Compliance pill tray system

• US 9,962,318 B1
• Filed: 09/19/2017
• Issued: 05/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Altium Healthcare Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Tri State Distribution Incorporated (Loews Corporation)
• Inventors: Miceli, David A., Miceli, Joseph A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bousono, Orlando
• Application Number:
  US15/708,230
• Time in Patent Office: 231 Days
• 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 2205/30 Printed labels
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0069 Trays for holding or distributing medicines display trays A47F3/14; serving trays A47G23/06
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0084 for multiple medicaments
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/04 Arrangements for time indication or reminder for taking medicine, e.g. programmed dispensers

Abstract

A prescription compliance system including a pill tray having a plurality of sequence compartments within a frequency section and dosage tables on prescription container systems that provide graphical dosage instruction information for the patient in dosing each of the sequence compartments of the pill tray with a plurality of prescribed medications.

Claims

1. A prescription compliance system for improving patient compliance in taking a plurality of prescribed medications, each of the plurality of prescribed medications to be housed in one of a plurality of prescription container systems and each having dosing instructions providing that the prescribed medication is to be taken according to a sequence schedule, the prescription compliance system comprising:

a pill tray including a plurality of sequence compartments configured for receiving the plurality of prescribed medications according to the sequence schedule of each of the plurality of prescribed medications; and

a prescription container labeling system including a plurality of dosage tables each configured to be applied to one of the prescription container systems, each dosage table including a plurality of demarcated sequence sections configured to receive a dosage number identifying how many pills of the prescribed medication in the container system to which the dosage table is applied should be dosed to the corresponding sequence compartments of the pill tray to provide graphical dosage instruction information for the patient in dosing each of the sequence compartments of the pill tray with each of the plurality of prescribed medications.

2. The prescription compliance system of claim 1 wherein the prescription container labeling system includes a plurality of blank prescription labels for subsequent printing of prescription specific information at a dispensing entity, each of the blank prescription labels including one of the plurality of dosage tables printed thereon without dosage numbers in the plurality of demarcated sequence sections such that the dosage tables are configured to receive the dosage numbers at the dispensing entity.

3. The prescription compliance system of claim 1 wherein the prescription container labeling system includes a roll of blank prescription labels for subsequent printing of prescription specific information at a dispensing entity, each blank prescription label including a first distinct section for printing of traditional prescription information and a second distinct section including one of the plurality of dosage tables.

4. The prescription compliance system of claim 3 wherein the first distinct section of each blank prescription label is separated from the second distinct section by a perforated line such that the first and second distinct sections are operable to be applied together to one of the prescription container systems or the second distinct section may be removed from the first distinct section.

5. The prescription compliance system of claim 1 wherein the prescription container labeling system includes a plurality of stickers for distribution to a dispensing entity, each of the plurality of stickers including one of the plurality of dosage tables printed thereon and dosage numbers printed in the plurality of demarcated sequence sections of each dosage table according to potential sequence schedules for the plurality of prescribed medications.

6. The prescription compliance system of claim 1 wherein the prescription container labeling system includes a plurality of stickers for distribution to a dispensing entity, each of the plurality of stickers including one of the plurality of dosage tables printed thereon without dosage numbers printed in the plurality of demarcated sequence sections such that the dosage tables of the stickers are configured to receive handwritten dosage numbers at the dispensing entity.

7. The prescription compliance system of claim 1 wherein the dosage tables are applied to a closure of the prescription container system.

8. The prescription compliance system of claim 7 wherein the dosage tables are disposed on a liner inserted into a cavity of the closure.

9. The prescription compliance system of claim 7 wherein the dosage tables are distributed to a dispensing entity without dosage numbers printed in the plurality of demarcated sequence sections such that the dosage tables are configured to receive handwritten dosage numbers at the dispensing entity.

10. The prescription compliance system of claim 7 wherein the prescription container labeling system further comprises a second dosage table applied to a container of the container system, the dosage numbers of the second dosage table matching the dosage numbers of the dosage table applied to the closure.

11. The prescription compliance system of claim 1 wherein each of the sequence compartments of the pill tray are assigned sequence identifiers in assigned colors and each of the demarcated sequence sections of the dosage tables include colored sequence identifiers matching the sequence identifiers of the corresponding sequence compartments of the pill tray.

12. The prescription compliance system of claim 1 wherein each of the sequence compartments of the pill tray include individualized sequence vials.

13. A method for improving patient compliance in taking a plurality of prescribed medications each having prescription instructions providing that the prescribed medication is to be taken each day according to a sequence schedule, the method comprising:

providing a pill tray to a patient including a plurality of sequence compartments, the plurality of sequence compartments configured for receiving the plurality of prescribed medications according to the sequence schedule of each of the plurality of prescribed medications; and

dispensing each of the plurality of prescribed medications to the patient in a prescription container system, the dispensing step including, for each prescribed medication, applying a dosage table to the prescription container system in which the prescribed medication is dispensed, the dosage table including a plurality of demarcated sequence sections and each of the demarcated sequence sections including a dosage number identifying how many pills of the prescribed medication should be dosed to the corresponding sequence compartments of the pill tray,

wherein the dosage tables for each prescribed medication provide graphical dosage instruction information for the patient in dosing each of the sequence compartments of the pill tray according to the sequence schedules of each of the plurality of prescribed medications.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising receiving from a label supplier a plurality of blank prescription labels for subsequent printing of prescription specific information at a dispensing entity, each of the blank prescription labels including the dosage table printed thereon without dosage numbers in the plurality of demarcated sequence sections such that the dispensing step further includes providing the dosage numbers to the dosage table.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the dosage numbers are printed in the plurality of demarcated sequence sections with the prescription specific information based on prescription information entered into a pharmacy computer.

16. The method of claim 13 further comprising receiving from a label supplier a roll of blank prescription labels for subsequent printing of prescription specific information at a dispensing entity, each blank prescription label including a first distinct section for printing of traditional prescription information and a second distinct section including the dosage table to be applied to one of the prescription container systems.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the first distinct section of each blank prescription label is separated from the second distinct section by a perforated line such that the first and second distinct sections are operable to be applied together to one of the prescription container systems or the second distinct section may be removed from the first distinct section.

18. The method of claim 13 further comprising receiving from a label supplier a plurality of stickers, each of the plurality of stickers including one of the dosage tables printed thereon and dosage numbers printed in the plurality of demarcated sequence sections of each dosage table according to potential sequence schedules for the plurality of prescribed medications, the dispensing step including choosing one sticker from the plurality of stickers for application to the prescription container system according to the dosage schedule of the prescribed medication being dispensed and the dosage numbers of the stickers.

19. The method of claim 13 further comprising receiving from a label supplier a plurality of stickers, each of the plurality of stickers including one of the plurality of dosage tables printed thereon without dosage numbers printed in the plurality of demarcated sequence sections, the dispensing step further including handwriting of the dosage numbers in the dosage tables.

20. The method of claim 13 wherein, for each prescribed medication, the dosage table is applied to a container of the container system and the dispensing step further includes applying a closure to the container, the closure including a second dosage table matching the dosage table applied to the container to which the closure is applied.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the dispensing step further includes, for each prescribed medication, handwriting dosage numbers on the dosage table of the closure that match the dosage numbers of dosage table applied to the container to which the closure is applied.

22. The method of claim 13 wherein each of the sequence compartments of the pill tray are assigned sequence identifiers in assigned colors and each of the demarcated sequence sections of the dosage tables include colored sequence identifiers matching the sequence identifiers of the corresponding sequence compartments of the pill tray.

23. The method of claim 13 wherein each of the sequence compartments of the pill tray include individualized sequence vials.