Patent Publication Number: US-2007119928-A1

Title: Generating a nutraceutical request from an inventory

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
      1. For purposes of the USPTO extra-statutory requirements, the present application constitutes a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/283,548, entitled PROVIDING ASSISTANCE RELATED TO HEALTH, naming Edward K. Y. Jung, Joyce A. Levien, Robert W. Lord, Mark A. Malamud, John D. Rinaldo, Jr., Clarence T. Tegreene and Lowell L. Wood, Jr. as inventors, filed Nov. 17, 2005, which is currently co-pending, or is an application of which a currently co-pending application is entitled to the benefit of the filing date.  
      2. For purposes of the USPTO extra-statutory requirements, the present application constitutes a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, entitled TESTING-DEPENDENT ADMINISTRATION OF A NUTRACEUTICAL, naming Edward K. Y. Jung, Royce A. Levien, Robert W. Lord, Mark A. Malamud, John D. Rinaldo, Jr., Clarence T. Tegreene an dLowell L. Wood, Jr. as inventors, filed contemporaneously herewith, which is currently co-pending, or is an application of which a currently co-pending application is entitled to the benefit of the filing date. 
    
    
     CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
      The present application is related to, claims the earliest available effective filing date(s) from (e.g., claims earliest available priority dates for other than provisional patent applications; claims benefits under 35 USC § 119(e) for provisional patent applications), and incorporates by reference in its entirety all subject matter of the following listed application(s) (the “Related Applications”) to the extent such subject matter is not inconsistent herewith; the present application also claims the earliest available effective filing date(s) from, and also incorporates by reference in its entirety all subject matter of any and all parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, etc. applications of the Related Application(s) to the extent such subject matter is not inconsistent herewith. The United States Patent Office (USPTO) has published a notice to the effect that the USPTO&#39;s computer programs require that patent applicants reference both a serial number and indicate whether an application is a continuation or continuation in part. The present applicant entity has provided below a specific reference to the application(s)from which priority is being claimed as recited by statute. Applicant entity understands that the statute is unambiguous in its specific reference language and does not require either a serial number or any characterization such as “continuation” or “continuation-in-part.” Notwithstanding the foregoing, applicant entity understands that the USPTO&#39;s computer programs have certain data entry requirements, and hence applicant entity is designating the present application as a continuation in part of its parent applications, but expressly points out that such designations are not to be construed in any way as any type of commentary and/or admission as to whether or not the present application contains any new matter in addition to the matter of its parent application(s).  
     SUMMARY  
      An embodiment provides a method. In one implementation, the method includes but is not limited to registering a dispensation from an inventory and responding to the registering by indicating a nutraceutical request quantity partly based on the inventory and partly based on a consumption regimen. In addition to the foregoing, other communication method aspects are described in the claims, drawings, and text forming a part of the present disclosure.  
      In one or more various aspects, related systems include but are not limited to circuitry and/or programming for effecting the herein referenced method aspects; the circuitry and/or programming can be virtually any combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware configured to effect the herein-referenced method aspects depending upon the design choices of the system designer.  
      An embodiment provides a system. In one implementation, the system includes but is not limited to circuitry for registering a dispensation from an inventory and a module for responding to the registering by indicating a nutraceutical request quantity partly based on the inventory and partly based on a consumption regimen. In addition to the foregoing, other computer program product aspects are described in the claims, drawings, and text forming a part of the present disclosure.  
      An embodiment provides another system. In one implementation, the other system includes but is not limited to a computing device and one or more instructions that when executed by the computing device cause the computing device to perform at least one of registering a dispensation from an inventory and responding to the registering by indicating a nutraceutical request quantity partly based on the inventory and partly based on a consumption regimen. In addition to the foregoing, other computer program product aspects are described in the claims, drawings, and text forming a part of the present disclosure.  
      An embodiment provides a computer program product. In one implementation, the computer program product includes but is not limited to a signal-bearing medium bearing at least one of (a) one or more instructions for registering a dispensation from an inventory and (b) one or more instructions for responding to the registering by indicating a nutraceutical request quantity partly based on the inventory and partly based on a consumption regimen.  
      In addition to the foregoing, various other embodiments are set forth and described in the text (e.g., claims and/or detailed description) and/or drawings of the present description.  
      The foregoing is a summary and thus contains, by necessity, simplifications, generalizations and omissions of detail; consequently, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. Other aspects, features, and advantages of the devices and/or processes described herein, as defined by the claims, will become apparent in the detailed description set forth herein. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES  
       FIG. 1  shows an operational flow representing example operations that produce an indication of an amount.  
       FIG. 2  shows an example system in schematic form, a hardware implementation able to perform variants of the flow of  FIG. 1 .  
       FIG. 3  shows another example system able to perform the flow of  FIG. 1  and many similar variations.  
       FIG. 4  shows another example system able to perform the flow of  FIG. 1  and many similar variations.  
       FIG. 5  shows various optional features of the flow of  FIG. 1 .  
       FIG. 6  shows another example system able to perform many variants of the above-described flows.  
       FIG. 7  shows various optional features of the flow of  FIG. 1  or  5 .  
       FIG. 8  shows various optional features of the flow of  FIG. 1, 5 , or  7 .  
       FIG. 9  shows further optional features of the system of  FIG. 4 .  
       FIG. 10  shows various optional features of the flow of  FIG. 1, 5 ,  7  or  8 .  
       FIG. 11  shows a system that includes a signal-bearing medium that can comprise or interact with a conduit, a disk, an integrated circuit, or a computing device.  
       FIG. 12  shows other optional features of the above-described flows.  
       FIG. 13  shows still more optional features of the above-described flows. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       FIG. 1  shows an operational flow  100  representing example operations that produce an indication of an amount of a request quantity, such as by indicating a rate or otherwise expressing a quantity that includes a nutraceutical. Flow  100  and other embodiments as described below systemize regimens that include one or more of these components, facilitating or enabling a user&#39;s implementation of a regimen.  
      After a start operation, operational flow  100  moves to operation  140 , comprising registering a dispensation from an inventory. Flow  100  then moves to operation  150 , comprising responding to the registering by indicating a nutraceutical request quantity partly based on the inventory and partly based on a consumption regimen. The indication can be a display or other transmission, for example. The consumption regimen can optionally contain one or more regimens or regimen components, such as seasonal or occasional or other conditional regimen(s). Alternatively or additionally, the consumption regimen can comprise a component of a master regimen that also includes a non-consumption component.  FIGS. 5, 7 ,  8 ,  10 , and  12  below include many variations of operational flow  100 . In various embodiments such as these, of course, flow  100  can include additional operations or variations in the sequence of operations.  
      Referring now to  FIG. 2 , there is shown an example system  200  in schematic form, a hardware implementation able to perform variants of flow  100  as described below. Primary module  210  includes circuitry  230  for receiving at least an indication of the registration (via linkage  232 , e.g.) of a state of a subject (an animal or other organism, e.g.). Primary module  210  further includes logic  240  (such as a processor or programmable logic, e.g.) for indicating the request quantity (via interface  238 , e.g.) partly based on the dispensation or other aspect of the inventory, and partly based on the consumption regimen. Primary module  210  can further include medium  250  accessible by at least logic  240 , as described below. (The dashed outline of medium  250  signifies that some embodiments are specifically contemplated to exclude this feature, and others are contemplated to include it.)  
      Linkage  232  is similarly indicated as optional. Even if system  200  is merely a kit or physical structure with no communication linkage  232 , for example, it can be advantageous for user  260  to access primary module  210  in proximity to inventory manager  280 . Linkage  232  can include one or more of analog data, digital data, or a measurable physical property such as a distance or similar geometry. Alternatively or additionally, linkage  232  can comprise a conduit bearing one or more instructions that can be stored in medium  250 , for example, or can be executed by logic  240  to perform one or more variations of flow  100  such as those shown in  FIGS. 5, 7 ,  8 ,  10 , and  12 . Alternatively or additionally, information can be conveyed to primary module on a ticket or a similar printed record or memory device that can be deposited into primary module  210 . Alternatively or additionally, circuitry  230  can receive information (such as the regimen, e.g.) remotely and/or from user  260 .  
      Inventory manager  280  includes a medication or other prescribed component (C 1 )  281 , for example, and can include one or more nutraceutical-containing or other components (C 2 )  282 . Inventory manager  280  can be accessible to user  260  via optional interface  262 , which can optionally be used for receiving user input in lieu of interface  238 . Alternatively or additionally, interface  262  can comprise a vending-machine-style dispenser able to dispense one or more of the component(s)  281 ,  282  to user  260 . Even in an embodiment in which dispensations are via a third party, and in lieu of interface  262 , primary module  210  can register the dispensation such as via linkage  232  or interface  238 , and respond accordingly (by operation  150 , e.g.).  
      Referring now to  FIG. 3 , there is shown another example system  300  able to perform operational flow  100  of  FIG. 1  and many similar variations. System  300  includes circuitry  330  and logic  340  as described below, and can further include one or more of link  321 , interface  338 , or medium  350 . Logic  340  can optionally receive input from a user (such as from user  360  via interface  338 , e.g.) locally. Medium  350  can bear one or more instructions that can be executed by logic  340  (optionally a computing device, e.g.) for performing one or more of the flows of  FIGS. 5, 7 ,  8 ,  10 , and  12 .  
      As shown, link  321  can operably couple system  300  with network  320 . In some embodiments, network  320  can thus have access to online research resource  312  through linkage  322  or to server  313  through linkage  323 . Alternatively or additionally, network  320  can have access to expert  314  through linkage  324  or to supplier  370  through linkage  327 . (“Expert”  314  can actually be an herbalist, a pharmacist, a physician, a psychologist, a parent, an author, a document, a database, a blog, or any other source of opinion or information.) Research resource  312  can be remote from system  300  or from server  313 , expert  314 , or supplier  370 . Expert  314  can optionally be located at a clinic or similar retail or healthcare facility that can advantageously include system  300  as well as one or more of online research resource  312 , server  313 , supplier  370 , or user  360 .  
      System  300  optionally includes circuitry (optionally circuitry  330  with link  321 , e.g.) for communicating with supplier  370  via network  320 , such as by electronic mail, facsimile, or a similar digital format. Alternatively or additionally, circuitry  330  can coordinate with link  321  for communicating with a regimen server (such as server  313 , e.g.) or with a consultant (such as expert  314 ) remotely. Alternatively or additionally, supplier  370  can be configured to communicate with expert  314  via linkage  327  or with (another) user  360  via linkage  361 . Alternatively or additionally, user  360  can access a component C 1    381  (and optionally one or more additional components C 2    382 ) in an inventory manager  380  via interface  362 .  
      In some embodiments, system  300  is a computer or similar device with inventory maintenance capabilities. In performing operation  140  (of  FIG. 1 ) or some variants described below, logic  340  can register a dispensation from an inventory, for example by receiving an indication of the dispensation via user interface  338 . Circuitry  330  can respond as appropriate by indicating a request quantity (at operation  150 , e.g.), such as by transmitting the request quantity via link  321  as an order (to supplier  370 , e.g.) or as a validation request (to a physician or other expert  314 , e.g.).  
      Referring now to  FIG. 4 , there is shown another example system  400  able to perform operational flow  100  of  FIG. 1  and many similar variations such as those of  FIGS. 5, 7 ,  8 ,  10 , and  12 . System  400  comprises circuitry  440  for registering a dispensation from an inventory and module  470  for responding to the registering by indicating a nutraceutical request quantity partly based on the inventory and partly based on a consumption regimen. Circuitry  440  can adjoin, overlap, or otherwise be operable to interact with module  470 .  
      Module  470  optionally comprises circuitry  471  for determining the nutraceutical request quantity partly based on a user preference. Alternatively or additionally, module  470  can comprise one or more of circuitry  472  for implementing the consumption regimen, medium  473  for storing at least the nutraceutical request quantity, circuitry  474  for confirming the dispensation, or medium  475  bearing one or more instructions for generating the nutraceutical request quantity.  
      Also as shown, alternatively or additionally, system  400  can further comprise circuitry  481  for receiving at least a portion of the consumption regimen remotely. Alternatively or additionally, system  400  can further comprise circuitry  482  for identifying a compound comprising the nutraceutical request quantity, circuitry  483  for receiving a user preference, circuitry  484  for authenticating a user input, circuitry  485  for receiving an update of the consumption regimen, or circuitry  486  for receiving an update of the module for responding to the registering by indicating a nutraceutical request quantity  470 .  
      Referring now to  FIG. 5 , there are shown various optional features of operational flow  100  of  FIG. 1 . In various implementations, system  400  of  FIG. 4  can optionally be configured to perform flow  100  with one or more of operation  543 , operation  551 , operation  552 , operation  556 , operation  557 , operation  558 , or operation  560 . Operation  543  comprises confirming the dispensation, such as can be performed by a module  470  that includes circuitry  474  of  FIG. 4 . Operation  551  comprises receiving a user preference, such as can be performed by a system  400  that includes circuitry  483  of  FIG. 4 . Operation  552  comprises identifying a compound comprising the nutraceutical request quantity, such as can be performed by a system  400  that includes circuitry  482  of  FIG. 4 . Operation  556  comprises determining the nutraceutical request quantity partly based on a user preference, such as can be performed by a module  470  that includes circuitry  471  of  FIG. 4 . Operation  558  comprises storing the nutraceutical request quantity, such as can be performed with medium  473  of  FIG. 4  or with medium  350  of  FIG. 3 . These or other media of system  400  can likewise store data related to the request quantity, of course, such as other request quantities, medical history data, security information, supplier identification, user preferences, or instructions in light of teachings herein.  
      Operation  557  comprises receiving the nutraceutical request quantity, such as can be performed by certain embodiments of module  470 . The request quantity can be received by the circuitry  481  for receiving at least a portion of the consumption regimen, for example, in which the portion includes a given quantity. The request quantity can likewise be received from module  470  after executing the one or more instructions for generating the request quantity borne by medium  475 .  
      Operation  560  comprises performing one or more additional operations such as operation  561 , operation  562 , operation  563 , operation  564 , or operation  566 . Operation  561  comprises receiving an update of the consumption regimen remotely, such as was described in the preceding paragraph. Operation  562  comprises scheduling the consumption regimen, such as can be performed by a module  470  that includes circuitry  472  of  FIG. 4 . Operation  563  comprises receiving an update of a module, such as can be performed by a system  400  that includes circuitry  486  of  FIG. 4 . Operation  564  comprises receiving at least a portion of the consumption regimen, such as can be performed by circuitry  481  of  FIG. 4  or by logic  240  of  FIG. 2 , in some embodiments. Operation  566  comprises authenticating a user input, such as can be performed by a system  400  that includes circuitry  484  of  FIG. 4 .  
      Referring now to  FIG. 6 , there is shown another example system  600  able to perform many variants of flow  100  described with reference to one or more of FIGS.  5 ,  7 ,  8 ,  10 , and  12 . System  600  can be configured to perform these variants with or without proximity or direct interaction with any user or inventory manager, except those few variants for which context dictates otherwise.  
      System  600  includes circuitry  650  for registering a dispensation from an inventory within a module  630  for responding to the registering by indicating a request, consistent with flow  100  of  FIG. 1 . As shown, module  630  can also include one or more of computing device  634 , logic  636 , or logic  638 . Circuitry  650  can optionally include one or more of logic  654 , logic  656 , or memory  658 . Storage  660  can optionally include one or more of code  667 , data  668  (which can comprise historical data or inventory data, e.g.), or other data  670  such as one or more regimens  672 ,  674 .  
      In some embodiments, logic  654  can comprise logic for prompting the test result (and/or other information that may relate to the subject) by requesting a test that partly depends on a medical history of the subject, for example, by transmitting a prompting signal as output  622  to network  620 . (See  FIGS. 11&amp;12 .) Alternatively or additionally, system  600  can perform a flow  100  including an operation  556 , for example, based on a user preference received via input  621  and archived in storage  660 .  
      Referring now to  FIG. 7 , there are shown various optional features of operational flow  100  of  FIG. 1  or  5 . In various implementations, system  600  of  FIG. 6  can optionally be configured to perform flow  100  with one or more of operation  743  or operation  749 .  
      Operation  743  comprises applying one or more inventory maintenance criteria to the inventory and to the dispensation. The criteria can include a default or user-specified upper limit on a monetary value of an inventory, for example, or a maximum acceptable age of a perishable nutraceutical-containing compound. In response to receiving an input  621  indicating that a user&#39;s inventory manager is nearly full, for example, applying the criteria may accordingly reduce the request quantity to avoid spoilage, substantial investment in an ineffective or unneeded regimen, or other forms of waste. Also, system  600  optionally includes logic  638  comprising logic for requesting other information about a subject responsive to the registering (at operation  749 ), such as by transmitting one or more requests as output  622  to network  620 . This approach can help tailor the regimen by seeking input when a user is likely to be available, for example, around the time of the registering.  
      Operation  754  comprises retrieving at least a portion of the consumption regimen at least partly based on one or more attributes of a primary subject. If a user responds to the requesting operation by identifying the subject of operation  749  as the primary subject, for example, operation  754  can include an operation of retrieving a regimen (regimen  672 , e.g.) unique to the primary subject. Absent such an individualized regimen, even a few attributes such as age, gender, weight, and symptom can form a basis for an effective regimen.  
      Operation  755  comprises selecting the nutraceutical request quantity partly based on an increment size of an inventory. The request quantity may be expressed as an integer, for example, to identify a number of bottles or other containers selected by operation  755 . Data  668  may identify the increment size, for example, used for performing the selecting operation  755 .  
      Operation  757  comprises receiving a user input indicating at least one of a nutraceutical or a symptom. The user input may be received via a questionnaire (electronic or paper, e.g.), for example. Logic  656  can optionally be configured for selecting a nutraceutical at least partly based on one or more symptoms, for example, performing operation  758  responsive to detecting a user response indicating the one or more symptoms.  
      Referring now to  FIG. 8 , there are shown various optional features of operational flow  100  of  FIG. 1, 5 , or  7 . In various implementations, system  200  of  FIG. 2  can optionally be configured to perform flow  100  with operation  140  including one or more of operation  841 , operation  843 , operation  847 , operation  848 , or operation  849 .  
      Operation  841  comprises dispensing a nutraceutical. Inventory manager  280  can perform this operation, for example, by dispensing a nutraceutical-containing component  282  responsive to an instruction (via linkage  232 ) from primary module  210 . The registering itself can cause or enable or result from the dispensing operation  841 , or stand in some other relation to the dispensing operation  841 , conditional or otherwise.  
      Operation  843  comprises combining a mineral with an amino acid, optionally by encapsulating them in a pharmaceutically acceptable buffer. For a subject who takes a steady regimen including more than one component (such as these), such encapsulation is a convenient mode of performing operation  841 .  
      Alternatively, a nutraceutical-containing dispensation can be prepared by combining more discrete increments. As shown, for example, operation  847  of receiving an antioxidant-containing component apportioned into one or more capsules can be combined with operation  848  of allocating a multivitamin supplement component apportioned into one or more increments of a uniform increment size and operation  849  of forming the dispensation as a combination containing one or more of the capsules and one or more of the increments. Combining discrete increments can be convenient for implementing a conditional regimen (or adjusting a stable regimen) by prompting actions in a user&#39;s proximity.  
       FIG. 8  also shows various optional features of operational flow  100  of  FIG. 1, 5 , or  7  comprising additional operation  852 , operation  854 , or operation  856 . In various implementations, system  300  of  FIG. 3  can optionally be configured to perform flow  100  with operation  150  including one or more of these additional operations.  
      Operation  852  comprises receiving a validation of at least a portion of the consumption regimen. The validation can be received from user  360  or expert  314 , for example, optionally in response to a request for such a validation. The request can define or justify the portion of the consumption regimen briefly, for example, and specify an action (such as clicking a button or entering a code, e.g.) by which the validation can be generated. The responding operation  150  can optionally be made conditional on receiving the validation before a deadline, for example, or can otherwise affect a condition or manner by which system  300  will complete the responding operation  150 .  
      Operation  854  comprises receiving at least a portion of a health regimen that includes the consumption regimen. The portion can be received by circuitry  330  via network  320 , for example. System  300  can present several such health regimens of interest to user  360  via interface  338 , for example, prompting user  360  to adopt one or more of the health regimens. Logic  340  can then implement one or more user-adopted regimens by storing one or more instructions of each of the adopted regimens in medium  350  (a memory, e.g.). In this manner system  300  can perform operation  856  of receiving one or more components of the consumption regimen before, during, after, or without the above-described adoption operation. See  FIG. 10 , for example.  
      Referring now to  FIG. 9 , there are shown further optional features of system  400  of  FIG. 4 . As explained above, system  400  comprises circuitry  440  for registering a dispensation from an inventory and module  470  for responding to the registering by indicating a nutraceutical request quantity partly based on the inventory and partly based on a consumption regimen.  
      Module  470  optionally comprises display  971  configured for digitally indicating the nutraceutical request quantity. Alternatively or additionally, module  470  can comprise one or more of display  972  configured for graphically indicating the nutraceutical request quantity, module  973  for receiving input from a user locally, or module  974  for predicting a state of the inventory. Alternatively or additionally, module  470  can comprise signal-bearing medium  980  bearing one or more instructions such as those of  FIG. 11  below.  
      Also as shown, alternatively or additionally, system  400  can further comprise circuitry  981  for accessing a network. Alternatively or additionally, system  400  can further comprise circuitry  982  for determining whether any update can be obtained for the consumption regimen, circuitry  983  for obtaining a regimen remotely, circuitry  984  for communicating with a consultant remotely, circuitry  985  for communicating with a supplier, or circuitry  986  for communicating with an inventory manager containing the inventory.  
      Referring now to  FIG. 10 , there are shown various optional features of operational flow  100  of  FIG. 1, 5 ,  7  or  8 . In various implementations, system  400  of  FIG. 9  can optionally be configured to perform flow  100  with operation  140  including one or more of operation  1041 , operation  1046 , or operation  1049 . Operation  1041  comprises accessing a network, such as by circuitry  981  in the system  400  as shown in  FIGS. 4 &amp; 9 . Operation  1046  comprises receiving input from a user locally module  973 . Operation  1049  comprises communicating with an inventory manager containing the inventory, such as by circuitry  986 .  
      Operation  1052  comprises determining whether any alternative, substitute, or other update can be obtained for the consumption regimen, such as can be performed by certain embodiments of module  470  comprising circuitry  982  for determining whether any alternative, substitute, or other update can be obtained for the consumption regimen. The determining can be performed by checking a mailbox, for example, or otherwise by sending a message into a network such as may be received by a server. Making a negative determination can be performed by receiving a negative reply or by waiting a given duration without receiving a reply, for example, or by making some similarly reasonable inference derived from one or more received signals.  
      Operation  1053  comprises receiving an available regimen remotely, such as can be performed by certain embodiments of system  400  comprising circuitry  983 . Circuitry  983  can receive the available regimen in response to a request or subscription, for example, or may select the available regimen as a preferable regimen using information about the subject. Operation  1054  comprises adopting the available regimen as the consumption regimen, such as can be performed by certain embodiments of system  400  comprising module  973 , optionally responsive to a selection or other validation from the subject or some other user or consultant.  
      Operation  1055  comprises graphically indicating the nutraceutical request quantity, such as can be performed by certain embodiments of system  400  comprising display  972 . Display  972  can optionally show a first component that is visually distinguishable from at least a second component, such as by color or shape.  
      Operation  1056  comprises digitally indicating the nutraceutical request quantity, such as can be performed by certain embodiments of system  400  comprising display  971 . Alternatively or additionally, indicating operation  1056  can be performed by transmitting the nutraceutical request quantity digitally via a conduit (of  FIG. 11 , e.g.) or a wireless link (of  FIG. 3 , e.g.).  
      Operation  1057  comprises predicting a state of the inventory, such as can be performed by certain embodiments of system  400  comprising module  974 . The prediction may be based on one or more attributes of one or more dispensations such as the registered one(s), for example, or upon the consumption regimen or a current state of the inventory. The predicted state may be detailed, such as a complete description of each component and its ingredients, its age, its location, and the like. The predicted state may alternatively be more basic, such as “adequate” or “in need of component Z.” The predicted state may also be expressed in various forms, such as a duration or a percentage. Part or all of the predicted state can be used for a variety of purposes such as operation  1058  of postponing an action responsive to determining that the predicted state meets one or more criteria. Involving a user can be postponed, for example, responsive to a predicted state of “X days of inventory adequacy,” for example.  
      Referring now to  FIG. 11 , a system  1100  includes a signal-bearing medium  1180  that can comprise (or interact with) a conduit  1120 , a disk  1130 , an integrated circuit  1140 , or a computing device  1150 . System  1100  can further include a dispenser  1170 . Medium  1180  can optionally bear one or more instructions  1160  comprising at least one of (a) one or more instructions for registering a dispensation from an inventory and (b) one or more instructions for responding to the registering by indicating a nutraceutical request quantity partly based on the inventory and partly based on a consumption regimen.  
      Alternatively or additionally, medium  1180  can bear one or more instructions  1162  for recording the dispensation with other medical history data of the subject. The other medical history data can include one or more prior recordings of a dispensation, for example. Alternatively or additionally, medium  1180  can bear one or more instructions  1163  for performing the dispensation. Alternatively or additionally, medium  1180  can bear one or more instructions  1164  for prompting the dispensation. Alternatively or additionally, medium  1180  can bear one or more instructions  1165  for detecting the dispensation. Alternatively or additionally, medium  1180  can bear one or more instructions  1166  for determining the nutraceutical request quantity. Alternatively or additionally, medium  1180  can bear one or more instructions  1168  comprising at least one of (a) one or more instructions for receiving an indication of a quantity within each of one or more delivery units and (b) one or more instructions for indicating the nutraceutical request quantity as an integer number of the one or more delivery units. A given set of one or more instructions can comprise more than one of instructions  1162 - 1168 , of course, optionally executable by computing device  1150 .  
      Referring now to  FIG. 12 , there are shown various optional features of operational flow  100  of  FIG. 1, 5 ,  7 ,  8 , or  10 . In various implementations, system  1100  of  FIG. 11  can optionally be configured to perform flow  100  with operation  140  including one or more of operation  1242 , operation  1243 , operation  1246 , operation  1247 , or  1249 .  
      Operation  1242  comprises performing the dispensation, such as by an embodiment of system  1100  in which one or more instructions  1163  are transmitted via medium  1180  to dispenser  1170 .  
      Operation  1243  comprises prompting the dispensation. This can be performed by a computing device  1150 , for example, such as by transmitting a dispensing command or by otherwise causing an actuation of a dispenser. Operation  1246  comprises detecting the dispensation. This can be performed by integrated circuit  1140 , for example, before, during, after, or without the dispensation. The dispensation to be registered can optionally be conditional, scheduled, or actual.  
      Operation  1247  comprises responding to a result of a test indicating a state of a subject. This can be performed by executing one or more instructions  1166  for determining the nutraceutical request quantity, for example, in some embodiments of system  1100 . Operation  1249  comprises recording the dispensation with other medical history data of a subject, such as by one or more instructions  1162 .  
      Operation  1251  comprises displaying a performance ratio of the regimen relating to a potential result of following the regimen. The potential result can be tangible, intangible, subjective, objective, or some combination of these. The performance characteristic(s) can comprise an estimated probability of a measurable improvement, a ratio of “satisfied” regimen subscribers to “dissatisfied” regimen subscribers, a record of subjective experience, an anecdotal log, a rating, a research summary, a certification, an endorsement, or some other indicator.  
      Operation  1253  comprises receiving an indication of a quantity within each of one or more delivery units. The quantity can be a nominal increment of mass (such as milligrams of a vitamin, e.g.), a count (of eggs, e.g.), a length, or some other convenient increment. In some embodiments, a code module comprising one or more instructions  1166  performs operation  1253  before or during operation  1254  of indicating the nutraceutical request quantity as a number of the one or more delivery units.  
      Operation  1255  comprises detecting a condition. The condition can comprise a substantially periodic event, for example, such as an appointment, a day of the month, a time of day, a mealtime, a work break, or the like. The condition can also comprise a storm or other weather condition, a job change or price change or other economic event, a smoking habit or some other personal condition, or any other condition that may affect the subject&#39;s life.  
      The detecting can be performed by a calendar program, an alarm clock, a thermometer, or a real time trigger, for example. In some variants of embodiments described above, system  300  of  FIG. 3  performs operation  150  responsive to one or more criteria that depend on the detected event(s) as well as the request quantity and the regimen. A care provider can use system  300  to adjust or otherwise update a regimen-implementing request automatically, responsive to a scheduled visit by a patient, for example, if system  300  performs operation  1256  of responding to the condition by determining the nutraceutical request quantity.  
      Alternatively or additionally, a subject or care provider may instruct system  300  to refine the subject&#39;s profile responsive to an event, such as by operation  1258  of determining the nutraceutical request quantity partly based on an indication of a visible attribute or a behavior of a subject. The subject, a psychologist, a psychiatrist, a parent, or some other observer may provide an objective indication (conscious, e.g.), for example, or a subjective indication (irritable or fatigued, e.g.) of the behavior. The request quantity may be zero, for example, if the visible attribute or the behavior indicates a negative reaction by the subject to a component of that regimen, for example. The indication may relate to a facial attribute (“bags under the eyes,” e.g.), some other skin condition (“rash,” e.g.), or any other visible attribute of a subject. A message may be received via link  321 , for example, including the indication and an identification of the observer. The message may, of course, include one or more other test results also.  
      Operation  1259  comprises indicating the nutraceutical request quantity via a display of a hand-held device. Any of the above-described systems can optionally include a display, for example. Alternatively or additionally, the system can comprise a hand-held device such as a cell phone, wrist watch or the like.  
      Referring now to  FIG. 13 , there are shown various optional features of operational flow  100  of  FIG. 1, 5 ,  7 ,  8 ,  10 , or  12 . In various implementations, system  600  of  FIG. 6  can optionally be configured to perform flow  100  by performing one or more additional operations  1360  of operation  1361 , operation  1364 , operation  1366 , operation  1368 , or  1369 .  
      Operation  1361  comprises receiving a request for a subscription, such as may be performed by logic  656  configured as logic for receiving input  621 . In an embodiment in which code  667  includes inventory maintenance software, for example, logic  656  can respond to the request by selling a subscription or similar license. Logic  656  can likewise respond partly based on one or more factors such as the code  667 , a regimen  674  selected by a user, a location of the user&#39;s system, data  668  such as a description of inventories within a given range of the user, one or more user preferences such as cost, or one or more objective indications such as symptoms indicated by the user.  
      Operation  1364  comprises receiving a diagnosis. Operation  1366  comprises receiving a prognosis. The diagnosis or prognosis can optionally be based on one or more test results and/or reports by others, observations, predictions, reports, history, or other indications of status). The diagnosis or prognosis may relate to a subject who has adopted the consumption regimen, for example, and may warrant storing the diagnosis in a medical history portion of data  670 . The subject may be diagnosed as having an allergy to seafood, for example, which may bear against a fish oil supplement. Substantially the same criterion (“no fish,” e.g.) may effectively become a part of a given subject&#39;s regimen (regimen  672 , e.g.) in other circumstances as well. It may arise from a received user instruction or preference (“no fish,” e.g.), a user status (“vegan,” e.g.), or otherwise arise from a received input  621 . The subject may be diagnosed with osteoporosis, as another example, which may bear toward a calcium-containing (or higher-calcium) regimen. Many embodiments described herein allow for a more sophisticated and cost-effective approach to building and maintaining an inventory of effective remedies.  
      Logic  638  can optionally perform one or more of operation  1368  of communicating with a consultant remotely and/or operation  1369  of communicating with a supplier. These operations can generate timely information about the availability or advisability of an available regimen, for example, facilitating appropriate adjustments at operation  150 .  
      Those having skill in the art will recognize that the state of the art has progressed to the point where there is little distinction left between hardware and software implementations of aspects of systems; the use of hardware or software is generally (but not always, in that in certain contexts the choice between hardware and software can become significant) a design choice representing cost vs. efficiency tradeoffs. Those having skill in the art will appreciate that there are various vehicles by which processes and/or systems and/or other technologies described herein can be effected (e.g., hardware, software, and/or firmware), and that the preferred vehicle will vary with the context in which the processes and/or systems and/or other technologies are deployed. For example, if an implementer determines that speed and accuracy are paramount, the implementer may opt for a mainly hardware and/or firmware vehicle; alternatively, if flexibility is paramount, the implementer may opt for a mainly software implementation; or, yet again alternatively, the implementer may opt for some combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware. Hence, there are several possible vehicles by which the processes and/or devices and/or other technologies described herein may be effected, none of which is inherently superior to the other in that any vehicle to be utilized is a choice dependent upon the context in which the vehicle will be deployed and the specific concerns (e.g., speed, flexibility, or predictability) of the implementer, any of which may vary. Those skilled in the art will recognize that optical aspects of implementations will typically employ optically-oriented hardware, software, and or firmware.  
      The foregoing detailed description has set forth various embodiments of the devices and/or processes via the use of block diagrams, flowcharts, and/or examples. Insofar as such block diagrams, flowcharts, and/or examples contain one or more functions and/or operations, it will be understood by those within the art that each function and/or operation within such block diagrams, flowcharts, or examples can be implemented, individually and/or collectively, by a wide range of hardware, software, firmware, or virtually any combination thereof. In one embodiment, several portions of the subject matter described herein may be implemented via Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs), or other integrated formats. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that some aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein, in whole or in part, can be equivalently implemented in integrated circuits, as one or more computer programs running on one or more computers (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more computer systems), as one or more programs running on one or more processors (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more microprocessors), as firmware, or as virtually any combination thereof, and that designing the circuitry and/or writing the code for the software and or firmware would be well within the skill of one of skill in the art in light of this disclosure. In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the mechanisms of the subject matter described herein are capable of being distributed as a program product in a variety of forms, and that an illustrative embodiment of the subject matter described herein applies regardless of the particular type of signal bearing medium used to actually carry out the distribution. Examples of a signal bearing medium include, but are not limited to, the following: a recordable type medium such as a floppy disk, a hard disk drive, a Compact Disc (CD), a Digital Video Disk (DVD), a digital tape, a computer memory, etc.; and a transmission type medium such as a digital and/or an analog communication medium (e.g., a fiber optic cable, a waveguide, a wired communications link, a wireless communication link, etc.).  
      While particular aspects of the present subject matter described herein have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that, based upon the teachings herein, changes and modifications may be made without departing from this subject matter described herein and its broader aspects and, therefore, the appended claims are to encompass within their scope all such changes and modifications as are within the true spirit and scope of this subject matter described herein. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the invention is solely defined by the appended claims. It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.” Moreover, “can” and “optionally” and other permissive terms are used herein for describing optional features of various embodiments. These terms likewise describe selectable or configurable features generally, unless the context dictates otherwise.  
      The herein described aspects depict different components contained within, or connected with, different other components. It is to be understood that such depicted architectures are merely exemplary, and that in fact many other architectures can be implemented which achieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively “associated” such that the desired functionality is achieved. Hence, any two components herein combined to achieve a particular functionality can be seen as “associated with” each other such that the desired functionality is achieved, irrespective of architectures or intermedial components. Likewise, any two components so associated can also be viewed as being “operably connected,” or “operably coupled,” to each other to achieve the desired functionality. Any two components capable of being so associated can also be viewed as being “operably couplable” to each other to achieve the desired functionality. Specific examples of operably couplable include but are not limited to physically mateable and/or physically interacting components and/or wirelessly interactable and/or wirelessly interacting components and/or logically interactable and/or logically interacting components.  
      While certain features of the described implementations have been illustrated as disclosed herein, many modifications, substitutions, changes and equivalents will now occur to those skilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of the embodiments of the invention.