Online medicine cabinet

• US 6,539,281 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2001
• Issued: 03/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services GmbH (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Wan, Dadong, Gershman, Anatole V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi H.
• Application Number:
  US09/840,248
• Publication Number:
  US 20020153411A1
• Time in Patent Office: 701 Days
• Field of Search: 700/231, 700/236, 700/241, 700/244, 700/237
• US Class Current: 700/236
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2205/60 using magnetic or electronic identifications, e.g. chips, RFID, electronic tags
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2205/70 Audible labels, e.g. for pre-recorded info or messages
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0084 for multiple medicaments
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0454 for dispensing of multiple drugs
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0463 for multiple patients
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 11/62 in which the articles are stored in compartments in fixed receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/0235 the arrangements being full-front touchscreens
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/026 for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending machines or means for indication, e.g. when empty
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

A medicine cabinet or similar device that assists users in selecting and taking medication. A radio frequency receiver is configured to read information included on radio frequency sensitive labels that are attached to items containing medication in the medicine cabinet. A computer in the medicine cabinet is operatively connected to the radio frequency receiver and also to a wide area network, such as the Internet. The medicine cabinet has a display device that is operatively coupled with the computer and, in the form of a touch screen flat panel, the display device functions to interface the user and the medicine cabinet. The computer is configured to transmit information to the Internet and receives information from websites or additional computers that are coupled to the Internet. Information regarding medications and users as well as vital signs records of the users are stored either in the memory of the medicine cabinet or at a remote location via the connection to the Internet.

Claims

1. A method of tracking use of medications, comprising the steps of:

(a) automatically identifying medication stored in a medicine cabinet by reading labels associated with the medications, the labels at least respectively identifying the medications; and

(b) automatically detecting use of the medications in the medicine cabinet by detecting removal of a respective medication from the medicine cabinet and by automatically detecting changes in a quantity of items of medication of the respective medication.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises automatically identifying a first item of medication that has been removed from the medicine cabinet, and automatically determining if the first item of medication removed from the medicine cabinet is a correct medication.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the method further comprises presenting information indicative of a result of determining if the first item of medication is a correct medication.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises, when the number of units of medication falls below a predetermined number, automatically sending a request to a medication supplier for a refill of the first item of medication.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises identifying a user, and determining if an item of medication, which has been removed by the user from the medicine cabinet, is associated with the identified user.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the method further comprises presenting to the user information regarding at least one of the removed medication is a correct medication for the user, a correct dosage of the medication, and a correct time for taking the medication.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the user is identified using a face recognition system.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the user is identified using a finger print recognition system.

9. The method of claim 1, further including the steps of:

determining environmental conditions; and

providing information regarding taking medication in response to the environmental conditions.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the medicine cabinet is coupled to a computer network, and wherein the environmental conditions are retrieved from a source connected to the computer network.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

identifying items of medication stored in the medicine cabinet during a first time period by scanning labels attached to the items of medication in the medicine cabinet;

identifying items of medication stored in the medicine cabinet during a second time period by scanning labels attached to the items of medication in the medicine cabinet; and

comparing information obtained during the first time period to information obtained during the second time period and providing therefrom information regarding changes in stored medication.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises presenting information relative to the medications visually on a display of the medicine cabinet.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises presenting information relative to the medications audibly via an audio system of the medicine cabinet.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein respective medications of a plurality of medications are identified for respective users of plurality of users.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further includes executing a software algorithm that recommends alternative and/or additional medication as a function of at least one predetermined condition.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the at least one predetermined condition is an environmental condition.

17. A method of aiding a user in the selection of medication, comprising the steps of:

a. identifying a respective user of a plurality of users;

b. automatically identifying medication stored in a medicine cabinet by reading labels associated with items of medication, a respective label at least identifying respective medication, and by determining a number of units of medication of respective medication;

c. automatically identifying a first item of medication that has been removed from the medicine cabinet, and automatically detecting changes in the number of units of said respective medication;

d. automatically determining if the first item of medication removed from the medicine cabinet is a medication associated with the respective user; and

e. displaying information indicative of a result of determining if the first item of medication is associated with the respective user.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises, when the number of units of medication falls below a predetermined number, automatically sending a request to a medication supplier for a refill of the first item of medication.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the method further comprise presenting to the respective user information regarding at least one of a correct dosage of the medication, and a correct time for taking the medication.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the user is identified using at least one of a face recognition system and a fingerprint recognition system.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the medicine cabinet is coupled to a computer network, and wherein environmental conditions are downloaded from a source connected to the computer network, and wherein information regarding taking medication is displayed in response to the environmental conditions.