SMART PILL CONTAINER, CONTROL METHOD AND SYSTEM

• US 20160120758A1
• Filed: 11/05/2015
• Published: 05/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Bo Pi, Halton Pi
• Original Assignee: Bo Pi
• Inventors: PI, Bo, PI, Halton
• Application Number:
  US14/933,884
• Publication Number:
  US 20160120758A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/03 for pills or tablets containers for pills or tablets with special dispensing means therefor B65D83/04
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2200/70 Device provided with specific sensor or indicating means
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0409 with timers
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0427 with direct interaction with a dispensing or delivery system
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/40 using a wireless architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

A medicine pill box or pill bottle equipped with sensors to detect presence or absence status of pills and/or movement of the pill box or bottle and/or removal of a bottle cap, and a communication module for wirelessly communicating with an external device to exchange data with the connected device and internet-based services. The internet-based service records the data from the pill box or bottle and sends relevant notifications and reminders to authorized users. In one example, capacitive sensors are provided at the bottom of each cell of a pill box having multiple cells, to detect the presence and absence of pills in the cells. In another example, magnetic field sensors are provided on the cap of a pill bottle and magnetic materials are provides on the body of the bottle, to detect the removal of the cap.

Claims

1. A smart pill box system comprising:

a pill box body with multiple cell for containing pills;

a sensor on the bottom of each cell for detecting presence or absence of the pills in the cell;

a sensor circuit for processing signals from the sensor;

a communication circuit for wireless communication with external devices;

a battery; and

a microprocessor unit and memory for controlling operations of the sensor circuit and communication circuit.

2. The smart pill box system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a capacitive sensor for generating capacitance signals in response to the presence or absence of the pills.

3. The smart pill box system of claim 2, further comprising an accelerometer for detecting motions of the smart pill box.

4. A method for monitoring the status of a smart pill box, the smart pill box comprising one or more cells for containing pills, a sensor system for detecting presence or absence status of pills in each cell, control circuitry, and a communication unit, the method comprising:

detecting the presence of absence status of each cell using the sensor system;

recording status information for each cell using the control circuitry; and

communicating the status information wirelessly to an external data processing system using the communication unit.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the smart pill box further comprises an accelerometer for detecting motions of the smart pill box, the method further comprising generating a wakeup signal for the control circuitry when a motion of the smart pill box is detected.

6. A smart pill bottle system comprising:

a sensor unit on the bottle, which includes an accelerometer, a magnetic field sensor, a communication circuit, a battery and a microcontroller and memory; and

a magnetic material placed on the bottle,

wherein the sensor unit is located on a cap of the bottle and the magnetic material is located on a body of the bottle, or the sensor unit is located on the body of the bottle and the magnetic material is located on the cap of the bottle.

7. A method for monitoring a smart pill bottle, the smart pill bottle including a sensor unit which includes an accelerometer, a magnetic field sensor, a communication circuit, a battery and a Microcontroller and memory, and magnetic material, wherein the sensor unit is located on a cap of the bottle and the magnetic material is located on a body of the bottle, or the sensor unit is located on the body of the bottle and the magnetic material is located on the cap of the bottle, the method comprising:

detecting a motion of the pill bottle using the accelerometer and generating a wakeup signal for the microcontroller;

detecting an event of a separation of the cap and the body of the bottle using the magnetic field sensor and the magnetic material and recording the separation event; and

communicating the separation event to an external device.