PACKAGING SYSTEM FOR PHARMACEUTICAL DISPENSER AND ASSOCIATED METHOD
A packaging system and associated method for use with a pharmaceutical dispenser provides a turnkey solution for packaging pharmaceutical products such as solid medications and nutritional supplements to be taken orally in health care settings, including but not limited to long term care (LTC) and assisted living settings. An overall pharmacy system and methodology begins with bulk medications and supplements introduced into the work flow, individually packaged and assembled into medpass orders per patient and delivered to the LTC facility or other institution for patient consumption. The process begins by converting bulk medications and supplements to packaged unit doses and ultimately individually packaged medpass bags for each patient on a 24-hour schedule. The design of the overall system and its individual components allows for physical control of each unit dose package from start to finish without any unit dose package “free fall” in the system.
1 . A package insert module, comprising:
a turntable configured to rotate about a central post;
an insert assembly mounted on the turntable and including a finger arrangement configured to offload a plurality of packages arranged in an array on a nest.
2 . The package insert module according to claim 1 , wherein the finger arrangement of the insert assembly includes a lower finger assembly and an upper finger assembly, and
wherein the upper finger assembly is configured to move vertically relative to the lower finger assembly to clamp and release the packages between the upper finger assembly and the lower finger assembly.
3 . The package insert module according to claim 2 , wherein the array of packages includes at least four parallel rows, and
wherein the lower finger assembly includes five spaced and generally parallel fingers such that an outer two of the fingers are positioned on an outside of a first row and a fourth row of the four parallel rows and an inner three of the fingers are positioned between adjacent packages in the array.
4 . The package insert module according to claim 3 , wherein the upper finger assembly includes three spaced and generally parallel fingers aligned with the inner three of the fingers of the lower finger assembly such that, when the fingers of the upper finger assembly are positioned over the array of the packages, the fingers of the upper finger assembly are superimposed onto overlapping edges of the packages.
5 . The package insert module according to claim 2 , wherein the upper finger assembly is initially spaced from the lower finger assembly to insert the array of the packages between the upper finger assembly and lower finger assembly.
6 . The package insert module according to claim 1 , wherein the insert assembly includes a lower mounting block mounted atop the turntable and an upper mounting block mounted on the lower mounting block, and
wherein the finger arrangement is mounted to the upper mounting block.
7 . The package insert module according to claim 1 , wherein the finger arrangement is configured to extend radially outward from the central post and configured to retract radially inward towards the central post.
8 . The package insert module according to claim 1 , wherein the turntable is configured to rotate the finger arrangement between a first position to offload the packages from the nest and a second position to offload the packages to a bag formation module.
9 . The package insert module according to claim 1 , wherein each of the packages includes a unit does of medicine.
10 . A method for transferring packages, comprising:
extending a finger arrangement of an insert assembly mounted on a turntable towards a plurality of packages arranged in an array on a nest, the finger arrangement including an upper finger assembly and a lower finger assembly;
separating the upper finger assembly from the lower finger assembly;
positioning the upper finger assembly such that fingers of the upper finger assembly are superimposed onto overlapping edges of the packages;
positioning the lower finger assembly such that inner fingers of the lower finger assembly are positioned between adjacent packages in the array; and
moving the upper finger assembly vertically towards the lower finger assembly to clamp the packages between the upper finger assembly and the lower finger assembly.
11 . The method for transferring packages according to claim 10 , further comprising:
after the moving, rotating the turntable to turn the insert assembly to a position adjacent to a bag formation module;
extending the insert assembly to the bag formation module; and
moving the upper finger assembly vertically away from the lower finger assembly to offload the packages to the bag formation module.
12 . The method for transferring packages according to claim 10 , wherein the lower finger assembly includes outer fingers positioned substantially parallel to the inner fingers, and
wherein the positioning the lower finger assembly includes positioning the outer fingers on an outside of a first row and a fourth row of the array of packages.
13 . The method for transferring packages according to claim 10 , wherein the insert assembly includes a lower mounting block mounted atop the turntable and an upper mounting block mounted on the lower mounting block, and
wherein the finger arrangement is mounted to the upper mounting block.
14 . The method for transferring packages according to claim 10 , wherein each of the packages includes a unit does of medicine.