Systems and methods for determining container contents, locations, and surroundings

Abstract

To provide systems and methods for determining whether and / or when a patient is taking his or her medication and, when appropriate, provide reminders and / or alerts to the patient to improve adherence to a medication regimen, and in some embodiments, to provide a medication container that includes a capacitance sensor for sensing the contents of the medication container (e.g., pill count or quantity of liquid medication).SOLUTION: The capacitance sensor may include interleaved or interdigitated electrodes oriented vertically, horizontally, or angularly (e.g., diagonally) relative to an axis of the medication container to measure the electrostatic capacitance due to container contents. Reminders and / or alerts to the patient may be triggered based at least in part on data indicative of the contents of the medication container, when a cap of the container was last opened and / or closed, the location of the medication container, and / or the container's surroundings.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] [CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS] This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 603,353, filed February 26, 2012, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 752,679, filed January 15, 2013, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] [Field of the embodiment] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to systems and methods for determining if and / or when a patient has taken their medication and, where appropriate, providing appropriate reminders and / or alerts to the patient to improve compliance with a medication regimen. According to some embodiments, a medication container is provided with a capacitance sensor for sensing the contents of the medication container (e.g., the number of tablets or the amount of liquid medication). In certain embodiments, the capacitance sensor comprises interleaved or interdigitated electrodes oriented vertically, horizontally, diagonally, or in other suitable manner relative to the axis of the medication container to measure the capacitance due to the container contents. In some embodiments, the systems and methods described herein trigger reminders and / or alerts to the patient based at least in part on data representative of the contents of the medication container, the time the container cap was last opened and closed, the location of the medication container, and / or the surrounding environment of the container. [Background technology]

[0003] It is estimated that 133 million people in the United States alone suffer from at least one chronic disease, and chronic diseases are estimated to contribute to approximately 7 in 10 deaths in the United States each year. Medications are often prescribed to alleviate and treat these illnesses, but they may go untaken. Current levels of adherence to medication regimens are at or below 50%, meaning that patients are not adequately treating their chronic diseases, despite having access to preventative and palliative medications. Typically, the primary reason patients do not take their medications is forgetting to take them.

[0004] In view of the above, what is needed are systems and methods for increasing patient compliance with a medication regimen, which can be expected to improve a patient's treatment outcomes and quality of life. Summary of the Invention

[0005] That is, according to one aspect of the disclosure, a drug container is provided that includes a housing (e.g., a bottle) for a drug and a cap removably connected to the housing. In some embodiments, the drug container includes a cap sensor configured to detect opening and closing of the cap. Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments, the drug container includes a measurement sensor (e.g., a capacitance sensor or a weight sensor) connected to the housing for detecting an amount of drug within the housing. In some embodiments, the drug container includes a processor configured to trigger a measurement sensor reading based at least in part on a status of the cap sensor (e.g., trigger a measurement sensor reading immediately after the cap sensor indicates that the cap is closed, or after 5 seconds or 10 seconds).

[0006] In some embodiments, the medication container is equipped with a transmitting device (e.g., a transceiver) for wirelessly transmitting data regarding the measurement sensor reading (e.g., data representing the number of tablets or the amount of liquid medication in the medication container) to a remote computer.

[0007] In some embodiments, the medication container includes a wireless receiver and / or an alerter (e.g., one or more light sources, a graphical display device, a text display device, and / or a speaker). For example, the wireless receiver may be configured to receive an activation command from or be activated by a remote computer (e.g., a back-end system or a user computer such as a mobile phone running a suitable communications application for communicating with the medication container). A processor disposed within the medication container may activate the alerter based at least in part on receipt of the activation command by the wireless receiver.

[0008] According to another aspect of some embodiments of the present disclosure, a drug container is provided that includes a housing for a drug and a capacitance sensor coupled to the housing for detecting a capacitance corresponding to an amount of drug present in the housing. In some embodiments, the capacitance sensor is configured with a plurality of conductive electrodes arranged according to an interleaved or interdigitated pattern. In some embodiments, the drug container further includes a capacitance-to-digital converter for converting the capacitance detected by the capacitance sensor into digital data.

[0009] In some embodiments, the conductive electrodes of the capacitance sensor include a first conductive electrode in electrical communication with the first conductive terminal, and a second conductive electrode and a third conductive electrode in electrical communication with the second conductive terminal. The first conductive electrode may be disposed between the second conductive electrode and the third conductive electrode. A capacitance due to the amount of drug in the housing may be sensed between the first conductive terminal and the second conductive terminal.

[0010] The electrodes of the capacitance sensor can have any suitable size, shape and / or configuration. In some embodiments, the conductive electrodes of the capacitance sensor include a plurality of conductive electrodes arranged at regular intervals in an interleaved pattern of conductive electrodes. In some embodiments, the interleaved pattern of conductive electrodes includes rectangular or generally rectangular shaped conductive electrodes. In some embodiments, one or more of the plurality of electrodes are arranged parallel or generally parallel to a vertical axis of the drug container when the drug container is in a vertical position. In some embodiments, one or more of the electrodes are arranged diagonally, generally diagonally, or in another angular relationship (e.g., between 35 degrees and 55 degrees) to a vertical axis of the drug container when the drug container is in a vertical position.

[0011] In some embodiments, the capacitance sensor is configured such that the capacitance corresponding to the agent varies linearly or approximately linearly with the amount of agent in the housing.

[0012] In some embodiments, the capacitance corresponding to the amount of drug varies between 10 femtofarads (fF) and 100 fF per tablet added to or removed from the housing.

[0013] In some embodiments, the capacitance corresponding to the amount of drug varies between 250 femtofarads (fF) and 450 fF per milliliter of liquid drug added to or removed from the housing.

[0014] According to another aspect of some embodiments of the present disclosure, a system and method are provided for reminding a patient to take medication. The system may include a computer memory configured to store data representative of a medication regimen associated with the patient. The system may also include one or more computers configured to receive a communication from a medication container associated with the patient. The one or more computers may perform a comparison of data representative of when a communication was last received by the one or more computers from the medication container (e.g., a communication indicating that the patient has taken their medication) to data representative of the medication regimen associated with the patient. Based at least in part on a result of the comparison, the one or more computers may trigger a reminder to the patient to take the medication.

[0015] In some embodiments, the systems and methods may include one or more computers configured to receive a communication from a medication container representing an amount of medication present in the medication container at a particular time. The one or more computers may perform a comparison of the data representing the amount of medication present in the medication container to data representing a medication regimen associated with the patient. Based at least in part on the results of the comparison, the one or more computers may trigger a reminder to the patient to take the medication.

[0016] The above summary is merely illustrative of the embodiments disclosed herein; additional embodiments of the present disclosure, including systems, methods, apparatus, computer readable media, and means for performing the functions disclosed herein, are described in the detailed description and illustrated in the drawings.

[0017] Various aspects of embodiments of the present disclosure are described with reference to the following drawings, which are not necessarily to scale and are not intended to be limiting. Elements that appear in more than one drawing will be referred to with the same reference characters in all the drawings in which they appear. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary system for determining the contents of a medication container and / or for providing a reminder and / or alert to a patient to take their medication, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0019] [Figure 2A] FIG. 2A illustrates a drug container with a two-electrode capacitive sensor for measuring the contents of the container according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 2B] FIG. 2B illustrates a drug container with a two-electrode capacitive sensor for measuring the contents of the container in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 2C] FIG. 2C illustrates a drug container with a two-electrode capacitive sensor for measuring the contents of the container in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0020] [Figure 3A] FIG. 3A illustrates a capacitive sensor with vertically oriented interleaved or interdigitated electrodes for measuring contents of a container according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3B] FIG. 3B illustrates a capacitive sensor with vertically oriented interleaved or interdigitated electrodes for measuring the contents of a container according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 4A] FIG. 4A illustrates a capacitive sensor with vertically oriented interleaved or interdigitated electrodes for measuring the contents of a container according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 4B] FIG. 4B illustrates a capacitive sensor with vertically oriented interleaved or interdigitated electrodes for measuring the contents of a container according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0021] [Figure 5A]FIG. 5A illustrates a capacitive sensor with vertically oriented interleaved or interdigitated electrodes for measuring contents of a container according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 5B] FIG. 5B illustrates a capacitive sensor with vertically oriented interleaved or interdigitated electrodes for measuring contents of a container according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0022] [Figure 6A] FIG. 6A illustrates another capacitive sensor with vertically oriented interleaved or interdigitated electrodes in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 6B] FIG. 6B illustrates another capacitive sensor with vertically oriented interleaved or interdigitated electrodes in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0023] [Figure 7A] FIG. 7A illustrates a capacitance sensor for a drug container with diagonal interleaved or interdigitated electrodes in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 7B] FIG. 7B illustrates a capacitance sensor for a drug container with diagonal interleaved or interdigitated electrodes in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0024] [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a graph illustrating capacitance measurements versus number of tablets in a medication container as measured by a capacitance sensor according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a graph illustrating capacitance measurements versus the amount of liquid medicament in a medicament container as measured by a capacitance sensor according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] [Figure 10A] FIG. 10A illustrates a medication container with a weight sensor for measuring the weight of a medication in the container according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 10B] FIG. 10B illustrates a medication container with a weight sensor for measuring the weight of the medication in the container according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0027] [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method for notifying a patient to take medication according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method for notifying a patient to take medication according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0028] The present disclosure generally relates to systems and methods for promoting patient compliance with a medication regimen. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary system 100 for determining the contents of a medication container 102 and / or for providing reminders and / or alerts to a patient to take their medication, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The medication container 102 is a bottle or other container for holding prescription or non-prescription tablets or liquid medications. In some embodiments, the system 100 includes the medication container 102 and a back-end system 104, which includes one or more servers. In some embodiments, the system 100 includes a user computer 128 (e.g., a mobile phone, a tablet PC, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), or a desktop computer), a pharmacy computer 130, and / or a physician computer 132.

[0029] The medication container 102 is communicatively coupled to one or more (e.g., all of) the backend system 104, the user computer 128, the pharmacy computer 130, and / or the physician computer 132 via the communications functionality 106. For example, in some embodiments, the medication container 102 includes a wireless transmitter or transceiver 108 for transmitting and / or receiving communications, including, for example, a cellular modem (e.g., Telit CC864-Dual, Sierra Wireless 6087 (or 5011), or Janus CDMA Terminus Plug-in CDMA864C). The communications functionality 106 may include a wireless link (e.g., a radio frequency (RF) link, a Bluetooth link, a 2G link, a 3G link), other communications links, or combinations thereof. In various embodiments, the medication container 102 may utilize the same or different communications links to communicate with different computers (e.g., one communications link for communication with the backend system 104 and another for communication with the user computer 128).

[0030] In some embodiments, the medication container 102 may communicate with the backend system 104 directly through one or more communication links of the communication function 106. In other embodiments, the communication function 106 may include one or more intermediate devices that facilitate communication between the medication container 102 and the backend system 104. For example, in some embodiments, the communication function 106 may include a dedicated base station (e.g., a base station configured to plug into a wall outlet) or other intermediate computer located in the user's home to facilitate communication with the backend system 104 (e.g., a general-purpose computer such as a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), or a desktop computer running a communication application). In such embodiments, the medication container 102 may then communicate with the intermediate device through a wired or wireless connection (e.g., a USB connection, a Bluetooth connection, or other wired or wireless connection). Correspondingly, the intermediate device may communicate with the backend system 104 through appropriate wired and / or wireless connections (e.g., a cellular network, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network such as the Internet, and / or the public switched telephone network (PSTN)). In some embodiments, the intermediate device may communicate some or all of the data communicated by the medication container 102 and / or other data to the backend system 104 .

[0031] The drug container 102 may include one or more components for providing its operation, intelligence and / or communication with the back-end system 104 and / or other computers. For example, the drug container 102 may include a local power source 110 (e.g., a lithium battery, a lithium polymer battery, a graphene battery, a supercapacitor and / or associated charging circuitry) for powering electrical circuitry provided within the container, a computer or processor 112 (e.g., a microcontroller such as an ATMEL ATmega32U4, ATMELmega328 or PIC16F57), a memory 114 (e.g., random access memory (RAM)) and / or one or more antennas (e.g., 800 / 1900 MHz antennas) provided as part of the transceiver block 108.

[0032] In some embodiments, the medication container 102 may include one or more sensors 116 for sensing the amount of medication (e.g., the number of tablets or the amount of liquid medication) in the container. For example, in some embodiments, the medication container 102 may include at least one capacitance sensor.

[0033] In some embodiments, the drug container 102 includes a capacitance sensor having interleaved or interdigitated electrodes for sensing the amount of drug in the container. For example, the capacitance sensor may include one or more conductive electrodes in electrical communication with a first conductive electrical terminal (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 20, 30, 50, or 100 or more electrodes, or any numerical range of numbers of electrodes). One or more of these electrodes may be interlaced (e.g., in an opposing interdigitated configuration) with a conductive electrode associated with a second conductive electrical terminal (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 20, 30, 50, or 100 or more electrodes, or any numerical range of numbers of electrodes). For example, in some embodiments, an electrode in electrical communication with a first electrical terminal may be disposed between two electrodes in electrical communication with a second electrical terminal. A measurement representative of capacitance between the first and second electrical terminals may correspond to the amount of medication (e.g., number of tablets or amount of liquid medication) in the medication container 102. In some embodiments, the capacitance may be measured between the terminals by applying an excitation signal at one or more of the terminals, such as an excitation signal of 3 volts or less and 250 kilohertz (kHz) or less (e.g., 32 kHz or 1 kHz).

[0034] In some embodiments, at least a portion (e.g., all) of the interleaved or interdigitated electrodes of the capacitance sensor 116 may be oriented horizontally, vertically, diagonally (45 degrees), or at any other angular relationship (e.g., between 0 degrees and 30 degrees, between 30 degrees and 60 degrees, between 60 degrees and 90 degrees, or any other value or range of values ​​therebetween) with respect to the normal upright position of the drug container 102. In some embodiments, the electrodes of the capacitance sensor 116 may be shielded (e.g., with copper foil), for example, to improve noise immunity.

[0035] If the content sensor 116 in the medication container 102 is a capacitance sensor, it may provide a capacitance reading (e.g., an analog reading) that is converted to digital data by a suitable capacitance-to-digital converter 118 (e.g., an Analog Devices AD7746) in the medication container 102. In some embodiments, the digital data may be stored in memory 112. The medication container 102 may transmit the digital data corresponding to the amount of medication in the container 102 and / or related information to the backend system 104 and / or other computers (e.g., the patient's mobile phone 128) via the communications functionality 106.

[0036] In some embodiments, the backend system 104 and / or other computer (e.g., the patient's mobile phone 128) may receive data from the medication container 102 corresponding to measurements by the sensor 116 in the medication container 102 and convert the data to a medication amount, such as, for example, a number of one or more tablets or a liquid medication amount. For example, the backend system 104 and / or other computer may include a memory 120 for storing conversion data relating capacitance and / or other readings to a number of tablets or a liquid medication amount for various types of medication, including, for example, tablet size, shape, density, composition, and / or capacitance linear regression constants. The one or more computers or a processor 122 of the backend system 104 and / or other computer may utilize the conversion data to convert the capacitance measurements to a quantity of one or more medications. In other embodiments, the processor 112 in the medication container 102 may convert the capacitance measurements to a quantity of one or more medications, for example, before transmitting digital data corresponding to the quantity to the backend system 104 and / or other computer. In some embodiments, the medication container 102, the backend system 104 and / or other computer (e.g., the patient's mobile phone 128) may trigger one or more reminders and / or alerts to the patient to take medication based at least in part on data received as a result of or derived from a capacitance measurement by the sensor 116. For example, an application running on the backend system 104 or the patient's mobile phone or tablet PC 128 may receive data (e.g., from the medication container 102) indicative of the contents of the medication in the medication container 102 and may initiate one or more reminders and / or alerts to the patient based at least in part on this data.

[0037] The capacitance sensor 116 for the drug container 102 may be formed and / or utilized in any suitable manner. For example, in some embodiments, the conductive electrodes (e.g., plates) for the capacitance sensor may be formed from an adhesive conductor (e.g., copper tape). In some embodiments, the electrodes for the capacitance sensor may be formed from one or more flexible multi-layer printed circuit boards (PCBs). In some embodiments, a two-layer flexible PCB may be utilized, with one layer measuring the capacitance and the other layer acting as a grounded electrical shield (capacitance subtractor). In some embodiments, the outer surface of the object used to measure the capacitance may be grounded. The ground shield, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, adds static capacitance to the capacitance already read by the measurement device (e.g., digital converter 118) between the two sense electrodes. The system 100 may cancel the static capacitance as part of the capacitance-to-digital acquisition, such that the dynamic range of the converter 118 is maintained to be fully utilized for drug detection. The ground electrode (e.g., a plate) may advantageously eliminate variations in capacitance readings caused by nearby objects or a person's hand, such that all electric field (E) lines of the capacitance inside the bottle terminate inside the shield, so that nothing outside the shield can disturb (or substantially disturb) the electric field lines. In some embodiments, the electrode (e.g., a copper plate or a portion of a flexible PCB) used for capacitance measurement may be overmolded using a plastic injection molding process. In some embodiments, a conductive plate (e.g., a copper plate) may be inserted inside the drug container 102 for use in measuring the amount of drug. In some embodiments, conductors for one or more sensors 116 may be embedded or integrated (e.g., fitted or placed in a small passage between two plastic walls) into one or more walls of the drug container 102.

[0038] In some embodiments, the sensor 116 of the medicament container 102 may include other types of sensors including, for example, a weight sensor (e.g., the sensors shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B) that detects the weight of the medicament in the medicament container 102, a resistive sensor, and / or an inductive sensor. Additional details regarding the medicament container 102 and the sensor 116 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure are described below, for example, in conjunction with FIGS. 2-10B.

[0039] In some embodiments, the data representing the amount of medication in the medication container 102 may be compared to data representing an expected amount of medication in the container 102. Based at least in part on the results of this comparison, the system 100 (e.g., the back-end system 104 and / or the medication container 102) may provide one or more reminders and / or alerts to the patient to take the medication. In some embodiments, the data representing the expected amount of medication remaining in the medication container 102 assigned to a given patient may be determined based at least in part on the date and / or time the patient filled or removed their medication, the amount of medication originally given to the patient, the patient's medication regimen (e.g., dose size and number of doses per day), and / or the date and / or time the sensor 116 measured the amount of medication remaining in the medication container 102. In some embodiments, the comparison may be performed by the back-end system 104 based on data stored in the memory 120 and / or by another computer (e.g., the patient's mobile phone 128). In some embodiments, this comparison may be performed by a processor 110 in the medication container 102 based on information stored in memory 112 .

[0040] The system 100 may provide different types of reminders and / or alerts to the patient according to various embodiments. In some embodiments, the backend system 104 may trigger the initiation of a telephone call (e.g., an automated message or a direct operator call) to a telephone number associated with the patient (e.g., a telephone number stored in memory 120 associated with data recorded for the patient) if the backend system 104 and / or medication container 102 determine that the patient is not adhering to his / her medication regimen. In some embodiments, the telephone call may be initiated to the patient's home, cell phone, and / or work phone, and / or to a telephone number associated with the patient's physician (e.g., physician's computer 132), family members, and / or other designees. Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments, the backend system 104 may trigger an electronic message, such as a text message, email, or other digital message, to the patient (e.g., patient's cell phone 128), the patient's physician (e.g., physician's computer 132), and / or the patient's designee as indicated by instructions stored in memory 120. In some embodiments, the medication container 102 may trigger the generation of reminders and / or alerts to the patient via one or more alert units 124 of the medication container 102 and / or communication with the user computer 128 (e.g., text messages).

[0041] In some embodiments, the medication container 102 may generate one or more alerts 124 if the backend system 104 and / or the medication container 102 determines that the patient is not adhering to his / her medication regimen. For example, the medication container 102 may include one or more light sources 124 (e.g., light emitting diodes (LEDs)) that illuminate when the patient is not adhering to his / her medication regimen. For example, the light sources may illuminate a particular color or a blinking pattern and / or change color or pattern of illumination in response to different conditions (e.g., lights that gradually increase in intensity or brightness when the patient forgets to take a medication, when the connection to the backend server 104 is lost, or the longer the patient misses taking a medication, etc.). The light sources 124 may be located in any suitable location on or within the medication container 102, including various areas of the body and / or cap. In some embodiments, the medication container 102 may include words or symbols above a particular light, such as, for example, "disconnected" or "take a dose."

[0042] Alternatively or additionally, the medication container 102 may include other types of alerts 124, including, for example, a graphical and / or textual display for displaying text and / or graphics (e.g., text and / or graphics automatically received from the backend system 104) and / or a speaker for issuing an audio alert. For audio alerts, in some embodiments, the medication container 102 may play different sounds, sound patterns and / or volumes in response to different situations (e.g., when the patient forgets to take a medication, when the connection to the backend server 104 is lost, or sounds that gradually increase in intensity the longer the patient misses taking the medication). In some embodiments, the medication bottle 102 may play a voice alert (e.g., the patient's voice, a family member's voice and / or a physician's voice). The voice alert may be stored in the memory 114. The voice alert may be recorded and downloaded to the memory 114 using any suitable approach (e.g., a user calling a predetermined phone number to record a voice alert and downloading it to the medication container 102 via a USB or wireless connection).

[0043] In some embodiments, instructions for the medication container 102 to activate a light and / or other alert on the medication container 102 may be provided by the backend system 104, other computers (e.g., the user computer 128), and / or the medication container 102. For example, such instructions may be provided based at least in part on data representative of an expected amount of medication for the patient and data representative of an amount of medication remaining in the container 102. In some embodiments, the backend system 104, other computers, and / or the medication container 102 may store non-transitory computer-executable program instructions in memory to implement an escalation chain of reminders / alerts for medication adherence, such that a patient who is expected to miss a dose is reminded (e.g., with different and / or multiple reminders / alerts) until the patient removes the appropriate amount of medication from the medication container 102.

[0044] The system 100 may be configured to provide different types of reminders and / or alerts, or the timing of the reminders or alerts, based on the patient's past adherence statistics (e.g., adherence statistics stored in memory 114 and / or 120 or in memory of the user computer 128). For example, in some embodiments, the backend system 104, other computers such as the user computer 128, and / or the medication container 102 may use one or more machine learning techniques to determine when and what type of reminder to initiate for the patient and / or when the patient is likely to take their medication. For example, the timing or type of reminder may vary according to when the system 100 predicts that the patient is most likely to take their medication (e.g., the prediction is based at least in part on the day of the week, the number of doses, etc.). In some embodiments, reminders are initiated for the patient during times when stored past data indicates that the patient is most likely to open and close the medication container 102 (e.g., morning hours from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m., afternoon hours, evening hours).

[0045] In some embodiments, the system 100 (e.g., the medication container 102 and / or the backend server 104) may trigger reminders and / or alerts to the patient based at least in part on data received from the patient's computer or phone 128. For example, a telephone input, such as a text message (e.g., indicative of compliance or non-compliance), to the backend system 104 may, at least in part, trigger a reminder or alert (e.g., displayed on or generated by the medication container 102) to act on the patient to take medication or receive a medication refill. As another example, an input (or absence of input) to an application running on the user computer 128 may cause the user computer 128 to generate or trigger a reminder and / or alert to the patient.

[0046] The medication container 102 may measure and record the amount of medication in the container 102 and / or report that information to the backend server 104 and / or other computers (e.g., user computer 128) at any suitable time or with any suitable frequency (e.g., continuously or substantially continuously). For example, in some embodiments, the medication container 102 may include one or more sensors 126 to detect when a user opens or closes the cap of the container 102. In some embodiments, the sensor 126 may include a switch that is activated (e.g., pressed) when the cap is closed, thereby indicating that the patient may have removed medication from the container. After the switch is activated (e.g., immediately after activation of the switch or at another time), the medication container 102 may measure and record measurements from the sensor 116 that are indicative of the amount of medication in the container and / or communicate the measurements to the backend system 104.

[0047] In some embodiments, the medication container 102 may wait a predetermined time (e.g., between 5 and 10 seconds) after the sensor 126 is activated to measure, record, and / or report data representing the amount of medication in the container 102 to the backend server 104. In some embodiments, non-transitory computer program instructions (computer logic) stored in the memory 114 may utilize the processor 110 to control this timing function of the medication container 102. For example, the medication container 102 may only measure, record, and / or report measurements to the backend server 104 if the switch remains activated (cap remains closed) for a predetermined time interval since the switch was last activated. In this case, if the patient accidentally activates the switch (e.g., by pressing the switch with the patient's finger) before the patient has removed any medication, this may prevent the container 102 from measuring, recording, and / or reporting measurements. In some embodiments, the drug container 102 may store the measurements in memory 114 and retry communicating the measurement data to the backend system 104 and / or other computers if an initial attempt to communicate the data fails (e.g., due to noise in the communication channel or other reasons).

[0048] In some embodiments, the medication container 102, backend server 104, and / or other computers (e.g., user computer 128) may trigger reminders and / or alerts to the patient based at least in part on the sensor 126 detecting the opening and closing of the cap of the medication container 102. For example, if the medication container 102, backend server 104, and / or other computers determine that a predetermined amount of time has passed since the cap was last opened and closed (e.g., more than a dose interval has passed according to stored data representing the patient's medication regimen), the medication container 102, backend server 104, and / or other computers may trigger a reminder and / or alert to the patient (e.g., an illuminated light, a graphical display device, a text message, an audio alert, a phone call, etc.) that the patient should take their medication.

[0049] In some embodiments, the sensor 116 may measure the contents of the drug container 102 at specific times of day (e.g., 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM daily); at set intervals (e.g., every 4 hours); after a predefined time since the last change (e.g., 5 minutes after the container is moved); batched over short time intervals; activated in response to an action; triggered by a user or a third party; triggered remotely by a system operator in the backend system 104; and / or triggered by an application running on the user computer 128. In some embodiments, multiple measurements at a time may be taken as the device is moved, in response to environmental changes, and / or when otherwise altered or handled. In some embodiments, multiple mechanisms or combinations of these mechanisms may be utilized, which may improve the reliability and accuracy of the system.

[0050] It should be appreciated that in some embodiments of the present disclosure, a temporary reading may not represent the steady-state contents of the medication container 102 and may lead to misinterpretations or inaccurate measurements and results. Thus, in some embodiments, measurements of the container contents are batched to ensure that this does not occur. For example, multiple sensory readings may be performed by the sensor 116 in a short period of time to allow the system 100 to verify and confirm that the measurements are accurate. If the multiple readings within a given time frame do not match (e.g., as determined by one or more processors in the medication container 102, the back-end server 104, and / or other computers such as the personal computer 128), the patient may be reminded (e.g., by one or more alerts 124) to change the container condition to allow for a more accurate reading. The patient may then make the necessary corrections and initiate a new measurement (e.g., automatically detecting that the container has been moved again or based on other factors such as a set time interval between notifications). The process may be repeated until it is determined that an accurate measurement has been collected. If the container is frequently moved or placed in an unusual position, and there are changes in readings over a short time interval, the system can detect possible irregularities, alert the user to potential problems, notify appropriate parties, and perform measurements again if deemed appropriate.

[0051] In some embodiments, the system knows (e.g., based on data stored in memory 114 or memory 120) how long a substance has been in the container relative to its duration of use (as determined by one or more processors in medication container 102, backend server 104 and / or other computers such as personal computer 128). Thus, in some embodiments, the system can use the alert mechanisms described above and / or other alerts to remind the patient (or designated contact) to discard or replace the substance.

[0052] The drug container 102 includes different types of sensors 126 in various embodiments. For example, in some embodiments, the sensor 126 may include a detection switch that detects engagement with a container cap and outputs a signal or data representative of the open or closed state. In some embodiments, the sensor 126 may include an ultrasonic sensor mechanism for sensing the open or closed state of the container cap. In other embodiments, the sensor 126 may include a proximity probe sensor, a photointerrupter, an optical switch, and / or other trigger mechanism for detecting the open or closed state of the container cap.

[0053] In some embodiments, the medication container 102, back-end server 104, and / or other computers may trigger reminders and / or alerts to the patient based at least in part on the proximity of the medication container 102 to the user computer 128 (e.g., the patient's cell phone), location (e.g., the patient's home) or intermediate device (e.g., a dedicated base station that can be wall mounted in the patient's home). For example, an application (e.g., including computer executable instructions stored in memory 112) running on the medication container 102 may cause the container 102 to wirelessly check or ping (e.g., periodically or at any other suitable time) for the presence of a cell phone or intermediate device (e.g., a dedicated base station plugged into a wall outlet), also by executing an application to receive and monitor such communications. As another example, a global positioning module in the medication container 102 may check (e.g., periodically or at any other suitable time) whether the location of the bottle matches a location stored in memory. In some embodiments, the global positioning module of the medication container 102 may register where the medication container 102 has been opened and closed. Such location data may be stored in memory 114, communicated to backend system 104 for storage in memory 120, and / or communicated to other computers (eg, user computer 128).

[0054] In some embodiments, reminders and / or alerts to the patient may be triggered based at least in part on the proximity of the user computer 128 (e.g., the patient's mobile phone) to the medication container 102, the location (e.g., the patient's home), or an intermediate device (e.g., a dedicated wall-mountable base station in the patient's home). For example, an application (e.g., including computer-executable instructions stored in the memory of the computer 128) running on the user computer 128 may cause the user computer 128 to wirelessly check or ping (e.g., periodically or at any other suitable time) for the presence of the medication container 102 or the intermediate device, which may also be executing an application to receive and monitor such communications. As another example, a global positioning module in the user computer 128 may check (e.g., periodically or at any other suitable time) whether the location of the phone matches a location stored in memory.

[0055] In some embodiments, the medication container 102 may utilize an open source or other application programming interface (API) that allows other devices and systems (e.g., the backend system 104, the user computer 128, and / or the pharmacy computer 130) to communicate with the medication container 102 in a more efficient and user-friendly manner.

[0056] The drug container 102 can have any suitable size and / or shape. For example, in some embodiments, the drug container 102 can be a pill bottle. In some embodiments, the pill bottle can have a cylindrical or substantially cylindrical body similar to a conventional pill bottle. The body can have a circular or substantially circular cross section. The cap of the medical container 102 can be circular or substantially circular in cross section for attachment to the body. In its normal upright position, the body extends vertically from the bottom of the container, which can have a circular or substantially circular cross section all the way to the cap. In other embodiments, the body of the drug container 102 can be non-cylindrical (e.g., square, oval, conical, rectangular, or any decorative, ergonomic, or child-friendly shape or appearance). In some embodiments, the drug container 102 can have a clamshell shape.

[0057] In some embodiments, the medication container 102 may have multiple compartments. For example, a pill bottle or liquid medication bottle may be split or separated (e.g., in half or other proportional relationship) so that electrical circuitry (e.g., a cellular modem and / or microprocessor) is contained in one or more electronics compartments that are separate from, but simultaneously connected to, the actual medication compartment. In some embodiments, the split or separation exists only along a portion of the pill bottle (e.g., starting from the bottom and running partway down) so that the container can accommodate more medication. In some embodiments, the split of the medication container 102 can ensure that the medication does not come into direct physical contact with the container's electrical circuitry.

[0058] In some embodiments, the drug container 102 may have a conical shape within the drug compartment such that the drug collects at the bottom of the container in a manner prescribed by the specifications (eg, near the sensor 116).

[0059] In some embodiments, the medication container 102 may include a sticker or other identifying indicia affixed to the cap and / or body of the container, the identifying indicia serving to indicate to whom the container belongs.

[0060] In some embodiments, the medication container 102 may include a gripping material (eg, rubber or ribbed plastic) on at least a portion of the container, such as the body and / or cap, to facilitate gripping the container.

[0061] In some embodiments, the medication container 102 may be a container large enough to accommodate a daily medication container that fits at least partially within the medication container 102 (e.g., a typical off-the-shelf, i.e., pill box available from a local pharmacy, that includes multiple compartments, typically one compartment for each day of the week). In some embodiments, the medication container 102 may include one or more sensors 116 for detecting when medication is removed from any of the multiple compartments of the daily medication container.

[0062] In some embodiments, the medication container 102 may include one or more features for power management purposes. For example, in some embodiments, the container 102 may include a Mini-USB / Micro-USB charger or other charging capability for charging the local power source 110. The local power source 110 (e.g., a battery) may have any suitable type and / or shape. In some embodiments, the medication container 102 may include a retractable charger that is wrapped around the circumference of a portion (e.g., the bottom) of the container and configured to be plugged into a wall outlet. In some embodiments, some or all of the electronic components (e.g., receivers) within the medication container 102 may be powered up (e.g., every X hours or via an external prompt) periodically or according to any other suitable schedule or trigger. This allows the container 102 to conserve power, which allows the container 102 to selectively turn on (e.g., once every X hours from the backend system 104) to receive reminders, and / or to receive and / or process signals and / or data. In some embodiments, the drug container 102 may include two or more connectivity options with associated different power consumption levels for communication with the backend server 104 and / or other computers (e.g., via Bluetooth, 2G, or 3G). The drug container 102 may first attempt to use a less power consuming connection mode (e.g., Bluetooth) to send a signal to the backend server 104 or another device such as the patient's mobile phone 128, and only if a connection cannot be established in that way will the drug container 102 use a more power consuming mode (e.g., 3G). In some embodiments, the drug container 102 may include an ON-OFF button or switch. For example, once turned on, the bottle may not be able to be turned off by the patient.This allows the pharmacist to turn the bottle on (e.g., when available or charged) and saves power consumption by not having the container connected to a local power source and consuming power while it is on a store shelf or stored in a warehouse awaiting delivery to a patient.

[0063] In some embodiments, the medication container 102 may include one or more features that identify or associate the container with, for example, a patient, a data record, and / or a transmitter or transceiver 108 within the container. For example, in some embodiments, the medication container 102 may include a bar code or other identifying indicia (e.g., affixed or printed on the exterior surface of the container). In some embodiments, the identifying indicia may be associated with a patient's account number or a particular module (e.g., a 3G module) within the container. In some embodiments, the identifying indicia may be recorded (e.g., scanned) by a pharmacist to associate the medication container 102 and its unique identifying indicia with a particular patient's data record. Data associating an identifying indicia for the medication container 102 with a particular patient may be stored, for example, in the memory 120 of the backend system 104, the memory 114 of the medication container 102, and / or in the memory of the pharmacy computer 130, the physician computer 132, and / or the user computer 128. In some embodiments, the identification indicia may be included in communications between the drug container 102, on the one hand, and the backend system 104 and / or other computers (e.g., 128, 130 and / or 132), on the other hand. For example, the drug container 102 may communicate a data packet to the backend server 104 and / or other computers, the data packet including data representative of the identification indicia and / or data representative of the amount of drug, such as data representative of a capacitance measurement between interdigitated or interdigitated electrodes disposed at least partially around the periphery of the body of the container.

[0064] In some embodiments, memory 120 and / or memory 114 (and / or other memory of computers 128, 130 and / or 132) may store non-transitory computer program instructions (computer logic) for causing a computer or processor in medication container 102, backend server 104 and / or other computers to associate an identifying indicia for the container with a prescription / dosing / refill schedule, patient contact information (e.g., preferred types of reminders and / or alerts), physician contact information, pharmacy contact information and / or any other information associated with a data record for the patient including the information described above (e.g., data representing the amount of medication remaining in container 102, data representing the time since the last amount of medication was measured from container 102, etc.) and / or to activate reminders, alerts and / or other functions based on this information. In some embodiments, backend server 104 and / or other computers may access the stored patient data to determine when and / or how to contact the patient with a reminder and / or alert to take the medication.

[0065] In some embodiments, the medication container 102 may be provided with a button or other user input feature or option (e.g., on a portion of the cap or body, or at or near where the cap screws onto the body) that triggers a refill of the medication. For example, when a user activates a user input feature, the medication container 102 may communicate with the backend server 104, a computer associated with the patient's physician or family member 132, and / or a computer system 130 of the pharmacy where the patient requested the refill.

[0066] In some embodiments, the medication container 102 may have a button or other user input feature or option (e.g., on a portion of the cap or body, or at or near where the cap screws onto the body) to remind or talk to someone (e.g., a doctor or family member). For example, activating the option at a certain time interval may cause a certain response (e.g., holding the button or the like for 10 seconds may cause a communication to be sent to the doctor to page the patient). When the user activates this user input feature, the medication container 102 may communicate with the backend server 104, a computer associated with the patient's doctor or family member 132 and / or the computer system 130 of the pharmacy where the patient requested assistance.

[0067] In some embodiments, the medication container 102 may include one or more security features. For example, the medication container 102 may include a fingerprint scanner, a touch pad for entering a code, and / or other locking mechanisms. In some embodiments, such mechanisms may be used to restrict access to the medication and / or other functions within the medication container 102 (e.g., a refill function, a request for assistance function, etc.).

[0068] In some embodiments, the backend system 104 may request feedback from the patient (e.g., via a text message, email, and / or phone call to the patient) to determine reasons for non-adherence and / or may respond to such feedback using any suitable approach (e.g., text or email acknowledgment) as appropriate. In some embodiments, such feedback may be stored in the data record for the patient and utilized by the machine learning techniques described above to more accurately predict the patient's probability of non-adherence and / or to select appropriate reminders and / or alerts.

[0069] 2A-2C are diagrams illustrating a drug container 102 with a two-segment capacitive sensor 116 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 2A is a side view of a generally cylindrical drug container 102 having a conventional shape (e.g., a pill bottle). In the illustrated example, the drug container 102 has a central axis 202 that extends vertically from the bottom of the container when the container is in its normal upright position. For example, and not by way of limitation, the container may have a cap diameter (measured perpendicular to axis 202) of about 31 millimeters (mm), a body diameter of about 29.5 mm, and a height (measured parallel to axis 202) of about 68 mm. Other sizes and / or shapes of drug container 102 may be used in other embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0070] 2B illustrates a flattened or unfolded electrode pattern for a two-segment capacitive sensor 116, including a first conductive terminal 204 in electrical communication with a first electrode and a second conductive terminal 206 in electrical communication with a second electrode. In the illustrated example, the electrodes are conductive blocks extending from terminals 204 and 206, although other shapes for the electrodes may be used in other embodiments (e.g., triangular, oval, arc, cylindrical and / or irregular electrodes). In some embodiments, electrical connection of the electrodes, for example to a capacitance-to-digital converter 118 (FIG. 1) or another electrical circuit, may be made through at least a portion of the first terminal 204 and the second terminal 206 (e.g., through the prongs of terminals 204 and 206 shown in FIG. 2B).

[0071] 2C illustrates the electrodes of the two-segment capacitive sensor 116 of FIG. 2A configured to be disposed on or within at least a portion of the drug container 102. For example, the electrodes may be disposed around at least a portion of the circumference of the body of the container, most of the circumference, or substantially the entire circumference. In the illustrated example, the terminals 204 and 206 and their associated electrodes are opposed but are not interleaved or interdigitated. At most one of the terminals / electrodes 204 and 206 is present at any given point around the circumference of the drug container. The capacitor formed by the electrodes approximates a parallel plate capacitor, for example.

[0072] 3A and 3B show an embodiment of a capacitance sensor 116 for a medicament container, in which the capacitance sensor includes vertically oriented interleaved or interdigitated electrodes. For example, for a medicament container 102 of the type shown in FIG. 2A, the direction in which the electrodes extend may be parallel to the central axis 202. FIG. 3A shows a flattened or unfolded view of an electrode pattern for a capacitance sensor, including a first terminal 302 in electrical communication with one or more electrodes 304 (e.g., two electrodes in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B) and a second terminal 306 in electrical communication with one or more electrodes 308 (e.g., two electrodes in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B).

[0073] 3B illustrates electrodes configured to be disposed on or at least in a portion of the drug container 102 (e.g., disposed around at least a portion of, a majority of, or substantially the entire circumference of the body of the container). In the illustrated example, the electrodes 304 and 308 are interleaved / combed in an alternating pattern, with at least one electrode 304 disposed between two electrodes 308 (or vice versa). Generally, providing multiple (e.g., four) interleaved electrodes instead of two opposed electrodes in the configuration of FIGS. 2B-2C improves the ability to accurately and repeatably measure the contents of the drug container 102 by capacitance measurement. Generally, except for the leftmost and rightmost regions of the electrode pattern illustrated in FIG. 3A, at least a portion of (i) the terminal 302 and / or electrode 304, and (ii) the terminal 306 and / or electrode 308 are present at any given point around the circumference of the drug container. In other embodiments, the terminals and / or electrodes may have different shapes (e.g., triangular, oval, arcuate, cylindrical, and / or irregular, etc.), may have different sizes (e.g., lengths and / or thicknesses), and / or may be arranged in different configurations relative to the medicament container 102 (e.g., configurations at different angles relative to the axis 202). The spacing between opposing electrodes in Figures 3A and 3B resembles a square wave. In other embodiments, other numbers and / or configurations of electrodes may be provided in the capacitive sensor 116.

[0074] 4A and 4B show another embodiment of the capacitance sensor 116, in which the capacitance sensor includes vertically oriented interleaved or interdigitated electrodes. For example, for a drug container 102 of the type shown in FIG. 2A, the direction in which the electrodes extend may be parallel to the central axis 202. FIG. 4A shows a flattened or unfolded electrode pattern for a capacitance sensor, including a first terminal 402 in electrical communication with one or more electrodes 404 (e.g., 10 electrodes in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4A and 4B) and a second terminal 306 in electrical communication with one or more electrodes 308 (e.g., 10 electrodes in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4A and 4B). FIG. 4B shows electrodes configured to be disposed on or within at least a portion of the drug container 102 (e.g., disposed around at least a portion of the circumference, a major portion of the circumference, a majority of the circumference, or substantially the entire circumference of the body of the container). In the illustrated example, the electrodes 404 and 408 are interleaved / interdigitated according to an alternating pattern, with at least one electrode 404 disposed between two electrodes 408 (and vice versa). Generally, except for the left and right extreme regions of the electrode pattern shown in Figure 4A, at least a portion of (i) terminal 402 and / or electrode 404, and (ii) terminal 406 and / or electrode 408 are present at any given point around the circumference of the drug container. In the illustrated example, the vertical electrodes in Figures 4A and 4B have a reduced thickness compared to the vertical electrodes shown in Figures 3A and 3B.

[0075] 5A and 5B show an embodiment of a capacitance sensor 116 for a medicament container, in which the capacitance sensor includes transversely oriented interleaved or interdigitated electrodes. For example, for a medicament container 102 of the type shown in FIG. 2A, the direction in which the electrodes extend may be perpendicular to the central axis 202. FIG. 5A shows a flattened or unfolded electrode pattern for a capacitance sensor, including a first terminal 502 in electrical communication with one or more electrodes 504 (e.g., 10 electrodes in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B) and a second terminal 506 in electrical communication with one or more electrodes 508 (e.g., 10 electrodes in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B). FIG. 5B shows electrodes configured to be disposed on or within at least a portion of the medicament container 102 (e.g., disposed around at least a portion of the circumference, a major portion of the circumference, or substantially the entire circumference of the body of the container). In the illustrated example, electrodes 504 and electrodes 508 are interleaved / interdigitated according to an alternating pattern, with at least one electrode 504 disposed between two electrodes 508 (or vice versa). Generally, except for the areas at or near terminals 502 and 506, at least a portion of (i) electrode 504 and (ii) electrode 508 will be present at any given point around the circumference of the drug container.

[0076] 6A and 6B show yet another embodiment of a capacitance sensor 116 for a drug container, in which the capacitance sensor includes vertically oriented interleaved or interdigitated electrodes. For example, for a drug container 102 of the type shown in FIG. 2A, the direction in which the electrodes extend may be parallel to the central axis 202. FIG. 6A shows a flattened or unfolded electrode pattern for a capacitance sensor including a first terminal 602 in electrical communication with one or more electrodes 604 (e.g., six electrodes in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B) and a second terminal 606 in electrical communication with one or more electrodes 608 (e.g., six electrodes in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B). FIG. 6B shows electrodes configured to be disposed on or within at least a portion of the drug container 102 (e.g., disposed around at least a portion of the circumference, a major portion of the circumference, or substantially the entire circumference of the body of the container). In the illustrated example, the electrodes 604 and 608 are interleaved / combed according to an alternating pattern, with at least one electrode 604 located between two electrodes 608 (and vice versa). Generally, except for the left and right extreme regions of the electrode pattern shown in FIG. 6A, at least a portion of (i) terminal 602 and / or electrode 604, and (ii) terminal 606 and / or electrode 608 are present at any given point around the circumference of the drug container. Drug container. In the illustrated example, the vertical electrodes in FIGS. 6A and 6B have a different shape than the electrodes shown in FIGS. 3A, 3B, 4A, and 4B. In FIGS. 6A and 6B, the electrodes and terminals have smooth edges. The space between the opposing electrodes in FIGS. 6A and 6B resembles a sine wave.

[0077] 7A and 7B show yet another embodiment of a capacitance sensor 116 for a medicament container, in which the capacitance sensor includes diagonally oriented interleaved or interdigitated electrodes. For example, for a medicament container 102 of the type shown in FIG. 2A, the direction in which the electrodes extend may be at a 45 degree angle with respect to the central axis 202. In other embodiments of the present disclosure, other angular relationships (e.g., between 0 and 30 degrees, between 30 and 60 degrees, and between 0 and 90 degrees) may be used for one or more (e.g., all) electrodes. FIG. 7A shows a flattened or unfolded electrode pattern for a capacitance sensor, including a first terminal 702 in electrical communication with one or more electrodes 704 and a second terminal 706 in electrical communication with one or more electrodes 708. 7B illustrates electrodes configured to be disposed on or within at least a portion of the drug container 102 (e.g., disposed around at least a portion of, a major portion of, a majority of, or substantially the entire circumference of the body of the container). In the illustrated example, the electrodes 704 and electrodes 708 are interleaved / combed according to an alternating pattern, with at least one electrode 704 disposed between two electrodes 708 (and vice versa).

[0078] The capacitance sensor 116 may have additional electrodes and / or terminals according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, in some embodiments, additional terminals (e.g., circular conductive terminals) may be located on top of the drug container 102 or on the bottom surface of the drug container 102 to measure capacitance. The capacitance may be measured, for example, between the bottom terminal and the first or second terminal (e.g., the first terminal 402 in the embodiment shown in Figures 4A and 4B) in any of the previously described embodiments. This may improve the accuracy of the measurement of the amount of drug (e.g., tablet or liquid drug) at the bottom of the container or when the container has only a small number of tablets. In some embodiments, computer executable instructions stored in the memory 114 of the drug container 102 change the terminal pair that measures the capacitance depending on, for example, the amount of drug in the container.

[0079] In some embodiments, the capacitance sensor 116 may include a terminal and electrode within the medicament container 102 (e.g., along the entire length or a portion of the central axis 202 in FIG. 2A) for measuring capacitance. The capacitance may be measured, for example, between this terminal (e.g., located on or in a bottom surface of the medicament container 102) and a first or second terminal according to any of the previously described embodiments (e.g., the first terminal 402 in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B). Providing such additional electrodes may allow a larger portion of the medicament within the container 102 to be positioned between the electrodes, improving the accuracy of the measurement.

[0080] FIG. 8 is a graph of capacitance (y-axis) versus number of tablets (x-axis) measured by a capacitance sensor 116 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. In this example, the capacitance sensor 116 was configured as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B. As shown, the capacitance measurements ranged from just under 10.7 picofarads (pF) to just under 12 picofarads (pF) as the contents of the medication container 102 varied from 0 tablets to 50 tablets, respectively. In this example, the tablets were 325 milligram (mg) aspirin tablets, although other sizes and types of tablets (or liquid medications) may be used in other embodiments. As shown, the capacitance varied approximately linearly with the number of tablets, with each tablet producing a change in capacitance of about 24 femtofarads (fF) in this example. This was within the range of an available capacitance controller (e.g., capacitance-to-digital converter 118 (FIG. 1)). In this experiment, measurements were taken using an evaluation kit for the Analog Devices AD7746 controller. In other embodiments, depending on the configuration of the capacitance sensor 116 and the type of tablet contained within the medication container 102, each tablet may produce a change in capacitance of between about 10 fF and 100 fF or more (e.g., between 20 fF and 40 fF).

[0081] FIG. 9 is a graph of capacitance (y-axis) versus liquid medicament volume (x-axis) measured by a capacitance sensor 116 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In this example, the capacitance sensor 116 was configured as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B. As shown, the capacitance measurements range from just above 7 picofarads (pF) to just below about 19.5 picofarads (pF) as the contents of the medicament container 102 vary from 0 milliliters (mL) to 35 milliliters (mL), respectively. In this example, the liquid medicament was Tussin liquid, although other types of liquid medicaments may be used in other embodiments. As shown, the capacitance varied approximately linearly with the volume of the liquid medicament. In this example, the measurements shown as circles were taken at a first offset value and the measurements shown as squares were taken at a second offset value as applied to a capacitance controller (Analog Devices AD7746). These different offsets are the reason for the same or slightly decreased capacitance readings between the 10th and 11th measurements, which can be practically eliminated by making additional adjustments in the measurements. As shown, on average, each milliliter of liquid medication produced a change in capacitance of about 350 fF. In other embodiments, depending on the configuration of the capacitance sensor 116 and the type of liquid medication contained within the medication container 102, each milliliter of medication can produce a change in capacitance of between about 100 fF and 500 fF or more (e.g., between 250 fF and 450 fF).

[0082] 10A and 10B show a drug container 102 with a weight sensor 116 for measuring the weight of the drug in the container. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the sensor 116 may utilize an integrated strain gauge and gyroscope structure to determine the container contents. FIG. 10A shows the sensor in a retracted / rest state. FIG. 10B shows the device in an advanced / operating state. The tablet or liquid drug is placed on a movable platform (e). The movable platform rests on a fixed platform (f). The movable platform is secured against moving out of a safe position. In some embodiments, this is achieved by having the movable platform secured on one side by the fixed platform (e) and secured on the other side by a small protrusion (d) on the bottle body.

[0083] In some embodiments, a weighing mechanism, such as a scale, is housed in the device (a, b). The weighing mechanism is attached to a telescoping mechanism (c) that is in a retracted state. In the retracted state, the area of ​​the weighing mechanism that determines the mass of the item, such as the scale's base plate (a), is in some embodiments lower than the moveable platform (e) and is not in contact with any platform, material or substance. This ensures that the weighing mechanism is not stressed by constant weight and pressure on the mechanism's components to ensure that the weighing mechanism remains properly calibrated. The weighing mechanism periodically establishes a baseline in the retracted state to ensure accuracy.

[0084] When it is determined that the contents of the medication container should be measured (e.g., using the cap sensor described above), the weighing mechanism is raised to its advanced state as shown in Figure 10B. When the telescopic mechanism (c) is raised to its advanced state, it raises the base plate (a) and the scale body (b) together so that the base plate (a) contacts the movable platform (e). The weighing mechanism (c) continues to rise until it is in its fully advanced state, raising the movable platform (e) away from and above the fixed platform (f).

[0085] When the weighing mechanism is in its fully forward state, the movable platform (e) and the contents of the bottle rest completely on the weighing mechanism as shown in FIG. 10B. The weighing mechanism (a, b) is carrying the entire weight of the movable platform (e) and the contents of the bottle. In some embodiments, the combined weight of the movable platform (e) and the contents of the bottle is recorded and saved by the weighing mechanism (a, b). Such information may be stored, for example, in memory 114 and / or memory 120 (FIG. 1).

[0086] Once the device chair has accurately registered the weight of the platform and the bottle's contents, the telescopic mechanism (c) again lowers itself and the weighing mechanisms (a, b) to their retracted state. Once the weighing mechanisms are lowered to their retracted state, the movable platform (e) comes into contact with the fixed platform (f). The telescopic mechanism (c) continues to lower itself and the weighing mechanisms (a, b) until the base plate (a) is below the movable platform (e).

[0087] When the device is in its fully retracted state as shown in Figure 10A, the movable platform (e) and contents of the bottle rest entirely on the fixed platform (f). The fixed platform bears the entire weight of the movable platform and contents of the bottle, and the device remains in its retracted state (e). Areas of the weighing mechanism that determine the mass of the article, such as the base plate (a) of the scale, do not come into contact with any platform, material or substance.

[0088] Thus, it will be understood that the drug container 102 shown in Figures 10A and 10B comprises a platform operably coupled to the base and a measurement sensor 116 operably coupled to the platform, the measurement sensor having a first position and a second position, the measurement sensor not in contact with the platform in the first position and in contact with the platform in the second position to perform a measurement (e.g., a weight measurement), and the measurement sensor is reset to the first position after performing a measurement in the second position.

[0089] In some embodiments, the medication container may communicate weight measurement information to a remote computer (e.g., back-end system 104 or user computer 128) via a communication device (g) equipped with a transceiver 108 and / or processor 112 (FIG. 1).

[0090] 11 illustrates a flowchart 1100 including exemplary steps involved in a method for reminding a patient to take medication. In step 1102, data representing a medication regimen associated with the patient is stored in a memory. In step 1104, one or more communications are received from a medication container associated with the patient. In step 1106, data representing when a communication was last received from the medication container is compared to the data representing the medication regimen associated with the patient. In step 1108, a reminder to the patient to take the medication is triggered based at least in part on the results of the comparison.

[0091] 12 illustrates another flowchart 1200 including exemplary steps involved in a method for reminding a patient to take medication. At step 1202, data representative of an amount of medication in a medication container at a particular time is received. At step 1204, the data representative of the amount of medication in the medication container is compared to data representative of a medication regimen associated with the patient. At step 1206, a reminder to the patient to take the medication is triggered based at least in part on the results of the comparison.

[0092] The various example logic blocks, modules and circuits described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein and illustrated in the figures may be implemented or performed using a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic circuit, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor may be any processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such combination of configurations.

[0093] In one or more exemplary embodiments, the described functions, methods and / or applications may be implemented as hardware, software, or firmware running on a processor, or any combination thereof. If implemented as software, the functions may be stored or transmitted as one or more instructions or code in a computer-readable medium or memory. Computer-readable media includes both non-transitory computer storage media and communication media, including any medium that facilitates the transfer of computer programs. Storage media may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not by way of limitation, such computer-readable media may include non-transitory computer-readable media including RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to hold or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. Computer-readable media may include communication signal paths. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair cable, Digital Subscriber Network (DSL), or wireless technologies, including infrared, radio waves and microwaves, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair cable, DSL, or wireless technologies, including infrared, radio waves and microwaves, are included in the definition of "medium."

[0094] The system may include various blocks or modules as described above and illustrated in the drawings. As can be understood by those skilled in the art, each module may include one or more of various subroutines, procedures, definition statements and macros. Each module may be separately compiled and linked into a single executable program. Thus, the description of each module is used in a convenient manner to describe the functionality of the disclosed embodiments. In this manner, the processes that each module goes through may be redistributed to any of the other modules, combined into a single module, or made available in a shareable dynamic link library.

[0095] The system may be used in conjunction with a variety of operating systems, such as Linux, UNIX, or Microsoft Windows. The system may be written in any conventional programming language, such as C, C++, BASIC, Pascal, or Java, and may run under conventional operating systems. The system may also be written using an interpreted language, such as Visual Basic (VB.NET), Perl, Python, or Ruby.

[0096] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the described technology. And, such modifications and changes are also intended to be within the scope of the described embodiments. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the features included in one embodiment are interchangeable with other embodiments, and one or more features derived from the described embodiment are also included in any combination of the other described embodiments. For example, various components described herein and / or shown in the drawings may be combined, exchanged, or removed with other embodiments.

Claims

1. A drug container, wherein the drug container is Housing for medications, A cap detachably connected to the housing, A cap sensor configured to detect the opening and closing of the aforementioned cap, A measuring sensor connected to the housing for detecting the amount of drug in the housing, One or more processors configured to trigger a reading of the measuring sensor based at least partially on the status of the cap sensor, A transmitting device for wirelessly transmitting data related to the readings of the measurement sensor to one or more remote computers, A receiving device configured to receive startup commands from one or more remote computers, or to be started by one or more remote computers, Equipped with, The one or more processors are configured to implement an escalation chain, which includes initiating different alerts to remind the patient to take their medication if the patient does not take their medication as expected, and the different alerts correspond to different lighting patterns on medication containers.

2. A system that reminds patients to take their medication, and the system but, computer, A memory connected to the computer in a communication manner, configured to store data representing a medication plan related to the patient, One or more remote computers configured to receive communications from drug containers related to the patient, Equipped with, The aforementioned one or more remote computers Using one or more machine learning techniques, determine a method to remind the patient to take the medication in the medication container, and It is configured to trigger an activation command for a reminder to take medication to the patient. The aforementioned drug container Housing for medications, A cap detachably connected to the housing, A cap sensor configured to detect the opening and closing of the aforementioned cap, A measuring sensor connected to the housing for detecting the amount of drug in the housing, One or more processors configured to trigger a reading of the measuring sensor based at least partially on the status of the cap sensor, A transmitting device for wirelessly transmitting data related to the readings of the measurement sensor to one or more remote computers, A receiving device configured to receive startup commands from one or more remote computers, or to be started by one or more remote computers, Equipped with, The system comprises one or more processors configured to implement an escalation chain, the escalation chain including the initiation of different alerts to remind the patient to take their medication if the patient does not take their medication as expected, the different alerts corresponding to different lighting patterns.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the method is based on when to send a reminder to the patient in order to remind the patient to take the medication in the medication container.

4. The system according to claim 2, wherein the method is based on what kind of reminder is sent to the patient to remind the patient to take the medication in the medication container.

5. The system according to claim 2, wherein the method is based on when the patient is most likely to take the medication.

6. The system according to claim 2, wherein one or more remote computers configured to trigger an activation command for a reminder to the patient to take medication based on the aforementioned determination are configured to communicate signals to the medication container that activate different alerts depending on the medication container.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the different alerts are different audio alerts.

8. The system according to claim 6, wherein the different alerts are different visual alerts.

9. The system according to claim 2, wherein one or more remote computers configured to trigger an activation command for a reminder to the patient to take medication, based on the aforementioned decision, are configured to initiate a digital message to a user computer relating to the patient.

10. A method of reminding patients to take their medication, Storing data representing patient-related medication plans in computer memory, One or more remote computers receive one or more electronic communications from the drug container associated with the patient, Using one or more remote computers and one or more machine learning techniques, a method is determined to remind the patient to take the medication in the medication container. Based on the aforementioned decision, one or more remote computers will trigger an activation command to remind the patient to take their medication, Includes, The aforementioned drug container Housing for medications, A cap detachably connected to the housing, A cap sensor configured to detect the opening and closing of the aforementioned cap, A measuring sensor connected to the housing for detecting the amount of drug in the housing, One or more processors configured to trigger a reading of the measuring sensor based at least partially on the status of the cap sensor, A transmitting device for wirelessly transmitting data related to the readings of the measurement sensor to one or more remote computers, A receiving device configured to receive startup commands from one or more remote computers, or to be started by one or more remote computers, Equipped with, The method wherein one or more processors are configured to implement an escalation chain, the escalation chain includes initiating different alerts to remind the patient to take the medication if the patient does not take the medication as expected, and the different alerts correspond to different lighting patterns.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the method is based on when to send a reminder to the patient to take the medicine in the medicine container.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the method is based on what kind of reminder is sent to the patient to take the medicine in the medicine container.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the method is based on when the patient is most likely to take the medication.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein the one or more remote computers trigger an activation command for a reminder to the patient to take the medication based on the decision, and the one or more remote computers communicate a signal to the medication container to activate the different alerts via the medication container.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the one or more remote computers trigger an activation command for a reminder to the patient to take the medication based on the decision, and the one or more remote computers communicate a signal to the medication container to activate an audio alert via the medication container.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the one or more remote computers trigger an activation command for a reminder to the patient to take the medication based on the decision, and the one or more remote computers communicate a signal to the medication container to activate a visual alert via the medication container.

17. The method according to claim 10, wherein the one or more remote computers trigger an activation command for a reminder to the patient to take medication based on the decision, the one or more remote computers initiate a digital message to a user computer relating to the patient.

18. The drug container according to claim 1, wherein the cap sensor is further configured to detect the movement of the drug container.

19. The system according to claim 2, wherein the cap sensor is further configured to detect the movement of the drug container.

20. The method according to claim 10, wherein the cap sensor is further configured to detect the movement of the drug container.

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