Systems, methods and computer program product for monitoring interactions with a medication storage device

• US 9,910,965 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2011
• Issued: 03/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Omnicell Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Aesynt, Inc. (Omnicell Incorporated)
• Inventors: Bufalini, Brian, Reza, Fabian R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rao, Andy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fereja, Samuel D
• Application Number:
  US13/235,178
• Publication Number:
  US 20130070090A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,363 Days
• Field of Search: 700242, 700241, 700231
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

Methods, apparatuses and computer program products are provided for monitoring the stocking and dispensing of medications from an automated medication storage device. In this regard, a method may cooperate with the automated medication storage device to facilitate surveillance of internal components and users of the medication storage device. For example, a user and/or the user'"'"'s interactions can be imaged by one or more cameras while the user is interacting with the automated medication storage device.

Claims

1. A storage device for dispensing medications, comprising:

at least one drawer configured to store a plurality of medications; and

at least one medication observation camera integrated into each drawer of the at least one drawer of the storage device, the medication observation camera configured to capture one or more medication images having an internal field of view of a user'"'"'s interactions with at least one of the medications stored in the respective drawer, wherein the medication observation camera defines a viewing position and a stowed position, wherein the medication observation camera is biased toward the viewing position, wherein the medication observation camera moves from the stowed position to the viewing position in response to the drawer being moved to the open position, wherein the medication observation camera is driven against the bias toward the stowed position in response to the drawer being moved to the closed position, wherein the medication observation camera comprises a contact portion having a beveled edge, and wherein a portion of the storage device is configured to advance along the beveled edge and drive the medication observation camera into the stowed position within the recess in response to the drawer being moved to the closed position;

at least one user observation camera configured to capture one or more user images of the user; and

at least one processor, wherein the processor is configured to;

cause the medication observation camera to begin capturing the medication images in response to the processor determining that the drawer is open;

receive medication image data representing the medication images captured by the observation camera and user image data captured by the user observation camera;

cause the transmission of the medication image data to a remote machine; and

cause the transmission of user image data to the remote machine, the user image data representing the user images, wherein the user image data and the medication image data both include metadata that enable the user image data and the medication image data to be synchronized in time.

2. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the medication observation camera is configured to begin capturing the medication images in response to the processor determining that a trigger event has occurred.

3. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the medication observation camera is configured to begin capturing the medication images in response to the processor determining that the drawer is accessible.

4. The storage device of claim 1 wherein the at least one user observation camera is configured to capture one or more user images having an external field of view of the user.

5. The storage device of claim 4, wherein the user observation camera is configured to capture the user images while the medication observation camera captures the medication images.

6. The storage device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:

receive a command from a remote machine; and

in response to receiving the command, cause the transmission of a real time or near-real time video feed to the remote machine, the video feed including image data that represents the medication images.

7. The storage device of claim 1 further comprising a display device configured to present a graphical user interface display, wherein the processor is configured to:

generate display data that causes the presentation of the graphical user interface display; and

cause the transmission of the display data, wherein the display data includes metadata that enables the display data, the user image data and the medication image data to be synchronized in time.

8. A method for dispensing medications from a storage device, comprising:

storing a plurality of medications in at least one drawer;

capturing, using at least one medication observation camera integrated into each drawer of the at least one drawer of the storage device, one or more medication images of a user'"'"'s interactions with at least one of the medications stored in the respective drawer, wherein the medication observation camera defines a viewing position and a stowed position, wherein the medication observation camera is biased toward the viewing position, wherein the medication observation camera moves from the stowed position to the viewing position in response to the drawer being moved to an open position, wherein the medication observation camera is driven against the bias toward the stowed position in response to the drawer being moved to a closed position, wherein the medication observation camera comprises a contact portion having a beveled edge, and wherein a portion of the storage device is configured to advance along the beveled edge and drive the medication observation camera into the stowed position within the recess in response to the drawer being moved to the closed position;

causing the medication observation camera to begin capturing the medication images in response to determining that the drawer is in the open position;

receiving medication image data representing the medication images captured by the observation camera;

transmitting the medication image data to a remote machine;

capturing, using at least one user observation camera, one or more user images of the user;

synchronizing the user image data and the medication image data to be displayed simultaneously by the remote device; and

transmitting user image data to the remote machine, the user image data representing the user images.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising begin capturing the medication images in response to a determination by a processor that a trigger event has occurred.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein capturing the medication images begins in response to a determination by a processor that the drawer is accessible.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising capturing the user images while the medication observation camera captures the medication images.

12. The method of claim 8 further comprising capturing, using at least one user observation camera, one or more user images of the user.

13. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

receiving a command from a remote machine; and

in response to receiving the command, causing the transmission of a real time or near-real time video feed to the remote machine, the video feed including image data that represents the medication images.

14. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

presenting, using a display device at the storage device, a graphical user interface display;

generating display data that represents the graphical user interface display;

synchronizing the display data, the user image data and the medication image data to be displayed simultaneously by the remote device; and

transmitting the display data to the remote machine.

15. A medication storage device, comprising:

a drawer defining an open position and a closed position, the drawer further defining a recess configured to receive an image capturing device, the drawer comprising;

an image capturing device defining a stowed position and an viewing position, wherein the image capturing device is biased toward the viewing position, and wherein the image capturing device is configured to be stowed in the recess; and

a compartment configured to store medication wherein the image capturing device moves from the stowed position to the viewing position in response to the drawer being moved to the open position, wherein the image capturing device is driven against the bias toward the stowed position in response to the drawer being moved to the closed position, wherein the image capturing device comprises a contact portion having a beveled edge, and wherein a portion of the storage device is configured to advance along the beveled edge and drive the image capturing device into the stowed position within the recess in response to the drawer being moved to the closed position;

wherein the image capture device is configured to advance via the bias to the viewing position in response to the drawer being moved to the open position, and wherein the image capture device is configured to be driven against the bias into the stowed position within the recess in response to the drawer being moved from the open position to the closed position.

16. The medication storage device of claim 15, wherein the image capturing device includes a spring that is configured to drive the image capturing device from the recess into a viewing position in response to the drawer being placed in an open position relative to the medication storage device.

17. The medication storage device of claim 16, wherein the viewing position enables the image capturing device'"'"'s field of view to include one or more compartments in the drawer used to store medication.

18. The medication storage device of claim 16, where the image capturing device is configured to begin capturing images in response to being placed into the viewing position.