Container with content monitoring and reporting capabilities

• US 10,565,853 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2018
• Issued: 02/18/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sam Johnson
• Original Assignee: Sam Johnson
• Inventors: Johnson, Sam, Leon, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Toan N
• Application Number:
  US16/034,449
• Publication Number:
  US 20180322769A1
• Time in Patent Office: 585 Days
• Field of Search: 340540, 340 58, 34030916, 3403094, 3403097, 3403098
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2200/70 Device provided with specific sensor or indicating means
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0427 with direct interaction with a dispensing or delivery system
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/049 automatically changing in response to a schedule deviation by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/06 by tampering with fastening
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/08 by opening, e.g. of door, of window, of drawer, of shutter, of curtain, of blind
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/18 Status alarms G08B21/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/24 Reminder alarms, e.g. anti-loss alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/08 using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence

Abstract

An activity monitor is associated with a container, such as a medication bottle, and includes one or more detectors configured to detect activity associated with the bottle, such as movement, opening and/or closing, and changes in volume and/or mass. The activity monitor may include alerting devices and be programmed with scheduling information. The activity monitor may also, or instead, communicate with one or more remote devices such as a user device or monitoring system, such as to receive programming information from those devices or to output activity information to those devices.

Claims

1. A content monitoring apparatus configured to monitor a container, the content monitoring apparatus comprising:

a housing that is mounted into and disposed within an open bottom of the container; and

a scale disposed on the housing which detects a weight of contents within the container;

wherein the housing comprises an outer wall that fits within the bottom of the container, and a plunger that interacts with a weight sensor of the scale, the plunger supporting the container and the contents therein.

2. The content monitoring apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a processing unit communicatively coupled to the scale, the processing unit comprising a transceiver that communicates with a computing device to send information to the computing device regarding activity associated with the container as detected by the scale.

3. The content monitoring apparatus of claim 2 wherein the computing device comprises a mobile device of a user.

4. The content monitoring apparatus of claim 1, wherein the scale comprises a pressure activated detector.

5. The content monitoring apparatus of claim 1, wherein the scale detects the weight of contents within the container by sensing a weight of both the container and the contents.

6. The content monitoring apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the housing further comprises a printed circuit board on which a processing unit and the weight sensor are disposed,

the container comprises seating ribs on an interior surface, and

the seating ribs are disposed on the printed circuit board to transfer the weight of the container and the contents therein to the printed circuit board, the printed circuit board being supported by the plunger of the housing through the interaction of the weight sensor and the plunger.

7. A content monitoring apparatus configured to monitor a container, the content monitoring apparatus comprising:

a housing comprising an annular opening;

a scale comprising a battery and a printed circuit board disposed within the housing, the printed circuit board comprising a weight sensor and a processing unit; and

a loading member comprising a flexible member disposed within the annular opening of the housing, the loading member contacting the weight sensor,

wherein the loading member is configured such that the container may rest thereon and a weight of the container is transferred through the flexible member to the weight sensor to detect a mass of the container and contents therein.

8. The content monitoring apparatus of claim 7, wherein the housing comprises a top portion and a bottom portion, the annular opening is disposed in the top portion, the bottom portion comprises an annular flange forming a depression, and the battery and the printed circuit board are disposed within the depression.

9. The content monitoring apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processing unit comprises a transceiver that communicates with a computing device to send information to the computing device regarding activity associated with the container as detected by the scale.

10. The content monitoring apparatus of claim 9 wherein the computing device comprises a mobile device of a user.

11. The content monitoring apparatus of claim 7, wherein the scale comprises a pressure activated detector.

12. The content monitoring apparatus of claim 7, wherein the loading member further comprises a plunger attached to the flexible member, the plunger being configured to interact with the weight sensor.

13. The content monitoring apparatus of claim 7, wherein the flexible member comprises a cylindrical extension extending from edges of the flexible member, and an annular flange disposed at an end of the cylindrical extension, the annular flange locking the flexible member to the housing.

14. A content monitoring apparatus configured monitor a container, the content monitoring apparatus comprising:

a housing that is mounted into and disposed within an open bottom of the container; and

a scale disposed on the housing which detects a weight of contents within the container;

wherein the housing further comprises a weighing platform, the weighing platform including a column extending from a lower surface of the weighing platform, the column comprising a plunger that interacts with a weight sensor of the scale to detect the weight of the contents within the container that are disposed on a loading surface of the weighing platform;

whereby the scale detects the weight of the contents within the container independent of a weight of the container.

15. The content monitoring apparatus of claim 14, wherein the housing comprises a battery and a printed circuit board on which a processing unit and the weight sensor are disposed, the plunger of the weighing platform being configured to seat on the weight sensor disposed on the printed circuit board.