Pill removal detection from pill package
First Claim
1. A pill dispensing device to monitor pill removal, the pill dispensing device comprising:
- an upper portion including a plurality of cavities, the upper portion configured to accommodate insertion of a pill package;
a lower portion formed from a locally or completely flexible or stretchable composite sheet, wherein the composite sheet includes a plurality of slits through the composite sheet, wherein each slit of the plurality of slits corresponds to a location of a respective one of the plurality of cavities of the upper portion, and wherein the lower portion further includes a top plate and a bottom plate, each of the top plate and the bottom plate including a plurality of openings corresponding to locations of the plurality of slits formed in the composite sheet; and
a circuit board printed on or embedded into the composite sheet, wherein the circuit board includes one or more circuits to detect removal of pills through the plurality of slits in the composite sheet, wherein the one or more circuits each include a pair of electrical contacts having a first contact and a second contact at each of the plurality of slits, wherein the first contact is positioned at a first side of the slit and the second contact is positioned at an opposite side from the first side of the slit.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Technologies are generally provided for a pill dispensing device to track removal of a pill from a pill package. The device may include circuits printed/embedded on a composite sheet configured to be locally or completely flexible/stretchable with a multitude of slits corresponding to locations of pill containing cavities of the pill package. Composite sheet may include embedded rigid sections and be flexible near the slits. Additionally, top and/or bottom plates may further provide structural rigidity to achieve desired flexible behavior of the composite sheet. Electronic circuits printed/embedded on or in the composite sheet may detect removal of a pill from the pill package through the slits. Slits may include electrical contacts configured to switch a circuit corresponding to each slit between an active and an inactive state. Upon removal of the pill, the contacts may separate or touch each other, opening or closing the circuit corresponding to the expanded slit.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A pill dispensing device to monitor pill removal, the pill dispensing device comprising:
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an upper portion including a plurality of cavities, the upper portion configured to accommodate insertion of a pill package; a lower portion formed from a locally or completely flexible or stretchable composite sheet, wherein the composite sheet includes a plurality of slits through the composite sheet, wherein each slit of the plurality of slits corresponds to a location of a respective one of the plurality of cavities of the upper portion, and wherein the lower portion further includes a top plate and a bottom plate, each of the top plate and the bottom plate including a plurality of openings corresponding to locations of the plurality of slits formed in the composite sheet; and a circuit board printed on or embedded into the composite sheet, wherein the circuit board includes one or more circuits to detect removal of pills through the plurality of slits in the composite sheet, wherein the one or more circuits each include a pair of electrical contacts having a first contact and a second contact at each of the plurality of slits, wherein the first contact is positioned at a first side of the slit and the second contact is positioned at an opposite side from the first side of the slit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A system to monitor pill removal from a pill dispensing device, the system comprising:
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a pill dispensing device including; an upper portion including a plurality of cavities, the upper portion configured to accommodate insertion of a pill package; a lower portion formed from a locally or completely flexible or stretchable composite sheet, wherein the composite sheet includes a plurality of slits through the composite sheet, wherein each slit of the plurality of slits corresponds to a location of the plurality of cavities of the upper portion, wherein the lower portion is sandwiched between a top plate and a bottom plate, each of the top plate and the bottom plate including a plurality of openings corresponding to locations of the plurality of slits formed on the composite sheet; and a circuit board printed on or embedded into the composite sheet, wherein the circuit board includes one or more circuits to detect removal of pills through the plurality of slits in the composite sheet, wherein the one or more circuits each include a pair of electrical contacts having a first contact and a second contact at each of the plurality of slits, wherein the first contact is positioned at a first side of the slit and the second contact is positioned at an opposite side from the first side of the slit; a controller configured to detect a change in a state of the one or more circuits in response to removal of a pill from a cavity of the pill package through the slit in the lower portion; and a remote monitoring service configured to store a record of the removal of the pill from the pill dispensing device. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method to manufacture a pill dispensing device to monitor pill removal, the method comprising:
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forming a rigid upper portion configured to accommodate insertion of a pill package; one of printing a circuit board on a composite sheet or embedding the circuit board into the composite sheet, wherein the circuit board includes a plurality of individual circuits; forming a plurality of slits in the composite sheet at each individual circuit of the circuit board, wherein each individual circuit includes a pair of electrical contacts having a first contact and second contact at each of the plurality of slits, wherein the first contact is positioned at a first side of the slit and the second contact is positioned at an opposite side from the first side of the slit; inserting the composite sheet including the printed circuit board between a top plate and a bottom plate, wherein each of the top plate and the bottom plate includes a plurality of openings corresponding to a location of the plurality of slits formed in the composite sheet; inserting the printed circuit board sandwiched between the top plate and the bottom plate within the upper portion; and inserting the pill package between the upper portion and the composite sheet, such that each of a plurality of pill containing cavities in the pill package corresponds to the plurality of slits formed in the composite sheet. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification