Electronic pillbox for administering a multiple-drug therapy
First Claim
1. A portable electronic pillbox, comprising:
- a plurality of medication compartments;
a user-interface for displaying information to a user of the pillbox and for receiving information from the user, the user information including a start time and a stop time indicating the sleeping pattern of the user, and a dosage amount for each medication in the plurality of medication compartments; and
an electronic computer for automatically calculating a dosage schedule for each medication compartment based upon the sleeping pattern of the user and the dosage amount for the particular medication.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An electronic pillbox includes a plurality of compartments for storing different medications, an LCD-based user interface for interacting with a user, and a software-programmable electronic computer for controlling the administration functions of the pillbox. The pillbox may also include a battery and one or more types of alarms. Using the user interface, a user can schedule a multiple drug therapy by inputting sleeping pattern data and a dosage amount for a particular compartment. The computer automatically calculates the dosage schedule based on this information, and automatically recalculates the schedule if this information is altered by the user. A visual indicator on the user interface is illuminated when a particular medication is to be taken, and at the same time an audible and/or mechanical alarm may be activated. The combination of the visual and audible or mechanical alarms ensures that the correct medication is administered according to the programmed schedule.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A portable electronic pillbox, comprising:
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a plurality of medication compartments; a user-interface for displaying information to a user of the pillbox and for receiving information from the user, the user information including a start time and a stop time indicating the sleeping pattern of the user, and a dosage amount for each medication in the plurality of medication compartments; and an electronic computer for automatically calculating a dosage schedule for each medication compartment based upon the sleeping pattern of the user and the dosage amount for the particular medication. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A portable electronic pillbox, comprising:
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a plurality of medication compartments; a visual alarm indicator for each compartment; and an electronic computer for automatically calculating a dosage schedule for each medication compartment based upon information entered into the computer by a user of the pillbox, including the user'"'"'s sleeping pattern and the dosage amount for the medication, and for enabling the appropriate visual alarm indicator when a particular medication is scheduled for delivery.
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21. A compact electronic pillbox, comprising:
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a plastic housing partitioned into a plurality of compartments, each compartment having a separate lid; an electronic user interface and control device located at the center of the plastic housing, including an LCD, a plurality of user input buttons, a microcomputer, and a battery; and a control program executed by the electronic user interface and control device for receiving data indicating the sleeping pattern of a user of the pillbox and the dosage amount for each compartment, and for calculating a dosage schedule for each compartment based on the sleeping pattern of the user and the dosage amount for the particular compartment.
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22. A portable electronic pillbox, comprising:
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means for storing a plurality of medications; means for displaying information to a user of the pillbox regarding a medication schedule, and for receiving information from the user, including information regarding the sleeping pattern of the user and the dosage amount for each of the medications contained in the means for storing; and means for calculating the medication schedule for each of the medications contained in the means for storing based on the information from the user regarding the dosage amount for each medication and the user'"'"'s sleeping pattern. - View Dependent Claims (23)
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24. A portable electronic pillbox, comprising:
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a plurality of medication compartments; a visual alarm indicator for each compartment; a mechanical or audible alarm; and a microcomputer for scheduling dosage times for each medication compartment based upon a user'"'"'s sleeping pattern and a dosage amount for each medication, and for enabling the visual and mechanical or audible alarms when a particular medication is scheduled for administration.
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25. A method of scheduling dosage times for a multiple-drug therapy, comprising the steps of:
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providing a portable electronic pillbox having a plurality of medication compartments, a visual indicator for each compartment, and an electronic computer coupled to the visual indicators; inputting user information to the electronic computer, including a start time and a stop time that define the user'"'"'s sleeping pattern, and a dosage amount for each drug contained within the plurality of medication compartments; calculating a dosage schedule for each drug based upon the user'"'"'s sleeping pattern and the dosage amount for the particular drug; and enabling the visual indicators for each compartment in response to the dosage schedule indicating that a particular drug should be taken.
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Specification