Method for identifying pills via an optical device

• US 8,727,208 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2006
• Issued: 05/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Care Innovations LLC
• Original Assignee: Intel-GE Care Innovations, LLC (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Poisner, David
• Primary Examiner(s): STANFORD, CHRISTOPHER J
• Application Number:
  US11/477,676
• Publication Number:
  US 20080000979A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,881 Days
• Field of Search: 738/658, 235/435, 235/439, 235/454, 235/462.01, 235/462.23, 235/462.24, 382/181, 382/182
• US Class Current: 235/375
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 3/007 Marking tablets or the like apparatus for printing on tablets or the like B41F17/36
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 3/074 Filling capsules; Related operations
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/359 using near infrared light
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/9508 Capsules; Tablets
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06046 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/66 Trinkets, e.g. shirt buttons or jewellery items recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers

Abstract

A pill identification device having a mechanical device that is adapted to roll a pill along various axes of the pill, an optical device to record or transmit images of the pill and an algorithm to compare an identifier of the pill to a database having known identifiers of known pills is disclosed. A method of identifying a pill using the pill identification device of the embodiment of this invention is disclosed herein. Also, a method of manufacturing the pill identification device of the embodiments of this invention is disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A method of detecting a pill, comprising:

placing the pill flat on a curved wall of a conical container having the shape of a circular cone to allow the pill to rotate within the conical container;

rotating the pill within the conical container along an axis of rotation of the pill with at least a 360 degree rotation;

obtaining an image of the pill;

determining identification data of the pill based on the image of the pill; and

determining an identifier of the pill based on comparing the identification data of the pill to information related to known pills, the information related to the known pills including identifiers and identification data of the known pills.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising illuminating the pill for an optical device to capture the image of the pill, the optical device comprising a camera, a photodiode, or a combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising comparing via an algorithm the image of the pill with images of the known pills.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the algorithm is coded in a microchip.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting a composition of the pill with an infrared or near-infrared analytical tool.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting an emergency signal in response to an emergency response button being activated.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising reporting the name of the pill.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification data of the pill comprise a bar code, a shape, or a color of the pill.