Automated health product dispensary library

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10669091-B2
Application number	US-201514641196-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 6, 2015
Priority date	Mar 6, 2015
Publication date	Jun 2, 2020
Grant date	Jun 2, 2020

Abstract

An automated health product dispensary library, according to one embodiment includes storage slots configured to receive health product cartridges that have health products therein; and an accessor, configured to transport tape cartridges, for transporting the health product cartridges. Other systems, methods, and computer program products are described in additional embodiments.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An automated health product dispensary library, comprising:
storage slots configured to receive health product cartridges that have health products therein; and
an accessor, configured to transport tape cartridges, for transporting the health product cartridges,
wherein a first subset of the storage slots is separated from a second subset of the storage slots by a physical partition, wherein the physical partition is configured to maintain an ambient temperature for the first subset of the storage slots that is different than an ambient temperature for the second subset of the storage slots.

2. The automated health product dispensary library as recited in claim 1 , comprising a controller configured to enforce at least two logical partitions of a plurality of the health product cartridges, wherein the logical partitions correspond to physical attributes of the health products.

3. The automated health product dispensary library as recited in claim 1 , wherein the physical partition is configured to implement a storage standard for one of the first and second subsets of the storage slots that is different than a storage standard for the other one of the first and second subsets of the storage slots, wherein the storage standards are a security feature.

4. The automated health product dispensary library as recited in claim 1 , comprising at least one of a display screen and a printer for outputting at least one of warnings and instructions about the health products.

5. The automated health product dispensary library as recited in claim 1 , comprising at least one of the following apparatuses for receiving the cartridges from the accessor: a bottle filler for packaging the health products into packages, and a labeler for labeling at least one of packages and the cartridges.

6. The automated health product dispensary library as recited in claim 1 , comprising logic configured to cause the accessor to agitate a given cartridge in response to determining a characteristic of a health product stored in the given cartridge selected from a group of characteristics consisting of: the health product is in liquid form and the health product has been stationary for a predetermined amount of time.

7. The automated health product dispensary library as recited in claim 1 , further comprising at least one of the health product cartridges having a health product therein.

8. The automated health product dispensary library as recited in claim 1 , with a proviso that no tape drive is present in the library.

9. The automated health product dispensary library as recited in claim 1 , wherein the physical partition has a door, wherein the accessor is configured to travel through the physical partition while the door is open.

10. A health product cartridge, comprising:
a housing having a form factor of a conventional data storage tape cartridge
the housing defining an interior for storing a health product,
the housing having an access portion for providing access to the interior; and
a supply roll in the interior,
the supply roll having the health product coupled thereto.

11. The health product cartridge as recited in claim 10 , comprising an antimicrobial agent in and/or on the housing.

12. The health product cartridge as recited in claim 10 , wherein the interior is sealed from an ambient environment when the access portion is closed.

13. The health product cartridge as recited in claim 10 , comprising dividers in the housing, wherein the dividers form more than one isolated compartment in the interior of the housing, wherein each of the more than one isolated compartment has an access portion for providing access to the interior of the respective isolated compartment.

14. The health product cartridge as recited in claim 10 , wherein the housing has the form factor of a Linear Tape Open-compatible tape cartridge.

15. A method, comprising:
receiving a request for a health product cartridge having a health product therein;
instructing an accessor to retrieve the health product cartridge from a storage slot of an automated health product dispensary library;
providing the health product to a user;
performing an inventory of the health product cartridges; and
sending a request for additional health products based on the inventory
wherein a first subset of the storage slots is separated from a second subset of the storage slots by a first physical partition,
wherein the first physical partition is configured to implement a storage standard for one of the first and second subsets of the storage slots that is different than a storage standard for the other one of the first and second subsets of the storage slots, the storage standards being selected from a group consisting of: environmental control and a security feature, and comprising instructing the accessor to travel from the first subset of the storage slots to the second subset of the storage slots,
wherein instructing the accessor to travel from the first subset of the storage slots to the second subset of the storage slots includes:
sending a request for permission for the accessor to enter the second subset of the storage slots, and
allowing the accessor to move from the first subset of the storage slots to the second subset of the storage slots in response to receiving permission.

16. The method as recited in claim 15 , comprising performing an authorization process upon receiving the request for ensuring a propriety of the request prior to providing the health product to the user.

17. The method as recited in claim 15 , wherein the health product cartridge has a housing with a form factor of a Linear Tape Open-compatible tape cartridge.

18. The method as recited in claim 15 , wherein the automated health product dispensary library includes at least one of a display screen and a printer for outputting at least one of warnings and instructions about the health products, wherein performing the inventory includes determining a usage rate of each of the health products stored in the health product cartridges.

19. The method as recited in claim 15 , wherein an antimicrobial agent is present in and/or on a housing of the health product cartridge.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Astigarraga Tara
• Dickens Louie A
• Fried Dennis W
• Mcintosh Michael P
• Schwartz Stephen L
• Winarski Daniel J
• Zamora George G

Classifications

• B65D85/02 Primary

  for annular articles (for web or tape-like material wound in flat spiral form B65D85/671) · CPC title

• B65D25/04

  Partitions · CPC title

• G07F17/0092

  for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles (medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00) · CPC title

• G07F17/18 Primary

  for washing or drying persons · CPC title

• B65C3/26

  Affixing labels to non-rigid containers, e.g. bottles made of polyethylene or boxes to be inflated by internal air pressure prior to labelling · CPC title