Communications: electrical – Systems – Timer control
Reexamination Certificate
2002-07-19
2004-10-05
Trieu, Van T. (Department: 2636)
Communications: electrical
Systems
Timer control
C340S309400, C340S309700
Reexamination Certificate
active
06801123
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to multi-compartment tablet organizers and electronic alarm and storage devices, which organize and store and/or indicate when tablets or capsules should be taken and more specifically to a new electronic organizer and storage device.
The use of tablet organizers and electronic alarm and storage devices, which organize and store and/or indicate when tablets or capsules should be taken, is known in the background art. More specifically, tablet organizers and electronic alarm and storage devices which organize and store and/or indicate when tablets or capsules should be taken heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded background art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known background art in tablet organizers include U.S. Pat. No. 5,379,899. Known background art electronic alarm and storage devices include U.S. Pat. No. 6,194,995 BI; U.S. Pat. No. 6,145,697; U.S. Pat. No. 6,119,892; U.S. Pat. No. 6,048,087; U.S. Pat. No. 5,990,782; U.S. Pat. No. 5,838,224; U.S. Pat. No. 5,221,024; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,617,557.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,379,899 discloses a tablet organizer with 28 tablet storage compartments. Tablet compartments are identified and referenced by imprinted lettering and numbers. A pharmacist, health care giver, family member, or the user typically fills this apparatus. Although this apparatus fulfills its objective in providing a better means over prescription vials to organize and store tablets or capsules, it does not incorporate automated reminders of any kind and places the onus of remembering administration times or knowing which tablets or capsules to take, directly on the user, which in most instances is a senior.
The remaining aforementioned patents which do offer enhanced features like audio alarms and programmable timers for remembering when to take tablets or capsules, are typically either too complicated to understand and operate, very limited in the features offered, or too expensive to purchase. While all of the devices known to the background art fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, they do not disclose a new electronic organizer and storage device, which identifies tablets or capsules to be taken by illuminating the respective tablet chamber and sounding an audio alarm simultaneously. Nor do they disclose a new electronic organizer and storage device with a means to store, display, or transfer information on missed alarms.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new electronic organizer and storage device, which is easy to understand and operate.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a new electronic organizer and storage device which provides the user with an enhanced product to assist with the daily administration of tablets or capsules while also providing an efficient evaluation tool for health care givers in assessing a user's ability to self-medicate independently.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide a new electronic organizer and storage device, which will be durable and reliably constructed and can be easily manufactured and marketed.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a new electronic organizer and storage device which is susceptible to a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible to low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making the electronic organizer and storage device economically available at approximately the same retail cost as some multi-compartment tablet organizers which incorporate no enhanced features and well below the retail cost of most electronic alarm and storage devices.
Yet still another objective of the present invention is to provide a new electronic organizer and storage device which provides in the apparatuses and methods of the background art, some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated with them such as; ease of use, effectiveness, and affordability.
In these respects, the electronic organizer and storage device which is the subject of the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the background art, and in so doing provides an apparatus developed to make the taking of daily tablets or capsules easier as well as provide an efficient tool for health care professionals to perform short-term or long-term compliance assessments.
The general purpose of the present invention is to provide a new electronic organizer and storage device apparatus and method which has many advantages over previously mentioned tablet organizers and electronic alarm and storage devices which organize and store and/or indicate when tablets or capsules should be taken and many novel features that result in a new electronic organizer and storage device, which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the background art tablet organizers or electronic alarm and storage devices, either alone or in a combination thereof.
In keeping with these objectives and others which will become apparent hereunder, one feature of the present invention resides, briefly stated, is an electronic organizer and storage device, has means forming a plurality of compartments for storing tablets or capsules; means for providing a plurality of preprogrammed prescription cycles; means for providing a compliance verification function; means for providing a prescription cycle verification; a multi-color multi-function indicator for confirming operation functions; light means provided for each tablet chamber; and alarm means, said light flashes and said alarm means being formed so that a light flashes by said light means adjacent to a corresponding compartment when tablets or capsules are to be taken and at the same time an audible alarm is activated by said alarm means so as to provide an audible alarm and at the same time visually identify which tablets or capsules to take next; means for storing information on missed alarms; means for displaying the stored information using a light means and an audible means for short-term compliance assessments; and means to queue and transfer the stored information to an external computing device for long-term compliance assessments.
The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the present invention are set fourth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4258354 (1981-03-01), Carmon et al.
patent: 4682299 (1987-07-01), McIntosh et al.
patent: 5289157 (1994-02-01), Rudick et al.
patent: 5720154 (1998-02-01), Lasher et al.
patent: 5752235 (1998-05-01), Kehr et al.
patent: 6449218 (2002-09-01), Lluch
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