Methods and systems for automated pharmaceutical container sorting

A container manipulation system for orders including one or more containers, comprising:

• a pallet conveyor for moving a plurality of pallets configured to hold a plurality of containers with some containers being held within pucks on the plurality of pallets, the pallet conveyor being configured to move pallets between a container filling area and a container unloading area;
• a pallet lift to raise a group of the plurality of pallets into the container unloading area;
• a stop rail assembly to limit vertical movement of the pucks in the group of the plurality of pallets;
• and
• a gripper assembly for moving at least one of the plurality of containers from at least one pallet of the plurality of pallets to one of an exception conveyor and a standard order conveyor with the at least one pallet in a raised position in the container unloading area,
• wherein a first order of a pharmaceutical order includes a first container and a second container of the plurality of containers, and
• wherein the gripper assembly moves the first container to the at least one standard order conveyor and then moves the second container to the at least one standard order conveyor with the first container and the second container being sequential on the standard order conveyor and being non-sequential on the at least one of the plurality of pallets.

A method for performing container manipulation for a pharmaceutical order, the method comprising:

• moving a plurality of pallets between a container filling area and a container unloading area, via a pallet conveyor, the plurality of pallets being configured to hold a plurality of containers, and a first subset of the plurality of containers being held within pucks on the plurality of pallets;
• raising a second subset of the plurality of pallets into the container unloading area, via a pallet lift;
• limiting vertical movement of the pucks on the second subset, via a stop rail assembly;
• moving the plurality of containers from at least one pallet of the plurality of pallets to one of an exception conveyor and a standard order conveyor, via a gripper assembly, the at least one pallet being in a raised position in the container unloading area;
• and
• moving a first container and a second container to a sequential placement on the at least one standard order conveyor, via the gripper assembly, wherein the first container and the second container are positioned non-sequentially on the at least one pallet, and wherein a first order of a pharmaceutical order includes the first container and the second container of the plurality of containers.