System and method for storing medication and alerting users and caregivers for timely intake

Abstract

A computerized pill intake reminder device is disclosed. The computerized pill intake reminder device is used for storing pills, detecting the number of pills in each pouch of the blister pack, inventory management, reminding users to take their medication on time, alerting by providing an audible or a visual alarm if the medications are not taken on time and as a secondary mechanism alerting their caregiver if the user has not responded to the alert and taken the medication on time.

The device includes a top housing and a bottom housing that can be rotated about each other to form a closed and sealed module. It also includes a processor that is communicatively coupled through an electronic circuit to a plurality of electronic components housed within the pill intake reminder device. These include a speaker, microphone, infrared sensors, cameras, LED lights, microphone, RFID scanner, non-volatile memory, transmitter, and a receiver. The LED lights can be programmed with various colors.

The speaker is used to sound an audible alarm play an audible message at a specific time to remind the user to take their medication or provide an alert if the time has passed. The device also includes a pill storage module that has an upper and a lower packing plate. The space in between the plates is where the blister pack is inserted.

The device includes a pill detection module. This module includes an infrared sensor (IR) and a camera. In operation, the processor causes the infrared sensor to detect the presence of a pill inside the pouch of the pill/blister pack and the processor causes the camera to quantify the number of pills in the pouch. The pill detection is performed by using a combination of IR Sensors, photodiodes, and a light emitting mechanism. A light beam, or an array of light beams, are passed from one side of the pouch to another and the light that passes through is read by the IR sensors and used for determining whether the pouch includes pills.

The device includes a guidance system to guide the user of the pill intake reminder device to a specific pouch of the pill/blister pack for retrieving pills stored in that pouch. It does so by illuminating a light emitting diode (LED) on or around a specific pouch from which medication/pills are to be retrieved by the user. It operates by obtaining the hours of administration (HOA) schedule for the patient and then locating a pouch of the pill/blister pack that correlates with the HOA schedule. Once located, the pouch is illuminated for guidance.

The device includes a display that can be used for providing visual alerts, videos, or recorded messages for instructing the user for taking the pills.

The device uses a transmitter to send alerts to mobile phone for reminding the user to take the medication as well as sending an alert for missing or noncompliance.

The radio frequency identification (RFID) reader is used to verify that a correct pill/blister pack, the one that is associated with the user/patient is being inserted into the device. The verifying process includes scanning an RFID tag located on the blister pack and matching it to patient information.

The device also performs periodic inventory of the pills in the blister pack. This includes using an infrared sensor housed within the electronic module to determine the presence of one or more pills in the pouch and using a camera housed underneath the pouch to image and count the number of pills that are in the pouch. The inventory serves as an error check to ensure that the right number of pills from the right pouch were taken by the user at their HOA. The pill inventory system also is used to re-order more medication, if allowed by the prescription, when it detects that it is time to replenish them.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates generally to pill containers and electronic reminders and management associated with such containers for taking medication on time. More specifically, the present invention relates to a laptop-like container that includes on-board electronic devices, processor, and memory for electronically reminding and managing pill storage and intake by a user.DISCUSSION OF THE RELATED ART[0002]It is common for patients to forget to take their daily dosages of pills. With life being busy and requiring our attention on numerous tasks, it is easy to forget to take a certain prescribed medication or a grouping of pills. At times a patient may remember to take the pill but still not take it at the right time or delay it as other things get in the way.[0003]As medicine gets advanced and more solutions are discovered to address health issues in patients, doctors are having to prescribe a higher number of pills, including some pills that are crit...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0011]A computerized pill intake reminder device is disclosed. The computerized pill intake reminder device is used for storing pills, detecting the number of pills in each pouch of the blister pack, reminding users to take their medication on time, alerting by providing an audible or a visual alarm if the medications are not taken on time and as a secondary mechanism alerting their caregiver if the user has not responded to the alert and taken the medication on time. The system also performs pill inventory management, provides a sealed and secure environment to store medications away from children and unauthorized users, and performs verifications to ensure the correct pill, those that are associated with the correct patient, are the only pills that are stored in the computerized pill intake reminder device such that the patient doesn't accidently take the wrong pill that are not intended for the patient.

Problems solved by technology

It's also been reported that 40% of prescriptions fail to produce desired results because of noncompliance, improper regimen intake, or improper use.

These include forgetfulness, misplacing the pills, taking the wrong pills, or a patient not fully understanding the proper intake instructions.

Patients may also get tired and disinterested in taking multiple pills and tend to ignore taking it unless reminded or pushed to do so.

If the patient is of old age, or suffering from amnesia or dementia, it further adds to the confusion as they may not understand or be alert to take the medication at the right time.

Aside from causing further health problems and not curing the ailments, the non-compliance in many cases can be very detrimental to a patient's health and even life threatening.

In certain cases, where a variety of drugs are involved, or when the patient has drug related issues, noncompliance may also cause the patient to undergo adverse drug reactions.

Other issues caused by non-compliance include additional costs to the health care system in continuing to treat the patient.

This solution still requires due diligence on the part of the patient and does not solve the non-compliance problem.

The patient may even forget where they kept the pill container or in certain cases, such as old age or dementia patients, may be either unable to properly operate or understand the workings of the pill container.

The issue of non-compliance, forgetfulness still remains and are not solved by these systems.

Another problem is that elders purposely cheat the system and not take the pills as they may be fed up with the continuous intake of pills or just lost the desire to take the pills unless forced to do so, or reminded to do so—and the above systems do not provide a strong reminding or accountability mechanism to ease their taking of medication in proper dosage and on time.

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