Smart Bottle with Integrated Medication and Liquid Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Patients often forget to take their medications due to forgetfulness, misplacement, or lack of water, leading to non-adherence and reduced treatment efficacy, with existing solutions being bulky, inconvenient, or lacking programmability and comprehensive liquid storage.
Innovation Solution
A smart bottle with a microprocessor, speaker, lights, and GSM/Bluetooth connectivity for reminders, storage compartments for medications and liquids, and voice activation, allowing for wireless communication with caregivers and patient databases to ensure timely medication intake.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If automated dosage reminder devices are used, then medication adherence is improved, but device portability and ease of operation deteriorate due to bulky size and complex setup requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple functions (medication storage, liquid storage, reminder system, and communication capabilities) into a single integrated bottle device. This merging eliminates the need for separate reminder devices and water bottles, improving portability while maintaining adherence support through unified access to all features.
Solution Approach 2:
The smart bottle serves multiple purposes: storing medications, storing liquids, providing timed reminders, enabling two-way communication with caregivers, and tracking compliance. This multi-functionality replaces several separate devices, making the system more portable and easier to operate while maintaining or improving medication adherence.
2Volume of moving object
If limited storage devices are used, then device compactness is improved, but storage versatility and programmability deteriorate due to single medicine type storage and manual timer settings
Solution Approach 1:
The bottle incorporates multiple separate compartments within its compact structure: one for medications and another for liquids. This segmentation allows storage of different types of items simultaneously while maintaining a compact single-bottle form factor, enabling versatile storage without increasing overall device volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The device features programmable reminder settings that can be dynamically configured through wireless communication, allowing flexible adjustment of reminder times and frequencies. This dynamic programmability replaces fixed manual timers, providing adaptability while maintaining compactness through electronic control rather than mechanical components.
3Device complexity
If manual reminder configuration is required, then device simplicity is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to cumbersome setup steps for sick or elderly users
Solution Approach 1:
The smart bottle enables caregivers to remotely configure and adjust reminder settings through wireless communication without requiring the patient to perform manual setup. This self-service capability allows the device to be programmed remotely, eliminating cumbersome manual configuration steps for patients while maintaining simple operation through automated functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces a communication module as an intermediary between the patient, caregiver, and device settings. This intermediary enables remote configuration where the caregiver can set up and adjust parameters wirelessly, simplifying operation for patients who cannot perform manual setup while maintaining the ability to configure complex reminder patterns.
4Quantity of substance
If separate water bottles are required for medication intake, then medication storage is improved, but convenience deteriorates due to need to obtain water separately
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the water bottle function with the medication storage bottle into a single integrated device. This combining allows both medications and liquids to be stored together in the same portable unit, eliminating the need to carry or obtain separate water bottles while maintaining adequate storage capacity for both substances.
Solution Approach 2:
The smart bottle performs multiple functions including medication storage, liquid storage, and synchronized dispensing. This universality allows the single device to replace both a medication bottle and a water bottle, providing convenient access to both items simultaneously while maintaining storage capacity for adequate quantities of each.
Data Source
AI summary
A smart bottle used for storing liquids and medications is disclosed. The smart bottle includes electronics, memory, and a processor that causes alarms and reminders for user to take their medications in a timely manner.The bottle shaped smart bottle is essentially an electronic device with liquid and medication storage compartments. It includes speaker for providing audible alerts to the users as well as their caregivers. It also includes a microphone that can be used by the user or caregiver to provide instructions relating to the intake of medication or to assist patients that have hand or finger arthritis.The bottle has a longitudinal and circular body with a cap that can be twisted on/off at its top. The top, or the cap, is a smart cap that carries core intelligence and electronics. It comprises a microprocessor, in-built real-time clock, speaker and lights for intuitive alarms and microphone to hear the voice of user for ease of use.The microprocessor is communicatively coupled through an electronic circuit to a plurality of electronic components housed within the smart bottle. These include alarms, microphone, displays, transmitter for sending out information, and an antenna for wireless connectivity.The longitudinal main body of the smart bottle is circular in shape and includes a chamber for storing liquids, such as water or other liquid. It also has compartments on its front and back side for storing a plurality of pills and medications.The smart bottle is wirelessly connected to a server. It has the capability of connecting to a patient database to obtain all patient related information as well as medication information and hours of administration information. The smart bottle fetches prescription data automatically when linked to Pharmacy. At the time of intake for a pill, the smart bottle reminds user for respective dosages through use of lights or audio alarms. The smart bottle also sends alerts to a caregiver and stored adherence and compliance data to a server. To do so, the smart bottle uses the transmitter to send alerts to mobile phone for reminding the user to take the medication or to send an alert to a caregiver.The smart bottle also includes GSM and GPS modules. GPS mode allows the smart bottle to be located based on a GPS search. The GSM feature allows the user to make and receive calls from the smart bottle.One method of operating the features of the smart bottle is through maneuvering and selecting preferences in a mobile application that is communicatively connected to the smart bottle. Another method of operating the features of the smart bottle is by having the user speak into the microphone and providing instructions. The instructions being processed through a voice activation module that is communicatively connected to the processor for operating the features. These features include dialing a phone number, setting an alert, and asking for medication details.