Networked management of dispensables

• US 10,723,541 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2017
• Issued: 07/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hero Health, Inc. (Hero Health IP LLC)
• Original Assignee: Hero Health, Inc. (Hero Health IP LLC)
• Inventors: Akdogan, Kutadgu, Vepuri, Kalyan C., Von Heifner, Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): Collins, Michael
• Application Number:
  US15/436,232
• Publication Number:
  US 20170355511A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,257 Days
• Field of Search: 700231-244
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/03 for pills or tablets containers for pills or tablets with special dispensing means therefor B65D83/04
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0076 Medicament distribution means with pill counting devices A61J7/02; with time indication A61J7/04; containers or packages with special means for dispensing contents B65D83/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/02 Pill counting devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0481 working on a schedule basis
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/0454 Controlling adsorption controlling temperature swing adsorption B01D53/0462, controlling pressure swing adsorption B01D53/047
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/261 by adsorption
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 81/268 the absorber being enclosed in a small pack, e.g. bag, included in the package
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 83/0409 the dispensing means being adapted for delivering one article, or a single dose, upon each actuation B65D83/0445 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/32 in combination with an identity check
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/44 in which magazines the articles are stored in bulk
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/188 Capturing isolated or intermittent images triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g. an object reaching a predetermined position signal generation from motion picture films H04N5/253

Abstract

A system enables dispensing, tracking, storage, processing, analysis, management, fulfillment and/or commerce relating to dispensables, such as consumables. The system may include packages that hold consumables and function either independently or in concert with numerous smart configuration devices, such as tabletop machines or mobile machines, as well as remote servers, databases, and other cloud-based resources. A distributed software layer ties all devices and packages together and adds advanced interactivity, communication, analysis, and self-regulation functionality.

Claims

1. A system for managing consumables, the system comprising:

a base including a processor and a memory, and one or more containers, the base operable to dispense one or more consumable units from the one or more containers according to a schedule stored on the memory of the base for a user associated with the base;

a security lock on the base, the security lock including a user interface and a virtual lock, the user interface configured to receive a local input, the virtual lock securing data stored on the memory of the base; and

a network interface configured to couple the base in a communicating relationship with a remote resource, wherein the processor of the base is configured to

associate the base with a cloud account of the user, receive schedule information from the cloud account associated with the user through communication between the remote resource and the network interface,

with the base associated with the cloud account of the user, receive the local input at the user interface of the security lock on the base, and,

based on the local input received at the user interface of the security lock, selectively unlock the virtual lock to accept the schedule information received at the network interface, from the cloud account, to update the schedule stored on the memory of the base.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor of the base is further configured to receive the schedule information from the cloud account based upon an event detected at the base.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the event detected at the base includes a firmware update at the base.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the event detected at the base includes detection of a SKU number associated with the one or more containers.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor of the base is further configured to receive the schedule information from a distributed database associated with the cloud account.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor of the base is further configured to receive the schedule information through a periodic communication.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor of the base is further configured to evaluate contents of the one or more containers for availability of consumables relative to an update to the schedule stored on the memory of the base.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the processor of the base is further configured to determine, based on the update to the schedule stored on the memory of the base, whether the consumables in the one or more containers require replacement or refilling.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the schedule information includes a modification to the schedule received at a management interface hosted on the remote resource and associated with the cloud account.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface of the security lock includes a keypad and the local input receivable from the user interface of the security lock includes a passcode for authentication of the user.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the user interface of the security lock includes a biometric identification system and the local input receivable from the user interface of the security lock includes biometric information for authentication of the user.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the base further includes a push notification system, and the processor is further configured to transmit a notification through the push notification system, based on the schedule, to one or more of a mobile device and the remote resource.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the communicating relationship between the network interface and the remote resource is over a data network.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the communicating relationship between the network interface and the remote resource is over a cellular network.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor of the base is further configured to upload a modified schedule to the cloud account based on the local input at the user interface.