Smart cap for a medicine container to dispense a medication while self-verifying medicine identity

• US 8,269,613 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2009
• Issued: 09/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Steven S. Lazar
• Original Assignee: Steven S. Lazar
• Inventors: Lazar, Steven S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bugg, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Labbees, Edny
• Application Number:
  US12/322,929
• Publication Number:
  US 20100200593A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,317 Days
• Field of Search: 340/309.16, 221/9, 221/10, 221/15, 700/240
• US Class Current: 340/309.16
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2200/30 Compliance analysis for taking medication
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0418 with electronic history memory
• 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

Abstract

A smart cap for a container to dispense a medication and for automatically (a) self-verifying at least an obverse side and a converse side of the medication once the smart cap has been programmed for the medication so as to prevent improper dispensing of the medication, (b) indicating and verifying the number of pills in the container, (c) indicating and verifying timely compliance for taking the medication as prescribed and (d) issuing instructions and/or warnings to the consumer. The cap includes necessary circuitry and displays and is programmable from computer.

Claims

1. A smart cap for a container dispensing a medication and configured for automatically self-verifying the identity of the medication once said smart cap has been automatically programmed for the medication so as to prevent improper dispensing of the medication, the smart cap comprising:

a) a first circuitry configured to be programmed with the identity of a medication which is properly dispensed;

b) a second circuitry configured to automatically program the first circuitry with said identity of the medication;

c) a third circuitry configured to physically scan a medication being dispensed for use by a patient; and

d) a first display;

wherein said first circuitry is disposed within said smart cap;

wherein said third circuitry is accessible within said smart cap for physical scanning of the medication being dispensed;

wherein said third circuitry is in electrical communication with said first circuitry;

wherein said third circuitry is configured for automatically scanning at least an obverse side and a reverse side of the medication to thereby identify the medication being dispensed and to provide a medication identification signal;

wherein said medication identification signal is sent from said third circuitry to said first circuitry for automatically self-verifying the identity of the medication being dispensed with the programmed medication identity once said first circuitry has been automatically programmed by said second circuitry for the medication so as to provide a verification signal;

wherein said first display is visible on said smart cap;

wherein said first display is in electrical communication with said first circuitry; and

wherein said first display receives said verification signal from said first circuitry so as to prevent the improper use of a medication with a mismatch between the programmed medication and the scanned medication.

2. The cap of claim 1, further comprising a second display;

wherein said second display is visible on said smart cap;

wherein said second display is in electrical communication with said first circuitry; and

wherein said second display displays the at least an obverse side and a reverse side of the medication inputted from said third circuitry so as to prevent the improper dispensing of the medication.

3. The cap of claim 2, further comprising a third display;

wherein said third display is visible on said smart cap;

wherein said third display is in electrical communication with said first circuitry; and

wherein said third display displays frequency for taking the medication once said first circuitry has been automatically programmed by said second circuitry for the medication and recalibrates every time a pill is placed in the chamber.

4. The cap of claim 3, further comprising a fourth display;

wherein said fourth display is visible on said smart cap;

wherein said fourth display is in electrical communication with said first circuitry; and

wherein said fourth display displays quantity of medication in the container starting with a prescribed quantity once said first circuitry has been automatically programmed by said second circuitry for the medication and recalibrates every time a pill is placed in the chamber.

5. The cap of claim 1, wherein said first circuitry comprises:

a) a sub-miniature chip; and

b) a sub-miniature memory;

wherein said sub-miniature chip of said first circuitry is automatically programmed by said second circuitry for the medication and automatically self-verifies the medication once said first circuitry has been automatically programmed by said second circuitry for the medication.

6. The cap of claim 1, wherein said second circuitry comprises a sub-miniature programmer;

and wherein said sub-miniature programmer of said second circuitry automatically programs said first circuitry for the medication.

7. The cap of claim 1, wherein said third circuitry comprises a sub-miniature scanner;

and wherein said sub-miniature scanner of said third circuitry is for automatically scanning the obverse and reverse sides of the medication.

8. The cap of claim 4, wherein said second circuitry is disposed in a label printer;

wherein said label printer comprises;

a) a keypad; and

b) a printer display;

wherein said keypad of said label printer is for entering the medication, frequency and timing of the medication prescribed, quantity of the medication prescribed, and patient information when said smart cap is being programmed by said second circuitry; and

wherein said printer display of said label printer is for displaying the medication, manufacturer/distributer of the medication, and patient information entered by said keypad of said label printer.

9. The cap of claim 8, wherein said label printer comprises a fourth circuitry;

wherein said fourth circuitry of said label printer is in electrical communication with said second circuitry;

wherein said fourth circuitry of said label printer comprises;

a) a sub-miniature chip; and

b) a sub-miniature memory with a database of the medications and the manufacturer/distributer of the medications therein, allowing said keypad of said label printer to be used to enter the medication and the consumer information to print on a label, while said second circuitry simultaneously programs said first circuitry with the medication, the manufacturer/distributer of the medication, the numerical frequency of the medication prescribed, and the quantity of the medication prescribed entered by said keypad of said label printer when said smart cap is being programmed by said second circuitry.

10. The cap of claim 8, wherein said label printer comprises a printer receptacle;

wherein said printer receptacle in said label printer has said second circuitry thereat; and

wherein said printer receptacle in said label printer holds said smart cap while said second circuitry programs said first circuitry.

11. The cap of claim 1, wherein said smart cap comprises a cap receptacle;

wherein said cap receptacle of said smart cap has said third circuitry thereat; and

wherein said cap receptacle of said smart cap is a slot for holding the medication while said third circuitry scans at least an obverse side and a reverse side of the medication.

12. The cap of claim 1, wherein said first display of said smart cap comprises a face;

and wherein said face of said first display of said smart cap receives said verification signal, and in response thereto, if said verification signal is positive, then said face of said first display of said smart cap assumes a smiling face, but if said verification signal is negative, then said face of said first display of said smart cap assumes a frowning face so as to prevent the improper dispensing of the medication.

13. The cap of claim 12, wherein said smiling face of said face of said first display of said smart cap is illuminated green;

and wherein said frowning face of said face of said first display of said smart cap is illuminated red.

14. The cap of claim 8, wherein said second display of said smart cap comprises a pair of medication sides;

and wherein said pair of medication sides of said second display of said smart cap depict the obverse and reverse sides of the medication scanned by said third circuitry, which is then visually compared to a picture of the obverse and reverse sides of the medication entered on said label via said keypad of said label printer so as to be sure that the medication being scanned by said third circuitry is the prescribed medication.

15. The cap of claim 3, wherein said third display of said smart cap comprises a first digital counter;

and wherein said first digital counter of said third display of said smart cap depicts frequency and timing of the medication entered into said first circuitry by said second circuitry via said keypad of said label printer when said smart cap is programmed by said second circuitry so as to prevent improper dosage frequency of the medication by decreasing by one each time the medication is either placed in the cap receptacle or is scanned by the third circuitry.

16. The cap of claim 8, wherein said fourth display of said smart cap comprises a second digital counter;

and wherein said second digital counter of said fourth display of said smart cap depicts the quantity of the medication entered into said first circuitry by said second circuitry via said keypad of said label printer when said smart cap is programmed by said second circuitry, and decreases by one each time the medication is scanned by said third circuitry so as to alert when the medication in the container is running low.