Visibly-coded medication label and associated method, apparatus and computer program product for providing same

• US 8,405,875 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2009
• Issued: 03/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omnicell Incorporated
• Original Assignee: McKesson Automation Incorporated (Omnicell Inc)
• Inventors: Eckert, Robert James, Lockerman, Lloyd
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Thomas D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brinich, Stephen M
• Application Number:
  US12/409,210
• Publication Number:
  US 20100241446A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,464 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.5, 358/1.9, 358/2.1, 358/296, 358/305, 358/400, 358/500, 358/468
• US Class Current: 358/2.1
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 3/02 Forms or constructions layered products B32B
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 3/0288 Labels or tickets consisting of more than one part, e.g. with address of sender or other reference on separate section to main label; Multi-copy labels
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients

Abstract

A visibly-coded medication label and an associated method, apparatus and computer program product for providing a visibly-coded medication label are provided. A label having an attachment portion and an informational portion may be provided. The informational portion includes a plurality of regions having different visible indicia, such as different colors. Information may be imprinted upon the informational portion that is related to the medication with which the label is to be associated. At least one region that has visible indicia representative of the associated medication may be identified. At least one of the regions other than the region that has been identified to have visible indicia representative of the associated medication may then be overprinted and at least partially obscured. However, the region that has been identified to have visible indicia representative of the associated medication remains visible following the overprinting.

Claims

1. A method of providing a visibly-coded medication label, the method comprising:

providing a label having an attachment portion and an informational portion, wherein the informational portion comprises a plurality of regions having different visible indicia such that at least one region has a different visible appearance than another region and such that the visible indicia of the plurality of regions are concurrently visible without obscuration;

printing information upon the informational portion related to a medication with which the label is to be associated, wherein the information is printed upon an area of the informational portion that is distinct from the plurality of regions;

identifying at least one of the regions that has visible indicia representative of the associated medication; and

overprinting at least one of the regions other than the at least one region that has been identified to have visible indicia representative of the associated medication such that the at least one region that has been identified to have visible indicia representative of the associated medication remains visible, wherein overprinting the at least one region comprises at least partially obscuring the visible indicia of the at least one overprinted region.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein providing the label comprises providing the label having the informational portion comprising a plurality of differently colored regions, wherein identifying at least one of the regions comprises identifying at least one of the regions that has a color representative of the associated medication, and wherein overprinting comprises overprinting at least one of the regions other than the at least one region that has been identified to have the color representative of the associated medication such that the at least one region that has been identified to have the color representative of the associated medication remains visible while at least partially obscuring the color of the at least one overprinted region.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein overprinting further comprises completely obscuring the visible indicia of the at least one overprinted region.

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein overprinting further comprises overprinting all regions except for a single region identified to have visible indicia representative of the associated medication.

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein printing information comprises printing at least one of alphanumeric characters or a barcode.

6. A method according to claim 1 wherein providing the label comprises providing the label having the attachment portion comprising an at least partially translucent substrate with an adhesive backing.

7. An apparatus for providing a visibly-coded medication label having an attachment portion and an informational portion, wherein the informational portion comprises a plurality of regions having different visible indicia such that at least one region has a different visible appearance than another region and such that the visible indicia of the plurality of regions are concurrently visible without obscuration, the apparatus comprising a processor configured to:

cause information to be printed upon the informational portion related to a medication with which the label is to be associated, wherein the information is printed upon an area of the informational portion that is distinct from the plurality of regions;

identify at least one of the regions that has visible indicia representative of the associated medication; and

cause at least one of the regions other than the at least one region that has been identified to have visible indicia representative of the associated medication to be overprinted such that the at least one region that has been identified to have visible indicia representative of the associated medication remains visible while the visible indicia of the at least one region that has been overprinted is at least partially obscured.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the informational portion of the label comprises a plurality of differently colored regions, wherein the processor is configured to identify at least one of the regions by identifying at least one of the regions that has a color representative of the associated medication, and wherein the processor is configured to cause at least one of the regions to be overprinted by causing at least one of the regions other than the at least one region that has been identified to have the color representative of the associated medication to be overprinted such that the at least one region that has been identified to have the color representative of the associated medication remains visible while the color of the at least one overprinted region is at least partially obscured.

9. An apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the processor is configured to cause at least one of the regions to be overprinted by causing the visible indicia of the at least one overprinted region to be completely obscured.

10. An apparatus according to claim 7 wherein the processor is configured to cause at least one of the regions to be overprinted by causing all regions except for a single region identified to have visible indicia representative of the associated medication to be overprinted.

11. A computer program product for providing a visibly-coded medication label having an attachment portion and an informational portion, wherein the informational portion comprises a plurality of regions having different visible indicia such that at least one region has a different visible appearance than another region and such that the visible indicia of the plurality of regions are concurrently visible without obscuration, wherein the computer program product comprises at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable program instructions stored therein, the computer-executable program instructions comprising:

program instructions configured to cause information to be printed upon the informational portion related to a medication with which the label is to be associated, wherein the information is printed upon an area of the informational portion that is distinct from the plurality of regions;

program instructions configured to identify at least one of the regions that has visible indicia representative of the associated medication; and

program instructions configured to cause at least one of the regions other than the at least one region that has been identified to have visible indicia representative of the associated medication to be overprinted such that the at least one region that has been identified to have visible indicia representative of the associated medication remains visible while the visible indicia of the at least one region that has been overprinted is at least partially obscured.

12. A computer program product according to claim 11 wherein the informational portion of the label comprises a plurality of differently colored regions, wherein the program instructions configured to identify at least one of the regions are further configured to identify at least one of the regions that has a color representative of the associated medication, and wherein the program instructions configured to cause at least one of the regions to be overprinted are further configured to cause at least one of the regions other than the at least one region that has been identified to have the color representative of the associated medication to be overprinted such that the at least one region that has been identified to have the color representative of the associated medication remains visible while the color of the at least one overprinted region is at least partially obscured.

13. A computer program product according to claim 11 wherein the program instructions configured to cause at least one of the regions to be overprinted are further configured to cause the visible indicia of the at least one overprinted region to be completely obscured.

14. A computer program product according to claim 11 wherein the program instructions configured to cause at least one of the regions to be overprinted are further configured to cause all regions except for a single region identified to have visible indicia representative of the associated medication to be overprinted.

15. A visibly-coded medication label comprising:

an attachment portion configured to be attached to a medication; and

an informational portion connected to the attachment portion, the informational portion comprising a first area having information related to the medication and a second area having a plurality of regions having different visible indicia such that at least one region has a different visible appearance than another region, wherein the first area is spaced apart from the second area such that the information of the first area is distinct from the plurality of regions of the second area, and wherein the second area further comprises a mask at least partially obscuring the visible indicia of at least one of the regions, wherein the mask fails to cover all of the regions such that at least one of the regions having visible indicia representative of the medication remains visible.

16. A visibly-coded medication label according to claim 15 wherein the second area of the informational portion comprises a plurality of differently colored regions, and wherein the mask at least partially obscures at least one of the regions other than the at least one region that has been identified to have the color representative of the associated medication such that the at least one region that has been identified to have the color representative of the associated medication remains visible while the color of the at least one masked region is at least partially obscured.

17. A visibly-coded medication label according to claim 15 wherein the mask completely obscures the visible indicia of the at least one masked region.

18. A visibly-coded medication label according to claim 15 wherein the mask at least partially obscures all regions except for a single region identified to have visible indicia representative of the associated medication.

19. A visibly-coded medication label according to claim 15 wherein the attachment portion comprises an at least partially translucent substrate with an adhesive backing.