Adaptive pharmaceutical product management methods and system
First Claim
1. An adaptive pharmaceutical product storage system for storage of pharmaceutical product containers within a pharmacy, the system comprising:
- a pharmacy workstation at which a human pharmacy user performs manual tasks associated with fulfillment of prescription orders by the pharmacy;
at least one pharmaceutical product storage device positioned with respect to the workstation;
a plurality of pharmaceutical product storage locations associated with the at least one storage device, each storage location defining a space for storing a pharmaceutical product container and having a unique address, each storage location further having a ranking based on relative ease-of-accessibility to the workstation;
a visible indicator proximate each of the storage locations which guides the user to an indicated storage location for placing and picking a container at the indicated storage location;
a processor to control each of the indicators and having a database including the unique address and ease-of-accessibility ranking of each storage location, the storage location of each container and a usage frequency ranking of each pharmaceutical product, the processor configured to;
control the visible indicator of the storage location for the pharmaceutical product required for prescription fulfillment to guide movement of the user to the indicated storage location for picking of the container;
update the database to indicate use of the pharmaceutical product;
determine a usage frequency ranking of the pharmaceutical product;
determine an updated storage location for the container if pharmaceutical product remains in the container or for a further container of the pharmaceutical product based on the updated usage frequency ranking such that the updated storage location has an ease-of-accessibility ranking commensurate with the updated usage frequency ranking; and
operate the visible indicator of the updated storage location to guide movement of the user to the indicated updated storage location for placing the container at the indicated updated storage location,whereby the containers are stored at storage locations having an ease-of-accessibility ranking commensurate with the usage frequency ranking of the pharmaceutical product and more frequently used pharmaceutical products are more easily accessible to the user working from the workstation.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and systems for adaptive storage and management of pharmaceutical product containers at a pharmacy are described. Pharmaceutical product containers are managed so that the containers for more-frequently-used pharmaceutical products are stored among plural storage locations more-efficiently accessible to a pharmacy workstation. Containers for less-frequently-used pharmaceutical products are managed so that the containers for such products are stored among the storage locations which are less-accessible to the pharmacy workstation. As the frequency of pharmaceutical product usage changes, the inventory of pharmaceutical product containers is managed adaptively so that the containers used most frequently are stored at locations more-easily accessible to the pharmacy workstation, thereby facilitating fulfillment of prescriptions by pharmacy personnel. Further efficiencies may be achieved through use of an optical positioning system providing directed placing and picking of pharmaceutical product containers. Management of pharmaceutical product containers repeatedly taken from and returned to inventory may be provided.
51 Citations
26 Claims
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1. An adaptive pharmaceutical product storage system for storage of pharmaceutical product containers within a pharmacy, the system comprising:
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a pharmacy workstation at which a human pharmacy user performs manual tasks associated with fulfillment of prescription orders by the pharmacy; at least one pharmaceutical product storage device positioned with respect to the workstation; a plurality of pharmaceutical product storage locations associated with the at least one storage device, each storage location defining a space for storing a pharmaceutical product container and having a unique address, each storage location further having a ranking based on relative ease-of-accessibility to the workstation; a visible indicator proximate each of the storage locations which guides the user to an indicated storage location for placing and picking a container at the indicated storage location; a processor to control each of the indicators and having a database including the unique address and ease-of-accessibility ranking of each storage location, the storage location of each container and a usage frequency ranking of each pharmaceutical product, the processor configured to; control the visible indicator of the storage location for the pharmaceutical product required for prescription fulfillment to guide movement of the user to the indicated storage location for picking of the container; update the database to indicate use of the pharmaceutical product; determine a usage frequency ranking of the pharmaceutical product; determine an updated storage location for the container if pharmaceutical product remains in the container or for a further container of the pharmaceutical product based on the updated usage frequency ranking such that the updated storage location has an ease-of-accessibility ranking commensurate with the updated usage frequency ranking; and operate the visible indicator of the updated storage location to guide movement of the user to the indicated updated storage location for placing the container at the indicated updated storage location, whereby the containers are stored at storage locations having an ease-of-accessibility ranking commensurate with the usage frequency ranking of the pharmaceutical product and more frequently used pharmaceutical products are more easily accessible to the user working from the workstation. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. An adaptive pharmaceutical product storage system for storage of pharmaceutical product containers within a pharmacy, the pharmaceutical product storage system comprising:
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a pharmacy workstation including a work surface at which a human pharmacy user performs manual tasks associated with fulfillment of prescription orders by the pharmacy; at least one pharmaceutical product storage device arranged with respect to the workstation; a plurality of pharmaceutical product storage locations associated with the at least one storage device, each storage location defining a space for storing a pharmaceutical product container and having a unique address, each storage location further having a ranking based on relative ease-of-accessibility to the workstation; a visible indicator proximate each of the storage locations which guides the user to an indicated storage location for placing and picking a container at the indicated storage location; a processor to control each of the indicators and having a database including the unique address and ease-of-accessibility ranking of each storage location, the storage location of each container and a usage frequency ranking of each pharmaceutical product, the processor configured to; determine a usage frequency ranking of the pharmaceutical products based on relative use of the pharmaceutical products by the pharmacy to fulfill prescriptions within a moving window time period; assign a storage location when a partially-full container is returned to storage and when a full container is placed into storage based on the usage frequency ranking such that the assigned storage location has an ease-of-accessibility ranking commensurate with the determined usage frequency ranking and more frequently used pharmaceutical products are more easily accessible to the user working from the workstation; operate the visible indicator of the storage location to guide movement of the user thereto for placing the container at the indicated storage location; and operate the visible indicator of the storage location to guide movement of the user thereto for picking the container at the indicated storage location. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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Specification