Pill printing identification

Abstract

Drug dosages and bar code labels are within a tamperproof, sealed container. A printer is configured to mark a drug dosage with an imprint in a form of a machine readable bar code. A method and product are provided to enable both the source of manufacture and distributor to be identified based on scanning a barcode from a label.

1 . A method of tracking passage of a container through a channel of distribution, comprising scanning from a container a machine readable code, correlating the scanned machine readable code with information stored in a database to reveal identities of those in a channel of distribution of the container. 
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein contents of he container include an edible or biocompatible item. 
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein contents of the container include a drug dosage, the channel of distribution being a drug channel of distribution. 
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the machine readable code is on the container. 
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the machine readable code is within the container. 
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the machine readable code appears invisible to the unaided human eye. 
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the correlating further reveals a national drug code pertaining to the drug dosage. 
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the correlating reveals an identity of a distributor of the container as one of those in the channel of distribution. 
   
   
       9 . A monitoring system, comprising a scanner arranged to scan a machine readable code from a container and store same into a database in correlation with information to reveal identifies of those in a channel of distribution of the container, and an indicator that indicates the revealed identities based on the correlation. 
   
   
       10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein contents of the container include a drug dosage, the channel of distribution being a drug channel of distribution. 
   
   
       11 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein contents of the container include an edible or biocompatible item. 
   
   
       12 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the machine readable code is on the container. 
   
   
       13 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the machine readable code is within the container. 
   
   
       14 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the machine readable code is configured to appear invisible to the unaided human eye. 
   
   
       15 . The system of  claim 10 , further comprising means for correlating the scanned machine readable code with information stored in the database to reveal a national drug code pertaining to the drug dosage. 
   
   
       16 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the indicator is configured to indicate an identity of a distributor of the container as one of those in the channel of distribution based on the correlation. 
   
   
       17 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein what is stored in the database includes an electronic identity code, which is stored in the database in correlation with the scanned machine readable code. 
   
   
       18 . A computer readable memory device, comprising computer readable storage configured to store information from a scanner pertaining to a code on a container that contains a drug dosage, the computer readable storage being configured to store the information in correlation with an electronic identity code to reveal an identify of a distributor of the drug dosage from the correlation.