Abstract:
The present invention is method for switching a power supply associated with an instrumented medication package, such that energy contained in the power supply can be preserved until the instrumented medication package is dispensed to a patient. The switch may be formed by providing an exposed discontinuity on a trace forming a conductive path between the power supply and circuitry associated with the instrumented medication package. Bridging the discontinuity, such as by placing a conductive element across the discontinuity, allows the power supply to be conductively connected to the circuitry, such that the circuitry can perform its desired function.

Description:
The present patent application is a continuation in part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/901,475, filed Jul. 9, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,574,166 which is a continuation in part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/611,582, filed Jul. 7, 2000, now registered as U.S. Pat. No. 6,411,567. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention pertains to the control of power within an instrumented medication package, and more particularly to the creation of an inexpensive means for allowing a power supply circuit to be completed when an instrumented medication package is dispensed. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Medication packages which utilize electronic circuitry to provide functionality in association with the medication package are being developed as a means to improve the effectiveness of the medicine contained within the packaging, as well as to assist in the prevention of ill effects associated with the improper usage of the medication. The electronic circuits integrated with the medication packaging may utilize a power supply to provide electrical potential to allow the circuits to function. Present power supplies are limited, however, in that power supplies provided by the manufacturer of a medication package may be required to sit on a shelf for a protracted period of time before the medication package is dispensed to a patient. If the circuitry is active while the package sits on a shelf, the power supply may be exhausted before the package is ever dispensed to a patient. Accordingly, one prior art reference has described providing a charger at a pharmacy to allow the power supply to be recharged immediately before the package is dispensed. Although this may ensure that the power supply on the medication package is charged, this method also requires pharmacists to begin charging a medication several hours before the package is dispensed, thus limiting the ability to dispense medication on a walk in basis. A patient would be prevented from walking into the pharmacy, prescription in hand, and walking out a short period later with medication in an instrumented medication package. Alternately, the provision of a removable power supply or supplies, limits the efficiency with which the instrumented medication packaging can be produced, as well as increases the cost of the packaging. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is an instrumented medication package having a switched power supply for circuitry associated with the instrumented medication package, such that energy contained in the power supply can be preserved until the instrumented medication package is dispensed to a patient. The switch may be formed by providing an exposed discontinuity on a trace forming a conductive path between the power supply and circuitry associated with the instrumented medication package. Bridging the discontinuity, such as by placing a conductive element across the discontinuity, allows the power supply to be conductively connected to the circuitry, such that the circuitry can perform its desired function. 
     The present invention may be embodied in an instrumented medication package having a power supply, circuitry for monitoring at least one condition associated with the instrumented medication package, and a connective path between said power supply and said circuitry, where a switch is provided to interrupt the connective path between the power supply and the instrumented medication package circuitry. 
     The present invention may also be embodied in an instrumented medication package, where the connective path includes an exposed discontinuity, such that a bridging element may be placed across the discontinuity to complete the circuit between the power supply and the instrumented medication package circuitry. The bridging element may be a switch label having a conductive side, such that placing the conductive layer across the discontinuity will complete the circuit. Additionally, the reverse side of the switch label may be an insulative material, such that the switch label may be placed across the discontinuity with the insulative material covering the discontinuity, such that an electrical path is not completed, but the discontinuity is protected. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a notional printed circuit scheme for an instrumented medication package. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates the notional circuit scheme of the instrumented medication package shown in  FIG. 1  to which a protective layer has been applied, allowing exposed contacts suitable for use in accordance with the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a removable label suitable for alternately protecting and bridging the contacts shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
         FIG. 4  shows a cross-sectional view of an instrumented medication package and a switch label such as shown in  FIG. 3 , wherein the switch label is in a circuit deactivated orientation. 
         FIG. 5  shows a cross-sectional view of an instrumented medication package and a conductive label such as shown in  FIG. 3 , wherein the switch label is in a circuit activated orientation. 
         FIG. 6  shows a reusable switch label suitable for alternately bridging first and second sets of contacts. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     For the purposes of the present description, the present invention is described in association with an instrumented medication package as described in Applicant&#39;s U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/611,582, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,411,567 and Applicant&#39;s U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/901,475. These references are herein incorporated in their entireties by reference thereto. The specific embodiments of the instrumented medication package as described in Applicant&#39;s previous patent applications are not intended to limit the scope of the presently claimed invention. 
     In  FIG. 1 , wherein like numbers represent like elements, there is shown an instrumented medication package  102  utilizing printed circuitry  104  to locate severable conductors  106  over the openings  108  of a plurality of medication containment cells (not visible in view shown). As previously disclosed, a barrier layer  110  may be located over a blister package having a plurality of containment cells. The barrier layer  110  may form a closure over the containment cells, protecting medication contained in the cells from environmental effects. 
     Severable conductors  106  may be formed by printing conductive traces  112  over the containment cells, such that an individual accessing medication contained in the cells severs the conductive traces  112 , causing a discontinuity in the conductive traces  112 . The conductive traces  112  may be printed to allow contact pads  114  to be formed, allowing monitoring and communications circuitry formed in a separate chip (not shown) to be located over the pads  114 , allowing the presence of a severed severable conductor to be communicated to the chip. 
     As shown in Applicant&#39;s U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/901,475, a power supply  116  for providing energy circuitry  104  on the instrumented medication package  102  may be provided on the side of the instrumented medication package  107  from which containment cells extend, such that the use of surface area on the instrumented medication package may be maximized. Conductive leads  118 ,  120  extending from the power supply  116  may extend through the instrumented medication package, allowing the power supply package  116  to provide energy to a chip on the opposite side of the instrumented medication package. 
     A first power supply trace  118  used for conducting electrical energy from the power supply  116  to circuitry may be provided with a discontinuity  122 , while a second power trace  120  may be complete between the power supply  116  and the instrumented medication package circuitry  104 . The presence of the discontinuity  122  prevents the electrical energy of the power source  116  from being conducted to the circuitry  104 . The discontinuity  122  may be printed over a second block of insulative material  124  to space the discontinuity away from the barrier layer  110 . The discontinuity  122  may be formed by skipping printing for a portion of the path the first power supply trace would otherwise take. The ends  126 ,  128  of the skipped portion may be provided with oversize pads  130 ,  132  to provide improved contact with a conductive element, should it be desired to energize the circuitry  104  of the instrumented medication package  102  by connecting the power supply  116  to the circuitry  104 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , a protective layer  202  may be placed over conductive traces  112  (not visible in present view), such that the traces  112  cannot be adversely affected during shipment or handling. A window  204  through the protective layer  202 , exposing the discontinuity  122 , may be provided to allow the discontinuity  122  to be bridged, such as by the addition of a conductive element (not shown) across the discontinuity  122 . A mechanical switch such as a toggle switch may be joined to the pads to allow completion of the circuit, however the use of such a switch may reduce the efficiency of the packaging. Alternately, an adhesive, such as a pressure sensitive adhesive  206 , may be placed around the perimeter  208  of the window  204 , to allow an additional membrane or layer to be releasably attached to the instrumented medication package  102 . 
     Where the instrumented medication package  102  is formed with a layer of adhesive  206  for attaching a conductive layer across the discontinuity  122 , it may be beneficial to protect the adhesive  206  from being exposed to dirt prior to placement of a conductive element (not shown) across the discontinuity  122 . A protective cover (not shown) may be provided, such that the protective cover covers the adhesive  206 , the exposed ends  126 ,  128 , and the discontinuity  122 , while remaining only weakly bonded to the adhesive  206 , such that the protective cover can be removed from the adhesive  206  without damaging or disturbing the adhesive  206  to the extent that adhesion of a conductive element to the instrumented medication package  102  would be prevented. Furthermore, as humid air may provide a sufficiently conductive path to allow a slow depletion of the power supply if the discontinuity  122  were exposed to the air for an extended period, the use of the protective layer as a barrier between the discontinuity  122  and the environment may extend the shelf life of the power supply. 
     Where the reverse surface of the protective cover is formed from a conductive material, reversal of the protective cover may provide the conductive element, such that the protective cover may be removed from the instrumented medication package, reversed, and re-adhered to the instrumented medication package  102  as a means of connecting the power supply  116  to the circuitry  104 . Additionally, the side of the label in contact with the instrumented medication package when the switch label is in the on position may be treated to make the bond between the label and the instrumented medication package permanent. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , an element for electrically bridging the discontinuity  302  may be formed by a membrane  304  having an insulative layer  306 , formed of an electrically non-conductive material, and a conductive layer  308 , formed from an electrically conductive material, where each layer forms an outer surface  310 ,  312  to the completing membrane or “switch label”  304 . The insulative layer  306  of the switch label  304  may extend beyond the borders  312  of the conductive layer  308 , while the conductive layer  308  may form the conductive element. The two outer surfaces  310 ,  312  of the switch label  304  may be provided with indicia  314  (not shown) to indicate when the switch label  304  is positioned to complete the discontinuity  122 . 
       FIG. 4  shows a switch label  304  which has been adhered to the instrumented medication package  102  with its insulative layer  306  facing the power supply trace discontinuity  122 . When the insulative layer  306  of the switch label  304  is placed in contact with the power supply trace ends  126 ,  128 , the discontinuity  122  in the power supply trace  118  is not completed, preventing the power supply  116  from being discharged. If the “off” indicia  316 , as shown in  FIG. 3 , are placed on the side of the switch label  304  on the same side as the side exposing the conductive layer  308 , the switch label  304  when attached to the instrumented medication package  102  will display the “off” indicia  316  when the instrumented medication package  102  is viewed. 
     In  FIG. 5 , a switch label  304  is shown adhered to the instrumented medication package  102  with its conductive layer  308  facing the power supply trace  118  discontinuity  122 . When the conductive layer  308  of the switch label  304  is placed in contact with the power supply trace ends  126 ,  128 , the discontinuity  122  in the power supply trace  118  is completed by contact between the conductive layer  308  and the power supply trace ends  126 ,  128  at the edges of the discontinuity  122 . The use of pads  130 ,  132 , expanding the surface area of the ends  126 ,  128  of the power supply trace  118  at the edges  502 ,  504  of the discontinuity  122  increase the surface contact between the conductive layer  308  and the ends  126 ,  128  of the power supply trace  118 . By raising the ends  126 ,  128  of the trace at the edges  502 ,  504  of the discontinuity  122 , such as by placing a block  124  of insulative material as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , contact between the conductive layer  308  and the ends  126 ,  128  of the power supply trace  118  adjacent to the discontinuity  122  may be improved, improving the reliability of the switch label  304  as a means for alternately connecting or disconnecting the power supply  116  to the instrumented medication package  102  circuitry  104 . Additionally, indicia  314  signifying the “on” position of the switch label may be displayed when the instrumented medication package  102  is viewed. 
     As shown in  FIG. 6 , a switch label may be formed to allow alternate actuation of a first  602  or a second  604  set of contacts. Such a configuration may be useful when different circuits (i.e.,  606 ,  608 ) are used at different times, such as when passive radio frequency identification circuitry is used before an instrumented indication package  102  is dispensed, while active circuitry is used and after the package  102  is dispensed. A first side  610  of switch label  612  could have a conductive outer layer  614  positioned to contact the first set of contacts  602 , while the reverse side  616  of the switch label  612  could have a conductive layer  618  positioned to contact the second set of contacts  604 . Indices  620  could be provided to indicate correct orientation of the switch label  612  on the package  102  to ensure that the correct set of contacts are bridged based on the side of the switch label applied. 
     The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms than the embodiments described above without departing from the spirit or essential attributes of the invention. Accordingly, reference should be made to the appended claims, rather than the foregoing specification, as indicating the scope of the invention.