Customized visual marking for medication labeling

• US 20070299695A1
• Filed: 09/19/2006
• Published: 12/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Jung, Edward K.Y., Levien, Royce A., Lord, Robert W., Malamud, Mark A., Rinaldo, John D., Wood, Lowell L.
• Application Number:
  US11/524,084
• Publication Number:
  US 20070299695A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/3
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 61/025 for applying, e.g. printing, code or date marks on material prior to packaging
• CPC Class Codes: B65B 61/26 for marking or coding completed packages
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0614 the marking being selective to wavelength, e.g. color barcode or barcodes only visible under UV or IR methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers using a selected wavelength, see G06K7/12
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/65 stored on portable record carriers, e.g. on smartcards, RFID tags or CD
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/40 relating to drugs, e.g. their side effects or intended usage

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments are disclosed that provide a customized technique for marking medication and other health-related products with a visual identifier that includes a recognizable symbolic aspect to facilitate proper administration of a substance dosage to designated patent. Display implementations of the visual identifier may be incorporated in various product packaging components. A possible supplemental visual identifier may be incorporated in the product packaging components to suggest recommended usage aspects of the substance dosage.

Claims

1. A method of marking a product comprising:

establishing a visual identifier that includes a primary recognizable symbolic aspect intended to facilitate identification of a particular patient;

establishing a supplemental visual identifier that includes one or more specified recognizable symbolic aspects intended to suggest proper administration of a medication or other health-related product; and

providing a display scheme for incorporating the visual identifier and the supplemental visual identifier [in close association with a substance dosage] as part of one or more components of the medication or other health-related product designated for use by the particular patient.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

maintaining a cross-reference to correlate one or more particular patients with their respective visual identifiers.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said maintaining the cross-reference includes:

maintaining the cross-reference in one or more of the following locations;

database, patient ID tag, patient profile, medication list, patient chart, patient profile, pharmacy, nurse station, caretaker facility, caregiver instructions, healthcare regimen recommendations, product packaging, prescription document, prescription record, insurance record, user profile, and online profile.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

keeping the cross-reference in a location that is accessible to a family member or caregiver or medical personnel having responsibility for the particular patient.

5. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

incorporating the cross-reference in human-readable form as part of the one or more components of the medication or other health-related product.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said establishing the visual identifier includes:

providing one or more non-alphanumeric symbolic aspects.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said establishing the visual identifier includes:

providing one or more abbreviated alphanumeric symbolic aspects

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said establishing the visual identifier includes:

providing a combination of an alphanumeric aspect and a graphical aspect.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said establishing the visual identifier includes:

providing a combination of an alphanumeric aspect and an image aspect.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said establishing the visual identifier includes:

providing a combination of an alphanumeric aspect and non-alphanumeric aspect.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said establishing the supplemental visual identifier includes:

implementing specified recognizable symbolic aspects that are correlated to one or more of the following types of product administration information;

take internally, apply externally, dosage frequency, dosage amount, maximum dosage, substance storage environment, self-administered, caregiver administered, nurse administered, physician administered, keep securely locked away, maximum dosage, take with food, take with water, take with beverage, take before meal, take after meal, expiration, no refill, allowed refill, possible side effects, interactions, synergies, risk, warning, disclaimer, antidote, and ingredient.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein said establishing the supplemental visual identifier includes:

implementing specified recognizable symbolic aspects that are correlated to one or more of the following type of health-related issues;

pain, fever, anxiety, fall, injury, accident, bite, bleeding, inflammation, infection, drowsiness, insomnia, discomfort, stress, grooming, appearance, capability, performance, improvement, enhancement, curtailment, well being, vitality, vigor, disability, phobia, malady, psychosis, environmental extremes, environmental exposure, dysfunction, disease symptom, chronic condition, mental acuity, emotional behavior, physical prowess, addiction, obsession, therapy, remedy, behavior, nutrition, diet, exercise, immunization, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

14. The method of claim 1:

maintaining cross-reference information to correlate product administration information or health-related issues with their respective specified recognizable symbolic aspects.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

displaying the cross-reference information in a location that is accessible to the particular patient.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

displaying the cross-reference information in a location that is accessible to a family member or caregiver or medical personnel having responsibility for the particular patient.

17. The method of claim 1:

providing one or more specified recognizable symbolic aspects for the supplemental visual identifier, which one or more specified recognizable symbolic aspects include one or more of the following type of distinguishable features;

alphanumeric, non-alphanumeric, alphanumeric abbreviation, graphical image, icon, indicia, pattern shape, format, and design.

18. The method of claim 1:

providing one or more primary recognizable symbolic aspects of the visual identifier that are distinguishable as compared to the specified recognizable symbolic aspects of the supplemental visual identifier.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said providing the one or more primary recognizable symbolic aspects that are distinguishable includes:

providing the primary recognizable symbolic aspects that include at least one type of predetermined color or pattern or format; and

providing the specified recognizable symbolic aspects that include at least another different type of color or pattern or format.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein said providing the display scheme includes:

incorporating the visual identifier as part of packaging or labeling for a substance dosage component of the product.

24. The method of claim 1 wherein said providing the display scheme includes:

incorporating the visual identifier as an integral part of a substance dosage component of the product.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein said incorporating the visual identifier includes:

incorporating the visual identifier as an integral part of the substance dosage component that is administered internally to the particular patient.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein said incorporating the visual identifier includes:

incorporating the visual identifier as an integral part of the substance dosage component that is administered externally to the particular patient.

28. The method of claim 1 wherein said providing the display scheme includes:

incorporating a symbolic display element of the visual identifier on one separate product component which symbolic display element is correlated to be substantially identical or similar or substantially different as compared to a corresponding portion of a related symbolic display element of the visual identifier on another product component.

31. The method of claim 1 wherein said providing the display scheme includes:

incorporating the visual identifier as an integral part of one or more separate packages or labels for an individual component of the medication or other health-related product.

33. The method of claim 1 wherein said providing the display scheme includes:

incorporating one or more of the following types of visual identifier as part of the medication or other health-related product;

name abbreviation, name initials, nickname, gender, age, height, weight, patient photo, address, attending physician, prescribing physician, caregiver, alias, avatar, buddy icon, URL, ID, affiliation, alphanumeric, text, image, graphic, color, pattern, format, shape, texture, and indicia.

34. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

incorporating one version of the visual identifier on packaging or labeling for the medication or other health-related product; and

further incorporating another different version of the visual identifier as an integral part of a substance dosage component of the medication or other health-related product.

35. The method of claim 1 wherein said providing the display scheme includes:

incorporating the visual identifier as a separate removable label attachable to packaging or to a substance dosage component for the medication or other health-related product.

37. The method of claim 1 wherein said providing the display scheme includes:

incorporating the visual identifier as a separate removable display element packaged with the medication or other health-related product.

38. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

implementing one or more of the following type of primary recognizable symbolic aspects of the visual identifier that are intended to facilitate identification of the particular [medical] patient;

name abbreviation, name initials, nickname, gender, age, height, weight, patient photo, address, attending physician, prescribing physician, caregiver, alias, avatar, buddy icon, URL, ID, affiliation, alphanumeric, text, image graphic, color, pattern, format, shape, texture, and indicia.

39. The method of claim 1 wherein said method is incorporated in one or more computer program products comprising a storage carrier medium or a communication carrier medium having program instructions encoded thereon for executing the method.

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48. The product of claim 41 wherein said substance dosage further includes:

a substance dosage that incorporates the visual identifier having a distinguishable shape or color or pattern or texture as an integral display characteristic of the substance dosage component.

49. The product of claim 41 further comprising:

packaging or labeling for the substance dosage component, wherein one or more of the following types of visual identifier are incorporated as a display element on the packaging or labeling;

name abbreviation, name initials, nickname, gender, age, height, weight, patient photo, address, attending physician, prescribing physician, caregiver, alias, avatar, buddy icon, URL, ID, affiliation, alphanumeric, text, image, graphic, color, pattern, format, shape, texture, and indicia.

42. A product designated for use by a particular patient, comprising:

a visual identifier that includes one or more recognizable primary symbolic aspects intended to facilitate identification of the particular patient;

a supplemental visual identifier that includes one or more specified symbolic aspects intended to suggest proper administration of a medication or other health-related product; and

a substance dosage component to be administered internally or externally to the particular patient, wherein the visual identifier and the supplemental visual identifier are each incorporated as an integral display characteristic of the substance dosage component and/or as a display element of a package or label in close association with the substance dosage component.

43. The product of claim 42 wherein said visual identifier further includes:

a recognizable primary symbolic aspect intended to facilitate identification of one or more particular patients with a given symptom or deficiency.

44. The product of claim 42 wherein said visual identifier further includes:

one or more recognizable primary symbolic aspects intended to facilitate identification of one or more particular patients having a shared affiliation or grouping.

45. The product of claim 42 wherein said visual identifier further includes:

a recognizable primary symbolic aspect that is capable of facilitating identification of one or more particular patients who are intended recipients of a substance dosage component, wherein such identification can occur without need of any scanner-like device.

46. The product of claim 42 further comprising:

cross-reference data information for correlating one or more particular patients with their respective visual identifiers.

47. The product of claim 46 wherein said cross-reference information includes:

cross-reference information accessible at one or more of the following locations;

database, patient ID tag, patient profile, medication list, patient chart, patient profile, pharmacy, nurse station, caretaker facility, caregiver instructions, healthcare regimen recommendations, product packaging, prescription document, prescription record, insurance record, user profile, and online profile.

51. The product of claim 42 further comprising:

separate dosage components of different medicines or health-related products that each display one or more symbolic aspects of the visual identifier.

52. The product of claim 42 wherein said health-related substance includes:

separate dosage components of pharmaceutical and/or non-pharmaceutical products that each display one or more symbolic aspects of the visual identifier.

55. The product of claim 42 wherein the supplemental visual identifier includes one or more of the following type of distinguishable characteristics:

abbreviation color, shape, pattern, texture, format, graphic, image, text, alphanumeric, and indicia.

60. The product of claim 42 further comprising:

a data record that provides a cross-reference between the supplemental visual identifier and its correlated product administration information, which data record is accessible at one or more of the following locations;

database, patient ID tag, patient profile, medication list, patient chart, patient profile, pharmacy, nurse station, caretaker facility, caregiver instructions, healthcare regimen recommendations, product packaging, prescription document, prescription record, insurance record, user profile, and online profile.

66. The product of claim 42 wherein said visual identifier includes one or more primary recognizable symbolic aspects that are distinguishable as compared to the specified recognizable symbolic aspects of the supplemental visual identifier.

68. The product of claim 42 wherein said visual identifier and said supplemental visual identifier include display elements that are capable of visual recognition without need of a scanner-like device.

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69. A marking system for a health-related product, that is designated for a particular patient comprising:

a visual identifier that includes a primary recognizable symbolic aspect intended to facilitate identification of the particular patient;

a supplemental visual identifier that includes one or more human-readable specified symbolic aspects applicable to diagnostic or measurement or treatment or therapeutic administration features of the health-related product;

one or more additional components for use in connection with such administration of the health-related product, wherein each such additional component displays one or more human-readable elements of the visual identifier; and

a display implementation that incorporates the supplemental visual identifier to be in close association with such one or more additional components of the health-related product.

70. The system of claim 69 further comprising:

cross-reference data information for correlating the particular patient with one or more of the visual identifiers.

71. The system of claim 69 further comprising:

a record that provides a cross-reference correlation between the supplemental visual identifier and the applicable administration features of the health-related product.

72. The system of claim 69 wherein said visual identifier includes:

a symbolic display element on one separate component of the packaging system that is correlated with a related symbolic display element on another component of the marking system.

73. The system of claim 72 wherein the symbolic display element is incorporated as part of a substance dosage component, and the related symbolic display element is incorporated as part of a container component or a labeling component.

74. The packaging system of claim 72 wherein a symbolic display element serves a dual function to facilitate identification of a particular patient as well as to suggest the applicable administration features of the health-related product.

75. A computer program product having one or more programs operable to perform a process, wherein said process comprises:

establishing a visual identifier for a health-related product designated for use by a particular patient, which visual identifier includes a primary recognizable aspect intended to facilitate identification of the particular patient;

establishing a supplemental visual identifier that includes one or more specified symbolic aspects applicable to diagnostic or measurement or treatment or therapeutic administration features of the health-related product;

implementing a display scheme for incorporating a human-readable form of the visual identifier and the supplemental visual identifier in close association with the health-related product; and

maintaining a cross-reference to correlate the particular patient with the visual identifier.

76. The computer program product of claim 75 wherein said process further includes:

maintaining a record that provides a cross-reference correlation between the supplemental visual identifier and the applicable administration features of the health-related product.

77. The computer program product of claim 75 further comprising:

carrier media incorporating program instructions for executing said process, wherein said carrier media includes storage medium and/or communication medium.