Patent ID: 9636273
Date: 2017-05-02
CPC Classifications: A61J

Claim:
1. A medication-tracking device comprising: a storage mechanism adapted to securely store a plurality of doses of a medication prescribed to a patient, wherein the patient may access the entire plurality of doses of the medication without restriction as to when or where the medication may be accessed, even in a manner inconsistent with lawful compliance to a prescribed regimen; a dose distribution mechanism adapted to dispense a dose of the medication; a time identification mechanism adapted to identify the time for which the dose distribution mechanism dispenses a dose of the medication; an absolute location identification mechanism adapted to identify the absolute location at which the dose distribution mechanism dispenses a dose of the medication; a relative location identification mechanism adapted to identify the relative location of the patient with respect to the dose distribution mechanism at the time the dose distribution mechanism dispenses a dose of the medication; and a communication mechanism adapted to automatically report the time and absolute location information identified by the time and absolute location identification mechanisms to a central processor distinct from the medication-tracking device, wherein the communication mechanism and the absolute location identification mechanism are triggered to report when a dose of the medication is dispensed from the dose distribution mechanism, wherein the central processor uses behavioral algorithms to analyze the reported time and location information, wherein the behavioral algorithms are adapted to analyze the risk of drug diversion or misuse based on the reported time and location associated with each dose of medication dispensed by the dose distribution mechanism and wherein repeated deviations from acceptable use of the medication-tracking device result in the central processor suggesting blocking of additional prescribing of the medication to the patient.