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 automatic prescription filling and packing system comprising:
 at least one computer that receives information comprising prescription orders;   at least one pill dispensing machine operatively connectable to said at least one computer to automatically count out and dispense pills into one or more prescription bottles in accordance with the prescription orders;   an order consolidation and packing (OCP) station operatively connected to said at least one computer, and comprising:
 a printer that prints one or more literature packs customized to the prescription orders; 
 at least one reader that reads identification information on the one or more prescription bottles and the one or more literature packs to determine at least one prescription bottle and at least one literature pack corresponding to at least one prescription order; and 
 a packing mechanism that packs the at least one prescription bottle and the at least one literature pack corresponding to the at least one prescription order into at least one shipping container and places identification information on the at least one shipping container; and 
   at least one reader that reads a first identification information on the one or more prescription bottles, a second identification information on the one or more literature packs, and a third identification information on the at least one shipping container to determine if the bottle, literature pack and shipping container identification information correspond to the same prescription order, wherein the at least one shipping container receives the one or more prescription bottles and the one or more literature packs when the identification information corresponds to the same prescription order.    
     
     
       17. The system as recited in claim 16 wherein at least some of the prescription orders include a plurality of prescriptions, at least one of said dispensing machines dispensing the pills of the prescriptions of a prescription order into separate prescription bottles.  
     
     
       18. The system as recited in claim 16 wherein the identification information is applied to the one or more prescription bottles prior to dispensing the prescription into the one or more prescription bottles.  
     
     
       19. The system as recited in claim 16 further comprising:
 a plurality of bottle carriers each having receptacles to receive a plurality of bottles;   a loading system that loads bottles corresponding to the prescriptions orders in said carriers; and   a mechanism that transports said carriers with the bottles through said at least one pill dispensing machine, said at least one pill dispensing machine dispensing the pills of the prescription orders into the bottles in said carriers.    
     
     
       20. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein when at least two dispensing machines are used, the bottles are transferred to said OCP station when the bottles for a prescription order are within a single rank of carriers.  
     
     
       21. The system as recited in claim 20, wherein some of the prescription orders include a plurality of prescriptions, said at least one dispensing machine dispensing each prescription in separate bottles.  
     
     
       22. The system as recited in claim 16 further comprising a bottle sortation and packing (BSP) station, wherein when at least two dispensing machines are used, said BSP station receives bottles for a prescription order contained within at least two ranks of carriers.  
     
     
       23. The system as recited in claims 19, 20 or 22 wherein said carriers hold different size bottles.  
     
     
       24. The system as recited in claims 19, 20 or 22 wherein the bottles are capped in the carriers.  
     
     
       25. The system as recited in claims 20 or 22, wherein the identification information is applied to each of the prescription bottles prior to dispensing pharmaceuticals into the respective bottles.  
     
     
       26. The system as recited in claims 20 or 22 wherein the ranks of carriers move synchronously during dispensing.  
     
     
       27. The system as recited in claim 16 further comprising a quality assurance area that receives the shipping container when said at least one reader provides an indication that the identification information do not correspond with a common prescription order.  
     
     
       28. The system as recited in claim 16 wherein each of the bottle identification information, literature pack identification information and shipping container identification information comprise a bar code.  
     
     
       29. The system as recited in claim 16 further comprising:
 a plurality of carriers, each carrier holding a plurality of bottles;   a fourth identification information affixed to each of said plurality of carriers; and   a reading device that reads the carrier identification information prior to dispensing to ensure that at least one of said plurality of carriers holds bottles corresponding to the prescription order.    
     
     
       30. The system as recited in claim 16 further comprising a bottle quality assurance area, wherein when said at least one reader detects a discrepancy in bottle identification information, the bottle is transported to the bottle quality assurance area.  
     
     
       31. The system as recited in claim 30 further comprising a bottle sortation and packing (BSP) station comprising:
 at least one buffer area that receives bottles with a resolved discrepancy; and   a bagger that presents a shipping container and receives the bottle having the resolved discrepancy and a customized literature pack.    
     
     
       32. The system as recited in claim 16 wherein said at least one reader detects a discrepancy in the second identification information, the shipping container that contains the literature package having the identifier discrepancy is transported to a quality assurance area.  
     
     
       33. The system as recited in claim 16 wherein said packing mechanism comprises a printer that prints a shipping address on the shipping container.