Methods and apparatus for increasing, monitoring and/or rewarding a party's compliance with a schedule for taking medicines

• US 7,366,675 B1
• Filed: 06/30/2000
• Issued: 04/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Inventor Holdings LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Original Assignee: Walker Digital LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Inventors: Golden, Andrew P., Sammon, Russell Pratt, Gelman, Geoffrey M., Kobayashi, Michiko, Mik, Magdalena, Walker, Jay S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Borissov, Igor N.
• Application Number:
  US09/609,017
• Time in Patent Office: 2,860 Days
• Field of Search: 705/2, 705/3, 705/1, 600/300, 128/903, 128/904, 221/1, 221/2, 221/9, 700/244, 700/231, 455/421
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/13 delivered from dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are provided for increasing and/or for monitoring a party'"'"'s compliance with a schedule for taking medicines. In a first embodiment, a method is provided that includes receiving information regarding whether at least two medicine containers were able to communicate during a pre-determined time period, and determining a level to which the party complied to a medicine schedule based on the information. The method further includes rewarding the party based on the party'"'"'s level of compliance. Systems, apparatus and computer program products are provided for carrying out the above-described embodiments and numerous other embodiments.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a signal; and

determining whether a first container for storing a first medicine was positioned so as to wirelessly communicate with a second container for storing a second medicine based at least in part on the signal.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a signal comprises receiving the signal from a device that monitors at least an indicator of whether the first container and the second container are positioned so as to wirelessly communicate.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the device comprises at least one of the first container and the second container.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein receiving the signal from a device that monitors at least an indicator of whether the first container and the second container are positioned so as to wirelessly communicate comprises polling the device.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a signal comprises receiving a signal from at least one of a representative of a pharmacy, a representative of a medical facility and a party that is to take at least one of the first and the second medicines.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a signal comprises receiving a code.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the code is an encrypted code.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein determining whether a first container for storing a first medicine was positioned so as to wirelessly communicate with a second container for storing a second medicine based at least in part on the signal comprises decrypting the encrypted code.

9. The method of 1 wherein determining whether a first container for storing a first medicine was positioned so as to wirelessly communicate with a second container for storing a second medicine based at least in part on the signal comprises determining whether the signal indicates that the first container for storing the first medicine was positioned so as to wirelessly communicate with the second container for storing the second medicine during a pre-determined time period.

10. The method of 1 further comprising determining if at least one party has complied with a schedule for taking the first medicine and the second medicine based at least in part on the received signal.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein determining if at least one party has complied with a schedule for taking the first medicine and the second medicine based at least in part on the received signal comprises:

receiving first information regarding a prescribed schedule for taking the first medicine and the second medicine;

receiving second information regarding a schedule for taking the first medicine and the second medicine adhered to by the at least one party;

comparing the first information to the second information; and

generating at least an indicator of a level to which the at least one party has complied with a schedule for taking the first medicine and the second medicine.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein obtaining first information regarding the first medicine and the second medicine comprises obtaining the first information from at least one of a representative of a pharmacy, a representative of a medical facility and a representative of a manufacturer of at least one of the first and the second medicines.

13. An apparatus comprising:

a communication device adapted to receive a signal;

a processor coupled to the communication device, the processor adapted to obtain the signal via the communication device; and

a computer program, the computer program executable by the processor so as to direct the processor to;

receive the signal; and

determine whether a first container for storing a first medicine was positioned so as to communicate with a second container for storing a second medicine based at least in part on the signal.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the computer program further includes program code executable by the processor so as to direct the processor to determine if at least one party has complied with a schedule for taking the first medicine and the second medicine based at least in part on the received signal.

15. A system for rewarding at least one party for complying with a schedule for taking a first medicine and a second medicine comprising:

a first container adapted to store a first medicine;

a second container adapted to store a second medicine and to communicate with the first container;

a compliance monitoring device adapted to;

communicate with at least the first container;

determine, based on at least a communication with the first container, whether the first container is positioned so as to communicate with the second container;

generate data based at least in part on whether the first container is positioned so as to communicate with the second container; and

output the data; and

a server adapted to;

receive the data output by the compliance monitoring device; and

reward at least one party based on the received data.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the server is further adapted to:

determine a level to which the at least one party has complied with a schedule for taking the first medicine and the second medicine based at least in part on the data received from the compliance monitoring device; and

reward the at least one party based on the level.

17. A method for rewarding a party for complying with a medicine schedule comprising:

receiving information regarding whether at least one first container for storing a first medicine was able to communicate with at least one second container for storing a second medicine during a pre-determined time period;

determining a level to which the party complied with a medicine schedule based on the information; and

rewarding the party based on the level.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the information comprises encrypted information.

19. A computer program product comprising:

a medium readable by a computer, the computer-readable medium having;

program code adapted to obtain information regarding whether at least one first container for storing a first medicine was able to communicate with at least one second container for storing a second medicine during a pre-determined time period;

program code adapted to determine a level to which the party complied with a medicine schedule based on the information; and

program code adapted to determine a reward for the party based on the level.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, in which the reward comprises a discount on a product.

21. An apparatus comprising:

means for obtaining information that identifies whether at least one first container for storing a first medicine was able to communicate with at least one second container for storing a second medicine during a pre-determined time period; and

means for rewarding a party based on the information.

22. A method comprising:

receiving a signal from a device that monitors whether a first container for storing a first medicine was positioned so as to communicate with a second container for storing a second medicine; and

determining if at least one party has complied with a schedule for taking the first medicine and the second medicine based at least in part on the received signal.

23. The method of claim 22,

in which the received signal indicates whether the first container for storing the first medicine was positioned so as to communicate with the second container for storing the second medicine.

24. The method of claim 22,

in which determining if at least one party has complied with a schedule for taking the first medicine and the second medicine based at least in part on the received signal comprises determining whether the first container was positioned so as to communicate with the second container based at least in part on the received signal.

25. The method of claim 22 in which determining if at least one party has complied with a schedule for taking the first medicine and the second medicine based at least in part on the received signal comprises:

receiving first information regarding the first medicine and the second medicine;

determining second information regarding the first medicine and the second medicine based on the received signal; and

generating at least an indicator of a level to which the at least one party has complied with a schedule for taking the first medicine and the second medicine based on the first and the second information.

26. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

rewarding the at least one party if the at least one party has complied with the schedule for taking the first medicine and the second medicine.

27. The method of claim 26, in which rewarding the at least one party comprises:

determining a level to which the at least one party has complied with the schedule for taking the first medicine and the second medicine; and

rewarding the at least one party based on the level.

28. The method of claim 26 in which rewarding the at least one party comprises:

providing the at least one party with a list of rewards;

receiving a selection of one of the listed rewards; and

providing the selected reward to the at least one party.

29. The method of claim 26, in which rewarding the at least one party comprises:

providing the at least one party with a reward selected by at least one of;

a representative of an insurance company, and

a representative of a medical facility.

30. The method of claim 26, in which rewarding the at least one party comprises:

determining a previous level to which the at least one party has complied with the schedule for taking the first medicine and the second medicine;

determining a reward based at least in part on the previous level; and

providing the at least one party with the reward.

31. The method of claim 26, in which rewarding the at least one party comprises:

providing the at least one party with a first reward based on a distance between the first container and the second container; and

providing the at least one party with a second reward based on at least one other indicator that the at least one party has complied with the schedule for taking the first medicine and the second medicine.

32. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

penalizing the at least one party if the at least one party has not complied with the schedule for taking the first medicine and the second medicine.

33. The method of claim 32 in which penalizing the at least one party comprises:

charging the at least one party for at least a portion of a treatment of an illness,

in which the illness results at least in part from the at least one party not complying with the schedule for taking the first medicine and the second medicine.

34. A method comprising:

a step for obtaining information that identifies whether at least one first container for storing a first medicine was able to communicate with at least one second container for storing a second medicine during a pre-determined time period; and

a step for rewarding a party based on the information.