Medicine container with an orientation sensor

• US 9,740,828 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 08/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SMRxT, Inc.
• Original Assignee: SMRxT, Inc.
• Inventors: Chu, Victor
• Primary Examiner(s): Satanovsky, Alexander
• Assistant Examiner(s): Suarez, Felix
• Application Number:
  US13/827,373
• Publication Number:
  US 20140262918A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,622 Days
• Field of Search: 702 30, 702 61, 702116, 702150, 702173, 702188, 340540, 705 3, 705 11
• 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 7/02 Pill counting devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 22/00 Methods or apparatus for measuring volume of fluids or fluent solid material, not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 15/00 Arrangements for check-weighing of materials dispensed into removable containers packaging aspects B65B; electric measuring arrangements involving comparison with a reference value G01R17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 17/06 having means for controlling the supply or discharge
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/00 Weighing apparatus or methods adapted for special purposes not provided for in the preceding groups electric measuring arrangements involving comparison with a reference value G01R17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 5/00 Apparatus for, or methods of, measuring force, work, mechanical power, or torque, specially adapted for specific purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers

Abstract

A medicine container configured to hold one or more different medications. The container may include an orientation sensor to determine the orientation of the container. The container may also include one or more additional sensors to detect other physical characteristics about the container and/or medicine. The orientation of the container in combination with the information from the one or more additional sensors is used to determine an accurate indication of an amount of the medicine within the container and thus usage information. The container also includes a wireless transmitter for transmitting the information regarding the medicine to a remote location.

Claims

1. A medicine container configured to hold medicine, the medicine container comprising:

a body including exterior walls forming an interior space to hold the medicine;

an accelerometer arranged within the body and configured to sense an acceleration of the body;

a quantity sensor arranged within the body and configured to sense a quantity of the medicine within the interior space, the quantity sensor configured to sense one of a weight of the medicine in the interior space or a volume of the medicine in the interior space;

a processing circuit arranged within the body and configured to obtain a plurality of paired readings from the accelerometer and the quantity sensor;

the processing circuit configured to determine an amount of medicine remaining in the interior space by determining that an orientation of the body is both level and upright based on readings from the accelerometer and determine the amount of medicine based on readings from the quantity sensor taken just when the body is both level and upright and not when the body is not level and not upright;

a wireless communications interface arranged within the body and configured to communicate the amount of medicine remaining in the interior space with a remote device.

2. The medicine container of claim 1, further comprising memory arranged within the body to store readings from each of the accelerometer and the quantity sensor.

3. The medicine container of claim 1, wherein the accelerometer is positioned within the interior space.

4. The medicine container of claim 1, further comprising a module body arranged within the interior space and having a side that faces towards the exterior walls of the body, the module body being sized to fit within an outlet in the body, each of the accelerometer, the quantity sensor, and the wireless communications interface being mounted on the module body.

5. The medicine container of claim 1, further comprising an environmental sensor arranged within the body and configured to sense an aspect of an environment in the interior space.

6. A monitoring system to determine medicine usage by a patient, comprising:

a container including exterior walls forming an interior space to hold the medicine;

an accelerometer arranged within the container to sense an acceleration of the container;

a quantity sensor arranged within the container to sense a quantity of the medicine within the interior space; and

a processing circuit configured to;

obtain a first reading from the accelerometer that measures an orientation of the container including when the container is upright and level and when the container is not upright and not level;

obtain a second reading from the quantity sensor, the second reading being indicative of a weight of the medicine in the container or a volume of the medicine in the container, the first and second readings being taken at the same time; and

calculate a quantity of the medicine in the container based on the second readings that were taken at times just when the container is upright and level; and

calculate the quantity of the medicine in the container based on an orientation correction factor and the second readings that were taken at times when the container is not upright and not level.

7. The monitoring system of claim 6, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to determine the correction factor based on an extent to which the container is not upright and not level.

8. The monitoring system of claim 6, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to cause a wireless communications interface arranged within the container to send and receive information about the medicine usage to a remote device.

9. The monitoring system of claim 6, wherein the processing circuit is configured to place the accelerometer and the quantity sensor in a low-power state.

10. The monitoring system of claim 6, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to obtain a third reading from an environmental sensor arranged within the container used to calculate the quantity of the medicine in the container based on the first, second, and third readings.

11. The monitoring system of claim 6, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to receive the first and second readings from a wireless communications interface arranged within the container.

12. The monitoring system of claim 6, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to notify the patient when the container is not level and not upright.