Abstract:
A fully-automated system suitable for use in a hospital setting for filling patient-specific liquid prescriptions to be administered by oral syringes on a just-in-time basis. The system enables hospital pharmacists to simplify and streamline their task, increasing the number of prescriptions that can be filled in a day, improving patient safety and care by minimizing medication errors and the consequences that ensue.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/607,867 filed 7 Mar. 2012, and is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/236,577 filed 19 Sep. 2011 (which claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/384,217 filed Sep. 17, 2010 and to U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/494,677 filed Jun. 8, 2011, both of which are incorporated herein by reference). 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to oral syringe packaging equipment and more specifically to a fully automated system for preparing patient-specific doses of selected pharmaceutical liquid medication for administration by oral syringe on a patient specific, just-in-time, medication error-free, and cost effective basis, for use in a hospital pharmacy. 
     2. Description of the Background 
     Oral syringes are well known instruments in the medical fields and are used to administer liquid medicine into the mouth, typically for infants/children and uncooperative or geriatric adults, as an alternative to pills which can present a choking hazard or be expectorated. The oral syringe directs liquid medicine to the back of the throat prompting a swallowing response. Injectable syringes, on the other hand, are used to administer medication into the body by injecting its contents through the skin. Injectable syringes utilize a needle on the tip of the syringe. Injectable syringes must be manufactured and packaged in a sterile environment. Research has shown that the potential for adverse drug events within the pediatric inpatient population is about three times as high as among hospitalized adults. See, Joint Commission, Preventing Pediatric Medication Errors, Issue 39 (2008). According to the Commission Report, the most common types of harmful pediatric medication errors were improper dose/quantity (37.5 percent) and unauthorized/wrong drug (13.7 percent), followed by improper preparation or dosage form. Oral syringes help to minimize these problems and are considered the gold standard for delivering medicine to children. 
     Oral syringes comprise a simple piston pump with a plunger that fits tightly in one end of a cylindrical tube (the barrel) and can be pushed or pulled along inside the barrel to create negative or positive relative pressure within the barrel that causes the syringe to take in or expel a liquid or gas through an orifice at the opposing end of the barrel. The barrel of an oral syringe is typically made of plastic and is at least partially transparent along its length with graduated markings to indicate the volume of fluid in the syringe based on the position of the plunger. Oral syringes come in a wide range of sizes, some with nozzle located centrally and some offset from center, and this variability makes it difficult to automate the filing process. Oral syringes are commonly marked in units of milliliters and come in standard sizes ranging from 0.5 to 60 milliliters. An annular flange partially or fully encircling the outside surface of the barrel is typically provided to facilitate compression of the plunger into the barrel. The plunger is also typically plastic as this provides a good seal within the barrel and is inexpensive to produce so as to be disposable, reducing the risk of contamination or transmission of spreading disease. 
     Pharmacies at in-patient medical facilities and other medical institutions fill a large number of prescriptions on a daily basis including prescriptions for liquid or compounded suspension medicines to be administered by oral syringe and must do so accurately for medical safety reasons. The volume of an oral pediatric prescription&#39;s dose is determined by the child&#39;s weight. This makes it impractical to stock pre-filled syringes due to the wide range of fill volumes required. As a result, pediatric oral liquid doses are prepared in the hospital pharmacy on a patient-specific, just-in-time basis. The process of filling numerous, variously sized single dose prescriptions for delivery by oral syringe is time consuming, labor intensive and prone to human error. Moreover, the manual manipulation of all the myriad prescription bottles as well as variously-sized oral syringes can lead to injury such as carpal tunnel syndrome. To insure that the medication is packaged error-free, the pharmacy technician must make sure that: (1) the syringe contains the correct medication; (2) the syringe contains the correct amount of medication: (3) the syringe is capped correctly; (4) the medication has not expired; (5) the medication has not been recalled; (6) the medication, when required, is shaken; (7) the medication, when required, has been properly refrigerated; (8) the medication, when required, has been properly protected from exposure to light; (9) the information on the syringe label is correct: (10) the syringe is placed into the correct bag; (11) the information on the bag containing the syringe is correct; (12) the bag is properly sealed; and (13) the syringe is protected from cross contamination from other medications. The process typically requires a pharmacist or pharmacy technician to retrieve the correct medication from a storage cabinet or refrigerated storage area. The liquid medications are typically stored in a container sealed with a safety cap or seal. After confirming the contents of the retrieved container and shaking the medication (if necessary), the technician opens the cap and inserts the tip of an oral syringe into the container, withdrawing the plunger to draw the medication into the barrel of the syringe. After filling with a proper amount, the tip of the syringe is covered with a cap for transport to the patient, and the syringe is labeled to indicate its content, the intended recipient, and then bagged. Prior to administering the dose, the nurse can determine the amount of the dose by observing where the tip of the plunger or piston is located in the barrel. Most oral syringes are marked for measuring the dose in milliliters (mL). Oral syringes are relatively inexpensive and disposable. 
     Currently, the degree of automation in the hospital pharmacy for the packaging of oral syringes is very limited. Islands of automation exist, such as automatic labeling of the syringe and bagging of the filled and capped syringe. However, the filling and capping are done manually. Scanners, cameras, bar code readers and track and trace technology have not been applied on an integrated, comprehensive basis for the packaging of oral syringes in the hospital pharmacy. The potential to reduce medication errors using this technology is significant. Automated systems have been developed by Baxa, Inc., For Health Technologies, Inc., Intelligent Hospital Systems and others for the automated filling of injectable syringes. 
     For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,991,002, 7,017,622, 7,631,475 and 6,976,349 are all drawn to automated removal of a tip cap from an empty syringe, placing the tip cap at a remote location, and replacing the tip cap on a filled syringe. U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,117,902 and 7,240,699 are drawn to automated transfer of a drug vial from storage to a fill station. U.S. Pat. No. 5,884,457 shows a method and apparatus for filling injectable syringes using a pump connected by hose to a fluid source. U.S. Pat. No. 7,610,115 and Application 20100017031 show an Automated Pharmacy Admixture System (APAS). US Application 20090067973 shows a gripper device for handling syringes with tapered or angled gripper fingers. U.S. Pat. No. 7,343,943 shows a medication dose underfill detection system. U.S. Pat. No. 7,260,447 shows an automated system for fulfilling pharmaceutical prescriptions. U.S. Pat. No. 7,681,606 shows an automated system and process for filling injectable syringes of multiple sizes. U.S. Pat. No. 6,877,530 shows an automated means for withdrawing a syringe plunger. U.S. Pat. No. 5,692,640 shows a system for establishing and maintaining the identity of medication in a vial using preprinted, pressure sensitive, syringe labels. 
     The foregoing references are generally suitable for packaging injectable syringes. The packaging process required for injectable syringes is significantly different than that for oral syringes. Injectable syringes must be packaged in a sterile environment as the medication is injected into the body. This requirement adds cost and complexity to the machine. Injectable medications when packaged on a just-in-time basis, as with the Baxa, For Health Technologies, and Intelligent Hospital System machines, must typically be prepared by the machine before the medication is filled into the syringe. The medication preparation process involves diluting the medication or reconstituting the medication from a powder with water. This process adds expense and slows down the packaging process as well. The Intelligent Hospital Systems syringe packaging system is designed to be used to package cytotoxic medications which are hazardous. To avoid harm to the operator, this machine uses a robot located within an isolator barrier at considerable cost. The Baxa, For Health Technologies, and Intelligent Hospital System machines require the use of expensive disposable product contact parts when a different medication is to be filled. The foregoing machines are not suitable for packaging oral syringes due to their capital cost, complexity, slow production rates, inability to handle oral medication containers, and the requirement of expensive disposable contact parts. Consequently, existing automation does not address the needs of medical institutions desiring an affordable pharmacy automation system for patient safety, prescription tracking and improved productivity. The present invention was developed to fill this void. 
     Oral syringes are manufactured in a variety of sizes with differing tip and plunger configurations. Moreover, oral medications are commonly provided in bulk form in variously-sized bottles or containers having threaded screw caps that must be removed and replaced between uses. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,493,348 shows a method and apparatus in which oral syringes can be filled using a screw-on adapter cap  12  for connecting the bulk medicine container  10  and a syringe  14  so that the liquid medication can be transferred from the bulk container  10  into the syringe barrel  20 . The syringe is inserted into a nozzle  88  of the adapter cap  12  and displaces a detent valve  92  (see  FIG. 6 ) that allows medicine to flow through the nozzle  88  into the syringe. When not in use the nozzle  88  may be closed off by a plug  50  attached to a tether  48 . The adapter cap  12  is well-suited for manual filling of oral syringes but is not suitable for automated filling. The design of the cap  12  is specific to only one size of bulk medicine container and one size syringe nozzle. The variety of bulk container sizes and syringe sizes with differing tip and plunger configurations would require a large inventory of adapter caps  12  in an automated environment. Given the diversity of oral syringes and medicine containers available, any fully automated system will need sufficient dexterity to manipulate all the myriad prescription bottles containing the pharmaceuticals to be dispensed as well as variously-sized oral syringes, bringing them together in a controlled environment to quickly and accurately fill and label each syringe and to verify its work as it proceeds in order to avoid errors in the process. Such a system would need to be reliably constructed so as to minimize downtime, quickly take and fill orders, be easy to clean and capable of maintaining an environment free from cross contamination. Such a system would also need to be able to interact with a human operator throughout the operation. 
     Additionally, in-patient medical facilities such as hospitals are moving toward electronic prescription (e-prescription) systems which use computer systems to create, modify, review, and/or transmit medication prescriptions from the healthcare provider to the pharmacy. While e-prescribing improves patient safety and saves money by eliminating the inefficiencies and inaccuracies of the manual, handwritten prescription process, any syringe fill automation system suitable for use in a hospital setting must interface with an existing e-prescription system (which records and transmits prescriptions to the pharmacy), and must be capable of filling prescription orders in a just-in-time environment. 
     The present inventors herein provide a fully-automated system suitable for use in a hospital setting for filling patient-specific doses of liquid medications to be administered by oral syringes on a patient specific, just-in-time, medication error-free, and cost effective basis. The system enables hospital pharmacists to simplify and streamline their task, increasing the number of prescriptions that can be filled in a day while avoiding the risk of human error and the risk of carpal tunnel syndrome to the pharmacist or technician, improving both patient and pharmacist/technician safety and care. Direct supervision of the technician by the pharmacist is reduced due to the inspection/track and trace system that minimizes the opportunity for error. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and certain modifications thereof when taken together with the accompanying drawings in which like numbers represent like items throughout and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a flow chart of the overall method of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the entire pharmacy automation system  100  according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a more detailed flowchart of the substeps of the container orientation and login process  720  of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4A  is a more detailed flowchart of the substeps of the batch fulfillment process  750  of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4B  is a more detailed flowchart of the substeps of the Medication Container Light Protection and Refrigeration Monitoring Processes. 
         FIG. 5  is a composite view of an adapter cap  210  according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6A  is a top view and  FIG. 6B  a section view of an alternate embodiment of the adapter cap  510  adapted for retrofit assembly to an existing medicine container cap, with a tethered overcap  528 . 
         FIG. 7A  is a top view and  FIG. 7B  a section view of another alternate embodiment of an adapter cap  610  adapted for retrofit assembly to an existing medicine container cap and in which a spout cap  628  is molded to overcap  625  by a resilient arm  629  that is attached at a plastic hinge. 
         FIG. 8A  is a perspective view of an exemplary syringe nozzle tip orientation station  8  while  FIGS. 8B and 8C  are detailed front and side views, respectively, of the orientation station  8 . 
         FIG. 9A  is a perspective view of an exemplary vision inspection station  6 , and at  FIG. 9B  shows the sequence of operation. 
         FIG. 10  is an enlarged perspective view of an automated syringe fill station  5  for filling the syringes S. 
         FIG. 11  is a drawing of the sectionalized syringe conveyor  50  for shuttling along the Automated Filling/Packaging Station  4 , with two independent sections “A” and “B” each bearing one movable shuttle  52 . 
         FIG. 12  is a composite view of the syringe gripping arms  110 ,  111  terminating in a pair of fork shaped fingers  120  that form a horizontally oriented “V” shaped opening. 
         FIG. 13A  is a top view and  13 B a side view of an embodiment of the syringe gripping arms  111  and its drive mechanism. 
         FIG. 14  is a perspective view of an exemplary automated capper  147  and inclined capping chute  149 . 
         FIGS. 15A and 15B  illustrate an exemplary control system architecture for the system  100  of  FIGS. 2-12 . 
         FIG. 16  is a composite view of a top (A), partial front (B), side (C) and full front view (D) if an exemplary shuttle gripper  52  of conveyor  50 . 
         FIG. 17  is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the present system  100  in which the syringe storage  114  is a rotating multi-tiered servomotor-driven carousel rather than an inclined chute dispenser  113  as in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 18  is a drawing of the sectionalized syringe conveyor  50  for shuttling along the Automated Filling/Packaging Station  4 . 
         FIG. 19  illustrates how the rotating multi-tiered servomotor-driven carousel  3  syringe storage of  FIG. 17  and conveyor  50  can be doubled-up to increase throughput. 
         FIG. 20  is a composite perspective view of a vibratory syringe feeder bowl  3 . 
         FIG. 21A  is a perspective view and  21 B a top view of another alternate embodiment in which the linear syringe conveyor  50  is replaced by a pair of side-by-side gripper turrets  582 . 
         FIG. 22A  is a perspective view and  22 B a top view of another alternate embodiment in which the linear syringe conveyor  50  is replaced by robotic arms 
         FIG. 23  is a perspective view of an exemplary capping/decapping station  93 . 
         FIG. 24  is a perspective view of the label photographing station  98  resident at the Medication Container Orientation and Log-In Station. 
         FIG. 25  is a perspective view of the syringe size inspection station  11  which verifies that the correct syringe has been selected. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiment illustrated in the drawings and described below. The embodiment disclosed is not intended to be exhaustive or limit the invention to the precise form disclosed in the following detailed description. Rather, the embodiment is chosen and described so that others skilled in the art may utilize its teachings. It will be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended. The invention includes any alterations and modifications in the illustrated device, the methods of operation, and further applications of the principles of the invention which would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates. 
     The present invention includes both the system hardware as well as the process for preparing and tracking prescriptions of oral syringes by a series of integrated automated steps with respect to preparing the syringe and the bulk medicine, and subsequently bringing the series together for filling the former from the latter. The invention relies on a conventional network architecture which includes a local oral syringe packaging system (OSPS) computer. The OSPS computer is interfaced to a hospital host computer and receives oral syringe prescription instructions there from. In the majority of circumstances, physicians submit prescriptions for oral syringes electronically to the hospital host computer, and these are communicated to the OSPS computer for fulfillment. A software interface resident on the OSPS computer serves to parse/extract those oral medication prescriptions from all prescriptions submitted. 
     The local OSPS computer is programmed to know what must occur at each station and monitor it to ensure that each step of the process is completed satisfactorily and that all decision rules are complied with. Generally, the local OSPS computer software implements a Medication Container Orientation and Log-In Process for semi-automated preparation and storage of the bulk medicine containers to be used in filling and packaging oral syringes, and a Batch Fulfillment Process for fully-automated filling and packaging of oral syringes using the stored bulk medicine containers. The Medication Container Orientation and Log-In Process is independent of the Batch Fulfillment Process, and in general terms comprises the following steps: 
     a. Bulk medication containers received from the pharmaceutical manufacturer are delivered to a Medication Container Orientation and Log-In Station where an operator (i.e. a Pharmacy Technician and/or a Pharmacist) logs into the OSPS computer; 
     b. Each medication container label is photographed using a label photographing station resident at the Medication Container Orientation and Log-In Station. This retains a permanent digital record of the medication used to fill a specific prescription, and where a barcode scan (see next step) is insufficient to identify the concentration, expiration, handling and/or other precautions to be taken relative to this medication, subsequent reference to the recorded label photograph provide the missing information. Each medication container barcode is scanned using a scanner resident at the Medication Container Orientation And Log-In Station and Product Information gained from the scan is automatically entered into the OSPS computer. The operator is provided with a manual data entry screen for entry of any missing or variable information such as container fill size, manufacturer&#39;s expiration date, product lot number. The OSPS computer hosts a database and creates a record for each logged bulk medication container, inclusive of Product Information and label photograph, and each record is automatically tagged with the time and date that the medication container orientation takes place. The record includes a medicine storage designation such as container capacity, expiration date, lot number, time and date of container log-in, and “Standard”, “Refrigerated”, or “Light Sensitive” to ensure proper storage. 
     c. The OSPS local computer instructs the operator which of a variety of adapter caps (described below) to select for recapping the medication container. The medicine container caps are not uniform, and a uniform adapter cap facilitates downstream automation. The operator manually removes the manufacturer&#39;s cap from the bulk medicine containers using an optional capper/decapper device (described below) resident at the Medication Container Orientation And Log-In Station, and replaces that cap with a designated adapter cap. The adapter cap selection is visually guided (e.g., the box containing the correct size adapter cap will light) by the OSPS computer. 
     d. The OSPS computer generates a 2D barcode label which includes the location where the medication container is to be stored and the type of storage (Standard, Refrigerated, and Light Sensitive) in which the container is to be placed. The label is printed on a printer at the Medication Container Orientation And Log-In Station, and is applied by the operator preferably to the adapter cap (but alternatively elsewhere such as the bottom of the medicine container. 
     e. The operator rescans the manufacturer&#39;s barcode on the medication container and the adapter cap 2D barcode. The OSPS computer assigns and records a storage location for the container in a medication Storage Facility (to be described). The OSPS computer also assigns and records an effective expiration date for the medication container (the “effective expiration date” is determined by the date the container is opened at the Medication Container Log In Station plus a predetermined number of days based on pharmacy policy that the medication should expire, not in excess of the manufacturer&#39;s expiration date). 
     f. The container is automatically stored in the assigned location of the Medication Storage Facility by an automated storage and retrieval assembly. If the container is to be stored in the refrigerated section of the Storage Facility, or in light protected storage, a log-in/log-out control system verifies that the container was refrigerated and/or light-protected satisfactorily. 
     It should be understood that the medication container may be provided by the pharmaceutical packager with the information required to utilize that container in the OSPS System  100  on a 2D bar code preferably applied to the center of the base of the container, or with means such as an RFID tag. Doing so would avoid the data collection procedure described previously. However, an adapter cap would still be required to replace the original cap unless the pharmaceutical packager provided the medication with the adapter cap already installed. If the medication container cap needed to be replaced with an adapter cap, the pharmacist/technician could scan the 2D bar code applied to the center of the base of the container, and generate an identical 2D bar code label that would be placed on the adapter cap. 
     The Automated Fulfillment Process comprises the following steps: 
     a. The operator selects from among the operating modes of the system (to be described) and submits an oral syringe fulfillment order which may comprise one or more oral syringe prescriptions to be fulfilled. The OSPS computer analyzes the fulfillment order and orchestrates automated filling and packaging of the oral syringes using the stored bulk medicine containers as follows. 
     b. The OSPS computer identifies the appropriate medication container from the particular (logged) Storage Facility location and makes sure that all medication issues relating to that medicine container have been addressed, including refrigeration, expiration and light-sensitive storage. 
     c. The OSPS computer retrieves the selected medication container from the particular (logged) Storage Facility location. 
     d. The OSPS computer automatically loads the selected medicine container into a product interface at the fill/cap station. 
     e. The OSPS computer automatically picks a syringe based on a fill-size calculation that calculates the most appropriate standard syringe size increment from the requested prescription volume. 
     f. The system automatically inspects the syringe for proper size, based on a syringe body measurement (described below), to verify that the correct syringe has been selected. 
     g. If syringe size is correct, the system transports and loads the syringe into the fill/cap station. 
     h. System/software automatically fills the syringe from medicine in medication container and caps the syringe. 
     i. The system scans the syringe at a volume/weight check station. 
     j. If syringe volume/weight is correct, the OSPS computer automatically prints and inspects a label for the syringe and the pre-printed label is attached to the syringe. 
     k. The system automatically prints a bag that the syringe will be packaged in, and automatically scans the printing on the bag to make sure that it is correct 
     l. The system automatically places the syringe in the bag, confirms that the syringe was placed in the bag, and seals the bag with the syringe in it. 
     All medication containers and medicines in those containers that have been logged in, each size syringe, each size adapter cap, syringe labels, bags, ink cartridges, etc. are automatically inventoried. As an item is used or consumed, the amount of that item remaining is maintained. Track, Trace, and Validation software monitors and documents the entire process from the prescription approval by the pharmacist, the log-in of the medication container, and each step of the packaging process. 
       FIG. 1  is a more detailed flow chart of the overall method of the invention. The following method steps are performed automatically with software guided interaction with an operator, for filling patient-specific oral syringes on a just-in-time basis. The present method and apparatus is specifically designed to avoid mistakes and maintains comprehensive track-and-trace validation of each step: 
     At step  705  a physician writes an oral medicine prescription which is electronically entered into the existing hospital host computer (as all prescriptions are so logged). 
     At step  710  the existing hospital host computer communicates the oral medicine prescription to the hospital pharmacy computer for approval. A pharmacist will typically review it. 
     If approved, then at step  715 , the prescription is transmitted to the local computer of the OSPS (Oral Syringe Packaging System) of the present invention. The operator may select from a variety of OSPS operational modes as will be described. The most typical of which is Patient Specific—Hospital Directed Mode. The oral syringe prescription is added to a batch fulfillment queue at the local OSPS computer. As described below the queue is multi-sorted so that all prescriptions for a particular type of medicine (e.g., Acetaminophen, cough syrup, etc.) can be fulfilled together, and at periods throughout the day an operator may run a batch fulfillment queue (typically batches are run a few times each day). 
     At commencement of batch fulfillment, the OSPS system automatically retrieves the appropriate medication container from OSPS storage facility (as will be described). This presupposes that a library of medicine containers is maintained and that each such medicine container has been properly logged and oriented into the OSPS system so that its location and contents are known to the local OSPS computer. Consequently, the above-described Orientation and Log-In Process is a precursor to batch fulfillment, where each new medication container is logged into OSPS storage by a barcode, RFID scan or similar identification scan (e.g., of the manufacturer&#39;s barcode). The manufacturer-applied cap must also be replaced by an adapter cap (to be described). Orientation and Log-In occurs at step  720 . 
     At step  725  based on the medication container login, the operator places the medicine container in an automated storage and retrieval assembly and the OSPS system automatically conveys it to a Storage Facility, placing it in storage at a particular location specified by the OSPS local computer. 
     The OSPS system (as described below) includes separate storage locations for three types of medication containers: Location 1—No Special Handling of container; Location 2-Refrigeration required; Location 3—Light Sensitive medication container. The end result is an OSPS Storage Facility of different oral medicines in their bulk containers, each properly logged in and stored in its corresponding storage location 1-3. The location that the medication container is to be stored at is assigned by the OSPS computer with reference to a medication inventory management database. That location is printed on the medication 2D bar code label attached either to the adapter cap or to the base of the container. 
     Similarly, at step  740 , an inventory of packaging materials is maintained, including empty syringes in an array of sizes, syringe caps, labels (for barcodes), printer ribbon, and bags. 
     In support of the OSPS system, at step  730  a comprehensive medication database is maintained at the OSPS computer. 
     The OSPS medication database generally includes 1) product information from the manufacturer or other external sources describing the medicines and their containers (size, dose, handling requirements, etc.); 2) prescription-specific information from the hospital identifying the prescription details and patient to receive it; and 3) OSPS runtime information such as the amount of medicine previously taken from a given bulk container. Specific items of information include the following: 
     1. Product Information. 
     a. Medication name. 
     b. Manufacturers barcode number. 
     c. Written information that corresponds to manufacturer&#39;s barcode number. 
     d. Whether medication needs to be shaken, if so the frequency and duration between fills. 
     e. Whether the medication needs to be refrigerated, if so refrigeration policy required. 
     f. Whether the medication is light sensitive, if so light sensitive protection. 
     g. Manufacturer&#39;s Expiration Date. 
     h. Fill size of that container in cc&#39;s. 
     2. Prescription-specific information 
     a. Pharmacy Policy Expiration Date: Container open date plus the number of days before the container expires (determined by pharmacist). 
     b. Effective Expiration Date. This is the soonest of the manufacturer&#39;s expiration date or the date that the container is open plus the number of days before the open container expires (Pharmacy Policy Expiration Date). 
     3. OSPS runtime information (pertaining to the individualized medication containers logged in). 
     a. The OSPS 2D barcode number assigned to that specific container. 
     b. Current amount of product remaining in that container after deducting for previous fills extracted by the syringes. 
     c. Date the medication container is logged-in at the Medication Container Log-In Orientation System. 
     Given all of the foregoing, at step  750  an operator may at any convenient time commence the batch fulfillment process. 
     After each oral syringe has been filled and packaged during batch fulfillment  750 , it is inspected and either rejected at step  760  or approved at step  770 . 
     The above-described method is herein implemented in several detailed embodiments of a system suitable for preparing patient-specific oral syringe doses. Various alternate embodiments of the invention may omit selected steps (and their performance station) where such is/are not required. The needs of the operating institution and the cost aspect of automating certain steps may direct that certain steps/stations be performed manually (e.g. syringe selection and loading into the transport device, medication container storage/retrieval) by an operator interfacing with the apparatus. A presently-preferred fully-automated embodiment is described below with reference to  FIG. 2 . 
     As seen in  FIG. 2 , the pharmacy automation system  100  for packaging oral syringes generally comprises a standalone Medication Container Login &amp; Orientation Station  1 , with an included array of adapter cap storage bins  12 . Logged/Oriented Medication Containers are transported from Station  1  along an automated storage and retrieval assembly  15  to a Storage Facility  2  in which all logged medication containers are stored. Storage facility  2  has separate locations for the three types of medication containers: (a) Location 1—No special handling of container; (b) Location 2—Refrigeration required; and (c) Location 3—Light Sensitive medication container. 
     Storage Facility  2  is proximate an Automated Filling and Packaging Station  4 . The Automated Filling/Packaging Station  4  includes a storage bin  3  for storage of empty syringes. The Automated Filling/Packaging Station  4  also includes a conveyor assembly  50  for transporting syringes from storage bin  3  to a plurality of integral sub-stations, including a syringe size inspection station  11  which verifies that the correct syringe has been selected, and a syringe orientation substation  8  next in line to uniformly orient syringes (to account for off-center nozzles). This is followed by a syringe fill/cap substation  5 , then a check weight and/or volume substation  6 , a syringe label printer and labeler substation  9 , and lastly a bag printing and sealing substation  7 . The purpose and function of each of the foregoing substations  3 - 9  will become clearer in the context of a description of the Medication Container Orientation and Log-In Process (step  720 ), and Batch Fulfillment Process  750 . 
     Medication Container Orientation and Log-in Process (Step  720 ) 
     The OSPS system guides the operator in properly equipping and storing each bulk medication container. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , at step  900 , medication containers are received from a contract packager or pharmaceutical manufacturer. 
     At step  910 , medication containers are delivered to the OSPS Medication Container Login &amp; Orientation Station  1  (see  FIG. 2 ). 
     At step  915 , the pharmacist and/or technician (operator) logs into the local OSPS computer. 
     At step  920 , caps on medication containers are removed and discarded, with assistance from a capper/decapper  93 . 
     At step  925 , the OSPS local computer instructs the operator which adapter cap to retrieve from storage compartments  12  for recapping the medication container. As above, each adapter cap storage compartment  12  may be enclosed by a magnetically-actuable door so that access to each location may be electronically controlled by the local OSPS computer, or illuminated by an LED light, or equipped with a light curtain so that the local OSPS computer can monitor access to the proper location. All these and other suitable forms of user-guidance/selection are considered to be within the scope and spirit of the present invention. 
     At step  927 , the medication container is recapped with the adapter cap, again with assistance from a capper/decapper  93 . 
     At step  930 , the manufacturer-provided medication container barcode is scanned by scanner  95 A and the derived Product Information is appended to the OSPS database record for that container. Any missing variable information can be entered into the OSPS database record by the pharmacy technician at a data entry terminal  96  in communication with OSPS Computer. 
     At step  935 , each medication container label is photographed using a label photographing station  98  resident at the Medication Container Orientation And Log-In Station  1 . The digital photo is automatically appended to the OSPS database record for that container, along with the bar code ID information. 
     At step  940 , the local OSPS computer employs the labeler  97  shown at the Medication Container Login &amp; Orientation Station  1  to generate a 2D barcode label which includes the location that the medication container is to be stored at. The 2D bar code is placed on the adapter cap at step  945 . 
     At step  950 , the bar code label is automatically scanned immediately after printing to verify that its contents are correct and the bar code ID is stored in the OSPS database. 
     At step  955 , the 2D bar code placed on the adapter cap, or the base of the medication container, and the pharmaceutical manufacturer&#39;s barcode are scanned using a scanner resident at the Medication Container Login &amp; Orientation Station  1 . 
     At step  960 , all general and container specific information is recorded in the local OSPS computer database, including the storage location of the bulk container. 
     At step  965 , the OSPS local computer assigns an expiration date to the medication container. 
     At step  970 , the container is placed on a shuttle  52  on the automated storage and retrieval assembly  15  ( FIG. 2 ) and is thereby conveyed to Storage Facility  2  at the location specified by the OSPS local computer. 
     At step  975  if the container is to be stored in the refrigerator section of Storage Facility  2 ( b ), an optional log-in/log-out control system and procedure is available to verify if the container was refrigerated satisfactorily. This way, if the container is outside of the refrigerated storage area  2 ( b ) more than a specific number of minutes the OSPS local computer will not permit the syringe to be filled from that container, and will alert the Pharmacy Technician to remove and discard that container. 
     If the container is to be stored in Storage Facility  2  within light protected storage  2 ( c ), at step  980  an optional log-in/log-out control system may be used to verify if the container was stored properly. This way, if the container is outside of the light protected storage area  2 ( c ) more than a specific number of minutes the OSPS local computer will not permit the syringe to be filled from that container. 
     Fulfillment Process  750   
     With reference both to  FIGS. 2 and 4A , at step  800  a pharmacist must log into the OSPS local computer to use the system. 
     At step  810 , the pharmacist selects the desired OSPS operational mode. Currently four modes of operation are envisioned: 
     1. Patient Specific—Hospital Directed 
     a. The Doctor writes the prescription and enters it into the Hospital Host Computer System. 
     b. The prescription is reviewed by the Pharmacist. If it is okay, the prescription is sent to the Local OSPS Computer where it is batched. Batches will typically be run 2-3 times a day. 
     c. The Local OSPS Computer first sorts all the batched prescriptions in alphabetical order by name. 
     d. The prescriptions are then sorted by size of fill from smallest to largest. The total amount of each medication required for that batch run is totaled. The Local OSPS Computer checks to ensure that there is a sufficient amount of product for each medication required to complete the batch. 
     2. STAT (Rush Order)—Hospital Directed 
     a. The Doctor writes the prescription and enters it into the Hospital Host Computer System. 
     b. The prescription is reviewed by the Pharmacist. 
     c. The prescription order indicates that the prescription needs to be administered soon to the patient. 
     d. If the OSPS System  100  is currently being used, the Pharmacist can decide to either stop all current prescriptions being packaged or wait until completion. Either way, the Local OSPS Computer processes the singular rush order. 
     3. Medication Specific—Pharmacy Directed 
     a. This mode allows production-scale filling of a large number of syringes with the same medicine and the same fill volume. Some medication will need to be inventoried in advance of the Doctor&#39;s prescription. This mode provides the pharmacist with the opportunity to package certain liquid oral products such as vitamins and popular standard dose medications on a more cost-effective basis than buying them already pre-packaged. 
     b. The Pharmacist will automatically enter in a production order for the medication into the Local OSPS Computer. 
     c. The Pharmacist will specify the medication name, size of fill, the information that will go onto the syringe label, the information that will go onto the bag that the syringe is packaged in, and the amount of syringes that are to be packaged for that production run. 
     4. Manual—Pharmacy Directed 
     a. Not all hospitals have an existing electronic prescription system installed that permits the electronic transmission of the Doctor&#39;s prescription to the hospital pharmacy. Consequently, the OSPS System  100  can be operated on a manual basis whereby the prescriptions are entered into the system under the Pharmacist&#39;s supervision. 
     One skilled in the art should understand that other operational modes include a Patient Priority mode in which all medications/oral prescriptions for a specific patient are processed sequentially before moving on to the next patient. The invention is herein described in the context of Patient Specific—Hospital Directed Mode which is the most typical mode of operation. 
     At step  815 , an operator (pharmacy technician) logs in. 
     At step  820 , the OSPS local computer directs the automated storage and retrieval assembly  15  to select the appropriate medicine container from Storage Facility  2 , and an appropriate syringe from storage bin  3  ( FIG. 2 ). 
     At step  825 , the OSPS local computer directs the automated storage and retrieval assembly  15  to retrieve the appropriate medicine container from Storage Facility  2 . Similarly, the OSPS local computer directs the shuttle  52  of conveyor  50  to retrieve the appropriate syringe S from its Storage Facility  113 . 
     At step  826 , the shuttle  52  shuttles the syringe S into the syringe size inspection station  11  which verifies that the correct syringe has been selected. If it is correct, the conveyor assembly  50  installs it at the syringe fill/cap station  5 . 
     At step  830 , the barcode on the adapter cap is scanned to make sure that all medication-related issues have been satisfied (refrigeration, light-sensitive storage, expiration, etc.). 
     At step  840 , the conveyor assembly  50  transports and positions the empty syringe at the syringe orientation station  8 . Syringe sizes 10 mL through 60 mL must be oriented so that the eccentric tip is in correct position for filling. 
     At step  845 , the conveyor assembly  50  transports and positions the empty syringe at the syringe at the fill/cap station  5  and the syringe is filled and capped at the fill/cap station  5 . The OSPS system automatically fills the syringe with the medicine by insertion of the syringe nozzle into the adapter cap, and withdrawal of the plunger. The system then optionally caps the syringe. 
     At step  855 , the conveyor assembly  50  transports and positions the syringe at the check weight and/or volume station  6  and, at step  860 , the syringe is inspected for correct weight or volume. These actions are logged. If the syringe is not the correct weight or volume it is ejected to a reject station. 
     At step  865 , the syringe itself is barcode-labeled at syringe label printer and labeler substation  9  and, at step  870 , the OSPS local computer system verifies that the label is printed correctly by scanning with resident scanner  95 B. If so, the conveyor assembly  50  transports the barcode-labeled syringe to a bag printing and sealing station  7 . 
     At step  875 , a syringe bag is printed/barcoded at bag printing and sealing station  7  and, at step  880 , the system verifies that the bag is printed correctly by scanning with resident scanner  95 B. If so, at step  885 , the conveyor assembly  50  transports and inserts the filled/capped syringe into the barcoded/labeled bag. 
     At step  890 , the syringe bag is sealed at the bag printing/sealing station  7 . The packaged syringe can then be distributed to the patient. 
     At each step of the above-described fulfillment process the OSPS system employs comprehensive track-and-trace inspection/validation of the syringe and, when required, the medication bulk container, to insure that the packaging process is occurring correctly and to compile an audit trail of the current and past locations (and other information) for each syringe. 
     If the process fails then, as seen at step  760  of  FIG. 1 , the syringe or medicine container is rejected and no label is printed or applied to the syringe. If the process occurs correctly then, as seen at step  770  of  FIG. 1 , the syringe is approved and available for distribution. The core method and possible variations are herein implemented in several detailed embodiments of a system suitable for preparing single oral syringe doses. Various alternate embodiments of the invention may omit selected steps (and their performance station) where such is/are not required. The needs of the operating institution and the cost aspect of automating certain steps may direct which steps/stations (if any) are to be performed manually (e.g. syringe selection and loading into the transport device, medication container storage/retrieval) by an operator interfacing with the apparatus and which may be automated. 
       FIG. 4B  is a flow Chart of the Medication Container Light Protection Process (left) and Medication Container Refrigeration Process (right) to ensure proper refrigerated and/or light protected storage. During the Medication Container Light Protection Process ( FIG. 4B  at step  880 ) the Local OSPS Computer assigns the containers to the container light protection storage area based on information in the medication database. A specific location within the light protection storage area is assigned. At step  882 , the OSPS-A light protection control system monitors when the container is in and out of the light protection storage area. At step  884 , if the container is out of the light protection storage area more than a specific number of minutes the OSPS-A will not permit the syringe to be filled from that container. During the Medication Container Refrigeration Process (B), at step  890 , the OSPS Computer assigns the container to the refrigerated storage area based on the information in the medication database. A specific location in the refrigerated storage area is assigned. At step  892 , the refrigerated storage area temperature and time are recorded and graphed by a temperature control monitoring system. At step  894 , the OSPS refrigeration control system monitors the containers in and out of the refrigerated storage area. At step  896 , if the refrigeration control system for the medication container indicates that a particular container has not been adequately refrigerated, the OSPS will alert the Pharmacy Technician to remove and discard that container. 
     Referring back to  FIG. 2 , each station of the pharmacy automation system  100  for oral syringes is described below in more detail. 
     Medication Container Login &amp; Orientation Station  1   
     The first station in the process of the present invention is Medication Container Login &amp; Orientation Station  1  at which the bulk medicine is prepared for use in the system  100 . Medication Container Login &amp; Orientation (MCLO) Station  1  is a standalone desk unit that provides a facility for inputting needed information into the OSPS database via scanner  95 A and data entry terminal  96 , applying barcodes as needed via label printer  97 , decapping bulk containers  104  at capping/decapping station  93 , and refitting them with adapter caps (as will be described with reference to  FIG. 5 ) at capping/decapping station  93 . The scanner  95 A, data entry terminal  96 , and label printer  97  are commercially available components. Capping/decapping station  93  is described below with regard to  FIG. 23 . Label photographing station  98  is described below with regard to  FIG. 24 . 
     MCLO Station  1  is standalone so that it can be positioned as desired. Medicine for oral syringes is provided in liquid form in a factory container with a manufacturer-applied safety cap. An object of the present invention is to be able to insert a syringe nozzle into the containers to withdraw a proper dose of medicine into the syringe. In a fully-automated system  100  such as this, the process is facilitated by removal of the manufacturer&#39;s cap and replacement with a specialized adapter cap having a penetrable seal for insertion of an oral syringe nozzle (or alternatively, manufacturer&#39;s conforming their packaging such that they provide their products to hospitals with an adapter cap pre-applied). The use of adapter caps (1) allows all medication container sizes/shapes to be used with the OSPS System  100 , (2) provides the means for inserting the syringe S into the container in the upside down position and withdrawing the necessary amount of medication without allowing any liquid to leak out of the container, (3) enables the container to be identified, (4) enables the container to be stored, (5) enables the container to be transported, and (6) enables the contents of the container to be protected. 
       FIG. 5  is a composite view of an adapter cap  210  according to the present invention which is adapted to fit a variety of medicine bottle types and sizes. Despite the variability in OEM medicine bottle types and sizes, the adapter cap  210  affords a consistent external configuration and dimensions, providing an interface between any standard medication container and the present OSPS system  100 . It also facilitates insertion of the oral syringe nozzle into the medication containers. As described in detail below, each adapter cap  210  is an annular member defining an internal barrel with an aperture  223  at one end, an elastomeric seal  225  over the aperture for penetration by the nozzle of a syringe S, and opposing flanges  214  separated by a groove  220 . An overcap  229  may be provided as a protective cover to the adapter cap  210 . The opposing flanges  214  encircle the cap body and define the annular groove  220  there between for positive engagement by the dispensing apparatus  100  so as to enable syringe filling operations. Dual flanges are important as they enable pick-and-place manipulation of the medicine containers, including shaking, though one skilled in the art should understand that some manipulation including shaking and/or staging may be accomplished with only one flange. Each adapter cap  210  is barcoded just after application to a medicine container with a unique identifier number. If desired, one of the flanges  214  may be defined with a peripheral flat area for displaying a bar code  290  or, alternatively, bar code  290  may be located atop the uppermost flange  214  (on the top of the cap). The other flange  214  may also be defined with a peripheral flat area for indexing the orientation of the medicine container  104 . One flat area enables orientation of the adapter cap  210  in a known position. The other flat area better presents the identifying information such as a barcode for automated sensing or reading of the information. The flat areas also enable or facilitate automated or manual tightening of the threaded connection between the neck of the container  104  and the cap  210 . The barcode flat and the orientation flat are preferably parallel to one another on opposite sides of the adapter cap  210  and are also longitudinally offset so as to be distinguishable. The known relationship between the orientation flat and barcode flat facilitates automatic positioning and orientation of container with the dispenser and indexing of its angular orientation. In addition to or in place of one or more of the flats, strategically located holes or recesses in the top surface of the cap may be provided. In addition, molded surface features or textures may be provided about the uppermost flange  214  and/or lower flange  214  to provide a gripping surface. One skilled in the art should also recognize that identifying information can be expressed by barcode printing or labeling directly on the cap  210  or the cap may serve as a vehicle to carry an “RFID” tag. The plastic resin used to mold the cap may be formulated to contain an ingredient that would allow direct printing on the cap with either ink or a laser without the need for or use of adhered paper or similar labels. The top of the cap may also be used to affix, print or etch the barcode either by direct printing or adhesive label. 
     With reference to the middle inset of  FIG. 5 , an exemplary embodiment of an adapter cap  210  is depicted. Adapter cap  210  comprises a generally annular cap body preferably formed of a polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride or a similar synthetic polymer. The cap body is formed with an annular outer wall  221  for supporting opposing flanges  214 , a coaxial annular inner wall  222  for sealing and centering the cap  210  against the outer threaded-neck of the medicine container, and a hub  229  between walls  221 ,  222 . The hub  229  is defined by a central channel for supporting and centering an elastomeric seal  225  within the neck of the medicine container. In addition, an annular wafer seal  226  is formed or attached coaxially within the inner wall  222 , spaced slightly therefrom, to produce a seal against the smooth inner-neck of the medicine container. The flanges  214  may be hollowed as shown to conserve material, solid, or may be open around their periphery. Also, the flanges  214 , annular outer wall  221 , coaxial annular inner wall  222  and hub  229  may be integrally formed (such as by molding), or may be separate but attached as shown. In the preferred embodiment the annular wafer seal  226  is a separate component ultrasonically-welded to the hub  229 . The annular inner wall  222  is open at one end and constricted at the other by the inwardly projecting hub  229  which defines a typically circular aperture  223  through the cap body  220  for access to the contents of the medicine container  104  as will be described. The elastomeric seal  225  is mounted in the aperture  223  to create a sealed but penetrable passage for the syringe S nozzle as shown. 
     The inner wall  222  of the adapter cap  210  may be defined by a simple inwardly-threaded connection for screw-insertion onto the threaded container  104  neck. However, the great variety of manufacturer thread pitches and container  104  neck sizes weighs in favor of a more universal-fit adapter cap  210 . This is possible by providing the inner wall  222  of the adapter cap  210  with a series of integrally formed inwardly-directed circular gripping ribs  242  for gripping the neck of a bottle  104  by its threads. As the neck of a bottle  104  is forced into the central void, the ribs  242  engage the threads on the outside of the neck of the bottle and flex slightly to permit the threads to pass. Once past, the ribs  242  spring back toward their original position and press against the neck to engage the threads and secure the adapter cap  210  to the container  104 . The variable size of the central void due to the flexure of the ribs  242  permits the adapter cap  210  to accommodate some variation in outside neck diameter and thread finish, and create a fluid-tight seal without the need for a specific thread pitch. The coaxial annular wafer seal  226  abuts the interior of the container  104  neck, centers the adapter cap  210 , and adds to the seal against the smooth inside surface of the neck of the bottle  104 . Similar to the inner wall  222 , the annular wafer seal  226  may also be formed with a plurality of outwardly-directed annular ribs or wipers to improve the seal, or may contain an outwardly-facing O-ring for the same purpose. Again, annular wafer seal  226  is in this case a separate element inserted into the inner wall  222  of the cap body and secured in place by ultrasonic welding or otherwise. 
     To improve the resiliency of the inner wall  222  and/or wafer seal  226  either/or can be segmented by notches partially interrupting the continuous walls, thereby forming several (preferably eight) “spring finger” segments arrayed about the central axis. The bottom inset of  FIG. 5  illustrates this axial array of segments  227  which, if formed in inner wall  222  effectively snap over the threads on the exterior of the neck of the medicine container  104 . The serrated segments  227  are first to advance down the threaded neck and align the neck for a better seal with the adapter cap  210  body. The same can be done on the annular wafer seal  226  to improve resiliency, again forming several (preferably eight) “spring finger” segments to abut the interior of the medicine container  104  neck. 
     Even with the resilient ribs  242  and segments  227  each adapter cap  210  won&#39;t fit all container  104  sizes, it is envisioned that several (approximately eight) sizes of adapter caps  210  will be needed. 
     The elastomeric seal  225  is fitted within the aperture  223  of the hub  229 . In its simplest form the elastomeric seal  225  may be a resilient, penetrable membrane with a small hole or slot (such as a pinhole) punched at its center, and preferably formed of silicone or other rubber. The hole in the seal  225  expands as the tip of a syringe S is inserted to permit pressurization of the container  104  and/or filling of the syringe (by vacuum) as described below. On withdrawal of the syringe tip the resilient elastomeric seal  225  returns to its original shape closing the hole and preventing leakage of the fluid contents of the bottle  104 . However, a flat elastomeric seal  225  with a hole or slot has been found to drip slightly. 
     To prevent dripping, a preferred embodiment of the elastomeric seal  225  is shown in the right-most inset of  FIG. 5 , which improves the engagement with the nozzle of the syringe S. Seal  225  is formed with a hollow cylindrical section  231  circumscribed by a flange  232  for mounting within (or to) the coaxial annular inner wall  222  of the adapter cap  210  body. The cylindrical section  231  leads to a pronounced duck-bill protrusion  233  that tapers to a distal tip, with aperture  223  (preferably slotted) continuing out through the duck-bill protrusion  233 . The duck-bill protrusion  233  serves as a flap valve against the nozzle of the syringe S and expands to receive the nozzle of the syringe S. 
     The duck-bill configuration is advantageous because it creates a seal around the syringe S nozzle prior to the nozzle forcing open the duck bill slit. Likewise, upon exit, the duck-bill slit closes prior to the syringe nozzle breaking its seal against the interior. This tends to self-relieve pressure and prevent dripping. 
     The adapter cap  210  is typically applied to the container  104  and inserted into the Storage facility  2  ( FIG. 2 ) in an upright orientation as shown. The adapter cap  210  allows the attached medicine container  104  to be automatically staged by the upper and lower flanges  214  (though as stated above staging may be accomplished with only one flange), and thereby gripped at the syringe fill/cap station  5 , shaken (when needed), and inverted 180 degrees into a fill position (as in  FIG. 5  middle inset) for upward insertion of the syringe S. Inversion allows the fluid contents to be collected at the adapter cap  210  under force of gravity. The type of adapter cap used with the present invention may depend on the features/options chosen by the customer for their desired level of automation. For example, if the system is fully automated then the adapter cap must have a flange for manipulation, and hence an adapter cap  210  is required such as shown in  FIG. 5  to incorporate flange(s)  214 . However, semi-automatic operation is possible in which the medicine containers may be loaded manually. One skilled in the art should understand that the above-described filling and capping station  200 , being manually loaded with medicine containers, does not necessarily require the dual-flanged adapter cap  210  described previously, or duck-bill seal  225  as described previously. Any manufacturer-supplied adapter cap may be used provided that it is equipped with an elastomeric membrane seal for the syringe S nozzle, most preferably a duck-bill embodiment  225  as shown in  FIG. 5 . Thus, any conventional cap, such as Baxa&#39;s AdaptaCap™ bottle adapter cap may be used (as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,493,348 referenced above) and simply modified or equipped by the manufacturer or aftermarket with an elastomeric seal such as  225 . Moreover, any conventional cap can be retrofit with an overcap to provide one or two flanges, when desired.  FIGS. 6-7  are composite views of two alternate embodiments of the adapter cap  510 ,  610  adapted for retrofit to an existing medicine container cap. Both designs comprise a press-over plastic cap that allows existing medicine container caps to be used in an automated or semi-automated packaging system, adding the penetrable elastomeric (e.g., duckbill) seal and flang(s) thereto. 
     More specifically,  FIG. 6  illustrates how a conventional medicine container cap  335  is outfitted with an overcap  525  to provide a flange  527  and, in addition, a retrofit duckbill seal  225 . The seal  225  is attached as shown by creating a ¼″ diameter hole through the top of the cap and attaching the elastomeric seal  225  in that opening. A medicine container bottle is then attached. The overcap  525  comprises an annular cap that is press-fit down overtop the conventional medicine container cap  335 . In the illustrated embodiment, the overcap  525  is formed with inwardly protruding flanges  535  about the bottom edge to lock it in place. For medicine containers equipped with a spout cap  528  attached by a tether  529 , a slot  537  may be defined ingressing from the bottom edge of overcap  525  to a right angle to accommodate the tether  529 , the right-angle slot providing a twist-lock feature to secure the overcap  525  thereon. In this case the overcap  525  may be barcoded up top as shown at (A), or on the bottom of the medicine container. For medicine containers not equipped with a spout cap/tether, the spout cap  528  attached by a tether  529  may be molded to the side of the overcap  525 . 
       FIG. 7  shows yet another embodiment in which a spout cap  628  is molded to overcap  625  by a resilient arm  629  that is attached at a plastic hinge. A plastic leaf spring  627  (also molded) straddles beneath the hinge to provide a spring-biased closure action. The inner chamber of overcaps  525 ,  625  may be molded with an annular groove  630  (see  FIG. 7(B) ) about the top to seat a rubber or silicon washer, thereby preventing seepage. Another means for preventing seepage is to co-mold an elastomeric seal, in the form of an o-ring or washer, within the annular groove  630 . 
     In light of the foregoing description of the potential use of a conventional (such as a Baxa® adapter cap, the following are optional modifications thereto 
     (a) tethered nozzle closure or hinged nozzle closure; 
     (b) co-molded a washer on the underside of the cap that touches the lip of the container, or washer attached to the underside of the cap to provide a leak-proof, air tight seal between the underside of the cap and the lip of the container (note that the underside of the cap will need to retain this washer).
 
(c) increased-diameter opening (syringe port) to allow for a duck bill to be inserted and held in place by the cap
 
(d) one or two flanges for orienting the hinged cap and also to transport, handle and store the medication bottle. The flange(s) may be integrally molded or attached separately (possibly snap-fit in place) and if needed, welded to the cap.
 
The type of cap used with the present invention will depend directly on the features/options chosen for the present system. For example, if the system is fully automated then the medicine container cap must have a flange for manipulation, and hence an adapter cap  210  is required such as shown in  FIG. 5  to incorporate flange(s)  214 . However, for semi-automatic operation in which the medicine containers are loaded manually the flange would not be used because it is not required, adds cost to the cap, makes the bottle less stable, and causes the bottle to occupy more space which is a disadvantage when storing the containers. Thus, two versions of the adapter cap are required—one with the flange (for automatic operation) and the other without (for semi-automatic operation).
 
     Referring back to  FIG. 2 , at MCLO Station  1  a number of bins  12  are provided for storing various sizes of adapter caps  210  as needed to fit all standard container sizes. As described above in steps  910  through  965  ( FIG. 3 ), the OSPS system  100  automatic medicine container selection, return process, and syringe S selection is fully automated, but adapter cap  210  selection is system-guided. For example, each adapter cap storage compartment  12  may be enclosed by a magnetically-actuable door so that access to each location may be electronically controlled by the local OSPS computer, or illuminated by an LED light, or equipped with a light curtain so that the local OSPS computer can monitor access to the proper location. 
     OSPS system  100  implementation of the fully-automated container  104  selection process employs a software module resident in the local OSPS computer that relies on all three of the information components stored in the OSPS system database: 1) product information from the manufacturer or other external sources describing the medicines and their containers (size, dose, handling requirements, etc.); 2) prescription-specific information from the hospital identifying the prescription details and patient to receive it; and 3) OSPS runtime information such as the amount of medicine previously taken from a given bulk container. Specifically, patient-specific information from the hospital identifying the prescription details is compared to product information from the manufacturer or other external sources to determine the appropriate medicine to retrieve. The software module ascertains from the patient-specific information the appropriate amount of medicine to retrieve. This is compared to OSPS runtime information (the amount of medicine previously taken from the bulk containers  104 ) to determine the specific container  104  to retrieve. The location of that container  104  is ascertained from the scan of the container  104  and pre-labeled adapter cap  210  at scanning station  95 A, and the ensuing storage location in Storage facility  2  which was assigned automatically by the local OSPS computer. Given the desired container  104  location, in one embodiment a shuttle  52  translates along the conveyor assembly  50  and employs an on-board gripper  51  to retrieve the container from the Storage facility  2 . Other embodiments of the conveyor assembly  50  are described below which employ alternatives to shuttle  52 . 
     In operation, and as described previously with regard to  FIG. 3  (medication container orientation and log-in process step  920 ), the OEM caps on medication containers  104  are removed and discarded at capper/decapper  93 , the OSPS local computer instructs the operator which of the adapter caps in storage  12  ( FIG. 2 ) to select for recapping the medication container  104  (step  926 ), the operator retrieves the proper adapter cap  210  under system  100  guidance and applies it at capper/decapper  93 . The labeler  97  generates a 2D barcode label which includes the location in Storage facility  2  where the medication container  104  is to be stored. The operator places the 2D bar code on the adapter cap, and the 2D barcode on the adapter cap is scanned by scanner  95 A. All general and container specific information derived by scanning or supplemental data entry at data entry station  96  is recorded in the local OSPS computer database, including the storage location of the bulk container  104  in Storage facility  2  and the expiration date of the medication container. The operator places the medication container in the label photographing station  98  described below with regard to  FIG. 24 , and the container label is photographed. The digital photo is automatically appended to the OSPS database record for that container, along with the bar code ID information. 
     The operator then loads the container onto another gripper/shuttle  52  which translates along the conveyor assembly  50 , and the conveyor assembly  50  moves and stores the container in the Storage facility  2  location assigned by the local OSPS computer. If the container is to be stored in light protected storage  2 ( c ) or refrigerated storage  2 ( b ) the track-and-trace software ensures compliance. Later, when needed to fulfill a batch of oral syringe prescriptions the local OSPS computer will actuate a shuttle  52  to retrieve the desired medicine from the Storage facility  2  with adapter cap  210  applied, gripping it within the groove  220  and loading it into a product interface  70  (described below) at the fill/cap station  5 . The medicine may be verified by a resident scanner  95 B at the Automated Filling and Packaging Station  4  as to proper content, available fluid volume and other attributes before being loaded at the product interface  70 . 
     The first substation in the Automated Filling and Packaging Station  4  is, according to the present invention, a storage bin  3  for storage of empty syringes. The syringe storage  113  preferably incorporates a separate syringe compartment or shelf for each size of syringe that the system anticipates needing in the course of a production run. In the illustrated embodiment, the storage bin  3  is a top-loading gravity-fed dispenser with multiple fixed or adjustable dividers to allow separation of syringes according to size. The inclined chute gravity-feed configuration positions each size of syringe for easy pick-and-grab selection by the gripper  51  of shuttle  52 . As with medicine container  104  selection, the OSPS software ascertains from the patient-specific information the appropriate dose of medicine to determine the specific syringe S size to retrieve. The location of that syringe S is ascertained from the database, and the exact syringe S location in syringe storage  113  is presented to the operator who retrieves it from the syringe storage  113 . In still other embodiments the syringe S may be automatically ejected to the shuttle  52  under control of the local OSPS computer. The OSPS syringe-selection software module calculates the most appropriate syringe S size based on the required prescription information dosage, the known volume of the syringe selections (the following standardized oral syringe sizes: 0.5 ml, 1 ml, 3 ml, 5 ml, 10 ml, 20 ml, 35 ml, and 60 ml), identifies the syringe size to accommodate the fill volume of the prescription, and moves the shuttle  52  accordingly until its gripper  51  can retrieve the syringe from the proper magazine. 
     The second substation in the Automated Filling and Packaging Station  4  is the syringe size inspection station  11  which verifies that the correct syringe has been selected. The syringe size inspection station  11  is described more fully below with regard to  FIG. 25 . 
     The next substation in the Automated Filling and Packaging Station  4  is a syringe nozzle tip orienter  8  for orienting syringe nozzles to a common position. This is necessary as many syringe nozzles are offset from center. The syringe nozzle tip orienter  8  indexes the orientation of the syringe nozzle to the same angular position when the syringe is in the fill position. 
       FIG. 8  includes a conceptual perspective illustration at A of how the syringe nozzle tip orienter  8  works, as well as a detailed front view B and side view C. As seen at A, the conveyor assembly  50  transports the empty syringe to the syringe orientation station  8  in the direction shown such that the nozzle tip catches a plow  81 . With the syringe nozzle tip rubbing along plow  81  the gripper  51  of the conveyor  50  allows free rotation of the syringe, pushing the nozzle tip outward and serving to prevent the syringe nozzle tip from crashing into nozzle tip orienter  8 . With nozzle tip clear, the syringe S continues until positioned under a rotator finger  82 . The rotator finger  82  is driven by a servomotor  83  which is under control of the local OSPS computer. The rotator finger  82  is a downwardly-protruding pin mounted offset on a rotating hub  84  attached to the servomotor  83  shaft. Once the syringe is centered underneath, the gripper  51  of the conveyor  50  stops, and the servomotor  53  is activated such that the rotator finger  82  makes one complete revolution. The finger  82  catches the nozzle tip at some point along its revolution and urges it into an indexed position, thereby presenting the syringe tip at an exact known angular position (e.g., 12 o&#39;clock). The gripper  51  closes tightly to secure that indexed position thereby facilitating alignment with the filler centerline. 
     The fourth substation is the syringe fill/cap station  5  for filling and capping the syringes S (see  FIG. 2 ). The system  100  transfers a medicine container  104  into the fill station  5  from a shuttle  52  of conveyor  50  (after picking the appropriate container from its designated location in Storage facility  2 ) by loading it into a carousel product interface  70 . Meanwhile another shuttle  52  positions an empty syringe S (step  840 ) at the syringe fill/cap station  5 . 
     Carousel product interface  70  rotates the medicine container around into a loading carriage  81  at the syringe fill/cap station  5 . The product interface  70  stages multiple medicine containers just prior to the filling process in order to minimize the time required when transitioning from one medicine container to the next. The loading carriage  81  engages the container  104  by the grooves  220  of the adapter cap  210  and inverts it into a fixed upside down position and orientation over the syringe S (see  FIG. 5  middle inset) to facilitate the filling of the syringe S. The system automatically fills the syringe S with the medicine by inserting the syringe nozzle into the adapter cap  210  followed by a calibrated withdrawal of the plunger (to be described). As seen in  FIG. 2  an integral capper  147  caps the syringe at the filling station, after which it is returned to the conveyor  50 . 
     The fifth substation is an inspection station  6  which at least comprises a check-weigh scale. The system  100  uses it to weigh and/or inspect the filled syringe S to verify the syringe is filled as intended, and the System  100  accepts or rejects the weighed/inspected syringe. The OSPS software calculates the target weight based on the fill size in cc&#39;s and multiplies by the specific gravity to derive weight. The specific gravity of each medication is stored in the OSPS database along with the percentage+/−% deviation that is acceptable for the actual fill weight. If the actual fill weight is in the target range, it is accepted. If not, it is rejected. 
     More preferably, inspection station  6  is a vision inspection station (alone or in combination with check weigh scale) to ascertain fill volume. 
       FIG. 9  at (A) shows a perspective view of an exemplary vision inspection station  6  in which the syringe fill volume is inspected by a CCD imager  330  that optically detects, by image analysis, if the syringe S plunger is at the correct location, if the volume above the plunger and below the syringe tip is filled with product, and/or if there are any bubbles in the product. If the syringe volume inspection device  6  determines that the syringe is filled to the correct volume with an acceptable amount of bubbles, it will be accepted. Otherwise, it will be rejected. 
       FIG. 9(B)  shows the sequence of operation in a preferred embodiment. First, the shuttle  52  of conveyor  50  carries the syringe S into the vision inspection station  6  and places and releases it in a gripper-bracket  192  that establishes and maintain a fixed ‘Reference Point’ that is ascertainable for all syringes S. Preferably, the reference point is just below the syringe tip and at the intersection of the top of the syringe body. A CCD imager  330  resides behind the conveyor  50  and gripper-bracket  192 . Thus, in order to effectuate the proper backlighting, the shuttle  52  hands the syringe S off to gripper-bracket  192  through a guillotine-style backlight assembly  194  comprising a pair of spaced-apart vertical rails  195  and an articulating backlight panel  196  that moves up and/or down within rails  195 . Frontal lighting may also be provided by LED light bars  198 . After the shuttle  52  hands the syringe S off to gripper-bracket  192  the backlight panel  196  is lowered into position, so that it lies directly behind the syringe S in the optical path of CCD imager  330 . With back-and-frontal lighting on, the CCD imager  330  images the syringe S from the ‘Reference Point’ downward to the seal ring of the plunger. This results in a numerical dimension for the specific syringe size and relative to the prescribed dose. The reading is compared by the OSPS computer to a pre-determined number associated with both the syringe size and every increment on the syringe. For example, if a 10 ml dose is prescribed the database recommends a 20 ml syringe if properly filled, and the imaged dimension will read 32.75 mm or 1.289″. The inspection station  6  also checks for excess bubbling. Any voids or bubbles are interpreted as a mixed pixel count in either light or dark depending on the opacity of the medication from our data base. Any voids or bubbles will be interpreted as a mixed pixel count in either light or dark depending on the opacity of the medication from the data base. In the event of miss-match of pixel color or shading within the fill zone the error is flagged. The fill accuracy is preferably +/−5% of target. The bubble void percentage is preferably at +/−2½% of mismatch. After visual inspection the backlight panel  196  is raised, and the shuttle  52  retrieves the syringe S from gripper-bracket  192 . In case of failure the pharmacist will make a decision to either pass or fail the filled syringe S. 
     The sixth substation is a flag label printer/applicator  9  as seen in  FIG. 2 . After inspection of the syringe S at inspection station  6 , if no defects are found, the shuttle  52  of conveyor  50  inserts the syringe into syringe label printer  9 , which is a commercially available flag label printer/applicator. As described above relative to  FIG. 3  (step  865 ), the syringe label printer  9  prints a syringe label and inspects it for content accuracy just before applying it to the syringe S. The labeler is in communication with the local OSPS computer and automatically prints self-adhesive labels bearing information regarding the prescription such as the contents of the syringe (medicine type, concentration, dosage, expiration, scheduled administration, etc.) and its intended recipient (name, room number, etc.) along with a bar code identifying a central record of this information in the OSPS database. The label includes a 2D barcode though other labels such as RFID may be used. The label is adhered to the syringe barrel using known application methods. In one such embodiment, the label is supported by hinged arms of the printer/applicator  9  and held by vacuum pressure while the applicator advances to envelope the syringe barrel with the hinged arms coming together to join the label as a flag to the barrel of syringe S. A portion of the label around the barrel must be transparent to permit dosage markings of the syringe to be clearly visible. 
     The seventh substation is a bag printing and sealing station  7 . The bagging station  7  is a commercially available Hand Load Printer/Bagger for hand load labeling and bagging applications. It is networked to the local OSPS computer to automatically print the bag in which the syringe S will be packaged. The bag is printed with information regarding the prescription such as the eventual contents of the syringe (medicine type, concentration, dosage, expiration, scheduled administration, etc.) and its intended recipient (name, room number, etc.) along with a bar code identifying the same content. After printing a bag, the system inspects the print on the bag to make sure that it is correct. If so, the system places the filled/capped syringe S in the bag and the bag is then sealed. 
     If all the steps are completed correctly the syringes are distributed for administration to the patient. 
     One skilled in the art will recognize that certain steps may be completed in various alternate sequences to achieve the same result, and features may be modified or eliminated as a matter of design choice. 
     With combined reference to  FIGS. 1-7  and additional reference to other drawings a detailed description of an embodiment of the present invention and certain alternatives is herein provided. 
     At initial MCLO Station  1  an operator prepares bulk medicine containers for use at the automated syringe fill/cap station  5 . Preparation entails applying an adapter cap  210  onto the neck of the bottle or container to enable the system to engage and manipulate the container  104  during the dispensing process as will be described. Again, each adapter cap  210  includes a unique identifying number, for example, in barcode format. Preparation of the container  104  also includes scanning, verification and recordation of adapter cap  210  information, scanning, verification, photographing and recordation of container  104  label information including content information (name, manufacturer, full volume, concentration, etc.), batch or production information and expiration information, and association of the unique adapter cap  210  number with its assigned container  104  in a medication track and trace database. Various other parameters for each medicine can be associated with each record in the database such as the maximum flow rate at which a certain medicine can be withdrawn from its storage container (i.e. to prevent cavitation/inaccurate fills), the storage temperature (ambient or refrigerated), the required frequency of shaking/agitation of each medicine to keep any particulate matter properly suspended/distributed (e.g. between each syringe fill dispense cycle or only at the start of a series of syringe fill dispense cycles). As an example, each barcode (or possibly RFID tag or other label) preferably references the following information: 
     Batch number 
     Expiry date 
     Storage instructions 
     Product name 
     Strength 
     Name of the active ingredient(s) 
     Dose form 
     Warning statements 
     FDA number 
     Product need to be shaken before use? If so, how often? 
     Product need to be refrigerated before use? If so, temp? 
     Volume of original bulk medication container? 
     The information available from the pharmaceutical manufacturer&#39;s barcode on the medication container varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. The operator is prompted to enter any missing data directly into the computer data entry terminal  96  at MCLO Station  1 . The information from the pharmaceutical manufacturer&#39;s barcode label plus the variable information is stored in the medication container database which is linked to the medication container by the adapter cap barcode label. The adapter cap  210  identifying number is linked to the container  104  to which it is attached in the medication track and trace database. It is also important that each container  104  is marked in both human and machine readable forms (i.e. text, barcode or RFID tag) as to the type and concentration of the medication it contains along with various other information, to enable visual inspection. 
     The containers  104  are typically manufacturer-supplied although custom containers may be used for purposes of the present system. If the storage containers  104  are provided by the manufacturer, 20 mm, 24 mm, and 28 mm neck diameters are typical. The bulk containers may be provided in a specified, standardized format by the manufacturer, or the medicines may be refilled into standardized containers onsite. 
     If a custom storage container  104  is used the neck diameter is a uniform, known size. In either case, the storage containers  104  may be retained in an upright or inverted position and are preferably equipped with adapter cap  210  that allows dispensing while preventing air infiltration that leads to premature spoilage of the contents. Proper adapter caps  210  are either substituted for the manufacturer&#39;s onsite or supplement the manufacturer&#39;s cap. The medicine containers are moved on shuttles  52  along conveyor  50  into Storage Facility  2 , which may be proximate the Automated Filling and Packaging Station  4 . Referring back to  FIG. 2 , the prepared medicine container  104  is returned with its adapter cap  210  to the medicine Storage Facility  2  where it remains until called for. The system software monitors the contents of the medicine Storage facility  2  in terms of both identity of the prepared medicines available to be dispensed and the quantity of each medicine. The content of the Storage facility  2  is continually updated as the medicine is dispensed and the system is able to predict, based on current pending prescription and historical dispensing information, when the current available container of any given medication will be empty so as to advise the operator to prepare a replacement quantity of such medicine prior to emptying the existing container. Medicines exceeding their expiry dates are also identified by the system to be discarded by the operator. 
     When called for, the medicine containers are likewise retrieved on shuttles  52  along conveyor  50  from Storage Facility  2  and are shuttled into the Automated Filling/Packaging Station  4 . It should be apparent that there may be separate independent conveyor  50  tracks and multiple shuttles  52 , at least one for moving medicine containers from Storage Facility  2  into the Automated Filling/Packaging Station  4 , one for moving medicine containers from Storage Facility  2  into the Automated Filling/Packaging Station  4 , and one for moving syringes S along the substations of the Automated Filling/Packaging Station  4 . In the preferred embodiment, the conveyor  50  for moving syringes S along the substations of the Automated Filling/Packaging Station  4  is broken into two independent sections each bearing movable shuttles  52 , with a handoff there between. This speeds up the process. 
       FIG. 11  is a perspective drawing of the sectionalized syringe conveyor  50  for shuttling along the Automated Filling/Packaging Station  4 , with two independent sections “A” and “B” each bearing one movable shuttle  52 , and a handoff turret  57  between sections. A shuttle  52  moves along conveyor section A to pick a syringe from syringe storage  113 , move it into the nozzle tip orienter  8 , and then into the syringe fill/cap station  5 , after which it hands the filled/capped syringe S off to the handoff turret  57 . The handoff turret  57  simply transfers the filled syringes for access by the shuttle gripper  51  of conveyor section “B”, whereupon it continues through the remaining substations. The advantage of this configuration is that the shuttle  52  in section “A” is free to return for filling another syringe S while the shuttle  52  in section “B” completes the printing/inspection and bagging operations, effectively reducing cycle time by 50%. 
     After a shuttle  52  picks a syringe from syringe storage  113 , it is moved into the nozzle tip orienter  8  and then into a staging area in the syringe fill/cap station  5 . 
       FIG. 10  is an enlarged perspective view of an automated syringe filling/capping station  5  for filling and capping the syringes S. Syringe S is automatically transported into the staging area by conveyor shuttle  52  and the loading carriage  70  of the syringe fill/cap station  5 , preferably with the plunger partially withdrawn from the barrel. Once in the fill position the syringe is engaged by a series of arms, upper  110 , middle  111  and lower  112 , that grip and operate the syringe S in order to effectuate the filling process. 
     At the same time, the system  100  loads a medicine container  104  into the fill station  5  by a shuttle  52  of conveyor  50  picking the appropriate container from its designated location in Storage facility  2  and loading it into a carousel product interface  70  which in turn stages the container around into the container gripping apparatus  81 . The container gripping apparatus  81  shakes the container when necessary, then effectively flips the container  104  from the home position (A) shown about a 180 degree arc to an inverted fill position (B) out front (as per arrow). Once inverted in the fill position, an oral syringe S is advanced into the elastomeric seal  225  of the adapter cap  220  and is sealed therein (see  FIG. 5 ). The oral syringe may be entirely evacuated such that its plunger is advanced all the way into its barrel or the oral syringe may have a calibrated amount of a gas (such as air or nitrogen) in front of the plunger in the barrel. The syringe plunger may be withdrawn to draw the fluid into the barrel. Where a gas is present in the syringe, the plunger may be first advanced so as to force the gas into the container  104 . The plunger is then withdrawn to draw the fluid into the syringe. Introduction of the gas into the container  104  slightly pressurizes the container initially and prevents the development of negative pressure within the container which would inhibit fluid flow. When the syringe is filled to the proper volume it is withdrawn. 
     As seen in  FIG. 12 , each of arms, upper  110 , middle  111  and lower  112 , terminates in a pair of fork shaped fingers  120  that form a horizontally oriented “V” shaped opening to engage the syringe barrel and plunger cross sections regardless of the size of these elements. Each arm is independently servo controlled and slideable in both an up-down direction and a horizontal forward-back direction to facilitate engagement with and operation of the syringe and plunger. The capability of the articulating arms  110 - 112  to move both vertically as well as in and out, in combination with the V-shaped fork of fingers  120  at the distal ends, is what gives the present system its adaptability, e.g., to completely withdraw the plunger to fully fill any of a variety of different oral syringe sizes. 
     The upper and middle arms  110 ,  111  grip above and below the syringe barrel flange, while the lower arm  112  grips the plunger flange. The local OSPS computer calculates the distance to move the lower arm  112  and plunger flange to extract the appropriate dose of medicine based on the prescribed dose volume V and known radius or diameter of the syringe S size retrieved. The linear travel distance H equals V/πr 2  where the radius r is stored in the database. The linear travel distance H constitutes the distance that the lower arm  112  needs to travel to pull the correct amount of medicine into the syringe S. The local OSPS computer then controls the movement of fill arms  110 ,  111 ,  112  in accordance with the calculated distance H, and may also account for other variables such as medicine viscosity, volume of fill, etc. to optimize either the linear travel distance H or the filling force exerted or filling time taken along that distance. Upper, middle and lower arms  110 ,  111  and  112 , are provided in a single stacked configuration, along with a plunger lifting arm  128  that extends upward from below to depress the plunger of the inverted syringe S into the barrel. A seen in  FIG. 13  each of the middle and lower arms  110 ,  111  and  112  have a horizontally fixed base member  121  riding on a pair of ball slides  122  on a set of guide rails  123  vertically oriented with the housing  895  (of  FIG. 10 ). Vertical movement of each base member  121  on the guide rails  123  is controlled by a linear servomotor  124  situated below and extending into the housing  895 . Each arm  110 ,  111 ,  112  is also provided with a horizontal reaching member  127  slideably mounted horizontally to each base member  121  so as to ride up or down the guide rails  123  with the base member  121  while being extendable or retractable in the horizontal to engage the syringe S. Horizontal extension and retraction of the reaching members  127  is controlled by a horizontally oriented linear servomotor  125  fixedly mounted to each base member  121  and engaged to the proximate reaching element  127 , each which is itself mounted via a horizontally oriented ball slide assembly  126  affixed to the base member  121 . The forked fingers  120  are horizontally disposed at the distal ends of the reaching elements  127 . In this way the horizontal and vertical motion of each arm  110 ,  111 ,  112  is individually controllable in two dimensions. 
     Referring back to  FIG. 10 , in addition to the upper, middle and lower arms  110 ,  111 ,  112 , a plunger lifting arm  128  extends upward from below to depress the plunger of the syringe S into the barrel as will be described. The plunger lifting arm  128  is controlled by a linear servomotor and is vertically oriented. In certain embodiments the lower arm  112  may serve both the plunger pull-down (withdraw) and plunger lift (depress) operations. 
     The container is automatically loaded into the syringe fill/cap station  5  at the product interface  81 , as shown in  FIG. 10 . The interface comprises an offset yoke  82  that engages the adapter cap  210  between the upper and lower flanges  214 , suspending the container  104 . The operator signals “ready” by pressing a button at the control interface. 
     Once verified to be the correct, a fill arm  105  comprising a pair of grippers  143  are moved over the yoke  82  around the flanges capturing the container  104  in position. The grippers  143  are slideable toward and away from each other and are provided with a series of surface features such as grooves and ridges in their opposing faces to cooperatively engage those defined in the container adapter cap  210  to facilitate secure engagement with and gripping of the cap. 
     Movement of fill arm  105 /gripper arms  143  over the yoke  82  may be accomplished by slideably mounting the fill arm  105  on an arm carriage  106 , and mounting the arm carriage  106  in slots on a rotator arm  140 . A actuator  142  is provided on bracket  143  with horizontal ball slide and track  141  mounted on or in the housing of the syringe fill/cap station  5  so as to be advanceable forward and backward between a syringe S in the staging area  81  and the filling position at the other end. Actuator  142  may be a linear actuator for sliding the bracket  143  on its track(s)  141  between the forward and back positions or to its home position between the two extremes. Pneumatic inlets are provided for opening/closing gripper jaws  143 , and for flipping the container  104 . Fixedly attached at a distal end of the rotator arm carriage  106  is the fill arm  105  including grippers  143  disposed to engage the adapter cap  210  of the container  104  when the container is situated in the product interface  81 . The container rotator/inverter assembly may include a conventional servomotor  109  with perpendicular axis attached at the lower end of the rotator arm  140 . This way, after capturing the container  104 , the servomotor  109  flips the container 180 degrees forward, inverting it, and moving it into a fill position and orientation for filling of the syringe S. If the medicine in container  104  must be shaken, the servomotor  109  first shakes the container back and forth before flipping it. 
     During fill operations the upper, middle and lower arms  110 ,  111  and  112  are initially in a horizontally retracted state. When the syringe S is loaded, the upper and middle arms  110 ,  111  are extended so that the syringe is received within the V-notch and the fingers  120  are engaged to the surface of the barrel (upper arm  110 ) and plunger (middle arm  111 ) (see  FIG. 10  inset and  FIG. 12 ) such that the barrel flange is between the upper and middle arms. The upper and middle arms  110 ,  111  then slide vertically toward each other to tightly grip the barrel flange between them. The opposing surfaces of the upper and middle arms  110 ,  111  may be provided with a resilient and/or high friction surface to securely engage the barrel flange. The lower arm  112  engages the plunger above the plunger flange in a similar manner while the lift arm  128  extends upward to engage the distal end of the plunger. The lower and lift arms  112 ,  128  are brought together to engage trap the plunger flange between them. 
     The gripper  143  engages the adapter cap of the medicine container in the product interface  81  securely gripping the cap and engaging the container  104  between its fingers  143 . The arm carriage is then advanced forward to withdraw the container  104  from the product from the inverted position B of interface  81 . If needed, the rotator arm  108  is actuated in a back-and-forth motion to agitate or shake-up the medicine within the container  104 . Once mixed (if necessary), the rotator arm  108  is rotated fully forward to invert the container over the syringe S such the adapter cap is aligned over the tip of the syringe. The syringe is then lifted by coordinated movement of the arms  110 ,  111 ,  112 ,  128  such that the nozzle is sealingly engaged within the elastomeric insert  225  of the adapter cap  210 . 
     If the syringe S is entirely evacuated at this stage (i.e. the plunger is fully depressed within the barrel), the lower arm  112  is initially dropped, withdrawing the plunger from the barrel and drawing the medicine into the syringe. As noted, in certain embodiments the syringe may have a predetermined amount of air in the barrel to pre-pressurize the container  104 . In such a situation the position of the plunger (and hence the volume of air in the barrel to be injected into the container) is determined by the system based on known parameters of the medicine, the container volume and its current fill level, and the plunger is positioned accordingly prior to insertion into the adapter cap by relative movement of the upper, middle, lower and lifting arms  110 ,  111 ,  112  and  128 . Upon insertion of the tip in the adapter cap the plunger is first fully depressed by the lift arm  128  to pressurize the container and subsequently withdrawn by the lower arm  112  at a predetermined rate to fill the syringe S with desired amount of medicine without cavitation. 
     When the syringe is filled to the desired level, the arms  110 ,  111 ,  112  and  128  are lowered in unison and the syringe S is withdrawn from the adapter cap  210  and the elastomeric insert  225  returns to it closed/sealed position. If desired, the syringe plunger may be further withdrawn from the barrel slightly by relative movement of the lower arm  112  as the nozzle is withdrawn to draw in any medicine left in the elastomeric insert  225  so as to avoid drippage. 
     With the syringe withdrawn, the rotator arm  140  ( FIG. 10 ) rotates to lift the container  104  into an upright position and the lower and lift arms  112 ,  128  disengage the plunger. The upper and middle arms  110 ,  111  return the syringe to the loading carriage  70 . 
     The automated capper  147  may place a cap on the open tip of the filled syringe, fed from an inclined capping chute  149 . Where capping is not automatic, the operator may manually place a cap over the tip prior to weighing. 
       FIG. 14  illustrates the automated capper  147  and inclined capping chute  149 . Automated capper  147  is a robotic capper under control of the Local OSPS computer with a servomotor-controlled positioning arm  153  and pneumatic capping mechanism with a distal cap-gripping chuck  155 . The positioning arm  153  is positioned over caps fed from chute  149  and picks and places them on the inverted syringes while held in arms  110 - 112  in the loading position (A). 
     During batch operation a series of syringes S to be filled with the same medicine may be queued and loaded in sequence by the operator for filling. When no more syringes are to be filled with the particular medicine, the local container  104  is returned to the product interface  81  to be removed and returned under local OSPS Computer control to the medicine Storage facility  2 . 
     After filling at the syringe fill/cap substation  5 , the shuttle  52  moves along conveyor section A to and hands the filled/capped syringe S off to the handoff turret  57 . Shuttle  52  returns to fill another syringe. The handoff turret  57  transfers the filled syringe to another shuttle  52  on conveyor section B, whereupon it continues through the remaining substations. 
     Referring back to  FIG. 2 , shuttle  52  carries the syringe to the inspection system  6  to cross check the weight and/or volume of the filled syringe against the expected weight/volume (the expected weight is based on the known weight of the empty syringe and the volume of the prescribed medicine). The vision inspection ( FIG. 7 ) preferably entails an optical volume inspection based on the location of the syringe S plunger, the volume above the plunger and below the syringe tip. The filled and capped syringe S is preferably held stationary in a spring-loaded yoke holder by its cap, while the backlit camera CCD measures from a reference point to the seal ring of the syringe plunger. Since the syringes are hung by their caps within a common yoke they will all have the same zero reference point, despite varying sizes. Given knowledge of the prescribed dose and the syringe size, the system can accurate determine if the fill dose is correct. In addition, the vision inspection may also include phase-contrast imaging to measure bubbles in the syringe. Phase contrast imaging exploits differences in the refractive index of the contents to differentiate bubbles. Some bubbles are tolerable, but too many are not. The vision inspection may employ phase-contrast imaging as a bubble check. If the inspection station  6  determines that the syringe is filled to the correct volume and/or weight with an acceptable amount of bubbles, it will be accepted. Otherwise it will be rejected. 
     After inspection of filled syringe S as described above, the syringe is shuttled into a syringe label printer/applicator  9  (see  FIG. 2 ). The labeler  9  is in communication with the central controller and prints and applies self-adhesive labels bearing information regarding the prescription such as the contents of the syringe (medicine, dosage, scheduled administration, etc.) and its intended recipient (name, room number, etc.) along with a bar code identifying a central record of this information. The label is printed, scanned (inspected) and, if approved, applied to the syringe using known application methods. In one such method the label is supported by the hinged arms of the applicator by vacuum pressure while the applicator advances to envelop the syringe barrel with the hinged arms coming together to join the label as a flag to the barrel. A portion of the label around the barrel must be transparent to permit dosage markings of the syringe to be clearly visible. 
     The labeled, filled and capped syringe is then bagged at bagger  7  for distribution to the patient, the bag itself being labeled with information similar to that found on the syringe label. Bagger  7  may be any suitable commercially-available bagger with a network-capable bag printer, bag storage/dispenser, and heat seal assembly. A variety of automatic “tabletop bagger/printers” are available for this purpose. 
     With reference to  FIG. 15  a control system architecture (shown at (A) top) for the system  100  is disclosed in which a main controller  300  is provided in communication with a series of sub-controllers for one or more sub-station steps via a communications backbone  310 , in the depicted case, via Ethernet. The main controller  300  is preferably a microprocessor based microcontroller or PC containing a processor core, memory, and programmable input/output peripherals. The controller contains a system safety controller, logic controller, top level motion controller and human-machine interface for interaction with a system operator. The main controller  300  further incorporates a database read/write module for interaction with a local or remote customer (patient) records database and local event database for managing downstream component operation. An order listener/parser module is provided for receiving orders from an external pharmacy/prescription entry and management system maintained by the institution. The parser can be custom formatted to discern and populate order information based on a user specified data stream and structure. 
     Sub-controllers are provided for all downstream machine sections such as a Syringe Auto-loader subcontroller  320  for the nozzle tip orienter  8 , Filler/Capper/Rejecter  330 , Checker/Verifier and Secondary Rejecter  340  and Medicine Library  350 . The sub-controllers are each provided with a safety controller, local input/output system and local motion controller integrated with the main controller  300  via the communications backbone  310 . The main controller orchestrates the integration and operation of the downstream machine elements as described above and controls the overall operational mode of the system  100 . 
     The local OSPS Computer may incorporate fill weight/volume adjustment software. Specifically, the inspection station  6  is networked to the Local OSPS Computer and may provide weight or volume feedback to automatically adjust the amount of liquid transferred into the oral syringe at servomotor-operated syringe fill/cap station  5 . The software determines if a syringe has too much or too little medicine in it. Any out-of-specification syringe will be rejected and another one will be prepared utilizing feedback from the fill weight/volume adjustment software. 
       FIG. 16  is a composite view of a top (A), partial front (B), side (C) and full front view (D) if an exemplary shuttle gripper  52  of conveyor  50 , with enlarged insets showing the gripper  51  details. Each gripper  52  generally comprises a servomotor  521  mounted on a rail  525  via set screws  527 , the rail being mounted atop a shelf  523 . Shelf  523  is in turn mounted on a pedestal  522  that travels along conveyor  50 . Thus, servomotor  521  can be adjusted along rail  525  and repositioned via set screws  527  A gear box  524  is mounted to the face of the servomotor  521  for linearly-translating one or both of two opposed gripper arms  526  toward and away from each other, the movable gripper arm  526  being mounted in a tongue-and-groove track that spans the face of the gearbox  524 . The gripper arms  526  protrude horizontally outward from the gripper  52  toward the various substations of system  100  for gripping and transporting medicine containers between them. Each gripper arm  526  is defined by an inwardly-disposed V-shaped jaw with recessed roller bearings  529  held captive in the gripper arm  526  and protruding slightly outward into the V-shaped recess of the jaw. The roller bearings  529  are damped by mounting them, e.g., on a floating plate  533  that is slidable within the gripper arm  526 , plate  533  having a plurality of posts  531  protruding up into oblong slots in the gripper arm  526  to give plate  533  a limited range of travel. A spring  530  is stretched between anchors on the plate and gripper arm  533  to bias the plate  533  inward, hence increasing the protrusion of the roller bearings  529  into the V-shaped jaw. This way, as the roller bearings  529  compress against the body of a medicine container and/or syringe they damp the contact. Roller bearings  529  also allow rotation of the container/syringe held captive therein, which is important during orientation of the syringe nozzles. This configuration affords a firm but flexible grip on the annular container/syringe bodies. In the case of syringes S, the opposed V-shaped jaws are sized and spaced to accommodate any of the following standardized oral syringe sizes: 0.5 ml, 1 ml, 3 ml, 5 ml, 10 ml, 20 ml, 35 ml, and 60 ml. Importantly, when the grippers  52  retrieve a syringe S into its conforming V-shaped jaws of gripper arms  526 , feedback from the servomotor  521  allows the local OSPS Computer to ascertain the syringe S size, thereby cross-checking to prevent the infeed of a wrong-sized syringe. This affords a reliable syringe infeed pick and place mechanism for shuttling syringes between substations. 
     The OSPS System  100  is specifically designed to dispense from a library  8  of up to 250-300 (or more) liquid medications into 0.5 ml, 1 ml, 3 ml, 5 ml, 10 ml, 20 ml, 35 ml, and 60 ml size syringes (both clear and amber) based on the doctor&#39;s prescription on a fully-automated basis. Its automated throughput is approximately 10-30 syringes per minute based on 1-10 ml size syringes, with inspection checks at each step in the process to ensure that the syringe was packaged correctly. The Track, Trace and Validation Software module documents the entire filling and packaging process and generates an audit trail available for recall in the future. It is important to understand that the preferred embodiment of the OSPS System  100  is designed for automatic operation, thereby avoiding all the typical human errors. 
       FIG. 17  is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the present system  100  in which the syringe storage  114  is a rotating multi-tiered servomotor-driven carousel rather than an inclined chute dispenser  113  as in  FIG. 2 . This configuration may arrange the standardized oral syringe sizes: 0.5 ml, 1 ml, 3 ml, 5 ml, 10 ml, 20 ml, 35 ml, and 60 ml on a plurality or rotary tiers, and can make picking the appropriate syringe faster inasmuch as the servomotor-driven carousel  114  rotates simultaneous with linear movement of the shuttle  52  until its gripper  51  can retrieves the syringe from the proper magazine. 
       FIG. 18  is a perspective drawing of the sectionalized syringe conveyor  50  for shuttling along the Automated Filling/Packaging Station  4 , adapted for use with the rotating multi-tiered servomotor-driven carousel  3  syringe storage of  FIG. 17 . The carousel dispenser  3  itself comprises a plurality of independently servo-rotated tiers, and the shuttle  52  is mounted atop a vertical positioner for vertical extension and up/down access to the respective tiers. As in  FIG. 11 , there are two independent sections “A” and “B” each bearing one movable shuttle  52 , and a handoff turret  57  between sections. A shuttle  52  moves along conveyor section A to pick a syringe from syringe storage  3 , move it into the nozzle tip orienter  8 , and then into the syringe fill/cap station  5 , after which it hands the filled/capped syringe S off to the handoff turret  57 . The handoff turret  57  simply transfers the filled syringes for access by the shuttle gripper  51  of conveyor section “B”, whereupon it continues through the remaining substations. Effective cycle time is approximately 19 seconds. 
       FIG. 18  also illustrates the use of a staging mechanism  117  in between the medicine container library  8  and the Automated Filling/Packaging Station  4  for staging a plurality of bulk medicine containers. The illustrated staging mechanism  117  is a starwheel indexer with a plurality of radially-spaced wells for staging medicine containers along a circular path. If several containers of a given medicine are needed to fulfill a batch of prescriptions or for any other reason this staging of multiple containers saves considerable time in the process. 
       FIG. 19  illustrates how the rotating multi-tiered servomotor-driven carousel  3  syringe storage of  FIG. 17  and conveyor  50  can be doubled-up to increase throughput. The carousel  3  includes parallel-pairs of rows of syringes in each servo-rotated tier and two-side-by-side shuttles  52  move tandem pairs of syringes along independent sections “A” and “B” (each bearing a pair of movable shuttles  52 ), with a double handoff turret  57  between sections. Two shuttles  52  move along conveyor sections A to pick two syringes from syringe storage  3 , move them into the nozzle tip orienter  8 , and then into the syringe fill/cap station  5 , after which they hand the filled/capped syringes S off to the handoff turret  57 . The handoff turret  57  simply transfers the filled syringes for access by the shuttle gripper  51  of conveyor section “B”, whereupon it continues through the remaining substations. Effective cycle time is approximately halved. 
     As still another alternative to the rotating multi-tiered servomotor-driven carousel, or inclined chute dispenser, a vibratory bowl feeder may be used as shown in  FIG. 20 . A variety of suitable vibratory bowl feeders are available for feeding individual syringes S, all include a bowl feeder that orients the parts, a vibrating drive unit upon which the bowl feeder is mounted, a control box module, and an outfeed track to convey parts along and discharge them to the gripper  52 . 
       FIG. 21  is a perspective view of another alternate embodiment in which the linear syringe conveyor  50  is replaced by a pair of side-by-side rotary platforms  582  and all substations of the Automated Filling and Packaging Station  4  are arranged in a circle around the side-by-side rotary platforms  582 . Each rotary platform  582  comprises a rotating base upon which is seated an axial array, for example, of six (6) extensible pistons each bearing a distal pair of gripper arms  526  (as per  FIG. 16 ). The rotating multi-tiered servomotor-driven syringe storage carousel  3  is positioned at one end and the bagging station  7  at the other. In operation, the first rotary platform  582  retrieves a syringe from storage  2 , rotates it around to the tip orienter  8 , then to the fill/cap station  5 , and then hands it off to the second rotary platform  582  for rotation around to the inspection station  6 , syringe labeler  9 , and bagging station  7 . 
       FIG. 22  is a perspective view of another alternate embodiment in which the linear syringe conveyor  50  is replaced by robotic arms networked to the local OSPS Computer for conveying syringes S and medicine containers  104  from station-to-station in place of the operator. If this is desired, then due to the extensive range required (approximately six feet) to traverse the distance of the current System  100 , and the size of one robot, the inventors envision the use of two robot arms  875 ,  876 . A first robotic arm  875  is responsible for syringe selection, orientation and filling/capping, while the second robotic arm  876  is responsible for inspection, syringe labeling and bagging. More specifically, the first robot arm  875  moves to select the proper syringe from syringe storage  3 , and next holds the syringe S in place for orientation at orienter  6 . Once oriented, arm  875  then moves syringe S into the fill/cap station  5 , and then to inspection station  7 . Once filled and inspected, a hand-off turret hands the syringe to the second robotic arm  876  for continuing on to the inspection station  6 , syringe labeler  9 , and bagging station  7 . 
       FIG. 23  is a perspective view of an exemplary capping/decapping station  93 , which comprises an elevated platform support surface  952  for stabilizing the medicine container. An optional container clamp (not shown) may be mounted on the support surface  952  for centering and constraining the medicine container. The container clamp may comprises a pair of opposing V-shaped clamps. An operator presses a “clamp” button and the opposing V-shaped clamps close around the container bottle. The V-shaped clamps may be mounted on low-friction slides so that any size bottle can be slid toward the center of the chuck. Although the clamps are mounted on low friction slides, they remains stationary to rotation. An articulating spindle assembly extends upward from a base  953  mounted on the support surface  952 , the spindle assembly including a vertical piston  954  extendable/retractable from base  953  and a horizontal mast  955  extending from piston  954 . The mast  955  contains a motor which drives a vertical spindle  955 . A manual lowering arm  956  is geared to the piston  954  for piston extension/retraction from base  953 , thereby allowing an operator to raise or lower spindle  955  manually. A pressure sensor  957  is mounted to the spindle  955  (or internal to the mast  955  for sensing the downward pressure. A chuck  958  is mounted at the lower end of the spindle  955 . As seen in the inset (at left), the chuck  958  is preferably formed with a hard outer shell (e.g., stainless steel) and a molded plastic core placed inside, the core defined by a conical interior surface with an elastomeric inner lining. An elastomer such as polyurethane or equivalent resin can be poured around the interior of the core to form the elastomeric lining. A lateral slot enters the interior of the chuck  958 . This chuck  958  is designed to fit all caps ranging from 18 mm to 38 mm in diameter. Due to its conical interior and elastomeric inner lining, downward pressure onto the container cap causes a non-slip, gripping action. The slot accommodates certain container caps which have a tethered closure feature. The tether is free to protrude and will not cause interference between the chuck  958  and cap. 
     This capping/decapping station  93  enables the medicine caps to be loosened from their containers mechanically without the need for an operator to exert strong hand pressure. The system is capable of loosening caps as well as applying torque to seat them. In operation, the medicine container is placed on the support surface  952 , and the operator centers the container either with the optional holding clamp or by hand, and if to cap a pre-labeled adapter cap is placed on the container. Upon moving the manual lowering arm  956  forward, the piston  954  extends from base  953 , thereby a lowering spindle  955 . The chuck  958  descends into contact with the adapter cap to tighten it, or into contact with the manufacturer cap if decapping is desired. Once the chuck  958  descends onto the cap and downward force is applied the pressure sensor  957  begins to compress and in doing so, signals the motor to start. This avoids inadvertent rotation of the elastomeric chuck  958  in advance of contacting the cap which may cause abrasion and emit particles of the elastomer in the vicinity of the work area. The scanner  95 A ( FIG. 2  may be mounted beneath the platform support  952  to reads the medicine container&#39;s 2D barcode from beneath. Preferably, the scanner  95 A is synchronized via the OSPS computer such that the first time it reads a particular barcode the spindle  955 /motor turn in the counter-clockwise (cap removal) direction. Conversely, the second time scanner  95 A reads that particular barcode the spindle  955 /motor turn in the clockwise (cap tightening) direction. The assembled medicine container and adapter cap can be slid out and removed. 
       FIG. 24  is a perspective view of the label photographing station  98  resident at the Medication Container Orientation and Log-In Station. The label photographing station  98  is employed for the purpose of photographing the entire medicine container&#39;s label for archival purposes (to retain a record of the medication used to fill a specific prescription). In some cases, the barcode scan from scanner  95 A alone will be insufficient to identify details such as medicine concentration, expiration, handling and other precautions relative to the medication. The label photographing station  98  comprises a circular table  984  rotatably seated atop a support surface  982 . A camera  988  is oriented directly toward a focal point centrally atop the table  984 , and a pair of opposing sensors  986   a ,  986   b  are indirectly aimed from the sides toward that same focal point. The camera  988  and sensors  986   a ,  986   b  are all mounted on a common undercarriage via struts that pass through tracks in the table  984 . This allows the camera  988  and sensors  986   a ,  986   b  to translate in unison along the tracks in the table  984 . The undercarriage is servo-driven (or otherwise adapted for controlled translation) under control on the OSPS Computer, in accordance with feedback from sensors  986   a ,  986   b . The medicine container may be manually placed anywhere atop the table  984 , and the OSPS Computer will drive the undercarriage until the sensors  986   a ,  986   b  align with the surface of the medicine container. The sensors  986   a ,  986   b  track the surface of the container and travel with that focal surface, along with the camera  988 . This positions the camera  988  at exactly the proper focal distance regardless of container position, and maintains the optimum focal distance from label to camera  988  despite a variety of sizes and shapes of medicine containers. 
       FIG. 25  is a perspective view of the syringe-selection verification station  11  which verifies that the correct syringe size (0.5 ml, 1 ml, 3 ml, 5 ml, 10 ml, 20 ml, 35 ml, and 60 ml)) has been retrieved by the shuttle  52  and gripper  51  from the proper magazine. One skilled in the art should understand that syringe-selection verification station  11  may be placed anywhere along shuttle  52  between the filling/capping station and the syringe label printer and labeler substation  9 . The illustrated syringe-selection verification station  11  essentially comprises a set of automatic calipers connected to the OSPS Computer for verifying proper syringe size. More specifically, a support surface  1101  is formed with a pair of aligned slots  1103 ,  1104 . A stationary cradle comprises a pair of spaced-apart yokes  1102   a ,  1102   b  fixedly mounted on the support surface  1101  on opposite sides of the slots  1103 ,  1104  for supporting the syringe S in a horizontal position. A pair of articulating caliper fingers  1105  protrude upward through the slots  1103 ,  1104  to embrace the syringe S on both sides. Caliper fingers  1105  are driven by an underlying caliper drive mechanism connected to the OSPS Computer which moves fingers  1105  into contact with the syringe S after the shuttle  5   s  has deposited the syringe S onto the yokes  1102   a ,  1102   b . The caliper fingers  1105  rise to a height higher than the center of the largest syringe S size, and in operation the fingers  1105  close around the body of the syringe S until a force is sensed (indicating contact with the syringe). At this point a measurement of the syringe body is taken (the distance between fingers  1105  is calculated) to verify that the correct syringe S has been selected. If correct, labeling and/or further processing of the syringe S will take place. 
     In addition to syringe S size, it may also be desirable to verify that proper syringe S color has been retrieved by the shuttle  52  and gripper  51  from the proper magazine. This entails a more comprehensive visual inspection, more than the digital caliper-type syringe-selection verification station  11  described above. Nevertheless, both color and size can be verified by optical imaging using hardware equivalent to the vision inspection station  6  used herein for verifying syringe fill volume. 
     The foregoing OSPS system  100  fulfills prescription orders in a just-in-time environment, and solves the problems inherent in the handling of all the myriad sized medication containers containing the pharmaceuticals to be dispensed, as well as variously-sized oral syringes, bringing them together in a controlled environment to quickly and accurately fill and label each syringe and to verify its work as it proceeds in order to avoid medication errors in the process. In other cases where a lesser degree of automation is preferred this is possible with a simplified filling system in which both syringes and medicine containers are manually selected, and mounted, and only the filling process is semi-automated. Still, track and trace may be applied for the purpose of ensuring that the correct medicine is selected. 
     In all the above-described embodiments, the system minimizes downtime as well as processing time to take and fill orders, and is easy to clean and capable of maintaining an environment free from cross contamination. The system is open and accessible and allows interaction and oversight by a human operator at multiple points in the operation. Moreover, it is modular and permits a differing and upgradeable level of operator participation (from manual/semi-automatic to and including full automation) based on the need of the individual institution. 
     It should now be apparent that the above-described system is driven by prescription orders in a just-in-time environment, manages all the various prescription containers containing the pharmaceuticals to be dispensed, as well as variously-sized oral syringes, to automatically converge them and orient, fill, label and cap each syringe and fully verify its work as it proceeds in order to avoid medication errors in the process. The pharmacy automation system for oral syringes substantially improves the pharmacist and technician productivity, maintains an environment free from cross contamination, minimizes operator fatigue, and minimizes prescription errors. 
     Having now fully set forth the preferred embodiment and certain modifications of the concept underlying the present invention, various other embodiments as well as certain variations and modifications of the embodiments herein shown and described will obviously occur to those skilled in the art upon becoming familiar with said underlying concept. It is to be understood, therefore, that the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically set forth in the appended claims and may be used with a variety of materials and components. This application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its general principles. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains.