Apparatus and method for improved drug regimen compliance
First Claim
1. A system for monitoring the state of at least one blister card that includes a forming film, a lidding film, and a first tablet contained in a first reservoir defined by the forming film and the lidding film, wherein the system comprises:
- a housing that is operative for locating the blister card in a first position, the housing including a lid having an open position and a closed position;
a first detection module comprising a first sensor that is operative for providing a first electrical signal based on at least one of (1) the presence of the first tablet in the first reservoir and (2) a first force applied to the forming film of the first reservoir; and
an electronics module that is operative for providing a first output signal based on the first electrical signal.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for monitoring drug-regimen compliance is disclosed. Systems in accordance with the present invention enable automatic monitoring of the state of medicine content of a blister card. Each tablet location on the blister card is operatively coupled with a different sensor that detects whether the tablet location is occupied and/or a dispensing event at a tablet location. In some embodiments, capacitive sensing is employed, where the capacitance of each sensor is based on the physical state of a dispensing region of the lidding film of the blister pack, which is located at the tablet location being monitored. Alternative sensing approaches are based on optical, acoustic, and tactile sensors that interrogate either the dispensing region at each tablet location or the tablets themselves to determine whether tablets have been dispensed. The sensors interface with a mobile app that provides the user instructions to help improve drug-regimen compliance.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A system for monitoring the state of at least one blister card that includes a forming film, a lidding film, and a first tablet contained in a first reservoir defined by the forming film and the lidding film, wherein the system comprises:
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a housing that is operative for locating the blister card in a first position, the housing including a lid having an open position and a closed position; a first detection module comprising a first sensor that is operative for providing a first electrical signal based on at least one of (1) the presence of the first tablet in the first reservoir and (2) a first force applied to the forming film of the first reservoir; and an electronics module that is operative for providing a first output signal based on the first electrical signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A system that is operative for monitoring the state of a first blister card that includes a forming film, a lidding film, and a plurality of tablets that is arranged in a first arrangement, wherein each tablet of the plurality thereof is contained in a different reservoir of a plurality of reservoirs defined by the forming film and lidding film, wherein the system comprises:
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a housing for locating the blister card, the housing comprising a lid having a closed position and an open position; a first detection module comprising a first plurality of sensors arranged in the first arrangement such that there is a one-to-one correspondence between the first plurality of sensors and the first plurality of reservoirs, wherein a first sensor of the first plurality thereof is operative for providing a first electrical signal of a first plurality thereof such that the first electrical signal is based on at least one of (1) the presence of a first tablet of the plurality thereof in a first reservoir of the plurality thereof when the lid is in its closed position and (2) a first force applied to the forming film of the first reservoir; and an electronics module operative for providing a first output signal based on the first plurality of electrical signals. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12)
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13. A method for monitoring the state of a blister card that includes a forming film, a lidding film, and a plurality of tablets that is arranged in a first arrangement, wherein each tablet of the plurality thereof is contained in a different reservoir of a plurality of reservoirs defined by the forming film and lidding film, wherein the method comprises:
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providing a housing for locating the blister card and a detection module, the housing including a lid having an open position and a closed position; providing the detection module such that it comprises a plurality of sensors configured to provide a plurality of first electrical signals, each of the plurality of the first electrical signals based on a content of the different reservoir of the plurality thereof, wherein the plurality of sensors is arranged in the first arrangement such that there is a one-to-one correspondence between the plurality of sensors and the plurality of reservoirs, and wherein each sensor of the plurality of sensors consisting of (1) a capacitive sensor disposed on the lid, the capacitive sensor configured to provide its respective first electrical signal based on a capacitance that is based on the presence of a tablet in its respective reservoir when the lid is in its closed position or (2) a tactile sensor that is configured to provide its first electrical signal based on a force applied to the forming film of its respective reservoir; determining a physical state of the blister card based on the plurality of first electrical signals; comparing the physical state of the blister card with an expected state of the blister card, wherein the expected state is based on a predetermined prescription regimen for the plurality of tablets; and providing an output signal based on the physical state of the blister card relative to the expected state. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification