System, method, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for evaluating search engine results and displaying a virtual pill case

• US 10,445,473 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2016
• Issued: 10/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLC (WalMart Inc.)
• Inventors: Toupin, Justin, Diepenbrock, Nathan Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Kanaan, Maroun P
• Application Number:
  US15/009,374
• Publication Number:
  US 20170220770A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,356 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/60 relating to nutrition control, e.g. diets
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/40 relating to drugs, e.g. their side effects or intended usage

Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media that assist pharmacy customers with medication adherence are disclosed. A user interface on a user device includes a virtual pill case including prescription information about a medication. A processing device includes a pharmacy account module, a search engine module, and a communications module. The pharmacy account module receives a request to monitor a user activity, stores the request in a database, and initiates a data search operation, and transmits prescription information to the search engine module. The search engine module receives the prescription information, generates a search on a third party server, and receives and sends the results to the pharmacy account module. The pharmacy account module evaluates the results to retrieve updated medication information and updates the virtual pill case, determines a triggering event associated with the medication occurred, and generates a notification. The communications module transmits the notification to the user.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a first user interface on a user device accessible to a user and including a virtual pill case, the virtual pill case comprising;

a date range;

first prescription information about at least one medication, wherein;

the first prescription information comprises dosage instructions for the at least one medication; and

the at least one medication is scheduled to be taken by the user during the date range;

a first image of the at least one medication;

a first customized hyperlink; and

a selectable user interface element corresponding to the at least one medication;

a second user interface on the user device accessible to the user when the user selects the first customized hyperlink, the second user interface comprising;

a second image of the at least one medication, the second image of the at least one medication being larger than the first image of the at least one medication;

second prescription information about the at least one medication, the second prescription information comprising;

a name of the at least one medication;

a class of the at least one medication;

a dosage strength of the at least one medication;

a shape of the at least one medication;

a color of the at least one medication; and

an imprint of the at least one medication; and

a second customized hyperlink configured to navigate a web browser on the user device to a third-party website comprising side effect information about the at least one medication and adverse interaction information about the at least one medication; and

a processing device in communication with the first user interface or the second user interface, the processing device comprising;

a pharmacy account module configured to;

receive a request to initiate a notification operation to monitor an activity of the user, the activity corresponding to a use of the at least one medication;

store the request to initiate the notification operation in a database; and

initiate a data search operation including transmitting the first prescription information to a search engine module;

the search engine module configured to;

receive the first prescription information from the pharmacy account module;

in response to receiving the first prescription information, automatically generate a request to search the first prescription information on a third party server;

receive search results associated with the first prescription information from the third party server; and

in response to receiving the search results, automatically send the search results to the pharmacy account module;

the pharmacy account module further configured to;

receive the search results from the search engine module;

in response to receiving the search results, automatically evaluate the search results to retrieve updated information associated with the at least one medication;

update the at least one medication in the virtual pill case with the updated information;

determine that a triggering event has occurred, wherein the triggering event is associated with the at least one medication; and

in response to determining that the triggering event has occurred, automatically generate a notification regarding the triggering event;

a communications module configured to;

transmit the notification to the user; and

receive, from the user, a selection of the selectable user interface element corresponding to the at least one medication, the selection of the selectable user interface element indicating a use of the at least one medication by the user;

transmit the selection of the selectable user interface element to the pharmacy account module;

receive a selection of the first customized hyperlink; and

transmit the second user interface to a customer control unit; and

the pharmacy account module further configured to;

receive the selection from the communications module; and

in response to receiving the selection, resolve the triggering event.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the request to initiate the notification operation includes one or more user preferences.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the one or more user preferences include a preferred notification frequency.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the one or more user preferences include a preferred method of notification transmission.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the one or more user preferences include a preferred time of day for notification transmission.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the communications module is further configured to prompt the user to access the virtual pill case.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the communications module is further configured to prompt the user to view the dosage instructions associated with the at least one medication.

8. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, by a pharmacy account module of a server, a request to initiate a notification operation to monitor an activity of a user, the activity corresponding to a use of at least one medication;

storing, in a database on the server, the request to initiate the notification operation;

initiating, by the pharmacy account module, a data search operation including transmitting prescription information to a search engine module;

receiving, by the search engine module from the pharmacy account module, the prescription information;

in response to receiving the prescription information, automatically generating, by the search engine module, a request to search the prescription information on a third party server;

receiving, by the search engine module, search results associated with the prescription information from the third party server;

in response to receiving the search results, automatically sending, by the search engine module, the search results to the pharmacy account module;

receiving, by the pharmacy account module, the search results from the search engine module;

in response to receiving the search results, automatically evaluating, by the pharmacy account module, the search results in order to retrieve updated information associated with the at least one medication;

updating, by the pharmacy account module, first prescription information about the at least one medication displayed in a virtual pill case on a first user interface of a customer control unit using the updated information associated with the at least one medication, the virtual pill case comprising;

a date range;

the first prescription information about the at least one medication, wherein;

the first prescription information comprises dosage instructions for the at least one medication; and

the at least one medication is scheduled to be taken by the user during the date range;

a first image of the at least one medication;

a first customized hyperlink; and

a selectable user interface element corresponding to the at least one medication;

determining, by the pharmacy account module, that a triggering event has occurred, wherein the triggering event is associated with the at least one medication;

in response to determining that the triggering event has occurred, automatically generating, by the pharmacy account module, a notification regarding the triggering event;

transmitting, by a communications module, the notification to the user

receiving, by the communications module from the user, a selection of the selectable user interface element corresponding to the at least one medication, the selection indicating a use of the at least one medication by the user;

transmitting, by the communications module, the selection of the selectable user interface element to the pharmacy account module;

receiving, by the pharmacy account module from the communications module, the selection of the selectable user interface element from the communications module;

in response to receiving the selection of the selectable user interface element, resolving, by the pharmacy account module, the triggering event;

receiving, by the communications module, a selection of the first customized hyperlink; and

transmitting, by the communications module, a second user interface to the customer control unit, the second user interface comprising;

a second image of the at least one medication, the second image of the at least one medication being larger than the first image of the at least one medication;

second prescription information about the at least one medication, the second prescription information comprising;

a name of the at least one medication;

a class of the at least one medication;

a dosage strength of the at least one medication;

a shape of the at least one medication;

a color of the at least one medication; and

an imprint of the at least one medication; and

a second customized hyperlink configured to navigate a web browser on a user device to a third-party website comprising side effect information about the at least one medication and adverse interaction information about the at least one medication.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the request to initiate the notification operation includes one or more user preferences.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more user preferences include a preferred notification frequency.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more user preferences include a preferred method of notification transmission.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more user preferences include a preferred time of day for the notification transmission.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the communications module is further configured to prompt the user to access the virtual pill case.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the communications module is further configured to prompt the user to view the dosage instructions associated with the at least one medication.

15. A non-transitory information recording medium on which a computer readable program is recorded that causes a computer to function as a system comprising:

a first user interface on a user device accessible to a user and including a virtual pill case, the virtual pill case comprising;

a date range;

first prescription information about at least one medication, wherein;

the first prescription information comprises dosage instructions for the at least one medication; and

the at least one medication is scheduled to be taken by the user during the date range;

a first image of the at least one medication;

a first customized hyperlink; and

a selectable user interface element corresponding to the at least one medication;

a second user interface on the user device accessible to the user when the user selects the first customized hyperlink, the second user interface comprising;

a second image of the at least one medication, the second image of the at least one medication being larger than the first image of the at least one medication;

second prescription information about the at least one medication, the second prescription information comprising;

a name of the at least one medication;

a class of the at least one medication;

a dosage strength of the at least one medication;

a shape of the at least one medication;

a color of the at least one medication; and

an imprint of the at least one medication; and

a second customized hyperlink configured to navigate a web browser on the user device to a third-party website comprising side effect information about the at least one medication and adverse interaction information about the at least one medication; and

a processing device in communication with the first user interface or the second user interface, the processing device comprising;

a pharmacy account module configured to;

receive a request to initiate a notification operation to monitor an activity of the user, the activity corresponding to a use of the at least one medication;

store the request to initiate the notification operation in a database; and

initiate a data search operation including transmitting the first prescription information to a search engine module;

the search engine module configured to;

receive the first prescription information from the pharmacy account module;

in response to receiving the first prescription information, automatically generate a request to search the first prescription information on a third party server;

receive search results associated with the first prescription information from the third party server; and

in response to receiving the search results, automatically send the search results to the pharmacy account module;

the pharmacy account module further configured to;

receive the search results from the search engine module;

in response to receiving the search results, automatically evaluate the search results to retrieve updated information associated with the at least one medication;

update the at least one medication in the virtual pill case with the updated information;

determine that a triggering event has occurred, wherein the triggering event is associated with the at least one medication; and

in response to determining that the triggering event has occurred, automatically generate a notification regarding the triggering event;

a communications module configured to;

transmit the notification to the user; and

receive, from the user, a selection of the selectable user interface element corresponding to the at least one medication, the selection of the selectable user interface element indicating a use of the at least one medication by the user;

transmit the selection of the selectable user interface element to the pharmacy account module;

receive a selection of the first customized hyperlink; and

transmit the second user interface to a customer control unit and the pharmacy account module further configured to;

receive the selection from the communications module; and

in response to receiving the selection, resolve the triggering event.

16. The non-transitory information recording medium of claim 15, wherein the request to initiate the notification operation includes one or more user preferences.

17. The non-transitory information recording medium of claim 16, wherein the one or more user preferences include a preferred notification frequency.

18. The non-transitory information recording medium of claim 16, wherein the one or more user preferences include a preferred method of notification transmission.

19. The non-transitory information recording medium of claim 16, wherein the one or more user preferences include a preferred time of day for the notification.

20. The non-transitory information recording medium of claim 15, wherein the communications module is further configured to prompt the user to access the virtual pill case.

21. The non-transitory information recording medium of claim 20, wherein the communications module is further configured to prompt the user to view the dosage instructions associated with the at least one medication.