Electronic pill comprising a plurality of medicine reservoirs

• US 8,961,498 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2009
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Progenity, Inc. (Athyrium Capital Management LP)
• Original Assignee: Medimetrics Personalized Drug Delivery B.V.
• Inventors: Zou, Hans, Shimizu, Jeff, Dijksman, Johan F., Albu, Lucian R.
• Primary Examiner(s): GILBERT, ANDREW M
• Application Number:
  US12/992,613
• Publication Number:
  US 20110092959A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,077 Days
• Field of Search: 604/890.1, 604/891.1, 604/892.1, 604/500, 604/503, 604/504, 604/505, 604/514, 604/516, 604/64, 604/134, 604/135, 424/451, 424/457, 424/464, 424/468
• US Class Current: 604/890.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 31/002 Devices for releasing a drug at a continuous and controlled rate for a prolonged period of time artificial gland structures or devices A61F2/022; intra-uterine contraceptive devices A61F6/14; tampons for introducing into the vagina A61F13/20, A61L15/00; suppositories or bougies for intra-vaginal or intra-uterine application A61K9/02; physical forms of medicinal preparations for sustained or differential drug release A61K9/20, A61K9/50

Abstract

Electronic pill (1, 11, 21) comprising a plurality of medicine reservoirs (2, 12, 22), each of the reservoirs comprising a discharge opening (3, 13, 23) covered by a removable cover (6, 16, 26). The pill comprises at least one actuator responsive to control circuitry for removing the cover from the discharge opening (3, 13, 23). The actuator can for example be a spring loaded piston (4) breaking a foil cover when dispensing the medicament. 5 Alternatively, the cover can be a rotatable disk (16) or cylinder (26) with an opening (17, 27) which can be brought in line with the discharge opening of a reservoir under the action of the actuator.

Claims

1. An electronic pill comprising:

a plurality of medicine reservoirs, each of the plurality of medicine reservoirs comprising a discharge opening covered by a removable cover;

a plurality of mechanical actuators, each of the plurality of mechanical actuators corresponding to each of the plurality of medicine reservoirs, each of the plurality of mechanical actuators configured to increase a pressure in the corresponding medicine reservoir to force contents contained in the corresponding medicine reservoir out of the respective medicine reservoir, through the respective discharge opening, wherein the removable cover comprises a rotatable member with an opening which can selectively be brought in line with the discharge opening of each of the plurality of medicine reservoirs under the action of an actuator.

2. The electronic pill according to claim 1 wherein the removable cover further comprises a film removable by rotation of the rotatable member.

3. The electronic pill according to claim 1 wherein the actuator is a spiral spring element acting on the rotatable member to move it by discrete steps to bring the opening in the rotatable member in line with a single reservoir with each subsequent discrete step.

4. The electronic pill according to claim 1 wherein the rotatable member comprises a disk having an opening which can be brought in line with the respective discharge opening of each of the plurality of medicine reservoirs.

5. The electronic pill according to claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of mechanical actuators comprises a spring loadable piston in at least a part of the respective medicine reservoir.

6. The electronic pill according to claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of mechanical actuators comprises a memory alloy in at least a part of respective medicine reservoir.

7. The electronic pill according to claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of mechanical actuators comprises a fuse breakable under the action of an applied electric current in at least a part of respective medicine reservoir.

8. The electronic pill according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of medicine reservoirs are longitudinal reservoirs with parallel longitudinal axes and having a cross section corresponding to the discharge opening.

9. The electronic pill according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of medicine reservoirs form adjacent radial cylinder sections.

10. The electronic pill according to claim 3 wherein the rotatable member comprises a disk having an opening which can be brought in line with the respective discharge opening of each of the plurality of medicine reservoirs.

11. An electronic pill comprising:

a plurality of medicine reservoirs, each of the plurality of medicine reservoirs comprising a discharge opening;

a cover comprising a rotatable member with an opening, the cover being movable by an actuator to selectively place the opening in line with the discharge opening of each of the plurality of medicine reservoirs.

12. The electronic pill according to claim 11 wherein the actuator is a spiral spring element acting on the rotatable member to move it by discrete steps to bring the opening in the rotatable member in line with a single reservoir with each subsequent discrete step.

13. The electronic pill according to claim 12 wherein the rotatable member comprises a disk having an opening which can be brought in line with the respective discharge opening of each of the plurality of medicine reservoirs.

14. The electronic pill according to claim 11 wherein the rotatable member comprises a cylindrical wall enveloping the reservoirs and having a slot-shaped opening which can be brought in line with the respective discharge opening of each of the plurality of medicine reservoirs.

15. The electronic pill according to claim 11 wherein the rotatable member comprises a disk having an opening which can be brought in line with the respective discharge opening of each of the plurality of medicine reservoirs.