Method and control unit for medication administering devices

• US 20070093935A1
• Filed: 10/20/2005
• Published: 04/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Liang Fu
• Original Assignee: Liang Fu
• Inventors: Fu, Liang
• Granted Patent: US 7,440,817 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/237
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

A method and control unit for medication administering devices. The first aspect of the present invention is automatic programming of the scheduled events. The second aspect is simple user-request expression. The third aspect is guided user operation. The forth aspect is automatic medication-storage mapping. The fifth aspect is no clock setting. Prior art systems typically require the user to figure out a loading-scheduling plan, follow the plan to load the medications, program the scheduled events and tell the system how the medications are stored (manual medication-storage mapping). The system of the present invention does the opposite: it figures out the loading-scheduling plan, guides the user to load the medications, program the scheduled events, and establishes medication-storage mapping, all automatically. The system of the present invention is extremely easy to use, and vision-impaired users can easily use it.

Claims

1. A method for programming and controlling scheduled events for at least one object, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing at least one piece of programming information encoded in machine-readable format according to a predetermined encoding protocol,

(b) providing a programming-information reader that is capable of reading the encoded programming information and converting it into appropriate programming-information signals,

(c) providing a user-request protocol where presenting said programming information to said programming-information reader in a predetermined manner indicates a specific user request,

(d) providing a processing unit that couples to said programming-information reader, said processing unit being capable of decoding said programming information from said programming-information signals according to said encoding protocol, said processing unit being capable of detecting said user requests according to said user-request protocol, said processing unit taking predetermined actions according to said user request, said programming information containing useful information for certain types of said user requests, said processing unit selectively using said programming information for said certain types of said user requests,

(e) presenting said programming information to said programming-information reader in a predetermined manner conforming to said user-request protocol to express said user request, said processing unit programming said scheduled events if required, said processing unit storing said scheduled events and generating control signals for each said scheduled event,

(f) said control signals being used to control predetermined device that takes predetermined actions in response to said control signals,

whereby a user uses said programming information to express various said user requests in simple manners conforming to said user-request protocol, said programming-information reader constitutes the user-input interface, said scheduled events are programmed automatically, and said control signals are used to control said scheduled events.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said programming information contains object identifier of at least one said object, and said processing unit further has preloaded information with object identifiers for a plurality of objects, said preloaded information containing useful information for certain types of said user requests concerning said object, said processing unit further selectively using preloaded information with matching object identifier for said certain types of said user requests concerning said object.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said processing unit further generates guiding signals for at least one type of said user requests, said guiding signals being used to drive a guiding means that guides the user to complete predetermined user operations corresponding to said user request.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said object is a substance stored in a storage and said scheduled event concerns releasing certain amount of said substance at certain time, said processing unit further establishing object-storage mapping for said substance when said substance is loaded to said storage.

5. A control unit for controlling at least one medication administering device, comprising:

(a) a programming-information reader that is capable of reading programming information encoded in machine-readable format according to a predetermined encoding protocol and converting it into appropriate programming-information signals,

(b) a processing unit that couples to said programming-information reader and said medication administering device, said processing unit being capable of decoding said programming information from said programming-information signals according to said encoding protocol,

(c) said processing unit being capable of detecting user requests according to a predetermined user-request protocol where presenting said programming information to said programming-information reader in a predetermined manner indicates a specific user request, said processing unit taking predetermined actions according to said user request, said programming information containing useful information for certain types of said user requests, said processing unit selectively using said programming information for said certain types of said user requests,

(d) said user requests including at least loading medication and said processing unit programming the scheduled events for said medication if required, said processing unit storing said scheduled events and generating control signals for each said scheduled event,

(e) said medication administering device taking predetermined actions in response to said control signals, said predetermined actions including at least one selected from the group consisting of producing alarm, indicating said medication, indicating unit dosage of said medication, indicating time, indicating storage of said medication, dispensing unit dose of said medication, and indicating said scheduled event,

whereby a user uses said programming information to express said user requests in simple manners conforming to said user-request protocol, said scheduled events are programmed automatically, and said control unit controls said medication administering devices to take predetermined actions for each said scheduled event.

6. The control unit of claim 5 wherein said programming information contains medication identifier of at least one said medication, and said processing unit further has preloaded information with medication identifiers for a plurality of medications, said preloaded information containing useful information for certain types of said user requests concerning said medication, said processing unit further selectively using preloaded information with matching medication identifier for said certain types of said user requests concerning said medication.

7. The control unit of claim 5 wherein said medication administering device comprises at least one device selected from the group consisting of medication reminder, bulk medication organizer, dose-compartment medication organizer, bulk medication dispenser, dose-compartment medication dispenser, prepackaged medication dispenser, communication device, and computer.

8. The control unit of claim 5, a predetermined number of user-operable controls are further provided, said user-operable control coupling to said processing unit and being used for user to express said user requests in conjunction with said programming information.

9. The control unit of claim 5 wherein said processing unit further generates guiding signals for at least one type of said user requests, said medication administering device further produces predetermined guidance in response to said guiding signals to guide the user to complete predetermined user operations corresponding to said user request, said predetermined guidance including at least one selected from the group consisting of indicating said medication, displaying image of said medication, indicating the storage for loading said medication, indicating the amount of said medication to be loaded, indicating the storage for removing said medication, indicating the amount of said medication to be loaded, indicating the amount of said medication to be removed, and dumping certain amount of said medication.

10. The control unit of claim 5 wherein said processing unit selectively records predetermined indication of medication consumption as user-compliance data and generates user-compliance reports based on said user-compliance data and said scheduled events, said user requests further include request for said user-compliance report, said processing unit further controls an output device for outputting said user-compliance report.

11. The control unit of claim 5 wherein said medication administering device comprises a plurality of storage compartments, said processing unit further generates guiding signals at least for loading said medication, and said medication administering device further produces guidance in response to said guiding signals to guide the user to complete predetermined user operations corresponding to loading said medication, said guidance including at least one selected from the group consisting of indicating the storage compartment for loading said medication, opening the access door of the storage compartment for loading said medication, and docking a common access door to the storage compartment for loading said medication, said processing unit further establishing medication-storage mapping for said medication.

12. The control unit of claim 5 wherein said medication administering device comprises a plurality of storage compartments, said storage compartments being equipped with sensors coupling to said processing unit, each said sensor being capable of detecting of loading said medication to the corresponding storage compartment, said processing unit further establishing medication-storage mapping for said medication.

13. The control unit of claim 5 wherein said medication administering device further comprises a communication device that communicates information with at least one remote device, said information including at least one type selected from the group consisting of information about predetermined scheduled event, information about predetermined medication, information about predetermined incompliant event, information about predetermined error condition, said programming information, and user-compliance report.

14. The control unit of claim 5 further comprises a user control means that requires a user to present a user identification of predetermined form for certain types of said user requests.

15. The control unit of claim 5 wherein said processing unit comprises a clock of the type selected from the group consisting of pre-set clock, radio-controlled clock, and relative-time clock, whereby users do not have to set said clock, and clock-setting interface is eliminated.

16. A control unit that controls at least one medication administering device, comprising:

(a) a programming-information reader that is capable of reading programming information encoded in machine-readable format according to a predetermined encoding protocol and converting it into appropriate programming-information signals,

(b) a processing unit that couples to said programming-information reader and said medication administering device, said processing unit being capable of decoding said programming information from said programming-information signals according to said encoding protocol,

(c) said processing unit being capable of detecting user requests according to a predetermined user-request protocol where presenting said programming information to said programming-information reader in a predetermined manner indicates a specific user request, said programming information containing information sufficient to program said scheduled events, said processing unit taking predetermined actions according to said user requests,

(d) said user requests including at least loading medication, said processing unit selectively using said programming information to program said scheduled events if required, said processing unit storing said scheduled events and generating control signals for each said scheduled event,

(e) said medication administering device taking predetermined actions in response to said control signals, said predetermined actions including at least one selected from the group consisting of producing alarm, indicating said medication, indicating unit dosage of said medication, indicating time, indicating storage of said medication, indicating scheduled event, and dispensing a unit dose of said medication,

whereby a user expresses said user requests in simple manners conforming to said user-request protocol, said scheduled events are automatically programmed, and said control unit controls said medication administering devices to take predetermined actions for each said scheduled event.

17. The control unit of claim 16 wherein said programming information is of the type selected from the group consisting of prescription-generator provided, medication-provider provided, and pre-made template.

18. The control unit of claim 16, a predetermined number of user-operable controls are further provided, said user-operable control coupling to said processing unit and being used for user to express said user requests in conjunction with said programming information.

19. The control unit of claim 16 wherein said processing unit further generates guiding signals for at least one type of said user requests, said medication administering device further generates guidance in response to said guiding signals to guide the user to complete predetermined user operations corresponding to said user request, said guidance including at least one selected from the group consisting of indicating the appropriate storage compartment for loading said medication, opening the access door of the appropriate storage for loading said medication, docking the common access door to the appropriate storage for loading said medication, indicating said medication, indicating unit dose of said medication, indicating the storage for said medication, indicating the storage for removing said medication, and dumping deleted medication.

20. The control unit of claim 16 wherein said processing unit further establishes medication-storage mapping when said medication is loaded.