detect identification information associated with the one or more bottles and to detect at least another identification information associated with at least one package, the order consolidation station to

receive the one or more bottles containing a number of pills individually counted and receive the at least one package containing prepackaged pharmaceutical products as determined by the patient specific order,

wherein the computer system is configured to coordinate the placing of the one or more bottles and the at least one package in a container when the at least one identification information associated with the bottle and the at least another identification information associated with the at least one container correspond to the patient specific order.

5. The bottle transfer system of claim 4, further comprising:

a package storage device having an array of locations, the package storage device to store the at least one package into one of the array of locations; and

a package dispenser to identify the one of the array of locations, obtain the at least one package from the one of the array of locations, and provide the at least one package to an additional system.

6. The bottle transfer system of claim 4, further comprising:

a package label printer to print at least one label for the at least one package,

wherein the label is printed with patient specific information.

7. The bottle transfer system of claim 6, wherein the package dispenser further includes a labeler to affix a label on the at least one package.

8. The bottle transfer system of claim 6, wherein the package dispenser further includes an error detection system to detect the label affixed on the at least one package and reject the at least one package when an error is detected.

9. The bottle transfer system of claim 4, further comprising:

a packager to open the container to receive the one or more bottles and the at least one package.

10. The bottle transfer system of claim 9, wherein the packager includes a printer to print an address or internal control information, and affix the address or the internal control information on the container.

11. The bottle transfer system of claim 1, further comprising:

a metal detector to detect a metallic substance in the one or more bottles, wherein a particular bottle is transported to a quality assurance area when a metallic substance is detected.

12. The bottle transfer system of claim 1, the plurality of storage receptacles include a stoppage mechanism having a first position and a second position, the container transfer system further comprising:

an additional transport mechanism responsively connected to transfer the stoppage mechanism between the first position and the second position.

13. The bottle transfer system of claim 12, wherein the computer system generates an instruction for the additional transport mechanism to transfer the stoppage mechanism of the one or more of the plurality of storage receptacles between the first position and the second position when the one or more containers corresponding to the patient specific order has been transferred to the one or more of the plurality of storage receptacles and are ready for dispensing with other components of the patient specific order.

14. The bottle transfer system of claim 1, the transport mechanism to receive the one or more bottles corresponding to the patient specific order from a plurality of automatic dispensing mechanisms to store in the one of the plurality of storage receptacles.

15. A container transfer system, comprising:

a plurality of storage receptacles;

a transport mechanism to transport one or more containers to one or more of the plurality of storage receptacles, the one or more containers being stored by the one or more of the plurality of storage receptacles;

a computer system to

receive a patient specific order, the patient specific order including the one or more containers,

identify and determine one or more storage receptacles among the plurality of storage receptacles, the transport mechanism to transfer the one or more containers corresponding to the patient specific order to the one or more of the plurality of storage receptacles, and

generate an instruction to transfer from the one or more of the plurality of storage receptacles the one or more containers corresponding to the patient specific order for dispensing with other components of the patient specific order, the other components including an additional container, patient specific literature corresponding to the patient specific order, or both the additional container and the patient specific literature; and

a container dispenser comprising a container buffer to receive the one or more containers associated with the patient specific order,

wherein the container buffer is disposed and configured to release the received one or more containers.

16. The container transfer system of claim 15, wherein the plurality of storage receptacles form a table, the transport mechanism being disposed on a top side of the table, and an additional transport mechanism being disposed on a bottom side of the table.

17. The container transfer system of claim 15, further comprising:

an order consolidation station to print at least one customized literature pack for the patient specific order including patient specific information; and

insert automatically the at least one customized literature pack into a packing container.

18. The container transfer system of claim 15, further comprising:

a metal detector to detect a metallic substance in the one or more containers, wherein a particular container is transported to a quality assurance area when a metallic substance is detected.

19. The container transfer system of claim 15, the plurality of storage receptacles include a stoppage mechanism having a first position and a second position, the container transfer system further comprising:

an additional transport mechanism responsively connected to transfer the stoppage mechanism between the first position and the second position.

20. The container transfer system of claim 19, wherein the computer system generates an instruction for the additional transport mechanism to transfer the stoppage mechanism of the one or more of the plurality of storage receptacles between the first position and the second position when the one or more containers corresponding to the patient specific order has been transferred to the one or more of the plurality of storage receptacles and are ready for dispensing with other components of the patient specific order.

21. The container transfer system of claim 15, further comprising:

an order consolidation station including at least one identifier detector to detect identification information associated with the one or more containers and to detect at least another identification information associated with the at least one package, the order consolidation station to

receive the one or more containers containing a number of pills individually counted and receive at least one package containing prepackaged pharmaceutical products as determined by the patient specific order;

wherein the computer system is configured to coordinate the placing of the one or more containers and the at least one package in a packing container when the at least one identification information associated with the container and the at least another identification information associated with the at least one container correspond to the patient specific order.

22. The container transfer system of claim 21, further comprising:

a package storage device having an array of locations, the package storage device to store the at least one package into one of the array of locations; and

a package dispenser to identify the one of the array of locations, obtain the at least one package from the one of the array of locations, and provide the at least one package to an additional system.

23. The container transfer system of claim 21, further comprising:

a packager to open the packing container to receive the one or more containers and the at least one package.

24. The container transfer system of claim 23, wherein the packager includes a printer to print an address or internal control information, and affix the address or the internal control information on the packing container.

25. The container transfer system of claim 21, further comprising:

a package label printer to print at least one label for the at least one package,

wherein the label is printed with patient specific information.

26. The container transfer system of claim 25, wherein the package dispenser further includes a labeler to affix a label on the at least one package.

27. The container transfer system of claim 25, wherein the package dispenser further includes an error detection system to detect the label affixed on the at least one package and reject the at least one package when an error is detected.