System and method for monitored delivery of products

• US 20050178778A1
• Filed: 12/19/2003
• Published: 08/18/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Kiff, Liana Maria, Berg, Michael D., Lang, Scott R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,720,568 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 221/7
• 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

Abstract

A device for dispensing products senses when the respective products are accessed. A signal indicative of day and time of access can be transmitted to a remote monitoring station. Received signals can be compared to a pre-established schedule.

Claims

1. A dispenser comprising:

a housing with, a plurality of product containers;

sensors, associated with at least some of the containers for responding to access to the respective containers and for emitting a signal indicative thereof; and

an interface for communicating representations of the signals to a displaced site.

2. A dispenser as in claim 1 where the communicated representations include an indicium indicative of time of access to the respective container.

3. A dispenser as in claim 2 which emits a reminder indicium associated with access of a respective one of the containers.

4. A dispenser as in claim 3 which includes day specifying indicia associated with respective of the containers.

5. A dispenser as in claim 2 which includes day specifying indicia associated with respective of the containers.

6. A dispenser as in claim 2 where the interface comprises circuitry for at least one of, transmitting the signals, at least in part, via a wireless medium, or, transmitting the signals, at least in part, via a wired medium.

7. A dispenser as in claim 6 where the interface includes circuitry for emitting a local reminder relative to accessing at least some of the containers.

8. A dispenser as in claim 7 which carries day identifying indicia associated with respective ones of the containers.

9. A dispenser as in claim 8 where the containers are closeable and define an interior product receiving region.

10. A product dispensing method comprising:

providing a plurality of products;

sensing when the members of the plurality are individually accessed;

transmitting a confirmation signal indicative of one of the products being accessed.

11. A method as in claim 10 which includes enabling access in accordance with a predetermined schedule.

12. A method as in claim 11 including establishing the schedule.

13. A method as in claim 12 which includes transmitting access day and time as part of the confirmation signal.

14. A method as in claim 10 which includes providing an indicator when a respective product is to be accessed.

15. A method as in claim 10 which includes comparing the confirmation signal to a pre-established schedule.

16. A method as in claim 15 which includes, responsive to the comparing, generating a notice where the confirmation signal differs from the pre-established schedule.

17. A method as in claim 15 which includes establishing a product delivery schedule.

18. A method as in claim 10 which includes establishing a product delivery schedule.

19. A method as in claim 18 where the confirmation signal is compared to the product delivery schedule.

20. A method as in claim 10 which includes transmitting a plurality of confirmation signals indicative of a plurality of respective products being accessed.

21. A product dispensing container comprising:

a multi-compartmented housing;

control circuits carried by the housing that sense access to at least some of the containers;

the control circuits activation indicia that are indicative of at least one compartment to be accessed.

22. A container as in claim 21 which includes interface circuitry coupled to the control circuits facilitating transmitting access information to a displaced location.

23. A container as in claim 22 which includes at least one of an audio input transducer, an audio output transducer, speech output circuitry, a visual display of temporal information, or an output of product indicator.

24. A container as in claim 23 which includes circuitry to store at least one product dispensing schedule, the control circuits activating the indicia in accordance with the at least one stored schedule.