Medication dispenser

• US 8,085,135 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2009
• Issued: 12/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Batami Sadan, Gilead Asseo, Michael Cohen Alloro, Tomer Gofer
• Original Assignee: Batami Sadan, Gilead Asseo, Michael Cohen Alloro, Tomer Gofer
• Inventors: Cohen Alloro, Michael, Sadan, Batami, Asseo, Gilead, Gofer, Tomer
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehmood, Jennifer
• Application Number:
  US12/348,865
• Publication Number:
  US 20090301925A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,086 Days
• Field of Search: 340/572.1, 340/572.8, 340/568.1, 340/573.1, 340/686.1, 340/693.5, 340/693.6, 340/539.11, 340/539.1, 340/2, 340500-502, 340/505, 340/531, 700/231, 700/236, 206/528, 206/535, 206/534, 206/531, 206/538, 206/536, 604/890.1
• US Class Current: 340/309.16
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2200/30 Compliance analysis for taking medication
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0084 for multiple medicaments
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0436 resulting from removing a drug from, or opening, a container
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0481 working on a schedule basis
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers

Abstract

Disclosed is a medication dispensing system comprising a container including at least two compartments each compartment including a cavity configured to contain at least one first medication, a covering over the cavity configured to break under pressure, and an elongate conductive element on at least a portion of the covering and configured sever upon breaking the covering. The medication dispensing system further includes one interrogator-readable RFID circuit operatively associated with the container and connected to the elongate conductive element of each of the at least two compartments, and one RFID circuit interrogator configured to interrogate the one RFID circuit and determine whether the elongate conductive element is severed on either on at least one of the at least two compartments.

Claims

1. A medication dispensing system comprising:

a) a base;

b) a container removably set into said base, said container including at least two compartments each including;

i) a cavity configured to contain at least one first medication;

ii) a covering layer and a substrate layer over said cavity, wherein both said layers are configured to break under pressure;

iii) an elongate conductive element in between said covering layer and said substrate layer, and configured to sever upon breaking said covering layer;

c) one interrogator-readable RFID circuit in between said covering and substrate layers, and, operatively associated with said container and connected to said elongate conductive element of each of said at least two compartments; and

d) at least one RFID circuit interrogator included in said base, and configured to interrogate said one interrogator-readable RFID circuit and determine whether said elongate conductive element is severed on at least one of said at least two compartments.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said one interrogator-readable RFID circuit includes interrogator-readable data including a schedule for serially breaking coverings on said at least two compartments.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein said one RFID circuit interrogator includes a cognitive output configured to provide a user cognitively-registerable signal according to said schedule for serially breaking coverings on said at least two compartments.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein user cognitively-registerable signal comprises at least one signal including at least one of:

i) an audio signal;

ii) a visual signal; and

iii) a vibratory signal.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein said at least said two compartments are configured to be disposed following breaking coverings on said at least two compartments.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein said at least two compartments are configured to be filled at a remote location.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein said at least two compartments are configured to be packaged in a package that facilitates shipment to a user via at least one of:

i) a postal service; and

ii) a courier.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein said one interrogator-readable RFID circuit is configured to provide a user cognitively-registerable signal following breaking coverings on said at least two compartments.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein said one interrogator-readable RFID circuit is configured to provide a user cognitively-registerable signal following at least one of:

i) removal of a first set of said at least two compartments from said base; and

ii) replacement of said first set of said at least two compartments with a second set of at least two compartments.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein said base includes at least one audiovisual output associated with each of said at least two compartments, configured to provide a audiovisual signal to a according to said schedule for serially breaking each covering on said at least two compartments.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein said at least one audiovisual output associated with each of said at least two compartments includes a light-emitting diode configured to emit light when said at least said two compartments are connected to said base.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein said schedule for serially breaking each covering on said at least two compartments includes a user medication consumption schedule.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein said one interrogator-readable RFID circuit includes data readable by said one RFID circuit interrogator and said base includes an audiovisual output configured to a provide a user cognitively-registerable audiovisual signal regarding at least one parameter associated with said user medication consumption schedule.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein said at least one parameter associated with said medication consumption schedule includes at least one of:

a) a name of user;

b) a user dosage;

c) an appearance of one of said at least one medication;

d) a reaction symptom to said at least one medication requiring health provider notification;

e) at least one direction for consumption of said at least one medication with respect to food, including;

i) take before food ingestion;

ii) take with food ingestion; and

iii) take after food ingestion.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein said base includes a wireless transponder connected to said one RFID circuit interrogator, said wireless transponder configured to wirelessly transmit signals to a wireless remote transceiver, said transmitted signals including data related to at least one of:

i) said schedule for serially breaking each covering on said at least two compartments;

ii) said serially breaking of coverings on said at least two compartments;

iii) removal of a first set of said at least two compartments from said base; and

iv) replacement of said first set of said at least two compartments with a second set of at least two compartments.

16. The system according to claim 15 wherein said wireless remote transceiver is located at a health monitoring facility.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein said one interrogator-readable RFID circuit includes at least one chip including at least one code configured to be altered by a wireless signal originating at said health monitoring facility.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein said at least one code includes medication consumption data.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein at least one of:

i) said wireless transponder;

ii) said wireless remote transceiver;

iii) said one RFID circuit interrogator;

iv) said at least one code;

v) said user cognitively-registerable signal; and

vi) said user cognitively-registerable audiovisual signal, function autonomously and automatically.