WO1997034268A1 - Medicament verification in an automatic dispensing system - Google Patents

Medicament verification in an automatic dispensing system Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO1997034268A1
WO1997034268A1 PCT/US1997/001166 US9701166W WO9734268A1 WO 1997034268 A1 WO1997034268 A1 WO 1997034268A1 US 9701166 W US9701166 W US 9701166W WO 9734268 A1 WO9734268 A1 WO 9734268A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
indicia
cell
medicament
reader
controller
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US1997/001166
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Michael E. Coughlin
Original Assignee
Scriptpro, L.L.C.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Family has litigation
First worldwide family litigation filed litigation Critical https://patents.darts-ip.com/?family=24458937&utm_source=google_patent&utm_medium=platform_link&utm_campaign=public_patent_search&patent=WO1997034268(A1) "Global patent litigation dataset” by Darts-ip is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Application filed by Scriptpro, L.L.C. filed Critical Scriptpro, L.L.C.
Priority to CA002248204A priority Critical patent/CA2248204C/en
Priority to AU17092/97A priority patent/AU700142B2/en
Priority to BR9708023-3A priority patent/BR9708023A/en
Priority to EP97903099A priority patent/EP0909435A4/en
Priority to JP53258797A priority patent/JP3288386B2/en
Priority to NZ331737A priority patent/NZ331737A/en
Publication of WO1997034268A1 publication Critical patent/WO1997034268A1/en

Links

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
    • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
    • G07F11/00—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles
    • G07F11/62—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles in which the articles are stored in compartments in fixed receptacles
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q20/00—Payment architectures, schemes or protocols
    • G06Q20/30—Payment architectures, schemes or protocols characterised by the use of specific devices or networks
    • G06Q20/34—Payment architectures, schemes or protocols characterised by the use of specific devices or networks using cards, e.g. integrated circuit [IC] cards or magnetic cards
    • G06Q20/342—Cards defining paid or billed services or quantities
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06V—IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING
    • G06V20/00—Scenes; Scene-specific elements
    • G06V20/60—Type of objects
    • G06V20/66—Trinkets, e.g. shirt buttons or jewellery items
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
    • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
    • G07F11/00—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles
    • G07F11/02—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles from non-movable magazines
    • G07F11/04—Coin-freed apparatus for dispensing, or the like, discrete articles from non-movable magazines in which magazines the articles are stored one vertically above the other
    • G07F11/16—Delivery means
    • G07F11/165—Delivery means using xyz-picker or multi-dimensional article picking arrangements
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
    • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
    • G07F17/00—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services
    • G07F17/0092—Coin-freed apparatus for hiring articles; Coin-freed facilities or services for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
    • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
    • G07F7/00—Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus
    • G07F7/02—Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus by keys or other credit registering devices
    • G07F7/025—Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus by keys or other credit registering devices by means, e.g. cards, providing billing information at the time of purchase, e.g. identification of seller or purchaser, quantity of goods delivered or to be delivered

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to the field of systems for automatically dispensing medicaments such as prescrip ⁇ tion drugs in the form of pills and capsules. More particularly, the invention is concerned with a system for verifying that the medicament dispensed from a dispensing cell matches the prescribed medicament.
  • An automatic medicament dispensing system such as that disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,337,919, includes a plurality of medicament dispensing cells containing respective medicaments.
  • the '919 system includes memory associated with the controller for storing cell data including the location of each cell and the medicament assigned to the cell at that location.
  • the system controller receives instructions for a prescription including the medicament to be dispensed and the quantity.
  • the controller then moves a manipulator arm to the appro ⁇ priate cell as indicated by the cell data for receiving medicament therefrom into a vial, which is then delivered to an off-loading station.
  • a serious problem can develop, however, if the cell data is incorrect or the locations of the various cells have been changed. This might occur, for example, if an attendant removes more than one cell at a time for replen ⁇ ishment and does not replace these cells to the same locations. In such a situation, the controller would move the manipulator arm to the cell location corresponding to the cell data for the prescribed medicament. The cell at this location, however, would not contain the medicament as indicated by the cell data. As a result, the wrong medicament could be dispensed leading to potentially serious problems for the patient.
  • Another potential problem can occur during replenish ⁇ ment of the cells. Specifically, an attendant could fill a cell with the wrong medicament, again leading to the possibility of a patient receiving the wrong medicament.
  • the present invention solves the prior art problems discussed above and provides a distinct advance in the state of the art. More particularly, the verification system hereof verifies that a dispensing cell for a particular medicament is in the correct location before medicament is dispensed and verifies that cells are replenished with the correct medicament.
  • each cell in the dispensing system includes indicia thereon, such as bar coding, corresponding to the medicament contained therein.
  • An indicia reader such as a bar code reader is attached to the manipulator arm and reads the cell indicia when the controller moves the arm to a selected cell location. The controller then determines whether there is a match between the medicament as indi- cated by the cell indicia and the medicament as indicated by the dispensing instructions, thereby verifying the correct medicament. If a match is indicated, medicament dispensing proceeds, but if a mismatch is indicated, dispensing is prevented.
  • a hand-held indicia reader coupled with the controller is used during replenishment.
  • Each container of new medicament includes indicia indicat ⁇ ing the medicament contained therein.
  • the attendant uses the reader to read the container indicia and also to read the indicia on a cell to be replenished. If the control ⁇ ler determines that there is a match between the medica ⁇ ments as indicated by the container and cell indicia, then a signal is provided to the attendant indicating allowance to proceed with replenishment. If a mismatch is deter- mined, the controller provides a mismatch signal indicat ⁇ ing to the attendant that replenishment is disallowed. Other preferred aspects of the present invention are disclosed herein.
  • Figure 1 is a right perspective view of the preferred apparatus in accordance with the present invention
  • Fig. 2 is a partial plan view of medicament dispens ⁇ ing cell and manipulator arm of the apparatus of Fig. 1 showing the controller in block diagram form
  • Fig. 1 shows the controller in block diagram form
  • Fig. 3 is a schematic representation of a dispensing cell, a container of medicament, and a bar code reader coupled with the controller being used for replenishing a dispensing cell of Fig. 1.
  • apparatus 10 includes a plurality of medicament dispensing cells 12, vial manipulator assembly 14 and system controller 16 (Figs. 2 and 3) .
  • Apparatus 10 is preferably modified as explained herein from the dispensing system as disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,337,919, hereby incorporated by reference.
  • Each dispensing cell 12 includes housing 18 contain ⁇ ing medicament 20 such as pills or capsules, removable lid 22, outlet port 24, driven dispenser gear 26 (Fig. 1) and indicia 28, preferably in the form of a machine-readable bar code corresponding to the medicament contained in the cell 12.
  • medicament 20 such as pills or capsules
  • removable lid 22 a removable lid 22
  • outlet port 24 a driven dispenser gear 26
  • indicia 28 preferably in the form of a machine-readable bar code corresponding to the medicament contained in the cell 12.
  • Manipulator assembly 14 includes manipulator arm 30, drive gear 32, gripper fingers 34a and 34b for holding vial 36, shifting mechanism 38 (Fig. 1) under the control of controller 16 for moving arm 30 to a selected cell location, and indicia reader 40 preferably in the form of -5- conventional bar code reader mounted to arm 30 and coupled with controller 16. Reader 40 is operable to produce indicia signals representative of indicia 28 and thereby representative of the medicament contained in the corre- sponding cell.
  • Controller 16 is microprocessor-based under program control and includes an associated memory for storing cell data. This data includes the locations of dispensing cells 12 and the medicament assigned to the cells at these locations.
  • controller 16 receives dispensing instructions such as prescription data from a pharmacy host computer.
  • the dispensing instructions include the medicament to be dispensed and quantity thereof.
  • controller 16 accesses the memory for the cell data and determines a selected cell location corresponding to the medicament indicated in the dispensing instructions.
  • Controller 16 then activates mechanism 38 to move manipulator assembly 14 and thereby manipulator arm 30 to retrieve vial 36 between gripper fingers 34a, 34b from a supply thereof, and then to move arm 30 to the selected cell location corresponding to a cell containing the medicament to be dispensed.
  • fingers 34a, 34b position vial 36 at the outlet port 24 of a cell 12 for receiving medica ⁇ ment 20 therefrom.
  • indicia reader 40 scans cell indicia 28 and provides indicia signals representative thereof to controller 16.
  • Control ⁇ ler 16 compares the medicament as indicated by the indicia signals with the medicament to be dispensed as contained in the dispensing instructions. If the medica ⁇ ment so indicated match, controller 16 then activates drive gear 32 which in turn operates dispenser gear 26 causing medicament 20 to be dispensed from cell 12 through outlet port 24 into vial 36.
  • controller 16 prevents activation of gear 32 and thereby prevents dispensing of medicament into vial 36. Controller 16 also provides an output in response such as an alarm signal or instructions to the pharmacy host computer indicating that the prescription could not be filled and that a problem exists.
  • controller 16 may be programmed to activate a checking procedure. During such a procedure, controller 16 would move manipulator arm and thereby indicia reader 40 to each cell location in turn, read the indicia on each cell, and compare the medicament for each cell as indicated by the indicia with the cell data stored memory.
  • This checking procedure might be initiated once a day, for example, when there are no prescriptions waiting to be filled, which might typically occur late night or early morning. Additionally, the checking procedure might be initiated each time any cells are replenished with medicament as such times are the ones most likely for a mix-up in cell locations to occur.
  • Fig. 3 illustrates another embodiment of the inven ⁇ tion for verifying medicaments during replenishments of cells 12.
  • reader 42 such as a bar code reader coupled with controller 16.
  • reader 42 could be the type mounted to a table for reading bar codes at various orientations, such as the type used in supermarkets.
  • Reader 42 like reader 40, is operable to read indicia 28 on cells 12 and is also operable to read container indicia 44 on container 45, typically in the form of a bar code present on containers of medicaments, and to provide corresponding cell and container indicia signals to controller 16.
  • Reader 42 could include green lamp 46, red lamp 48 and speaker 50, all under the control of controller 16.
  • an attendant secures a container 45 containing the needed medicament and removes the cell 12 needing replen ⁇ ishment from the framework of apparatus 10.
  • the attendant passes indicia reader 40 over cell indicia 28 and over container indicia 44.
  • controller 16 may activate speaker 50 for a short beep each time a bar code is read to provide an indication to the attendant that the reading has been completed.
  • controller 16 determines whether the medicaments as indicated by these signals match.
  • controller 16 activates green lamp 46 to provide a visual indication or some other indication to the attendant that a match is indicated and that it is allowable to proceed with removing cell lid 22 to replen ⁇ ish cell 12 with the medicament 20 from the container. After replenishment, the attendant replaces lid 22 and replaces cell 12 in apparatus 10.
  • controller 16 determines that the two medicament indications do not match, controller 16 activates red lamp 48 as a visual signal or some other indication to the attendant that replenishment is not allowed. Addition- ally, controller 16 may activate speaker 50 with a specif ⁇ ically designed alarm tone to provide an audible indica ⁇ tion to the attendant. Controller 16 may also store a record of these replenishment transactions.

Abstract

A system for dispensing medicaments such as pills and having a plurality of dispensing cells. There is a manipulator arm (30) for moving to a cell (12) and receiving medicament (20) dispensed therefrom into a vial (36), and a controller (16) to control the manipulator arm (30). There is an indicia reader (40) that reads indicia (28) on the cell (12) at a selected location and the controller (16) determines whether the medicament (20) indicated by the indicia (28) matches the medicament (20) of the prescription.

Description

MEDICAMENT VERIFICATION IN AN AUTOMATIC DISPENSING SYSTEM
Background of the Invention 1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of systems for automatically dispensing medicaments such as prescrip¬ tion drugs in the form of pills and capsules. More particularly, the invention is concerned with a system for verifying that the medicament dispensed from a dispensing cell matches the prescribed medicament.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An automatic medicament dispensing system, such as that disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,337,919, includes a plurality of medicament dispensing cells containing respective medicaments. The '919 system includes memory associated with the controller for storing cell data including the location of each cell and the medicament assigned to the cell at that location. In operation, the system controller receives instructions for a prescription including the medicament to be dispensed and the quantity. The controller then moves a manipulator arm to the appro¬ priate cell as indicated by the cell data for receiving medicament therefrom into a vial, which is then delivered to an off-loading station.
A serious problem can develop, however, if the cell data is incorrect or the locations of the various cells have been changed. This might occur, for example, if an attendant removes more than one cell at a time for replen¬ ishment and does not replace these cells to the same locations. In such a situation, the controller would move the manipulator arm to the cell location corresponding to the cell data for the prescribed medicament. The cell at this location, however, would not contain the medicament as indicated by the cell data. As a result, the wrong medicament could be dispensed leading to potentially serious problems for the patient.
Another potential problem can occur during replenish¬ ment of the cells. Specifically, an attendant could fill a cell with the wrong medicament, again leading to the possibility of a patient receiving the wrong medicament.
Summary of the Invention
The present invention solves the prior art problems discussed above and provides a distinct advance in the state of the art. More particularly, the verification system hereof verifies that a dispensing cell for a particular medicament is in the correct location before medicament is dispensed and verifies that cells are replenished with the correct medicament.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, each cell in the dispensing system includes indicia thereon, such as bar coding, corresponding to the medicament contained therein. An indicia reader such as a bar code reader is attached to the manipulator arm and reads the cell indicia when the controller moves the arm to a selected cell location. The controller then determines whether there is a match between the medicament as indi- cated by the cell indicia and the medicament as indicated by the dispensing instructions, thereby verifying the correct medicament. If a match is indicated, medicament dispensing proceeds, but if a mismatch is indicated, dispensing is prevented. In another embodiment, a hand-held indicia reader coupled with the controller is used during replenishment. Each container of new medicament includes indicia indicat¬ ing the medicament contained therein. The attendant uses the reader to read the container indicia and also to read the indicia on a cell to be replenished. If the control¬ ler determines that there is a match between the medica¬ ments as indicated by the container and cell indicia, then a signal is provided to the attendant indicating allowance to proceed with replenishment. If a mismatch is deter- mined, the controller provides a mismatch signal indicat¬ ing to the attendant that replenishment is disallowed. Other preferred aspects of the present invention are disclosed herein.
Brief Description of the Drawings
Figure 1 is a right perspective view of the preferred apparatus in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 2 is a partial plan view of medicament dispens¬ ing cell and manipulator arm of the apparatus of Fig. 1 showing the controller in block diagram form; and
Fig. 3 is a schematic representation of a dispensing cell, a container of medicament, and a bar code reader coupled with the controller being used for replenishing a dispensing cell of Fig. 1.
Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment Referring to the drawing figures, apparatus 10 includes a plurality of medicament dispensing cells 12, vial manipulator assembly 14 and system controller 16 (Figs. 2 and 3) . Apparatus 10 is preferably modified as explained herein from the dispensing system as disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,337,919, hereby incorporated by reference.
Each dispensing cell 12 includes housing 18 contain¬ ing medicament 20 such as pills or capsules, removable lid 22, outlet port 24, driven dispenser gear 26 (Fig. 1) and indicia 28, preferably in the form of a machine-readable bar code corresponding to the medicament contained in the cell 12.
Manipulator assembly 14 includes manipulator arm 30, drive gear 32, gripper fingers 34a and 34b for holding vial 36, shifting mechanism 38 (Fig. 1) under the control of controller 16 for moving arm 30 to a selected cell location, and indicia reader 40 preferably in the form of -5- conventional bar code reader mounted to arm 30 and coupled with controller 16. Reader 40 is operable to produce indicia signals representative of indicia 28 and thereby representative of the medicament contained in the corre- sponding cell.
Controller 16 is microprocessor-based under program control and includes an associated memory for storing cell data. This data includes the locations of dispensing cells 12 and the medicament assigned to the cells at these locations.
In operation, controller 16 receives dispensing instructions such as prescription data from a pharmacy host computer. The dispensing instructions include the medicament to be dispensed and quantity thereof. In response to the instructions, controller 16 accesses the memory for the cell data and determines a selected cell location corresponding to the medicament indicated in the dispensing instructions. Controller 16 then activates mechanism 38 to move manipulator assembly 14 and thereby manipulator arm 30 to retrieve vial 36 between gripper fingers 34a, 34b from a supply thereof, and then to move arm 30 to the selected cell location corresponding to a cell containing the medicament to be dispensed. At the selected cell location, fingers 34a, 34b position vial 36 at the outlet port 24 of a cell 12 for receiving medica¬ ment 20 therefrom. As arm 30 reaches the selected cell location, indicia reader 40 scans cell indicia 28 and provides indicia signals representative thereof to controller 16. Control¬ ler 16 then compares the medicament as indicated by the indicia signals with the medicament to be dispensed as contained in the dispensing instructions. If the medica¬ ment so indicated match, controller 16 then activates drive gear 32 which in turn operates dispenser gear 26 causing medicament 20 to be dispensed from cell 12 through outlet port 24 into vial 36.
If the medicament as indicated by the indicia signals and dispensing instructions do not match, controller 16 prevents activation of gear 32 and thereby prevents dispensing of medicament into vial 36. Controller 16 also provides an output in response such as an alarm signal or instructions to the pharmacy host computer indicating that the prescription could not be filled and that a problem exists.
To minimize problem occurrences, controller 16 may be programmed to activate a checking procedure. During such a procedure, controller 16 would move manipulator arm and thereby indicia reader 40 to each cell location in turn, read the indicia on each cell, and compare the medicament for each cell as indicated by the indicia with the cell data stored memory. This checking procedure might be initiated once a day, for example, when there are no prescriptions waiting to be filled, which might typically occur late night or early morning. Additionally, the checking procedure might be initiated each time any cells are replenished with medicament as such times are the ones most likely for a mix-up in cell locations to occur. Fig. 3 illustrates another embodiment of the inven¬ tion for verifying medicaments during replenishments of cells 12. This embodiment uses a hand-held indicia reader 42 such as a bar code reader coupled with controller 16. Alternatively, reader 42 could be the type mounted to a table for reading bar codes at various orientations, such as the type used in supermarkets. Reader 42, like reader 40, is operable to read indicia 28 on cells 12 and is also operable to read container indicia 44 on container 45, typically in the form of a bar code present on containers of medicaments, and to provide corresponding cell and container indicia signals to controller 16. Reader 42 could include green lamp 46, red lamp 48 and speaker 50, all under the control of controller 16.
When a cell 12 needs to be replenished with medica- ment, an attendant secures a container 45 containing the needed medicament and removes the cell 12 needing replen¬ ishment from the framework of apparatus 10. The attendant passes indicia reader 40 over cell indicia 28 and over container indicia 44. As is typical with bar code read- ers, controller 16 may activate speaker 50 for a short beep each time a bar code is read to provide an indication to the attendant that the reading has been completed. Upon receiving cell indicia signals and container indicia signals from reader 42, controller 16 determines whether the medicaments as indicated by these signals match. If yes, controller 16 activates green lamp 46 to provide a visual indication or some other indication to the attendant that a match is indicated and that it is allowable to proceed with removing cell lid 22 to replen¬ ish cell 12 with the medicament 20 from the container. After replenishment, the attendant replaces lid 22 and replaces cell 12 in apparatus 10.
If controller 16 determines that the two medicament indications do not match, controller 16 activates red lamp 48 as a visual signal or some other indication to the attendant that replenishment is not allowed. Addition- ally, controller 16 may activate speaker 50 with a specif¬ ically designed alarm tone to provide an audible indica¬ tion to the attendant. Controller 16 may also store a record of these replenishment transactions.
As those skilled in the art will appreciate, the present invention encompasses many variations in the preferred embodiments described herein. For example, indicia may be used other than the preferred bar coding and the present invention finds utility in other types of medicament dispensing machines. Having described the preferred embodiments in detail, the following is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent:

Claims

CT.AIMS : l. A medicament dispensing system comprising: a plurality of medicament dispensing cells; a manipulator operable for moving to a selected cell and for receiving medicament dispensed there¬ from; a controller for controlling the operation of the manipulator, said controller including means for receiving medicament dispensing in- structions including information represen¬ tative of a medicament to be dispensed, memory means for storing cell data representa¬ tive of the cell locations and medicaments assigned to said respective cells at said locations, and means for using said instructions and cell data to determine a selected cell location of a cell having a medicament assigned thereto corresponding to said medicament to be dispensed, each of said cells having machine-readable indicia thereon representative of the medicaments as¬ signed thereto; and an indicia reader operable for reading said indicia and for producing indicia signals representative thereof, said controller including means for moving the manipulator and said indicia reader to said selected cell location, using said reader to read the indicia on the cell at said selected location and produc- ing indicia signals representative thereof, and receiving said indicia signals and determining whether the medicament represented by said indicia signals is a match with said medi- ca ent to be dispensed and if so, allowing dispensing of medicament from the cell at said selected location.
2. The apparatus as set forth in Claim 1, said indicia including bar codes, said indicia reader including a bar code reader.
3. The apparatus as set forth in Claim 1 further including means coupling said indicia reader with said manipulator arm for movement together to said selected cell location.
4. The apparatus as set forth in Claim 1, said medicament including prescription drugs, said instructions including prescription information.
5. In a medicament dispensing system including a plurality of medicament dispensing cells, a manipulator operable for moving to a selected cell for receiving medicament therefrom, and a controller for controlling the operation of the manipulator, a method of operating the system comprising the steps of:
(a) receiving medicament dispensing instructions into the controller, said instructions including information representative of a medicament to be dispensed, the controller including associated memory storing cell data representative of the cell locations and medicaments assigned to the respective cells at said locations; (b) in the controller, using said instructions and cell data to determine a selected cell location of a cell having a medicament assigned thereto corresponding to said medicament to be dis¬ pensed, each of the cells having machine-readable indicia thereon representative of the medicaments as¬ signed thereto, the system including an indicia reader operable for reading said indicia and for producing indicia signals representative thereof; (c) moving the manipulator and said indicia reader to said selected cell location under control of the controller;
(d) at said cell location, using said reader to read the indicia on the cell at said selected loca¬ tion and producing indicia signals representa¬ tive thereof; and
(e) receiving said indicia signals in the controller and determining whether the medicament repre- sented by said indicia signals is a match with said medicament to be dispensed and if so, allowing dispensing of medicament from the cell at said selected location.
6. The method as set forth in Claim 5 further including the steps of determining a selected cell for replenishment of medicament assigned thereto; selecting a container containing a medicament and having container indicia thereon representative of a medicament contained therein, the system including an indicia reader coupled with the controller, said indicia reader including means for reading said cell and container indi¬ cia, for producing indicia signals representa¬ tive thereof and for delivering said indicia signals to said controller; using said indicia reader to read said cell and container indicia and to produce respective cell indicia signals and container indicia signals representative thereof; and in the controller, receiving said cell indicia sig¬ nals and container indicia signals and determin- ing whether there is a match between medicaments represented thereby; if there is a lack of a match between medicaments represented by said cell indicia signals and container indicia signals, providing a mismatch output detectable by an attendant indicating that replenishment of medicament from said container is disallowed and, if there is a match between medicaments represented by said cell indicia signals and container indicia signals, producing a match output detectable by an atten¬ dant indicating that replenishment of said selected cell by medicament from said container is allowed.
7. The method as set forth in Claim 5, said medica¬ ments including prescription drugs, step (a) including the step of receiving prescription information as said dis¬ pensing instructions.
8. The method as set forth in Claim 5, said reader being coupled with the manipulator, step (c) including the step of moving the manipulator and said reader together.
9. The method as set forth in Claim 5, said indicia including bar codes, said reader being a bar code reader, step (d) including the step of using said reader to read the bar code on the cell at said selected location.
10. The method as set forth in Claim 6 including the step of providing said indicia reader as a hand-held indicia reader.
11. In a medicament dispensing system including a plurality of medicament dispensing cells, a manipulator operable for moving to a selected cell for receiving medicament therefrom, and a controller for controlling the operation of the manipulator, a method of replenishing the cells with respective medicaments comprising the steps of:
(a) determining a selected cell for replenishment of medicament assigned thereto, each of the cells having machine-readable cell indi- cia thereon representative of the medicaments assigned thereto;
(b) selecting a container containing a medicament and having container indicia thereon representa¬ tive of a medicament contained therein, the system including an indicia reader coupled with the controller, said indicia reader including means for reading said cell and container indi¬ cia, for producing indicia signals representa¬ tive thereof and for delivering said indicia signals to said controller;
(c) using said indicia reader to read said cell and container indicia and to produce respective cell indicia signals and container indicia signals representative thereof; and (d) in the controller, receiving said cell indicia signals and container indicia signals and deter- mining whether there is a match between medica¬ ments represented thereby; (e) if there is a lack of a match between medica¬ ments represented by said cell indicia signals and container indicia signals, providing a mismatch output detectable by an attendant indicating that replenishment of medicament from said container is disallowed and, if there is a match between medicaments represented by said cell indicia signals and container indicia signals, producing a match output detectable by an attendant indicating that replenishment of said selected cell by medicament from said container is allowed.
12. The method as set forth in Claim 11, said indicia including bar codes, said reader including a bar code reader, step (c) including the step of using said indicia reader to read said cell and container bar codes.
13. The method as set forth in Claim 11, said medicaments including prescription drugs.
-17- 14. In a medicament dispensing system including a plurality of medicament dispensing cells, a manipulator operable for moving to a selected cell for receiving medicament therefrom, and a controller for controlling the operation of the manipulator, a method of operating the system comprising the steps of:
(a) in the controller, determining a selected cell location for movement thereto by the manipula¬ tor, the controller including associated memory storing cell data representative of the cell locations and medicaments assigned to the respective cells at said locations, each of the cells having machine-readable indicia thereon representative of the medicaments as¬ signed thereto, the system including an indicia reader operable for reading said indicia and for producing indicia signals representative thereof; (b) moving the manipulator and said indicia reader to said selected cell location under control of the controller; (c) at said cell location, using said reader to read the indicia on the cell at said selected loca- tions and producing indicia signals representa¬ tive thereof; and (d) receiving said indicia signals in the controller and determining whether the medicament repre¬ sented by said indicia signals is a match with said cell data.
PCT/US1997/001166 1996-03-11 1997-01-24 Medicament verification in an automatic dispensing system WO1997034268A1 (en)

Priority Applications (6)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA002248204A CA2248204C (en) 1996-03-11 1997-01-24 Medicament verification in an automatic dispensing system
AU17092/97A AU700142B2 (en) 1996-03-11 1997-01-24 Medicament verification in an automatic dispensing system
BR9708023-3A BR9708023A (en) 1996-03-11 1997-01-24 Verification of drugs in an automatic administration system.
EP97903099A EP0909435A4 (en) 1996-03-11 1997-01-24 Medicament verification in an automatic dispensing system
JP53258797A JP3288386B2 (en) 1996-03-11 1997-01-24 Drug matching in an automatic dispensing system
NZ331737A NZ331737A (en) 1996-03-11 1997-01-28 Medicament verification in an automatic dispensing system

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US08/613,852 US5713487A (en) 1996-03-11 1996-03-11 Medicament verification in an automatic dispening system
US08/613,852 1996-03-11

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO1997034268A1 true WO1997034268A1 (en) 1997-09-18

Family

ID=24458937

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/US1997/001166 WO1997034268A1 (en) 1996-03-11 1997-01-24 Medicament verification in an automatic dispensing system

Country Status (8)

Country Link
US (2) US5713487A (en)
EP (1) EP0909435A4 (en)
JP (1) JP3288386B2 (en)
AU (1) AU700142B2 (en)
BR (1) BR9708023A (en)
CA (1) CA2248204C (en)
NZ (1) NZ331737A (en)
WO (1) WO1997034268A1 (en)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1818880A1 (en) * 2006-01-20 2007-08-15 PepsiCo, Inc. Inductive heating method with indicia sensing
EP1939823A1 (en) * 2006-12-21 2008-07-02 JVM Co., Ltd. System and method for taking out medicines

Families Citing this family (87)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5883370A (en) * 1995-06-08 1999-03-16 Psc Inc. Automated method for filling drug prescriptions
US5797515A (en) * 1995-10-18 1998-08-25 Adds, Inc. Method for controlling a drug dispensing system
JP2002506358A (en) 1996-09-06 2002-02-26 メルク アンド カンパニー，インコーポレーテッド Customer-specific packing line
US6226564B1 (en) * 1996-11-01 2001-05-01 John C. Stuart Method and apparatus for dispensing drugs to prevent inadvertent administration of incorrect drug to patient
US6170746B1 (en) * 1998-08-12 2001-01-09 Monarch Marking Systems, Inc. System and method for tracking drugs in a hospital
US6256967B1 (en) 1998-08-27 2001-07-10 Automed Technologies, Inc. Integrated automated drug dispenser method and apparatus
US6175779B1 (en) 1998-09-29 2001-01-16 J. Todd Barrett Computerized unit dose medication dispensing cart
US6155485A (en) 1998-11-09 2000-12-05 Scriptpro Llc Medicament dispensing station
US6170230B1 (en) 1998-12-04 2001-01-09 Automed Technologies, Inc. Medication collecting system
US6883681B1 (en) 1998-12-10 2005-04-26 Scriptpro Llc Automatic dispensing system for unit medicament packages
US6421584B1 (en) 1999-03-02 2002-07-16 Scriptpro Llc Independent counting unit
US6189727B1 (en) 1999-03-24 2001-02-20 S&S X-Ray Products, Inc. Pharmaceutical dispensing arrangement
US6206590B1 (en) 1999-04-05 2001-03-27 Scripto Llc Label printing assembly for use with a medicament dispensing control workstation
WO2001006433A1 (en) * 1999-07-15 2001-01-25 National Data Corporation Method and system for prescription drug compliance
US6564121B1 (en) * 1999-09-22 2003-05-13 Telepharmacy Solutions, Inc. Systems and methods for drug dispensing
US7006893B2 (en) * 1999-09-22 2006-02-28 Telepharmacy Solutions, Inc. Systems for dispensing medical products
US6370841B1 (en) 1999-12-03 2002-04-16 Automed Technologies, Inc. Automated method for dispensing bulk medications with a machine-readable code
US6294999B1 (en) * 1999-12-29 2001-09-25 Becton, Dickinson And Company Systems and methods for monitoring patient compliance with medication regimens
US6574580B2 (en) 2000-02-11 2003-06-03 Scriptpro Llc Pharmacy pill counting vision system
US6665573B1 (en) 2000-04-27 2003-12-16 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. System and method for matching a creative expression with an order for goods
DK1360658T3 (en) * 2000-05-23 2008-10-13 Munroe Chirnomas Method and apparatus for including article identification in an article handling device
US6343711B1 (en) * 2000-06-05 2002-02-05 Scriptpro, Llc Medicament dispensing cell
US6892941B2 (en) * 2000-06-08 2005-05-17 Mendota Healthcare, Inc. Automatic prescription drug dispenser
US20020080393A1 (en) * 2000-06-13 2002-06-27 Leonard Ronald A. Parallel printer intercept
AU2001290661A1 (en) * 2000-09-06 2002-03-22 Advanced Pharmacy Technologies, L.L.C. Automated prescription dispensing system and method of use
US6578734B1 (en) 2001-05-02 2003-06-17 Scriptpro Llc Vial gripping mechanism for automatic medicament dispensing machine
US6592005B1 (en) 2001-05-02 2003-07-15 Scriptpro Llc Pill count sensor for automatic medicament dispensing machine
US6631826B2 (en) * 2001-07-20 2003-10-14 Parata Systems, Llc Device to count and dispense articles
US6771369B2 (en) * 2002-03-12 2004-08-03 Analytical Spectral Devices, Inc. System and method for pharmacy validation and inspection
US20040059463A1 (en) * 2002-06-24 2004-03-25 Scriptpro Llc Active control center for use with an automatic dispensing system for prescriptions and the like
US6910601B2 (en) * 2002-07-08 2005-06-28 Scriptpro Llc Collating unit for use with a control center cooperating with an automatic prescription or pharmaceutical dispensing system
DE10329028A1 (en) * 2002-07-11 2004-01-29 Ceram Tec Ag Innovative Ceramic Engineering Preparation of piezoelectric multi layer actuators for e.g. injection valves, provided with heat insulation formed by sintering thick coating mixture of inorganic material and organic binder
CA2492850C (en) 2002-07-29 2012-10-09 Mckesson Automation Systems, Inc. Article dispensing and counting method and device
US7228198B2 (en) * 2002-08-09 2007-06-05 Mckesson Automation Systems, Inc. Prescription filling apparatus implementing a pick and place method
US7303094B2 (en) 2002-08-09 2007-12-04 Kevin Hutchinson Vacuum pill dispensing cassette and counting machine
WO2004036481A2 (en) * 2002-10-18 2004-04-29 Mckesson Automation Systems, Inc. Automated drug substitution, verification, and reporting system
US7860724B2 (en) * 2002-10-30 2010-12-28 Automed Technologies, Inc. System and method for management of pharmacy workflow
US20060171970A1 (en) * 2003-02-21 2006-08-03 Cardio Combos Llc Pharmaceutical formulation delivery system
US7230519B2 (en) * 2003-06-19 2007-06-12 Scriptpro Llc RFID tag and method of user verification
US7048183B2 (en) 2003-06-19 2006-05-23 Scriptpro Llc RFID rag and method of user verification
US20040256452A1 (en) * 2003-06-19 2004-12-23 Coughlin Michael E. RFID tag and method of user verification
US20050023286A1 (en) * 2003-07-01 2005-02-03 Asteres Inc. Random access and random load dispensing unit
US7123989B2 (en) 2003-07-01 2006-10-17 Asteres, Inc. System and method for providing a random access and random load dispensing unit
US20050192705A1 (en) 2003-07-01 2005-09-01 Asteres Inc. Random access and random load dispensing unit
US20060272976A1 (en) * 2003-07-01 2006-12-07 Asteres, Inc. Container for use in a random access and random load dispensing unit
US7121427B2 (en) * 2003-07-22 2006-10-17 Scriptpro Llc Fork based transport storage system for pharmaceutical unit of use dispenser
US7100796B1 (en) 2003-08-08 2006-09-05 Scriptpro Llc Apparatus for dispensing vials
US8195328B2 (en) * 2003-09-19 2012-06-05 Vesta Medical, Llc Combination disposal and dispensing apparatus and method
US20050102163A1 (en) * 2003-11-06 2005-05-12 Coughlin Michael E. Method and system for delivering prescriptions to remote locations for patient retrieval
US8141330B2 (en) * 2004-05-20 2012-03-27 KNAPP Logistics Automation, Inc. Systems and methods of automated tablet dispensing, prescription filling, and packaging
US20060005035A1 (en) * 2004-06-22 2006-01-05 Coughlin Michael E Keystroke input device for use with an RFID tag and user verification system
US7461759B2 (en) * 2004-07-22 2008-12-09 Scriptpro Llc Fork based transport storage system for pharmaceutical unit of use dispenser
US7988947B2 (en) * 2004-11-23 2011-08-02 E. I. Du Pont De Nemours And Company Mesoporous oxide of titanium
US7175381B2 (en) * 2004-11-23 2007-02-13 Scriptpro Llc Robotic arm for use with pharmaceutical unit of use transport and storage system
US7783383B2 (en) * 2004-12-22 2010-08-24 Intelligent Hospital Systems Ltd. Automated pharmacy admixture system (APAS)
EP1830782B1 (en) * 2004-12-22 2013-06-05 Intelligent Hospital Systems Ltd. Automated pharmacy admixture system (APAS)
US7931859B2 (en) * 2005-12-22 2011-04-26 Intelligent Hospital Systems Ltd. Ultraviolet sanitization in pharmacy environments
US20070170174A1 (en) * 2006-01-20 2007-07-26 Segiet William W Food inductive heating device and method
US20070170177A1 (en) * 2006-01-20 2007-07-26 Avendano Jose G Power management apparatus, system and method for vending machine
US7597247B2 (en) * 2006-09-29 2009-10-06 Global Healthcare Exchange, Llc System and method for comparing drug product information
US20080093372A1 (en) * 2006-10-23 2008-04-24 Milton Monroe T Method and apparatus for sorting, counting and packaging pharmaceutical drugs and other objects
JP5466508B2 (en) * 2006-11-09 2014-04-09 インテリジェント ホスピタル システムズ リミテッド Control method of fluid movement operation
US7748199B2 (en) * 2006-11-28 2010-07-06 Align Technology, Inc. System and method for packaging of mass-fabricated custom items
CA2684969A1 (en) * 2007-04-25 2008-11-06 Planning Technologies International Inc. Distribution system and method
US7783379B2 (en) * 2007-04-25 2010-08-24 Asteres, Inc. Automated vending of products containing controlled substances
US7840307B2 (en) * 2007-05-18 2010-11-23 Parata Systems, L.L.C. Object dispenser with locking fill door useful in system and method for dispensing objects
US8271138B2 (en) * 2007-09-12 2012-09-18 Intelligent Hospital Systems Ltd. Gripper device
US8225824B2 (en) * 2007-11-16 2012-07-24 Intelligent Hospital Systems, Ltd. Method and apparatus for automated fluid transfer operations
US8434641B2 (en) * 2008-01-24 2013-05-07 Scriptpro Llc Medicament dispensing system
US20090254214A1 (en) * 2008-04-03 2009-10-08 Scriptpro Llc Vial dispensing mechanism
US7970490B2 (en) * 2008-04-14 2011-06-28 Integration And Automation Solutions, Inc. Article dispensing system
US8306651B2 (en) * 2008-07-30 2012-11-06 Chudy Group, LLC Pharmacy will-call and prescription order article management system
US8271128B1 (en) 2008-07-30 2012-09-18 Kirby Lester, Llc Pharmacy workflow management system including plural counters
US8165929B2 (en) 2008-08-04 2012-04-24 Chudy Group, LLC Adaptive pharmaceutical product management methods and system
KR101006014B1 (en) * 2008-08-21 2011-01-06 (주)제이브이엠 Automatic medicine packing machine with hopper cleaning device
US20100163373A1 (en) * 2008-12-30 2010-07-01 Scriptpro Llc Medicament bottle dispenser
US8386070B2 (en) * 2009-03-18 2013-02-26 Intelligent Hospital Systems, Ltd Automated pharmacy admixture system
EP2542476A4 (en) * 2010-03-05 2015-11-25 Frédéric Poirier Verification system for prescription packaging and method
EP2590874A4 (en) * 2010-07-07 2016-04-27 Manrex Pty Ltd Error reduction in blister packaging apparatus
ITRE20120012A1 (en) * 2012-02-20 2013-08-21 Laservideo S R L AUTOMATIC ITEM DISTRIBUTOR
CN109549400A (en) * 2012-04-18 2019-04-02 Jvm有限公司 Drug administration system and its control method
US9361748B2 (en) * 2012-11-28 2016-06-07 Parata Systems, Llc Pharmaceutical dispensing systems, methods and computer program products for determining and displaying replenishment information
US9977871B2 (en) 2014-01-14 2018-05-22 Capsa Solutions Llc Cassette control including presence sensing and verification
EP3213736B1 (en) * 2014-10-31 2024-03-20 Yuyama Mfg. Co., Ltd. Drug dispensing device
WO2016134074A1 (en) 2015-02-18 2016-08-25 Pilldrill, Inc. System and method for activity monitoring
JP6860818B2 (en) * 2017-03-30 2021-04-21 株式会社湯山製作所 Solid agent subdivision device and solid agent subdivision method
FR3089670A1 (en) * 2018-12-10 2020-06-12 Orange Object storage device, and method using such a device

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5272321A (en) * 1990-08-09 1993-12-21 Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. Automatic vending machine having a bar code reader and bar coded columns and switches
US5337919A (en) * 1993-02-11 1994-08-16 Dispensing Technologies, Inc. Automatic dispensing system for prescriptions and the like
US5502944A (en) * 1993-12-03 1996-04-02 Owen Healthcare, Inc. Medication dispenser system

Family Cites Families (52)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1065029A (en) * 1911-12-22 1913-06-17 Automatic Scale Vending Company Automatic vending-machine.
US1646571A (en) * 1924-03-22 1927-10-25 Fuller Brush Co Feeding device
US1718565A (en) * 1925-05-08 1929-06-25 Harry T Kingsbury Automatic hopper feeding device
US2111529A (en) * 1935-04-12 1938-03-15 Wright Dalton Machinery Compan Pill counting mechanism
US2198137A (en) * 1937-03-27 1940-04-23 Gerhart S Suppiger Tablet depositing machine
US2814317A (en) * 1955-07-01 1957-11-26 Coan Mfg Company Beverage dispensing machines
US3002602A (en) * 1955-09-26 1961-10-03 Hubert M Giepen Vending apparatus
US3367534A (en) * 1965-07-26 1968-02-06 Terry L. Carter Plastic bottle feeder having orienting means
US3563410A (en) * 1968-06-25 1971-02-16 Jerome G Murray Medication-dispensing device and method
US3610464A (en) * 1969-06-18 1971-10-05 Automated Packaging Syst Inc Article handling apparatus with automatic controls for supply and dispenser
US3732544A (en) * 1970-11-25 1973-05-08 D Obland Computer-controlled article merchandising system for prescription drugs and like articles
US3730388A (en) * 1972-02-10 1973-05-01 Brenner & Bender Inc Material measuring and dispensing apparatus
US3782590A (en) * 1972-05-18 1974-01-01 G Apfel Pill counting machine
US3802581A (en) * 1973-03-05 1974-04-09 Supreme Equip & Syst Means for selectively picking a preselected number of panel spaced articles from an inventory storage
US3917045A (en) * 1974-04-25 1975-11-04 Robert L Williams Drug dispensing apparatus
US4018358A (en) * 1975-09-18 1977-04-19 Pharmaceutical Innovators, Ltd. Cassette pill storing, dispensing and counting machine
US4117952A (en) * 1976-08-06 1978-10-03 Dustin Marshall Grimes Capsule dispenser having chambers rotatable relative to a dispensing outlet
US4227615A (en) * 1979-05-02 1980-10-14 Flick Gervase M Medicine container
FR2519601A1 (en) * 1982-01-12 1983-07-18 Sercati Suspension for motor cycle - has swinging arm rear suspension with twin side shock absorbers
US4456148A (en) * 1982-01-28 1984-06-26 General Foods Limited Movable selection carrier
US4953745A (en) * 1983-09-19 1990-09-04 James R. Rowlett, Jr. Medication dispensing apparatus
US4546901A (en) * 1984-02-02 1985-10-15 Buttarazzi Patrick J Apparatus for dispensing medication
US4628974A (en) * 1984-03-14 1986-12-16 Meyer Ronald K Apparatus for automated assembly of flowable materials
US4560088A (en) * 1984-05-11 1985-12-24 Tan Larry K Vending machine with dispensing operating system movable in X-Y coordinate axes
US4812629A (en) * 1985-03-06 1989-03-14 Term-Tronics, Incorporated Method and apparatus for vending
US4655026A (en) * 1985-12-11 1987-04-07 Wigoda Luis T Pill dispensing machine
WO1988002524A1 (en) * 1986-09-25 1988-04-07 Essex Engineering Company Automatic rental vending machine
US4847764C1 (en) * 1987-05-21 2001-09-11 Meditrol Inc System for dispensing drugs in health care instituions
US5097982A (en) * 1988-01-07 1992-03-24 Dan Kedem Programmed medication dispenser apparatus
US4971120A (en) * 1988-03-29 1990-11-20 The Coca-Cola Company Automatic beverage dispensing system
US5172328A (en) * 1988-04-01 1992-12-15 Restaurant Technology, Inc. Food preparation system and method
JP2839265B2 (en) * 1988-08-11 1998-12-16 ファナック 株式会社 Horizontal joint type robot
US5292029A (en) * 1989-11-08 1994-03-08 Pearson Walter G Patient medication dispensing and associated record
US5139384A (en) * 1989-02-23 1992-08-18 Philip Tuttobene Article vending machine
US5154296A (en) * 1989-05-26 1992-10-13 Ortho Pharmaceutical (Canada) Ltd. Pill dispenser
US5059772A (en) * 1989-11-09 1991-10-22 Exabyte Corporation Reading method and apparatus for cartridge library
US5468110A (en) * 1990-01-24 1995-11-21 Automated Healthcare, Inc. Automated system for selecting packages from a storage area
GB2240543A (en) * 1990-02-06 1991-08-07 Huang Ming Sheng Medicine dispensing device
US5086945A (en) * 1990-03-09 1992-02-11 Corella Arthur P Tablet selector and packaging system using same
IT1239193B (en) * 1990-04-09 1993-09-28 Corrado Zizola AUTOMATIC DISPENSER OF PASTY FOOD PRODUCTS, ESPECIALLY FOR ICE CREAM DISPLAY SHOWCASES
US5218583A (en) * 1990-04-11 1993-06-08 Olympus Optical Co., Ltd. Apparatus for successively treating optical cards
US5064082A (en) * 1990-04-27 1991-11-12 Elizabeth Arden Company, Division Of Conopco, Inc. Compartmented container having a seal member and magnifying lid
US5159560A (en) * 1990-06-25 1992-10-27 Newell William C Automated merchandise dispensing and retrieval system
IT1244884B (en) * 1990-12-21 1994-09-13 Healtech Sa PROCEDURE AND EQUIPMENT FOR THE UNIQUE COMBINATION OF DRUGS CORRESPONDING TO A THERAPY PREDICTED TO A CERTAIN PATIENT
US5441165A (en) * 1991-07-22 1995-08-15 Kemp; Vivian Autonomous controlled drug dispensing system
JPH0682130A (en) * 1992-08-31 1994-03-22 Sanyo Electric Co Ltd Abnormality detector for condenser of cooler
US5265744A (en) * 1992-10-07 1993-11-30 Billy Duty Tamper-proof cap
US5348061B1 (en) * 1992-12-01 1999-10-12 Baxter Int Tablet accumulator for an automated prescription vial filling system
US5405048A (en) * 1993-06-22 1995-04-11 Kvm Technologies, Inc. Vacuum operated medicine dispenser
US5400838A (en) * 1994-01-14 1995-03-28 Gas Research Institute Automatic packaging method and apparatus
WO1995024699A1 (en) * 1994-03-07 1995-09-14 Pearson Walter G Semi-automated medication dispenser
NL9402206A (en) * 1994-06-09 1996-01-02 Cons Health Entrepreneurs Bv Pharmacy system and dispensing machine for such a system.

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5272321A (en) * 1990-08-09 1993-12-21 Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. Automatic vending machine having a bar code reader and bar coded columns and switches
US5337919A (en) * 1993-02-11 1994-08-16 Dispensing Technologies, Inc. Automatic dispensing system for prescriptions and the like
US5502944A (en) * 1993-12-03 1996-04-02 Owen Healthcare, Inc. Medication dispenser system

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
See also references of EP0909435A4 *

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1818880A1 (en) * 2006-01-20 2007-08-15 PepsiCo, Inc. Inductive heating method with indicia sensing
US7435930B2 (en) 2006-01-20 2008-10-14 Pepsico, Inc. Inductive heating method with indicia sensing
EP1939823A1 (en) * 2006-12-21 2008-07-02 JVM Co., Ltd. System and method for taking out medicines

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
AU700142B2 (en) 1998-12-24
CA2248204A1 (en) 1997-09-18
NZ331737A (en) 2000-02-28
US5762235A (en) 1998-06-09
AU1709297A (en) 1997-10-01
CA2248204C (en) 2001-05-29
US5713487A (en) 1998-02-03
EP0909435A1 (en) 1999-04-21
JPH11513954A (en) 1999-11-30
BR9708023A (en) 2000-01-04
EP0909435A4 (en) 2004-08-11
JP3288386B2 (en) 2002-06-04

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
EP0909435A1 (en) Medicament verification in an automatic dispensing system
KR101345543B1 (en) Medicine dispensing device
CA2699256C (en) Automated will call system
US5671592A (en) Medicine packing apparatus
US7349858B1 (en) Method of dispensing and tracking the giving of medical items to patients
US7950206B2 (en) Pill dispenser with canisters having electronically readable/writeable identification
US7467093B1 (en) Method of tracking and despensing medical items to patients through self service delivery system
US8521326B1 (en) Canister arrangement for refilling pharmaceutical dispenser
US7908827B2 (en) Method and apparatus for automatically filling prescriptions using interchangeable platens
US7958701B2 (en) Pill dispenser with interchangeable platen having electronically readable identification
US20110278319A1 (en) Pill dispenser canister having dual reservoirs
JPH09215728A (en) Tablet dispensing method
US8201592B2 (en) Method and arrangement for making up preparations
US20110208352A1 (en) Pill dispenser with interchangeable platen having electronically readable/writable identification
WO1996017330A1 (en) Medication dispenser station
US20040176873A1 (en) Pharmaceutical automation system
US7883077B2 (en) Low-profile X-Y table
JPH09182780A (en) Powdered medicine replenishment
US11594329B2 (en) Programable, refillable medication package with scheduled metered dispensing and med unit sensor
JP3373505B2 (en) Tablet packaging equipment
JP2002191677A (en) Tablet feeder
JP2003325640A (en) Solid preparation filling device and solid preparation filling method
JPS61248196A (en) Deposited goods discharger

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
AK Designated states

Kind code of ref document: A1

Designated state(s): AL AM AT AU AZ BA BB BG BR BY CA CH CN CU CZ DE DK EE ES FI GB GE HU IL IS JP KE KG KP KR KZ LC LK LR LS LT LU LV MD MG MK MN MW MX NO NZ PL PT RO RU SD SE SG SI SK TJ TM TR TT UA UG UZ VN AM AZ BY KG KZ MD RU TJ TM

AL Designated countries for regional patents

Kind code of ref document: A1

Designated state(s): KE LS MW SD SZ UG AT BE CH DE DK ES FI FR GB GR IE IT LU MC NL PT SE BF BJ CF CG CI

DFPE Request for preliminary examination filed prior to expiration of 19th month from priority date (pct application filed before 20040101)
121 Ep: the epo has been informed by wipo that ep was designated in this application
ENP Entry into the national phase

Ref document number: 2248204

Country of ref document: CA

Ref country code: CA

Ref document number: 2248204

Kind code of ref document: A

Format of ref document f/p: F

WWE Wipo information: entry into national phase

Ref document number: 331737

Country of ref document: NZ

ENP Entry into the national phase

Ref country code: JP

Ref document number: 1997 532587

Kind code of ref document: A

Format of ref document f/p: F

WWE Wipo information: entry into national phase

Ref document number: 1997903099

Country of ref document: EP

REG Reference to national code

Ref country code: DE

Ref legal event code: 8642

WWP Wipo information: published in national office

Ref document number: 1997903099

Country of ref document: EP

WWW Wipo information: withdrawn in national office

Ref document number: 1997903099

Country of ref document: EP