Smart Package and Monitoring System with Indicator and Method of Making Same

• US 20130285681A1
• Filed: 04/25/2013
• Published: 10/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intelligent Devices SEZC Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intelligent Devices Inc. (Heico Corporation)
• Inventors: Wilson, Allan, Petersen, Michael, Brotzel, Dean
• Granted Patent: US 10,278,287 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/693
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/035 Blister-type containers blisters in general B65D75/36
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2205/20 Colour codes
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0409 with timers
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0436 resulting from removing a drug from, or opening, a container
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0269 for visual or optical inspection
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0287 having an universal lay-out, e.g. pad or land grid patterns or mesh patterns
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/118 specially for flexible printed circuits, e.g. using folded portions
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/16 incorporating printed electric components, e.g. printed resistor, capacitor, inductor
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2203/1545 Continuous processing, i.e. involving rolls moving a band-like or solid carrier along a continuous production path
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/1275 by other printing techniques, e.g. letterpress printing, intaglio printing, lithographic printing, offset printing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49155 Manufacturing circuit on or in base

Abstract

There is provided a smart package and monitoring system having a status indicator and a method of making the same. The smart package includes an electronic sensor monitoring tag having re-usable electronic circuitry and power source along with a conductive grid printed on a thin flexible substrate and connected to the tag so the tag and grid are in electrical continuity to form a monitoring device. The conductive grid is aligned with an opening of the smart package. The smart package can also include an optical ink indicator configured to display the status of the package. A multiplexer can be used to connect the tag to the conductive grid. The conductive grid can include capacitive sensors formed on a thin plastic layer and positioned so as to form a capacitive element with the conductive side of the blister.

Claims

1. A smart package monitoring system comprising:

an electronic sensor monitoring tag having re-usable electronic circuitry and power source;

a conductive grid printed on a thin flexible substrate and connected to the tag so the tag and grid are in electrical continuity to form a monitoring device; and

an optical ink indicator configured to display the status of the package.

2. The smart package monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the conductive grid is aligned with an opening of the smart package.

3. The smart package monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the optical ink indicator is associated with the conductive grid.

4. The smart package monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the optical ink indicator is formed from bistatic inks.

5. The smart package monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the optical ink indicator is formed from printed OLED or an LED module.

6. The smart package monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the status is indicated with a change in color.

7. The smart package monitoring system of claim 6 wherein the status indicates the package being unopened, the package being opened within an appropriate time window, the package being opened within an inappropriate time window, and/or expiration of content by means of time, temperature, humidity sensor, exposure to UV radiation or non-compliancy.

13. A smart package comprising the smart package monitoring system of claim 1 and a card having product receptacles.

14. The smart package of claim 13 wherein the product receptacles are blisters.

19. The smart package of claim 1 wherein the grid is connected using conductive patches applied or printed onto heat sealable cardboard.

20. The smart package of claim 1 wherein the grid is connected using conductive stitching.

21. The smart package of claim 1 wherein the grid is connected using a continuous surface of Z-directional conductive adhesive tape.

22. The smart package of claim 1 wherein the grid is connected using selectively applied XYZ-directional conductive adhesive tape.

23. The smart package of claim 1 wherein the grid is connected using a continuous surface of anisotropic conductive film.

24. The smart package of claim 1 wherein the grid is formed with thermal transfer ribbon digital printing technology.

25. The smart package of claim 1 wherein the grid is formed with vacuum deposition.

29. The smart package monitoring system of claim 1 for use in monitoring patient compliance during clinical drug trials.

30. The smart package monitoring system of claim 29 wherein the tag has data communication means for transmitting data.

31. The smart package monitoring system of claim 30 wherein the data is used for measuring non-time-dependent and/or time-dependent covariates to reduce error variance and increase statistical power of the drug trial.

32. The smart package monitoring system of claim 30 wherein the data establishes patient compliance profiles.

33. The smart package monitoring system of claim 32 wherein the patient compliance profiles incorporate a time dimension using multivariate regression techniques to create dynamic compliance profiles for individual patients or groups of patients.

34. The smart package monitoring system of claim 30 wherein the data is from various sources and is pooled to form a common resource for further data mining.

35. The smart package monitoring system of claim 34 wherein the pooled data are stored remotely on a cloud server.

36. The smart package monitoring system of claim 1 as a secure compliance monitoring blister package for the dispensing of medication.

37. The smart package monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the blister package incorporates a unique ID number to facilitate tracking.

38. The smart package monitoring system of claim 37 wherein the ID number is used to authenticate the content and detect tampering with the package.

39. The smart package monitoring system of claim 1 wherein the package is equipped with reminder devices for the user.

40. The smart package monitoring system of claim 39 wherein the reminders are auditory, visual or tactile using sounds, LEDs, LCDs, OLEDs or vibration.

41. The smart package monitoring system of claim 7 wherein the tag validates suitability of the content based on pre-set thresholds.

42. The smart package monitoring system of claim 41 wherein the optical ink indicator changes color to indicate that the content shall not be consumed when the tag determines the content is unsuitable based on the pre-set thresholds.

8. A smart package monitoring system comprising:

an electronic sensor monitoring tag having re-usable electronic circuitry and power source;

a conductive grid printed on a thin flexible substrate; and

a multiplexer connecting the tag to the conductive grid so the tag and grid are in electrical continuity to form a monitoring device.

9. The smart package monitoring system of claim 8 wherein the conductive grid is aligned with an opening of the smart package.

10. The smart package monitoring system of claim 8 wherein the multiplexer is formed of printed transistors.

11. The smart package monitoring system of claim 8 wherein the multiplexer is printed with the conductive grid.

12. The smart package monitoring system of claim 11 wherein the multiplexer connects the grid to the tag with at least two leads.

15. A smart package comprising:

a card having product receptacles and a conductive side;

an electronic sensor monitoring tag having re-usable electronic circuitry and power source; and

a conductive grid printed on a thin flexible substrate and connected to the tag so the tag and grid are in electrical continuity to form a monitoring device;

wherein the conductive grid includes capacitive sensors formed with the conductive side of the card as one of the plates of the capacitive sensors; and

wherein the conductive grid is aligned with the product receptacles in the card.

16. The smart package of claim 15 wherein each of the capacitive sensors has the other plate formed on a thin plastic layer and positioned so as to form a capacitive element with the conductive side of the card.

17. The smart package of claim 16 wherein each capacitive element is of variable size.

18. The smart package of claim 15 further comprising a conductive trace grid associated with the capacitive sensors in the conductive grid.

26. The smart package of claim 15 wherein the product receptacles are blisters.

27. A method of forming a conductive grid having a substrate for a smart package comprising the steps of:

releasing conductive material from a continuous roll of conductively coated transfer ribbon onto a surface of the substrate and thereby subtractively forming sensor grids and connection patches to be joined with an electronic tag of the smart package.

28. The method of claim 27 further comprising the step of applying a heat activated adhesive to one side of the grid.