Patent ID: 11875886
Assignee: APTARGROUP, INC.
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G  A | IPC A  G

Claim 0:
1. A respiratory device monitoring system for monitoring the use of an inhaler, the inhaler having a hollow inhaler body that is L-shaped and which includes a mouthpiece section at a first end of the inhaler body and an opening at a second end of the inhaler body with an opening diameter that is larger than an outer diameter of a canister thereby accepting a canister in the inhaler body, the canister containing an inhaler medication that is actuated by pressing a top of the canister to move the canister inwards into the inhaler body to provide a medication dose, wherein the length of the inhaler body is selected such that the canister top and a length of the canister adjoining the canister top protrude from the inhaler body opening, the inhaler body further including an internal inhaled-air passage located from the inhaler body opening and extending through the mouthpiece, wherein the inhaled-air passage is located in a space between the inhaler body and a canister mounted in the inhaler body, wherein the inhaler is configured so that both the inhaler medication and the inhaled-air passage are connected to the mouthpiece at a point of convergence whereby a user who inhales through the mouthpiece will inhale both the medication dose from a canister and air through the inhaled-air passage, the monitoring system comprising:
a tracking module comprising a shell that has a shell body mounted around the inhaler body between the mouthpiece and the inhaler body opening, the shell not covering the inhaler body opening, the shell having a tracking module processor to which are connected a tracking module non-transient memory, and a tracking module communications component, the shell also including a tracking module battery, wherein the battery is connected to provide electrical power to the processor, the memory, and the communications component;
wherein the shell further includes a dose sensor connected to the shell and extending to the top of the canister to sense pressure applied to the top of the canister to actuate the canister to provide a medication dose through the mouthpiece of the inhaler, the dose sensor providing a dose signal when it has sensed said actuation pressure, wherein the dose sensor does not cover the opening of the inhaler body;
wherein the tracking module processor is in communication with the dose sensor and is programmed to receive a dose signal from the dose sensor, and to store the received dose signal in the tracking module memory;
wherein the shell further comprises an extension portion to which is mounted an air flow sensor wherein the extension portion has a length so that the air flow sensor is located within the inhaled-air passage of the inhaler body, wherein the air flow sensor detects a flow of air in the inhaled-air passage when a user inhales through the inhaler for a medication dose, the air flow sensor providing air flow data in response to detecting air flow drawn through the inhaled-air passage when a user of the inhaler inhales;
wherein the tracking module processor is in communication with the air flow sensor and is programmed to receive the inhaled-air data from said sensor and to store the inhaled-air data in the non-transient memory; and
an application program stored in a local device that is in communication with the tracking module communications component, the application program configured to program the local device to communicate with the tracking module processor to request stored dose data and inhaled-air data to be transmitted to the local device, wherein the application program further programs the local device to receive the transmitted dose data and inhaled-air data.