Methods and devices for providing alerts for spoilage and hazardous combinations

• US 7,178,729 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2005
• Issued: 02/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Patel, Labhesh, Moon, Bruce, Shaffer, Shmuel, Khouri, Joseph, Chahrouri, Gebran, Shaffer, Daniel, Sharkar, Shantanu
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Michael G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim; Tae W.
• Application Number:
  US11/067,279
• Publication Number:
  US 20060192001A1
• Time in Patent Office: 725 Days
• Field of Search: 235/385
• US Class Current: 235/385
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders

Abstract

The present invention includes methods and devices for providing safeguards to the access of certain substances. Some implementations provide alerts and/or other appropriate actions when substances are subject to spoilage or expiration. Some implementations provide responses to potentially dangerous combinations of substances. Other aspects of the invention involve determining the allergies of a user and providing a warning when allergens are, or recently have been, present. One preferred embodiment provides a smart medicine cabinet for helping to provide medication safely to a patient and to provide other related services.

Claims

1. A smart medicine cabinet, comprising:

a storage area;

a radio frequency identification (“

RFID”

) reader configured for reading RFID tag data for a medical product stored in the storage area;

a user interface configured for communication with a user;

a network interface configured for communication with a network;

a door;

a scanner for detecting a user of the smart medicine cabinet;

a memory containing user-specific medical information for each of one or more users of the smart medicine cabinet; and

a controller configured to retrieve user-specific medical information corresponding to the user detected by the scanner, obtain product-specific medical information based on the RFID tag data received from the RFID reader and to control the smart medicine cabinet according to the user-specific medical information and the product-specific medical information, and wherein the controller is further configured to, upon detection of the pressing of an emergency open button by the user, communicate across a network to a third party requesting authorization to open the smart medicine cabinet.

2. The smart medicine cabinet of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to obtain the product-specific medical information by searching a networked medical database via the network interface.

3. The smart medicine cabinet of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the door according to information received via the user interface.

11. The smart medicine cabinet of claim 1, wherein the scanner comprises a biometric scanner.

12. The smart medicine cabinet of claim 1, wherein the scanner comprises one of an RFID) scanner or a bar code scanner.

13. The smart medicine cabinet of claim 1, wherein the scanner is configured to read information from a card, a bracelet or similar device.

14. The smart medicine cabinet of claim 1, wherein the scanner is configured to read information from a card, a bracelet or similar device.

15. The smart medicine cabinet of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to prevent an authorized user from opening the door under predetermined conditions.

16. The smart medicine cabinet of claim 1, further comprising an emergency control that allows a user to open the smart medicine cabinet without using the input device or the scanner.

17. The smart medicine cabinet of claim 1, wherein the user-specific medical information includes information about the user'"'"'s allergies.

18. The smart medicine cabinet of claim 1, wherein the user-specific medical information includes information about the user'"'"'s medical condition.

19. The smart medicine cabinet of claim 1, wherein the product-specific medical information includes dosage frequency.

20. The smart medicine cabinet of claim 19, wherein the controller is further configured to track the frequency at which the medical product is removed from the smart medicine cabinet, compare the frequency to the dosage frequency, and control the smart medicine cabinet if the comparison indicates that the user is not following the dosage frequency.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

tracking the frequency at which the medical product is removed from the smart medicine cabinet;

comparing the frequency at which the medical product is removed from the smart medicine cabinet to the dosage frequency; and

controlling the smart medicine cabinet if the comparison indicates that the user is not following the dosage frequency.

25. The smart medicine cabinet of claim 1, wherein the communicating across a network to a third party requesting authorization to open the smart medicine cabinet includes communicating via a microphone and speaker.

4. A method for providing medical services, the method comprising:

reading radio frequency identification (“

RFID”

) tag data for a medical product in a medicine cabinet;

automatically obtaining product-specific medical information according to the RFID tag data;

evaluating the medical information;

identifying a user;

automatically obtaining user-specific medical information corresponding to the user;

comparing the product-specific medical information and the user-specific medical information; and

providing a response according to the comparison;

detecting the pressing of an emergency open button by the user, and

in response to said detection of the pressing of an emergency open button by the user, communicating across a network to a third party requesting authorization to open the smart medicine cabinet.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the response comprises alerting a user regarding an expiration date of the medicine product in the medicine cabinet.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the response comprises requesting replacement medicine.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the response comprises providing a wanting that a combination of medicine in the medicine cabinet could be dangerous.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of obtaining medical information comprises searching a medical database.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein the response comprises preventing a user from opening the medicine cabinet.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein the response comprises communicating with a user via a user interface of the medicine cabinet.

21. The method of claim 4, wherein the user-specific medical information includes information about the user'"'"'s allergies.

22. The method of claim 4, wherein the user-specific medical information includes information about the user'"'"'s medical condition.

23. The method of claim 4, wherein the product-specific medical information includes dosage frequency.

26. The method of claim 4, wherein the communicating across a network to a third party requesting authorization to open the smart medicine cabinet includes communicating via a microphone and speaker.