Patent Application
20070265730
Having thus described the invention in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:
The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all embodiments of the inventions are shown. Indeed, these inventions may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.
In general, exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide a means for storing unit dose packages in their natural, raw state in a repeatable, predetermined orientation, so that they can be selectively retrieved and delivered, for example by one of the automatic retrieval systems discussed above (e.g., the ROBOT-Rx® system). In particular, by maintaining the unit dose packages in a repeatable orientation, the identification codes associated with respective packages are capable of being read prior to dispelling the packages from the system. Exemplary embodiments, therefore, eliminate the need to over-wrap or repackage the unit dose packages (e.g., unit dose blisters) prior to use in the automated systems.
The term “unit dose blister” refers to a unit dose medication, or one or more oral solids of the same or different strength, form or type, that has been sealed in a package, such as a vinyl and foil package in which the vinyl conforms to the shape of the medication. The vinyl is typically sealed to a foil that offers a flat surface with medication information printed on the opposite side from the vinyl cavity.
When unit dose medications are packaged into a blister, they are typically packaged with several medications per blister card; thus, there are a corresponding number of equally-spaced vinyl formed cavities per blister card. These cavities are typically separated by a perforation. A singulated blister is one that has been separated from a blister card typically along its perforation.
As one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize, while reference is made throughout to unit dose blisters of the form described above, these unit dose blisters provide just one form in which unit dose medications may be packaged. Use of unit dose blisters in the description of exemplary embodiments included herein should not, therefore, be taken as limiting the scope of the present invention to use with such unit dose packages. In contrast, other unit dose packages may similarly be used in connection with exemplary embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Reference is now made to
The system 100 of exemplary embodiments may include a means for storing a plurality of unit dose blisters of various shapes and sizes, referred to herein as a “storage system” 102. As shown, the storage system 102 of one exemplary embodiment, which is also illustrated in
In this regard, the blister mount receptacles 150 of one embodiment shown in
The unit dose blister mounts 140 of exemplary embodiments are each configured to position the plurality of unit dose blisters of various shapes and sizes in a predetermined, repeatable orientation within the storage system 102. In particular, the unit dose blister mounts 140 are configured to maintain respective unit dose blisters (or similar unit dose packages) in a predetermined plane relative to the unit dose blister mount 140. Exemplary embodiments of the unit dose blister mount 140 are illustrated in
As one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize, other means for storing a plurality of unit dose packages (e.g., unit dose blisters) in their natural, raw state may likewise be used without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. For example, the storage system 102 may resemble a vending machine, wherein the unit dose package mounts 140 comprise springs having a plurality of coils, each coil being capable of holding a unit dose package, such that when the spring is turned, the unit dose package at one end of the spring will be released. In one exemplary embodiment, the storage system 102 may include several rows and columns of such springs, or unit dose package mounts.
The system may further include a means for selectively retrieving a unit dose blister (or similar unit dose package) from the storage system and delivering the unit dose blister to a specified location, referred to herein as a “picking system” 201 (not shown in
The Y-Axis component 230 may comprise one or more timing belts driven by a closed-loop motor and configured to move the X and Z-Axis components 220, 240 in the Y-direction (e.g., up and down). The X-Axis component 220 may, likewise, be driven by a closed-loop motor (e.g., a servo motor) to move linearly in the X-direction (e.g., left and right). In embodiments in which the unit dose blister is disposed within a unit dose blister mount while stored within the storage system 102, the X-Axis component 220 may include one or more cantilevered unit dose package (e.g., blister) mount removal mechanisms 224L, 224R (referred to herein as “mount removal mechanisms”), illustrated in
As shown in
After the unit dose blister has been analyzed and, possibly, removed from the unit dose blister mount 140, for example in the manner discussed below, the mount removal mechanism 244L, R will replace the unit dose blister mount 140 in the storage system 102. In particular, the gripper 226 disengages from the wrist 226w and is once again free to float back and forth in either direction substantially perpendicular to the centerline 246. As the mount removal mechanism 244L, R pushes the unit dose blister mount 140 back into the storage system 102, the unit dose blister mount 140 will guide itself into its nested position, and the gripper 226 will follow. Once the unit dose blister mount 140 is in place within the storage system 102, the gripper fingers 226f will open, or release the unit dose blister mount handle 142. As the fingers 226f are opening, the gripper 226 will again realign itself with the centerline 246 using another set of finger alignment bars 226b, which can be seen in
The X-Axis component 220 may further comprise one or more tray delivery/removal systems 228, shown in
To illustrate, in one exemplary embodiment, blisters received from an in-house or third party packager may be singulated (i.e., separated into unit doses) and then manually loaded into the restock trays 229. In addition, unit dose blisters that have been returned, for whatever reason, from a patient (or cabinet) may also be loaded into the restock trays 229. A pharmacy technician may then open the drawer 222, load the tray 229 (or stack of trays) into the first section 222F of the drawer 222, and then close the drawer 222 to enable the restocking process to begin. Once the first section 222F of the drawer 222 has been filled with restock trays 229 carrying unit dose blisters (or at any point when it is desired to restock the storage, retrieval and dispensing system 100), a tray removal system 227, essentially comprising a lifting mechanism 227a, a reversing conveyor 227b, a plurality of tray holding latches 227c and a corresponding plurality of tray holding latch actuators 227d will singulate the bottom tray 229 in the stack of trays in the full section 222F of the drawer 222, and transfer the singulated tray 229 to the picking system 201. In particular, in one exemplary embodiment, the lifting mechanism 227a will extend upward lifting the stack of trays 229 in the full section 222F of the drawer 222 off of the tray holding latches 227c, which are configured to hold the stack of trays 229. The tray holding latch actuators 227d can then be extended outward in order to retract the tray holding latches 227c, in other words, to remove the tray holding latches 227c from the bottom of the stack of trays 229. The lifting mechanism 227a can then retract or drop the height of one tray 229, and the tray holding latch actuators 227d can then be extended back inward in order to allow the tray holding latches 227c to extend under the stack of trays one tray 229 up from the bottom tray 229. Finally, the lifting mechanism 227a can lower the rest of the way, such that the tray holding latches 227c now support the remaining trays (i.e., the original stack of trays minus the bottom tray), and the singulated bottom tray now rests on the reversing conveyer 227b.
Once the singulated tray has been transferred to the picking system via the reversing conveyer 227b, the picking system 201 can then deposit each unit dose blister into a unit dose blister mount 140 at a specified location within the storage system 102. Once all of the unit dose blisters have been removed from the restock tray 229 the tray removal system 227 will transfer the empty tray 229 to the second section 222E of the drawer 222 (in a manner substantially opposite that discussed above with respect to singulation of the bottom full tray), from which it can be removed by a technician upon opening the drawer 222. In one exemplary embodiment, the system 100 may further include a means for singulating the various unit dose blisters prior to or after placing them in the tray delivery/removal system 228, thus eliminating the need for the pharmacy technician to manually singulate the blisters.
Returning to
In one exemplary embodiment, the vacuum generators are capable of generating a local vacuum through the use of one or more diaphragm electric pumps capable of being turned on and off. In particular, rather than requiring the use of compressed air, which can be costly, inefficient and fairly disruptive in terms of the noise and required piping associated with the use of an air compressor, the system of exemplary embodiments of the present invention uses one or more electric vacuum generators (e.g., of the form described and available at http://www.knf.com/oemair.htm) to produce a local vacuum, thus eliminating the need for compressed air and enabling the storage, retrieval and delivery system to essentially be moved into a facility and plugged into an electric power outlet in the wall.
In addition, in another exemplary embodiment, each pump includes an offset cavity 247 used to filter the air coming through the vacuum pump, as illustrated in
As one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize, while the foregoing provides one means for selectively retrieving and delivering unit dose blisters, other means may similarly be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Moreover, the retrieval and dispensing system 100 may further include one or more readers 244, including, for example, barcode or radio frequency identification (RFID) tag readers, image capture devices (e.g., cameras), or the like, capable of reading the identification code 40 displayed on the unit dose blister located in the unit dose blister mount 140 and communicating the information obtained (e.g., the identity of the unit dose medication, or one or more oral solids, held by the unit dose blister) to a controller associated with the storage, retrieval and delivery system 100, for the purpose of verifying that the correct medication has been selected. As shown in
In one exemplary embodiment, a special scanning technique may be employed in order to ensure that the identification code is accurately read, despite the fact that, other than the plane in which the identification code lies, the specific orientation of the identification code is not known. As used herein, the term “scanning” refers generally to analyzing or evaluating the unit dose blister in order to capture identification, or other relevant, information from the unit dose blister. This may include, therefore, use of any of the exemplary readers described above including, for example, a barcode or RFID tag reader, or a camera configured to capture an image of the unit dose blister and then analyze the image in order to extract the desired information. Reference to scanning the unit dose blister may, therefore, include scanning one or more optical signals across the unit dose blister or, alternatively, where an image of the unit dose blister has been captured using a camera, decoding or interrogating the pixels of that image.
While exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide an apparatus that is configured to hold the unit dose packages so that they lie in a predetermined plane (e.g., substantially parallel to the surface of the apparatus), the apparatus does not dictate how the unit dose package is otherwise oriented within that plane. In some instances, for example where the identification code is not omnidirectional (i.e., capable of being read from any direction), however, in order to read the identification code, its orientation must be determined. One way to determine the orientation has been to repeatedly scan the unit dose blister (or similar object) from left to right, top to bottom, and then diagonally at various angles, for example, at five degree increments. However, this process can be very time consuming and is still not guaranteed to locate or accurately scan the identification code where, for example, the identification code does not happen to be at one of the angles scanned.
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide an improved manner of determining the orientation of the identification code that relies on the fact that, where the unit dose package comprises a unit dose blister having a rectangular support panel, as discussed above, the identification code is parallel to two sides of the support panel (See
Regardless of how the edge of the unit dose blister is located, once located the reader 244 will then begin scanning in directions parallel the edges of the unit dose blister until it locates the identification code. In particular, the reader may begin scanning in a direction substantially parallel to a first edge of the unit dose blister, and continue scanning in this direction until the identification code is located or substantially the entire surface of the unit dose blister has been scanned, where each scan is spaced by some distance less than the width and/or height of the identification code. Where the identification code is not located, the reader may then scan the unit dose blister in a direction substantially perpendicular to the first edge until the identification code is located. As noted above, where, for example, the reader 244 comprises a barcode reader, scanning in a direction parallel to the edges of the unit dose blister may involve scanning one or more optical signals across in the unit dose blister in a direction parallel to the edge. Alternatively, where, for example, the reader 244 comprises a camera operating in conjunction with a separate or integrated processing device, scanning in a direction parallel to the edge may comprise decoding or interrogating the pixels of an image of the unit dose blister captured by the camera on a row-by-row basis along the edge of the unit dose blister. Because this method (i.e., first locating the edge and then analyzing the unit dose blister in directions parallel to the edge) greatly reduces the number of directions in which the reader 244 must scan, exemplary embodiments of the present invention greatly reduce the time required to locate and scan the identification code where the orientation of the identification code is unknown.
In addition to the foregoing, another issue that often arises when attempting to scan or read identification codes is the amount of light that is reflected off the item being scanned. In particular, where the reader 244 is placed directly above the unit dose blister, too much light may be reflected off the unit dose blister, preventing the identification code from being accurately read. One solution to this issue is to offset the reader 244 slightly to the left or right of the center of the item being scanned (e.g., the unit dose blister), such that the light comes down at an angle from the reader 244 and is, therefore, reflected away from the reader 244 upon reaching the unit dose blister. This solution, however, may cause additional problems, since the orientation of the identification code is not constant and, therefore, the identification codes may have different focal distances (i.e., different distances between where the light is emitted from the reader 244 and the point on the unit dose blister where the identification code can be read). The result is that, even though the reader 244 may scan over the identification code, the identification code may not be in focus and, therefore, may not be able to be read accurately. This additional problem may be solved by exemplary embodiments of the present invention by automatically changing the focal distance as the reader 244 repeatedly scans the unit dose blister until it locates and identification code and is able to accurately read it.
The storage, retrieval and delivery system 100 of exemplary embodiments may further comprise a controller, or similar processing device, capable of directing the picking system 201 to retrieve and deliver the necessary unit dose blisters in order to fill a patient's prescription order.
In one exemplary embodiment, the memory 920 stores a location associated with respective unit dose packages (e.g., unit dose blisters) stored within the storage system 102 of the retrieval and dispensing system 100. For example, the memory 920 may store the X, Y and Z coordinate for each unit dose blister currently stored in the system 100. In addition, the memory 920 may store one or more prescription orders, wherein each order includes an identification of a patient (e.g., a unique identification number) and a corresponding description of one or more medications needed by that patient for a given period of time. The memory 920 may further store a software application capable, upon execution by the processor 910, of determining one or more unit dose medications corresponding with a particular patient, determining the location of each medication, and directing the picking system 201 to retrieve and verify each of the needed medications.
In one exemplary embodiment, the memory may further store computer program code for optimizing the placement of unit dose packages in the storage system and of continuously updating and re-optimizing that placement. To illustrate, in one exemplary embodiment, statistical data may be gathered and analyzed in order to determine which medications (e.g., type, brand, dosage, etc.) are used most frequently at a given time. Unit dose packages containing these medications may, in turn, be placed in close proximity to one another, thus reducing the amount of movement required by the picking system within any given period of time. The next most frequently used medications may further be placed, for example, along the outside perimeter of the region where the most frequently used medications have been placed, and so on and so forth. Because certain medications are more popular at certain times (e.g., flu season), in one exemplary embodiment, the statistical data may be periodically updated in order to enable the placement of the unit dose packages to be continuously re-optimized.
In addition to the memory 920, the processor 910 can also be connected to at least one interface or other means for displaying, transmitting and/or receiving data, content or the like. In this regard, the interface(s) can include at least one communication interface 930 or other means for transmitting and/or receiving data, content or the like, as well as at least one user interface that can include a display 940 and/or a user input interface 950. The user input interface, in turn, can comprise any of a number of devices allowing the controller to receive data from a user, such as a keypad, a touch display, a joystick or other input device.
Reference is now made to
As shown in
The size, shape and depth of the cavities 143 of one exemplary embodiment were determined to accommodate a large sampling of unit dose blisters of various shapes and sizes. In particular, a compilation of the various sizes and shapes of a large number of unit dose blisters was analyzed. From the measurements of these unit dose blisters it was determined, among other things, how large the cavity 143 would need to be in order to receive at least a majority of the unit dose medications packaged in the unit dose blisters, and, on the other end of the spectrum, how small the cavity 143 would need to be in order to prevent the majority of unit dose blisters from falling entirely into the cavity. In one advantageous embodiment shown in
While carriers and cavities having two different shapes and sizes have been shown, the carrier 145 can define other cavities 143 having still different shapes and sizes and may itself comprise different shapes and sizes in accordance with other embodiments of the present invention. Exemplary carriers may further not define a cavity at all, as in the example discussed above wherein the carrier comprises a spring having a plurality of coils, each configured to hold a unit dose package.
According to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the unit dose blister is able to naturally sit in the storage apparatus 140, or unit dose blister mount, with its medication cavity down (e.g., where the storage apparatus 140 comprises the carrier 145 illustrated in any of
In addition, this position and containment offers a consistent, reliable means for the picking system 201 to vacuum pick (e.g., using the blister removal mechanism 242) the unit dose blister during the retrieval and delivery process. Alternatively, removing the unit dose blister may be done by flipping the storage apparatus 140, or unit dose blister mount, over, allowing the unit dose blister to fall into a predetermined location (e.g., a container from which the unit dose blister may be dispelled out the front or back of the system into, for example, a patient-specific medication bin or container or a floor stock container). In this exemplary embodiment, the picking system 201 may never have to even contact the unit dose blister directly during the retrieval and delivery process. Where, for example, the unit dose blister is removed from the storage apparatus 140 using the one or more vacuum generators and vacuum cups, the storage apparatus 140 may further comprise one or more holes 144 (shown in
In one exemplary embodiment, the unit dose blister mount 140, or storage apparatus, is designed such that a free floating unit dose blister cannot flip, rotate more than 45° in either direction from a centered position in which the medication is centered within the cavity, or move past the centerline 147 of the cavity 143 (i.e., a line extending through the center 148 of the cavity 143 in a direction perpendicular to the unit dose blister mount 149), once the unit dose medication of the unit dose blister has been received by the cavity 143. Thus, while the position of the identification code carried by the unit dose blister will vary somewhat, the range of possible positions of the identification code is sufficiently limited and the identification code remains in substantially the same plane (defined by the carrier 145) when in any of the possible positions such that the identification code can constitently be read by the identification code reader.
As shown in
As noted above, the storage apparatus 140 may include a single cavity, or several cavities, each configured to receive a plurality of different types of unit dose medications. An advantage to having only one cavity is that each unit dose blister in the system, whether being stored or transported, is located in its own reusable container. Single-cavity storage apparatuses also lend themselves well to storing, as shown in
By contrast, an advantage to a multiple-cavity storage apparatus 140 may be that the picking system 102 not only has random access to the single dose medications via the pigeon hole configuration described above, but the picking system 102 would have the additional ability to pick more than one medication at a time. As the number of cavities in a storage apparatus increases, other additional advantages may come into play, such as the fact that the storage apparatuses can be batched into large groups increasing the storage, retrieval and delivery system's 100 throughput.
The storage apparatus 140 of one exemplary embodiment may further include an identification marker (not shown), such as a barcode or radio frequency identification (RFID) label or tag that is configurable to correspond to the medication(s) housed therein. In addition, the storage apparatus 140 of another exemplary embodiment may include a retention mechanism, such as a clamp, lid or other feature used to hold the unit dose blister in place. Respective storage apparatuses 140 of another exemplary embodiment may further include one or more clipping mechanisms 149 that are capable of retaining the storage apparatus 140 within the storage system 102 while the storage system 102 is in motion (e.g., while the carousel is turning).
Reference is now made to
As shown in
In Step 1502, the identification code (e.g., barcode, RFID tag, text, or the like) associated with a patient-specific medication bin or container is read in order to determine the identity of a patient for which a prescription is to be filled. The identification code may, for example, store a unique patient identification code. The patient-specific medication container may, for example, be moving on a conveyor belt associated with the storage, retrieval and delivery system discussed above, such that when the container reaches a specified point, the identification code is automatically read to retrieve the identification information. In another exemplary embodiment, not shown, the container (referred to herein as a “floor stock container”) may be associated with a particular cabinet or medication room within a hospital, or similar institution, that needs to be restocked. In other words, scanning the identification code of the floor stock container may identify the one or more unit dose medications necessary to restock the corresponding cabinet or medication room, rather than providing information relating to a specific patient.
Returning to
In exemplary embodiments, Steps 1502 and 1503 may be sidestepped where, for example, a pharmacist or pharmacy technician manually inputs either the unique patient identification code associated with a particular patient, or the actual list of medications to be retrieved. This may be done, for example, where the pharmacist or pharmacy technician wants a single prescription filled immediately (i.e., not as part of the routine daily prescription fills—e.g., in the case of an emergency or as a first dose).
A location of the unit dose blister corresponding with the first unit dose medication is then determined, in Step 1504. In particular, this may involve determining a location in, for example, the storage system described above, associated with a unit dose blister mount holding the unit dose blister (e.g., in the form of X, Y and Z coordinates). Where the unit dose blister mount includes two or more cavities for receiving unit dose medications, this step may further include determining in which cavity the unit dose medication is held.
Once the location of the unit dose medication has been determined, the picking system may be moved to that location (Step 1505), and the unit dose blister mount may at least partially be removed from the storage system (Step 1506). In particular, as discussed above, in one exemplary embodiment, the picking system of a retrieval and delivery system may include a mount removal mechanism configured to extend to a location proximate the unit dose blister mount, to grip the handle of the unit dose blister mount, and to retract once the unit dose blister mount has been gripped. In removing the unit dose blister mount, the mount removal mechanism may deliver the unit dose blister mount to a predefined location so that the identification code (e.g., barcode, RFID tag, text or the like) displayed on the unit dose blister held by the unit dose blister mount can be read (e.g., to present the unit dose blister to the Z-Axis component). In one exemplary embodiment, this may involve completely disengaging the unit dose blister mount from the storage system and moving it to, for example, an inspection station. Alternatively, in another exemplary embodiment, the unit dose blister mount may be partially retained by the storage system while the following steps are performed.
In Step 1507, the identification code of the unit dose blister is read by the picking system, for example, in the manner discussed above, in order to determine the identity of the unit dose medication packaged in the unit dose blister. It is then verified, in Step 1508, that the correct medication has been located. If the correct medication has been located, the unit dose blister is removed from the unit dose blister mount, for example using the blister removal mechanism discussed above, (Step 1509) and delivered to the patient-specific medication container (Step 1510). In particular, the unit dose blister may first be delivered to a container associated with the overall storage, retrieval and delivery system, and from which it can be dispelled out the back of the system into the patient-specific medication container, which is being carried by a conveyor belt. Alternatively, as noted above, the container into which the unit dose blister is ultimately dispelled may comprise a floor stock container associated not with a specific patient, but instead with a particular cabinet or medication room needing restocking. As yet another alternative, in the exemplary embodiment discussed above wherein a pharmacist or pharmacy technician has manually requested that the medication be retrieved (i.e., sidestepping Steps 1502 and 1503 in the event of an emergency or in order to fill a first dose), the unit dose blister may be individually dispelled from the first container, for example, out a chute on the front of the storage, retrieval and delivery system.
Returning to
The present invention also lends itself to various alternative embodiments. For example, the picking system may be configured such that the unit dose blister mount and the corresponding unit dose blister remains in the storage location while the identification code is read and verified with the unit dose blister being removed from the unit dose blister mount and delivered only once the medication has been verified. Alternatively, the unit dose blister could be stored loosely, i.e., independent of a unit dose blister mount, with the unit dose blister being removed from the storage location by the picking system and transported to a predefined location at which the unit dose blister is disposed within the unit dose blister mount. In this regard, the unit dose blister mount may have various configurations such as the carrier described above, or a clip or other mechanism for holding unit dose blisters in a repeatable fashion such that the identification code is disposed in a predetermined plane.
As described above, the method, system and apparatus of exemplary embodiments enable a pharmacy, a hospital or the like to store, retrieve and delivery unit dose blisters that have not be over-wrapped or repackaged. Unit dose blisters of various shapes and sizes are handled in their natural, raw state, thus taking advantage of the identification information currently displayed on each individual unit dose blister and cutting down on material costs and technician and pharmacist time associated with over-wrapping or repackaging, as well as with validating the process.
Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which these inventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the inventions are not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/382,605 filed May 10, 2006 entitled System, Method and Corresponding Apparatus for Storing, Retrieving and Delivering Unit Dose Blisters, which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 11382605 | May 2006 | US |
| Child | 11755207 | US |
