Automatic prescription filling, sorting and packaging system
First Claim
1. An automatic prescription filling and packing system comprising pill dispensing machines to automatically count out and dispense pills into prescription bottles in accordance with prescription orders, means to print literature packs customized to said prescription orders, and order consolidation means to present a shipping container for each order, to insert the prescription bottle for said order into such shipping container and to insert, separately from any prescription bottle inserted into the shipping container, the literature pack for said order into such shipping container.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
In an automated prescription dispensing and packing system, empty prescription bottles are labeled and loaded in assigned locations in carriers. Pills are automatically dispensed into the prescription bottles in the carriers. Ranks of carriers containing filled prescription bottles are assembled at stations where the bottles are unloaded and packed into shipping containers with literature printed by the system. Multiple bottles of an order are automatically packed in the same shipping container.
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Citations
29 Claims
- 1. An automatic prescription filling and packing system comprising pill dispensing machines to automatically count out and dispense pills into prescription bottles in accordance with prescription orders, means to print literature packs customized to said prescription orders, and order consolidation means to present a shipping container for each order, to insert the prescription bottle for said order into such shipping container and to insert, separately from any prescription bottle inserted into the shipping container, the literature pack for said order into such shipping container.
- 4. A prescription dispensing and packing system comprising a plurality of bottle carriers each having receptacles to receive a plurality of pill bottles, means to receive orders for prescriptions, means to load prescription bottles corresponding to the prescriptions of said orders into scheduled locations in said carriers, a prescription pill dispensing machine, means to transport said carriers with said prescription bottles through said dispensing machine, said dispensing machine dispensing the pills of said orders into the bottles in said carriers in accordance with the scheduled locations of the pill bottles in said carriers, order consolidation means receiving carriers from said dispensing machine and presenting shipping containers to be filled, each shipping container corresponding to an order, said order consolidation means unloading bottles from said carriers and loading bottles into shipping containers corresponding to the orders, said order consolidation means determining each bottle to go in each shipping container from the scheduled location of such bottle in a carrier.
- 8. A system for assembling prescriptions by prescription order wherein an order may include more than one prescription, comprising a multiplicity of carriers each having the capability of receiving a multiplicity of prescription bottles in scheduled locations, means responsive to an order to provide prescription bottles filled with pharmaceuticals in accordance with the prescriptions of said patient order in one or more of said carriers, an order consolidation and packing station, means to assemble a plurality of carriers at said order and packing station, and packing means at said order and consolidation station to remove the prescription bottles of said order from the scheduled locations in the carriers of said plurality and pack the bottles of said order in a container.
- 10. A system for sorting prescriptions by prescription order comprising a carrier having the capability of receiving a multiplicity of prescription bottles in assigned locations, means responsive to a prescription of an order to provide a prescription bottle filled with pharmaceuticals in accordance with said prescription in an assigned location in said carrier, an order consolidation and packing station comprising means to receive said carrier and remove said prescription bottle from said assigned location in said carrier and pack said prescription bottle in a container corresponding to said order.
- 12. A method of sorting prescription bottles by prescription order comprising identifying prescription bottles corresponding to each order, placing the prescription bottles of each order in scheduled locations in carriers, each carrier having a multiplicity of locations to receive prescription bottles, maintaining a record for each order of the identification of the carriers containing the prescription bottles of each order and the scheduled location in said carriers of each prescription bottle of each order, and removing the prescription bottles from the scheduled locations in said carriers in accordance with said record and placing the prescription bottles of each order in a separate container.
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16. A system for dispensing and packaging pharmaceuticals comprising:
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a computer that receives prescription orders; a first identifier applicator to place a first identifier on the plurality of bottles; at least one prescription dispensing machine that dispenses the pills of the prescription orders into the plurality of bottles; a transporter to convey the plurality of bottles through said at least one prescription dispensing machine; at least one order consolidation and packing (OCP) station that receives the prescription bottles from said at least one dispensing machine, comprising; a bottle unloading mechanism for unloading filled bottles from said at least one prescription dispensing machine; a printer for printing a customized literature pack corresponding to the prescription orders; a second identifier applicator to place a second identifier on the customized literature pack; a packing mechanism that presents a shipping container; and at least one identifier reader to ensure that the shipping container receives one or more bottles and a corresponding literature pack for each prescription order. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A prescription dispensing and packing system comprising:
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a plurality of bottles having a first identifier affixed thereto corresponding to a prescription of a prescription order comprising one or more prescriptions; a printer for printing a literature pack customized to a particular prescription order, the literature pack having a second identifier affixed thereto corresponding to the particular prescription order; a computer that receives prescription orders; at least one dispensing machine responsive to said computer that automatically counts and dispenses the type and quantity of pharmaceuticals into the plurality of bottles in accordance with the prescription orders; and an order consolidation and packing (OCP) station comprising at least one label reader that places a literature pack and one or more bottles corresponding to a prescription order into a shipping container, wherein said at least one OCP station comprises; a bottle removing mechanism that removes at least one bottle corresponding to a prescription order for subsequent packing of the at least one bottle in a shipping container corresponding to the prescription order; and a bagging machine that receives the at least one bottle corresponding to the prescription order from said bottle removing mechanism and inserts the at least one bottle corresponding to the prescription order in the shipping container.
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29. A system for filling at least one order, comprising:
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at least one pill dispenser that simultaneously dispenses pills into two or more bottles; at least one order consolidation station configured to provide at least one literature pack having a first identifier and containing printed literature relating to the at least one order and comprising patient specific information associated with the at least one order, and configured to receive at least one bottle having a second identifier and containing pharmaceutical products, wherein the at least one bottle is associated with the at least one order, and wherein the at least one order includes at least one prescription for the at least one bottle; the order consolidation station being further configured to read the first and second identifiers and combine automatically the at least one literature pack and the at least one bottle to send the combined at least one literature pack and the at least one bottle to at least one recipient corresponding to the at least one order, to thereby fill the at least one order, each of said at least one order consolidation station further comprising; a bottle removing mechanism that selects one or more bottles corresponding to a prescription order for subsequent packing of the one or more bottles in a shipping container; and a bagging machine that receives the at least one of the plurality of bottles corresponding to the prescription order from said bottle removing mechanism and inserts the prescription order bottles in the shipping container.
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Specification