Radio frequency identification pharmaceutical tracking system and method

• US 20060210626A1
• Filed: 03/17/2005
• Published: 09/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jeffrey A. Spaeder
• Original Assignee: Jeffrey A. Spaeder
• Inventors: Spaeder, Jeffrey A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,504,954 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 424/464
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 9/0097 Micromachined devices; Microelectromechanical systems [MEMS]; Devices obtained by lithographic treatment of silicon; Devices comprising chips intradermal microneedle arrays A61K9/0021; MEMS in general B81B7/02
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers

Abstract

An ingestible dosage form includes a pill containing a pharmaceutical content and an RF tag associated with the pill. The RF tag is configured to output a wireless response signal in response to a wireless excitation signal received by the RF tag from an RF reader. The ingestible dosage form includes memory for storing pill identifying information. The wireless response signal includes the pill identifying information which may be received and processed by the RF reader. A system for monitoring patient medicine intake compliance includes a monitoring device placed within communicative proximity of ingestible dosage forms to transmit the wireless excitation signal and receive the wireless response signal including pill identifying information from the ingestible dosage forms. A device for determining an identity of a pill and quantity thereof ingested by an individual includes a nasogastric/orogastric tube having an RF tag reader attached thereto for detecting RF tagged pills.

Claims

1. An ingestible dosage form comprising:

a pill containing a pharmaceutical content; and

an RF tag one of attached to the pill, at least partially received in the pill, and fully embedded in the pill.

2. The ingestible dosage form of claim 1, wherein the RF tag is configured to output a wireless response signal in response to a wireless excitation signal received by the RF tag.

3. The ingestible dosage form of claim 2, wherein the RF tag is one of an inductively coupled RFID tag and a capacitively coupled RFID tag.

4. The ingestible dosage form of claim 3, wherein the RF tag is configured to operate in one of an energy absorption mode and an energy radiation mode.

5. The ingestible dosage form of claim 2, wherein the RF tag includes:

memory for storing data containing pill identifying information; and

an antenna for one of transmitting the data and receiving the data.

6. The ingestible dosage form of claim 5, wherein the data is at least one of a unique identification code, pharmaceutical content data, manufacturer data and expiration data.

7. The ingestible dosage form of claim 5, wherein the memory includes addressable data fields for storing the data.

8. The ingestible dosage form of claim 1, wherein the pill is human ingestible and one of a tablet, capsule and caplet.

9. The ingestible dosage form of claim 1, wherein the RF tag is one of constructed of biologically inert material and encapsulated by a non-digestible coating.

10. A system for monitoring patient medicine intake compliance and comprising a monitoring device having a unique identifier associated therewith, wherein the monitoring device is designed to be placed within communicative proximity of a plurality of pills each having corresponding RF tags associated therewith, wherein the monitoring device is configured to:

transmit at least one wireless excitation signal, wherein the at least one wireless excitation signal is configured to cause at least one of the plurality of RF tags to transmit a wireless response signal including pill identifying information;

receive the wireless response signal from the at least one RF tag; and

transmit the unique identifier of the monitoring device and the pill identifying information of the at least one RF tag.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising a computer system configured to receive the unique identifier of the monitoring device and the pill identifying information of the at least one RF tag.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the monitoring device is further configured to utilize the pill identifying information to derive intake and status data relating to the plurality of pills within communicative proximity of the monitoring device.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the computer system is further configured to utilize the pill identifying information to derive intake and status data relating to the plurality of pills within communicative proximity of the monitoring device.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the intake and status data is one of:

an identity of the pill;

an amount of the pills remaining;

a rate of removal of the pills;

manufacturer data of the pills; and

expiration data of the pills.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the monitoring device is configured to simultaneously receive a plurality of wireless response signals from the plurality of pills.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the monitoring device is configured to transmit the unique identifier and the pill identifying information by at least one of wireless, wired, and Internet-based communication links.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the monitoring device is configured to transmit the at least one wireless excitation signal at one of a manually initiated and predetermined time.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the computer system is configured to transmit a signal to the monitoring device to cause the monitoring device to transmit the at least one wireless excitation signal.

19. A device for determining an identity of a pill and quantity thereof ingested by an individual, the device comprising:

one of a nasogastric and orogastric tube having a free gastric end adapted for insertion into a stomach of the individual; and

an RF tag reader attached to the free gastric end of one of the nasogastric and orogastric tube, wherein the RF tag reader is configured to;

transmit at least one wireless excitation signal, wherein the at least one wireless excitation signal is configured to cause an RF tag associated with the ingested pill to transmit a wireless response signal including data stored on the RF tag; and

receive the wireless response signal from the at least one RF tag.

20. The device of claim 19, further configured to transmit the data to a computer system configured to display the data.

21. The device of claim 19, wherein the data is at least one of a unique identification code, pharmaceutical content data, manufacturer data and expiration data.