Cap assembly for a medication container

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12012276-B2
Application number	US-202217570759-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 7, 2022
Priority date	Jul 11, 2019
Publication date	Jun 18, 2024
Grant date	Jun 18, 2024

Abstract

The medication container includes a receptacle that has an inner space for holding medications. The cap assembly is coupled with the receptacle for retaining the medications in the inner space. The cap assembly includes at least one passage that can be selectively opened and closed and includes at least one medication sensor that is configured to detect any medications travelling through the passage and out of the receptacle in a contactless manner. A microprocessor is in electrical communication with the at least one medication sensor and with a memory. The microprocessor is configured to record data to the memory in response to the at least one medication sensor detecting a medication travelling through the passage. A wireless module is in electrical communication with the microprocessor for uploading the data to an external device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A medication container, comprising
a receptacle having an inner space for holding medications;
a cap assembly coupled with the receptacle for retaining the medications in the inner space, the cap assembly including a crown and a base and a rotation wheel, the base being engaged with the receptacle;
the base and crown being fixedly attached with one another;
the base, rotation wheel, and crown have at least one pill opening, the pill openings of the base and crown being circumferentially spaced apart from one another;
the rotation wheel being rotatable relative to the base and the crown to transport a pill through a curved path from the pill opening of the base to the pill opening of the crown or from the pill opening of the crown to the pill opening of the base to either dispense the pill from the receptacle or to insert the pill into the receptacle;
a probe extending through an opening in the rotation wheel between the base and crown to fixedly attach the base and crown with one another; and
a light attached to an end of the probe.

2. The medication container as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the rotation wheel is in a slip-fit contact with a probe on the base.

3. The medication container as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the receptacle has threads adjacent an opening and wherein the base of the cap assembly is threadedly engaged with the threads of the receptacle.

4. The medication container as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the rotation wheel includes multiple pill openings and wherein the crown only has a single pill opening so that the cap assembly can only dispense pills from one of the pill openings of the rotation wheel at a time.

5. The medication container as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the base includes a projection that extends into the receptacle for guiding pills in the receptacle to the at least one pill opening of the base.

6. The medication container as set forth in claim 1 , wherein at least the rotation wheel includes at least one rotation indexing device that holds the rotation wheel in at least one rotational orientation relative to the base and the crown.

7. The medication container as set forth in claim 1 wherein the rotation wheel includes at least one gripping feature that can be engaged by a digit of a user to rotate the rotation wheel relative to the base and the crown during a dispensing operation.

8. The medication container as set forth in claim 7 wherein the at least one gripping feature of the rotation wheel is recessed radially inwardly of or radially aligned with an outer periphery of at least one of the base and of the crown.

9. The medication container as set forth in claim 8 wherein the at least one gripping feature of the rotation wheel is recessed radially inwardly of or radially aligned with the outer peripheries of both of the base and of the crown.

10. The medication container as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the base, the crown, and the rotation wheel are made of a polymer.

11. The medication container as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the base includes a chamber that contains one or more electrical components of the cap assembly.

12. The medication container as set forth in claim 11 , wherein the chamber is located along a central axis of the base.

13. The medication container as set forth in claim 1 , further including at least one pill detect sensor that is configured to detect movement of pills in the pill openings of the base, crown, and rotation wheel.

Assignees

• Express Scripts Strategic Dev Inc

Inventors

• Hoffman Robert E
• Clise Timothy B

Classifications

• A61J1/03

  for pills or tablets (containers for pills or tablets with special dispensing means therefor B65D83/04) · CPC title

• B65D51/248

  the closure being provided with transient audible or visual signaling means, e.g. for indicating dispensing, or other illuminating or acoustic devices, e.g. whistles (B65D55/026, B65D55/028 take precedence; for indicating incorrect storage B65D79/02) · CPC title

• A61J7/0418

  with electronic history memory · CPC title

• A61J2200/30

  Compliance analysis for taking medication · CPC title

• A61J7/0481

  working on a schedule basis · CPC title