Display system

• US 7,495,546 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2004
• Issued: 02/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Glaxo Group Limited (Glaxosmithkline Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Glaxo Group Limited (Glaxosmithkline Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Lintell, Daniel Thomas De Sausmarez
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Tai T
• Application Number:
  US10/556,874
• Publication Number:
  US 20070052544A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,743 Days
• Field of Search: 340/309.7, 340/309.4, 340/309.8, 222/23, 128/200.14, 128/200.23
• US Class Current: 340/309.7
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2200/30 Compliance analysis for taking medication
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0418 with electronic history memory
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0436 resulting from removing a drug from, or opening, a container
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0481 working on a schedule basis
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0026 Hinged caps
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0045 using multiple prepacked dosages on a same carrier, e.g. blisters
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/008 Electronic counters
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0083 Timers

Abstract

A display system for use in displaying data in respect of usage of a device, the display system including: a detection system capable of detecting events that are indicative of usage of the device; and a display arranged to display data, the display system being arranged to invoke a selected display mode on the display, and being adapted, in response to detection of a given said event, to invoke a selected display mode, the display mode being selectable by the display system from a set of a plurality of different display modes in dependence on an elapsed time between a previous said event and said given event, each of the different display modes identifying a different stage of elapsed time.

Claims

1. A display system for use in displaying data in respect of usage of a device, the display system including:

a detection system to detect an event that is indicative of usage of the device; and

a display arranged to display data;

the display system being arranged to invoke a selected display mode on the display in response to detection of the said event, the display mode being selectable by the display system from a set of a plurality of different display modes in dependence on an elapsed time between detection of the said event and a previous detection of said event, each of the different display modes identifying a different stage of elapsed time between detection of the pair of said events,

wherein the display system is arranged to invoke a plurality of said display modes, each corresponding to a respective one in a sequence of a plurality of detections of said event comprising at least first, second and third detections of said event, and the elapsed time upon which the selection of each of the plurality of display modes is based is dependent on the elapsed time between the corresponding detection of said event in the sequence and a previous detection of said event in said sequence.

2. A display system according to claim 1, wherein the display system is arranged to invoke on the display a plurality of regions for each display mode, for each display mode each region corresponding to a different stage of elapsed time between the corresponding detection of said event and said previous detection of said event, and the display system is arranged to distinguish whichever region in each display mode corresponds to the stage of elapsed time between the corresponding detection of said event and said previous detection of said event from the at least one other region.

3. A display system according to claim 2, wherein the display system is arranged to display an indicium indicative of said elapsed time in said distinguished region.

4. A display system according to claim 1, wherein the display includes a common display region and each selected display mode displays an indicium therein, wherein each of the selectable display modes displays a different indicium in said common display region, each indicium being selectable from a plurality of indicia and representing a different stage of elapsed time in relation to said previous detection of said event.

5. A display system according to claim 1, wherein each of the selectable display modes includes displaying an identifier representative of an integral number of hours corresponding to the stage of elapsed time since the previous detection of said event.

6. A display system according to claim 1, wherein said set of a plurality of different display modes includes a first sub-set of display modes and a second sub-set of display modes, and wherein said invoked plurality of display modes includes a member of said first sub-set and a member of said second sub-set.

7. A display system according to claim 6, wherein the first sub-set of display modes corresponds to the elapsed time between the first and second detections of said event and the second sub-set of display modes corresponds to the elapsed time between the second and third detections of said event.

8. A display system according to claim 1, wherein the invoked display modes in the plurality of invoked display modes are arranged in a sequence on the display and the display system is arranged to sequentially displace each of the invoked display modes in the plurality.

9. A display system according to claim 8, wherein the sequence has a specified length and a first end and a second end, the specified length corresponding to a number of selected display modes, wherein the display system is arranged to sequentially displace each of the selected display modes on the display such that the first end corresponds to a most recent detection of said event and the second end corresponds to a previous detection of said event that is separated from the most recent detection of said event by the specified length.

10. A device including the display system according to claim 1, wherein the usage detected by the detection system relates to usage of the device.

11. A device according to claim 10, wherein the device is a dispenser and the detection system is arranged to detect an event relating to dispensing by the dispenser.

12. A dispenser according to claim 11, wherein the dispenser is a medicament dispenser.

13. A dispenser according to claim 12, where the medicament dispenser comprises an inhalation device adapted either for oral or nasal use.

14. Use of a dispenser according to claim 11 for dispensing a product.

15. A dispensing device for dispensing a product, the device comprising:

a replaceable refill arranged to store the product;

an actuator arranged to dispense the product; and

a display system according to claim 2, wherein the detection system and the display are in operative association with the actuator such that said selected display modes are invoked on the actuator,

wherein each of the plurality of regions relates to a different time at which said previous detection of said event occurred, each time corresponding to a part of a usage regime for that product, the replaceable refill container being arranged to store data identifying said usage regime and the display system being arranged to retrieve said usage regime data therefrom.

16. A display system for use in displaying data in respect of usage of a device, the display system including:

a detection system to detect an event that is indicative of usage of the device; and

a display arranged to display data;

the display system being arranged to invoke a selected display mode on the display in response to detection of the said event, the display mode being selectable by the display system from a set of a plurality of different display modes in dependence on an elapsed time between detection of the said event and a previous detection of said event, each of the different display modes identifying a different stage of elapsed time between detection of the pair of said events,

wherein the display system is arranged to invoke a plurality of display modes, each corresponding to a different detection of said event, and the elapsed time upon which the selection of each of the plurality of display modes is based is that between the corresponding detection of said event and a previous detection of said event,

wherein the invoked display modes in the plurality of invoked display modes are arranged in a sequence on the display and the display system is arranged to sequentially displace each of the invoked display modes in the plurality, and

wherein the sequence has a specified length and a first end and a second end, the specified length corresponding to a number of selected display modes, wherein the display system is arranged to sequentially displace each of the selected display modes on the display such that the first end corresponds to a most recent detection of said event and the second end corresponds to a previous detection of said event that is separated from the most recent detection of said event by the specified length.