Patent ID: 8204620
Filing Date: 2012-06-19
Classification: A61B,A61L,B07C,G06Q,G07F,G16H

Abstract:
1. A method of dispensing and disposing medical items, the method comprising: receiving a dispensing instruction associated with a first medical item to be dispensed; dispensing said first medical item based on said dispensing instruction; receiving an identifier associated with a second medical item to be disposed using a scanner; wherein said second medical item comprises the first medical item after it has been at least partially used or emptied; retrieving, based on the identifier, information from a database, wherein the information is derived from applicable rules regarding disposal; assigning the second medical item to a disposal category based on the information retrieved from the database; wherein the disposal category is associated with at least one of a plurality of waste containers of a waste sorting station; wherein a control system associated with the database is configured to allow access to one of the waste containers based, at least in part, on the waste category, while preventing access to other waste containers of a waste sorting station to ensure proper disposal; tracking the date on which the first medical item was dispensed; and tracking the date on which the second medical item was disposed.