Medication Container Encoding, Verification, and Identification

• US 20200060933A1
• Filed: 10/29/2019
• Published: 02/27/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CRISI Medical Systems, Inc. (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Original Assignee: CRISI Medical Systems, Inc. (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Inventors: Bochenko, Walter J., Prince, Stephen M., De Childers, Winthrop, Calabro, Joseph M., Halliday, Wallace S., Van Veen, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 10,813,836 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/00 Containers specially adapted for medical or pharmaceutical purposes capsules or the like for oral use A61J3/07; specially adapted for surgical or diagnostic appliances or instruments A61B50/30; containers for radioactive substances G21F5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/03 for pills or tablets containers for pills or tablets with special dispensing means therefor B65D83/04
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/1412 Containers with closing means, e.g. caps
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/18 Arrangements for indicating condition of container contents, e.g. sterile condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/2048 Connecting means
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/2096 Combination of a vial and a syringe for transferring or mixing their contents
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2200/30 Compliance analysis for taking medication
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2200/70 Device provided with specific sensor or indicating means
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2205/10 Bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2205/50 using icons or symbolic figures, e.g. by a graphical representation symbolising the type of pathology or the organ by an image
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2205/60 using magnetic or electronic identifications, e.g. chips, RFID, electronic tags
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/04 Arrangements for time indication or reminder for taking medicine, e.g. programmed dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/168 Means for controlling media flow to the body or for metering media to the body, e.g. drip meters, counters ; Monitoring media flow to the body flow control in general G05D7/00
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 3/003 Filling medical containers such as ampoules, vials, syringes or the like
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10405 the interrogation device including an arrangement for sensing environmental parameters, such as a temperature or acceleration sensor, e.g. used as an on/off trigger or as a warning means
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10445 the record carriers being fixed to further objects, e.g. RFIDs fixed to packages, luggage, mail-pieces or work-pieces transported on a conveyor belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1413 1D bar codes

Abstract

A medication container encoding, verification and identification method is provided that includes receiving data characterizing a medication, generating an identifier encapsulating the data and applying an identifier to a medication container such that it is automatically readable by a medication device. Related apparatus, systems, methods and articles are also described.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a writer device, first data from a first source characterizing at least one medication within or to be placed within a medication container;

receiving, by the writer device, second data from a second source characterizing the at least one medication within or to be placed within the medication container;

verifying, by the writer device, that the first data matches the second data;

generating or receiving, by the writer device, based on at least a portion of the verified data, third data characterizing the at least one medication; and

writing, by the writer device, the third data to an RFID tag applied to an outer surface of a tip portion of the mediation container.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first source comprises at least one first RFID tag encapsulating the first data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second source comprises at least one second RFID tag encapsulating the second data.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the receiving the second data from the second source comprises automatically reading, by at least one sensor, the at least one second RFID tag.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

transferring the at least one medication from at least one primary medication container to an interim medication container, wherein the interim medication container includes the at least one second RFID tag, and wherein the medication container is one or more secondary medication containers; and

transferring the at least one medication from the interim medication container to the one or more secondary medication containers.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving the second data from the second source comprises analytically determining a composition of the at least one medication within or to be placed within the medication container.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

applying the RFID tag to the outer surface of the tip portion of the medication container by wrapping and adhering the RFID tag along the outer surface of the tip portion of the medication container as at least one of the writer device and the medication container rotates with respect to the other.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

reading fourth data from at least one third source characterizing the at least one medication within or to be placed within the medication container, wherein the third data is generated or received based on at least a portion of the fourth data.

9. The method as in claim 1, further comprising:

automatically reading, by a sensor of a medication device, the third data from the RFID tag along the outer surface of the tip portion of the medication container during rotational mating of the tip portion of the medication container with a complementary fitting on the medication device, wherein the complementary fitting comprises a port that receives the tip portion of the medication container during the rotational mating of the tip portion of the medication container with the complementary fitting on the medication device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the medication container includes graduations to identify how much medication has been administered to the patient, and wherein the graduations on the medication container are visible from a first angle when full engagement of the medication container with the medication device is complete following the rotational mating.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the medication container includes graduations to identify how much medication has been administered to the patient, wherein the medication container includes luer lock threads that engage with complementary luer lock threads on the medication device during the rotational mating, and wherein the graduations are aligned with the luer lock threads of the medication container, and wherein the graduations on the medication container are visible from a predetermined user viewing angle when full engagement of the medication container with the medication device is complete following the rotational mating.

12. A system comprising:

a reader device configured to read or receive first data from a first source characterizing at least one medication within or to be placed within a medication container and read or receive second data from a second source characterizing the at least one medication within or to be placed within the medication container, the medication container including a fluid conduit leading to a fluid outlet and an identification surface at least partially surrounding the fluid conduit and adjacent to the fluid outlet;

at least one processor configured to verify that the second data matches the first data; and

an writer device configured to generate or receive, based on at least a portion of the verified data, third data characterizing the at least one medication, and write the third data to an RFID tag applied to the identification surface of the medication container, wherein the writer device comprises a port configured to receive the identification surface, wherein the identification surface faces radially outwardly from the conduit, and wherein the writer device is configured to write the third data to the RFID tag applied to the identification surface of the medication container.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the first source comprises at least one first RFID tag encapsulating the first data.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the second source comprises at least one second RFID tag encapsulating the second data.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the reader device comprises at least one sensor configured to automatically read the at least one second RFID tag.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein at least one primary medication container includes the at least one first RFID tag, wherein an interim medication container includes the at least one second RFID tag, wherein the medication container is one or more secondary medication containers.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the reader device comprises at least one sensor configured to analytically determine a composition of the at least one medication within or to be placed within the medication container.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the writer device is configured to wrap and adhere the RFID tag along the identification surface of the medication container at least partially surrounding the fluid conduit and adjacent to the outlet as at least one of the writer device and the medication container rotates with respect to the other.

19. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a medication device including a sensor configured to automatically read the third data from the RFID tag on the information surface of the medication container during rotational mating of the tip portion of the medication container with a complementary fitting on the medication device, wherein the complementary fitting comprises a port that receives the tip portion of the medication container during the rotational mating of the tip portion of the medication container with the complementary fitting on the medication device.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the medication container includes graduations to identify how much medication has been administered to the patient, wherein the medication container includes luer lock threads that engage with complementary luer lock threads on the medication device during the rotational mating, and wherein the graduations are aligned with the luer lock threads of the medication container such that the graduations on the medication container are visible from a predetermined user viewing angle when full engagement of the medication container with the medication device is complete following the rotational mating.