Interactive medication cassette

• US 7,006,894 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2003
• Issued: 02/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Southwest Technology Innovations LLC
• Original Assignee: Carlos De La Huerga
• Inventors: de la Huerga, Carlos
• Primary Examiner(s): Walsh, Donald P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Butler, Michael E.
• Application Number:
  US10/649,805
• Publication Number:
  US 20040039481A1
• Time in Patent Office: 917 Days
• Field of Search: 700/236, 700/244, 700/234, 700/235, 368/10, 368/11
• US Class Current: 700/244
• 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 1/035 Blister-type containers blisters in general B65D75/36
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/1437 Locking means requiring key or combination to open the container
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2205/10 Bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2205/30 Printed labels
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2205/60 using magnetic or electronic identifications, e.g. chips, RFID, electronic tags
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0084 for multiple medicaments
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07762 the adhering arrangement making the record carrier wearable, e.g. having the form of a ring, watch, glove or bracelet record carriers for insertion in the human body for medical purposes A61B90/00; record carriers adapted for attachment to animals A01K11/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/66 Trinkets, e.g. shirt buttons or jewellery items recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers

Abstract

This invention relates to an interactive medication cassette with a machine readable and writable information strip that contains information corresponding to the medication in the cassette. The interactive medication cassette holds the medication and couples the corresponding information to the medication. The cassette is designed for use in a medication distribution and inventory system that includes at least one medication dispensing machine having a sensor for reading the information in the strip and updating or altering this information when medication is added to or removed from the cassette. The cassette travels with the medication during the distribution of the medication to a patient, and its information is reported to one or more memory devices or hospital or pharmacy data base during this process. The cassette is filled by a pharmacy dispensing machine holding a bulk container filled with a particular type of medication and a singulator for counting the quantity of medication added to the cassette. The pharmacy dispensing machine alters the information strip to include medication and quantity information corresponding to the dispensed medication. The cassette is closed and locked to prevent unauthorized access during transport to a hospital floor workstation. A hospital floor dispensing machine incrementally dispense the medication from the cassette, and updates the information strip with additional information including the quantity of medication dispensed from the cassette. When the cassette is returned to the pharmacy and its unused contents is emptied into the bulk container, the information strip on the cassette automatically updates an information strip on the bulk container to indicate the number of doses of medication added to the bulk container. In this manner, a reliable medication distribution and inventory system is achieved while maintaining improved control over the access to the medication on the hospital floor.

Claims

1. A medication distribution and information system for distributing a specific medication and coupling corresponding medication information to the specific medication during distribution, said medication distribution and information system comprising:

a dispensing machine having an associated computer processor and a sensing mechanism for obtaining and transmitting information to and from said computer processor, said computer processor controlling said dispensing of medication by said dispensing machine;

a first container holding the specific medication and having a machine readable electronic label containing the corresponding medication information;

a second container having a machine readable and writable information strip;

said first and second containers being joinable with said dispensing machine, and said sensing mechanism being alignable with said electronic label and said information strip;

said specific medication being dispensable from said first container to said second container, said specific medication information being transferable from said electronic label to said information strip and said information strip being alterable to include said specific medication information;

said second container being removable from said dispensing machine for distribution, said second container containing said specific medication and said information strip containing said specific medication information.

2. The medication distribution and information system of claim 1, and wherein said medication information includes medication type information to facilitate identifying said type of medication in said second container.

3. The medication distribution and information system of claim 1, and wherein said medication information includes pharmaceutical manufacturer name and batch identification information to facilitate a recall of said specific medication in said second container.

4. The medication distribution and information system of claim 1, and further comprising:

a second dispensing machine having a second computer processor and a second sensing mechanism for obtaining and transmitting information to and from said second computer processor, said second computer processor controlling dispensing of medication by said second dispensing machine;

a third container having a second machine readable and writable information strip, and said second dispensing machine being adapted to dispense said specific medication from said second container to said third container;

said second and third containers being joinable with said second dispensing machine, and said information strip and said second information strip being alignable with said sensing mechanism;

said specific medication being dispensable from said second container to said third container, and said specific medication information being transferable from said information strip of said second container to said information strip of said third container;

said information strip of said third container being alterable to include said specific medication information; and

,

said third container being removable from said second dispensing machine for further distribution, said third container containing said specific medication and said information strip of said third container containing said specific medication information.

5. The medication distribution and information system of claim 4, and wherein said dispensing machine dispenses a specific quantity of said specific medication to said second container, said dispensing machine altering said information strip to include said medication quantity information, said second dispensing machine receiving said medication quantity information from said second container to facilitate maintaining an inventory of said specified medication in said second dispensing machine.

6. The medication distribution and information system of claim 5, and wherein said dispensing machine is a pharmacy dispensing machine and said second dispensing machine is a hospital floor dispensing machine.

7. A medication distribution and inventory system comprising:

first and second containers, said first container holding a specific quantity of medication and having a machine readable electronic label containing medication information corresponding to the medication and including specific quantity information, said second container having a machine readable and writable information strip;

first and second dispensing machines, said first dispensing machine being adapted to dispense the medication from said first container to said second container and transmit said medication information from said electronic label to said information strip, and said first and second dispensing machines being in communication with a common data base;

said first and second containers being joinable with said first dispensing machine;

a desired quantity of the medication being dispensable from said first container to said second container;

said information strip being alterable to include said medication information including desired quantity information corresponding to said desired quantity of the medication;

said desired quantity information being transmittable to said data base, and updating said data base to indicate a reduction of the medication in said first container and an increase of the medication in said second container by said desired quantity of the medication;

said second container being removable from said first dispensing machine and transportable to said second dispensing machine;

said second container being joinable with said second dispensing machine; and

,

said data base being updatable to indicate an increase of the medication in said second dispensing machine by said desired quantity of medication; and

,

said data base being adapted to maintain an inventory of said medication in said first and second containers and second dispensing machine.