Patent Publication Number: US-2016235911-A1

Title: Remotely activated drug delivery systems, vibratory drive mechanisms, and methods

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. provisional application No. 62/115,285 filed Feb. 12, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to drug delivery systems for administering medication. More specifically, but not exclusively, the present invention concerns drug delivery systems and vibratory drive mechanisms. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Currently it may be difficult for elderly, young, or incapacitated patients, such as those with, for example, dementia, Alzheimer&#39;s, extreme invalids, and certain handicaps, to timely and accurately take their medications. Patients often forget to take their medication on time or take the wrong amount of medication. Even when patients do timely and accurately take their medications they may tell their doctor the wrong information regarding when they took their medication and how much medication they took. Thus, a better mechanism for delivering medication and keeping records of that medication delivery is needed. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Aspects of the present invention provide drug delivery systems, vibratory drive mechanisms, and methods for using the drug delivery systems and vibratory drive mechanisms. 
     In one aspect provided herein is a drug delivery system including an activation module, a vibrating mechanism electrically coupled to the activation module, a pumping mechanism connected to the activation module, a reservoir, and an injection mechanism coupled to the reservoir by at least one fluid pathway. The at least one fluid pathway extending through the pumping mechanism. 
     In another aspect, provided herein is a vibratory drive mechanism including an activation module, a vibrating mechanism electrically coupled to the activation module, and an actuation mechanism coupled to the vibrating mechanism. 
     In yet another aspect, provided herein is a method of using a remotely activated drug delivery system, the method includes positioning the remotely activated drug delivery system on a patient. The method also includes sending an activation signal to the remotely activated drug delivery system to administer an injection. The method may further include receiving the activation signal in the remotely activated drug delivery system. The method may also include processing the activation signal to deploy an injection mechanism of the remotely activated drug delivery system to deliver a medication to the patient. Further, the method includes retracting the injection mechanism once the medication is delivery to the patient. 
     These, and other objects, features and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the various aspects of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the detailed description herein, serve to explain the principles of the invention. The drawings are only for purposes of illustrating preferred embodiments and are not to be construed as limiting the invention. It is emphasized that, in accordance with the standard practice in the industry, various features are not drawn to scale. In fact, the dimensions of the various features may be arbitrarily increased or reduced for clarity of discussion. The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a top perspective view of a drug delivery system with a transparent housing, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a side view of the drug delivery system of  FIG. 1  with a transparent housing, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a partially exploded side perspective view of an activation module and pumping membrane system, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a front perspective view of the activation module and pumping membrane system of  FIG. 3  at the start of activation, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a side perspective view of the activation module and pumping membrane system of  FIG. 3  near the end of activation, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of another drug delivery system, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of an activation module and switching mechanism for the drug delivery system of  FIG. 6 , in accordance with an aspect of the present invention; 
         FIG. 8  is a computing environment utilizing aspects of the present invention; 
         FIG. 9  is a workflow diagram of one method of using the drug delivery system, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention; 
         FIG. 10  depicts one or more aspects of an EIR terminal utilized in an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 11  depicts one embodiment of a single processor computing environment to incorporate and use one or more aspects of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 12  depicts one embodiment of a computer program product incorporating one or more aspects of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
     Generally stated, disclosed herein are drug delivery systems and vibratory drive mechanisms. The drug delivery systems herein may be remotely activated. Further, methods of using the remotely activated drug delivery systems and vibratory drive mechanisms are discussed. 
     In this detailed description and the following claims, the words proximal, distal, anterior, posterior, medial, lateral, superior and inferior are defined by their standard usage for indicating a particular part of a device according to the relative disposition of the device with respect to a body or directional terms of reference. For example, “proximal” means the portion of a device nearest the point of attachment, while “distal” indicates the portion of the device farthest from the point of attachment. As for directional terms, “anterior” is a direction towards the front side of the device, “posterior” means a direction towards the back side of the device, “medial” means towards the midline of the device, “lateral” is a direction towards the sides or away from the midline of the device, “superior” means a direction above and “inferior” means a direction below another object or structure. 
     Referring to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to indicate like or analogous components throughout the several views, and with particular reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , there is illustrated a drug delivery system  100 . The drug delivery system  100  may be remotely activated. The drug delivery system  100  may include a housing  102 , a power supply  104 , an activation module  110 , a pumping membrane  120 , controller  130 , a motor  140 , a reservoir  150 , and an injection mechanism  160 . The injection mechanism  160  may be, for example, a needle, microneedle, cannula, flexible cannula, catheter, or the like for a subcutaneous injection or a tube, dispensing needle, or the like for topical application to the skin, a patch, or the like by dispensing a stream or drip of fluid. The power supply  104  may be positioned within the housing  102  and may include, for example, at least one battery or other power source  104 . The activation module  110  includes a receiver for receiving the activation signal, for example, telephone call and/or any voice, text, or other data communication over a wired and/or wireless communications network, known to one of skill in the art, and a vibration mechanism  112  positioned within the activation module  110 . The receiver in the activation module  110  may also include a transmitter (not shown) in order to communicate with external devices, such as a device sending the aforementioned communication over a network. The transmitter and the receiver may be a combined unit and/or a separate unit. The communication between the drug delivery system  100 , specifically, the activation module  110  and any external devices will be further explained in the context of  FIGS. 8-9 . 
     Returning to  FIG. 1 , the pumping membrane  120  may be positioned near a bottom of the housing  102 . The activation module  110  may be positioned over, in contact, and/or communicatively coupled with the pumping membrane  120 . The activation module  110  may also be communicatively coupled to the controller  130 , such that upon obtaining a communication (e.g., a phone call), the activation module  110  can communicate receipt of the communication to the controller  130 . The controller  130  may also be positioned within the housing  102  and may be, for example, a printed circuit board, including processing circuit, which may also be referred to as a processor and/or a microprocessor. This processor may execute computer program code, and through this execution, communicate with and control various mechanical components of the drug delivery system  100 , including but not limited to, the motor  140 . The computer program code executed by the processor may reside in a memory device internal to the housing  102 , for example, it may be part of the controller  130  and/or in the activation module  110 . The computer program code (which may also be referred to as software) may reside on one or more memory devices external to the housing  102 , but accessible to the processor, via a communications network. 
     As aforementioned, the motor  140 , which is also positioned within the housing  102 , and may be communicatively coupled to the controller  130 , may be configured to control the deployment and removal of the injection mechanism  160  from a patient. The reservoir  150  may also be positioned within the housing  102  and may be coupled to the injection mechanism  160  by a fluid pathway or channel  170 ,  180 . The fluid pathway  170 ,  180  may extend from the reservoir  150  passing through the activation module  110  and/or the pumping membrane  120  to couple to the injection mechanism  160  at the other end. The fluid pathway  170 ,  180  may be, for example, a single fluid pathway from the reservoir  150  through the pumping membrane  120  and to the injection mechanism  160 . Alternatively, the fluid pathway  170 ,  180  may be at least two fluid pathways, for example, a first fluid pathway  170  from the reservoir  150  to the pumping membrane  120 , then the fluid may be pumped by the pumping membrane  120  and out a second fluid pathway  180  from the pumping membrane  120  to the injection mechanism  160 . The reservoir  150  may be, for example, a flexible container or rigid container. The flexible containers may be, for example, a fill seal, blow fill seal, or the like which assist with fluid elution as stress is applied on the flexible container. The reservoir  150  may include, for example, a means for decompressing or means for releasing pressure (not shown) as the fluid is removed or pumped from the reservoir  150  to a patient. The means for releasing pressure may be, for example, a flexible or elastic reservoir container, a vented reservoir, a pressurized reservoir, or the like. The flexible reservoir container may be of the type that deflates as fluid is pumped out. The vented reservoir would allow for air to flow into the reservoir  150  as fluid flows or is pumped out of the fluid pathway, but would also prevent fluid from flowing out of the vent. The pressurized reservoir would allow for the pressure within the rigid reservoir  150  to be adjusted as fluid flows or is pumped out of the reservoir  150 . Alternative means for releasing pressure within the reservoir  150  as fluid passes into the fluid pathway  170  are also contemplated, for example, valves. 
     The drug delivery system  100 , as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , may be, for example, a patch pump that may be worn by the patient. In use, the system  100  would be activated by a medical professional by, for example, remotely connecting with the system  100  via a communication network to start the fluid or medication delivery. An example would be the system  100  having a designated telephone number  114  which could be called by the medical professional and/or may receive predefined data communication over a network, including at a designated port. This communication is further described in the context of  FIGS. 8-9 . When the system  100  receives the communication, which can include but is not limited to, a call, the activation module  110  will obtain this communication and the program code executed by the processor will obtain the communication and based on this communication, may actuate the motor  140  by rotating the arm  142  to release a spring  162  that is coupled to the injection mechanism  160 . When the spring  162  is released the injection mechanism  160  is moved to a deployed position, for example, driven into the patient or positioned to release medication for topical application on a patient. In addition, when the system  100  is activated, the activation module  110  begins to vibrate on top of the pumping membrane  120 . The pumping membrane  120  may be, for example, at least one of a pliable or flexible surface, which may be conical shaped, and is positioned over a rigid surface such that it forms a cavity which may be filled with air. The fluid pathway  170 ,  180  may extend through the cavity formed by the pumping membrane  120 . In an embodiment of the present invention, the activation module  110  may separately include a processor (not pictured), which may communicate with the controller  130 . In this embodiment, when the activation module  110  receives a communication, such as a call, the program code executed by the processor in the activation module  110  communicates with the controller  130  to actuate the motor  140  in the manner described above. The computer program code executed by the processor in the activation module  110  may be stored on one or more memory resources accessible to the processor via a communications connection, including but not limited to, a memory local to the device utilized to send the communication to the activation module  110 . 
     The vibration mechanism  112  in the activation module  110  vibrates to cause an up and down movement which transmits a pumping action to the pumping membrane  120 . As the pumping membrane  120  is activated the fluid or medication in the reservoir  150  is driven or pumped out of the reservoir  150 , through the fluid pathway  170 ,  180 , and through the injection mechanism  160  to the patient. As the fluid is pumped out of the reservoir  150 , the means for releasing pressure (not shown) is activated to compensate for the loss of fluid within the reservoir  150 . Once the programmed amount of medication from the reservoir  150  is delivered to the patient, the activation module  110  stops and the motor  140  reverses and extracts the injection mechanism  160  from the deployed position and the system  100  shuts off. Before the system  100  shuts off, it is also contemplated that the system  100  may send a report or data back to the medical professional who activated the injection cycle. The report or data may include, for example, time of injection, amount of medication, duration of injection, and the like to allow the medical professional to remotely monitor the patient&#39;s treatment schedule. 
       FIGS. 3-5  illustrate how the vibrating mechanism (not shown in  FIGS. 3-5 ) of the activation module  110  may be used to pump fluid out of a reservoir  150 . As illustrated, the vibrating mechanism of the activation module  110  is placed over a pumping membrane  120  with the pumping membrane  120  being secured over a cavity  122 . The cavity  122  is fluidly connected to the reservoir  150  by a fluid pathway  170 . Although not shown in  FIGS. 3-5 , the cavity  122  may also be connected or coupled to another fluid pathway to allow the medication or fluid in the reservoir  150  to pass through the cavity  122  and be administered directly to a patient. As shown in  FIGS. 4-5 , once the vibrating mechanism of the activation module  110  is placed over the pumping membrane  120  and activated, the vibrating mechanism begins to vibrate exerting a force on the pumping membrane  120 . The force exerted on the pumping membrane  120  causes the fluid  152  in the reservoir  150  to be driven or pumped from the reservoir  150  through the fluid pathway  170  into the cavity  122 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 6-7 , another drug delivery system  200  is shown. The drug delivery system  200  may be, for example, remotely activated. The delivery system  200  includes a housing  202  with a power supply  204 , an activation module  210 , a vibrating mechanism  220 , a controller  230 , a pump  240 , a reservoir  250 , an injection mechanism  260 , and an actuation mechanism  280 . The power supply  204  may be positioned within the housing  202  and may include, for example, at least one battery or other power source. The activation module  210  includes a receiver for receiving the activation communication, from for example, a telephone call and/or data communication, and at least one processor to send a signal to start an injection using the drug delivery system  200 . In a further embodiment of the present invention, the activation module  210  may also include a transmitter. As discussed above, a processor can be part of the controller  230  and/or part of the activation module  210 . The vibrating mechanism  220  is positioned in the housing  202  near the activation module  210 . The activation module  210  may be connected to the vibrating mechanism  220  by wires  212  or other circuitry components as known to one of skill in the art. The controller  230  may also be positioned within the housing  202  and may be, for example, a printed circuit board and may include a processor. The pump  240  is also positioned within the housing  202  and may be turned on by the controller  230  when the activation module  210  is activated. The reservoir  250  may be positioned within the housing  202  and may be coupled to a first end or inlet of the pump  240  by a fluid pathway  270 . The fluid pathway  270  may be, for example, a tube, channel, vial, syringe, or the like that allows for the passage of fluid from a reservoir  250  to injection mechanism  260  and/or pumping mechanism  240 . A second end or outlet of the pump  240  may be coupled to the injection mechanism  260  to allow for the fluid or medication from the reservoir  250  to be passed or pumped using at least one fluid pathway  270  to the injection mechanism  260  and to the patient. The actuation mechanism  280  may be coupled to the vibrating mechanism  220  at a first end and may engage the injection mechanism  260  at a second end. 
     The reservoir  250  may be of the type described above with reference to reservoir  150 , which will not be described again here for brevity sake. The pumping mechanism  240  may be, for example, a peristaltic pump, a rotary pump, or the like. For example, the peristaltic pump  240  would exert a force on the fluid pathway  270  to pump the fluid in the fluid pathway  270  through the injection mechanism  260  and to the patient. Alternatively, the rotary pump  240  would receive the fluid from the fluid pathway  270  in a chamber (not shown) within the pump  240 , move the fluid within the chamber to a second fluid pathway, and pump the fluid out the second fluid pathway and to the patient. 
     The actuation mechanism  280  is shown in greater detail in  FIG. 7 . The actuation mechanism  280  may include an activation arm  282 , a connecting member  286 , and a latch  290 . A second end of the activation arm  282  may be rotatably coupled to a first end of the connecting member  286  by a first pivoting mechanism  284 . The second end of the connecting member  286  may be rotatably coupled to a first end of the latch  290  by a second pivoting mechanism  288 . A first end of the activation arm  282  may be secured to a rotating mechanism  222  extending out from a side of the vibrating mechanism  220 . The activation arm  282  may be fixed to the rotating mechanism  222  by a fastener  224  so that as the rotating mechanism  222  turns the activation arm  282  moves with the rotating mechanism  222 . The rotating mechanism  222  may be, for example, a half circle with a flat side and a curved side which meet to form a first end and an opposite second end. A second end of the latch  290  may engage a spring  262 . The actuation mechanism  280  could alternatively be, for example, an on/off switch, a momentary switch, or the like that may be contacted by the rotating mechanism  222  to release the spring  262 . It is also contemplated that the actuation mechanism  280  could be replaced with, for example, an electrical switch actuation mechanism  280  that would send a signal from the activation module  210  to the latch  290  to release the spring  262 . 
     The drug delivery system  200  of  FIG. 6  may be, for example, a patch pump that may be worn by the patient. To use the system  200 , a medical professional or caregiver would connect to the system  200  to start the fluid or medication delivery. The medical professional or caregiver could, for example, remotely connect to the system  200  and could activate the system  200  by sending a predefined communication over a network, including but not limited to, calling a designated telephone number  214  for the system  200 . The activation module  210  of the system  200  receives the call and may transmit a signal through wires  212  and/or other electronic components (and/or wirelessly) to the vibrating mechanism  220 . When the vibrating mechanism  220  is activated and starts to vibrate it may cause the rotating mechanism  222  to spin. The vibrating mechanism  220  may activate the rotating mechanism  222  by vibrating the rotating mechanism  222  to an off balanced position to initiate rotation or by turning on a rotating motor (not shown) positioned within the vibrating mechanism  220  and coupled to the rotating mechanism  222  to initiate rotation. As the rotating mechanism  222  spins, the activation arm  282  moves with the rotating mechanism  222 . The movement of the activation arm  282  may in turn cause the connecting member  286  to move. As the connecting member  286  moves the latch  290  will also translate. The translation of the latch  290  will cause the latch  290  to disengage from the spring  262 . Once the latch  290  releases the spring  262 , the spring  262 , which is coupled to the injection mechanism  260 , exerts a force on the injection mechanism  260  propelling the injection mechanism  260  to a deployed position for injection or administration, for example, into the patient or over the patient&#39;s skin for topical applications. Simultaneously, the activation module  210  may send a signal to the pump  240  to start the pump  240 . When the pump  240  is activated, fluid or medication from the reservoir  250  is pumped into the injection mechanism  260 . The fluid or medication travels from the reservoir  250  through the fluid pathway  270  to the injection mechanism  260  for delivery to the patient. The fluid pathway  270  may be a single pathway from the reservoir  250  to the injection mechanism  260  or alternatively, may be a first fluid pathway from the reservoir  250  to the pump  240  and a second fluid pathway from the pump  240  to the injection mechanism  260 . Once the requested amount of fluid or medication from the reservoir  250  is delivered to the patient, the pump  240  shuts off and a signal is sent to withdraw the injection mechanism  260  from the patient or retract the injection mechanism  260  from its deployed position. When the injection mechanism  260  is retracted back into the housing  202 , the spring  262  is again engaged by the latch  290  to secure the injection mechanism  260  in a resting or undeployed position. 
     The drug delivery system  100  of  FIGS. 1 and 2  and the drug delivery system  200  of  FIGS. 6 and 7  may be actuated and controlled remotely by a medical professional by several different modalities including but not limited to a telephone, blue-tooth, micro-wave, high-frequency radio, laser, infrared, or other similar technologies, without the need for patient assistance or intervention. If a telephone call is used to activate the systems  100 ,  200 , then the systems  100 ,  200  may be programmed to only receive calls from a designated number and to block all other numbers to prevent inadvertent medication administrations. The drug delivery systems  100 ,  200  may be remotely activated from both short distances and long distances. The ability to remotely control the drug delivery systems  100 ,  200  allows for accurate, real time administration of a required dosage to a patient by a medical professional from another location. 
     Program code executed by a processor in the systems  100 ,  200  may also record the injection data in a memory accessible to the system  100 ,  200  either internally and/or over a communications network, and/or automatically transmit the injection data back to the medical professional. The injection data may include, for example, patient name, device number, injection date and time, dose amount, duration of the dose, drug injected, confirmation of completed injection, number of doses left to be administered, who administered the dose, when the next dose is due, and the like. The systems  100 ,  200  may also include an access point, including but not limited to an antenna (not shown) to enable the data transfer from the systems  100 ,  200  to a remote storage location. The access point may be built in to the systems  100 ,  200  and may be, for example, dome shaped, with or without signal boosters, blue-tooth compatible, and others which would allow for the injection data to be transferred. By automatically transmitting the injection data back to the medical professional, the systems  100 ,  200  provide for better record keeping and remove any errors in the information which the medical professional may receive from the patient due to miscommunication or forgetfulness of the patient. Program code executing on a processor in the systems  100 ,  200  may also encrypt the injection data from the systems  100 ,  200  before sending it to the medical professional. The program code executing on the processor in the systems  100 ,  200  may store the encrypted data on a shared external resource, such as one or more servers, and/or a cloud. The external resource may be accessible over a communications network by other computing resources, devices, including but not limited to, Smartphone, tablets, laptops, and/or personal computers. By storing the injection data on the systems  100 ,  200  and remotely, authorized medical professionals may access the injection data from any location, thus allowing for both the patient&#39;s treating physician from any location, as well as any emergency personnel to access the data. The remotely stored injection data could also then be downloaded by the patient&#39;s medical providers and incorporated into their electronic medical records. 
     The systems  100 ,  200  may also include a notification feature which allows the medical professional to remotely activate a patient notification module to advise the patient of when the injection will begin. The notification may be, for example, a beep or an automated message that tells the patient when the next dose will be administered. The systems  100 ,  200  may also include an encoded information reading (EIR) terminal, configured to read encoded indicia including but not limited to barcodes and RFIDs. In an embodiment of the present invention, the mobile housing houses an EIR terminal that can be utilized to scan the label on the reservoir  150 ,  250 . Program code executing on the EIR terminal can decode the encoded indicia and transmit the decoded data, for example, the type of medication loaded in the system  100 ,  200 , back to the treating medical professional. 
     In addition, the systems  100 ,  200  may be equipped with monitoring devices (not shown), such as, temperature sensors, pressure sensors, electrocardiogram sensors, blood sugar level sensors, and other like body or vital sensors, sensor modules, or devices, which allow the system  100 ,  200  to be activated only when the system  100 ,  200  is attached to the patient. The systems  100 ,  200  may include, for example, at least one a thermocouple that contacts the fluid or medication to sense its temperature before being delivered. If a thermocouple is used for sensing the temperature of the medication, the systems  100 ,  200  would be programmed so that the systems  100 ,  200  could only be activated if the temperature of the medication was within the desired temperature range for being administered. The systems  100 ,  200  may also include, for example, at least one thermocouple for contacting the patient. The thermocouples used for confirmation of patient contact would be programmed such that the systems  100 ,  200  could only administer medication if the thermocouples sensed the systems  100 ,  200  were on a surface within a defined range that correlates to the range of normal body temperatures. Alternatively, the sensors may be used, for example, to send a signal notifying the caregiver or doctor that an administration of a given medication or fluid is needed. The caregiver or doctor may then review the provided sensor data and remotely administer the needed medication or fluid to the patient. 
     The remote activation mechanism of the drug delivery systems  100 ,  200  may also be used in bed-side equipment in nursing homes and hospitals, as well as in home-care equipment stations to remotely start a test or treatment. For example, a blood pressure cuff could be remotely activated to test a patient&#39;s blood pressure without a medical professional being in the room with the patient. 
     It is further contemplated that the drug delivery systems  100 ,  200  may include additional sensors that could sense when a patient was moved from, for example, an operating room to a recovery area. The sensors would be programmed to then notify the activation module  110 ,  210  of a change in treatment protocol. Once the activation module  110 ,  210  received the change in treatment protocol the new treatment protocol would be instituted and medication would be injected into the patient based on the new treatment protocol without the need for a medical professional to administer the medication. 
       FIG. 8  is an example of a computing environment  800  that can be utilized by embodiments of the described systems  100 ,  200 . Numbering references in  FIG. 1  are used for simplicity, but the described computing environment  800  can be utilized with various embodiments of the present invention. As explained earlier, the drug delivery system  100  of  FIGS. 1 and 2  and the drug delivery system  200  of  FIGS. 6 and 7  may be actuated and controlled remotely, among other aspects, the computing environment of  FIG. 8  can be utilized to control the disclosed drug delivery systems, remotely. 
     In the computing environment  800  of  FIG. 8 , the drug delivery system  100  is communicatively coupled to a communications network  292 . The communications network  292 , although shown as a singular network, may include a plurality of devices and communications networks in order to enable a data and/or voice communication between the drug delivery system  100  and other elements of the computing environment  800 . As described earlier, the activation module  110  includes a receiver and a transmitter that enable the drug delivery system  100  to send and receive communications via the communications network  292 . Also communicatively coupled to the network is at least one communication device  294 , including but not limited to a cellular telephone and/or a mobile computing device, including a Smartphone. As explained in reference to  FIG. 1 , the communication device  294  may communicate with the drug delivery system  100  over a variety of different communication networks, including both voice and data connections, hence, the communications network  292  represents, in accordance with the different embodiments, various communication networks known to one of skill in the art. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the drug delivery system  100  receives a predefined communication from the communication device  294  over the communications network  292 . Upon receipt of the predefined communication, which may include, but is not limited to, a phone call from a particular number  114  and/or a specific data packet from a particular IP address, program code executing on a processor in the drug delivery system  100  actuates the described electro-mechanical components to ultimately deliver the drug in the manner described, for example, in reference to  FIG. 7 . 
     As explained in reference to earlier embodiments, the program code executed by a processor in the system  100  may also record the injection data in a memory accessible to the system  100  on an external memory device, including but not limited to an external server  296 . The external server  296  may include a resource of a cloud (not pictured). 
       FIG. 9  is an example workflow diagram showing aspects of a method executed by embodiments of the present invention, specifically using system  200 . A similar workflow of some aspects of the method could be executed by system  100 . Specifically, the program code is executed by a processing resource and obtains a predefined communication from an external communication device (S 910 ). Based on obtaining the predefined communication, the program code executed by a processing resource activates a vibrating mechanism  220  (S 920 ). When the vibrating mechanism  220  is activated and starts to vibrate, it causes the rotating mechanism  222  to spin (S 930 ). As the rotating mechanism  222  spins, the activation arm  282  moves with the rotating mechanism  222  (S 940 ). The movement of the activation arm  282  may in turn cause the connecting member  286  to move (S 950 ). As the connecting member  286  moves the latch  290  will also translate (S 960 ). The translation of the latch  290  will cause the latch  290  to disengage from the spring  262  (S 970 ). Once the latch  290  releases the spring  262 , the spring  262 , which is coupled to the injection mechanism  260 , exerts a force on the injection mechanism  260  propelling the injection mechanism  260  into the patient (S 980 ). Concurrently, the program code executed by the processor starts the pump  240  (S 925 ). When the pump  240  is activated, fluid or medication from the reservoir  250  is pumped to the injection mechanism  260  (S 935 ). The fluid or medication travels from the reservoir  250  by the fluid pathway  270  through the pump  240  to the injection mechanism  260  for delivery to the patient. Once the requested amount of fluid or medication from the reservoir  250  is delivered to the patient, program code executed by a processor and sends a control signal to shut off the pump  240  and sends a control signal to extract the injection mechanism  260  from the deployed position (S 990 ). When the injection mechanism  260  is extracted from the deployed position, the spring  262  is again engaged by the latch  290  to secure the injection mechanism  260  in a resting or undeployed position (S 995 ). 
       FIG. 10  is a component-level diagram of one embodiment of an EIR terminal  1000  that can be integrated into an embodiment of the described systems  100 ,  200 . In an embodiment of the present systems  100 ,  200 , the EIR terminal  1000  may comprise at least one microprocessor  310  and a memory  320 , both coupled to the system bus  370 . The microprocessor  310  can be provided by a general purpose microprocessor or by a specialized microprocessor (e.g., an ASIC). In one embodiment, EIR terminal  1000  can comprise a single microprocessor which can be referred to as a central processing unit (CPU). In another embodiment, EIR terminal  1000  can comprise two or more microprocessors, for example, a CPU providing some or most of the EIR terminal  1000  functionality and a specialized microprocessor performing some specific functionality. A skilled artisan would appreciate the fact that other schemes of processing tasks distribution among two or more microprocessors are within the scope of this disclosure. 
     EIR terminal  1000  can further comprise a communication interface  340  communicatively coupled to the system bus  370 . In one embodiment, the communication interface can be provided by a wireless communication interface. The wireless communication interface can be configured to support, for example, but not limited to, the following protocols: at least one protocol of the IEEE 802.11/802.15/802.16 protocol family, at least one protocol of the HSPA/GSM/GPRS/EDGE protocol family, TDMA protocol, UMTS protocol, LTE protocol, and/or at least one protocol of the CDMA/1×EV-DO protocol family. 
     EIR terminal  1000  can further comprise a keyboard interface  354  and a display adapter  355 , both also coupled to the system bus  370 . EIR terminal  1000  can further comprise a battery  356 . In one embodiment, the battery  356  can be provided by a replaceable rechargeable battery pack. 
     EIR terminal  1000  can further comprise a GPS receiver  380 . EIR terminal  1000  can further comprise at least one connector  390  configured to receive a subscriber identity module (SIM) card. 
     EIR terminal  1000  can further comprise one or more EIR devices  330 , provided, for example, but not limited to, by an RFID reading device, a bar code reading device, or a card reading device. In one embodiment, the EIR terminal  1000  can be configured to read an encoded message using EIR device  330 , such as the label on the reservoir  150 ,  250  and to output raw message data containing the encoded message, for example, to send a communication including this information to the computing device that originally activated the system  100 ,  200 . In another embodiment, the EIR terminal  1000  can be configured to read an encoded message using EIR device  330 , and to output decoded message data corresponding to the encoded message. As used herein, “message” is intended to denote a character string comprising alphanumeric and/or non-alphanumeric characters. An encoded message can be used to convey information, such as identification of the source and the model of a product, for example, in a UPC code. 
     Mobile computing devices that read bar codes, read RFID, or read cards bearing encoded information may read more than one of these categories while remaining within the scope of this disclosure. For example, a device that reads bar codes may include a card reader, and/or RFID reader; a device that reads RFID may also be able to read bar codes and/or cards; and a device that reads cards may be able to also read bar codes and/or RFID. 
       FIG. 11  illustrates a block diagram of a resource  1100 , like communication device  294 , external server  292 , and controller  130 ,  230 , which is part of the technical architecture of certain embodiments of the technique. The resource  1100  may include a circuitry  1102  that may in certain embodiments include a microprocessor  1104 . The computer system  1100  may also include a memory  1106  (e.g., a volatile memory device), and storage  1108 . The storage  1108  may include a non-volatile memory device (e.g., EEPROM, ROM, PROM, RAM, DRAM, SRAM, flash, firmware, programmable logic, etc.), magnetic disk drive, optical disk drive, tape drive, etc. The storage  208  may comprise an internal storage device, an attached storage device and/or a network accessible storage device. The system  1100  may include a program logic  1110  including code  1112  that may be loaded into the memory  1106  and executed by the microprocessor  1104  or circuitry  1102 . 
     In certain embodiments, the program logic  1110  including code  1112  may be stored in the storage  1108  or memory  1106 . In certain other embodiments, the program logic  1110  may be implemented in the circuitry  1102 . Therefore, while  FIG. 11  shows the program logic  1110  separately from the other elements, the program logic  1110  may be implemented in the memory  1106  and/or the circuitry  1102 . 
     Using the processing resources of a resource  1100  to execute software, computer-readable code or instructions, does not limit where this code can be stored. The terms program logic, code, and software are used interchangeably throughout this application. 
     Referring to  FIG. 12 , in one example, a computer program product  1200  includes, for instance, one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media  1202  to store computer readable program code means or logic  1204  thereon to provide and facilitate one or more aspects of the technique. 
     As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the technique may be embodied as a system, method or computer program product. Accordingly, aspects of the technique may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.” Furthermore, aspects of the technique may take the form of a computer program product embodied in one or more computer readable medium(s) having computer readable program code embodied thereon. 
     Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may be utilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signal with computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may take any of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to, electro-magnetic, optical or any suitable combination thereof. A computer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium that is not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate, propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus or device. 
     A computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readable storage medium include the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. In the context of this document, a computer readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. 
     Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmitted using an appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless, wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination of the foregoing. 
     Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of the technique may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language, such as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like, and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming language, assembler or similar programming languages. The program code may execute entirely on the user&#39;s computer, partly on the user&#39;s computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user&#39;s computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user&#39;s computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider). 
     Aspects of the technique are described herein with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. 
     These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer readable medium that can direct a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readable medium produce an article of manufacture including instructions which implement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. 
     The computer program instructions, also referred to as computer program code, may also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or other devices to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide processes for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. 
     The flowchart and block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the technique. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions. 
     In addition to the above, one or more aspects of the technique may be provided, offered, deployed, managed, serviced, etc. by a service provider who offers management of customer environments. For instance, the service provider can create, maintain, support, etc. computer code and/or a computer infrastructure that performs one or more aspects of the technique for one or more customers. In return, the service provider may receive payment from the customer under a subscription and/or fee agreement, as examples. Additionally or alternatively, the service provider may receive payment from the sale of advertising content to one or more third parties. 
     In one aspect of the technique, an application may be deployed for performing one or more aspects of the technique. As one example, the deploying of an application comprises providing computer infrastructure operable to perform one or more aspects of the technique. 
     As a further aspect of the technique, a computing infrastructure may be deployed comprising integrating computer readable code into a computing system, in which the code in combination with the computing system is capable of performing one or more aspects of the technique. As a further aspect of the technique, the system can operate in a peer to peer mode where certain system resources, including but not limited to, one or more databases, is/are shared, but the program code executable by one or more processors is loaded locally on each computer, including the controller  130 ,  230 . 
     As yet a further aspect of the technique, a process for integrating computing infrastructure comprising integrating computer readable code into a computer system may be provided. The computer system comprises a computer readable medium, in which the computer medium comprises one or more aspects of the technique. The code in combination with the computer system is capable of performing one or more aspects of the technique. 
     Further, other types of computing environments can benefit from one or more aspects of the technique. As an example, an environment may include an emulator (e.g., software or other emulation mechanisms), in which a particular architecture (including, for instance, instruction execution, architected functions, such as address translation, and architected registers) or a subset thereof is emulated (e.g., on a native computer system having a processor and memory). In such an environment, one or more emulation functions of the emulator can implement one or more aspects of the technique, even though a computer executing the emulator may have a different architecture than the capabilities being emulated. As one example, in emulation mode, the specific instruction or operation being emulated is decoded, and an appropriate emulation function is built to implement the individual instruction or operation. 
     In an emulation environment, a host computer includes, for instance, a memory to store instructions and data; an instruction fetch unit to fetch instructions from memory and to optionally, provide local buffering for the fetched instruction; an instruction decode unit to receive the fetched instructions and to determine the type of instructions that have been fetched; and an instruction execution unit to execute the instructions. Execution may include loading data into a register from memory; storing data back to memory from a register; or performing some type of arithmetic or logical operation, as determined by the decode unit. In one example, each unit is implemented in software. For instance, the operations being performed by the units are implemented as one or more subroutines within emulator software. 
     Further, a data processing system suitable for storing and/or executing program code is usable that includes at least one processor coupled directly or indirectly to memory elements through a system bus. The memory elements include, for instance, local memory employed during actual execution of the program code, bulk storage, and cache memory which provide temporary storage of at least some program code in order to reduce the number of times code must be retrieved from bulk storage during execution. 
     Input/Output or I/O devices (including, but not limited to, keyboards, displays, pointing devices, DASD, tape, CDs, DVDs, thumb drives and other memory media, etc.) can be coupled to the system either directly or through intervening I/O controllers. Network adapters may also be coupled to the system to enable the data processing system to become coupled to other data processing systems or remote printers or storage devices through intervening private or public networks. Modems, cable modems, and Ethernet cards are just a few of the available types of network adapters. 
     The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprise” (and any form of comprise, such as “comprises” and “comprising”), “have” (and any form of have, such as “has”, and “having”), “include” (and any form of include, such as “includes” and “including”), and “contain” (and any form of contain, such as “contains” and “containing”) are open-ended linking verbs. As a result, a method or device that “comprises,” “has,” “includes,” or “contains” one or more steps or elements possesses those one or more steps or elements, but is not limited to possessing only those one or more steps or elements. Likewise, a step of a method or an element of a device that “comprises,” “has,” “includes,” or “contains” one or more features possesses those one or more features, but is not limited to possessing only those one or more features. Furthermore, a device or structure that is configured in a certain way is configured in at least that way, but may also be configured in ways that are not listed. 
     The invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments. It will be understood that the architectural and operational embodiments described herein are exemplary of a plurality of possible arrangements to provide the same general features, characteristics, and general system operation. Modifications and alterations will occur to others upon a reading and understanding of the preceding detailed description. It is intended that the invention be construed as including all such modifications and alterations.