Automatic prescription filling, sorting and packaging system

Abstract

In an automated prescription dispensing and packing system, empty prescription bottles are labeled and loaded in assigned locations in carriers. Pills are automatically dispensed into the prescription bottles in the carriers. Ranks of carriers containing filled prescription bottles are assembled at stations where the bottles are unloaded and packed into shipping containers with literature printed by the system. Multiple bottles of an order are automatically packed in the same shipping container.

1. An automatic prescription filling and packing system comprising pill dispensing machines to automatically count out and dispense pills into prescription bottles in accordance with prescription orders, means to print literature packs customized to said prescription orders, and order consolidation means to present a shipping container for each order, to insert the prescription bottle for said order into such shipping container and to insert, separately from any prescription bottle inserted into the shipping container, the literature pack for said order into such shipping container. 
     
     
       2. The system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein some of said prescription orders include a plurality of prescriptions, said dispensing machine dispensing the pills of the prescriptions of a prescription order into separate prescription bottles, said order consolidation means loading a plurality of prescription bottles of a prescription order containing more than one prescription into a common shipping container with a literature pack for such prescription order. 
     
     
       3. An automatic prescription filling and packing system as recited in  claim 1  further comprising means to apply printed prescription labels to said prescription bottles prior to the insertion of said prescription bottles into a shipping container. 
     
     
       4. A prescription dispensing and packing system comprising a plurality of bottle carriers each having receptacles to receive a plurality of pill bottles, means to receive orders for prescriptions, means to load prescription bottles corresponding to the prescriptions of said orders into scheduled locations in said carriers, a prescription pill dispensing machine, means to transport said carriers with said prescription bottles through said dispensing machine, said dispensing machine dispensing the pills of said orders into the bottles in said carriers in accordance with the scheduled locations of the pill bottles in said carriers, order consolidation means receiving carriers from said dispensing machine and presenting shipping containers to be filled, each shipping container corresponding to an order, said order consolidation means unloading bottles from said carriers and loading bottles into shipping containers corresponding to the orders, said order consolidation means determining each bottle to go in each shipping container from the scheduled location of such bottle in a carrier. 
     
     
       5. A system as recited in  claim 4 , wherein said order consolidation means comprises a turntable to receive a plurality of said carriers, a robotic arm to unload prescription bottles from the carriers on said turntable and means to transport the bottles unloaded from the carriers into shipping containers. 
     
     
       6. A system as recited in  claim 4 , including a plurality of dispensing machines each receiving carriers with bottles and dispensing pills into the prescription bottles corresponding to orders in accordance with the scheduled locations of said prescription bottles in said carriers, conveying means organizing said carries into ranks of a plurality of carriers and passing a rank of carriers through said dispensing machines synchronously, said system further comprising a plurality of said order consolidation means and conveyer means to direct all the carriers of a rank to the same order consolidation means. 
     
     
       7. A system as recited in  claim 4 , wherein some of said orders include a plurality of prescriptions, said automatic dispensing machine dispensing each prescription of an order in a separate bottle, said order consolidation means loading a plurality of bottles of an order into a common shipping container. 
     
     
       8. A system for assembling prescriptions by prescription order wherein an order may include more than one prescription, comprising a multiplicity of carriers each having the capability of receiving a multiplicity of prescription bottles in scheduled locations, means responsive to an order to provide prescription bottles filled with pharmaceuticals in accordance with the prescriptions of said patient order in one or more of said carriers, an order consolidation and packing station, means to assemble a plurality of carriers at said order and packing station, and packing means at said order and consolidation station to remove the prescription bottles of said order from the scheduled locations in the carriers of said plurality and pack the bottles of said order in a container. 
     
     
       9. The system as recited in  claim 8  further comprising means to print literature for said order and pack said literature in said container at said consolidation and packing station. 
     
     
       10. A system for sorting prescriptions by prescription order comprising a carrier having the capability of receiving a multiplicity of prescription bottles in assigned locations, means responsive to a prescription of an order to provide a prescription bottle filled with pharmaceuticals in accordance with said prescription in an assigned location in said carrier, an order consolidation and packing station comprising means to receive said carrier and remove said prescription bottle from said assigned location in said carrier and pack said prescription bottle in a container corresponding to said order. 
     
     
       11. A system as recited in  claim 10  further comprising means to print literature corresponding to said order and pack said literature in said container at said order consolidation and packing station. 
     
     
       12. A method of sorting prescription bottles by prescription order comprising identifying prescription bottles corresponding to each order, placing the prescription bottles of each order in scheduled locations in carriers, each carrier having a multiplicity of locations to receive prescription bottles, maintaining a record for each order of the identification of the carriers containing the prescription bottles of each order and the scheduled location in said carriers of each prescription bottle of each order, and removing the prescription bottles from the scheduled locations in said carriers in accordance with said record and placing the prescription bottles of each order in a separate container. 
     
     
       13. A method as recited in  claim 12  further comprising applying a label to each prescription bottle identifying the prescription in the order corresponding to said prescription bottle. 
     
     
       14. A method as recited in  claim 12  further comprising filling said prescription bottles with pills in accordance with said patient orders after said prescription bottles have been placed in scheduled locations in said carrier. 
     
     
       15. A method as recited in  claim 13  further comprising filling said prescription bottles after said prescription bottles have been labeled and placed in scheduled locations in said carriers. 
     
     
       16. An automated method for filling and packaging a prescription order that includes at least one prescription, comprising at least one of sequential, sequence independent and non-sequential steps of:
 storing in a computer prescription information comprising at least one prescription order;   counting out and dispensing pharmaceuticals into at least one bottle responsive to the at least one prescription order, each of the at least one bottle having a first identifier corresponding to a prescription order;   printing at least one literature pack customized to each of the at least one prescription order, the at least one literature pack having a second identifier corresponding to the prescription order;   identifying, by at least one identification device, the first and second identifiers; and   inserting the at least one bottle and the at least one literature pack corresponding to the at least one prescription order into a shipping container responsive to said identifying the first and second identifiers.    
     
     
       17. The method as recited in claim 16 further comprising the step of organizing a plurality of carriers holding bottles into ranks of carriers, wherein the literature pack and the at least one bottle corresponding to one of the at least one prescription order are inserted into the shipping container at an order consolidation and packing (OCP) station when the at least one bottle is contained within a single rank of carriers.  
     
     
       18. The method as recited in claim 16 further comprising the step of organizing a plurality of carriers holding bottles into ranks of carriers, wherein the at least one literature pack and the at least one bottle corresponding to one of the at least one prescription order are inserted into the shipping container at a bottle sortation and packing (BSP) station when the at least one bottle is contained within at least two ranks of carriers.  
     
     
       19. The method as recited in claims 17 or 18 wherein the carriers hold different size bottles.  
     
     
       20. The method as recited in claims 17 or 18 further comprising the step of capping the bottles in the carriers.  
     
     
       21. The method as recited in claims 17 or 18 further comprising the step of transporting the ranks of carriers synchronously during dispensing.  
     
     
       22. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the first identifier is applied to each of the at least one bottle prior to dispensing pharmaceuticals into the respective bottles.  
     
     
       23. The method as recited in claim 16 further comprising the steps of:
 providing a third identifier on the shipping container;   reading the first, second and third identifiers to determine if the first, second and third identifiers correspond to the same prescription order; and   inserting the at least one bottle and the at least one literature pack into the shipping container when the first, second and third identifiers correspond to the same prescription order.    
     
     
       24. The method as recited in claim 23 further comprising the step of transporting the shipping to container to a quality assurance area when said reading step indicates that at least one of the first, second and third identifiers do not correspond with a common prescription order.  
     
     
       25. The method as recited in claim 24, further comprising the step of manually inspecting at least one of the shipping container, the literature pack and the at least one bottle.  
     
     
       26. The method as recited in claim 25 further comprising the step of shipping a shipping container to a customer.  
     
     
       27. The method as recited in claim 23 wherein the first, second and third identifiers comprise a bar code.  
     
     
       28. The method as recited in claim 23 further comprising the steps of:
 providing a plurality of carriers, each carrier holding a plurality of bottles;   affixing a fourth identifier to each of the plurality of carriers; and   using a device prior to said counting and dispensing step to read the fourth identifier to ensure that at least one of the plurality of carriers holds bottles corresponding to the prescription order.    
     
     
       29. The method as recited in claim 23 further comprising the step of printing a shipping address on the shipping container.  
     
     
       30. The method as recited in claim 16 further comprising the steps of:
 detecting a discrepancy in a first identifier;   transporting the bottle associated with the identifier discrepancy to a bottle quality assurance area.    
     
     
       31. The method as recited in claim 30 further comprising the steps of:
 manually inspecting the bottle and resolving the discrepancy;   transporting the bottle having the resolved discrepancy from the bottle quality assurance area to a bottle sortation and packing (BSP) station comprising at least one buffer area that receives bottles with a resolved discrepancy; and   inserting the bottle having the resolved discrepancy and a customized literature pack, each corresponding to a prescription order, into the shipping container at the BSP station.    
     
     
       32. The method as recited in claim 16 further comprising the steps of:
 identifying a discrepancy in a second identifier; and   transporting the shipping container that contains the literature package having the second identifier discrepancy to a quality assurance area.    
     
     
       33. The method as recited in claim 32 further comprising the step of manually inserting a bottle corresponding to the prescription order in the shipping container.  
     
     
       34. The method as recited in claim 16 further comprising the steps of:
 identifying a discrepancy in a second identifier; and   transporting the literature package having the second identifier discrepancy to a quality assurance area.    
     
     
       35. The method as recited in claim 34 further comprising the step of manually inserting a literature package corresponding to the prescription order in the shipping container.