Medication regimen container and system
First Claim
1. A system for storing and dispensing medication and for monitoring a regimen for the medication to be dispensed, comprising:
- a tray having an interior adapted to receive medication, said tray having a length lying along a longitudinal axis, said tray having an opening and opposing end panels;
a sleeve having length generally parallel to said longitudinal axis, said sleeve being sized and shaped to slidingly receive said tray and to selectively open and close at least a portion of said opening of the tray, and said tray and sleeve are longitudinally slidable with respect to each other and comprise a storage and dispenser unit;
an electronic medication regimen monitor having a housing and operational logic, said housing being sized and shaped to slidingly receive said sleeve and to be engaged or disengaged from said sleeve by longitudinal sliding of said sleeve and said housing with respect to each other along an axis parallel to said longitudinal axis; and
said operational logic signals the timing of the medication regimen and provides prompts to dispense medication stored within said tray.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A personal medication in storage dispensing unit is provided for receiving and storing medication, vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, pills capsules, gel tablets and the like in a manner which is easily accessible and which is conducive to inclusion within a medication regimen system. A medication regimen monitor can be included in this system in order to be programmed to signal proper medication dosage times. The monitor preferably provides non-compliance information, preferably information which persists and which designates which portion of the medication regimen was not complied with. The system also can include a holder for multiple storing and dispensing units in an ordered fashion consistent with daily requirements of the medication regimen.
-
Citations
50 Claims
-
1. A system for storing and dispensing medication and for monitoring a regimen for the medication to be dispensed, comprising:
-
a tray having an interior adapted to receive medication, said tray having a length lying along a longitudinal axis, said tray having an opening and opposing end panels;
a sleeve having length generally parallel to said longitudinal axis, said sleeve being sized and shaped to slidingly receive said tray and to selectively open and close at least a portion of said opening of the tray, and said tray and sleeve are longitudinally slidable with respect to each other and comprise a storage and dispenser unit;
an electronic medication regimen monitor having a housing and operational logic, said housing being sized and shaped to slidingly receive said sleeve and to be engaged or disengaged from said sleeve by longitudinal sliding of said sleeve and said housing with respect to each other along an axis parallel to said longitudinal axis; and
said operational logic signals the timing of the medication regimen and provides prompts to dispense medication stored within said tray. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 37, 41, 46)
-
-
13. A medication regimen monitor comprising:
-
a housing having a least one display panel, said housing having a length lying generally along a longitudinal axis;
operational logic associated with said housing and interactive with said display panel;
a control interface area associated with said housing and interactive with said operational logic;
said operational logic induces a clock component interactive with said display panel and said control interface area;
said operational logic includes a compliance time setting component associated with said clock component, whereby multiple compliance times are programmed as desired to signal a medication regimen;
a compliance indicator interactive with said operational logic such that activation of the compliance indicator after one of said compliance times is signaled designates compliance with at least a portion of the medication regimen;
said operational logic includes a non-compliance component which designates that said compliance indicator was not activated after one of said compliance times has been signaled; and
a storage and dispensing unit secured to said housing and for holding medicaments for the medication regimen, said storage and dispensing unit including a sleeve and a tray for receiving medication, said tray has a length lying generally parallel to said longitudinal axis, and said sleeve has a length generally parallel to said longitudinal axis, whereby said tray is longitudinally slidable within said sleeve and parallel to said longitudinal axis, and said sleeve is longitudinally slidable along said housing and parallel to said longitudinal axis. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 38, 42, 47)
-
-
21. A personal medication storage and dispensing unit comprising:
-
a tray member having an interior volume adapted to receive medication, said tray member having a longitudinally extending sidewall with a length along a longitudinal axis and having opposing end panels perpendicular to said sidewall and defining an opening;
a sleeve member sized and shaped to receive therewithin said tray member, said sleeve member having a sidewall and an elongated wall having a length generally parallel to said longitudinal axis, said sleeve member selectively opening or closing said opening of the tray member when said sleeve and tray member move longitudinally with respect to each other along said longitudinal axis;
at least one divider transversely positioned within said tray to thereby split the interior volume of the tray member and define a plurality of compartments;
cooperating engagement members on said tray and sleeve members, said engagement members providing a plurality of registry locations, one said registry location being operative when said tray member is fully enclosed within said sleeve member, and another said registry location being operative when a portion of said tray member is not enclosed within said sleeve member and one of said compartments of said tray member is opened while another of said compartments is closed; and
said elongated wall of the sleeve member further includes at least one rail and clearance slot for receiving a medication regimen monitor, said rail and slot extending longitudinally parallel to said longitudinal axis, whereby said regimen monitor and said sleeve member move longitudinally with respect to each other generally parallel to said longitudinal axis. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 39, 43, 48)
-
-
26. A multiple-day medication storage and dispensing system, comprising:
-
a holder having a plurality of substantially identically sized and shaped saddles, each saddle having a recessed surface;
a plurality of storage and dispensing units received within respective ones of said platform saddles;
each storage and dispensing unit having a tray including an interior surface adapted to receive medication, said tray having a length along a longitudinal axis and having an opening and opposing end panels which generally define said interior surface;
each storage and dispensing unit further has a sleeve sized and shaped to slidingly receive said tray and to selectively open and close at least a portion of said opening of the tray, said sleeve has a length parallel to said longitudinal axis, said tray and sleeve are longitudinally slidable with respect to each other along said axis, each said sleeve having an external surface which engages said recessed surface of one of the holder saddles;
each said storage and dispenser unit is thereby nested within one of said saddles of the holder; and
each saddle is substantially identically sized and shaped, each having a recessed surface which is complementary in size and shape to that of said sleeve. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 44, 49)
-
-
32. A method for storing and dispensing medication and for monitoring a regimen for the medication to be dispensed, comprising the steps of:
-
providing a medication storage and dispensing unit comprising a tray having an interior with multiple compartments adapted to receive medication, a sleeve sized and shaped to longitudinally slide with respect to said tray along a longitudinal axis in order to thereby selectively open or close at least one of the compartments;
securing to the unit an electronic medication regimen monitor having a housing with a longitudinal axis parallel to said longitudinal axis of the sleeve by sliding said unit and monitor relative to each other along said longitudinal axes, said monitor having operational logic which provides a plurality of compliance signals for each of multiple medication regimen compliance times and which provides a non-compliance signal;
inserting medication into at least some of the multiple compartments, said inserting including longitudinally sliding the tray with respect to the sleeve, and said inserting being before or after said securing step;
prompting by the operational logic compliance by the user with one of the regimen compliance times, followed by refraining from responding to said prompting to thereby have a non-compliance signal active from the regimen monitor; and
acknowledging the non-compliance signal by longitudinally sliding the tray with respect to the sleeve and removing the medication from one of the compartments. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36, 40, 45, 50)
-
Specification