Information and medication compliance organizer

• US 6,464,506 B1
• Filed: 10/30/2000
• Issued: 10/15/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nancy Dickerson Welles
• Original Assignee: Nancy Dickerson Welles
• Inventors: Welles, Nancy Dickerson
• Primary Examiner(s): Banks, Derris H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Suhol, Dmitry
• Application Number:
  US09/698,940
• Time in Patent Office: 715 Days
• Field of Search: 434/238, 403/59, 403/12, 403/11, 211/74-75, 206/534, 206/538, 206/459.5
• US Class Current: 434/238
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 12/00 Accommodation for nursing, e.g. in hospitals, not covered by groups A61G1/00 - A61G11/00, e.g. trolleys for transport of medicaments or food service or tea-tables, trolleys or wagons A47B31/00; Prescription lists
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/04 Arrangements for time indication or reminder for taking medicine, e.g. programmed dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/00 Teaching not covered by other main groups of this subclass teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying F41G3/26

Abstract

The medication compliance organizer takes the form of a magnetized panel that may be conveniently mounted on the front of an appliance such as a refrigerator, or alternatively conventionally hung on a wall or other suitable surface. The organizer includes a plurality of day and time based containers for organizing and releasably holding the medications, typically four vials in vertical columns for each day of the week, one for each prescription time interval, i.e. morning, noon, evening and bedtime. The individual containers are sufficiently large to handle the varying medication formats from tablets, elixirs and patches. The organizer further includes an open tray for holding other medications and peripheral supplies, a reminder area for writing reminders regarding specific medications or activities, and medical forms for reference by the patient, care givers and health care personnel.

Claims

1. A method for organizing compliance with a medication regimen for an individual taking medications in varying formats for each weekday and at a plurality of medication times wherein the formats comprise tablets, capsules, and elixirs, said method comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of containers for each weekday and medication times, said containers being characterized by a cylindrical body having an internal space for receiving said formats and having an enlarged removable cylindrical cap having a lower annular surface adjacent said body;

providing a generally rectangular support assembly;

mounting said support assembly on a vertical surface;

providing in side-by-side relationship on a front surface of said support assembly a container area and a reminder area;

providing a plurality of vertically spaced rack members on said front surface in said container area corresponding to said discrete medication times, said rack members having frontally opening U-shaped slots therein corresponding to said discrete weekdays wherein said slots in each rack member are vertically aligned for each discrete weekday, each slot being defined by laterally spaced arms for slidably receiving said body of said container and supporting said lower annual surface of said cap on top surfaces thereof;

labeling each of said container with indicia of a discrete weekday and discrete medication time;

filling each of said containers with a format corresponding to said discrete weekday and said discrete medication time;

filling each container with a format corresponding to a medication regimen for said indicia on said container;

sliding said containers into said slots in accordance with said indicia;

providing a writing surface in said reminder area for the erasable inscription of messages related to the medications of the user;

providing first and second upwardly opening pockets at the rear surface of said support assembly;

providing in said first pocket a medication form designating the individual, medication regimen and the contents to be carried by each individual container; and

providing in said second pocket an emergency/medical form identifying the user and information associated therewith for use during routine and emergency situations; and

providing a forwardly projecting shelf at the lower end of said support assembly below said reminder area non-refrigerated medications and supplies for said user.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 including providing inwardly spaced projections at the front of said slots having a light interference fit with said body of said container thereby providing limited resistance to insertion of said container and removal of said container from said slot.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 including providing fastener means for removably attaching said rack members to said support assembly.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 including providing an upwardly projecting retaining wall at the front of said shelf for retaining said non-refrigerated medications and supplies.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said medication form presents said regimen in a format corresponding to said weekdays and said medication times.