Medication alert watch and system

• US 5,157,640 A
• Filed: 07/11/1990
• Issued: 10/20/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Brian P. Backner
• Original Assignee: Brian P. Backner
• Inventors: Backner, Brian P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Roskoski, Bernard
• Application Number:
  US07/551,627
• Time in Patent Office: 832 Days
• Field of Search: 368/10, 368/70-113, 368/2, 368/3, 368/15
• US Class Current: 368/10
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0454 for dispensing of multiple drugs
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0481 working on a schedule basis
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 11/00 Producing optical signals at preselected times

Abstract

An electronic watch may be programmed by direct link to a pharmacist'"'"'s computer to store a medication regimen. When a medication is to be taken, an alarm is sounded, and the medication and dosage are identified on the display of the watch. A number of tones are periodically generated, the number of tones corresponding to the number of types of medications which are to be taken at a given time. Several medications may be displayed successively as a reset button is set. To program the watch, the watch is placed in a cradle which couples to a communications port on the watch to provide communications with the pharmacist'"'"'s computer.

Claims

1. An electronic timepiece comprising:

an electronic display;

an audible alarm;

programmable storage which stores a medical regimen including identification of medications and times at which the medications are to be taken;

control electronics responsive to the programmable storage to initiate the alarm to periodically generate a number of alarm tones corresponding to the number of types of medications yet to be taken at a given time and display of identification and dosage of each medication type when that medication type is to be taken; and

a communications port for coupling the timepiece to a host computer which programs the programmable storage.

2. An electronic watch as claimed in claim 1 wherein the alarm sounds periodically until the alarm and medication display are disabled by pressing of a button.

3. An electronic watch as claimed in claim 2 programmable to identify plural medications to be taken at a given time by displaying successive medications as said button is pressed.

4. An electronic watch as claimed in claim 1 wherein the display of identification of a medication comprises display of the name and dosage of the medication.

5. An electronic watch as claimed in claim 1 wherein the medical regimen is only storable in the programmable storage through the communications port.

6. An electronic watch as claimed in claim 1 wherein the programmable storage stores medical regimens on the basis of alternating days.

7. An electronic watch as claimed in claim 1 wherein the programmable storage stores medical regimens on the basis of time within a day and days within a week or month.

8. An electronic watch as claimed in claim 7 wherein the programmable storage stores medical regimens on the basis of alternating days.

9. An electronic watch as claimed in claim 1 wherein the programmable storage is adapted to store end dates of a medical regimen and causes further alarms and display of a medication to cease.

10. An electronic timepiece comprising:

an electronic display;

an audible alarm;

programmable storage which stores a medical regimen including identification of medications and times at which the medications are to be taken, the storage being programmable to identify plural medication types to be taken at a given time; and

control electronics responsive to the programmable storage to initiate the audible alarm to periodically generate a number of tones corresponding to the number of types of medications yet to be taken at a given time and to display identification and dosage of each medication type when that medication type is to be taken;

an activator for causing, upon each activation, the control electronics to successively display the identification and dosage of another medication type to be taken at that time and to reduce the number of tones by one; and

a communications port for coupling the timepiece to a host computer which programs the programmable storage, the medical regimen only being storable in the programmable storage through the communications port.

11. An electronic watch as claimed in claim 10 wherein the display of identification of a medication comprises display of the name and dosage of the medication.

12. An electronic watch as claimed in claim 10 wherein the programmable storage stores medical regimens on the basis of time within a day in successive or alternating days or days within a week or month and wherein the programmable storage is adapted to store end dates of a medical regimen and causes further alarms and display of a medication to cease.

13. A medication alert system comprising:

a computer for storing a medical regimen including identification and dosage of each type of medication and times at which the medications are to be taken;

an electronic timepiece comprising;

an electronic display;

an alarm;

programmable storage which stores a medical regimen including identification and dosage of each type of medication and times at which the medications are to be taken; and

control electronics responsive to the programmable storage to initiate an audible alarm to periodically generate a number of tones corresponding to the number of types of medications yet to be taken at a given time and display of identification and dosage of each medication type when that medication type is to be taken; and

a communications link adapted to couple the computer and the electronic timepiece such that medical regimens are transferred from the computer and stored in the programmable storage of the electronic timepiece.

14. A system as claimed in claim 13 wherein the communications link is a cradle which physically supports the electronic watch and couples the computer to a communications port in the watch.

15. A system as claimed in claim 13 wherein the computer is programmed to retrieve identification information in the watch and to compare that information with identification information input by a user to the computer and identification information corresponding to regimens previously stored in the computer.

16. A system as claimed in claim 13 wherein the computer is programmed to store a patient identification and a medication regimen for that patient including, for each medication, an identification of the medication, a physician, dosage, days and times and start and stop dates.

17. An electronic timepiece as claimed in claim 15 comprising:

an electronic display;

an audible alarm;

programmable storage which stores a medical regimen including identification of medications and times at which the medications are to be taken, the storage being programmable to identify plural medication types to be taken at a given time; and

control electronics responsive to the programmable storage to initiate the audible alarm to periodically generate a number of tones corresponding to the number of types of medications yet to be taken at a given time and to display identification and dosage of each medication type when that medication type is to be taken;

an activator for causing, upon each activation, the control electronics to successively display the identification and dosage of another medication type to be taken at that time and to reduce the number of tones by one; and

a communications port for coupling the timepiece to a host computer which programs the programmable storage, the medical regimen only being storable in the programmable storage through the communications port.

18. An electronic watch as claimed in claim 17 wherein the display of identification of a medication comprises display of the name and dosage of the medication.

19. An electronic watch as claimed in claim 18 wherein the programmable storage stores medical regimens on the basis of time within a day in successive or alternating days or days within a week or month and wherein the programmable storage is adapted to store end dates of a medical regimen and causes further alarms and display of a medication to cease.

20. An electronic timepiece comprising:

an electronic display;

an audible alarm;

programmable storage which stores a medical regimen including identification of medications and times at which the medications are to be taken; and

control electronics responsive to the programmable storage to initiate the audible alarm to periodically generate a number of tones corresponding to the number of types of medications yet to be taken at a given time and display of identification and dosage of each medication type when that medication type is to be taken.

21. An electronic watch as claimed in claim 20 wherein the audible alarm sounds periodically until the alarm and medication display are disabled by pressing of a button.

22. An electronic watch as claimed in claim 21 programmable to identify plural medications to be taken at a given time by displaying successive medications as said button is pressed.

23. An electronic watch as claimed in claim 20 wherein the display of identification of a medication comprises display of the name and dosage of the medication.

24. An electronic timepiece comprising:

an electronic display;

an alarm;

programmable storage which stores a medical regimen including identification and dosage of each type of medication and times at which the medications are to be taken and end dates after which each type of medication is no longer to be taken; and

control electronics responsive to the programmable storage to initiate the alarm to periodically generate a number of tones corresponding to the number of types of medications yet to be taken at a given time and display of identification and dosage of each medication type when that medication type is to be taken and to cause further alarms and display of a medication type to cease after the end date for that medication type.