Blister pack device and method
AssigneeExpress Scripts Strategic Development, Inc.
InventorsMichael L. Davis, Kenneth G. Coulter, David C. Trice
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A container forming apparatus includes a plurality of forming members that have outer forming surfaces, which are shaped to form pockets in a sheet of material. A plurality of actuators are in mechanical connection with the forming members. The actuators are able to extend and retract the forming members. A controller is in electrical communication with the plurality of actuators. The controller is able to simultaneously extend any one or any combination of the forming members to create a plurality of pockets in a determined pattern in the sheet of material to produce a customized blister pack.
Claims14
A medication package, comprising:
- a unitary container including a monolithic sheet of plastic that includes a plurality of pockets arranged in a grid that includes a plurality of rows of pockets,
- wherein at least one of the rows of pockets has a different number of pockets than at least one of the other rows of pockets and represents a different dose time than another of the rows of pockets, and
- wherein the pockets are fluidly sealed from one another;
- a frangible and monolithic covering that is adhesively secured to a planar top surface of the container and that captures pills in the plurality of pockets to fluidly seal the pills in separate ones of the plurality of pockets from one another in the unitary container,
- at least two of the pockets containing different types of pills;
- and
- machine readable codes provided directly on the frangible and monolithic covering and aligned with the pockets, the frangible and monolithic covering being free of the machine readable codes above spaces of the at least one of the rows of pockets where a pocket could be formed but is not formed, resulting in an incomplete grid of machine readable codes,
- the machine readable codes including data associated with the pills contained within the respective pockets aligned with the machine readable codes for alerting an electronic device about contents of the plurality of pockets, wherein the data of each machine readable code is configured to enable the electronic device to generate a positive affirmation to a user based on the respective machine readable code matching an expected code associated with a scheduled dose prior to the covering being broken.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.