SMART EJECTION TRAYS FOR USE WITH MEDICATION CONTAINERS

• US 20170008689A1
• Filed: 07/07/2015
• Published: 01/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avery Dennison Retail Information Services LLC (Avery Dennison Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Avery Dennison Retail Information Services LLC (Avery Dennison Corporation)
• Inventors: Forster, Ian James
• Granted Patent: US 10,913,594 B2
• 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 2200/30 Compliance analysis for taking medication
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0069 Trays for holding or distributing medicines display trays A47F3/14; serving trays A47G23/06
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0436 resulting from removing a drug from, or opening, a container
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 83/0409 the dispensing means being adapted for delivering one article, or a single dose, upon each actuation B65D83/0445 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

An ejection tray is provided for use in combination with a medication container including a medication-containing cell. The tray includes a frame configured to receive at least a portion of the medication container. An actuator is movably associated with the frame to eject the medication from the cell. A switch is associated with the frame and configured to change from a first state to a second state upon the actuator being moved to eject the medication from the cell. A host processor is associated with the frame and is electrically coupled or selectively coupled to the switch. The host processor is programmed to detect a change in the state of the switch.

Claims

1. An ejection tray for use in combination with a medication container including a medication-containing cell, comprising:

a frame configured to receive at least a portion of a medication container including a medication-containing cell;

an actuator movably associated with the frame to eject the medication from the cell;

a switch associated with the frame and configured to change from a first state to a second state upon the actuator being moved to eject the medication from the cell;

a host processor associated with the frame, electrically coupled or selectively coupled to the switch, and programmed to detect a change in the state of the switch; and

a communication device associated with the frame, electrically coupled to the host processor, and configured to communicate with a separate electronic device and the host processor is programmed to cooperate with the communication device to transmit data to a separate electronic device upon the communication device receiving a signal from the separate electronic device.

2. The ejection tray of claim 1, wherein the host processor is programmed to record the time at which the state of the switch changes.

3. The ejection tray of claim 1, wherein the medication container includes a plurality of medication-containing cells and the ejection tray includes a plurality of actuators and switches, wherein

each actuator is associated with a different one of said switches, configured to be associated with a different one of the cells of the medication container, and movably associated with the frame to eject the medication from the associated cell,

each switch is electrically coupled or selectively coupled to the host processor and configured to change from said first state to said second state upon the associated actuator being moved to eject the medication from the associated cell, and

the host processor is programmed to detect a change in the state of any of the switches.

4. The ejection tray of claim 3, wherein the host processor is programmed to record the identity of one of said switches when the state of said one of said switches changes.

5. The ejection tray of claim 3, wherein the host processor is programmed with a sequence in which the actuators are to be moved to eject medication from the associated cells.

6. The ejection tray of claim 3, wherein all of the actuators are movable in a common plane.

9. The ejection tray of claim 1, wherein the host processor is programmed to cooperate with the communication device to transmit data to a separate electronic device without the communication device receiving a signal from said separate electronic device.

10. The ejection tray of claim 1, wherein the host processor is configured to operate in a relatively low power state and programmed to, upon detecting a change in the state of the switch, transition from the relatively low power state to a higher power state and cooperate with the communication device to transmit data to a separate electronic device.

11. The ejection tray of claim 1, wherein the communication device is configured to communicate wirelessly with a separate electronic device.

12. The ejection tray of claim 1, wherein the communication device is configured to communicate with a separate electronic device upon physical contact between the ejection tray and the separate electronic device.

13. The ejection tray of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the tray is a first color and at least a portion of the actuator is a second color.

14. The ejection tray of claim 1, further comprising an indicator associated with the frame, electrically coupled to the host processor, and configured to change from a first state to a second state to indicate that the actuator is to be moved to eject the medication from the cell.

15. The ejection tray of claim 14, wherein the host processor includes a real-time clock and the host processor is programmed to cause the indicator to change from the first state to the second state upon the host processor determining that the time indicated by the real-time clock is equal to a preselected time.

16. The ejection tray of claim 14, wherein the indicator is laterally offset from the actuator.

17. The ejection tray of claim 14, wherein the actuator overlays at least a portion of the indicator.

18. The ejection tray of claim 1, configured for use in combination with a medication container including a cover overlaying the cell, and further comprising a sensor associated with the frame, electrically coupled to the host processor, and configured to detect whether the medication has been accessed through the cover without use of the actuator.

19. The ejection tray of claim 18, wherein the host processor includes a real-time clock and the host processor is programmed to compare the time at which the sensor determines that the medication has been accessed through the cover to determine whether the medication has been accessed before a preselected time.

20. The ejection tray of claim 1, configured to be reused with more than one medication container.

7. (canceled)

8.