Electronic alarm timer for use with a medical regimen

• US 7,369,463 B1
• Filed: 02/19/2000
• Issued: 05/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Merck Sharp & Dohme BV (Merck & Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: N.V. Organon (Merck & Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Van Dullemen, Marlies, Bouwknegt, Jan Willem
• Primary Examiner(s): Bradley; P. Austin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Phan; Thanh S
• Application Number:
  US10/203,196
• Time in Patent Office: 2,999 Days
• Field of Search: 368/23, 368/29, 368/30, 368/90, 368/93, 368/10
• US Class Current: 368/73
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0418 with electronic history memory
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0454 for dispensing of multiple drugs
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0481 working on a schedule basis

Abstract

A timer for assisting in the control of various medical regimen is described. The timer is particularly adapted for use in avoiding or assuring conception by providing a graphic representation on the timer to alert a user as to when a medically correct step needs to be taken. The timer is provided with an alarm that alerts one as to when a transition from one particular part of, for example, a contraceptive regimen to another part of the regimen is about to occur and illustrates the transition on the graphic representation. A status of the regimen is also presented to a user. One graphic representation involves an hour-glass filled with granules corresponding in number to the amount of time left before a transition in the medical regimen is to occur.

Claims

1. An electronic alarm timer for use with a medical regimen in which at least a first act and a second act are to be performed at different times, the first act being different than the second act, said electronic alarm timer comprising a housing containing a control unit having a timer, indicating means on the housing, which are connected to the control unit in order to show information, and timed alarm means connected to the control unit, wherein said control unit and said indicating means include means to show information on the desired status of the medical regimen and about the different acts to be performed in graphical representation and wherein said control unit and said indicating means are adapted to show information in a graphical representation without written text alone, wherein said means to show information on the desired status of the medical regimen and about the different acts to be performed display a graphical representation of a first desired status of the medical regimen and a graphical representation of a second desired status of the medical regimen, the graphical representation of the first desired status of the medical regimen being different than the graphical representation of the second desired status of the medical regimen, and wherein said means to show information on the desired status of the medical regimen and about the different acts to be performed display a graphical representation of the first act and a graphical representation of the second act, the graphical representation of the first act being different than the graphical representation of the second act.

2. A timer according to claim 1 for use with a contraceptive regimen.

3. A timer according to claim 1 for use with an anti-conception regimen, wherein said indicating means graphically represent days of a cycle.

4. A timer according to claim 3 for use with an anti-conception regimen wherein a contraceptive must be present in or on a body during part of the cycle and the contraceptive must be removed for the duration of another part of the cycle, and

wherein the indicating means graphically show the situation, whereas the alarm is adapted to sound at the time of the transition from one part of the cycle to another, whereby the removal or the application, as the case may be, of the contraceptive is indicted by means of an animation.

5. A timer according to claim 3, wherein said control unit and said indicating means are adapted to indicate the approaching transition from one part of the cycle to another for a certain period prior to said transition.

6. A timer according to claim 5, wherein said certain period is one day.

7. A timer according to claim 5, wherein said indicating means are adapted to show a particular day which is made to blink in the display.

8. A timer according to claim 3, wherein said indicating means show an hourglass, with the days of the cycle being represented as grains of sand.

9. A method for supporting a medical regimen in which at least a first act and a second act are to be performed at different times, the first act being different than the second act and wherein use is made of an electronic timer comprising indicating means and alarm means, comprising the steps of:

graphically showing on said indicating means a graphical representation of a first desired status of the medical regimen,

graphically displaying on said indicating means a graphical representation of the first act while the alarm is activated to indicate that said first act is to be performed,

graphically showing on said indicating means a graphical representation of a second desired status of the medical regimen, the graphical representation of the second desired status of the medical regimen being different than the graphical representation of the first desired status of the medical regimen,

graphically displaying on said indicating means a graphical representation of the second act while the alarm is activated to indicate that said second act is to be performed, the graphical representation of the second act being different than the graphical representation of the first act,

wherein said indicating means is adapted to show information in a graphical representation without written text alone.

10. An electronic alarm timer for use with an anti-conception regimen by means of a contraceptive to be inserted into or to be applied to the body, wherein the contraceptive must be present in or on the body during part of the cycle of the regimen, and wherein said contraceptive must be removed for the duration of another part of the cycle, comprising:

a housing containing a control unit having a timer,

indicating means on the housing, which are connected to the control unit in order to show information, and

timed alarm means connected to the control unit to provide sound at the times of transitions between said parts of the cycle,

said control unit and said indicating means cooperating to graphically display information about a desired status of the medical regimen and to graphically display information about an act to be performed, so that removal or application of said contraceptive, as the case may be, is indicated by an animation at least during the time that said alarm means is activated wherein said graphical displays of information about the status of the medical regimen and about acts to be performed are shown in graphical representations without text alone.

11. An electronic alarm timer for use with a medical regimen in which at least two different acts are to be performed at different times, comprising:

a housing containing a control unit having a timer;

indicating means on the housing, which are connected to the control unit in order to show information; and

timed alarm means connected to the control unit;

wherein said control unit and said indicating means include means to show information on the desired status of the medical regimen and about the different acts to be performed in graphical representation and wherein said control unit and said indicating means are adapted to show information in a graphical representation without written text alone;

wherein said control unit and said indicating means graphically display in a first manner, without written text alone, a first countdown for a first act be to be performed;

wherein said control unit, said indicating means and said timed alarm means present a graphical and audible alarm, in a first manner, when the first act is to be performed;

wherein said control unit and said indicating means graphically display, in a second manner distinctive from the first manner, without written text alone, a second countdown for a second act, different than the first act, to be performed;

wherein said control unit, said indicating means and said timed alarm means present a graphical and audible alarm, in a second manner distinctive from the first manner, when the second act is to be performed.

12. A timer according to claim 11 for use with a contraceptive regimen.

13. A timer according to claim 11 for use with an anti-conception regimen, wherein said indicating means graphically represent days of a cycle.

14. A timer according to claim 13 for use with an anti-conception regimen wherein a contraceptive must be present in or on a body during part of the cycle and the contraceptive must be removed for the duration of another part of the cycle, and

wherein the indicating means graphically show the situation, whereas the alarm is adapted to sound at the time of the transition from one part of the cycle to another, whereby the removal or the application, as the case may be, of the contraceptive is indicted by means of an animation.

15. A timer according to claim 13, wherein said control unit and said indicating means are adapted to indicate the approaching transition from one part of the cycle to another for a certain period prior to said transition.

16. A timer according to claim 15, wherein said certain period is one day.

17. A timer according to claim 15, wherein said indicating means are adapted to show a particular day which is made to blink in the display.

18. A timer according to claim 13, wherein said indicating means show an hourglass, with the days of the cycle being represented as grains of sand.

19. A method for supporting a medical regimen in which at least two different acts are to be performed at different times, and wherein use is made of an electronic timer comprising indicating means and alarm means, comprising the steps of:

(a) graphically displaying in a first manner, without written text alone, a first countdown for a first act be to be performed;

(b) presenting an alarm and graphically displaying performance of the first act when the first act is to be performed to indicate that the first act is to be performed;

(c) graphically displaying, in a second manner distinctive from the first manner, without written text alone, a second countdown for a second act, different than the first act, be to be performed; and

(d) presenting an alarm and graphically displaying performance of the second act when the second act is to be performed to indicate that the second act is to be performed.

20. The method for supporting a medical regimen according to claim 19, wherein steps (a)-(d) are repeated indefinitely.