Patent Grant
11760512
The present invention relates to packaging systems and, more particularly, to systems for storing, retrieving, and packaging pharmaceuticals.
In one embodiment, the invention provides a system for storing and packaging pharmaceuticals. The system includes a frame configured to store canisters that contain pharmaceuticals and a canister-moving assembly coupled to the frame. The canister-moving assembly is operable to move relative to the frame to retrieve the canisters from the frame. The system also includes a dispensing area positioned adjacent the frame to receive the canisters from the canister-moving assembly. The dispensing area is operable to selectively operate the canisters. The system further includes packaging equipment in communication with the dispensing area. The packaging equipment includes a feed stock roll for forming pouches. The packaging equipment is operable to fill the pouches with pharmaceuticals that are dispensed from the canisters in the dispensing area. The system also includes a control system coupled to the canister-moving assembly and the packaging equipment to control operation of the canister-moving assembly and the packaging equipment.
In another embodiment, the invention provides a system for storing and retrieving pharmaceuticals. The system includes a storage unit having a frame configured to store canisters that contain pharmaceuticals and a canister-moving assembly coupled to the frame. The canister-moving assembly is operable to move relative to the frame to retrieve the canisters from the frame. The system also includes a packaging unit having a dispensing area positioned adjacent the frame of the storage unit to receive the canisters from the canister-moving assembly. The dispensing area is operable to selectively operate the canisters. The packaging unit also has packaging equipment operable to package pharmaceuticals that are dispensed from the canisters in the dispensing area and a manifold extending from the dispensing area to direct pharmaceuticals that are dispensed from the canisters toward the packaging equipment.
In yet another embodiment, the invention provides a packaging unit for packaging pharmaceuticals into a pouch. The packaging unit includes packaging equipment operable to form the pouch, a track configured to direct the pharmaceuticals toward the packaging equipment, and a receptacle coupled to the track upstream of the packaging equipment to receive the pharmaceuticals from the track. The receptacle includes a valve mechanism that is movable relative to the track to push the pharmaceuticals into the pouch.
In still another embodiment, the invention provides a method of packaging pharmaceuticals into a pouch using a packaging unit. The packaging unit includes packaging equipment, a track configured to direct the pharmaceuticals toward the packaging equipment, and a receptacle coupled to the track upstream of the packaging equipment. The receptacle includes a valve mechanism. The method includes forming the pouch with the packaging equipment, directing the pharmaceuticals along the track toward the packaging equipment while the valve mechanism is in a raised position, receiving the pharmaceuticals from the track in the pouch, and lowering the valve mechanism to push the pharmaceuticals into the pouch.
Other aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings.
Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways.
In the illustrated embodiment, the system 10 includes a storage unit 14 and two automatic packaging units 18. The storage unit 14 stores a plurality of canisters 22, or containers or cassettes, containing a variety of pharmaceuticals. The packaging units 18 package pharmaceuticals from those canisters 22 into pouches for distribution to patients. In some embodiments, the system 10 may include fewer or more packaging units 18. Additionally or alternatively, the packaging units 18 may be positioned on both sides of the storage unit 14. For example, the system 10 may include four packaging units 18, with two units 18 positioned on each side of the storage unit 14. Such an arrangement allows multiple, independent packaging units 18 to access the same pharmaceutical array.
As shown in
The gantry assembly 30 is coupled to the frame 26 for retrieving canisters 22 from within the frame 26. The gantry assembly 30 is a canister-moving assembly that is operable to move the canisters 22 within the frame 26. The illustrated gantry assembly 30 is similar to the gantry assembly disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/870,045, filed Aug. 27, 2010 and published as U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0054668, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein. The gantry assembly 30 includes a track 34 and a robotic head 38 that is operable to move along the track 34 to retrieve the canisters 22. The track 34 is movable horizontally within the frame 26 to align the robotic head 38 with a specific column of canisters 22. The robotic head 38, or carriage assembly, is movable vertically along the track 34 to align with a specific row of canisters 22. When the robotic head 38 is aligned with the desired canister 22, the head 38 grabs the canister 22 and carries the canister 22 to one of the automatic packaging units 18, as further described below. The robotic head 38 can also retrieve a canister 22 from the packaging unit 18 and return the canister 22 to the proper column and row within the frame 26. In some embodiments, the canisters 22 may not be assigned the same location. In these embodiments, the robotic head 38 may retrieve a canister 22 from the packaging unit 18 and return the canister 22 to a random location. The packaging unit 18 may then store the new location of the canister 22. In some embodiments, a return location of the canister 22 may be determined based on, for example, the frequency of use the canister 22, the size of the canister 22, or the like.
In some embodiments, the packaging units 18 may include rollers, castors, or other types of wheels. The wheels allow a user to roll the packaging units 18 toward and away from the storage unit 14 in a modular fashion. Such an arrangement provides redundancy by allowing each of the units 18 to quickly and easily be replaced. In addition, the packaging units 18 may be interchanged if pharmaceuticals need to be packaged in a different size and/or type of packaging container.
The illustrated dispensing area 46 is positioned on top of the cabinet 42 adjacent the frame 26 of the storage unit 14. The dispensing area 46 temporarily stores a series of active canisters 22A that are used to fill the pouches within the cabinet 42. In the illustrated embodiment, the dispensing area 46 stores up to twenty active canisters 22A at a time. Such an arrangement allows a pouch to be filled with twenty different types of pharmaceuticals. In other embodiments, the dispensing area 46 may store fewer or more active canisters 22A. The illustrated dispensing area 46 includes motors and sensors that are temporarily connected to each of the active canisters 22A. For example, one motor and one sensor may electrically connect to each active canister 22A to selectively open and close the canister 22A and to monitor the amount (e.g., number, volume, etc.) of pharmaceuticals being dispensed from the canister 22A. In particular, the motor of the dispensing area 46 rotates a rotor within the corresponding canister 22A to selectively dispense pharmaceuticals out of the canister 22A. In some embodiments, selectively operating the canister 22A includes rotating a base of the canister 22A to dispense a pharmaceutical through an opening. When operated, the canisters 22A drop pharmaceuticals into the pouches. In the illustrated embodiment, the pharmaceuticals are dispensed from the canisters 22A via gravity. In other embodiments, the packaging equipment may generate a vacuum to draw the pharmaceuticals out of the canisters 22A. Metering devices may also be coupled to each active canister 22A to help control the amount of pharmaceuticals being dispensed.
In some embodiments, the automatic packaging unit 18 may include an inspection device that inspects the pharmaceuticals before they are packaged in the pouches. After the pharmaceuticals come out of the active canisters 22A, the pharmaceuticals may be temporarily collected in an intermediate catch basin. A sensor (e.g., a camera, etc.) may inspect the pharmaceuticals in the basin based on, for example, color, shape, infrared images, shape recognition, or pill imprints. The sensor may alternatively inspect the pharmaceuticals with spectrography, magnetic resonance, or the like. Once the pharmaceuticals are verified, the pharmaceuticals can be released from the basin into the corresponding pouch. Inspection of the pharmaceuticals may be entirely automated or may involve a person (e.g., a remote operator who views images of the pharmaceuticals).
The control system 50 is electrically coupled to the packaging equipment and the gantry assembly 30 to control operation of the packaging system 10. In particular, the control system 50 coordinates movement of the gantry assembly 30 to move the canisters 22 between the storage unit 14 and the packaging unit 18, controls operation of the feed stock roll 54 to release a pouch, and controls when the active canisters 22A positioned in the dispensing area 46 are operated. The illustrated control system 50 includes a monitor 70 mounted to a shelf 74 that extends from the cabinet 42. The control system 50 may also include a processor, a memory, and an input device (e.g., a keyboard) that allows a user to interface with the system 50. In some embodiments, the monitor 70 may include a touch screen.
Referring back to
After the proper canisters 22 are positioned in the dispensing area, the packaging equipment within the cabinet 42 fills a pouch with the desired pharmaceuticals. For example, a strip of pouches may be filled with a week's supply of assorted pharmaceuticals for a particular patient. By connecting two packaging units 18 to the storage unit 14, a user (or multiple users) can simultaneously input data and fill two strips of pouches with pharmaceuticals for different patients. In some embodiments, the packaging equipment may include a printer to print a patient's name, the date, the amount and type of pharmaceuticals contained within, a bar code, or other indicia on the pouches. Once a pouch is filled and labeled, the pouch is dropped into the corresponding tote 66.
As the pouches are being filled, the control system 50 tracks and monitors the amount and types of pharmaceuticals within the system 10. For example, the control system 50 can verify that a user is authorized to retrieve certain pharmaceuticals, that a patient has a prescription for a particular pharmaceutical, and the quantity of pharmaceuticals remaining in each canister 22. The control system 50 can also track where a particular canister of pharmaceuticals is positioned within the system 10 (i.e., whether the canister 22 is currently stored in the storage unit 14 or one of the dispensing areas 46, and in which row and column of the frame 26 the canister 22 belongs).
In some embodiments, the filling of orders can be optimized by the control system 50. For example, a user can input all of the orders that need to be filled by the system 10 in a given day. The control system 10 can then determine in which order to process those orders to minimize the number of times the canisters 22 move between the storage unit 14 and the dispensing areas 46 of the packaging units 18. In other embodiments, the control system 50 may optimize the orders such that all of the orders for a particular patient or facility are filled consecutively. In further embodiments, the user may program the control system 50 so that a particular order is filled immediately and/or the orders are filled in the order in which they were requested.
In still further embodiments, the control system 50 can be programmed to fill a spool of pouches with the same drug or other pharmaceutical. For example, the control system 50 can fill a series of 50 to 500 pouches with an individual drug or narcotic for pharmacies, nursing homes, hospitals, or other facilities to keep as stock drugs in emergency drug kits.
As shown in
The illustrated packaging system 10 increases the speed at which pouches of pharmaceuticals can be filled at an on-site facility and reduces the possibility of errors when filling those pouches. In the illustrated embodiment, the system 10 can achieve a throughput of up to sixty pouches per minute, including verification, for each automatic packaging unit 18 included in the system 10. The automated system 10 also avoids cross-contamination caused by mixing pharmaceuticals between pouches through a common pathway. In some embodiments, the packaging equipment generates vacuum to remove dust and clean the pathways. In other embodiments, the packing system may use designate certain pathways to certain pharmaceuticals to reduce or eliminate cross-contamination.
In some embodiments, the automatic packaging units 18 may operate separately from the storage unit 14. In such embodiments, each packaging unit 18 may be a standalone packaging system for use in smaller pharmacies or other low-volume facilities. In addition, the dispensing areas 46 of the packaging units 18 may be manually loaded, as needed, to fill specific pharmaceutical orders.
Referring back to
Each packaging unit 114 includes a motor base 134 positioned adjacent the frame 126 of the storage unit 114 and a manifold 138 coupled to and extending from the motor base 134. The motor bases 134 are offset from the other shelves of the frame 126 and include ledges 142 for supporting active canisters 122A. The illustrated motor bases 134 are only offset from the other shelves a relatively short distance to reduce the range of horizontal movement required by the gantry assembly 130 to place canisters 122 on or remove canisters 122 from the ledges 142. In the illustrated embodiment, each motor base 134 supports up to twenty active canisters 122A at a time in a single, horizontal row. In other embodiments, each motor base 134 may support fewer or more active canisters 122A and/or the motor bases 134 may be configured to support the active canisters 122A in multiple rows (e.g., two rows of ten, three rows of seven, etc.). Each motor base 134 includes one or more motors operable to operate the active canisters 122A to dispense the pharmaceuticals stored within the canisters 122A. The motor bases 134 thereby provide dispensing areas for the active canisters 122A.
As shown in
The manifold 138 directs pharmaceuticals from the motor base 134 toward packaging equipment of the corresponding packaging unit 118. The motor bases 134 are positioned generally above the packaging equipment such that pharmaceuticals slide down the manifold 138 toward the packaging equipment. In the illustrated embodiment, the manifolds 138 are funnels or chutes that are generally triangular and may be formed of, for example, stainless steel. In some embodiments, each manifold 138 may include a cover to inhibit pharmaceuticals from bouncing out of the manifold 138. In such embodiments, the cover may be formed of, for example, clear plastic to help visually monitor operation of the system 110. In addition, the cover may be easily liftable or otherwise separable from the manifold 138 to facilitate cleaning the manifold 138. In some embodiments, each manifold 138 may include discrete tracks (e.g., raceways or pathways) to direct pharmaceuticals from the corresponding outlets 154 in the motor base 134 toward the packaging equipment.
The packaging equipment of the automatic packaging units 118 collect the pharmaceuticals from the manifolds 138 and package the pharmaceuticals into pouches. In the illustrated embodiment, each packaging unit 118 includes a receptacle 158 that communicates with the corresponding manifold 138. The receptacle 158 collects all of the desired pharmaceuticals from the different active canisters 122A before delivering the pharmaceuticals in a single group to the packaging equipment. A camera 162 is coupled to the receptacle 158 to take photographs of the pharmaceuticals as the pharmaceuticals pass into the packaging equipment. In some embodiments, multiple cameras may be coupled to the receptacle 158 to take photographs of the pharmaceuticals from different reference angles. The photographs can be checked by a computer and/or a pharmacist remotely or on-site to verify that the correct pharmaceuticals are being packaged.
In other embodiments, a camera (or other sensor) may be positioned at each outlet 154 in the motor base 134. In such embodiments, the camera can look at a pill from its origin and determine whether the correct pharmaceutical is being dispensed by comparing an image of the pharmaceutical to a stored image of the expected pharmaceutical. For example, the camera can compare a pill's color, contour, shape, size, and/or inscription to the color, contour, shape, size, and/or inscription of a known pill.
In the illustrated embodiment, the packaging equipment of each packaging unit 118 includes two feed stock rolls 166, 170 and a take-up roll 174. After the pharmaceuticals pass through the receptacle 158, the pharmaceuticals are sandwiched between two strips of material (e.g., plastic) from the feed stock rolls 166, 170. The strips of material are then heat sealed together to form a pouch for the pharmaceuticals. In some embodiments, such as the embodiment shown in
In some embodiments, the packaging units 118 may include equipment for packaging pharmaceuticals in a blister pack or card, rather than a pouch. Alternatively, the packaging units 118 may include equipment for packaging pharmaceuticals in a pharmacy vial. In such embodiments, the feed stock rolls 166, 170 and the take-up roll 174 may be removed and replaced with other suitable packaging equipment. Furthermore, the packaging system 110 may include a variety of different packaging units 118 to package the pharmaceuticals into a combination of pouches, blister cards, and/or pharmacy vials. In some embodiments, pharmaceuticals may be packaged into different types of packaging containers at the same time by using the packaging units 118 having different types of packaging equipment.
In some embodiments, each packaging unit 118 may include a printer to print a patient's name, the date, the amount and type of pharmaceuticals contained within, a bar code, and/or other indicia on the pouches as the pouches are formed. The printer may be, for example, a thermal printer. In other embodiments, the printer may include an ink ribbon or an ink jet. In addition, each packaging unit 118 may include a bar code scanner or vision system to monitor and check the pouches as they are spooled onto the take-up roll 174 or cut.
In some embodiments, the packaging units 118 may include rollers, castors, or other types of wheels. The wheels allow a user to roll the packaging units 118 toward and away from the storage unit 114 in a modular fashion. In the illustrated embodiment, the packaging units 118 can be easily connected to the storage unit 114 by aligning the motor bases 134 with designated areas of the frame 126. When the units 114, 118 are connected, a single control system can communicate with the storage unit 114 to control operation of the gantry assembly 130 and with the packaging units 118 to control operation of the packaging equipment. Such an arrangement allows the packaging units 118 to be quickly exchanged to package pharmaceuticals in different types and/or sizes of pouches or for maintenance.
The illustrated packaging system 110 includes a control system that functions in a similar manner to the control system 50 discussed above. A user can interact with the packaging system 110 through the control system to input patient information, facility information, and/or the pharmaceuticals needed. The control system can control movement of the gantry assembly 130 to move canisters 122 from the shelves of the storage unit 114 to one of the motor bases 134. In addition, the control system can control operation of the motor bases 134 to selectively operate the active canisters 122A. Furthermore, the control system may optimize orders by minimizing movement of the gantry assembly 130 and canisters 122 or by filling all the orders for a particular patient or facility consecutively.
As shown in
In other embodiments, a particular area (e.g., a portion of some rows and/or columns) within the storage unit 114 may be designated as the refill area. In such embodiments, the gantry assembly 130 may move empty canisters 122 to this area for refilling by a user. When a filled canister is placed in the refill area, a user may interact with the control system to notify the system 110 of the location of the filled canister and the type/number of pharmaceuticals contained therein. The gantry assembly 130 may carry the canister from the refill area to its proper location within the storage unit 114.
In some embodiments, one motor base 134, one manifold 138, and one packaging unit 118 may operate together as a standalone packaging system. Such a system has a relatively small footprint for use in lower volume pharmacies or facilities. In these embodiments, a user may manually place and remove canisters 122 on the motor base 134, as needed, to package pharmaceuticals using the packaging unit 118. In addition, the motor base 134 may be moved relatively lower and/or divided into multiple rows to facilitate access by a user.
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in
In operation, the plunger 258 is initially in the lowered position (
Referring back to
The visual inspection system 324 may be used in conjunction with or independently of the cameras 250 on the motor base 222. As noted above, the cameras 250 view the pharmaceuticals as the pharmaceuticals are released by the motor base 222. Since the pharmaceuticals are released in a controlled manner (e.g., without many other pharmaceuticals around) and the cameras 250 are not looking through other materials (e.g., the plastic packaging of the pouch 300), the cameras 250 can accurately view and determine the inscriptions on the pharmaceuticals (rather than simply relying on shape, color, etc.). The cameras 250 thereby identify each pharmaceutical as the pharmaceuticals are released into the manifold 226. The visual inspection system 324 communicates with the cameras 250 to determine which pharmaceuticals are expected in the pouch 300. The system 324 then verifies that all of the pharmaceuticals reached the pouch 300.
In the illustrated embodiment, the packaging unit 400 includes a receptacle 404 to control pharmaceuticals (e.g., pills P) as the pharmaceuticals are packaged into a pouch (e.g., the pouch 300 shown in
The illustrated receptacle 404 includes a collection area 408 and a valve mechanism 412. The collection area 408 communicates with the track to receive pharmaceuticals. The valve mechanism 412 blocks the pharmaceuticals before the pharmaceuticals reach the packaging equipment. In the illustrated embodiment, the valve mechanism 412 includes a plunger or injector 416. The plunger 416 is movable relative to the track and the collection area 408 between a first or lowered position (
The illustrated receptacle 404 also includes a flapper 420. The flapper 420 is located downstream of the collection area 408. The flapper 420 helps manage material 432 being released by the feed stock rolls of the packaging equipment to form pouches. In particular, the flapper 420 extends into a path 424 between the collection area 408 and the packaging equipment and engages the material 432 to inhibit the material 432 from being torn or from binding. In addition, the flapper 420 helps hold edges of the material 432 close to each other for sealing. In the illustrated embodiment, the flapper 420 is pivotable relative to the path 424 about a pivot shaft 428. In other embodiments, the flapper 420 may move linearly relative to the path 424. In some embodiments, the flapper 420 may be biased by, for example, a spring, into the path 424.
In some embodiments, the flapper 420 may also selectively block the path 424 between the collection area 408 and the packaging equipment. When the plunger 416 is in the raised position (
In other embodiments, the flapper 420 may include a carve-out or recess along its leading edge. The carve-out may generally match the shape and contour of the plunger 416. The carve-out provides a hole for pharmaceuticals to move into a pouch without being blocked by the flapper 420. In such embodiments, the flapper 420 does not pinch the two sides of the pouch tight against each other along an entire edge, but only pushes the two side edges of the pouch close together so the upper edge of the pouch can be closed.
In some embodiments, the plunger 416 is held between the material 432 as the pouch is being formed. More particularly, the pouch is formed by sealing (e.g., heat sealing) the two strips of material 432 along three edges (e.g., the bottom edge and the two side edges). This sealing process can be performed in a single step using a U-shaped sealing mechanism. Before the two strips of material 432 are sealed together, the plunger 416 is positioned between the strips of material 432. The sealing mechanism then creates the seal around the plunger 416. By creating the seal around the plunger 416, the two strips of material 432 are connected together, but do not lie flat against each other. When the plunger 416 is moved to the raised position (
Referring back to
During this time, each feed stock roll of the packaging equipment releases material 432 to form a pouch. The material 432 from each feed stock roll forms half of the pouch. The two halves are secured together along three sides or edges (e.g., the bottom and the two sides) to close the sides and form the pouch. In the illustrated embodiment, the sides of the pouch are closed by, for example, heat sealing. Because the pouches are made on-demand from feed stock rolls, the pouches can be made variable in length (e.g., longer or shorter), as shown in
The illustrated plunger 416 also helps form and shape the pouch. When the plunger 416 is in the lowered position, the plunger 416 is located between the two strips of material 432 that form the pouches. The material 432 can be closed (e.g., heat sealed) along three edges (e.g., the bottom and two sides) to form the initial shape of the pouch. In the illustrated embodiment, the plunger 416 includes a substantially curved outer surface 436 on one side and a substantially flat outer surface 440 on the opposite side. The curved outer surface 436 shapes one of the strips of material 432 in an arch relative to the other strip of material 432. This arrangement causes the arched strip of material 432 to not lie flat against the other strip of material 432, making it easier for pharmaceuticals to fill the pouch. In addition, when the plunger 416 is removed from the pouch, a hole or gap is left between upper edges of the material 432, allowing the pharmaceuticals to more easily move into the pouch.
In some embodiments, once the pouch is formed around the plunger 416, the plunger 416 moves to the raised position (
In other embodiments, once all of the required pharmaceuticals are collected in the collection area 408 and the pouch is formed, the plunger 416 moves to the raised position (
As the pharmaceuticals are loaded into the pouch by the plunger 416, the material 432 is advanced to begin forming the next pouch around the plunger 416. The flapper 420 is pivoted toward the plunger 416 to help hold edges of the material 432 together. Once the material 432 is sufficiently advanced by the feed stock rolls, a fourth side or edge (e.g., the top) of the pouch is closed by the sealing mechanism. Similar to the other sides, the fourth side of the pouch may be closed by, for example, heat sealing. As noted above, the seal forming the fourth (or top) side of the pouch may also form the bottom seal of the next pouch. This process is continued to create a series of discrete pouches, as shown in
The receptacle 404 of the packaging unit 400 facilitates loading pharmaceuticals into pouches more accurately, faster, and at a higher capacity than packaging units which rely on gravity feed. As such, the pouches can be filled more reliably.
In some embodiments, the packaging unit 400 may further include a secondary staging area located upstream of the collection area 408 of the receptacle 404. The secondary staging area may include a valve mechanism or flapper that temporarily stops pharmaceuticals to create a delay as the pharmaceuticals travel from the track to the receptacle 404. As such, if the packaging unit 400 determines (via a sensor or camera) that an improper pharmaceutical was dispensed, the second staging area can remove the unwanted pharmaceutical before the pharmaceutical reaches the collection area. In some embodiments, the secondary staging area may remove the unwanted pharmaceutical by pushing the pharmaceutical away with the valve mechanism. In other embodiments, the secondary staging area may remove the unwanted pharmaceutical with a focused gust of air. If the pharmaceutical is verified as being correct, the valve mechanism 412 can open to allow the pharmaceutical to pass into the collection area 408 of the receptacle 404.
Various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/544,168, filed on Aug. 19, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/277,500, filed on Sep. 27, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,427,810, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/836,629, filed Mar. 15, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,427,809, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/654,365, filed Jun. 1, 2012, the entire contents of all of which are incorporated by reference herein.
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