Abstract:
A method for controlling access to and segregating items dispensed from a vending machine having a stock of said items, said method comprising: vending an item only when a control procedure is satisfied; storing a record indicating said vended item has been dispensed; if said vended item is not distributable to an authorized recipient; quarantining said vended item including inserting said vended item into a port on an exterior of said vending machine that conveys said inserted vended item to a secure repository in the interior of said machine; and updating said record to indicate said vended item has been returned to said machine.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application is a continuation-in-part of and claims priority of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/476,220 filed Jun. 27, 2006 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/820,564 filed Jun. 21, 2007, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference as if being set forth in their entireties herein. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     In general, the present invention relates to systems and methods that are used to control access to and convey pharmaceuticals in an automated manner and that safeguards against prescription fraud, preparation error and control and segregation of undistributed items.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0003]     When a person is sick, they commonly use the services of a professional healthcare provider. In the standard course of operation, healthcare providers regularly examine and diagnose patients in their offices. Typically, a sick patient will meet with the healthcare provider in his/her office. The healthcare provider will diagnose the illness and suggest a course of action to treat the illness. Often, the suggested course of action involves the taking of a medication. If the selected medication is a controlled pharmaceutical, the healthcare provider writes a prescription for the patient. The patient takes the prescription to a pharmacy, wherein a pharmacist fills the prescription. As such, sick patients must proceed through a two-step process before they receive medication for their ailment. The patient must first visit with a healthcare provider to obtain a prescription. The patient must then visit with a pharmacist to have the prescription filled.  
         [0004]     The two-step process of obtaining medication for an ailment presents many problems for a patient. The obvious problem is one of inconvenience. It takes time to visit both a physician&#39;s office and a pharmacy. It also takes time for a pharmacy to fill a prescription. Consequently, there can be a delay of many hours between when a physician hands a patient a prescription for a medication and the time that the patient has that medication in hand.  
         [0005]     Furthermore, just because a patient is given a prescription does not mean that the patient will fill the prescription. A patient may believe that the physician is wrong in their diagnosis. Alternatively, a patient may procrastinate, hoping the aliment will pass without medication. A patient may also lose the prescription, forget about the prescription or purposely not fill the prescription for a variety of financial, religious and/or personal reasons.  
         [0006]     The other problems associated with the two-step process of receiving medications are much less obvious, but no less important. When a patient arrives at a pharmacy, the patient must hand the pharmacist the prescription. The pharmacist must assume that the prescription is proper for both the patient and the illness being treated. In other words, the pharmacist must assume that the doctor did not make any error in writing the prescription and has handed the correct prescription to the correct patient. The pharmacist must then decipher the physician&#39;s handwriting and understand what has been prescribed in what amounts. If the pharmacist misreads the prescription in any way, the prescription will be incorrectly prepared.  
         [0007]     Assuming the physician did not err in issuing the prescription and the pharmacist did not err in reading the prescription, the pharmacist must then properly fill the prescription and label the prescription. If the pharmacist errs in either filling or labeling the prescription, the patient may take the wrong medication or may take the right medication, but the wrong dosage. The patient may also be given the proper medication, in the proper dosage, but with incorrect dosing instructions.  
         [0008]     Finally, once a prescription is prepared and labeled, it must be given to the correct patient. Most pharmacies do not ask to see identification from patients. The prescription is often just handed to the first person who asks for the prescription and pays for the prescription.  
         [0009]     Most patients assume that the prescription given to them at the pharmacy is correct. If a patient is handed the wrong prescription, there is a good chance that the patient will take that medication without ever reading the label on the bottle.  
         [0010]     In addition to all the problems that may accidentally occur in traditional systems, many people also attempt fraud to acquire pharmaceutical prescriptions. Such people take advantage of the many problems of the system to forge, falsify, and steal pharmaceuticals.  
         [0011]     It will therefore be understood that in order for a person to properly receive a prescription, there must be no human error in writing, handling, filling, labeling and delivering the prescription. Although the system works correctly the vast majority of the time, human error will always be present. Thousands of such errors occur every year. These errors could result, either directly or indirectly, in deaths, permanent injury, illness, harmful drug interactions and untreated disease. This creates liabilities to pharmacists and doctors resulting in increased healthcare costs for everyone.  
         [0012]     Despite training and safety protocols, the only way to reduce human error is to minimize the points in the system where human error can occur. To prevent physicians from writing illegible prescriptions, many electronic prescription systems have been created that electronically transmit prescriptions to pharmacies. Such prior art systems are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 6,067,524 to Byerly, entitled Method And System For Automatically Generating Advisory Information For Pharmacy Patients Along With Normally Transmitted Data; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,883,370 to Walker, entitled Automated Method For Filling Drug Prescriptions.  
         [0013]     A common place where errors occur is in the filling, labeling and delivery of the prescription by the pharmacist. One way to minimize human error in these processes is to create automated machines that convey prepackaged pharmaceuticals.  
         [0014]     There are many ways to convey prepackaged goods to the public using automation. A common way to convey prepackaged goods is through the use of vending machines. Vending machines can vend any product that is placed into the vending machines, including prepackaged pharmaceuticals. Vending machines can also be left accessible to the public at all times, thereby enabling a person to fill a prescription at their own convenience. Vending machines specifically configured to vend prescription pharmaceuticals are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 5,797,515, to Liff, entitled Method For Controlling A Drug Dispensing System.  
         [0015]     Replacing a human pharmacist with an automated vending machine presents its own set of problems. First, the vending machine must be manually filled with the proper medications. Human error may cause the vending machine to be incorrectly filled. Furthermore, as most everyone has experienced, vending machines do not always vend properly. Merchandise gets jammed. Sometimes nothing vends from the machine, sometimes two products accidentally vend from the machine.  
         [0016]     A need therefore exists for an improved prescription preparation and conveying system that eliminates as much human error as possible by using automating processes. A need also exists for an improved automated conveying system for prescription pharmaceuticals that safeguards against many errors that are prevalent in prior art automated systems.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0017]     In one embodiment, a system for controlling access to and segregating dispensable items comprises a vending machine that contains the dispensable items to be vended. The vending machine includes an access control mechanism responsive to selection of one of the dispensable items for causing the vending machine to activate and vend the selected item. Transaction information associated with each of the vended items is stored in memory. The vending machine further includes a port on an exterior of the machine and adapted to receive items previously vended from the vending machine for return. A repository is located on the interior of the machine and operably connected to the port for quarantining the returned items, whereby the returned items are separated from the items to be vended. A sensor may be provided for sensing the returned items and causing the system to update transaction information to indicate that the sensed item has been returned to the machine.  
         [0018]     In one embodiment, a method for controlling access to and segregating items dispensed from a vending machine having a stock of said items, said method comprising: vending an item only when a control procedure is satisfied; storing a record indicating said vended item has been dispensed; if said vended item is not distributable to an authorized recipient; quarantining said vended item including inserting said vended item into a port on an exterior of said vending machine that conveys said inserted vended item to a secure repository in the interior of said machine; and updating said record to indicate said vended item has been returned to said machine.  
         [0019]     Upon the completion of a patient&#39;s diagnosis, a physician may prescribe a regulated pharmaceutical. If the pharmaceutical is present within the vending machine, the physician enters the prescription into a terminal. The prescription is read by a processor such as the central processing unit that controls the vending machine. The central processing unit identifies the location of the pharmaceutical in the vending machine and awaits a proper vending code.  
         [0020]     In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the physician hands the patient an electronic key card. The key card is encoded with the vending code needed to activate the vending machine. The patient carries the key card to the vending machine. The key card is read by the data reading unit. If the code on the key card matches the prescription code previously entered by a physician, the vending machine vends the prepackaged unit-of-use.  
         [0021]     Through the use of sensors and label codes, the system verifies that the prepackaged unit-of-use has correctly vended from the machine and that the prepackaged unit-of-use is correct.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0022]     For a better understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the following description of an exemplary embodiment thereof, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0023]      FIG. 1  is an exemplary schematic representation of a physician&#39;s office containing the present invention system;  
         [0024]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram showing another part of the methodology used by the present invention system;  
         [0025]      FIG. 3  is a block diagram showing yet another part of the methodology used by the present invention system;  
         [0026]      FIG. 4  shows an exemplary printout created by the present invention system and shown with a prepackaged pharmaceutical container;  
         [0027]      FIG. 5  is a block diagram showing yet another part of the methodology used by the present invention system;  
         [0028]      FIGS. 6   a  and  6   b  are schematic representations showing major components of a vending machine useful for implementing aspects of the present invention according to an exemplary embodiment.  
         [0029]      FIG. 7  is an exemplary process flow for implementing quarantine aspects of the present invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0030]     Before embarking on a detailed discussion the following should be understood. The present invention system and method can be used to convey and control access to dispensable items or materials other than pharmaceuticals. For example, it is contemplated that various regulatable substances may be dispensed including but not limited to expensive items, hazardous materials, or other substances that require control or regulation. For example, the method and system of the present invention can be utilized in a factory setting where industrial tools such as expensive work tools, bits or dies are controlled in their delivery to the factory floor. However, the present invention is particularly well suited for use in the prescribing, conveying and controlling of prescription pharmaceuticals. Accordingly, the present invention apparatus, system and method is described for use in conveying prescription pharmaceuticals in order to set forth the best mode contemplated for the invention.  
         [0031]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a schematic of a physician&#39;s office  10  is shown that contains an exemplary embodiment of the present invention system. The physician&#39;s office  10  includes an examination room  12  and an office area  14 . The examination room  12  is the room where physicians physically examine patients. The office area  14  typically is a restricted area that is only used by office personnel. The office area  14  usually has a countertop  16  that separates the office area  14  from public areas used by the coming and going patients.  
         [0032]     The present invention system utilizes a prescription fulfillment or prescription vending machine  20  to store prepackaged items or units of use. A unit-of-use may be a bottle, jar, vial, tube, syringe, package or other receptacle that is prefilled with pharmaceutical. In one embodiment, the unit of use is prefilled in a volume large enough to complete a course of treatment. The vending machine  20  is preferably kept in the restricted office area  14 . However, the vending machine  20  may be present in public areas for direct access by patients.  
         [0033]     The vending machine  20  contains a stock of prepackaged units of use  22 . The prepackaged units of use  22  kept in the vending machine  20  depend upon the type of physician&#39;s office. In a pediatric physician&#39;s office, the vending machine  20  might, among other things, contain various antibiotics in dosages suitable for children of different weights and ages. In a geriatric physician&#39;s office, the vending machine might contain, among other things, prepackaged units of use for arthritis and hypertension. It will therefore be understood that the vending machine  20  will be stocked with the prepackaged units of use  22  that are most typically prescribed by the physicians in that office.  
         [0034]     The vending machine  20  contains a central processing unit  24 . The central processing unit  24  controls the vending mechanisms of the vending machine  20 . The central processing unit  24  also keeps track of the stock inventory carried and conveyed by the vending machine  20 .  
         [0035]     A data input terminal  26  is provided. Although the data input terminal  26  can be located anywhere, it is preferred that each of the examination rooms  12  be provided with a data input terminal  26 . The data input terminal  26  can be a panel that is mounted to a wall, a tabletop computer terminal or a portable handheld device. Each of the data input terminals  26  is coupled to the central processing unit  24  using either a hard wire or wireless (e.g. radio frequency) network.  
         [0036]     In one configuration, each of the data input terminals  26  can only be activated by an authorized individual (e.g. authorized physician) from that office. The data input terminal  26  may be activated by the physical input of an access code or password. The data input terminal  26  may also be activated by swiping an identification card or providing some biometric data, such as a fingerprint. However, in the exemplary embodiment, the data input terminal  26  is activated by a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag that is carried by the physician. In this manner, the electronic input interface will automatically activate as the physician approaches that device.  
         [0037]     The data input terminal  26  contains a screen. Once activated, the physician can enter a prescription for a pharmaceutical. The number of prepackaged units of use  22  held within the vending machine  20  are limited by the capacity of the vending machine  20 . Thus, in an exemplary embodiment, the vending machine  20  is filled with a selection chosen by the health care professionals of that office that are best suited for the patients served by that practice. The selections offered by the vending machine  20  can be presented to the physician on the data input terminal  26  in the form of a selection menu. The physician therefore needs only select one of the menu choices to complete a prescription. However, the data input terminal  26  also enables a physician to custom enter a prescription for any pharmaceutical, even if that pharmaceutical is not carried by the vending machine  20 . If a particular pharmaceutical is not contained in the vending machine  20 , a printed prescription will print for the patient to take to a pharmacy in the traditional manner.  
         [0038]     Key card sets may also be provided. Each of the key card sets contains two key cards  28  that are electronically matched. The key cards  28  are preferably kept secure prior to use. The key cards  28  are therefore held by the physician or are kept in a secure manner near the data input terminal  26  in the examination room  12 . Each of the key cards  28  in each key card set contains a vending code. In a preferred embodiment, the vending code is contained in an RFID tag that is present on each of the key cards  28 . The data input terminal  26  can therefore passively read the vending code from the key card  28  just by holding the key card  28  proximate the data input terminal  26  when prompted by the data input terminal.  
         [0039]     It will be understood that although an RFID tag is preferred, the vending code can be read in other manners. For instance, the key card  28  may contain a magnetic strip, barcode, digital data storage chip, magnetic storage disk, optical storage disk or other readable data sequence that can read to the data input terminal  26 . Alternatively, the key card  28  may just contain a printed vending code that can be manually entered into the data input terminal  26 .  
         [0040]     Regardless to the method of data transfer, what is of importance is that the vending code is read by the data input terminal  26 . That vending code becomes associated with the prescription data that was just entered into the data input terminal.  
         [0041]     Once prescription data and a corresponding vending code are entered into the data input terminal  26 , both the prescription data and the vending code are automatically forwarded to the central processing unit  24  in the vending machine  20 .  
         [0042]     The central processing unit  24  in the vending machine  20  is coupled to a printer  30 . The printer  30  can be a tabletop printer. However, in the shown embodiment, the printer  30  is contained within the structure of the vending machine  20 .  
         [0043]     A modem  32  is coupled to the central processing unit  24 . The modem  32  enables the central processing unit  24  to communicate with a remote pharmacy source  33 , via some existing telecommunications network. In this manner, the central processing unit  24  can keep the remote pharmacy source  33  aware of the inventory and age of the prepackaged units of use  22  within the vending machine  20 . Periodically, or as needed, the remote pharmacy source  33  will send a person to restock, replace or remove the prepackaged units of use  22  from the vending machine  20 .  
         [0044]     The central processing unit  24  also communicates with the physician&#39;s electronic medical record system, for example, via an office computer  34 . In this manner, when a prescription is written for a particular patient, that information may be saved to the medical records of that patient.  
         [0045]     Having described an exemplary physical layout of the present invention system, the system&#39;s method of operation can now be described. Referring to  FIG. 1  in conjunction with  FIG. 2 , it can be seen that the present invention system may be contained within a physician&#39;s office  10  or other healthcare facility, such as a hospital. A patient is taken to an examination room  12 , wherein the patient is examined by a physician. See Block  40 . The physician diagnoses the cause of illness in the patient and conceives of a treatment. See Block  42 . If the treatment includes the need for a prescription, the physician activates the data input terminal  26 . See Block  44 . Using the data input terminal  26 , the physician enters a prescription. See Block  46 . The physician also takes a key card set. The physician reads the vending code from one key card  28  into the data input interface so that the vending code becomes associated with the prescription data. See Block  48 . The second key card  28  is handed to the patient for later use at the vending machine  20 . See Block  50 .  
         [0046]     The prescription information and vending code that were entered into the data input terminal  26  are forwarded to the central processing unit  24 . See Block  52 .  
         [0047]     Referring to  FIG. 3  in conjunction with  FIG. 1 , it will be understood that once the central processing unit  24  receives prescription data from the data input terminal  26 , it deducts the prescription from the inventory of the vending machine  20 , even though the vending machine  20  has not yielded the prescription. The central processing unit  24  immediately updates inventory information, as is indicated by Block  54 . In this manner, if another physician in another office were to prescribe that same medication, the physician would know if that medication were available within the vending machine  20  for dispensing.  
         [0048]     In the illustrated embodiment, the vending machine  20  contains a data reading unit  36 . Such a location is exemplary, and it will be understood that the data reading unit can be remote from vending machine  20  provided it remains in communication with the vending machine  20 . The data reading unit  36  can read the key card  28  of the patient. The type of data reading unit  36  depends upon the type of key card  28  being used. For example, if the key card  28  is a card with a magnetic strip, the data reading unit  36  is a card swipe reader. In the preferred embodiment, the key card  28  contains an RFID tag. As such, the data reading unit  26  would be an RFID reader. Regardless, what is of importance is that the data reading unit  36  is capable of reading data from the key card  28 .  
         [0049]     A patient brings the key card  28  to the vending machine  20  or hands it to an office worker who brings it to the vending machine  20 . See Block  58 . The key card  28  is then read by the data reading unit  36 . See Block  60 . Once the key card  28  is read, the central processing unit  24  matches the vending code from the key card  28  to the vending code that was previously received with the prescription data from the data input terminal  26 . See Block  62 . If the vending codes match, the central processing unit  24  then enables the vending machine  20  and vends the appropriate prepackaged unit-of-use  22 . See Blocks  64  and  66 .  
         [0050]     It will therefore be understood that the vending machine  20  does not have selection buttons in the manner of a traditional vending machine. Rather, the vending machine  20  automatically vends only after the key card  28  is read by the vending machine  20  and compared to a vending code. The data in the vending code controls which of the prepackaged pharmaceuticals will be vended when the vending machine  20  is activated. The chance of an incorrect selection being made by human error is therefore eliminated.  
         [0051]     The need for the proper key card can be circumvented by an authorized person. Using a master key card, or the key card that was kept by the physician, a physician or a member of the physician&#39;s staff can cause the vending machine  20  to vend. See Block  69 . Alternatively, a physician can over-ride the requirement of a key card when the physician enters a prescription into the system. In this manner, a prepackaged unit-of-use  22  can be retrieved in a more direct fashion for a patient from the vending machine  22 . This may be helpful in various circumstances, including but not limited to a patient who is, for example homebound or otherwise unable to come to the office.  
         [0052]     Since the vending machine  20  is automatically activated by the vending code (e.g. on a key card  28 ) there is no concern about a person pressing the wrong selection buttons on vending machine  20  and/or receiving the wrong medication. Accordingly, the only way a patient can receive the incorrect prescription is if the vending machine  20  is filled incorrectly or fails to vend properly.  
         [0053]     A sensor  37  can be placed in the receiving tray  38  of the vending machine  20 . The sensor  37  is coupled to the central processing unit  24 . As is indicated by Block  68 , the sensor  37  detects whether or not a prepackaged pharmaceutical  22  has been conveyed into the receiving tray  38  after the vending machine  20  has vended. If no prepackaged unit-of-use  22  is detected, it can be assumed that the prepackaged unit-of-use  22  got stuck in the vending machine  22  or the vending machine  22  was not filled properly and vended a blank space. If the central processing unit  24  detects any such vending error, the central processing unit  24  can alert the office staff and alert the operator of the vending machine. See Block  70 . The vending machine  20  may also automatically deactivate to ensure that a subsequent patient does not receive the prepackaged unit-of-use that may be only temporarily stuck within the vending machine. See Block  72 .  
         [0054]     The printer  30  is connected to the central processing unit  24 . The printer  30  can be located within the vending machine  20  or at some position close to the vending machine  20 . Every time the vending machine  20  is activated by the central processing unit  24 , the central processing unit  24  sends a print job to the printer. The print job corresponds to the pharmaceutical being conveyed. The print job, once printed, provides information about the pharmaceutical, such as its instructions for use and possible side effects. The printing also contains identification information that helps ensure that the pharmaceutical that was vended was the pharmaceutical that was intended.  
         [0055]     Referring to  FIG. 4 , an exemplary embodiment of a printout  80  is shown. The printout  80  has an information section  82  that preferably contains some warnings and/or technical information about the pharmaceutical being conveyed. In one embodiment, the printout  80  also has a picture section  84  that shows color pictures of the pharmaceutical being conveyed. More than one picture may be provided if the pharmaceutical is manufactured by more than one company and comes in different sizes, shapes and/or colors.  
         [0056]     A prepackaged pharmaceutical container  86  is also shown in  FIG. 4 . When such a prepackaged pharmaceutical container  86  vends from the vending machine, it contains a removable label  88 . The removable label  88  identifies the pharmaceutical being in the prepackaged container  86  and also provides a code pattern  90  that is unique to that type of prepackaged unit-of-use. The code pattern  90  can be a color code, a numerical code, graphic code or any other visual code. In the exemplary embodiment, the code pattern consists of a color field  91  and an alignment strip  93 .  
         [0057]     The printout contains a tear-away section  95 . A label image  92  is printed onto the tear-away section  95 . The label image  92  contains a code pattern  94  that corresponds to the code pattern  90  on the removable label  88  from the prepackaged container  86 . The label image  92  also contains a color field  99  and an alignment strip  101 .  
         [0058]     A label target  103  is printed either immediately above or below the label image  92 . The label target  103  shows a person where to place the removable label  88  from the prepackaged container  86 .  
         [0059]     The removable label  88  is peeled off of the prepackaged container  86  and is applied over the label target  103 . Once in this position, the color field  91  of the removable label  88  should be the same color as the color field  99  of the label image  92 . Furthermore, the alignment strip  93  of the removable label  88  should align with the alignment strip  101  on the label image  92 .  
         [0060]     By comparing the removable label  88  to the label  92 , two goals are achieved. First, by checking if the code patterns  90 ,  94  match, it can be seen that the proper prepackaged pharmaceutical container  86  was vended from the vending machine  20 . This safeguards against any human error that may have occurred during the filling of the vending machine  20 . Second, the tear-away section  95  of the printout is removed and kept by the office staff, thereby providing a permanent record of what was vended from the vending machine  20 .  
         [0061]     The vending machine  20  is not an ordinary vending machine in the sense that it does not vend for money and it is not a self-contained system. Rather, the vending machine  20  is used as the conveying mechanism for a larger system that is integrated throughout the physician&#39;s office.  
         [0062]     Referring to  FIG. 5  in conjunction with  FIG. 1 , it will be understood that as the vending machine  20  vends, the central processing unit  24  updates the status of the vending machine  20 . See Blocks  102  and  104 . Information about what was vended and for whom is communicated to the medical record software being run by the computer network in the physician&#39;s office. See Block  106 . In this manner, a patient&#39;s records are automatically updated with the prescription ordered by the physician and the medication that was conveyed.  
         [0063]     The central processing unit  24  also forwards update information to the remote pharmacy source  33  who is responsible for filling and maintaining the vending machine  20 . See Block  108 . In this manner, the remote pharmacy source  33  can periodically come to fill the vending machine  20  before the vending machine  20  ever runs out of a particular type of pharmaceutical.  
         [0064]     Referring now to  FIG. 6   a , there is shown an exemplary embodiment  200  of a vending machine useful for carrying out aspects of the present invention. Like reference numerals have been used to indicate like parts. As shown in the schematic front view of  FIG. 6   a , vending machine  200  operates as a prescription fulfillment machine for dispensing prepackaged units of use, and further operates to control and quarantine dispensed prepackaged units of use in a secure manner in the event that a dispensed unit cannot be delivered to an authorized recipient. Vending machine  200  includes a hinged exterior door  207  having a first outer portion  207   a  and a second inner portion  207   b  ( FIG. 6   b ) opposite the first outer portion. Two sidewalls  201  and  202 , a top wall  203 , a bottom wall  204  and a back wall  205  together with the exterior door form an enclosure or cabinet space. Exterior door  207  is hingedly coupled to side wall  201 . Vending machine  200  further includes an interior insulating door  206  (see  FIG. 6   b ). The exterior door  207  has a security lock system with multiple different locking points in the sidewall. When closed, the exterior door  207  forms an airtight enclosure within the machine  200 . The exterior door comprises a solid panel with the exception of an opening or port  510 , output dispensing or retrieving tray  38 , and optional slot  2072  and reader  36  disposed on the outer surface of door  207 . Vending machine  200  includes a port  510  disposed on the exterior door  207  according to an aspect of the present invention. Port  510  is adapted to be sufficiently large to allow depositing of all prepackaged inventory units of use  22  (see  FIG. 1 ) that are dispensed from the vending machine  200  (e.g. via tray  38 ) to be received into port  510 , but not so large as to allow an individual unauthorized physical access to the interior of the cabinet via the port  510 . In this manner, the contents deposited into port  510  can be reached only by opening the exterior door  207 . Although the port  510  is shown as circular, it is not limited to that shape.  
         [0065]     Referring now to  FIG. 6   b  in conjunction with  FIG. 6   a , a conduit  710  such as a flexible tube or other conveying system has a first end connected to the port  510  on the inner portion  207   b  of door  207  and is adapted to carry or convey an inventory unit  22  inserted into port  510  from outside the machine, to a quarantine receptacle  810  on the interior of the vending machine  200 . In this manner, the item returned to the vending machine cannot be removed except by an individual with authorized access to the interior of the vending machine cabinet  200 . In an exemplary embodiment, an insulating door or interior door  206  is positioned between the exterior door  207  and houses the inventory units to be dispensed (not shown) in  FIG. 6   b . A portion  38   a  of product retrieval tray may be mounted on the inside of the exterior door  207  wherein a product is retrieved from the cabinet and is passed through the interior insulating door  206  via a product exit door  222  into the product retrieval tray  38   a  that opens to the exterior  207   a  of door  207 . The retrieved product can be picked from outside the exterior door  207  from the product retrieval tray  38 .  
         [0066]     An electronic control unit  212  is mounted on the inside of the exterior door  207 . The control unit  212  generally controls the functionalities of the vending machine  200 . A keypad  220  is installed on the inside of the exterior door  207 . The keypad can be used to enter commands for the electronic control unit  212 . Below the floor of the interior door  206  lies a compartment area  801  segregated from both the dispensable items behind interior door  206  that contains quarantine receptacle  810 . In this manner, the quarantine receptacle  810  may be separately secured to provide enhanced protection and security from unauthorized access while providing clear segregation of mis-vended items.  
         [0067]     Referring again to  FIGS. 6   a  and  6   b , in an exemplary embodiment, the port  510  is located in the upper portion  2071  of the exterior door  207  and the quarantine receptacle  810  is located in the lower portion  801  of the interior of the vending machine. The conduit may be a flexible tube arranged to convey (e.g. via gravity, pressure, etc.) the inventory unit from port  510  to receptacle  810  by way of example only. In this manner, the returned item is segregated from the other inventory items contained in the vending machine  200  and can be accessed only by opening door  207  (and optional compartment  800  interior door).  
         [0068]     A server  820  having a central processing unit is positioned below the cabinet within the compartment area. A server may be any computing device capable of storing and executing a stored set of instructions for controlling the operation of the machine  200 . The server  820  is connected to the electronic control unit  212 . A power supply is also installed which is connected to the server. The machine  200  may further include a surge protector/power strip to protect the electronic components in the machine  200 . A wireless router may be installed below the cabinet within compartment  801 . A wireless router is capable of receiving information from a remote unit as well as transmitting information from the server  820 .  
         [0069]     In a further exemplary embodiment, vending machine  200  may optionally include a slot  2072  formed in exterior door  207  and a corresponding tray  2073  connected to the inner portion of the door  207  communicating with slot  2072 . When a “mis-vend” has occurred, a paper form may be filled out that lists the specific inventory item returned, and additional relevant information such as the date and the transaction details. The paper sheet may then be deposited into the slot  2072  adapted for capture in tray  2073  within the interior of the machine  200 . As discussed above, the inventory item is returned to and quarantined in the machine via depositing the inventory item  22  in port  510  for capture in receptacle  810  within the interior of the machine. In another embodiment, it is contemplated that the paper sheet may also be deposited via port  510 , thereby eliminating the need for slot  2072  and tray  2073 .  
         [0070]     In another embodiment, the patient information sheet that is printed at the time of delivery is used. As previously described with reference to  FIG. 4 , the information sheet includes a perforated section that is removable at the bottom of the sheet. The sheet contains all of the personal information pertaining to this transaction. This section is removed and discarded to protect patient security. The top section includes only the general information on the item that was intended to be delivered to the patient. It also has printed on it an alpha numeric code which is specific to the transaction. This section of the patient information sheet may be deposited in the secure receptacle (e.g. port  510  or slot  2072 ) in the vending cabinet.  
         [0071]     In yet another embodiment of the present invention, each of the unit of use packages that constitute the inventory contained within the controlled access cabinet have RFID tags attached thereto. As previously discussed, the tags operate to identify the pedigree and essential information about each specific unit of use package. In the event that a unit of use package needs to be returned to the quarantine area of the cabinet, an RFID reader  900  (see  FIG. 6   b ), located within the interior of the cabinet designed for quarantining such items, identifies the transaction. The RFID reader may be located at various places, such as at or near the entrance of port  510  in the front of the machine, along the conduit  710  or at the receptacle  810 . Such positioning may be based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to the configuration of the cabinet, in order to prevent cross talk between other RFID readers within the cabinet (such as reader  38 ).  
         [0072]     In one implementation, vending machine  200  may be adapted or modified from a commercial vending machine such as Jofemar Multiplus unit to include the capabilities and functionalities described herein. Such modifications may include, for example, removal of all internal display units from the upper section of the machine and the addition of a solid panel (e.g. 17 inch by 28 inch panel to the interior of the front upper section; and forming a slot (e.g. about 3 inch by 6 inch aperture) in the upper section of the front panel to allow misvends to be deposited to the quarantine receptacle. Other openings, except for the product dispensing output, are covered on the front panel of the display. The cash dispensing unit is removed from the machine and associated opening along with the key pad and coin slot on the front of the machine. A small port on the rear surface of the machine may be formed to allow cabling to exit the machine.  
         [0073]     In the interior of the machine, a server is mounted and configured in the lower or bottom section of the cabinet with appropriate cable connectivity including connection to the control panel to enable appropriate communications and interfacing with the computer and memory storage devices, cable/server connections, and appropriate connectivity with one or more power supplies (e.g. UPS power supply), surge protector/power strips, and mounting of a USB hub and one or more wireless routers. As discussed herein, a conduit and repository is added to the machine to enable misvended items to be quarantined.  
         [0074]     Installation of one or more RF ID readers and appropriate software/hardware/firmware is implemented within the machine for enabling reading, communicating, storing, and updating information associated with the vended items.  
         [0075]     Referring now to  FIG. 7  in conjunction with  FIG. 6   a - 6   b , in a system employing RFID functionality, a previously vended unit  22  that incorrectly delivered or mis-vended so as to be undistributable is inserted back into the machine via port  510  (block  700 ) for storage in quarantine receptacle  810  (block  702 ). The reader reads (block  704 ) the code on the returned unit of use item and identifies the item that has been returned to the quarantine area. The system central processing unit compares that item to its transaction log and updates the memory location(s) (block  706 ) to indicate that the sensed item has been returned to the machine. In an exemplary embodiment, a system transaction log is updated so as to be marked as “returned and quarantined”. Once the transaction has been identified as having been incorrectly delivered (i.e. mis-vended) from the inventory cabinet, the transaction is entered into the system. An alert (block  708 ) may be generated by the CPU so as to alert a remote pharmacy  33  (see  FIG. 1 ) or a central order processing facility of the occurrence of a mis-vend.  
         [0076]     As previously discussed, access to the system may be made via a personal identifier card with barcode or magnetic strip identifier. In another embodiment, access is through a biometric identifier such as a fingerprint reader, iris scanner, face recognition software or voice identification software, for example.  
         [0077]     In the embodiment in which a paper form is created, or when patient information sheets are used, the office staff who completes the task then enters the information of the transaction into the information system provided for tracking all of the transaction. The system then removes the transaction from the list of pending transactions and places it instead in a “hold and retrieve” queue. When RFID is used, the reader causes the system to automatically recognize the returned item and provides for the CPU to automatically remove the transaction from the “pending” queue to the “hold and retrieve” queue.  
         [0078]     In one embodiment, an alert is also sent to the central order processing system so that the central office is made aware that there is an item that has been placed in the “hold and retrieve” queue and therefore, there is a package unit in the quarantine area of the cabinet.  
         [0079]     When a new re-stocking order is generated for that specific cabinet, a report may be attached to the reorder listing the specific items that currently exist inside the quarantine receptacle within the cabinet. It is then the responsibility of the employee or representative who restocks the unit to retrieve each item listed on the report and return them to the central warehouse. This allows for absolute controlled tracking of each of these transactions.  
         [0080]     Hence, the present invention enables items that are delivered from a controlled access inventory unit but cannot be properly delivered and/or utilized by an authorized recipient, to be quarantined in a secure manner, while providing monitoring of the transaction, recording and logging of events and providing for a clear chain of custody to establish ownership of that item.  
         [0081]     Although the system and method of the present invention have been described with respect to pharmaceuticals, various regulated substances may be dispensed including industrial tools such as expensive work tools, hazardous materials, or other substances that require control or regulation. For example, a method and system can be utilized in a factory setting where expensive tools, bits or dies are controlled in their delivery to the factory floor. Remote order entry can be coordinated with delivery of the appropriate item from inventory to the controlled access point for pickup within the factory, thereby streamlining the process and reducing the time necessary for an individual on the shop floor to leave his/her site and get the appropriate tool or item from central inventory storage.  
         [0082]     Through embodiments of the present invention, the method and system as described herein enable better monitoring and control of dispensable items such as controlled or scheduled substances. Based on the use of electronic tags or personal identification mechanisms associated with the dispensing of regulated substances, statistics regarding how and when substances are prescribed and dispensed may be collected. These statistics can be used in determining insurance rates, identifying potential problems and for geographic and demographic studies, for example.  
         [0083]     It will be understood that the embodiments of the present invention system illustrated and described herein are merely exemplary and that a person skilled in the art can make many variations to the system. All variations of these components are intended to be included within the scope of the invention.