Appeal No. 2004-2032
Application No. 09/729,498
which respectively comprises a computing means and step for
determining the compatibility of the pharmaceutical components
relative to one another and determining the order in which the
components are transferred in preparing a prescription admixture.
Further details of this appealed subject matter are set forth in
representative independent claims 1 and 241 which read as follows.
1. Apparatus for use in controlling the operation of at least
one pharmaceutical compounder adapted to selectively transfer
prescribed amounts of pharmaceutical components from individual
source containers through elongated hollow transfer means to a
final container in order to prepare a prescription admixture, said
apparatus comprising:
computing means having memory means for storing instructions
for operating the apparatus and for controlling the compounders to
prepare a prescribed admixture, said memory means including data
relating to a plurality of the pharmaceutical components that may
be transferred to prepare the prescription admixture, and data
concerning the operating characteristics of at least one of the
compounders that the apparatus is adapted to control;
said computing means including at least one communication port
for establishing a communication link with each compounder that is
to be controlled;
said computing means being adapted to receive a prescription
admixture, identify the pharmaceutical components thereof,
determine the compatibility of the pharmaceutical components
relative to one another, determine the order in which the
components are transferred in preparing the prescription admixture,
and communicate the instructions for preparing the prescription
admixture to the compounders that are to be used in preparing the
prescription admixture.
1 We note the following informality in claim 24 which is
deserving of correction. With reference to the claim 24 copy
which appears in the brief appendix, the phrase “the apparatus”
on line 5 lacks strict antecedent basis. This informality would
be rectified by, for example, inserting the phrase –-an apparatus
including–- after the recitation “controlling the operation of”
on line 1.
22
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