Systems and apparatus for container conversion

• US 8,963,710 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2013
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jason Jianzhong Chang, Jiandong Huang
• Original Assignee: Jason Jianzhong Chang, Jiandong Huang
• Inventors: Huang, Jiandong, Chang, Jason Jianzhong
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hung T
• Application Number:
  US13/785,213
• Publication Number:
  US 20140251850A1
• Time in Patent Office: 721 Days
• Field of Search: 340/540, 340/545.6, 340/562, 340/309.16, 340/309.7, 340/573.1, 368/10, 368/107, 368/109, 368/188, 705 2- 3
• US Class Current: 340/540
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/03 for pills or tablets containers for pills or tablets with special dispensing means therefor B65D83/04
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 17/00 Methods or apparatus for determining the capacity of containers or cavities, or the volume of solid bodies measuring linear dimensions to determine volume G01B
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/5313 Means to assemble electrical device

Abstract

Aspects of the present invention relate to an apparatus for converting a container into a smart bottle. A tapered plug comprising a channel portion, wherein a first sensor is located proximate to a first end of the channel portion and a second sensor is located proximate to a second end of the channel portion, and a non-channel portion, wherein the non-channel portion houses a processor, a memory, a battery, a power-management system, a clock and a communication interface, may replace a standard container cap, thereby providing monitoring, verification and communication capabilities.

Claims

1. An apparatus for converting a bottle into a smart bottle, said apparatus comprising:

a tapered plug, said tapered plug comprising;

a channel portion, wherein a first sensor is located proximate to a first end of a main channel portion in said channel portion and a second sensor is located proximate to a second end of said main channel portion; and

a non-channel portion, wherein said non-channel portion houses;

a processor;

a memory;

a battery;

a power-management system;

a clock; and

a communication interface.

2. The apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein:

said first sensor is a first half metal ring pair; and

said second sensor is a second half metal ring pair.

3. The apparatus as described in claim 2 further comprising a sampling circuit for sampling a first capacitance associated with said first half metal ring pair and a second capacitance associated with said second half metal ring pair.

4. The apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein:

said first sensor is a first light-emitting-diode/photo receptor pair; and

said second sensor is a second light-emitting-diode/photo receptor pair.

5. The apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein said memory comprises non-transitory computer-readable instructions to cause said processor to execute a method comprising:

detecting a lid motion;

generating a time stamp associated with said lid motion;

classifying said motion event;

when said motion event is classified as a “

removal”

event;

storing said time stamp in association with said motion event; and

performing a dynamic mass measurement, thereby producing a mass measurement; and

when said motion event is classification as a “

replacement”

event;

storing said time stamp in association with said motion event; and

storing said mass measurement.

6. The apparatus as described in claim 5, wherein said method further comprises communicating said stored mass measurement to a monitoring and verification center.

7. The apparatus as described in claim 6 further comprising a communication interface for effectuating said communicating.

8. The apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein said memory comprises non-transitory computer-readable instructions to cause said processor to execute a method comprising:

detecting a lid motion;

generating a time stamp associated with said lid motion;

classifying said motion event;

when said motion event is classified as a “

removal”

event;

storing said time stamp in association with said motion event; and

waiting for a subsequent lid-motion event; and

when said motion event is classification as a “

replacement”

event;

storing said time stamp in association with said motion event;

performing a static mass measurement, thereby producing a mass measurement; and

storing said mass measurement.

9. The apparatus as described in claim 8, wherein said method further comprises communicating said stored mass measurement to a monitoring and verification center.

10. The apparatus as described in claim 9 further comprising a communication interface for effectuating said communicating.

11. The apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein said channel portion is located at a location selected from the group consisting of near to the center of said tapered plug and near to an edge of said tapered plug.

12. The apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein said channel portion further comprises a first tapered entrance on a top side of said tapered plug and a second tapered entrance on a bottom side of said tapered plug.