Apparatus for dispensing pharmaceutical products, over-the-counter drugs, supplements and the like

Abstract

The present patent for industrial invention describes an apparatus for dispensing pharmaceutical products, over-the-counter drugs, supplements and the like, particularly suitable for use by polytherapy patients. The described apparatus comprises, in the essential form thereof, a container suitable for containing a plurality of pharmaceutical products, means adapted to dispense pharmaceutical products and a control unit configured to control said dispensing means. The container of the apparatus consists of several elements which are also described in detail with the aid of drawings, the relative movement of which allows the contents of individual chambers containing pharmaceutical products to be dispensed, providing the patient with the necessary products in an automatic and safe manner, thus ensuring adherence to the prescribed therapy.

Description

[0001] APPARATUS FOR DISPENSING PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTS, OVER-THE- COUNTER DRUGS, SUPPLEMENTS AND THE LIKE

[0002] The patent of the present invention relates to an apparatus for the automated dispensing of pharmaceutical products, over-the-counter drugs, supplements and the like. In particular, the apparatus is intended for use by polytherapy patients.

[0003] Therapeutic adherence is defined by the WHO (World Health Organization) as "the patient ’s ability to follow a therapy for its entire duration in light of the conditions and indications agreed with the doctor and regarding doses, times and frequency of taking pharmaceutical products and in adapting to a correct lifestyle".

[0004] Low therapeutic adherence, in particular the poor respect of intake doses, times and frequency of the pharmaceutical products envisaged by a therapy, is an extremely widespread and worrying phenomenon, both in Italy and in the rest of Europe. According to a WHO estimate, only 50% of patients follow therapeutic adherence.

[0005] The costs induced by therapeutic non-adherence are considerable. According to the OECD (“Health at a glance: Europe 2018"), the direct and indirect costs potentially preventable in Europe are estimated at 125 billion euros / year. Furthermore, according to the OECD, non-adherence to pharmaceutical products is associated with almost 200,000 deaths per year in Europe.

[0006] The number of chronic polytherapy patients, in particular the elderly, is very high: according to the OsMed 2019 report, polytherapy is extremely common in the elderly population with an average of 30% over 65 (about 4.2 million) who use 10 or more substances at the same time and 40% (about 5.6 million) who use between 5 and 9. Therefore, in total, almost 10 million chronic elderly polytherapy patients use 5 or more medicines daily, about % of the Italian population.

[0007] The constant aging of the population certified by ISTAT and the forecasts of further aging in the years to come, with a consequent increase in chronic elderly polytherapy patients, together with the low average therapeutic adherence, makes a strong increase in therapeutic adherence urgent.

[0008] The analysis of the background art for the technological systems supporting therapeutic adherence on sale today has shown that there are essentially three types of offers:

[0009] A. apps that help the patient with the correct intake of medicines by means of acoustic warnings and family members and caregivers to supervise and check that the patient does as envisaged; B. rigid disposable plastic matrices with hermetically sealed trays, each containing the single administration (of one or more tablets or capsules) and the printed indication of the content and correct administration time, prepared by service centers with expensive industrial equipment;

[0010] C. tear-off rolls of sealed disposable sachets, containing the single administration (of one or more tablets or capsules) and the patient's name and correct administration time printed, prepared with expensive industrial equipment by service centers, or by pharmacies that conduct this function via clusters of pharmacies.

[0011] Type A offer is quite widespread and diversified, type B and C offers begin to be modestly present, sometimes in association with type A, although as reported, with significant costs for the necessary equipment. The costs of the machinery necessary for the preparation of matrices or sachets that a pharmacy or service center should buy vary between 45,000 and 250,000 euros.

[0012] However, all the solutions present on the market have a series of important limitations:

[0013] • fragmented or incomplete approach to the support process for achieving and maintaining therapeutic adherence. Some propose only support apps but with extremely poor and surely not user friendly and low-tech solutions for the patient. None includes an approach which comprehensively considers therapeutic adherence;

[0014] • low level of digitalization and automation of the patient side process. The solutions available on the market are very inadequate from the perspective of user experience, having only a visual and audible alarm on an elementary device for the withdrawal;

[0015] • control of correct intake is delegated to the same patient or to the caregiver;

[0016] • low usability resulting from the need to use apps installed on mobile phones with consequent significant technological barriers, especially for elderly patients;

[0017] • need for multiple purchases of machinery in the case of multiple patients, as may occur in accommodation facilities for the elderly, or simply in homes in which there is more than one polytherapy patient;

[0018] • inability to manage pharmaceutical products other than tablets or capsules, i.e., sachets and drops.

[0019] Given the solutions currently on the market, the technical problem arising is to ensure therapeutic adherence in polytherapy patients by providing a solution that is easy to use by both the patient and third parties.

[0020] The patent of the present invention intends to overcome the technical problems just described, providing at the same time a user friendly and more efficient solution with respect to the known solutions. The present patent describes an apparatus 100 for the automatic dispensing of pharmaceutical products, over-the-counter drugs, supplements, and the like. The present invention is described as a preferred non-limiting embodiment of further developments within the scope of the invention itself. In the description, reference will sometimes be made generically to "pharmaceutical products", meaning by this term drugs, over-the-counter drugs, supplements, and the like. The description is supported by the accompanying drawings showing the following figures:

[0021] • Figure 1 is an isometric overall view of the apparatus 100 at rest (la), in the final step of dispensing pharmaceutical products in the collecting cup 51 (lb) and in the final step of dispensing pharmaceutical products from a drawer 61 (1c);

[0022] • Figure 2 is an exploded view of some elements of apparatus 100;

[0023] • Figure 3is an isometric view of the container 10 from above (3a) and from below (3b);

[0024] • Figure 4 is an exploded view of the container 10;

[0025] • Figure 5 is a section of the container 10 in a first configuration in which the rotation of the elements contained therein (5a) is prevented, and in a first configuration in which the rotation of the elements contained therein (5b) is possible;

[0026] • Figure 6 is an isometric view (6a) and sectional front view (6b) of container 10 without the lid 15;

[0027] • Figure 7 is an isometric view from below (7a) and from above (7b) of the inner body 11 ;

[0028] • Figure 8 is an isometric view from below (8a) and from above (8b) of the frame 12;

[0029] • Figure 9 is an isometric view from above (9a) and from below (9b) of the first inner disc

[0030] 13;

[0031] • Figure 10 is an isometric view from the bottom section of the second inner disc 14;

[0032] • Figure 11 shows isometric views of the central body 20 (I la, l ib), from above (11c) and side (l id);

[0033] • Figure 12 is an isometric view from above (12a) and from below (12b) of the central body 20 and other adjacent elements;

[0034] • Figure 13 is a front (13a) and side (13b) view of the central body 20 and other adjacent elements;

[0035] • Figure 14 is an isometric view of the collecting cup 51 and the movable platform 511 from below (14a) and from above (14b);

[0036] • Figure 15 is an isometric view of the drawer 61 from below (15a) and from above (15b) when arranged to contain a vial; • Figure 16 is an isometric view of the drawer 61 from below (16a) and from above (16b) when prepared to contain sachets;

[0037] • Figure 17 is an insertion mode of the travel container 58 in isometric view.

[0038] The apparatus 100, shown overall in Figures 1 and 2, falls within the class of small household appliances, as it is designed to operate on electric current, generally supplied at home, and be used, in fact, at home or in facilities which ensure assistance such as nursing homes, care facilities, assisted living facilities, care centers, rehabilitation centers, hospices, hospitals, private clinics, and similar facilities.

[0039] However, the proposed apparatus 100 also has a battery-powered embodiment.

[0040] The present patent describes an apparatus 100 for dispensing pharmaceutical products, over-the-counter drugs, supplements, and the like comprising:

[0041] • a container 10 suitable for containing a plurality of pharmaceutical products, over-the- counter drugs, supplements, or the like, said container 10 comprising a plurality of chambers 111, each configured to contain at least one pharmaceutical product, over-the- counter drug, supplement or the like;

[0042] • means for dispensing said pharmaceutical products, over-the-counter drugs, supplements, and the like from said container 10;

[0043] • a control unit 90 configured to control said means adapted to dispense said pharmaceutical products, over-the-counter drugs, supplements, and the like.

[0044] The apparatus 100 dispenses the pharmaceutical products contained in container 10, shown in Figure 3, by said dispensing means. The control unit 90 is configured to control said dispensing means, allowing the dispensing of the pharmaceutical products present in the container 10 upon existence of conditions imposed by a user. The apparatus 100 may comprise more than one control unit 90.

[0045] Said conditions must concern the pharmaceutical products to be taken and the time or frequency of taking each drug, as well as the specific doses required for each administration.

[0046] Therefore, the container 10 has the capacity to contain several pharmaceutical products, allowing the dispensing, even simultaneously, of more than one drug, meaning with this term also over-the-counter drug, supplement, and the like.

[0047] With reference to Figures 6a and 6b, container 10 comprises a plurality of chambers 111 , each configured to contain pharmaceutical products. The presence of several chambers 111 make it possible to dispense, at different times, the contents of different chambers 111. For example, a patient may need to take one drug or set of pharmaceutical products in the morning and a different drug or set of pharmaceutical products in the evening. By providing the container 10 with a plurality of chambers 1 1 1 , it is possible to dispense different pharmaceutical products or sets of pharmaceutical products at different times of the day. Similarly, different pharmaceutical products or different sets of pharmaceutical products can be dispensed between one day and the next, such as in the case where, for example, a patient must take a certain drug or a certain set of pharmaceutical products only a few times a week.

[0048] In a basic configuration of the apparatus 100, it can comprise several chambers 1 1 1, each configured to contain pharmaceutical products, and each loaded with a different drug. In this case, the apparatus 100 in question is configured to dispense the drug or set of pharmaceutical products, even coming from different chambers 1 1 1, based on the conditions set by the user regarding the pharmaceutical products to be taken, the position thereof inside the container 10, i.e., the chamber 1 11 corresponding to each type of drug, and the time or frequency of taking each drug.

[0049] Furthermore, each of the chambers 111 contains at least one or more pills, tablets, sachets, vials or ampoules.

[0050] In a preferred configuration, each chamber 11 1 contains an administration, i.e., the drug or set of pharmaceutical products that the patient must take at a certain time. In this case, the apparatus 100 directly dispenses the administration, i.e., the entire contents of a chamber 1 11 based on the conditions set by the user.

[0051] The pharmaceutical products that the apparatus 100 can dispense can be in different forms, such as pills, tablets, sachets, vials, or ampoules. In particular, reference is made to sachets, vials or ampoules that are small, such as to be able to be housed inside the chambers 1 1 1 of said container 10.

[0052] A further advantage is obtained when the apparatus 100 comprises connector means 200 to which said container 10 can be reversibly fastened by counter-connector means 30 so as to define a first configuration in which the container 10 is connected to said connector means 200 and a second configuration in which said container 10 is separated from said connector means 200. Said connector means 200 are shown in Figure 2, while said counter-connector means 30 are visible in Figure 3b.

[0053] In other words, the container 10 is removable, i.e., the container 10 can be removed from the apparatus 100, separating it from the connector means 200, and brought outside the apparatus 100 itself.

[0054] With reference to Figure 2, this allows the container 10 to be easily extracted from the apparatus 100 and refilled with the pharmaceutical products necessary for the patient. In fact, apparatus 100 has small dimensions, such that it can be stored on shelves, bookshelves, furniture, and the like. In this case, it is in fact particularly advantageous to be able to remove only the container 10, rather than moving the entire device, to store the pharmaceutical products necessary for the patient’s therapy in the chambers 111 of said container 10.

[0055] Further, said container 10 is reusable, whereby it can be filled at each therapeutic cycle, eliminating the waste produced for the use of the apparatus 100. In this case, the patient, or another person for him / her, such as a caregiver or the trusted pharmacist, can use the same container 10 and fill it at each therapeutic cycle.

[0056] In particular, the container 10 has a cylindrical shape. Said container 10 is therefore configured as a cylinder with much lower height than the diameter thereof, inside which chambers 111 are arranged. Such a shape has the advantage of being particularly versatile and compact.

[0057] As shown in Figure 6 and Figure 7, more specifically, said chambers 111 are separated by a plurality of radial inner walls 113 and concentric inner walls 114 with respect to the axis of said container 10. Thereby, in a preferred configuration, it is possible to define one or more circular crowns of chambers 111 , i.e., zones of said container 10 in which a plurality of chambers 111 with circular crown arc shape contributes forming at least one circular crown. In Figures 4 and 6, for example, three circular crowns of chambers 111 are visible.

[0058] Preferably, the chambers 111 belonging to the same circular crown have the same shape and volume.

[0059] The container 10 or parts of the container 10 thus made do rotate around their axis, bringing the chambers 111 from time to time involved in the dispensing process at an opening, hole, or window, from which the pharmaceutical products contained in said chambers 111 can be dispensed.

[0060] With reference to the accompanying figures, the container 10 in turn comprises:

[0061] • an inner body 11 in the form of a cylindrical band inside which the chambers 1 1 1 are located, said chambers 111 being separated by a plurality of radial inner walls 113 and two concentric inner walls 1 14,

[0062] • a frame 12 configured to contain the inner body 1 1 and consisting of a circular bottom plate 121 provided with an outer wall 122, said circular bottom plate comprising a shaped slot 123,

[0063] • a first inner disc 13, configured to be housed between the inner body 11 and a second inner disc 14, said first inner disc 13 being provided with three through-holes 131 arranged at, respectively, the three circular crowns determined by the two concentric inner walls 114 and so as not to be aligned along any radius of the first inner disc 13,

[0064] • said second inner disc 14, configured to be housed between the first inner disc 13 and the frame 12 and being provided with three through-holes 141 arranged at the three circular crowns determined by the two concentric inner walls 114, respectively, and so as not to be aligned along any radius of the second inner disc 14.

[0065] The inner body 11 is individually shown in Figure 7. It is a cylindrical band delimited by a circular outer wall 112 and inside which the chambers 111 are located, separated by the radial inner walls 113 and the two concentric inner walls 114 that precisely determine the formation thereof. Therefore, the chambers 111 of the inner body 11 are only laterally delimited since there is neither a bottom of the inner body 11 nor an upper wall.

[0066] The frame 12 in Figure 8, consisting, in the essential geometric elements thereof, of a circular bottom plate 121 and an outer wall 122, with such a diameter to be able to accommodate the inner body 11 therein. It is characterized by the presence of a shaped slot 123 thereon, shown in Figure 8. Thereby, when the frame 12 and the inner body 11 are coaxially inserted into each other, assuming that the chambers 111 of the inner body 11 contain pharmaceutical products, the relative rotation of the first inner disc 13, the second inner disc 14 and the inner body 11 allows the pharmaceutical products to fall through the shaped slot 123 of the frame 12, which instead is fixed with respect to the surroundings.

[0067] As seen in Figure 7, the two concentric inner walls 114 of the inner body 11 determine the formation of three circular crowns of chambers 111. The presence of three circular crowns of chambers 111 in the inner body 11 determines the need for the presence, for each circular crown, of a through-hole 131 in the first inner disc 13 and a through-hole 141 in the second inner disc 14.

[0068] Generalizing, for N concentric inner walls 1 14, the formation of N+l circular crowns of chambers is determined, the emptying of which occurs by arranging N inner discs, each provided with N+l through-holes.

[0069] The first inner disc 13 and the second inner disc 14 are shown in Figures 9 and 10, respectively.

[0070] The rotation of the first inner disc 13 occurs by virtue of an external connector 33, shown in Figures 3b and 4. Said external connector 33 is on one side thereof rigidly engaged to the first inner disc 13 by suitable fastening means and, on the opposite side, reversibly fastenable to an external coupling 23, pertaining to a portion of the apparatus 100 called the central body 20 and shown in Figure 11. The external coupling 23 is actuated, by means of a suitable mechanism, by an electric motor 231 , the rotation of which allows the external coupling 23 and, consequently, the external connector 33 and the first inner disc 13 to be moved.

[0071] Similarly, the rotation of the inner body 11 occurs by virtue of an internal connector 31, shown in Figures 3b and 4. Said internal connector 31 is on one side thereof rigidly engaged to the inner body 11 by suitable fastening means and, on the opposite side, reversibly fastenable on an internal coupling 21, belonging to the central body 20 and shown in Figure 11. The internal coupling 21 is actuated, by means of a suitable mechanism, by an electric motor 211, the rotation of which allows the internal coupling 21 and, consequently, the internal connector 31 and the inner body 11 to be moved.

[0072] Preferably, the mechanism actuated by the electric motor 211 for the movement of the inner body 11 comprises a gear wheel 212 with straight teeth. Similarly, the mechanism actuated by the electric motor 231 for the movement of the inner disc 13 comprises a gear wheel 232 with straight teeth. The gear wheel 212 and the gear wheel 232 are shown in Figure 11.

[0073] The movement of the second inner disc 14 instead occurs by virtue of a pinion 22 controlled by an electric motor 221 , shown in Figure 11. Such a pinion 22 is configured to move the second inner disc 14 around the axis thereof by means of a semicircular toothed gear 142 integral with said second inner disc 14 and shown in Figure 10.

[0074] Advantageously, the apparatus 100 also comprises a support element adapted to support said internal coupling 21 and external coupling 23 and a support base 24 configured to support the apparatus 100 and in which said support element is perpendicular to said support base 24. A preferred configuration envisages that the support element is a shaft engaged to said support base 24 by means of a ball bearing 25.

[0075] The rotation of the inner body 11 of the first inner disc 13 and of the second inner disc 14 with respect to the frame 12 is enabled or disabled by a pin 126 arranged radially with respect to the frame 12. Figures 5a and 5b show, respectively, the container 10 when the rotation of the elements present therein is disabled and enabled.

[0076] In Figure 5a, the pin 126 is visible which, from the outer wall 122 of the frame 12, is inserted in specific seats present in the inner body 11, the first inner disc 13 and the second inner disc 14, blocking the rotation thereof. The pin 126 is held in such a position by means of a spring 127.

[0077] Figure 5b instead shows the configuration in which the pin 126 is retracted with respect to the seats in the inner body 11, the first inner disc 13 and the second inner disc 14, allowing the rotation thereof. The movement of the pin 126 occurs by means of a magnet 128 integral therewith. The magnet 128, attracted by a further magnet 129 outside the container 10, moves the pin 126 away from the seats in the inner body 11, the first inner disc 13 and the second inner disc 14.

[0078] In a preferred configuration, the container 10 is covered by a lid 15, as shown in Figure 4. Said lid 15 consists of a plate and an outer edge 151, said outer edge 151 being of a diameter equal to that of the frame 12. The lid 15 is anchored to the frame 12 by means of a plurality of snap elements 124 present on the outer wall 122 of the frame 12, shown in Figure 4 and Figure 6, which engage on specific grooves 152 of the lid 15 itself.

[0079] Figure 4 further shows a plurality of magnets 153 integral with the lid 15 in the lower part thereof, i.e., the inner part, configured to align with as many magnets 154 integral with the frame 12, in the inner part thereof. Magnets 153 and magnets 154 allow the lid 15 to be positioned on the container 10 maintaining a correct alignment with the latter. Furthermore, such magnets 153 and 154 ensure an easy and solid stacking of different containers 10 in contexts where this is necessary, for example, for transport or at the pharmacy store or in a nursing home. Essentially, the containers 10 can be superimposed on each other and kept integral with each other by virtue of the magnetic force exerted by the magnets 153 and the magnets 154.

[0080] Advantageously, the closure of the apparatus 100 is also ensured by the presence of an outer lid 40, shown in Figure 1 b and 1 c. The outer lid 40 is conveniently provided with magnets, placed in the inner part thereof, fixed to the outer lid 40 to ensure a correct alignment of the elements of the apparatus 100.

[0081] In particular, the pharmaceutical products fall into a collecting cup 51 , located at the shaped slot 123. The collecting cup 51 therefore has the task of collecting what is dispensed.

[0082] Advantageously, the collecting cup 51 is placed on a movable platform 511, to which it is reversibly anchored. Therefore, the collecting cup 51 can be manually withdrawn from the movable platform 511, shown in Figure 12. Once the pharmaceutical products have been collected, the collecting cup 51 can be put back on the movable platform 511.

[0083] Advantageously, the reversible anchoring between the collecting cup 51 and the movable platform 511 occurs by means of a magnet placed on the same movable platform 51 1 and configured to engage a corresponding magnet present on the bottom of the collecting cup 51 itself.

[0084] The mobility of the collecting cup 51 has the intrinsic advantage of allowing the removal of the cup, for example, for the washing thereof, to bring it to a zone where water is available, sometimes necessary for the intake of pharmaceutical products, or to be able to easily transport the dispensed pharmaceutical products. The latter operation may be necessary, for example, if the pharmaceutical products are collected by a caregiver, who must then bring them to the patient. In a particular configuration, particularly advantageous for safety reasons, the collecting cup 51 cannot be withdrawn from the movable platform 511 thereof, except in the presence of a pharmaceutical product therein.

[0085] In a further particularly advantageous configuration shown in Figure 14, said movable platform 511 is connected or integral, by suitable fastening means, to two racks 52. Said rack 52 is moved by a pair of pinions 53 integral with a first pulley 54, a motion transmission element 55 and a second pulley 56, controlled by an electric motor 57, visible in Figure 13b. The movement of the rack 52 determines the advancement of the movable platform 511 and, consequently, of the collecting cup 51 , as shown in Figure 1 b. Thereby, once the pharmaceutical products are dispensed into the collecting cup 51 , the content thereof is directly available.

[0086] In a further particularly advantageous configuration of the apparatus 100, this further comprises:

[0087] • at least one drawer 61 configured to contain at least one pharmaceutical product among sachets, vials, or ampoules;

[0088] • means suitable for dispensing pharmaceutical products from the at least one drawer 61.

[0089] The presence of one or more drawers 61 advantageously allows the pharmaceutical products provided in the form of sachets, vials or ampoules or the like to be stored in a dedicated zone. This solves a significant technical problem, namely that of dispensing pharmaceutical products supplied in the form of sachets, vials or ampoules or the like, with standard dimensions.

[0090] In such a case, advantageously, the container 10 can be reserved for containing pills and tablets.

[0091] An example of drawers 61 is shown in Figures 15 and 16, which respectively show drawers adapted to specifically contain a vial and sachets.

[0092] Conveniently, the drawers 61 dedicated to accommodating a vial, such as that of Figure 15, can be provided with a support 611 configured to accommodate a vial and keep it in a given position with respect to the drawer 61 itself.

[0093] The drawers 61 can be provided, therein, with separators 612 which allow defining zones inside the aforesaid drawers 61 dedicated to different pharmaceutical products in sachets, as shown in Figure 16. Said separators can be fixed or removable.

[0094] Advantageously, the supports 611 and the separators 612 can be provided with sensors adapted to verify the presence of sachets and vials in the relative seats.

[0095] In a preferred configuration, the apparatus 100 is provided with two drawers 61. The sliding of the drawers 61 is controlled by two electric motors 64, shown in Figures 12 and 13, which each control a transmission mechanism 63 configured to move the rack 62.

[0096] Therefore, when, for example, a sachet must be dispensed, the electric motor 64 will induce the movement of the rack 62, integral with the base of the drawer 61 in which the sachets are stored. The drawer 61 will then advance until reaching the configuration shown in Figure 1c, in which a door 611 is also visible.

[0097] Advantageously, the apparatus 100 comprises means for emitting visual and / or acoustic signals. This is particularly convenient for making the apparatus 100 even more user friendly and easy to use. In fact, the apparatus 100 will produce signals by said means for emitting visual and / or acoustic signals that are adapted to warn the user of the dispensing of the pharmaceutical products.

[0098] For example, when a drug is dispensed at the predetermined time or is about to be dispensed, the apparatus 100 can signal this by turning on an LED or emitting an audible warning, which can summon the user. In particular, the audible warning can be, for example, a ringtone of the type used for alarms or notifications. Furthermore, if the apparatus 100 is used by more than one user, the sound can be differentiated according to the user. In particular, different ringtones or ringtones comprising the name of the user related to the dispensing can be included. Further, for example, the use of visual warnings of a different color can be included based on the user related to the dispensing.

[0099] Furthermore, in a preferred configuration, the apparatus 100 is such that the control unit 90 is configured to communicate with a local processing system or with a remote server enabled to process data by means of machine learning (ML) or artificial intelligence (Al).

[0100] The advantage introduced by such a server is that it can also process data from other devices, such as wearable medical devices. By way of example, consider the case in which a diabetic patient regularly wears a glucose meter for blood glucose monitoring. If a glucose value is too high, the server, which receives data from the glucose meter, is capable of processing such data by means of Al or ML techniques, suggesting changes to the therapeutic plan dedicated to the patient and, if accepted, intervening on which drugs are dispensed and in what amount. In fact, the change to the plan may be subject to approval by the assigned personnel, alerted by specific notifications received on their App. In this case, the personnel can decide whether to proceed with what is suggested by the processing on a remote server or local system, or whether to proceed with further measurements of parameters useful for a considered decision.

[0101] In general, the control unit 90 communicating with the server then receives the dispensing data of the pharmaceutical products, i.e., the times corresponding to the dispensing of the content of each of the chambers 111. Similarly, the control unit 90 communicating with the remote server can send it the patient’s pharmaceutical product intake data. For example, the control unit 90 can send positive feedback to the remote server when the user withdraws the collecting cup 51 from the movable platform 511. Furthermore, positive feedback can be sent when a specific weight sensor, placed below the collecting cup 51, records that the pharmaceutical products dispensed in the collecting cup 51 itself have been withdrawn. Similarly, negative feedback regarding the withdrawal of pharmaceutical products from the apparatus 100 can be sent to said remote server.

[0102] The data exchange in both directions between the remote server and the control unit 90 allows improving the effectiveness of the apparatus 100, ensuring a control on the process of taking the pharmaceutical products and, therefore, on the patient’s therapeutic adherence. Said data exchange preferably occurs in an encrypted manner.

[0103] A further improvement in apparatus 100 is obtained when said remote server also exchanges data with an application for a mobile and / or fixed device, optionally provided with a voice assistant. This advantageously allows connecting the apparatus 100 to different types of devices. In particular, mobile device means a portable device, such as a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet, a smartwatch, a mobile device provided with Al or the like. For example, fixed devices are fixed computers or fixed devices provided with a voice assistant, such as those described below. A suitably designed application capable of dialoguing with said remote server can be installed on said mobile and / or fixed devices. Devices provided with a voice assistant mean devices on which a virtual assistant is installed, i.e., software which interprets natural language and can dialogue with users in order to provide information or perform certain operations. Some examples of such voice assistants are:

[0104] • Siri® (owned by Apple Inc®), commonly installed on mobile devices (such as iPhone®, iPad®, Mac®, Apple Watch®) and fixed devices (such as Apple TV®);

[0105] • Amazon Alexa® (owned by Amazon.com, Inc®), commonly installed on fixed devices such as Amazon Echo®, Amazon Echo Dot®, Amazon Echo Show®, Amazon Echo Pop®;

[0106] • Google Assistant® (owned by Google LLC®), commonly installed on fixed devices such as Google Home®.

[0107] A suitably designed application capable of dialoguing with said remote server and capable of using said voice assistant can also be installed on said devices provided with a voice assistant.

[0108] As mentioned, said devices provided with a voice assistant can be mobile devices, such as mobile phones, or fixed devices, for example, Amazon Echo Show®. The suitably designed applications can be used to obtain numerous benefits for both the patient and the caregiver, the patient's relatives and the healthcare personnel.

[0109] Advantageously, the mobile device application can be used to configure the apparatus 100 to define the dispensing times of the pharmaceutical products, to generate filling tables of the container 10, to check the correct filling of the container 10, to collect feedback related to the intake of the pharmaceutical products, to generate statistics regarding therapeutic adherence, to improve the control by relatives, healthcare personnel or caregivers of the patient’s therapeutic adherence, to provide notifications to the patient or relatives, healthcare personnel or caregivers, to indicate when it is necessary to reload the cartridge and for further purposes.

[0110] For example, the application can be installed on the smartphone of a patient's relatives. By means of said application, they can, for example, monitor the dispensing of the pharmaceutical products of their loved ones and receive notifications in case a dispensing has not been withdrawn, in order to act accordingly.

[0111] Further advantages lie in the use of the application for devices provided with a voice assistant. In fact, said devices provided with a voice assistant can generate sound and / or visual alerts to help the patient, interacting in an even more intuitive and direct manner with the user.

[0112] For example, the voice assistant can call the patient by name at the time of dispensing, inviting them to approach the apparatus 100 for collecting the pharmaceutical products. Furthermore, the voice assistant can remind the patient if the withdrawal of the pharmaceutical products has not occurred within a certain time interval. Furthermore, the voice assistant, if installed on a device provided with a screen, can show information related to the pharmaceutical products, or how to take them. Furthermore, in the event of non-intake, the voice assistant can ask the patient to answer some questions. For example, the voice assistant can ask the patient if they need assistance and, if so, send a signal to the remote server, mobile device or control unit 90 to report said need to a third party.

[0113] In general, it should be noted that all non-limiting examples made regarding mobile devices can be reported for devices provided with a voice assistant and vice versa.

[0114] A further technical problem that the present invention solves is the need to distinguish among types of dispensing, if apparatus 100 is used by more than one patient. In fact, the possibility that said apparatus 100 may be used by more than one person is not remote. This can occur, for example, in a house where more than one polytherapy patient lives or in nursing homes, healthcare facilities or other similar facilities. In these cases, it becomes of fundamental importance to reconfigure the apparatus 100 so as to make it usable by more than one patient at the same time.

[0115] In a particularly advantageous configuration for these reasons, the apparatus 100 is provided to users in an assembly comprising, precisely, the apparatus 100 itself, a receiving device integral with the apparatus 100 and at least one identification device, suitable to establish an association therebetween, when placed near each other. The number of identification devices is clearly equal to the number of patients using the same apparatus 100, as each of said patients must be provided with an identification device.

[0116] Having defined data associating each chamber 111 with an identification device and having provided said data to the control unit 90, the apparatus 100 dispenses the content of the chambers 111 according to the data provided to the control unit 90 only if the receiving device establishes an association with the identification device associated with the chamber 111 from which the dispensing occurs each time.

[0117] Thereby, pharmaceutical products, over-the-counter drugs, supplements and / or the like are only dispensed if the receiving device establishes an association with the identification device associated with the patient for which said pharmaceutical products, over-the-counter drugs, supplements and / or the like are intended.

[0118] Conveniently, the receiving device is an antenna placed inside the apparatus 100.

[0119] Furthermore, the identification device exploits NFC or RFID technology or other equivalent technology, integrating it into an easy to transport object. For example, the tag can be conveniently integrated on a bracelet, a key chain or a card.

[0120] A further application of said receiving device lies in the possibility of providing the container 10 with an NFC tag or an RFID tag or similar device, for the identification thereof inside the apparatus 100. In fact, it is essential that the container 10 placed in an apparatus 100 is exactly the one prepared for the patient using said apparatus 100. Therefore, a tag allows having a further control over the correctness of the procedures.

[0121] Advantageously, the apparatus 100 is provided in an assembly comprising the apparatus 100 itself and a second container 10. The presence of a second container 10, provided together with the apparatus 100, which already includes the presence of a container 10 therein, allows proceeding with the process of loading, i.e., filling, the second container 10 with the pharmaceutical products when the container 10 is still positioned inside the apparatus 100.

[0122] Furthermore, the apparatus 100 is provided in an assembly comprising the apparatus 100 itself and at least one travel container 58, shown in Figure 17. The advantage of said travel container 58 is that it can easily manage short periods staying outside the place where the apparatus 100 is located. Consider, for example, a polytherapy patient who, for a medical examination or for work or holiday, has to leave their residence for a few hours or a few days, in this second case also using several travel containers, where necessary. It is thereby possible to take advantage of one or more conveniently colored and / or differently numbered travel containers 58, in which to easily dispense and transport the pharmaceutical products which are needed.

[0123] Said travel container 58, shown in Figure 17, is provided with chambers 581 similar in shape to the chambers 111 present in the inner body 11. Advantageously, the presence of the chambers 581 allows differentiating the different intakes, dispensing the content of a chamber 111 in the corresponding chamber 581.

[0124] As required, the travel container 58 is inserted into the apparatus 100 in place of the collecting cup 51 to allow pharmaceutical products to be dispensed inside said chambers 581. Like the collecting cup 51, the travel container 58 is provided with a magnet such as to ensure a stable engagement with the movable platform 511.

[0125] Advantageously, the travel container 58 comprises a further magnet positioned on an edge, so as to be able to detect the correct positioning on the movable platform 511 and correct any misalignments of the travel container 58.

[0126] The travel container 58 also has, in the upper and lower part, a pair of magnets so as to allow the stacking of several travel containers 58, keeping them firmly in place with each other.

[0127] Once the chambers 581 have been filled with the doses indicated by the therapeutic plan for the period in which it is necessary to use one or more travel containers 58, each travel container 58 can be inserted into a specific case, provided with two elastic side clips which, together with the magnet positioned on an edge, will hold the travel container 58 containing the personalized doses in place.

[0128] Advantageously, the travel container 58 is made of a semi-transparent or transparent polymeric material.

[0129] Once extracted, the travel container 58, being semi-transparent or transparent, can be placed on the screen of the smartphone, from which a dedicated application will allow lighting up the compartment from which to withdraw the chamber 581 related to the dose scheduled for the administration date and the warning of which has also been displayed on the application itself, at the appropriate time. Therefore, the present invention further relates to an assembly comprising the apparatus 100, the travel container 58 and an application installed on a device provided with a screen and configured to control the lighting of said screen so that, by positioning the travel container 58 on the screen, the application selectively lights up one or more chambers 581 of the travel container.

[0130] Figure 2 shows a further accessory element of the apparatus called the LED module for loading 80, the purpose of which is to support the user in proceeding, in a completely autonomous manner, with the filling operations of the container 10. The LED module for loading 80 is integrated in the apparatus 100 and comprises a printed circuit board 81 on which a plurality of LEDs 82 is positioned. Said LEDs 82 are each positioned so as to illuminate, in a clear and nonmisleading manner, a different chamber 111 chosen in an adjacent portion of chambers 111 belonging to the three different circular crowns.

[0131] The LEDs 82 are controlled by one of the control units 90, which controls the illumination of the LEDs 82 based on the instructions to be given to the user for the manual loading of the pharmaceutical products inside the container 10. in fact, such LEDs 82 are positioned so as to face holes 125 present on the frame 12, to be visible by a user once the lid 15 of the container 10 is removed. Such holes 125 are configured to allow the insertion, in each one thereof, of transparent plastic elements integral with the frame 12 and of the same diameter as the holes 125, capable of allowing the passage of the light emitted by the LEDs 82. Advantageously, therefore, the first inner disc 13 and the second inner disc 14 are made of a material such as to allow the passage of the light of the LEDs 82, allowing the user to take advantage of the light indications provided by the LEDs 82 controlled by the control unit 90 to position the pharmaceutical products in the correct chamber 111.

[0132] If the number of LEDs 82 is less than that of the chambers 1 1 1 , as in the example shown in Figure 2, in which ten LEDs 82 can be seen, the loading of the pharmaceutical products in the chambers 111 occurs by rotating the inner body 11.

[0133] At the same time, said mobile device or said device provided with a voice assistant can interact with the user who, once a loading procedure is initiated, will be assisted by voice commands for filling the chambers 11 1. In particular, said mobile device or said device provided with a voice assistant will be able to communicate the content of each chamber 1 11 to the user, who will have to fill a specific chamber 11 1, signaled by one of the LEDs 82 controlled by the control unit 90.

[0134] In a further configuration, it is envisaged that the inner body 11 is loaded using a disposable blister pack, provided with the apparatus 100 as an assembly. It is particularly useful if the composition of the container 10 has to be delegated to healthcare personnel, such as the trusted pharmacist or authorized hospital staff. The latter can use the disposable blister pack to compose the administration set dedicated to a patient based on the therapy entrusted thereto. The patient, or another person for them, can periodically go to the pharmacy, or receive the disposable blister pack at home already filled as prescribed, and then insert it into the container 10 so that the content of the disposable blister pack is deposited in the chambers 111 of the inner body 10.

[0135] The disposable blister pack has chambers of a geometry suitable to be inserted into the chambers 111 of the container 10. In particular, the chambers of the disposable blister pack are similar to the chambers 111 of the container 10 in shape, volume and arrangement, but slightly smaller so that flat separation sections are created between adjacent chambers. Thereby, the disposable blister pack can be inserted directly into the inner body 11.

[0136] The disposable blister pack, once filled, is sealed for pharmaceutical product storage and transportation purposes, using a specific plastic layer. Such a plastic layer can be, for example, a film that adheres, by means of a further adhesive layer, to the joining lines between the chambers of the disposable blister pack.

[0137] To facilitate the process of depositing the contents of the chambers of the disposable blister pack in the chambers 11 1 of the inner body 11 , the chambers of the disposable blister pack have pre-cut lines that facilitate the separation of the individual chambers of the disposable blister pack. For ease of manufacturing, use and disposal, said disposable blister pack is made of plastic material adapted to contain food and drugs. If necessary for the separation of the chambers, the pre-cut lines must also be present on the plastic layer.

[0138] Once the disposable blister pack is inserted into the inner body 1 1, the pre-cut lines of the disposable blister pack will be at the radial inner walls 1 13 and concentric inner walls 114 of the inner body 11. By applying light pressure on the disposable blister pack, the pre-cut lines are broken and the various chambers of the disposable blister pack separate, positioning themselves, together with the pharmaceutical products contained therein, into the chambers 111 of the container 10. This operation makes the pharmaceutical products available inside the chambers 1 11 and the apparatus 100 can regularly dispense them.

[0139] In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the described method is adapted to the use of the same apparatus 100 by more than one patient. In such a case, the method comprises the following steps:

[0140] • Arranging a receiving device integral with the apparatus 100; • Preparing N identification devices, each of them being suitable to establish an association with said receiving device when placed near it;

[0141] • Defining data associating each chamber 11 1 with an identification device and providing said data to the control unit 90; • Dispensing the contents of the chambers 111 according to the data provided to the control unit 90 only if the receiving device establishes an association with the identification device associated with the chamber 111 from which the dispensing occurs each time. Furthermore, the method just described can advantageously be such that the dispensing of said pharmaceutical products, over-the-counter drugs, supplements and / or the like is accompanied by the emission of visual and / or acoustic signals emitted by the apparatus 100, by a mobile device and / or by a device provided with a voice assistant.

[0142] Conveniently, the method can comprise a further step including emitting visual and / or acoustic signals adapted to signal anomalous situations, for example, failure to withdraw what has been dispensed, by means of the apparatus 100, a mobile device and / or a fixed device, optionally provided with a voice assistant. Again, by way of example, further anomalous situations could include an attempt to withdraw the products by a user other than the one expected, or a withdrawal of the dispensed products much later than the expected intake time.

Claims

CLAIMS1. Apparatus (100) suitable for being stored in a domestic environment comprising:- a container (10) suitable for containing a plurality of drugs, over-the-counter drugs, supplements or the like, said container (10) comprising a plurality of chambers (111), each suitable for containing at least one drug, over-the-counter drug, supplement or the like;- means for dispensing said drugs, over-the-counter drugs, supplements and the like from said container (10);- a control unit (90) to control said means for dispensing said drugs, over-the-counter drugs, supplements and the like, said container (10) in turn comprising- an inner body (11) in the form of a cylindrical band, inside which the chambers (11 1) are located, said chambers (111) being separated from each other by a plurality of radial inner walls (113) and by two concentric inner walls (1 14), arranged so that said chambers (1 11) have the shape of a circular crown,- a frame (12) adapted to contain said inner body (11) and formed of a circular bottom plate (121) provided with an outer wall (122), said circular bottom plate comprising a shaped slot (123),- a first inner disc (13) configured to be housed between said inner body (11) and a second inner disc (14), said first inner disc (13) being provided with three through holes (131) arranged, respectively, in correspondence with the three circular crowns defined by said two concentric inner walls (114) and so as not to be aligned along any radius of said first inner disc (13),- said second inner disc (14) adapted to be housed between said first inner disc (13) and said frame (12) and being provided with three through holes (141) arranged, respectively, in correspondence with said three circular crowns defined by said two concentric inner walls (114) and so as not to be aligned along any radius of said second inner disc (14), the apparatus (100) being characterized in that, by rotating the inner body (1 1), the first inner disc (13) and the second inner disc (14) about their respective axes and independently of one another, it is possible to define a plurality of configurations such that, in each of these configurations, a single chamber (111) is aligned with one of the through holes (131) of the first inner disc (13), one of the through holes (141) of the second inner disc (14) and the shaped slot (123).

2. Apparatus (100) according to the previous claim, comprising:- an external connector (33) being, on one side, rigidly engaged to the first inner disc (13) by suitable fastening means and, on the opposite side, being capable of being reversibly anchored to an external coupling (23) which, by means of a suitable mechanism actuated by an electric motor (231), allows the external connector (33) and the first inner disc (13) to rotate about their axis,- an internal connector (31) being, on one side, rigidly engaged with the internal body (11) by suitable fastening means and, on the opposite side, being capable of being reversibly anchored to an internal coupling (21) which, by means of a suitable mechanism actuated by an electric motor (211), allows the internal connector (31) and the internal body (11) to rotate about their axis.

3. Apparatus (100) according to the previous claim, comprising a pinion (22) driven by an electric motor (221) and adapted to move the second inner disc (14) about its axis by means of a semicircular toothed gear (142) integral with said second inner disc (14).

4. Apparatus (100) according to any of the previous claims, wherein the content of the chambers (111) is discharged into a collecting cup (51) disposed on a movable platform (511) to which it is reversibly anchored.

5. Apparatus (100) according to any of the previous claims, comprising a LED module (80) for loading, which in turn comprises a printed circuit board (81) on which a plurality of LEDs (82) is positioned, said LEDs (82) each being positioned so as to lighten a different chamber (111) selected from a portion of adjacent chambers (1 1 1) leading to the three different circular crowns defined by the concentric inner walls (1 14).

6. Apparatus (100) according to one or more of the previous claims, comprising:- at least one drawer (61 ) configured to contain at least one pharmaceutical product among sachets, vials or ampoules,- means for dispensing drugs, over-the-counter drugs, supplements or the like from said at least one drawer (61).

7. Apparatus (100) according to any of the previous claims, comprising N concentric inner walls (114), N+l circular crowns of chambers (111) and N inner discs, each having N+l through holes.

8. Apparatus (100) according to one or more of the previous claims, wherein the at least one control unit (90) is configured to communicate with a local processing system or remote server capable of processing data using machine learning or artificial intelligence techniques.

9. Assembly comprising the apparatus (100) according to any of the previous claims, including claim 5, and a travel container (58) comprising a plurality of chambers (581) and configured to be positioned on the mobile platform (51 1) in place of the collecting cup (51).

10. Assembly according to the previous claim, further comprising a software application installed on a device provided with a screen, such as by way of example a smartphone, and configured to control the lighting of the screen such that, when the travel container (58) is placed on the screen, the application selectively illuminates one or more chambers (581) of the travel container to indicate correct administration.

11. Assembly comprising the device (100) according to any of the previous claims, and a disposable blister pack comprising a plurality of chambers of suitable shape for insertion into the chambers(111) of the container (10), the chambers of the disposable blister pack having pre-cut lines such that they can cause the chambers to separate when the disposable blister pack is inserted into the container (10) and a light pressure is applied to the disposable blister pack.

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