Systems and methods for pharmacy messaging

• US 9,221,271 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2014
• Issued: 12/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Express Scripts Strategic Development, Inc. (The Cigna Group)
• Original Assignee: Express Scripts Incorporated (The Cigna Group)
• Inventors: Eller, Charles E., Reinhardt, Jacob J., Sundararaman, Katherine H.
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, HAI CHI
• Application Number:
  US14/313,042
• Publication Number:
  US 20140300681A1
• Time in Patent Office: 553 Days
• Field of Search: 347/224, 347/225, 347/110, 705 2- 4
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/0608 in the same heat affected zone [HAZ] B23K26/0613, B23K26/0619 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/435 characterised by selective application of radiation to a printing material or impression-transfer material
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/442 using lasers
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/455 using laser arrays , the laser array being smaller than the medium to be recorded
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/4073 Printing on three-dimensional objects not being in sheet or web form, e.g. spherical or cubic objects B41J3/283, B41J3/286 take precedence; building up a 3D object using individual droplets from jetting heads B29C64/112
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/4075 Tape printers; Label printers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients

Abstract

Systems and methods for pharmacy messaging are described. A system includes a laser module and a control module. The laser module includes a marking chamber with a plurality of laser heads therein. A first and second entry gate are adjacent the marking chamber. The first entry gate is configured to open when the second entry gate is closed. A first and second exit gate are adjacent the marking chamber at a side different from the first entry and second entry gate. The first exit gate is configured to open when the second exit gate is closed. A transporter moves the objects being marked into and out of the marking chamber through the various gates. The control module is communicatively coupled to the laser module and adapted to control the laser module. Additional methods and systems are disclosed.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a laser module including

a marking chamber with a plurality of laser heads therein,

an entry gate adjacent the marking chamber,

an exit gate adjacent the marking chamber at a side different from the entry gate, and

a transporter to move objects being marked into and out of the marking chamber through the entry gate and the exit gate, the objects include a container having a cap; and

a control module communicatively coupled to the laser module and adapted to control the laser module,

wherein a laser head of the plurality of laser heads is directed at a marking area above a conveyor of the transporter at a height substantially the same as a height of the cap of the container disposed on the transporter, wherein each laser head of the plurality of laser heads is configured to individually mark one cap at a time;

wherein the entry gate is in an open position to allow the objects to move into the marking chamber and a closed position to block light from the laser head;

wherein the exit gate is in an open position to allow the objects to move out of the marking chamber and a closed position to block light from the laser head, and

wherein the control module is to direct the laser to etch an automatic refill message if a prescription holder has not selected automatic refill, the control module is to direct the laser to etch an adherence message if automatic refill is selected and patient adherence is below a threshold, and the control module is to direct the laser to etch a generic availability message if automatic refill is selected and patient adherence is above the threshold.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a pallet, disposed on the transporter, having the container with the cap thereon, wherein the container is a prescription drug container to hold a prescription drug.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the marking area includes an area that a laser beam from the laser head reaches without significant diffusion so as to impede marking the cap with the laser beam.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the marking area of the laser head does not overlap an additional marking area associated with a different laser head of the plurality of laser heads.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the pallet includes an additional container with an additional cap thereon are in the pallet, the height of the additional cap being at a height substantially the same as the marking area.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the control module is adapted to selectively mark the cap and to not mark the additional cap.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a message device to send a message to the control module,

wherein the cap of the container is marked with the message while the cap is located within the marking chamber.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the message device is configured to select the message for marking from a plurality of available messages.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein selection of the message is performed by a predictive model.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein selection of the message is performed in accordance with a preference of a patient, the patient to receive prescription drug contained in the container that includes the cap.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a preference subsystem to receive a patient messaging preference,

wherein selection of the message is performed in accordance with receipt of the patient messaging preference.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the entry gate and exit gate are linearly aligned and the transporter linearly moves objects through the linearly-aligned, entry gate and exit gates.

13. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

an image subsystem to receive an image,

wherein the message includes the image.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the container is a prescription drug container.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the laser head is configured to mark the cap of a filled drug container with both the entry gate and the exit gate being closed.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the conveyor has a height less than a height of the cap and the drug container.

17. A system comprising:

a laser unit including

a marking chamber with a plurality of laser heads therein,

an entry gate adjacent the marking chamber,

an exit gate adjacent the marking chamber at a side different from the entry gate, and

a transporter to move containers being marked into and out of the marking chamber through the entry gate and the exit gate; and

a control unit communicatively coupled to the laser unit and adapted to control the laser unit, the control unit being adapted to selectively mark,

a pallet, disposed on the transporter, having a container with a cap thereon,

wherein a laser head of the plurality of laser heads is directed at a marking area above a conveyor of the transporter at a height substantially the same as a height of the cap of the container disposed within the pallet, wherein the control unit controls a first laser head of the plurality of laser heads to mark a first cap and a second laser head of the plurality of laser heads to mark a second cap; and

wherein the control module is to direct the laser to etch an automatic refill message if a prescription holder has not selected automatic refill;

the control module is to direct the laser to etch an adherence message if automatic refill is selected and patient adherence is below a threshold;

or the control module is to direct the laser to etch a generic availability message if automatic refill is selected and patient adherence is above the threshold.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the entry gate is in an open position to allow the objects to move into the marking chamber and a closed position to block light from the laser head;

wherein the exit gate is in an open position to allow the objects to move out of the marking chamber and a closed position to block light from the laser head;

wherein the container is a prescription drug container to hold a prescription drug.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the container is a prescription container,

wherein the laser head is configured to mark the cap of a filled prescription container with both the entry gate and the exit gate being closed;

and

wherein the pallet has a height less than a height of the cap and the filled prescription container.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the control module is adapted to selectively mark the cap and to not mark an additional cap;

wherein the entry gate includes a dual gate system; and

wherein the exit gate includes a dual gate system.

21. A system comprising:

a laser system including

a marking chamber with a plurality of laser heads therein,

an entry gate adjacent the marking chamber,

an exit gate adjacent the marking chamber at a side different from the entry gate, and

a transporter to move prescription drug containers with a cap to be marked into and out of the marking chamber through the entry gate and the exit gate; and

a control module communicatively coupled to the laser module and adapted to control the laser module and direct the laser module to deliver a select marking to a specific cap on a specific prescription drug container,

a pallet disposed on the transporter and having the prescription drug container with the cap thereon,

wherein a laser head of the plurality of laser heads is directed at a marking area above a conveyor of the transporter at a height substantially the same as a height of the cap of the prescription drug container disposed in the pallet on the transporter;

wherein the entry gate is in an open position to allow the pallets with a plurality of prescription drug containers to move into the marking chamber and a closed position to block light from the laser head;

wherein the exit gate is in an open position to allow the pallets with a plurality of prescription drug containers to move out of the marking chamber and a closed position to block light from the laser head;

wherein the marking area of the laser head does not overlap an additional marking area associated with a different laser head of the plurality of laser heads;

wherein the control module is to direct a first laser head of the plurality of laser heads to etch individual messages on individual ones of the caps supported in the pallet, the messages can be one of an automatic refill message if a prescription holder has not selected automatic refill, an adherence message if automatic refill is selected and patient adherence is below a threshold, a generic availability message if automatic refill is selected and patient adherence is above the threshold; and

wherein the control module is to direct a second laser head of the plurality of laser heads to etch individual messages on individual ones of the caps that are different than those being etched by the first laser head such that the system can etch two prescription drug containers simultaneously.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the marking area includes an area that a laser beam from the laser head reaches without significant diffusion so as to impede marking the cap with the laser beam.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the laser system includes a first laser stop in the marking chamber whereat the pallet is stopped such that a first group of prescription drug container caps is marked by the first laser head and a second laser stop in the marking chamber whereat the pallet stops such that a second group of prescription drug container caps is marked by the second laser head.

24. A system comprising:

a pallet disposed on a transporter and having a plurality of capped prescription drug containers,

a laser subsystem including

a marking chamber with a plurality of laser heads therein, a laser head of the plurality of laser heads being directed at a marking area above a conveyor of the transporter at a height substantially the same as a height of the specific cap of the specific prescription drug container disposed in the pallet on the transporter, the marking area of the laser head not overlapping an additional marking area associated with a different laser head of the plurality of laser heads,

an entry gate adjacent the marking chamber, the entry gate being in an open position to allow the pallet with the plurality of capped prescription drug containers to move into the marking chamber and a closed position to block light from the laser head,

an exit gate adjacent the marking chamber at a side different from the entry gate, the exit gate being in an open position to allow the pallet with the plurality of capped prescription drug containers to move out of the marking chamber and a closed position to block light from the laser head, and

a transporter to move the plurality of capped prescription drug containers to be marked into and out of the marking chamber through the entry gate and the exit gate; and

a control module communicatively coupled to the laser subsystem and configured to control the laser subsystem and direct the laser subsystem to deliver a select marking to a specific cap on a specific prescription drug container among the plurality of capped prescription drug containers, the control module to direct a first laser head of the plurality of laser heads to etch individual cap messages on individual ones of the plurality of prescription drug containers supported in the pallet, the messages can be one of an automatic refill message if a prescription holder has not selected automatic refill, an adherence message if automatic refill is selected and patient adherence is below a threshold, a generic availability message if automatic refill is selected and patient adherence is above the threshold, the control module to direct a second laser head of the plurality of laser heads to etch individual messages on individual ones of the plurality of prescription drug containers that are different than those being etched by the first laser head such that the laser subsystem can etch two prescription drug containers simultaneously.