Patent issued for prescription drug kiosk

SAN DIEGO — Asteres Inc. has received its first patent. According to a news release, Asteres' ScriptCenter is the first technology operating in the retail market today that is covered by a patent focused on the delivery of finished prescriptions to consumers.

Asteres develops secure self-service kiosks for the storage and delivery of consumer products. Asteres' premier product is ScriptCenter, a prescription pick-up kiosk for retail pharmacies.

The Asteres patent contains 94 separate claims covering various methods for delivering finished prescriptions directly to consumers, including claims covering its high-volume, auto-dispensing technology, ScriptCenter.

The company said it intends to "pursue aggressively additional intellectual property development and protection, including numerous patent applications pending in the United States and worldwide."

"We are very pleased to be awarded this breakthrough patent," said John Beane, Asteres' co-founder and vice president of strategic product development. "Next to the employees, our intellectual property is our greatest asset. In an emerging market, it is critical to be the first mover and have substantiated patent claims with freedom to operate. This patent cements Asteres' position as the market maker and market leader."