Medicament dispense sensing device

• US 6,244,462 B1
• Filed: 11/02/1999
• Issued: 06/12/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Cypak AB
• Inventors: Ehrensvard, Jakob, Grip, Stina
• Primary Examiner(s): Noland, Kenneth W.
• Application Number:
  US09/367,640
• Time in Patent Office: 588 Days
• Field of Search: 221/2, 221/3, 221/4, 221/5, 221/7, 221/13, 221/15, 221/25, 221/26, 206/531, 206/534, 206/528, 368/10, 368/107, 368/109
• US Class Current: 221/7
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/035 Blister-type containers blisters in general B65D75/36
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2200/30 Compliance analysis for taking medication
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0076 Medicament distribution means with pill counting devices A61J7/02; with time indication A61J7/04; containers or packages with special means for dispensing contents B65D83/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0418 with electronic history memory
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0436 resulting from removing a drug from, or opening, a container

Abstract

A device to register the dispensing of medicaments comprising sensing devices located at the medicament side to detect the dispensing thereof. The device is comprised of a sheet-like envelope of a one-way material and being a continuous, foldable way adapted to enclose the medicaments. There is an electronic printed circuit applied on the envelope and is stretched over foldable areas of the sheet-like envelope. It is also operatively connected to the sensing devices and to an electronic unit.

Claims

1. A device for registering dispense of medicaments, comprising a plurality of sensing means (60) located at dispense areas (16) for the medicaments to detect said dispense, said sensing means being electrically connectable to an electronic unit (50) provided for said registering, comprising a sheet-like envelope (10) made of a disposable material, said envelope (10) being provided in a continuous, foldable manner to enclose said medicaments (44), and an electric circuit (54-62) which is printed onto the envelope (10), is stretching over foldable areas (12) of the envelope, is operatively connected to said sensing means (60) and is connectable to said electronic unit (50).

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein said medicaments are packed in so-called blister packages (40), on both sides enclosed by said envelope (10), and in that the envelope (10), at a side thereof, exposes blisters of the package (40) to enable the medicaments to be pushed out therefrom,.and at an opposite side thereof, is provided with said dispense areas (16) in correspondence with the blisters.

3. The device according claim 1, wherein the envelope (10) is adapted to enclose also the electronic unit (50).

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the envelope (10) is a cut and scored piece of paperboard and/or plastics material.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the envelope (10) comprises rectangular sheet areas (a-m) foldable into a parallelepipedic, flat package (38).

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the envelope (10) comprises rectangular pairs (ae, bf, cg, dh) of sheet areas enclosing the medicaments (44) and connected to each other by said foldable areas (12, 18, 20).

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the electric circuit (54-62) forms said sensor means (60) by being electrically breakable at the respective dispense areas (16).

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein each dispense area comprises a flap (16) which is incompletely cut-out from the envelope by rupture-indicating lands (17, 19), the electric circuit (58, 60, 62) stretching over said lands and being adapted to rupture and electrically break when said lands are broken on pushing out the respective medicaments (44).

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the electric circuit (58, 60, 62), in order to be broken, is adapted to rupture on at least two lands (17, 17;

19;

19) of the respective flap (16).

10. The device according to claim 8, wherein the electric circuit (58, 60, 62) stretches over at least a pair of lands (17, 17;

19, 19) at each side of a pair of opposite sides of the flap (16).

11. The device according to claim 1, wherein the printed electric circuit (54-62) comprises an electrically conducting polymer material.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein the polymer material comprises an ink printable on the envelope (10) by means of a graphical printing method.

13. The device according to claim 1, comprising an electrically isolating layer (90) disposed on the envelope (10) on top of the electric circuit.

14. The device according claim 13, wherein the electrically isolating layer (90) comprises a locally meltable plastics material adapted to connect together folded sheet areas (a-k) of the envelope (10) by fusion.