Patent ID: 8193918
Filing Date: 2012-06-05
Classification: A61J

Abstract:
1. A medication dispensing system, comprising: a body including a bottom housing and a top bezel that movably overlies and is selectively secured over the bottom housing, the bottom housing having a plurality of orifices arranged in a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, each of the orifices being constructed and arranged to respectively receive each of a plurality of cups, wherein the cups are each sized and arranged to store a plurality of pills therein that collectively define a single dose of medication to be taken by a user at a single corresponding predetermined time, and each include a bottom, sidewalls and an open top, at least a portion of each of the cups defining a light transmissive material, wherein the top bezel includes a plurality of openings that are each respectively aligned with each of the orifices and each respectively surround each of the cups when the top bezel overlies the bottom housing, each of the openings being covered by a hinged lid that is movable by the user between a closed position that covers a respective one of the cups and an opened position that allows access by the user to, and removal of, the one of the cups from a respective one of the orifices, at least a portion of a rim of each lid defining a light-transmissive material confronting the respective one of the cups; an illumination source located respectively within each of the orifices at a position that, when illuminated, transmits light through the respective one of the cups in a manner of a light pipe and into the portion of the rim of the lid confronting the respective one of the cups; a sensor switch located with respect to each of the orifices that detects when the respective one of the cups is either present or absent from the respective one of the orifices so as to determine when the respective one of the cups has been removed therefrom; a circuit located within the bottom housing that monitors each sensor switch, and that correlates the monitored state of each sensor switch with respect to a pre-programmed schedule, and provides, in response to the correlation, a signal in the form of illumination of one the illumination source with respect to the one of the orifices in which the single dose is scheduled to be taken by the user at the single corresponding predetermined time; and a network interface located at least in part in the bottom housing, operatively connected to the circuit and a communication network that delivers a status of including whether the respective one of the cups has been removed from the orifice at a time in which the illumination source located in the respective one of the orifices is illuminated.