Information processing apparatus, label creation device, control method, and program

Abstract

To improve convenience when creating labels to be applied to a drug or a drug storage part from medication related information such as prescription information.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus 510 generates label creation information for creating, from medication related information including prescription information, labels 18, 36 to be applied to a drug prescribed for a person taking the drug or a drug storage part in which the drug is stored. The information processing apparatus has: a storage unit 512 that stores setting information indicating an extraction condition for extracting extraction information that is part of information included in the medication related information; an acquisition unit 511 that acquires the prescription information; an extraction unit 513 that extracts the extraction information from the medication related information acquired by the acquisition unit on the basis of the extraction condition indicated by the setting information stored in the storage unit; a generation unit 514 that generates the label creation information on the basis of the extraction information extracted by the extraction unit; and a setting processing unit 515 that performs setting processing of adding or changing the setting information stored in the storage unit according to a predetermined setting instruction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, a label creating apparatus, a control method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, information processing devices are known that generate label creation information for creating labels to be attached to the medicine prescribed to a patient or to a medicine storage unit in which the medicine is stored, from medication-related information including prescription information for the medicine prescribed to the patient.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a support system for pharmacy operations to efficiently process the many documents that accompany dispensing, in which necessary data extracted from a patient information database that records prescription information is used as label data for the medicine bag given to the patient (medicine recipient). Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, when generating a label to be attached to a medicine or a medicine storage unit from medication-related information such as prescription information, in the past, only a single, predetermined type of label could be created, which was inconvenient. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is an information processing device that generates label creation information for creating a drug prescribed to a drug user or a label to be attached to a drug storage unit in which the drug is stored, from medication-related information including prescription information for the drug prescribed to the drug user, and is characterized in having: a memory unit that stores setting information indicating extraction conditions for extracting extraction information, which is a portion of the information contained in the medication-related information; an acquisition unit that acquires the medication-related information; an extraction unit that extracts the extraction information from the medication-related information acquired by the acquisition unit based on the extraction conditions indicated by the setting information stored in the memory unit; a generation unit that generates the label creation information based on the extraction information extracted by the extraction unit; and a setting processing unit that performs setting processing to add or change the setting information stored in the memory unit in accordance with specified setting instructions. Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the present invention, it is possible to create various labels based on setting information that is added or changed, thereby providing high convenience. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an entire medication support system that uses a label creation system in an embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1A is a front view of a main part of a medication dispensing device constituting a medication support system according to an embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a side view of FIG. [Diagram 3] (a) is a plan view of a single unit-dose drug pack, (b) is a side view of the unit-dose drug pack in (a) as viewed from the direction of arrow A, (c) is a side view of a combined unit-dose drug pack, and (d) is a diagram showing the general shape of a pack continuum. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing one configuration example of a medication tray used in the medication support system. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of a subdivision box held in the medication tray. [Figure 6] 1A is a longitudinal sectional view of an example of a cartridge used in the medication dispensing device, and FIG. 1B is a bottom view of FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the main configuration of an information processing device of a dispensing pharmacy according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a prescription. [Figure 9] (a) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the contents of a prescription information file. (b) is an explanatory diagram showing a two-dimensional code image generated based on the prescription information file and the contents of information encoded in the two-dimensional code image. (c) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a label including the two-dimensional code image. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the contents of a setting file. [Figure 11] 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of a label production process performed by the information processing device executing an application program in the label production system. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a selection screen for selecting a setting file to be used from a plurality of setting files. [Figure 13] 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of a label creation process including a selection process for selecting a setting file to be used from a plurality of setting files. [Figure 14] 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of a label creation process including a determination process for determining whether the amount of extracted information (number of characters) exceeds the upper limit amount (character limit) of information to be encoded as a two-dimensional code image. [Figure 15] (a) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the content (character string) of the extracted information. (b) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the content (character string) of the extracted information after shortening. (c) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the content (character string) of the shortened extracted information with additional information added. (d) is an explanatory diagram showing a generated two-dimensional code image and the content of information encoded in the two-dimensional code image. (e) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a label including the two-dimensional code image. [Figure 16] 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of a label creation process including a process of changing (shortening) the information content so that it is not identical to other extracted information extracted from other medication-related information. [Figure 17] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a label in which different colors are used for each medication timing. [Figure 18] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a label in which different colors are used for each facility. [Figure 19] 1A is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a print instruction screen for instructing the type of label to be printed from among a plurality of types of labels, and FIG. 1B is an explanatory diagram showing the state in which both the label for the cartridge and the label for the subdivision box have been printed. [Figure 20] 19(b) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a print instruction screen in which an option for instructing creation of a PDF file is added to the print instruction screen shown in FIG. 19(a); DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a label creation system as a label creation device including an information processing device (such as a prescription computer) as an information processing unit that generates label creation information for creating a label (hereinafter simply referred to as a "label") to be attached to a drug or a drug storage unit from medication-related information including prescription information, and an image forming device as a label creation unit that creates a label based on the label creation information will be described as an example. More specifically, the label creation system is used in a medication support system that supports medication assistants such as nurses and caregivers in hospitals, care facilities, etc. when preparing and distributing medication.

[0009] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the entire medication support system that uses the label creation system in this embodiment. The medication support system of this embodiment is mainly composed of a label creation system 500 installed in a facility such as a dispensing pharmacy (here, a dispensing pharmacy), and a medication dispensing device 200 installed in a facility where medication recipients are present, such as a hospital or nursing home (here, a nursing home).

[0010] A label creation system 500 for a dispensing pharmacy is configured by connecting an information processing device 510, such as a personal computer, and a printer 520, which serves as an image forming device, so as to be capable of communicating with each other.

[0011] The information processing device 510, like a general desktop personal computer, includes input devices such as a keyboard, a pointing device (mouse, etc.), and a touch panel, a display device such as a display, a calculation device such as a CPU, storage devices such as a RAM, a ROM, and an SSD, a communication device for communicating with external devices (such as a printer 520 and devices communicably connected via a communication line), etc. The information processing device 510 functions as an information processing device that generates label creation information for creating labels 18, 36 to be attached to medicines and medicine storage units from medication-related information including acquired prescription information.

[0012] The printer 520 has a function of creating the labels 18, 36 based on the label creation information generated by the information processing device 510, and there are no particular limitations on the image formation method, etc. The printer 520 has a function of creating the labels 18, 36 by printing, on the label material, a print image specified by the print data as the label creation information transmitted from the information processing device 510, with the unprinted label material set therein.

[0013] The dispensing pharmacy's label creation system 500 extracts only necessary information from a prescription information file (data) that includes medication-related information such as prescription information (paper or electronic media) submitted by a hospital or nursing facility and information about the user (the name of the nursing facility where the user resides, the floor on which the user resides, etc.), and creates labels 18, 36. The extraction conditions for extracting necessary information from the prescription information file can be set by a setting file (data) as setting information.

[0014] The labels 18 and 36 of this embodiment display a code image that encodes at least a part of the information extracted from the prescription information file (extracted information) and a non-code image that allows a human to visually recognize and grasp the information content, such as a character string or a symbol (mark) that indicates at least a part of the information content of the information extracted from the prescription information file (extracted information). The code image may be a one-dimensional code image such as a barcode, a two-dimensional code image such as a QR code (registered trademark), or a three-dimensional code image, but this embodiment will be described using an example of a two-dimensional code image. The labels 18 and 36 may display only a code image or only a non-code image.

[0015] In this embodiment, the labels 18, 36 created by the label creation system 500 are attached to the cartridge 10 set in the medication dispensing device 200 arranged in the nursing facility and the subdivision box 34 set in the medication dispensing tray 30. The labels 18, 36 of this embodiment are attached to the cartridge 10 and the subdivision box 34 by being attached to predetermined locations of the cartridge 10 and the subdivision box 34, respectively. Note that the labels 18, 36 may be attached by a method other than pasting, such as being accommodated in a label accommodation unit provided in a predetermined location of the cartridge 10 and the subdivision box 34.

[0016] The labels 18, 36 are not limited to those attached to the cartridge 10 of the medication dispensing device 200 or the subdivision box 34 of the medication dispensing tray 30, but can be applied to a wide range of objects and uses.

[0017] At the dispensing pharmacy, a pharmacist stores medicines corresponding to the prescription information affixed to the label in cartridge 10 to which label 18 created by label creation system 500 has been affixed. Here, a combination of packs, each of which is made up of linked single-drug package packs (hereinafter simply referred to as "packs"), in which medicines are packaged in a single package, is stored in a stacked manner in cartridge 10. Here, "stored in a stacked manner" means that the packs are stored in a substantially horizontal or flat state.

[0018] The cartridge 10 containing the medicine (combined medicine packs) in this manner is delivered to the nursing facility together with the subdivision boxes 34 to which the labels 36 corresponding to the same prescription information are attached, and then set in a medicine dispensing device 200 arranged at the nursing facility. As described below, the medicine dispensing device 200 automates the task of taking medicine from each cartridge 10 prepared for each medicine recipient and storing it in each subdivision box 34 for the corresponding medicine recipient. Each subdivision box 34 containing the medicine is set in a medicine dispensing tray 30 by the medicine dispensing device 200, and a medicine administering assistant carries the medicine dispensing tray 30 to the residence of each medicine recipient and administers the medicine in each subdivision box 34 to each medicine recipient.

[0019] FIG. 2(a) is a front view showing a schematic diagram of the main configuration of the main part of the medicine dispensing device 200, and FIG. 2(b) is a side view showing a schematic diagram of the side configuration of FIG. 2(a). In FIG. 2, the left-right or horizontal direction (also the width direction) of the medication dispensing device 200 is the X direction, the front-back or depth direction is the Y direction, and the up-down or vertical direction (also the vertical direction) is the Z direction.

[0020] As shown in Figure 2, the main parts of the medication dispensing device 200 include a cartridge 10, also called a first storage section, a cartridge tray 20, also called a second storage section, a drawer section 80, a medication dispensing tray 30 as a medicine container holder, a carriage 50, also called an ejection section, a transport section 90, and first entrance / exit section 41 to fourth entrance / exit section 44.

[0021] A plurality of cartridges 10 are set in the drawer section 80 via cartridge trays 20 provided at the top and center of the main body frame 199 of the drug dispensing device 200. The cartridge trays 20 are configured to be able to position and store a plurality of cartridges 10, and are provided integrally with the drawer section 80. The cartridge trays 20 hold at least one cartridge 10. In the example of FIG. 2, 4×5=20 cartridges 10 are placed and held in one drawer section 80 (cartridge tray 20). Hereinafter, for the sake of simplicity, the drawer section 80 may be referred to as the cartridge tray 20. The cartridges 10 are configured to be freely attached to and detached from the cartridge tray 20.

[0022] Each of the multiple cartridges 10 is placed and stored within a lattice-like partitioned side wall and bottom wall of the cartridge tray 20. The bottom wall of the cartridge tray 20 corresponding to each cartridge 10 is formed with a rectangular through opening 21 for removing the pack from below the cartridge 10 by utilizing the elasticity or free deformation of the pack, as will be described later in the operation.

[0023] The drawer section 80 is configured to be able to position and hold the cartridge tray 20. A pair of slide rails 81 are attached to the outer walls of the drawer section 80, and a main body rail is provided on the main body frame 199 so as to be able to fit with the slide rails 81 of the drawer section 80. With this kind of fitting configuration between the main body rails and the slide rails 81, the drawer section 80, in which the cartridge tray 20 is stored and held, can be pulled out from the main body frame 199.

[0024] The medicine distribution tray 30 is a medicine distribution means that places a specific pack transferred by the transfer section 90, and has a function as a medicine container holder that holds a subdivision box 34 as a medicine storage section in which one or more medicine packs can be stored. As shown in Fig. 2, two medicine distribution trays 30 are arranged in a state where they are arranged further above the cartridge 10 attached to the cartridge tray 20 in the uppermost drawer section 80. Hereinafter, the installation site of the medicine distribution tray 30 (meaning the place where the pack is handed over to the medicine distribution tray 30 to be automatically distributed) is referred to as the medicine distribution section 29.

[0025] The carriage 50 is an ejection section for ejecting a specific pack from the cartridge 10, and functions as an ejection means. The transport section 90 functions as a transport means for transporting the pack removed from the cartridge 10 by the carriage 50 .

[0026] The first entrance / exit section 41 and the second entrance / exit section 42 function as a storage means entrance / exit section for allowing the cartridge 10 and the cartridge tray 20 to enter and exit the main body frame 199 via the drawer section 80. The cartridge 10 is inserted and set in the main body frame 199 through the first entrance / exit section 41 and the second entrance / exit section 42, respectively. The doors of the first entrance / exit section 41 and the second entrance / exit section 42 are opened, and the drawer section 80 equipped with the cartridge tray 20 is pulled out towards the front, and the cartridge 10 or the cartridge tray 20 is attached or detached.

[0027] The third entrance / exit section 43 and the fourth entrance / exit section 44 function as entrance / exit means for the medicine dispensing means that allows each of the two medicine dispensing trays 30 arranged side by side on the top level of the medicine dispensing device 200 to enter and exit the main body frame 199. The third entrance / exit section 43 and the fourth entrance / exit section 44 are provided so that a pack can be removed immediately after being placed on the medicine dispensing tray 30 (hereinafter also referred to as "set" or "inserted").

[0028] In the medicine dispensing device 200 of this embodiment, two medicine dispensing trays 30 are arranged, and a medicine dispensing tray is arranged for each medicine taking timing, such as morning, afternoon, evening, before going to bed, etc. Since a third entrance / exit section 43 and a fourth entrance / exit section 44 for the medicine dispensing tray are also provided for each medicine dispensing tray, it is possible to take out another medicine dispensing tray even while a medicine dispensing operation is being performed on another medicine dispensing tray.

[0029] A retreat section 40 is provided at the bottom of the medication dispensing device 200 for retreating a pack removed from the cartridge 10 when the pack should not be placed on the medication dispensing tray 30 (for example, when it is an incorrect pack).

[0030] Next, an overview of the single-dose drug pack (medicine pack) will be given. Fig. 3(a) is a plan view showing a typical form of a single drug package pack, Fig. 3(b) is a side view of the drug package pack of Fig. 3(a) as seen from the direction of arrow A in the figure, Fig. 3(c) is a side view of a pack assembly in which drug package packs are stacked, and Fig. 3(d) is a diagram showing a typical form of a pack series. Note that illustration of drugs is omitted in Fig. 3(b) and Fig. 3(c).

[0031] The form of the medicine pack includes a single unit-dose drug pack 2, and a pack combination 2A in which multiple unit-dose drug packs 2 (two in Figure 3(c)) are stacked in the stacking direction and joined together, for example by stapling.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 3(a), one single-dose drug pack 2 is made of, for example, a resin film, and contains drugs 3 such as capsules or tablets. The single-dose drug pack 2 has a bag portion 2a that covers the drug 3, and a crimped portion 4 in which three sides shown by hatching in the figure are crimped or welded. The side on the bag portion 2a side is usually folded in half, with the drug 3 sandwiched between them, and the crimped portion 4 forms a leak prevention portion that prevents the drug 3 from leaking from the bag portion 2a. The drug 3 in one single-dose drug pack 2 is usually a unit for one dose for a patient.

[0033] The single-dose drug packs 2 are made (packaged) by a drug packaging machine installed in a pharmacy or the like. The packaging paper (packaging sheet) used for packaging, which becomes the exterior part, is a long rolled sheet that is rolled in a folded and overlapped state, and the drug 3 to be taken is sandwiched between the sheets. The three sides other than the folds around the drug 3 are sealed and divided into multiple doses by a crimping part 4, and the single-dose drug packs 2 for the required number of doses are made into a continuous sheet. This continuous sheet-like single-dose drug pack is called a "continuous pack." The continuous pack 1 shown in Figure 3(d) is in a state in which multiple single-dose drug packs 2 (three doses in the example shown in the figure) are connected in a strip shape. The pack series 1 is a general form that is usually provided and sold at pharmacies and the like to users (including those who actually take the medicine in the single-dose drug pack, and the assistants and supporters who assist and support the taking of the medicine, as well as staff of various nursing care facilities and medical facilities (a concept that includes pharmacists, nurses, caregivers, and medication supporters)). For the sake of simplicity, the following explanation illustrates one pack containing medicines of the same form (capsules, tablets, etc.), but it goes without saying that different medicines may be used in one pack depending on the user's use and purpose, etc.

[0034] As shown in Fig. 3(c) as an example, a pack assembly 2A may be used. The pack assembly 2A may be a combination of a plurality of (two shown in Fig. 3(c)) single-dose drug packs 2 fastened at the center of the three sides of the pressure-bonded portions 4 by a stapler 8 (see Fig. 3(c)), or may be integrated by tape, or may be an integrated package of a Chinese medicine pack or a PTP (Press Through Pack) packaging sheet.

[0035] First medication-related information is added to the surface of the bag portion 2a of the one-package medicine pack 2 as information related to medication, such as the name of the recipient and the timing of taking the medicine. In the pack 2 shown in FIG. 3, the first medication-related information includes medication-related information 6a, which represents the name of the recipient who takes the medicine 3 in the pack 2 as a character string, medication-related information 6b, which represents the time (timing of taking the medicine) when the medicine 3 is taken as a character string, and medication-related information, which represents the name of the recipient and the timing of taking the medicine as a two-dimensional code image 6c such as a QR code (registered trademark). In the pack 2 shown in FIG. 3, the medication-related information 6a and 6b as character strings and the medication-related information 6c as a two-dimensional code image are added, but this is not limited to this, and only one of them may be used, or an RFID tag or the like used when tag information is read using a barcode or short-range wireless communication may be used. In addition, a label including the medication-related information 6a, 6b, and 6c may be printed by the printer 520 and attached to the surface of the bag portion 2a of the one-package medicine pack 2.

[0036] The first medication-related information may also include the type of medication (including the shape of the medication) and the number of tablets in pack 2, and information imprinted on the medication itself. The first medication-related information may be obtained and used by acquiring and using only individual pieces of information, or may be obtained and used in combination with multiple pieces of information. For example, when only confirming the person taking the medication, only the name of the person taking the medication is sufficient, and when preventing forgetting to take an important medication, the name of the person taking the medication and the number of tablets and shape of the medication in the pack may be confirmed together. In other words, the medication-related information includes at least one piece of information among the name of the person taking the medication, the time when the medication in the pack is taken (timing of taking the medication), and the type and number of tablets of the medication prescribed in the pack.

[0037] Next, the medication tray 30 will be described. FIG. 4 is an external perspective view showing one configuration example of the medicine distribution tray 30. As shown in FIG. As shown in Fig. 4, the medication tray 30 has partition walls 31, which are partition members serving as a plurality of partitions for arranging specific packs, and is divided by four erected partition walls 31. The 20 compartments 33 formed on the medication tray 30 can be expressed as elements of a matrix consisting of 5 columns in the X direction (row feed direction) and 4 rows in the Y direction (character feed direction). As a result, each of the 20 compartments 33 on the medication tray 30 can be uniquely identified by the elements and addresses of the 5-column, 4-row matrix.

[0038] The medication tray 30 has a bottom wall 32 on which the packs 2 dispensed in each compartment 33 are placed. The medication tray 30 is configured so that the packs 2 can be stored in the corresponding compartments 33, which are divided by the partition walls 31 and the common bottom wall 32, and thus can be managed separately from other packs (other people's packs).

[0039] In the medication distribution tray 30 shown in Figure 4, the "Floor A After-Lunch Medication Tray" displayed on the front outer wall indicates that this is a medication distribution tray to which medication packs are distributed to be taken after lunch by multiple residents (medication users) residing on the same floor A in a nursing home, for example.

[0040] In the medicine distribution tray 30 of this embodiment, a subdivision box 34 serving as a removable medicine container is set in each compartment 33. The subdivision box 34 stores packs 2 each containing medicine to be taken after lunch for a total of 20 people, for example, Mr. A to Mr. T, who are residents of a care facility or the like. That is, the medicine distribution tray 30 of this embodiment holds packs 2 via the subdivision box 34 in each compartment 33 separated by a partition wall 31.

[0041] In addition, the packs 2 may be distributed to the distribution tray 30 without using the subdivision box 34. In this case, each compartment 33 functions as a medicine container, and the packs 2 are directly stored in each compartment 33.

[0042] Next, the subdivision box 34 of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an example of a dispensing box 34 held in the medication tray 30. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, each subdivision box 34 is prepared for each resident (person taking the medicine) and stores the corresponding resident's packaged medicine pack 2. For example, as shown in Fig. 5, the packaged medicine pack 2 of person A who takes the medicine after lunch is distributed and stored in the subdivision box 34 to which the text information "person A, lunchtime" (first medicine-related information) is added.

[0043] The subdivision box 34 in this embodiment is configured as a box-shaped container structure formed of materials such as plastic and paper (plastic materials, etc.). In detail, as shown in Fig. 5, the subdivision box 34 has a transparent structure 35 in the shape of a hollow cube or hollow rectangular parallelepiped with an open upper surface, and the internal space of the structure 35 functions as a medicine storage section in which the packs 2 are stored.

[0044] In addition, in the subdivision box 34 of this embodiment, the rear wall of the structure 35 is formed higher than the front wall and both side walls. A label 36 is attached to the upper part of the rear wall of the structure 35, displaying text information 6a, 6b "Mr. A, daytime" and a two-dimensional code image 6c, which is a code image. The medicine is distributed by the above-mentioned medicine distribution device 200 so that the information related to taking medicine, such as the name of the person taking the medicine and the timing of taking the medicine, displayed on the label 36, matches the resident (medicine recipient) and the timing of taking the medicine corresponding to the one-dose medicine pack 2 stored in the subdivision box 34.

[0045] As a specific example, the label 36 of the subdivision box 34 displays the text information "Mr. A, Lunch" and a two-dimensional code image 6c that encodes information related to (linked to) the information "Mr. A, Lunch." In this case, the information included (encoded) in the two-dimensional code image 6c may be, for example, the text information itself displayed on the label 36, "Mr. A" and "Lunch," or may be identification information, such as a unique ID, of the subdivision box 34. When the information included in the two-dimensional code image 6c is identification information, such as a unique ID, the information included in the two-dimensional code image 6c and the information on the label 36 on which the two-dimensional code image 6c is displayed are associated (linked) with each other by referring to a database or the like that associates the identification information with the text information on the label 36, "Mr. A" and "Lunch."

[0046] The information of the two-dimensional code image 6c of the label 36 attached to each subdivision box 34 is read, for example, by the code reader 67 of the carriage 50. At this time, for example, by associating (linking) the coordinates of the X position and Y position, which are the position information of the carriage 50, with the information of the two-dimensional code image 6c (the name of the person taking the medicine, the timing of taking the medicine), it becomes possible to distribute the pack 2 taken out of the cartridge 10 to an appropriate subdivision box 34.

[0047] In addition, when each compartment 33 of the medication tray 30 is determined for each resident (medicine recipient), the label 36 including the two-dimensional code image 6c may be attached to each compartment 33 of the medication tray 30, instead of each subdivision box 34. In other words, the multiple compartments 33 in the medication tray 30 may be assigned to each medication recipient at the same medication timing, and when a specific medication recipient does not take medication at a specific medication timing, it is also possible to prevent the pack 2 of a specific medication recipient from being placed at a specific medication timing.

[0048] In addition, the plurality of sections 33 of the medicine distribution tray 30 may be allocated for each timing of taking medicine of each medicine recipient. Specifically, the plurality of sections 33 may be allocated for each timing of taking the pack 2, that is, morning, midday, evening, and before going to bed, and for each medicine recipient. In such an example of the medicine distribution tray 30, the medicine distribution tray 30 can be managed for each floor or room in which multiple medicine recipients reside, and the packs 2 for that day (or several days) can be distributed in advance to the medicine distribution tray 30.

[0049] According to the above example, by allocating each section according to the timing of taking medicine, such as morning, afternoon, evening, before going to bed, etc., it is possible to prevent mistakes in the timing of taking medicine for each person. Not limited to the above-mentioned configuration example of the medicine distribution tray 30, various examples can be considered in combination with the medicine recipient and the timing of taking medicine.

[0050] Next, the cartridge 10 will be described. FIG. 6(a) is a vertical cross-sectional view of the cartridge, and FIG. 6(b) is a bottom view of the cartridge of FIG. 6(a). In the longitudinal cross-sectional view of Fig. 6(a), in order to simplify the drawing, the pack 2 is shown diagrammatically with the crimping portion 4 (see Fig. 3) of the pack 2 stored in the cartridge 10 omitted. Also, the cross-sectional hatching of the support portions (right support portion 12, left support portion 13, etc.) is also omitted.

[0051] The cartridge 10 is mainly composed of a case portion 11, a lid portion 14, a pack removal opening 17, a movable plate 16, a pack orientation maintaining portion 15, and a right support portion 12 and a left support portion 13 serving as supports.

[0052] The case portion 11 has a function of storing a plurality of packs 2 and a pack combination 2A (hereinafter, the pack 2 will be described as a representative). The case portion 11 is formed integrally or separately, for example, using resin. The lid portion 14 has a function of allowing the pack 2 to be inserted. The pack removal opening 17 is formed in the lower portion or bottom of the case portion 11, and is an opening for removing the pack 2 from the cartridge 10, and has a function of allowing the pack 2 removed from the cartridge 10 by the carriage 50 to pass through.

[0053] The movable plate 16 has a function of preventing the packs 2 from falling over, and after the first pack of the maximum number of packs 2 that can be stored in the case part 11 has been taken out, moves the lowest pack 2 to the vicinity of the pack removal opening 17. The pack posture maintaining part 15 has a function of maintaining the posture of the pack 2. The right support part 12 and the left support part 13 also have a function of supporting or holding the pack 2 in the case part 11.

[0054] In this embodiment, the portion to be removed of the pack 2 removed from the cartridge 10 by the carriage 50 is provided at the lower portion or bottom portion within the cartridge 10. That is, the portion to be removed is configured to include a right support portion 12 and a left support portion 13 as support portions or support members that support the pack 2 removed from the cartridge 10 at multiple points, and a pack removal opening 17.

[0055] When the pack 2 is to be removed from the cartridge 10 by the carriage 50, the right support portion 12 and the left support portion 13 are configured to allow the passage of the pack 2. On the other hand, when the pack 2 is not to be removed from the cartridge 10, the right support portion 12 and the left support portion 13 are configured to restrict the passage of the pack 2 so that a plurality of packs 2 are stored and held within the case portion 11.

[0056] As described above, the right support part 12 and the left support part 13 are support parts that support or hold the pack 2 in the cartridge 10, and are also provided in an immovable state so that the removal operation of the pack 2 from the cartridge 10 by the carriage 50 can be stabilized. The right support part 12 and the left support part 13 are fixed members that are fixed or secured to the bottom wall inner surfaces 11e of the right and left bottom wall ends of the pack removal opening 17, respectively.

[0057] The pack removal opening 17 has the function of passing the suction pad 52 of the carriage 50 in order to remove the pack 2, and also has the function of passing the removed pack 2 and the suction pad 52. In other words, the pack removal opening 17 and the right bottom wall end and the left bottom wall end provided in a state surrounding the pack removal opening 17 function as pack removal passages.

[0058] In the cartridge 10 in FIG. 6, a position 52' (hereinafter also referred to as "suction pad position") where the suction pad 52 suctions the pack 2 stored in the cartridge 10 is indicated by a circular two-dot chain line in FIG. 6(b). The right support part 12 and the left support part 13 support the pack 2 in the cartridge 10 so that the pack 2 in the cartridge 10 does not fall from the pack removal opening 17. When the lowest pack 2 in the cartridge 10 is removed while being sucked by the suction pad 52, the suction pad 52 sucks the pack 2 at two suction pad positions in the Y direction near both ends of the right support part 12. When the lowest pack 2 is removed from the cartridge 10 by the suction pad 52, the two suction pads 52 pass near both ends of the right support part 12 in the Y direction to suck and hold the pack 2.

[0059] The pack attitude maintaining portion 15 is made of sponge rubber having appropriate elasticity. The movable plate 16 is made of, for example, resin or metal. The pack attitude maintaining portion 15 and the movable plate 16 also properly maintain the attitude of the multiple packs 2 stored in the case portion 11 (as shown in FIG. 6(a) , they also maintain the attitude of the packs 2 in an orderly and substantially horizontal state along the Z direction). In order to fulfill the above-mentioned function, the movable plate 16 is set to reliably move at least one pack 2 remaining in the case portion 11 to the vicinity of the pack removal opening 17 by descending downward in the Z direction within the case portion 11 by its own weight.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 6(a), a long groove 11a is formed in the side wall of the case 11, extending in the Z direction with a predetermined width in the X direction. A flanged shaft 16a is provided at one end of the movable plate 16 so as to protrude from the long groove 11a. The movable plate 16 can hold the position of the pack 2 in the Z direction by guiding the shaft 16a along the long groove 11a in the Z direction. In FIG. 6, the packs 2 in the cartridge 10 are stacked in a substantially horizontal state, and are stored with the drug-encapsulated portion on the left side of the figure in a bulging position, but the detailed state of these packs 2 is omitted.

[0061] The packs 2 are set in the case 11 in order from the pack removal openings 17 on the right support 12 and left support 13 sides toward the top. The timing for refilling the cartridge 10 with packs 2 may be, for example, when a user (resident) at a nursing facility or the like is examined (usually every two weeks) or when the packs 2 in the cartridge 10 run out. If there are packs 2 remaining in the cartridge 10 when refilling, refilling is performed from behind the remaining packs 2. Setting the packs 2 in the cartridge 10 and refilling the packs 2 are performed by staff at a nursing facility or the like, but this is not limited to a configuration in which the storage section is made into a cartridge and this is performed automatically.

[0062] The lid portion 14 is intended to enable staff at a care facility or the like to insert and remove the pack 2 stored in the cartridge 10, and is formed long in the Z direction of the case portion 11 and with a predetermined opening width, as shown in Figure 6(a).

[0063] As shown in Fig. 6(b), the types of packs 2 in the cartridge 10 are divided by the timing of taking the medicine, for example, 14 days' worth of medicine to be taken in the afternoon for person A. Therefore, if person A has medicine to take in the morning, evening, and before going to bed in addition to the afternoon, a total of four cartridges 10 are required. The above example is not limiting, and for example, a single cartridge 10 set for each medicine taker (person) may be used, and the packs may be arranged in the order of morning → afternoon → evening → before going to bed → morning → afternoon → evening, etc. on the first day, moving upward from the pack removal opening 17, which is the pack removal direction of the cartridge 10.

[0064] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 6, a label 18 showing a two-dimensional code image 6c is attached to the bottom surface of the left support part 13 near the pack removal opening 17. A code reader 67 mounted on the carriage 50 reads the two-dimensional code image 6c on the label 18. This makes it possible to obtain medication-related information on the medicine packs (pack 2, pack combination 2A, etc.) stored in the cartridge 10.

[0065] Next, the information processing device 510 constituting the label creation system 500 of the dispensing pharmacy will be described. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the main configuration of an information processing device 510 of a dispensing pharmacy in this embodiment. As described above, the information processing device 510 generates label creation information for creating labels 18, 36 to be attached to the cartridge 10 and the subdivision box 34 from medication-related information including prescription information, and is equipped with an acquisition unit 511, a memory unit 512, an extraction unit 513, a generation unit 514, and a setting processing unit 515.

[0066] The acquisition unit 511 acquires medication-related information including prescription information. Specifically, the acquisition unit 511 acquires, for example, a prescription 100 of a patient as shown in FIG. 8 provided by a nursing facility, and the prescription information described in the prescription 100 is input by an operator or the like using an input device of the information processing device 510. The acquired prescription information is registered in a prescription information file in a storage device of the information processing device 510. In the example shown in FIG. 8, the name, date of birth, age, medical institution, doctor's name, drug name, issue date, expiration date, and the like of the patient who is the patient are described in the prescription 100. In addition, the acquisition unit 511 may read electronic data (prescription information file) including prescription information from a storage medium or receive it via a communication network, and acquire the prescription information from the received prescription information file.

[0067] The acquiring unit 511 also acquires patient information (e.g., the name of the care facility, the floor on which the patient resides, etc.) held by the pharmacy as medication-related information. The acquired patient information is registered in a prescription information file in the storage device of the information processing device 510 together with the above-mentioned prescription information. For example, as shown in FIG. 9(a), prescription information and patient information, which are medication-related information, are registered in the prescription information file in a state in which they are associated with each other.

[0068] The storage unit 512 stores, in electronic data format (setting file), setting information indicating extraction conditions for extracting extracted information, which is a portion of information included in the medication-related information.

[0069] The extraction unit 513 reads out the setting file (setting information) stored in the storage unit 512, and extracts information (extraction information) that matches the extraction conditions indicated in the read setting file from the prescription information file in the storage device of the information processing device 510.

[0070] The generation unit 514 generates label creation information for creating the labels 18, 36 to be attached to the medicines or the medicine storage units, based on the extraction information extracted by the extraction unit 513. The label creation information generated by the generation unit 514 is sent as print data from the information processing device 510 to the printer 520. The printer 520 prints a print image specified by the print data on a label material, thereby creating the labels 18, 36.

[0071] As described above, the medication-related information 6a, 6b, and 6c written on the labels 18 and 36 in this embodiment includes the two-dimensional code image 6c. In this embodiment, the extraction unit 513 extracts only a portion of the medication-related information registered in the prescription information file, and the generation unit 514 encodes the extracted information into a two-dimensional code image to generate code image creation information (label creation information).

[0072] For example, as shown in FIG. 9(a) to FIG. 9(c), by reading the prescription information file of FIG. 9(a) into an application program (app) running on the information processing device 510, only the facility name, name, medication timing, prescription date, and residence floor are extracted from the prescription information file. Then, according to the application program, the information processing device 510 uses the extracted information to generate a two-dimensional code image 6c including the information shown in FIG. 9(b). In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9(c), not only the two-dimensional code image 6c but also the name 6a of the person who takes the medicine and the medication timing 6b are written on the label 18, 36 as a character image that is a non-code image. The information 6a, 6b written as these character images is also included in the two-dimensional code image 6c, and is information linked to the information in the two-dimensional code image. The generation unit 514 generates label creation information for creating the label 18, 36 on which the information 6a, 6b and the two-dimensional code image 6c are written.

[0073] The setting processor 515 performs setting processing to add or change a setting file (setting information) stored in the memory 512, i.e., a setting file indicating extraction conditions for extracting extraction information, which is a part of information included in the medication-related information, according to a predetermined setting instruction. The setting file is, for example, a setting file in JSON format, and in the example shown in Fig. 10, the types of information to be included in the two-dimensional code image are specified as "care facility name", "patient name", "medication timing", and "prescription date". The format of the setting file may be other formats, and the method of specifying the type of information may be a method of specifying by the number of columns, etc.

[0074] In this embodiment, extraction conditions for extracting extraction information from a prescription information file can be set by a setting file in the setting processing unit 515. By describing the extraction conditions in the setting file in advance, it is possible to extract extraction information to be used as label creation information from the prescription information file according to the extraction conditions.

[0075] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of label production processing carried out by the information processing device 510 executing an application program in the label production system 500 of this embodiment. First, the information processing device 510 executes an application program (app) and causes the application program (a computing device that executes the application program; the same applies below) to read the prescription information file acquired by the acquisition unit 511 (S1). Next, the information processing device 510 causes the application program to function as an extraction unit 513, reads the setting file stored in the storage unit 512 (S2), and extracts information to be put into the two-dimensional code image 6c (information to be encoded into the two-dimensional code image 6c) from the read prescription information file according to the contents (extraction conditions) of the setting file (S3).

[0076] Thereafter, the information processing device 510, with the application program functioning as a generating unit 514, generates a two-dimensional code using the extracted information (S4). The information processing device 510 then generates label creation information (print data) for creating the labels 18, 36 on which the two-dimensional code image 6c based on the generated two-dimensional code and the character image information 6a, 6b are written (S5). In this manner, the label creation information (print data) generated by the information processing device 510 is sent to the printer 520, which prints the information to create the labels 18, 36.

[0077] In this embodiment, a plurality of setting files (setting information) having different extraction conditions may be stored in the storage unit 512, and a setting file to be used may be selected. Specifically, in the information processing device 510, an application program functions as a selection unit, and selects a setting file to be used by the extraction unit 513 from among a plurality of setting files stored in the storage unit 512 according to a predetermined selection condition. An example of the predetermined selection condition is a condition in which an operator uses an input device of the information processing device 510 to select a setting file to be used from a plurality of setting files displayed on a selection screen displayed on a display device of the information processing device 510 as shown in FIG. 12.

[0078] According to this, for example, a setting file can be prepared for each facility, and the setting file can be switched depending on which facility the label 18, 36 is to be created for. As a result, it becomes possible to create the label 18, 36 having information suitable for the operation at each facility.

[0079] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of label creation processing including a selection process for selecting a setting file to be used from a plurality of setting files (setting information). When it becomes necessary to change the setting file, for example when an operator operates an input device to instruct a change to the setting file (Yes in S11), the information processing device 510 displays a selection screen as shown in Fig. 12 on the display device of the information processing device 510. Then, when the operator uses the input device of the information processing device 510 to select a setting file to be used from the multiple setting files displayed on the selection screen, the setting file loaded into the application program is changed to the selected setting file (S12).

[0080] Thereafter, the information processing device 510 performs the label creation process in the same manner as in the flowchart of Fig. 11 described above, and generates label creation information (print data) (S1 to S5). As a result, the label creation information (print data) generated by the information processing device 510 is sent to the printer 520, whereby the labels 18, 36 are printed on which only the information (extracted information) extracted from the medication-related information in the prescription information file according to the extraction conditions of the setting file selected by the operator is attached.

[0081] In this embodiment, the amount of information extracted by the extraction unit 513 may exceed the upper limit of the amount of information to be encoded as a two-dimensional code image. For example, the number of characters (amount of information) of the extracted information extracted by the extraction unit 513 may exceed the character limit (upper limit) of the two-dimensional code image. In such a case, for example, the two-dimensional code image may only include a part of the entire character string, making it impossible to obtain a two-dimensional code image containing appropriate information. As a result, there is a risk that inappropriate information may be transmitted by reading the two-dimensional code image.

[0082] Therefore, it is preferable to provide a judgment unit that judges whether the amount of information extracted by the extraction unit exceeds the upper limit of the amount of information to be encoded as a two-dimensional code image. By providing such a judgment unit, it becomes possible to perform appropriate processing to deal with the case where the amount of information of the extracted information exceeds the upper limit.

[0083] FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the flow of a label creation process including a determination process for determining whether or not the amount of information (number of characters) extracted by the extraction unit exceeds the upper limit amount (character limit) of information to be encoded as a two-dimensional code image. After the information processing device 510 extracts extracted information from the loaded prescription information file in accordance with the extraction conditions of the setting file (S1 to S3), the application program functions as a judgment unit and judges whether the number of characters (amount of information) of the extracted information extracted by the extraction unit 513 exceeds the character limit (upper limit) of the two-dimensional code image (S21).

[0084] If it is determined that the character limit (upper limit) has not been exceeded (Yes in S21), the information processing device 510 continues the label production process as in the flowchart of Fig. 11 described above, and generates label production information (print data) (S4, S5). On the other hand, if it is determined that the character limit (upper limit) has been exceeded (No in S21), the information processing device 510 executes a notification process in which the application program functions as a notification unit and notifies (notifies) the user (operator) that the character limit (upper limit) has been exceeded (S22). An example of the notification process is a process of displaying a screen on the display device of the information processing device 510 to notify the user that the character limit (upper limit) has been exceeded.

[0085] By performing such notification processing, for example, it is possible to prompt the user (operator) to review the extraction conditions, thereby preventing the occurrence of an incident in which the user changes the extraction conditions in the configuration file and exceeds the character limit of the two-dimensional code image.

[0086] Furthermore, when the character number limit (upper limit amount) is exceeded, instead of or in addition to such a notification process, the extraction information extracted by the extraction unit 513 may be modified so that the number of characters (amount of information) of the extraction information becomes equal to or less than the upper limit amount (character number limit). Specifically, the information processing device 510 has an application program functioning as a modification unit, and for example, when the number of characters (amount of information) of the extraction information extracted by the extraction unit 513 exceeds the character number limit (upper limit amount), the number of characters of the extraction information is shortened.

[0087] For example, as shown in FIG. 15(a), if the character string of the extracted information is "XX Home, Suzuki Michimitsu, Daytime, 2023 / 6 / 9, 3F", the name of the facility, the name, and the prescription date are shortened to "XX, Suzuki, Daytime, 23 / 6 / 9, 3F", etc. That is, for the name of the facility "XX Home", only the unique part "XX" is left, and the common part "Home" such as the nature or attribute of the facility is removed, and it is shortened to "XX". Also, for the name "Suzuki Michimitsu", only the surname "Suzuki" is left, and the first name "Michimitsu" is removed, and it is shortened to "Suzuki". Also, for the prescription date "2023 / 6 / 9", the number of digits for the year is changed from 4 digits to 2 digits, and it is shortened to "23 / 6 / 9".

[0088] This makes it possible to prevent the occurrence of a situation in which the character count limit of a two-dimensional code image is exceeded without forcing the user (operator) to review the extraction conditions, etc. Also, a two-dimensional code image can be generated without reducing the number of information items.

[0089] However, when the amount of information of the extracted information is reduced in this way, the information contents may become the same even though they were different before the reduction, and it may be impossible to accurately convey the contents of each information. For example, when the character strings of the multiple extracted information pieces (four extracted information pieces in the illustrated example) shown in FIG. 15(a) are shortened by the above-mentioned method, the name after shortening between the extracted information pieces "XX Home, Suzuki Michimitsu, Daytime, 2023 / 6 / 9, 3F" and the extracted information pieces "XX Home, Suzuki Ichiro, Daytime, 2023 / 6 / 9, 3F" will both be "Suzuki" as shown in FIG. 15(b). In this case, even though the names are originally different, they cannot be distinguished from each other.

[0090] Therefore, when the information processing device 510 changes the number of characters (information amount) of the extracted information extracted by the extraction unit 513 to less than the character limit (upper limit amount), it is preferable to change it so that it is not the same as other extracted information extracted from other medication-related information. Specifically, in the two extracted information surrounded by frames in FIG. 15(b), the information of the name that is changed to the same information content after the change related to the different information content is changed to, for example, "Suzuki 1" in the former and "Suzuki 2" in the latter, as shown in FIG. 15(c), so that the information content is not the same. That is, information that can distinguish each other's information content (here, "1" and "2") is added. As a result, a two-dimensional code image 6c including the information shown in FIG. 15(d) (information after the change (shortening)) is generated, and is written on the label 18, 36 including the information after the change (shortening) as shown in FIG. 15(e).

[0091] FIG. 16 is a flow chart showing the flow of label creation processing including processing for changing (shortening) the information content so that it is not identical to other extracted information extracted from other medication-related information. After the information processing device 510 extracts extracted information from the loaded prescription information file in accordance with the extraction conditions of the setting file (S1 to S3), the application program functions as a judgment unit and judges whether the number of characters (amount of information) of the extracted information extracted by the extraction unit 513 exceeds the character limit (upper limit) of the two-dimensional code image (S21).

[0092] If the character count exceeds the character limit (upper limit) (No in S21), the information processing device 510 causes the application program to function as a change unit, and shortens the number of characters in the extracted information so that the number of characters (information amount) of the extracted information extracted by the extraction unit 513 is equal to or less than the character limit (upper limit) (S23). After that, the information processing device 510 checks whether the changed information contents relating to different information contents (for example, "Suzuki Michimitsu" and "Suzuki Ichiro") are not changed to the same information content ("Suzuki") (S24).

[0093] In this check, if no information to be changed to the same information content is found (Yes in S24), the information processing device 510 continues the label creation process as in the flowchart of FIG. 14 described above, generates a two-dimensional code image including the changed (shortened) information (S4), and generates label creation information (print data) including the changed (shortened) information (S5).

[0094] On the other hand, if the check finds information to be changed to the same information content (No in S24), the information processing device 510 performs a process of adding additional information ("1" and "2") to distinguish the information to be changed to the same information content ("Suzuki") (S25). After that, a two-dimensional code image containing the information after the change (shortening) that is now distinguishable is generated (S4), and label creation information (print data) containing the information after the change (shortening) that is now distinguishable is generated (S5).

[0095] In addition, as shown in Fig. 9(c), the label 18, 36 of this embodiment displays the character information 6a of "name" and the character information 6b of "timing of taking medicine" as non-code images consisting of character strings indicating information content, as well as the two-dimensional code image 6c which is a code image. The information indicated by the non-code image displayed on the label 18, 36 (here, "name" and "timing of taking medicine") is part of the information encoded in the two-dimensional code image 6c in this embodiment. That is, the character information 6a, 6b which is a non-code image displayed on the label 18, 36 is an announcement image which announces part or all of the extracted information encoded in the two-dimensional code image 6c.

[0096] By displaying such notification images 6a, 6b on the labels 18, 36, a user or other person can understand what information is contained in the two-dimensional code image 6c on the labels 18, 36 just by looking at the notification images 6a, 6b on the labels 18, 36, without having to read the two-dimensional code image 6c with a reader or the like.

[0097] In this embodiment, which information among the information encoded in the two-dimensional code image 6c is to be displayed on the label 18, 36 as a non-code image (such as a character string) is determined according to the contents of the setting file stored in the storage unit 512. Therefore, for example, a user (operator) can use the input device of the information processing device 510 to perform a process of changing the contents of the setting file, thereby instructing which information among the information encoded in the two-dimensional code image 6c is to be displayed on the label 18, 36 as a non-code image (such as a character string).

[0098] In other words, the information processing device 510 has an application program that functions as a designation unit, and designates information to be notified as character strings 6a, 6b, which are notification images, from among the extracted information encoded in the two-dimensional code image 6c according to predetermined designation conditions specified, for example, by a user (operator) using an input device of the information processing device 510, thereby changing the contents of the setting file in the memory unit 512.

[0099] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a specified color can be applied to the labels 18, 36. That is, in the information processing device 510, an application program functions as a color setting unit, and sets the color to be displayed on the labels 18, 36 according to predetermined color setting conditions. The color setting conditions are registered in a setting file in the storage unit 512. Then, in the information processing device 510, according to the color setting conditions registered in the setting file, the generation unit 514 generates label creation information for creating a label on which the set color is displayed.

[0100] As an example of the color setting condition, as shown in Fig. 17, a different color may be assigned to each medication timing (e.g., daytime → yellow, evening → blue, sleep → gray, morning → red). Also, the type of color can be freely set in the setting file (e.g., the color when the medication timing is "daytime" can be changed from "yellow" to "orange").

[0101] Furthermore, as a color setting condition, for example, as shown in FIG. 18, a different color may be applied to each facility. For example, the general timings for taking medicine are after breakfast, after lunch, after dinner, and before bedtime. In addition, there may be facility-specific timings for taking medicine, such as before breakfast, before lunch, and before dinner. Even in such a case, by applying a different color to each facility, it is possible to set colors such as pink for before breakfast, green for before lunch, and purple for before dinner. In this way, it is possible to color the labels according to the operation of each facility, such as the facility's unique timing for taking medicine.

[0102] In this embodiment, multiple different types of labels (in this embodiment, label 18 attached to cartridge 10 and label 36 attached to subdivision box 34) are created based on the extracted information extracted by extraction unit 513 from the same medication-related information. In this embodiment, the information processing device 510 has an application program that functions as a label designation unit, and can designate a label to be printed by printer 520 from multiple types of labels according to predetermined type designation conditions.

[0103] An example of a predetermined type designation condition is that an operator uses the input device of the information processing device 510 to select the type of label to be printed from three options displayed on a print instruction screen (label type designation screen) displayed on the display device of the information processing device 510 as shown in FIG. 19(a) ("Print all," "Print small boxes only," and "Print cartridges only").

[0104] That is, when "Print all" is selected on the print instruction screen in Fig. 19(a), the information processing device 510 causes the generation unit 514 to generate label creation information (print data) for both the label 18 for the cartridge 10 and the label 36 for the subdivision box 34. As a result, both the label 18 for the cartridge 10 and the label 36 for the subdivision box 34 are printed by the printer 520, as shown in Fig. 19(b).

[0105] Furthermore, when "Print on cartridge only" is selected, the information processing device 510, in the generation unit 514, does not generate label creation information for the label 36 for the subdivision box 34, but generates only label creation information for the label 18 for the cartridge 10. As a result, only the label 18 for the cartridge 10 on the left side shown in Figure 19(b) is printed by the printer 520.

[0106] Furthermore, when "Print only subdivision box" is selected, the information processing device 510, in the generation unit 514, does not generate label creation information for the label 18 for the cartridge 10, but generates only label creation information for the label 36 for the subdivision box 34. As a result, only the label 36 for the subdivision box 34 on the right side shown in Figure 19(b) is printed by the printer 520.

[0107] This allows printing only the required number of each label, even in a situation where, for example, one label 18 for the cartridge 10 and two labels 36 for the subdivision boxes 34 are to be printed, eliminating the need to print unnecessary labels.

[0108] In the present embodiment, a PDF file may be generated as print information for printing the image displayed on the label 18, 36 printed by the printer 520 by another image forming device. Specifically, the information processing device 510 generates print information (PDF file) for printing the image displayed on the label 18, 36 printed by the printer 520 by another image forming device, with an application program functioning as a print information generating unit. For example, when an option "Save as PDF" is selected on a print instruction screen displayed on the display device of the information processing device 510 as shown in FIG. 20, the information processing device 510 generates a PDF file of the label 18, 36 created based on the label creation information in the print information generating unit. This allows the same label 18, 36 to be printed again even if the label 18, 36 printed by the printer 520 is lost or the like. It is also possible to transfer the PDF data and print it at another location.

[0109] The above description is merely an example, and each of the following aspects provides unique effects. [First aspect] The first aspect is an information processing device 510 that generates label creation information (e.g., printing data) for creating labels 18, 36 to be attached to a drug prescribed to a drug recipient (or a patient) or a drug storage unit (e.g., a cartridge 10, a dispensing box 34) in which the drug is stored, from medication-related information including prescription information for the drug prescribed to the drug recipient, and is characterized by having a memory unit 512 that stores setting information (e.g., a setting file) indicating extraction conditions for extracting extracted information, which is a portion of the information contained in the medication-related information, an acquisition unit 511 that acquires the prescription information, an extraction unit 513 that extracts the extracted information from the medication-related information acquired by the acquisition unit based on the extraction conditions indicated by the setting information stored in the memory unit, a generation unit 514 that generates the label creation information based on the extracted information extracted by the extraction unit, and a setting processing unit 515 that performs setting processing to add or change the setting information stored in the memory unit in accordance with predetermined setting instructions. In this aspect, setting information indicating extraction conditions for extracting extracted information, which is a part of the information included in the medication-related information, is stored in the storage unit, and the setting information stored in the storage unit is added or changed according to a predetermined setting instruction by the setting processing unit. As a result, label creation information different from the previous information is generated by the generation unit based on the added or changed setting information. According to this aspect, by adding or changing the setting information, it is possible to appropriately select from which information (extracted information) included in the medication-related information the label creation information is to be generated. This makes it possible to use the label created based on the label creation information generated from the medication-related information for purposes other than those of the existing label, thereby expanding the uses of the label. In addition, by appropriately adding or changing the setting information according to the use of the label (differences in the types of items to which the label is attached (medicines, medicine storage units, etc.), differences in facilities (operations at each facility, etc.) in which the items to which the label is attached are used, etc.), it is possible to create one or more types of labels to which information suitable for the use of the label is attached.

[0110] [Second aspect] A second aspect is characterized in that, in the first aspect, the memory unit stores a plurality of setting information having different extraction conditions, and has a selection unit that selects setting information to be used by the extraction unit from the plurality of setting information stored in the memory unit in accordance with predetermined selection conditions. This makes it possible to generate label production information for each label, to which information suited to the use of each label is added.

[0111] [Third aspect] A third aspect is characterized in that, in the first or second aspect, the label creation information includes code image creation information for creating a code image (e.g., a two-dimensional code image) to be displayed on the label, and the generation unit generates code image creation information for creating a code image that encodes the extraction information extracted by the extraction unit. This makes it possible to create a label on which a code image is displayed.

[0112] [Fourth aspect] A fourth aspect is characterized in that in the third aspect, the information extraction unit further includes a judgment unit that judges whether or not the amount of information (e.g., the number of characters) extracted by the extraction unit exceeds an upper limit amount of information to be encoded as the code image (e.g., a character limit for the code image). This makes it possible to carry out appropriate processing to deal with the case where the amount of extracted information exceeds the upper limit amount.

[0113] [Fifth aspect] A fifth aspect is the fourth aspect, further comprising a notification section that notifies the user when the determination section determines that the upper limit amount is exceeded. By making such a notification, for example, it is possible to prompt the user (operator) to review the extraction conditions, thereby preventing the occurrence of a situation in which the maximum amount of information in the code image is exceeded by the user changing the extraction conditions of the setting information.

[0114] [Sixth aspect] A sixth aspect is characterized in that, in the fourth or fifth aspect, the determination unit determines that the upper limit amount is exceeded, and further includes a modification unit that modifies the extracted information extracted by the extraction unit so that the amount of information becomes equal to or less than the upper limit amount. This makes it possible to prevent the occurrence of a situation in which the information upper limit amount of the code image is exceeded, without forcing the user (operator) to perform tasks such as reviewing the extraction conditions.

[0115] [Seventh aspect] A seventh aspect is characterized in that, in the sixth aspect, the change unit changes the extracted information so that it is not identical to other extracted information extracted from other medication-related information. This makes it possible to prevent a situation in which multiple pieces of extracted information with different contents end up with the same information when the multiple pieces of extracted information are changed by the change unit, thereby making it possible to make the multiple pieces of extracted information distinguishable from one another, and thus enabling appropriate information transmission.

[0116] [Eighth aspect] An eighth aspect is characterized in that, in any of the third to seventh aspects, the label creation information includes non-code image creation information for creating a non-code image (e.g., a character string image) to be displayed on the label, and the non-code image is an indication image that indicates part or all of the extracted information encoded in the code image. This makes it possible for a person to understand what information is contained in the code image on the label just by looking at the notification image on the label, without having to read the code image with a reader or the like.

[0117] [Ninth aspect] A ninth aspect is characterized in that, in the eighth aspect, it has a designation unit that designates information to be notified as the notification image from the extracted information encoded in the code image in accordance with predetermined designation conditions. This makes it possible to appropriately specify which information among the information encoded in the code image is to be displayed on the label as a non-code image.

[0118] [Tenth aspect] A tenth aspect is a feature of any of the first to ninth aspects, further comprising a color setting unit that sets a color to be displayed on the label in accordance with predetermined color setting conditions, and the generation unit generates label creation information for creating a label on which the color set by the color setting unit is displayed. This allows a person to visually understand the purpose or type of each label based on the difference in label color.

[0119] [Eleventh aspect] An eleventh aspect is the tenth aspect, characterized in that the predetermined color setting conditions include conditions for setting a color designated by a user instruction. This makes it possible to appropriately specify which label should have which color.

[0120] [12th aspect] A twelfth aspect is characterized in that, in any of the first to eleventh aspects, the generation unit generates multiple label creation information for creating multiple different types of labels based on extraction information extracted by the extraction unit from the same medication-related information. This makes it possible to create a plurality of different types of labels from the same medication-related information depending on the purpose of the label, etc.

[0121] [13th aspect] A thirteenth aspect is a label creation device (e.g., a label creation system 500) that includes an information processing unit that generates label creation information for creating a label to be attached to a drug prescribed to a drug user or a drug storage unit in which the drug is stored, from medication-related information including prescription information for the drug type prescribed to the drug user, and a label creation unit (e.g., a printer 520) that creates the label based on the label creation information generated by the information processing device, and is characterized in that an information processing device 510 of any of the first to twelfth aspects is used as the information processing unit. According to this aspect, it is possible to expand the uses of labels generated from medication-related information including prescription information, for example, and to create labels with appropriate information according to the label use, etc., thereby providing high convenience.

[0122] [14th aspect] A 14th aspect is a label creation device (e.g., label creation system 500) that includes an information processing unit that generates label creation information for creating a label to be attached to a drug prescribed to a drug user or a drug storage unit in which the drug is stored, from medication-related information including prescription information for the drug type prescribed to the drug user, and a label creation unit (e.g., printer 520) that creates the label based on the label creation information generated by the information processing device, wherein the information processing unit uses the information processing device 510 of the 12th aspect, and has a label designation unit that designates the label to be created by the label creation unit from among the multiple types of labels in accordance with predetermined type designation conditions. This makes it possible to appropriately specify what type of label to create.

[0123] [15th aspect] A fifteenth aspect is characterized in that in the thirteenth or fourteenth aspect, the printer further includes a print information generation unit that generates print information (e.g., a PDF file) for printing, by another image forming device, an image to be displayed on a label created by the label creation unit. This makes it easy to reprint the same label or print it at another location even if the created label is lost, thereby increasing convenience.

[0124] [16th aspect] The 16th aspect is a control method for an information processing device 510 that generates label creation information for creating a drug prescribed to a drug user or a label to be attached to a drug storage unit in which the drug is stored, from medication-related information including prescription information for the drug prescribed to the drug user, and is characterized by having an extraction step of extracting the extracted information from the acquired medication-related information based on extraction conditions indicated by setting information stored in a memory unit 512 that stores setting information indicating extraction conditions for extracting extracted information, which is a portion of the information included in the medication-related information, a generation step of generating the label creation information based on the extraction information extracted in the extraction step, and a setting processing step of performing setting processing to add or change the setting information stored in the memory unit in accordance with predetermined setting instructions. According to this aspect, it is possible to expand the uses of labels generated from medication-related information including prescription information, for example, and to create labels with appropriate information according to the label use, etc., thereby providing high convenience.

[0125] [17th aspect] A 17th aspect is a program that causes a computer of an information processing device to function, which generates label creation information for creating a drug prescribed to a drug user or a label to be attached to a drug storage unit in which the drug is stored, from medication-related information including prescription information for the drug prescribed to the drug user, and is characterized in that it causes the computer to function as an extraction means that extracts the extracted information from the acquired medication-related information based on extraction conditions indicated by setting information stored in a memory unit 512 that stores setting information indicating extraction conditions for extracting extracted information, which is a portion of the information contained in the medication-related information, a generation means that generates the label creation information based on the extraction information extracted by the extraction means, and a setting processing means that performs setting processing to add or change the setting information stored in the memory unit in accordance with specified setting instructions. According to this aspect, it is possible to expand the uses of labels generated from medication-related information including prescription information, for example, and to create labels with appropriate information according to the label use, etc., thereby providing high convenience. [Explanation of symbols]

[0126] 1: Pack Continuum 2: Medicine Pack 2A: Pack combination 3: Drugs 6a, 6b: Medication-related information (text image) 6c: Medication-related information (two-dimensional code image) 10: Cartridge 18: Label 20: Cartridge tray 30: Medication tray 34: Small box 36: Label 40: Evacuation area 50: Carriage 52: Suction pad 67: Code reader 80: Drawer section 90: Transfer section 100: Prescription 200: Medicine distribution device 500: Label creation system 510: Information processing device 511: Acquisition Department 512: Storage section 513:Extraction part 514 :Generation part 515: Setting processing section 520: Printer [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0127] [Patent Document 1] JP 2001-43279 A

Claims

1. An information processing device that generates label creation information for creating a label to be attached to a drug prescribed to a user or a drug storage unit in which the drug is stored, from medication-related information including prescription information of the drug prescribed to the user, A storage unit for storing setting information indicating extraction conditions for extracting extracted information that is a part of the medication-related information; An acquisition unit that acquires the prescription information; an extraction unit that extracts the extracted information from the medication-related information acquired by the acquisition unit based on an extraction condition indicated by setting information stored in the storage unit; a generation unit that generates the label creation information based on the extracted information extracted by the extraction unit; a setting processing unit that performs a setting process to add or change setting information stored in the storage unit in accordance with a predetermined setting instruction.

2. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, the storage unit stores a plurality of pieces of setting information each having a different extraction condition; 13. An information processing apparatus comprising: a selection unit that selects setting information to be used by said extraction unit from a plurality of pieces of setting information stored in said storage unit in accordance with a predetermined selection condition.

3. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, the label creation information includes code image creation information for creating a code image to be displayed on the label, The information processing apparatus is characterized in that the generation unit generates code image creation information for creating a code image by encoding the extraction information extracted by the extraction unit.

4. 4. The information processing device according to claim 3, 2. An information processing apparatus comprising: a determining unit that determines whether or not an amount of information extracted by the extracting unit exceeds an upper limit amount of information to be encoded as the code image.

5. 5. The information processing device according to claim 4, 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a notification unit that notifies a user when the determination unit determines that the upper limit amount is exceeded.

6. 5. The information processing device according to claim 4, An information processing device characterized in having a modification unit that, when the judgment unit determines that the upper limit amount is exceeded, modifies the extracted information extracted by the extraction unit so that the amount of information is equal to or less than the upper limit amount.

7. 7. The information processing device according to claim 6, The information processing device, wherein the change unit changes the extracted information so that the extracted information is not identical to other extracted information extracted from other medication-related information.

8. 8. The information processing device according to claim 3, the label creation information includes non-code image creation information for creating a non-code image to be displayed on the label; 2. An information processing apparatus comprising: a code image encoding the extracted information; a code image encoding the extracted information;

9. 9. The information processing device according to claim 8, 13. An information processing apparatus comprising: a designation unit that designates information to be notified as the notification image from among the extracted information encoded into the code image in accordance with a predetermined designation condition.

10. 8. The information processing device according to claim 1, a color setting unit that sets a color to be displayed on the label in accordance with a predetermined color setting condition; The information processing apparatus is characterized in that the generation unit generates label creation information for creating a label on which the color set by the color setting unit is displayed.

11. 11. The information processing device according to claim 10, 2. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined color setting conditions include conditions for setting a color designated by a user instruction.

12. 8. The information processing device according to claim 1, The information processing device is characterized in that the generation unit generates a plurality of label creation information for creating a plurality of different types of labels based on the extraction information extracted by the extraction unit from the same medication-related information.

13. an information processing unit that generates label creation information for creating a label to be attached to the medicine prescribed to the medicine recipient or a medicine storage unit in which the medicine is stored, from medicine-taking-related information including prescription information of the medicine prescribed to the medicine recipient; a label producing unit that produces the label based on label production information generated by the information processing device, 8. A label producing apparatus comprising an information processing apparatus according to claim 1 as said information processing section.

14. an information processing unit that generates label creation information for creating a label to be attached to the medicine prescribed to the medicine recipient or a medicine storage unit in which the medicine is stored, from medicine-taking-related information including prescription information of the medicine prescribed to the medicine recipient; a label producing unit that produces the label based on label production information generated by the information processing device, The information processing unit is an information processing device according to claim 12, 1. A label producing apparatus comprising: a label designation unit that designates a label to be produced by the label producing unit from among the plurality of types of labels in accordance with a predetermined type designation condition.

15. 14. The label producing apparatus according to claim 13, a print information generating unit that generates print information for printing, by another image forming apparatus, an image to be displayed on a label produced by the label producing unit;

16. A method for controlling an information processing device that generates label creation information for creating a label to be attached to a drug prescribed to a user or a drug storage unit in which the drug is stored, from medication-related information including prescription information of the drug prescribed to the user, comprising: an extraction step of extracting the extracted information from the acquired medication-related information based on extraction conditions indicated by setting information stored in a storage unit that stores setting information indicating extraction conditions for extracting extracted information that is a part of information included in the medication-related information; a generating step of generating the label creation information based on the extracted information extracted in the extracting step; a setting processing step of performing a setting process for adding or changing setting information stored in the storage unit in accordance with a predetermined setting instruction.

17. A program for causing a computer of an information processing device to function, which generates label creation information for creating a label to be attached to a drug prescribed to a user or a drug storage unit in which the drug is stored, from medication-related information including prescription information of the drug prescribed to the user, an extraction means for extracting extracted information from the acquired medication-related information based on extraction conditions indicated by setting information stored in a storage unit that stores setting information indicating extraction conditions for extracting extracted information that is a portion of information included in the medication-related information; a generating means for generating the label creation information based on the extracted information extracted by the extracting means; and A program for causing the computer to function as a setting processing means for performing setting processing for adding or changing setting information stored in the storage unit in accordance with a predetermined setting instruction.

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