Method for need based order picking of medicine portions in dispensing packs
AssigneeCarefusion Germany 326 GmbH
InventorRudolf M. Wagner
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for the automated dispensing of medication portions is disclosed. Medication packs are automatically retrieved by a control unit from an automated storage facility, and medication portions are automatically removed from the packs and dispensed into a dispensing pack. A determination is made as to whether any medication portions are remaining within the retrieved medication packs, and those medication packs having remaining medication portions are returned to the automated storage facility by the control unit.
Claims20
A machine-implemented method, comprising:
- removing, without user intervention, at least one medication portions of a first medication type from a retrieved blister pack;
- dispensing, without user intervention, the removed at least one medication portion of the first medication type into a dispensing pack;
- identifying the retrieved first blister pack as having one or more remaining medication portions;
- optically measuring the one or more remaining medication portions of the retrieved first blister pack;
- and
- sending, without user intervention, the retrieved first blister pack to a storage site, wherein a subsequent removing or dispensing from the first medication pack is based on the optical measurement.
A machine-implemented method, comprising:
- retrieving, from an automated storage facility using a computer-controlled control unit, a medication pack comprising one or more medication portions of a medication type;
- removing, without user intervention, at least one of the medication portions from the retrieved medication pack;
- dispensing, without user intervention, the removed at least one medication portion of the medication type into a dispensing pack;
- determining, without user intervention, that the retrieved medication pack comprises at least one remaining medication portion;
- optically measuring the at least one remaining medication portion of the retrieved medication pack;
- and
- returning, based on the determining and using the control unit, the retrieved medication pack to the automated storage facility, wherein a subsequent removing or dispensing from the returned medication pack is based on the optical measurement.
A machine-implemented method, comprising:
- retrieving, from an automated storage facility without user intervention, a plurality of medication packs each comprising one or more medication portions of a respective medication type;
- removing, without user intervention, at least one medication portion from each retrieved medication pack;
- dispensing, without user intervention, the removed medication portions into a dispensing pack;
- determining, without user intervention, one or more of the retrieved medication packs comprise one or more remaining medication portions after the dispensing;
- optically measuring the one or more remaining medication portions of the one or more determined medication packs;
- and
- returning, based on the determining and without user intervention, the one or more of the retrieved medication packs to the automated storage facility, wherein a subsequent removing or dispensing from the returned one or more medication packs is based on the optical measurement.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.