Method and System for Monitoring Consumable Item Usage and Providing Replenishment Thereof

• US 20090326829A1
• Filed: 02/26/2009
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Abbott Diabetes Care Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Abbott Diabetes Care Incorporated (Abbott Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: Huffman, Lawrence W., Liamos, Charles T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,374,925 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/19
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/30 Administration of product recycling or disposal
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/00 Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/002 Vending machines being part of a centrally controlled network of vending machines
• 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 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/17 delivered via infusion or injection
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/40 relating to drugs, e.g. their side effects or intended usage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 90/00 Enabling technologies or technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions mitigation

Abstract

Method and system for providing a subscription based replenishment transaction of consumable items such as glucose test strips, lancets, and medication, such as insulin, including a data network, a user terminal operatively coupled to the data network, the user terminal configured to receive and transmit data over the data network, and a server terminal operatively coupled to the data network, the server terminal configured to receive from the user terminal a request for establishing an account associated with a consumable item, receive from the user terminal one or more predetermined parameters associated with the account, and generate the account based on the one or more predetermined parameters, where the one or more predetermined parameters include a user specified consumable replenishment level received from the user terminal is disclosed.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a housing;

a port coupled to the housing configured to receive a test strip;

a communication module coupled to the housing;

one or more processors coupled to the housing; and

a memory for storing instructions coupled to the one or more processors which, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to;

generate a signal associated with a detected analyte sample on the test strip received at the port;

determine a frequency of the signal generation associated with the detected analyte sample;

compare the determined frequency to a predetermined threshold level; and

generate a consumable replenishment level information based on the comparison; and

an output unit coupled to the one or more processors and provided in the housing and configured to output one or more data associated with the generated signal and the consumable replenishment level information.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the signal associated with a detected analyte sample is an analyte concentration.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the analyte concentration is associated with a blood glucose concentration.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the analyte concentration is associated with a fasting blood glucose concentration.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the output unit is further configured to output one or more data associated with the determined frequency, the predetermined threshold level, or the generated replenishment level information.

6. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the output unit includes one or more of a visual display output, an audible display output, a vibratory display output, or one or more combinations thereof.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the consumable is a test strip, a lancet, or a medication.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the medication is insulin.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the insulin is long acting insulin or rapid acting insulin.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory for storing instructions coupled to the one or more processors, which when executed by the one or more processors causes the one or more processors to store one or more of the generated signal associated with the detected analyte sample, the determined frequency of the signal generation, or the generated consumable replenishment level in the memory.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication module is configured to communicate data using a wired communication protocol or wireless communication protocol.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the wired communication protocol includes one or more of a USB communication protocol, or an RS-232 communication protocol.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the wireless communication includes one or more of an RF communication protocol, an infrared communication protocol, a Wi-Fi communication protocol, a Zigbee communication protocol, a Bluetooth communication protocol, or cellular telephone transmission.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication module is configured to communicate data using a cellular telephone transmission.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication module is configured to communicate with a terminal server.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the communication module is configured to retrieve or transmit one or more user information from the terminal server.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the user information is user account login identification and password, bolus medication determination information, insulin sensitivity, or analyte concentration associated with a detected analyte sample.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory for storing instructions coupled to the one or more processors, which when executed by the one or more processors causes the one or more processors to retrieve one or more medication parameter associated with the generated signal.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the memory is configured to store the one or more medication parameters.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the one or more medication parameter includes one or more of a medication classification, a medication type, a medication therapy profile, or a medication usage information.

21. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to process the one or more signals produced by the electrochemical sensor in connection with the analyte concentration and determine trending of analyte level.

22. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said trending provides for a rate and/or acceleration of analyte level increase or decrease.

23. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the display comprises an indicator activatable when the glucose concentration of the sample indicates hyperglycemia.

24. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the display comprises an indicator activatable when the glucose concentration of the sample indicates hypoglycemia.

25. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the display comprises an indicator activatable when the glucose concentration of the sample indicates impending hyperglycemia.

26. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the display comprises an indicator activatable when the glucose concentration of the sample indicates impending hypoglycemia.

27. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

determine an analyte concentration associated with the detected analyte sample;

retrieve stored one or more dose determination information and associated analyte concentration associated with the retrieved one or more dose determination information; and

determine a current dose level based at least in part on the determined analyte concentration and the retrieved prior dose determination information, wherein the determined current dose level includes a predetermined type of medication classification.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the medication classification includes one or more of long acting insulin and rapid acting insulin.

29. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the retrieved prior dose determination information includes prior administered medication level information.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the prior administered medication level information includes prior stored one or more of long acting insulin dose amount, or a rapid acting insulin dose amount.

31. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein each of the retrieved one or more prior dose determination information is associated with one or more of administered medication dose time information, administered dose frequency information over a predetermined time period, or administered medication dose amount.

32. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the output unit is configures to output one or more of the determined current dose level, determined analyte concentration, retrieved stored one or more dose determination information, analyte concentration associated with the retrieved one or more dose determination information, or a request for one or more predetermined information.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the one or more predetermined information includes a request for an additional analyte sample, or a request to confirm the determined current dose level.

34. The apparatus of claim 27 including an input unit coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the memory for storing instructions coupled to the one or more processors which, when executed by the one or more processors causes the one or more processors to detect one or more input commands received from the input unit.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the one or more input commands includes an acknowledgement confirming the determined current dose level.

36. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the one or more input commands includes a rejection of the determined current dose level.

37. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the one or more input commands includes a request to recalculate the current dose level.

38. The apparatus of claim 27, including a communication module operatively coupled to the one or more processors, the communication module configured to transmit one or more of the determined current dose level or the determined analyte concentration to a remote location.