System and method for providing temporal patient dosing

• US 20030200726A1
• Filed: 11/08/2001
• Published: 10/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Rodger H. Rast
• Original Assignee: Rodger H. Rast
• Inventors: Rast, Rodger H.
• Application Number:
  US10/009,041
• Publication Number:
  US 20030200726A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 53/443
• 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 7/0084 for multiple medicaments
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/04 Arrangements for time indication or reminder for taking medicine, e.g. programmed dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/00 Programme-control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/66 Trinkets, e.g. shirt buttons or jewellery items recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0092 for assembling and dispensing of pharmaceutical articles medical dispensers for private use, A61J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 5/18 specially adapted for controlling several coin-freed apparatus from one place
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/002 Vending machines being part of a centrally controlled network of vending machines
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 70/40 relating to drugs, e.g. their side effects or intended usage

Abstract

A system and method for creating a series of individualized custom doses for a consumer. The individualized doses being delivered in a package or packages, such that each individualized custom dose, comprising a plurality of medications and/or supplements, is individually separable from the remaining doses within the series. By way of example, and not of limitation, a system is described having a web based front-end interface within which the user may establish a dosing schedule, select supplements and/or medications (MS) from an MS database, elect which MS are to be included in each dose, and communicate the order to be processed by a packetizing system. The packetizing system utilizes a conveyance device which interconnects a series of pill dispensing bins. The conveyance device has compartments for collecting a series of doses which are then packetized and shipped for use by the consumer.

Claims

1. A system for providing individualized doses, each of which comprises a plurality of supplements and/or medications (MS), comprising:

a packetizing system adapted to package a plurality of pills, or equivalent, from a pill repository into separate doses;

a computer system operably connected to said packetizing system and adapted to access said pill repository to control the dispensing of pills from said repository and the packaging of said pills within packetizing system; and

an interface associated with said computer wherethrough a dosing schedule may be specified into which supplements and/or medications (MS) from said pill repository may be entered to create a description of a series of doses which is communicated to said packetizing system for packaging said series of doses.

2. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein said packetizing system, comprises:

a pill repository adapted to dispense a custom assortment of individual pills from a plurality of supplements and/or medications (MS) into a single MS dose; and

a packaging device adapted to receive a series of said single MS doses and to separately package said MS doses for use by a consumer.

3. A system as recited in claim 2, further comprising a labeling device which prints a textual and/or graphic indicia for each of said MS doses.

4. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein said interface comprises a web site being hosted on the Internet which is operably connected to said computer system.

5. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein said interface is adapted to receive authorizations from a physician, or other authorized medical practitioner, when said medications being packaged within said series of doses includes prescription medications.

6. A system as recited in claim 1, further comprising an interaction/contraindication checking routine being executed on said computer system which checks said supplements and/or medications being entered into said schedule for possible interactions and contraindications with medical conditions and generates alerts in response thereto.

7. A system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a purchase transaction routine executing on said computer which is adapted to process a financial transaction associated with said series of doses being communicated to said packetizing system.

8. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein said interface is adapted to receive information from an institution comprising a plurality of dosing schedules and the associated supplements and/or medications for a plurality of patients, or equivalent, which are under the care of said institution.

9. A system for generating orders for individualized temporal doses in response to user input, or equivalent, comprising:

a computer system adapted for accessing a database of medicine and/or supplement information associated with a pill repository; and

an interface routine executing on said computer wherethrough an assortment of medications and/or supplements from said pill repository may be specified for incorporation within said temporal dose of said order for communication to a fulfillment system in association with said pill repository.

10. A system as recited in claim 9, wherein said interface is adapted to allow for specifying said assortment of medications and/or supplements for insertion within a dosing schedule.

11. An apparatus for packaging an assortment of pills within an MS dose according to a received order for individualized MS doses wherein each said MS dose includes a custom assortment of medicines and/or supplements (MS) for consumption by a specific consumer, comprising:

dispensing bins adapted to retain unpackaged pills and to dispense a selected number of said pills;

a conveyance system interconnecting a series of said dispensing bins which collectively define a pill repository adapted for retaining an assortment of said supplements and/or medicines;

individual dose bins or dose compartments within said conveyance system which are adapted for collecting said pills for said MS dose;

a packaging system adapted to transfer each of said MS doses from said individual dose bins or dose compartments into individually accessible packages for distribution to said consumer; and

an electronic control system operably connected to said conveyance system, said dispensing bins and said packaging system; and

a control program executing on said electronic control system which directs the dispensing bins to selectively dispense pills within selected dose bins or dose compartments of said conveyance system in accord with each MS dose within said order which is directed to move said MS doses to said packaging system which retrieves said MS doses from said conveyance system and packages said doses for said consumer.

12. An apparatus as recited in claim 11, further comprising a labeling system adapted for the application of text and/or graphic indicia to said temporal doses.

13. An apparatus as recited in claim 12,

wherein said indicia contains a consumer identification for which the doses have been created;

wherein said indicia contains an temporal identifier as to the time at which said dose is to be taken by said consumer.

14. An apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein said conveyance system comprises a track interconnecting said dispensing bins and a vehicle having said individual bins or compartments into which said dispensing bins are directed to dispense pills.

15. An apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein each of said vehicles incorporates an identifier wherein their location along said track in relation to said dispensing bins may be determined.

16. An apparatus as recited in claim 14, wherein said vehicle is powered by a linear electromagnetic drive.

17. An apparatus as recited in claim 11, further comprising a dose checking station which is adapted to inspect the set of separate individualized custom doses for compliance with said order.

18. A method of dispensing individualized doses of medications and/or supplements for use by a consumer at a location which is removed from the dispensing site, comprising:

selecting a plurality of supplements and/or medications to be dispensed within each of a series of doses;

packaging said doses of said selected supplements and/or medications into dose packets, or equivalent; and

delivering said dose packets to said consumer.

19. A method as recited in claim 18, further comprising establishing a dose schedule for said consumer into which said selected supplements and/or medications are entered.

20. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein said dose schedule specifies fixed times at which said consumer is to utilize said supplements and/or medications within said dose packet.

21. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein said selected supplements and/or medications may be entered into said dosing schedule according to a dosing profile selected from dosing profiles consisting of accelerated dosing, decelerated dosing, and interrupted periodic dosing.

22. A method as recited in claim 18, further comprising saving information about said selections within a set of consumer information for subsequent use by said consumer.

23. A method as recited in claim 22, further comprising identifying a particular consumer, or equivalent authorized party on behalf of said consumer, prior to providing access to said consumer information.

24. A method as recited in claim 18, further comprising labeling each of said dose packets, or equivalent, with a consumer identification.

25. A method as recited in claim 18, further comprising labeling each of said dose packets, or equivalent, with a time specifier designating when said consumer is to utilize the contents of said dose packet.

26. A method as recited in claim 18, further comprising communicating an authorization for any prescription medications which are specified for inclusion within said dosing schedule.

27. A method as recited in claim 18, wherein said dosing schedule and said selection of supplements and/or medications for inclusion therein are controlled through an web site interface accessible over the Internet, or equivalent.

28. A method as recited in claim 18, further comprising:

checking said selected supplements and/or medications against an interaction database to ascertain the probability of an interaction; and

generating an alert in response to a sufficient probability of interaction.

29. A method as recited in claim 18, further comprising:

entering medical information for said consumer;

checking each selected medication and/or supplement separately and in the selected combinations for contraindications with entered medical information according to a database of medical information; and

generating an alert in response to the possibility of said contraindications.

30. A method as recited in claim 18, further comprising submitting of said dosing schedule and said selected medications and/or supplements to an outside party prior to the said packaging of said doses.

31. A method as recited in claim 30, wherein said outside party comprises a party or organization that operates in a capacity to advise the consumer on said dosing schedule and said medications and/or supplements as selected for each of said doses.

32. A method as recited in claim 30, wherein said outside party comprises a party or organization with a health insurance company, or equivalent party with a fiduciary relationship with said consumer.

33. A method as recited in claim 18, further comprising executing a purchase transaction for said selected medicines and/or supplements which are to be dispensed.

34. A method as recited in claim 33, further comprising an automatic recurrent ordering process wherein subsequent medications and/or supplements are delivered to said consumer without the necessity of order placement.

35. A method as recited in claim 18, further comprising:

packaging said plurality of said doses into a shipping container; and

shipping said package of said doses to a destination for use by a consumer.