Drug dispenser having means for detecting dispensing events
First Claim
1. A patient-portable, patient-operable device for effecting and monintoring the self-dispensing of drug to said patient comprisinga drug dose storage chamber adapted to house a plurality of separate patient-dispensable doses of drug, said chamber being isolated from said patient by an openable cover and being in communication withan exit passageway, said passageway being sized to permit the passage of a separate dose of the drug therethrough from the storage chamber to the patient when dispensed by the patient but being smaller in cross section than the storage chamber, andmeans for electronically detecting the physical passage of a separate dose of the drug through said passageway and for generating a signal in response to said passage, said means for detecting being actuated to a state capable of detecting the passage of the dose of drug by the opening of the openable cover.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A device for monitoring the dispensing of drugs to a patient is disclosed. This device includes a detector which determines the actual physical delivery of the drug dosage to the patient. This eliminates ambiguities associated with devices in the art which only monitor inferentially the dispensing of the drug dosage to the patient. The detector can include an optical sensor which notes the physical passage of the drug dosage through a dispensing port to the patient.
150 Citations
10 Claims
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1. A patient-portable, patient-operable device for effecting and monintoring the self-dispensing of drug to said patient comprising
a drug dose storage chamber adapted to house a plurality of separate patient-dispensable doses of drug, said chamber being isolated from said patient by an openable cover and being in communication with an exit passageway, said passageway being sized to permit the passage of a separate dose of the drug therethrough from the storage chamber to the patient when dispensed by the patient but being smaller in cross section than the storage chamber, and means for electronically detecting the physical passage of a separate dose of the drug through said passageway and for generating a signal in response to said passage, said means for detecting being actuated to a state capable of detecting the passage of the dose of drug by the opening of the openable cover.
Specification