Patent ID: 10610457

Abstract:
A computerized pill intake reminder device is disclosed. The computerized pill intake reminder device is used for storing pills, detecting the number of pills in each pouch of the blister pack, inventory management, reminding users to take their medication on time, alerting by providing an audible or a visual alarm if the medications are not taken on time and as a secondary mechanism alerting their caregiver if the user has not responded to the alert and taken the medication on time.The device includes a top housing and a bottom housing that can be rotated about each other to form a closed and sealed module. It also includes a processor that is communicatively coupled through an electronic circuit to a plurality of electronic components housed within the pill intake reminder device. These include a speaker, microphone, infrared sensors, cameras, LED lights, microphone, RFID scanner, non-volatile memory, transmitter, and a receiver. The LED lights can be programmed with various colors.The speaker is used to sound an audible alarm play an audible message at a specific time to remind the user to take their medication or provide an alert if the time has passed. The device also includes a pill storage module that has an upper and a lower packing plate. The space in between the plates is where the blister pack is inserted.The device includes a pill detection module. This module includes an infrared sensor (IR) and a camera. In operation, the processor causes the infrared sensor to detect the presence of a pill inside the pouch of the pill/blister pack and the processor causes the camera to quantify the number of pills in the pouch. The pill detection is performed by using a combination of IR Sensors, photodiodes, and a light emitting mechanism. A light beam, or an array of light beams, are passed from one side of the pouch to another and the light that passes through is read by the IR sensors and used for determining whether the pouch includes pills.The device includes a guidance system to guide the user of the pill intake reminder device to a specific pouch of the pill/blister pack for retrieving pills stored in that pouch. It does so by illuminating a light emitting diode (LED) on or around a specific pouch from which medication/pills are to be retrieved by the user. It operates by obtaining the hours of administration (HOA) schedule for the patient and then locating a pouch of the pill/blister pack that correlates with the HOA schedule. Once located, the pouch is illuminated for guidance.The device includes a display that can be used for providing visual alerts, videos, or recorded messages for instructing the user for taking the pills.The device uses a transmitter to send alerts to mobile phone for reminding the user to take the medication as well as sending an alert for missing or noncompliance.The radio frequency identification (RFID) reader is used to verify that a correct pill/blister pack, the one that is associated with the user/patient is being inserted into the device. The verifying process includes scanning an RFID tag located on the blister pack and matching it to patient information.The device also performs periodic inventory of the pills in the blister pack. This includes using an infrared sensor housed within the electronic module to determine the presence of one or more pills in the pouch and using a camera housed underneath the pouch to image and count the number of pills that are in the pouch. The inventory serves as an error check to ensure that the right number of pills from the right pouch were taken by the user at their HOA. The pill inventory system also is used to re-order more medication, if allowed by the prescription, when it detects that it is time to replenish them.