Container for accurately dispensing medication

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9507916-B2
Application number	US-201414228869-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 28, 2014
Priority date	Mar 28, 2014
Publication date	Nov 29, 2016
Grant date	Nov 29, 2016

Abstract

A container may include a secure chamber to hold a medication, a lockable lid that covers an opening of the secure chamber, a dispensing device, and one or more processors. The container may receive prescription information indicating a frequency to dispense the medication and indicating a dose of the medication to dispense at a dispense time. The container may determine the dispense time based on the frequency to dispense the medication. The dispense time may be a time to dispense a dose of the medication. The container may cause the dispensing device to dispense the dose of the medication from the secure chamber at the dispense time.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A container, comprising:
a secure chamber to hold a medication;
a lockable lid covering an opening of the secure chamber;
a dispensing device;
a scale; and
one or more processors to:
receive prescription information indicating a frequency to dispense the medication and indicating a dose of the medication to dispense at a dispense time;
determine the dispense time based on the frequency to dispense the medication, the dispense time being a time to dispense a dose of the medication;
cause the dispensing device to dispense the dose of the medication from the secure chamber at the dispense time;
measure, using the scale, a weight of the dose of the medication that is dispensed;
cause the dispensing device to stop dispensing the medication based on the weight that is measured;
detect that the container has failed to dispense another dose of the medication at a subsequent dispense time while the secure chamber holds the medication; and
unlock the lockable lid based on the container failing to dispense the other dose of the medication at the subsequent dispense time.

2. The container of claim 1 , further comprising:
a dispensing chamber separate from the secure chamber;
where the one or more processors, when causing the dispensing device to dispense the dose of the medication, are to:
cause the dispensing device to dispense the dose of the medication from the secure chamber into the dispensing chamber for removal from the container.

3. The container of claim 2 , where the scale is positioned at a bottom surface of the dispensing chamber, and
where the one or more processors, when measuring the weight, are to measure the weight of the dose of the medication dispensed into the dispensing chamber.

4. The container of claim 2 , where the one or more processors are further to:
determine a time that the dose of the medication was removed from the container based on a second weight measured by the scale indicating the dose of the medication has been removed from the dispensing chamber; and
update the dispense time based on the time the dose of the medication was removed from the dispensing chamber.

5. The container of claim 1 , where the medication includes a pill and the prescription information indicates at least one of a size or a shape of the pill, and
where the one or more processors are further to:
adjust at least one of a size or a shape of a rim included in the dispensing device, based on at least one of the size or the shape of the pill, to change a size or a shape of an opening the pill is dispensed through.

6. The container of claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of secure chambers associated with a plurality of respective dispensing devices,
the plurality of secure chambers including the secure chamber, and
the plurality of respective dispensing devices including the dispensing device.

7. The container of claim 1 , where the dispensing device is configured to dispense a pill, and
where the medication includes at least one pill.

8. The container of claim 1 , where the dispensing device includes a pump to dispense a fluid, and
where the medication includes a fluid.

9. A computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:
one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
receive prescription information indicating a frequency to dispense a dose of a medication;
determine a dispense time based on the frequency to dispense the dose of the medication,
the dispense time being a time to dispense the dose of the medication;

cause a dispensing device of a container to start dispensing the medication held by a secure chamber of the container at the dispense time;
detect, using a sensor, a quantity of dispensed medication;
determine the dose of the medication has been dispensed based on determining that the detected quantity of dispensed medication matches the dose of the medication;
cause the dispensing device to stop dispensing the medication held by the secure chamber based on the dose of the medication having been dispensed;
detect that the container has failed to dispense another dose of the medication at a subsequent dispense time while the secure chamber holds the medication; and
unlock a lockable lid, which covers an opening of the secure chamber, based on the container failing to dispense the other dose of the medication at the subsequent dispense time.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9 , where the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:
determine a quantity of the medication held by the secure chamber based on information sensed by the sensor; and
display information indicating the quantity of the medication held by the secure chamber.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10 , where the prescription information indicates an initial quantity of the medication held by the secure chamber, and
where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to determine the quantity of the medication held by the secure chamber, cause the one or more processors to:
store, in a memory, dispense information each time the dose of the medication is dispensed;
determine a total dispensed quantity of the medication based on the dispense information; and
determine the quantity of the medication held by the secure chamber based on the initial quantity of the medication held by the secure chamber and the total dispensed quantity of the medication.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 10 , where the sensor includes a scale and the prescription information indicates a weight of a dose of the medication, and
where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to determine the quantity of the medication held by the secure chamber, cause the one or more processors to:
measure a weight of the medication held by the secure chamber using the scale; and
determine a quantity of doses of the medication held by the secure chamber based on the weight of the medication held by the secure chamber and the weight of the dose of the medication.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 10 , where the prescription information indicates a volume of a dose of the medication, and
where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to determine the quantity of the medication held by the secure chamber, cause the one or more processors to:
measure a volume of the medication held by the secure chamber using the sensor; and
determine a quantity of doses of the medication held by the secure chamber based on the volume of the medication held by the secure chamber and the volume of the dose of the medication.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 9 , where the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:
receive authentication information for unlocking a lockable lid via a communication interface or an input component,
the lockable lid covering an opening of the secure chamber;

unlock the lockable lid based on the authentication information; and
lock the lockable lid before causing the dispensing device to dispense the dose of the medication.

15. A method, comprising:
locking, by a container, a lockable lid that covers an opening of a secure chamber holding a medication;
receiving, by the container, prescription information indicating a frequency to dispense the medication and indicating a dose of the medication to dispense at a dispense t

Assignees

• Cellco Partnership Dba Verizon

Inventors

• Charania Rahim A
• Hoyos Alex
• Lim Kevin

Classifications

• A61J2205/30

  Printed labels · CPC title

• A61J7/0436

  resulting from removing a drug from, or opening, a container · CPC title

• A61J7/0481

  working on a schedule basis · CPC title

• A61J7/0445

  for preventing drug dispensing during a predetermined time period · CPC title

• A61J7/0454

  for dispensing of multiple drugs · CPC title