Medical reminder and dispensing device

• US 10,304,562 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2018
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Abbas Beigi, Tracy Turnell
• Original Assignee: Abbas Beigi, Tracy Turnell
• Inventors: Turnell, Tracy, Beigi, Abbas
• Primary Examiner(s): Previl, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US15/899,912
• Publication Number:
  US 20180174674A1
• Time in Patent Office: 462 Days
• Field of Search: 3403097, 3403094, 340457, 340534, 34053912, 34053913, 34053922, 3405731, 340 552, 340 751
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0418 with electronic history memory
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0427 with direct interaction with a dispensing or delivery system
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0481 working on a schedule basis
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A medication reminder and dispensing device includes a housing having at least one opening and at least one drawer containing at least one dose of a medication to be delivered to a patient. The drawer is slidably positioned in the opening and configured to move from a closed position to an open position. The device also includes at least one electromagnet connected to the housing or drawer configured to be transitioned between a first state and a second state. When in the first state, the electromagnet is configured to maintain the drawer in the closed position. When in the second state, the drawer automatically moves to the open position. The device also includes a processor configured to cause the at least one electromagnet to transition from the first state to the second state based on the pre-programmed schedule, thereby causing the drawer to automatically move to the open position.

Claims

1. A medication reminder and dispensing device for dispensing at least one dose of a medication to a patient in accordance with a pre-programmed schedule, the device comprising:

a housing comprising at least one opening extending inwardly from a surface thereof;

at least one medication holding drawer containing the at least one dose, the drawer being slidably positioned in the at least one opening and configured to move from a closed position to an open position to expose an interior of the drawer;

at least one electromagnet connected to the housing or drawer configured to be transitioned between a first state and a second state, wherein, when in the first state, the electromagnet is configured to maintain the drawer in the closed position, and, when in the second state, the drawer automatically moves to the open position;

a patient input component configured to receive a confirmation from the patient that the drawer has been emptied of the at least one dose; and

a processor configured to;

cause the at least one electromagnet to transition from the first state to the second state based on the pre-programmed schedule, thereby causing the drawer to automatically move to the open position;

receive a confirmation from the patient by the patient input component that the drawer has been emptied of the at least one dose contained therein, and

generate an alert that the patient is not in compliance with the pre-programmed schedule when the confirmation is not received within a predetermined period of time from opening of the drawer.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising a visual or audio feedback component, wherein the processor is configured to cause the visual or audio feedback component to provide a message prompting the patient to take the at least one dose of the medication according to the pre-programmed schedule.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the visual or audio feedback component comprises a touch-enabled LCD display screen.

4. The device of claim 1, further comprising a communication interface operatively coupled to the processor capable of receiving signals at and communicating signals from the medication reminder and dispensing device, wherein the processor is configured to cause the communication interface to transmit the alert to a remote monitoring station.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the communications interface is configured to connect to the remote monitoring station via one or more of a wired connection, a LAN connection, a 3G Wi-Fi connection, and a 4G Wi-Fi connection.

6. The device of claim 1, further comprising one or more rails mounted between the housing and the medication holding drawer configured to allow the drawer to move from the closed position to the open position.

7. The device of claim 1, further comprising an indicator mounted on the drawer or on the surface of the housing adjacent to the drawer, wherein the processor is configured to activate the indicator when the drawer is being opened based on the pre-programmed schedule.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the indicator comprises one or more LED bulbs positioned to illuminate at least the interior of the drawer.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a plurality of openings and a plurality of medication holding drawers, and wherein a drawer is positioned in each of the plurality of openings.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the plurality of openings are arranged in a grid on the surface of the housing, the grid comprising seven columns of openings.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the grid further comprises eight rows of openings.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the patient input component comprises a computer or tablet, and wherein the medication reminder and dispensing device further comprises a docking station which connects the computer or tablet to the housing and places the computer or tablet in electronic communication with the processor.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one drawer comprise a removable liner partially enclosing the interior of the drawer configured to contain the at least one dose, and wherein, as the drawer moves to the open position, the removable liner is configured to move to a lifted-up position.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein, when the removable liner is in the lifted-up position, the removable liner is configured to block the drawer from moving to the closed position such that the drawer does not close until the removable liner is removed from the interior of the drawer.

15. The device of claim 1, further comprising a spring mounted adjacent to the at least one drawer biased to contribute to moving the at least one drawer to the open position when the electromagnet is in the second state.

16. The device of claim 1, wherein the drawer comprises a pole magnet capable of reversing polarity configured to be repelled by the electromagnet when the electromagnet is in the second state, to open the drawer.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein, upon receiving the confirmation of the patient input component, the processor is configured to cause the pole magnet of the at least one drawer to reverse polarity, thereby causing the drawer to automatically move to the closed position.

18. A system for dispensing medication to a patient in accordance with a pre-programmed schedule, comprising:

a medication reminder and dispensing device for dispensing at least one dose of the medication to the patient, the device comprising;

a housing comprising at least one opening extending inwardly from a surface thereof;

at least one medication holding drawer containing the at least one dose, the drawer being slidably positioned in the at least one opening and configured to move from a closed position to an open position to expose an interior of the drawer;

at least one electromagnet connected to the housing or drawer configured to be transitioned between a first state and a second state, wherein, when in the first state, the electromagnet is configured to maintain the drawer in the closed position, and, when in the second state, the drawer automatically moves to the open position;

a patient input component configured to receive a confirmation from the patient that the drawer has been emptied of the at least one dose; and

a processor configured to;

cause the at least one electromagnet to transition from the first state to the second state based on the pre-programmed schedule, thereby causing the drawer to automatically move to the open position;

receive a confirmation from the patient by the patient input component that the drawer has been emptied of the at least one dose contained therein, and

generate an alert that the patient is not in compliance with the pre-programmed schedule when the confirmation is not received within a predetermined period of time from opening of the drawer; and

a wearable messaging device configured to be worn by the patient in wireless communication with the processor of the medication reminder and dispensing device, wherein the processor is configured to cause the wearable messaging device to display a message to the patient prompting the patient to take the at least one dose of the medication in the drawer based on the pre-programmed schedule.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the wearable messaging device comprises a bracelet.

20. The system of claim 18, further comprising a remote monitoring station in electrical communication with the medication reminder and dispensing device, wherein the processor of the medication reminder and dispensing device is configured to transmit the alert that the patient is not in compliance with the pre-programmed schedule from the medication reminder and dispensing device to the remote monitoring station.