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US 11,738,899 B2Granted
Systems and methods for capping
AssigneeExpress Scripts Strategic Development, Inc.
InventorJonathan W. Joplin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A pharmaceutical order filling system uses a physical parameter that occurs during attaching cap to a pharmaceutical container to determine if the cap is properly engaged. The physical parameter may be torque on the cap when placed on the container. An order processing device receives a pharmaceutical order and sends the order to a dispensing device that fills the container with a pharmaceutical in the pharmaceutical order. A cap device is configured to apply the cap the container containing the pharmaceutical from the dispensing device, wherein the cap device is configured to sense the physical parameter, e.g., torque, to the cap when applying the cap to the container.
Claims20
An order filling system comprising:
- an order processing device configured to electronically receive from a prescriber device an order for countable items, wherein the order processing device matches the order with a patient preference type of a content securing apparatus used to secure contents in a container with the patient preference type being loaded from a member data record stored electronically in a database and loads the patient preference type into an electronic order record, and the order filling system is configured to apply different types of content securing apparatus to the container using different application forces that correspond to the different types of content securing apparatus;
- a dispensing device operatively coupled to the order processing device, the dispensing device to fill the container with the items in the electronic order record;
- a preference controller operably connected to the order processing device to select one of a first content securing apparatus or a second content securing apparatus based on the patient preference type in the order record, wherein the first content securing apparatus is a first type of content securing apparatus and the second content securing apparatus is a different, second type of content securing apparatus, and the first type of content securing apparatus corresponds to a first application force and the second type of content securing apparatus corresponds to a different, second application force;
- a first content securing device operably connected to the preference controller to apply the first content securing apparatus to the container containing the items from the dispensing device with the first content securing apparatus is selected, wherein the first content securing device is configured to sense a first applied torque to the content securing apparatus when applying the first content securing apparatus to the container to verify application of the first application force;
- and
- a second content securing device operably connected to the preference controller to apply the second content securing apparatus to the container containing the items from the dispensing device when the second content securing apparatus is selected alternatively from the first content securing device based on instruction from the preference controller, wherein the second content securing device is configured to sense a second applied torque to the second content securing apparatus when applying the second content securing apparatus to the container to verify application of the second application force.
3 more elements
An order filling system comprising:
- an order processing device configured to electronically receive from a prescriber device an order for countable items, wherein the order processing device matches the order with a patient preference type of a content securing apparatus used to secure contents in a container with the patient preference type being loaded from a member data record stored electronically in a database and loads the patient preference type into an electronic order record, and the order filling system is configured to apply different types of content securing apparatus to the container using different application forces that correspond to the different types of content securing apparatus;
- a dispensing device operatively coupled to the order processing device, the dispensing device to fill the container with the items in the electronic order record;
- a preference controller operably connected to the order processing device to select one of a first content securing apparatus or a second content securing apparatus based on the patient preference type in the order record, wherein the first content securing apparatus is a first type of content securing apparatus and the second content securing apparatus is a different, second type of content securing apparatus, and the first type of content securing apparatus corresponds to a first application force and the second type of content securing apparatus corresponds to a different, second application force;
- a first content securing device operably connected to the preference controller to apply the first content securing apparatus to the container containing the items from the dispensing device with the first content securing apparatus is selected, wherein the first content securing device is configured to sense a first applied torque to the content securing apparatus when applying the first content securing apparatus to the container to verify application of the first application force;
- and
- a second content securing device operably connected to the preference controller to apply the second content securing apparatus to the container containing the items from the dispensing device when the second content securing apparatus is selected alternatively from the first content securing device based on instruction from the preference controller, wherein the second content securing device is configured to sense a second applied torque to the second content securing apparatus when applying the second content securing apparatus to the container to verify application of the second application force,
- wherein the first content securing device is to determine when the first applied torque is outside a first acceptable torque range, and the first content securing device is configured to remove the first content securing apparatus from the container when the first applied torque is outside the first acceptable torque range.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.