Automated label verify systems and methods for dispensing pharmaceuticals
AssigneeOmnicare, Inc.
InventorsMichael J. Szesko, Bradley Carson, Derek C. Campbell, Richard A. Lees
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Apparatus and methods for filling a customer order with plurality of products each containing a pharmaceutical. The apparatus and method automatically verify a product barcode on each of the product, print a patient label with a patient barcode for each product, apply the patient labels to at least some of the products, and independently verify that the product barcode matches the proper patient barcode.
Claims39
An apparatus for filling a customer order with a plurality of products each containing a pharmaceutical and each marked with a machine-readable product marking, the apparatus comprising:
- a conveyor defining a workflow path for processing the products;
- a label application station in the workflow path of the conveyor and configured to print and apply a patient label onto each of the products;
- a vision inspection station in the workflow path of the conveyor, the vision inspection station configured to read the machine-readable product marking and a machine-readable patient marking on the patient label;
- and
- a controller coupled with the vision inspection station, the controller configured to verify that the machine-readable product marking on each of the products matches the machine-readable patient marking on the patient label after application to the product.
A method of filling a customer order with a plurality of products each containing a pharmaceutical, the products being loaded into a machine for processing, the method comprising:
- verifying a machine-readable product marking on each of the products with the machine;
- printing a patient label for each of the products processed in the machine;
- after the machine-readable product marking is verified, applying the patient labels to the products processed in the machine;
- after the patient label is applied to each of the products, reading the machine-readable product marking and a machine-readable patient marking on the patient label with a vision inspection station;
- and
- verifying that the machine-readable product marking read from each product matches the machine-readable patient marking read from the patient label.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.