Systems and methods for pharmacy messaging

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9636927-B2
Application number	US-201514956848-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 2, 2015
Priority date	Mar 7, 2012
Publication date	May 2, 2017
Grant date	May 2, 2017

Abstract

Systems and methods for pharmacy messaging are described. A system includes a laser module and a control module. The laser module includes a marking chamber with a plurality of laser heads therein. A first and second entry gate are adjacent the marking chamber. The first entry gate is configured to open when the second entry gate is closed. A first and second exit gate are adjacent the marking chamber at a side different from the first entry and second entry gate. The first exit gate is configured to open when the second exit gate is closed. A transporter moves the objects being marked into and out of the marking chamber through the various gates. The control module is communicatively coupled to the laser module and adapted to control the laser module. Additional methods and systems are disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a laser module including
a marking chamber with a plurality of laser heads therein,
a safety glass panel surrounding at least two sides of the marking chamber,
an entry gate adjacent the marking chamber,
an exit gate adjacent the marking chamber at a side different from the entry gate, and
a transporter to move objects being marked into and out of the marking chamber through the entry gate and the exit gate, the objects include a container having a cap; and

a control module communicatively coupled to the laser module and adapted to control the laser module.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a pallet, disposed on the transporter, having the container with the cap thereon,
wherein a laser head of the plurality of laser heads is directed at a marking area above a conveyor of the transporter at a height substantially the same as a height of the cap of the container disposed within the pallet,
wherein the control unit controls a first laser head of the plurality of laser heads to mark a first cap and a second laser head of the plurality of laser heads to mark a second cap.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the first laser head and the second laser head are configured to cover the marking area over approximately ¼ of the pallet with partial overlap between the marking area associated with the first laser head and the marking area associated with the second laser head.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein the pallet is movably disposed in the marking chamber to enable the plurality of laser heads to mark the first cap and the second cap respectively.

5. The system of claim 2 , wherein the laser module further comprises:
a RF interface to read pallet data from the pallet and transmit the pallet data to the control module,
wherein the control module obtains identification parameters of a prescription container within the pallet based on the pallet data.

6. The system of claim 2 , further comprising:
a messaging subsystem to process the send a message to the control module,
wherein a laser head of the plurality of laser heads marks a cap of a prescription drug container with the message while the cap of the prescription drug container is located with the marking chamber.

7. The system of claim 2 , wherein the messaging subsystem is configured to select the message for marking from a plurality of available messages, the selection being performed in accordance with a member preference of a member, the member to receive the prescription drug contained in the container that includes the marked cap.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the entry gate and the exit gate are pneumatically controlled.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the entry gate is in an open position to allow the objects to move into the marking chamber and a closed position to block light from the laser head, and wherein the exit gate is in an open position to allow the objects to move out of the marking chamber and a closed position to block light from the laser head.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the laser module includes a first proximity sensor associated with the entry gate to indicate to the control module whether the entry gate is open or closed and a second proximity sensor associated with the exit gate to indicate to the control module whether the exit gate is open or closed.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the laser heads of the plurality of laser heads have a marking area of approximately 300 mm by 300 mm.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the safety glass panel includes opaque glass.

13. The system of claim 10 , wherein the entry gate and exit gate are linearly aligned and the transporter linearly moves objects through the linearly-aligned, entry gate and exit gates.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the container is a prescription container,
wherein the laser head is configured to mark the cap of a filled prescription container with both the entry gate and the exit gate being closed; and
wherein the pallet has a height less than a height of the cap and the filled prescription container.

15. A system comprising:
a laser module including
a marking chamber with a plurality of laser heads therein, a first laser head and a second laser head of the plurality of laser heads being configured to cover a marking area over approximately ¼ of a pallet with partial overlap between the marking area associated with the first laser head and the marking area associated with the second laser head,
an entry gate adjacent the marking chamber,
an exit gate adjacent the marking chamber at a side different from the entry gate,
a transporter to move objects being marked into and out of the marking chamber through the entry gate and the exit gate, the objects include a container having a cap, and
a RF interface to read pallet data from a pallet and transmit the pallet data to a control module;

the control module communicatively coupled to the laser module and adapted to control the laser module; and
the pallet including a first container and a second container retained therein and being movably disposed in the marking chamber to enable the plurality of laser heads to mark a first cap of the first container and a second cap of the second container,
wherein a laser head of the plurality of laser heads is directed at a marking area above a conveyor of the transporter at a height substantially the same as a height of the first cap and the second cap,
wherein the control unit controls the first laser head to mark the first cap and a second laser head to mark the second cap, and
wherein the control module obtains identification parameters of the first container and the second container retained within the pallet based on the pallet data.

Assignees

• Express Scripts Inc

Inventors

• Eller Charles E
• Reinhardt Jacob J
• Sundararaman Katherine H

Classifications

• B41J2/455

  using laser arrays {, the laser array being smaller than the medium to be recorded} · CPC title

• B41J3/4073

  Printing on three-dimensional objects not being in sheet or web form, e.g. spherical or cubic objects (B41J3/283, B41J3/286 take precedence; building up a 3D object using individual droplets from jetting heads B29C64/112) · CPC title

• B41J3/4075 Primary

  Tape printers; Label printers · CPC title

• B41J2/435

  characterised by selective application of radiation to a printing material or impression-transfer material · CPC title

• B41J2/442 Primary

  using lasers · CPC title