System and method for real time identification of a drug

• US 20100215231A1
• Filed: 04/23/2010
• Published: 08/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Irody, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Irody, Inc.
• Inventors: Bartfeld, Eyal, Lass, Amir
• Granted Patent: US 9,177,265 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/128
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/018 Certifying business or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/66 Trinkets, e.g. shirt buttons or jewellery items recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0054 with control of supplementary check-parameters, e.g. weight or number of articles
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/40 relating to drugs, e.g. their side effects or intended usage

Abstract

A system for managing a prescribed drug regimen for a user, the system including at least one electronic device (Pod) for interactive communication with at least one user, a Pod server coupled via a communication link to each Pod, said Pod server including an analysis unit, the analysis unit including a database of drug characteristics, and a processor for comparing sensed characteristics of a drug in one of the Pods with characteristics in the drug characteristics database, so as to identify the drug, and to provide to the Pod an indication of compatibility of the drug with the drug regimen.

Claims

1-18. -18. (canceled)

19. A system for identifying a pill comprising:

at least one electronic device (Pod) for interactive communication, each Pod comprising a sensor for sensing and recording at least one visual characteristic of the pill;

a data communication network for transferring the recorded visual characteristic to a Pod server for analysis, wherein the Pod server is coupled by a data communication link to the Pod, wherein the Pod server comprises an analysis unit having a drug characteristics database or a link to an external database having such information, wherein the drug characteristics database comprises visual characteristics of a plurality of drugs; and

a processor for receiving the visual characteristic of the pill and for comparing the characteristic with characteristics of drugs in the drug characteristics database, thereby identifying the pill;

a device for receiving analyzed data from the POD server; and

a display for displaying identity of the pill.

20. The system according to claim 19, wherein the visual characteristic is selected from at least one of the group consisting of:

size, shape, color, markings, and images analyzed in a non-visible spectrum.

21. The system according to claim 19, wherein the sensor captures images of the visual characteristic of the pill;

the drug characteristics database comprises images of a plurality of drugs that are pills; and

the processor compares an image of the characteristic of the pill with the images in the drug characteristics database.

22. The system according to claim 19, wherein the sensor is a camera.

23. The system according to claim 19, wherein the display is on the POD.

24. The system according to claim 20, wherein the non-visible spectrum is near-infrared light.

25. The system according to claim 19, further comprising a personal computer coupled to the POD by a data communication link.

26. The system according to claim 19, further comprising a personal computer coupled to the POD server by a communication link.

27. The system according to claim 25 or 26, wherein the PC comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of a device for transferring data, a device for receiving data, software for communicating with the Pod and with the Pod Server, and a display.

28. The system according to claim 19, wherein the POD further comprises a user interface.

29. The system according to claim 19, wherein the POD comprises a device that obtains an output signal corresponding to the sensed characteristic of the pill, wherein the device sends the output signal to the processor.

30. The system according to claim 19, wherein the Pod is a cellular telephone.

31. A method for identifying a pill comprising:

sensing a characteristic of at least one pill using an electronic device (POD); and

,

transmitting the characteristic to a POD server, wherein the POD server comprises an analysis unit having a processor for comparing the sensed characteristic of the pill with characteristics of a plurality of known drugs, thereby identifying the pill.

32. The method according to claim 31, wherein the characteristic is optical or visual.

33. The method according to claim 31, wherein the characteristic is selected from the group of:

size, shape, color, markings, and images analyzed in a non-visible spectrum.

34. The method according to claim 33, wherein the non-visible spectrum is near-infrared light.

35. The method according to claim 31, wherein identifying the pill comprises transmitting a message to the POD selected from a voice message, a text message, and a video message or a combination thereof.

36. The method according to claim 31, further comprising alerting an individual of the identity of the pill.

37. The method according to claim 31, wherein sensing comprises using a camera to obtain images of the visual characteristic of the pill, and sending the images to an email address corresponding to the POD server.

38. The method according to claim 31, wherein the POD is a cellular telephone.