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. A system for dispensing and packaging pharmaceuticals comprising:
 a computer that receives prescription orders;   a first identifier applicator to place a first identifier on the plurality of bottles;   at least one prescription dispensing machine that dispenses the pills of the prescription orders into the plurality of bottles;   a transporter to convey the plurality of bottles through said at least one prescription dispensing machine;   at least one order consolidation and packing (OCP) station that receives the prescription bottles from said at least one dispensing machine, comprising:   a bottle unloading mechanism for unloading filled bottles from said at least one prescription dispensing machine;   a printer for printing a customized literature pack corresponding to the prescription orders;   a second identifier applicator to place a second identifier on the customized literature pack;   a packing mechanism that presents a shipping container; and   at least one identifier reader to ensure that the shipping container receives one or more bottles and a corresponding literature pack for each prescription order.   
     
     
       17. The system as recited in claim 16 wherein said bottle unloading mechanism comprises a robotic arm. 
     
     
       18. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein said packing mechanism comprises a printer for printing a third identifier on each shipping container. 
     
     
       19. The system as recited in claim 16 further comprising a quality assurance area, wherein the shipping container is transported to said quality assurance area when said at least one identifier reader indicates that at least one of the first, second and third identifiers do not correspond to the same prescription order. 
     
     
       20. The system as recited in claim 19 wherein the first, second and third identifiers comprise a bar code. 
     
     
       21. The system as recited in claim 16 further comprising at least one pill bottle carrier having receptacles to receive a plurality of bottles in scheduled locations logically corresponding to the prescription orders, wherein when at least two prescription dispensing machines are used, said at least one OCP station receives carriers within a rank of carriers. 
     
     
       22. The system as recited in claim 16 further comprising:
 at least one pill bottle carrier having receptacles to receive a plurality of bottles in scheduled locations logically corresponding to the prescription orders; and   a bottle sortation and packing (BSP) station, wherein when at least two prescription dispensing machines are used, said BSP station receives bottles of a prescription order contained within at least two ranks of carriers.   
     
     
       23. The system as recited in claims 21 or 22 wherein said carriers hold different size bottles. 
     
     
       24. The system as recited in claims 21 or 22 further comprising a bottle capping mechanism that caps the bottles in the respective carriers. 
     
     
       25. The system as recited in claim 16 wherein the first identifiers are placed on the bottles prior to dispensing pills in the bottles. 
     
     
       26. The system as recited in claim 16 wherein when said at least one identifier reader detects a discrepancy in a first identifier, the bottle associated with the discrepancy is transported to a bottle quality assurance area. 
     
     
       27. The system as recited in claim 26 further comprising a second transporter that transports the bottle having a 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;   a second printer for printing a customized literature pack corresponding the prescription order; and   a second packing mechanism that presents a second shipping container;   a second label reader to ensure that the second shipping container receives one or more bottles and a corresponding literature pack for each prescription order.   
     
     
       28. A prescription dispensing and packing system comprising:
 a plurality of bottles having a first identifier affixed thereto corresponding to a prescription of a prescription order comprising one or more prescriptions;   a printer for printing a literature pack customized to a particular prescription order, the literature pack having a second identifier affixed thereto corresponding to the particular prescription order;   a computer that receives prescription orders;   at least one dispensing machine responsive to said computer that automatically counts and dispenses the type and quantity of pharmaceuticals into the plurality of bottles in accordance with the prescription orders; and   an order consolidation and packing (OCP) station comprising at least one label reader that places a literature pack and one or more bottles corresponding to a prescription order into a shipping container, wherein said at least one OCP station comprises:   a bottle removing mechanism that removes at least one bottle corresponding to a prescription order for subsequent packing of the at least one bottle in a shipping container corresponding to the prescription order; and   a bagging machine that receives the at least one bottle corresponding to the prescription order from said bottle removing mechanism and inserts the at least one bottle corresponding to the prescription order in the shipping container.   
     
     
       29. A system for filling at least one order, comprising:
 at least one pill dispenser that simultaneously dispenses pills into two or more bottles;   at least one order consolidation station configured to provide at least one literature pack having a first identifier and containing printed literature relating to the at least one order and comprising patient specific information associated with the at least one order, and configured to receive at least one bottle having a second identifier and containing pharmaceutical products, wherein the at least one bottle is associated with the at least one order, and wherein the at least one order includes at least one prescription for the at least one bottle;   the order consolidation station being further configured to read the first and second identifiers and combine automatically the at least one literature pack and the at least one bottle to send the combined at least one literature pack and the at least one bottle to at least one recipient corresponding to the at least one order, to thereby fill the at least one order, each of said at least one order consolidation station further comprising:   a bottle removing mechanism that selects one or more bottles corresponding to a prescription order for subsequent packing of the one or more bottles in a shipping container; and   a bagging machine that receives the at least one of the plurality of bottles corresponding to the prescription order from said bottle removing mechanism and inserts the prescription order bottles in the shipping container.