Abstract:
The invention relates to a medicament dispensing device and system. In particular, the invention relates to a system having multiple containers capable of dispensing multiple medicaments. A center dispensing mechanism then actuates the containers release tray based on prscribed computer controlled settings.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The present application claims priority to and incorporates by reference U.S. Provisional Patent No. 62/064,611 filed on Oct. 16, 2014. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    The invention relates to a medicament dispensing device and system. In particular, the invention relates to a system having multiple containers capable of dispensing multiple medicaments. A center dispensing mechanism then actuates the containers release tray based on prescribed computer controlled settings. 
         [0003]    Many patients are required to take different combinations and amounts of medicaments at different times throughout the day. Compliance with such complicated dosage regimens is often challenging, and failure to follow the regimen can have significant adverse effects on the patient. 
         [0004]    This is especially the case with elderly patients, or others that may suffer from impaired mental capacity, judgment, or memory—whether that is a short term condition brought on by the condition being treated or a long term chronic situation. The complicated regiment can be difficult for anyone to follow and a particular challenge for those with the limitations set forth above. 
         [0005]    As a result, an improved apparatus and system for the delivery of medicaments is needed. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The invention is directed to a system for compiling and dispensing medicament dosages to a user or patient. The intended use of the system is to organize pills for persons such as the elderly or those who take many medications and distribute the pills or other dosage forms at a given time for the user&#39;s consumption, while regulating the pills the user is taking. 
         [0007]    An object of the present invention is such a system that substantially eliminates the problems of the prior art. These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to the following specification, drawings, and claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a container. 
           [0009]      FIG. 2  is a partially transparent perspective view of the container. 
           [0010]      FIG. 3  is a partially transparent perspective view of the container. 
           [0011]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a release slide. 
           [0012]      FIG. 4A  is a partially transparent perspective view of the container and release slide. 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a release device. 
           [0014]      FIG. 6  is a partially transparent perspective view of the container and release device. 
           [0015]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a frame. 
           [0016]      FIG. 8A  is a partially transparent perspective view of the frame. 
           [0017]      FIG. 8B  is a cross sectional perspective view of the frame taken along the line B-B shown in  FIG. 8A . 
           [0018]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a tray. 
           [0019]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the tray. 
           [0020]      FIG. 11  is a perspective view of the medicament dispensing device. 
           [0021]      FIG. 11A  is a view of a portion of the medicament dispensing device. 
           [0022]      FIG. 11B  is a perspective view of the medicament dispensing device. 
           [0023]      FIG. 12  is a perspective view of the medicament dispensing device. 
           [0024]      FIG. 12A  is a perspective view of the medicament dispensing device. 
           [0025]      FIGS. 13A-M  are wire frames of the computer display of the device. 
           [0026]      FIG. 14  is a schematic view of the network of the device. 
           [0027]      FIG. 15  is a partial perspective view of the frame, containers, and actuating system of the device. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0028]    The system generally performs four operations; namely, sorting; releasing; compiling; and dispensing any medicament such as a tablet, pill, capsule, caplet, and the like—which can be a medicine, drug, nutritional or dietary supplement, or vitamin, nutrient, or mineral. The system is designed to deliver a user&#39;s prescribed or desired dosage of one or more medicaments, and is particularly adapted to combine a plurality of different medicaments and deliver them to the user at specified amounts and time intervals. 
         [0029]    The system may also include a screen that serves as a graphic user interface similar to a cellular phone or tablet computer touchscreen to allow for computerized operation and configuration of the system. The system may be automated or manually operable. The system may include wireless communication elements enabling communication between the dispensation device and the user, family members or other caretakers, a pharmacist, a physician and/or a hospital or medical treatment facility remotely. 
         [0030]    The system may be secured from unauthorized access or use, such as by using a lockbox mechanism, passcode, or biometric identifiers, enabling only authorized personnel to add medicaments to the system, and to control the dispensed medicament dosage over time to avoid overusing one or more medicaments. 
         [0031]    The system includes a device, having a container, a release assembly, a compiling assembly, and a dispensing assembly, that distributes items in various dosage forms to a receptacle from which the user can obtain the medicament dosage. 
         [0032]    The container includes a sorting mechanism to ensure that one unit of the medicament is ready for dispensation at a time, while holding an entire prescription&#39;s worth of medicament in the body of the container. The sorting mechanism may be a generally spiral “tornado” structure, a baffle system, or other internal structure that results in one unit of the medicament being positioned to be dispensed at any given time. 
         [0033]    The container is coupled to a release assembly to facilitate the controlled release of one unit of the medicament. The release assembly may be any mechanism which can be controlled to release the medicament at a particular time or interval of time. The release mechanism may be a sliding mechanism, a spring-loaded mechanism, a rotating geared mechanism, a magnetically controlled mechanism, and the like. 
         [0034]    The medicament unit is released into a compiling and dispensing assembly which includes a receptacle, such as a tray or cup, for collecting medicament units once they are released from the container. The receptacle may be gravity-fed by a sloping path between the container/release assembly and the receptacle. Alternatively, the medicament units may be mechanically fed into the receptacle. The receptacle is secured within the device such that it cannot be removed prior to a pre-determined dispensation time. 
         [0035]    Once the medicament units are compiled in the receptacle according to the dosage, the receptacle dispenses the medicament dosage to the user at the appropriate time by automatically sliding the receptacle away from the device so that the dosage units are accessible to the user. Alternatively, the device may alert the user that a dosage is ready to be dispensed (for example by emitting an alarm or sending a signal to a remote wireless device), and the user can manually slide the receptacle away from the device to obtain the medicament dosage. Once the medicaments are removed from the receptacle, it may be slid back into the device, ready to receive the next medicament dosage. 
         [0036]    Each element of the device may be coupled to a communication system to indicate proper functioning or to warn of any malfunctions. The communication system may be shared by any number of entities, so that a patient&#39;s use of the device to obtain the proper dosage of medicaments at the proper time can be closely monitored. For example, if the patient does not take the prescribed dosage at the correct time, the device may alert a physician or family member that the patient has not complied with the dosage instructions. The patient may also receive a notification on a cellular phone or other device to remind them to take their medication. 
         [0037]    The device is programmed to obtain the correct combination of medicament units, in the correct amounts, and dispense the dosage at the correct time. 
         [0038]    The device may also be programmed to require the user to take certain steps prior to dispensing the medication. For example, if a particular medicament should be taken with food, the device may first ask the user to confirm that they have eaten before the medicaments are dispensed. If the medicament should be taken on an empty stomach, the device may send the user a pre-dispensation notification to not consume anything for a period of time before the medicaments are dispensed. 
         [0039]    The device may also alert the user or others that a particular medicament will need to be refilled soon, and may send the doctor or pharmacy a prescription refill request. The user then may take the device to the doctor or pharmacy to be refilled so that the dosage regimen may continue uninterrupted. 
         [0040]    The device may include one container/release assembly, but in a preferred embodiment, the device includes at least two container/release assemblies that are coupled to the compiling/dispensing assembly to provide the user with the appropriate dosage of at least two different medicaments. Other embodiments include 3, 4, 5, 6, or even more container/release assemblies in the device. Of course, each container need not be filled, so for example, a 4-container device could be used to dispense the appropriate dosage of three different medicaments. 
       Container 
       [0041]    One embodiment of the container is shown in  FIG. 1 . The container  12  is dimensioned to sufficiently hold a full prescription&#39;s worth of medicaments, and has an interior structure to collect and sort the medicament so that one unit of the medicament can be released at a time through an exit port  14  at positioned at the bottom of the container  12 . Other embodiments may include an exit port  14  on a side of the container  12 . The container  12  may include a cover  32 , or a lockable cover  32 , as seen in more detail below. 
       Release Mechanism 
       [0042]    In certain embodiments, the release mechanism  18  is positioned under the container  12  and can be moved by a computer-controlled motor to align an opening in the release mechanism  18  with the exit port  14  of the container  10  to release one medicament unit. An example of a sliding release mechanism  18  is shown in  FIG. 4 , and an example of a rotating release mechanism  18  is shown in  FIG. 5 . 
       Frame 
       [0043]    The interior structure of one embodiment of the device includes a frame  20  for receiving four container/release assemblies, as seen in  FIG. 7 . This embodiment of the frame  20  includes a sloping pathway to compile medicament units into the dispensing receptacle  22 . Other frames  20  for receiving more container/release assemblies are contemplated by the invention. The frames  20  can be housed in a case  26 , as will be shown in greater detail below. 
         [0044]    A different embodiment of a frame  20  for supporting six containers  12  is shown in  FIG. 8 . This is a circular frame  20  which also uses sloping pathways to compile medicament units into the receptacle  22 . 
       Tray/Receptacle 
       [0045]    Embodiments of the receptacle  22  for receiving and dispensing the medicament dosage are shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 . The trays  24  shown are designed to sit flush with outer wall of the device until a predetermined time to open, then slide out or can be slid out for retrieval of dispensed medicaments. 
       Case 
       [0046]    The containers  12 , frame  20  and tray  24  may be housed in a case  26 , as shown in the embodiments of  FIGS. 11 and 12 . The case  26  includes the location of the user interface  28  described above, and includes an opening  30  through which the tray  24  or other receptacle may be easily slid into an open and a shut position either automatically or by the user. The case  26  may be integral with or separate from the frame  20 . As seen in these embodiments, the container  12  includes a cover  32  (marked with an “X” in the figures) which may be locked once the container  12  has been filled with the medicament units. The entire case  26  includes a cover  16 , which may also be locked to prevent unauthorized access to the medicaments. 
       User Interface 
       [0047]    As described above, the system includes a user interface similar to a cellular phone or tablet computer touchscreen. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, such an interface allows for many levels of communication between the device and the user, and can be used to list the medicaments contained in the device, the list of alarms, pharmacy and doctor contact information, a password secured sign-in for the user and others who may need access to the medicament dosage such as a personal attendant, and the like. The interface may include a log of the medicaments dispensed, and the log and other information may be automatically transmitted to a remote location such as a hospital, family member, and the like. 
         [0048]    An example of user interfaces is shown in  FIGS. 13 a   - m.  Other interfaces and interface sequences are contemplated by this invention. 
       Network 
       [0049]    The device may be wirelessly connected to remote receivers or similar devices to monitor compliance with the dosage regimen. One example of a network configuration is shown in  FIG. 14 . This network configuration may include the device connected to the internet through a cellular tower connection or IEEE 802.xx—WIFE or WI-MAX. The device may have remote access for the user interface as well as for an Administrator interface. The device may send out an alarm or an alarm sequence for various issues or conditions. An example of an alarm sequence may occur when the user has not dispensed medication within a set time period, with a first alarm being sent to the user at, for example 30 minutes, a second alarm being sent to the administrator or a family member at, for example, 45 minutes, and a third alarm being sent to the doctor at, for example, 60 minutes. 
         [0050]    Through the network configuration, the device may have the ability to notify a pharmacy of the need for a refill of a particular medicament. 
         [0051]    Other network configurations and alarm sequences are contemplated by this invention. Examples of various aspects of the device and system are shown in the following figures, which are intended solely to exemplify certain embodiments of the invention and in no way limit the full scope of the invention. 
         [0052]    In particular,  FIG. 1  shows a container  12  of the device which comprises a medicament dispensing unit, having an exterior and interior. The center cavity is exposed to allow access to the sorting mechanism in the interior. 
         [0053]      FIG. 2  shows in dashed lines the interior of the container  12  in which is located the sorting mechanism  34 —comprised of a generally spiral “tornado” structure. The sorting mechanism  34  is wide at the top to accommodate a large number of medicaments, but comprises various narrowing turns and twists that restrict the flow of the medicament such that only the desired number of medicament reach the bottom of the mechanism  34  such that the measured release of medicament matches the desired dose. Most commonly that would be one medicament dose at a time. The medicament is released from the sorting mechanism  34  at the exit port  14  at the bottom of the container  12 . 
         [0054]      FIG. 3  shows container  12  including the exit port  14 , which is the final release point from the sorting mechanism  34 . The exit port  14  is sized to ensure the release of the proper does. The invention can include a plurality of ports  14  of different sizes that may be exchanged during set up to match the size of the medicament. 
         [0055]      FIG. 4  shows a release slide  36  that fits into a slot at the bottom of the container  12 . The release slide  36  can be pulled out by a user at the prescribed time and the proper does of the medicament is in the exit port  14 .  FIG. 4 a    shows the release slide  36  partially removed to allow the user to access the medicament. When in this position the bottom of the sorting mechanism  34  is covered by the release slide  36  to ensure that the medicament can only be dispensed into the exit port  14 . 
         [0056]      FIG. 5  shows an alternative release device  40  that is comprised of a circular gear with teeth that can engage with a driving device to turn the release and move the dose in the exit port  14  to an opening in the container  12  to allow the user to remove the medicament dose. This embodiment of the invention can include a powered driving device to automatically move the release device  40 . 
         [0057]      FIG. 6  shows the release device  40  of  FIG. 5  in combination with the container  12 . 
         [0058]      FIG. 7  shows a container frame  20 , wherein the containers  12  described above can be placed into the frame  20  to provide the ability to dispense multiple medicaments. The bottom of the frame  20  includes a sloping pathway  42  that would lead to a tray  24  having exit ports  14  for each container  12 . The tray  24  would fit into the slot  44  at the bottom of the frame  20 . 
         [0059]      FIGS. 8 a  and 8 b    shows an embodiment of the invention having a circular frame  20 , which is again designed to receive multiple containers  12 , and also includes a sloping pathway  42  leading to an opening  44  that accommodates the tray  24 . 
         [0060]      FIGS. 9 and 10  show the trays  24  for the rectangular and circular frames  20  (respectively). 
         [0061]      FIG. 11  shows a case  26  having a rectangular frame  20  therein for storing multiple containers  12  therein. A tray  24  can be inserted into the slot  30  is located at the bottom side of the container  12  (see  FIG. 11 a   ). Each container  12  includes a hinged cover  32  (marked with an X).  FIG. 11 b    shows a smaller version of the case  26  and rectangular frame  20  with containers  12  therein and the tray  24  in the open position. The user interface touch screen is also shown. 
         [0062]      FIGS. 12 and 12   a  show the circular case  26 , internal frame  20 , and containers  12 , with the tray  24  in the closed and open position. The touch screen is also shown. 
         [0063]      FIG. 15  shows the portion of the system that dispenses medicaments from the multiple container frames  20 . In particular, the system utilizes a linear motion system to move an actuator  46  on a rail  48 . The rail is  48  mounted in the center of the containers  12  equidistant from the containers  12 . The rail  48  includes a raised ridge with tapered sides that mates with a slot on the bottom of the actuator  46 . The actuator  46  moves along the rail  48 . The actuator  46  further comprises a threaded push rod  50  that when turned moves perpendicular to the rail  48 . The actuator  48  spins the push rod  50  which then engages the slide release  36  (see  FIG. 4 ). The slide release  36  is biased into a position that covers the bottom of the spiral sorting mechanism  34 . The push rod  50  moves the slide release  36  back so that that the exit port  14  in the center of the slide release  36  aligns with the bottom of the sorting mechanism  34  and allows a dose of medicament to be released onto the sloped pathway  42  which gravity feeds the medicament to the tray  24  (see  FIG. 9 ). The actuator  46  is under computer control and can therefore actuate any combination of container release trays  24  and prescribed by the user through the interface software. 
         [0064]    While a linear actuator is described, the actuator can take a variety of other forms, including the use of a belt drive to move the actuator, a stepper motor, gear drives, ball screws, and the like. 
         [0065]    The circular container  12  can use a similar dispensing system. In one embodiment, the actuator can rotate rather than mover linearly, but still use the push rod to engage the release trays  24 . Alternatively, a series of gears can be used to engage and rotate the release tray  24  shown in  FIG. 5 . 
         [0066]      FIGS. 13 a - m    are wire frames of various user interface touch screens.  FIG. 13 a    shows a screen that includes an alarm shut off feature, which would allow the user to shut off an alarm which indicates that it is time for the user to take a medicament. The screen includes an alarm list pad where the user can view and set alarms, a contact screen that allows the user to view and set emergency or medical contacts, and a tab to dispense additional medicament in case the device does not deliver a dose. There is also a sign in screen to allow for user identification. 
         [0067]      FIG. 13 b    includes a log screen where the device shows activity relating to the dispensing of medicaments. The screen can be accessed from a tab on a home screen or elsewhere. 
         [0068]      FIG. 13 c    shows a contact information screen, which for example can be used to show doctor and pharmacy screens. 
         [0069]      FIG. 13 d    shows a login screen that requires the user to enter a username and password to access the interface/device. 
         [0070]      FIG. 13 e    shows a general/home screen with tabs to access the various screens described herein. 
         [0071]      FIG. 13 h    shows a patient/user information screen, which allows for entering in information about the person that will be administered medicament. 
         [0072]      FIG. 13 i    shows a date and time screen, which allows the user to set the date and time; however, the date and time can be automatically set through a wireless connection. 
         [0073]      FIG. 13 j    shows a configuration screen that allows for locking and unlocking the device, and as well a tab to go to a screen that allows for configuring the medicament types, amounts, and frequencies of distribution. 
         [0074]      FIG. 13 k    shows a log screen where the device tracks activity for tracking purposes. 
         [0075]      FIG. 13 l    shows a verification code screen, where a medical professional or person assigned to a user can monitor compliance. 
         [0076]      FIG. 13 m    shows an error screen, or a screen that can display particular acts of note. 
         [0077]      FIG. 14  is a block diagram of the networked structure of the device. The device can communicate wireless with other devices. For example, the device can allow the user to access the device from a cell phone, or allow medical/pharmacy professionals to receive alerts or otherwise monitor in real-time the user&#39;s activities for emergency and/or compliance purposes. 
         [0078]    It is to be understood that the foregoing descriptions and specific embodiments shown herein are merely illustrative of various embodiments of the invention and the principles thereof, and that modifications and additions may be easily made by those skilled in the art without departing for the spirit and scope of the invention, which is therefore understood to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.