Horology: time measuring systems or devices – Combined with disparate device
Reexamination Certificate
1999-07-23
2002-01-01
Miska, Vit (Department: 2859)
Horology: time measuring systems or devices
Combined with disparate device
C221S002000, C221S015000, C340S309400
Reexamination Certificate
active
06335907
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to packages having attached thereto an integrated circuit chip for storing information related to the package or its contents and in particular a package having an integrated circuit chip embedded therein for interactive storage of information with regard to the contents and use over time of the package which is of particular importance in relation to the pharmaceutical Industry.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The correct administration of medications whether by an individual or a health care professional is growing concern. In particular it is a concern where the individual takes multiple medications. Further, it is a concern as the individual gets older to ensure that he/she is taking their medication as prescribed. It is also a concern to ensure that the individual gives each health care professional a full history of medications as well as related problems.
Typically when a physician prescribes a particular medication, the physician has very little control over whether the patient actually takes the medication as prescribed. Rather, the physician must rely on the patient to take the medication as prescribed. The risk of a patient taking their medication incorrectly is increased with the number of medications. Studies have shown that in the United States the hospitalization of patients due to the incorrect administration of prescriptions drugs has increased in recent years. In some instances the incorrect use of the drug is fatal. Other studies have shown that 60% of women on the birth control pill have forgotten to take the pill everyday and as few as 20% of women actually take the pill at the same time everyday as prescribed. The result of this is that most unplanned pregnancies occur because women do not take their birth control pill regularly. One way the government is trying to address this issue is to require more comprehensive information on the drug labels. However, more effective labelling is only a partial solution since people will still forget to take the medication either at all or at the correct time.
There are concerns related to the administration of medication that need to be considered. For example some concerns are: how to ensure that the individual does not forget to take the medication at the prescribed times or at the prescribed intervals; how to ensure that the individual takes neither too few nor too many medications, and how to ensure that the individual takes the right medication or that they heed the warnings or other contra-indicators associated with the medication. In addition, it would be advantageous if the physician had a mechanism to confirm when in fact the medications were taken. This is of particular importance when the physician is trying to make minor adjustments to the medication.
In addition to these concerns, when the medication is administered by a health care professional In a hospital or other institution there are other concerns that need to be considered. For example other concerns are: how to ensure there is continuity with multiple staff for one individual, how to ensure that the medication is administered to the right individual; and how to ensure that there is a complete log of all of the medications given to a specific individual.
A number of devices have been suggested to try to address at least some of these problems. For example, a number of devices are used as reminder units for specific medications containers. For example U.S. Pat. No. 4,616,316 issued to Hanpeter et al. shows a monitoring device attached to a blister pack having conductive traces thereon such that when a trace is broken the monitoring device records the time thereof. The monitoring device includes a power source. U.S. Pat. No. 5,181,189 issued Jan. 19, 1993 to Hafner shows a signalling device that is adapted to be attached to an individual medication. The device signals when the medication is to be taken but it does not record if it has been taken. U.S. Pat. No. 5,495,961 issued Mar. 5, 1996 to Maestre shows a programmable medication alarm device designed to be attached to a medicine bottle or dispenser. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,504,153 issued Mar. 12, 1985 to Schollmeyer et al. shows a prompting device that is attached to an individual medication container. The Scholimeyer device may record when the cap was opened. There are a number of shortcomings with regard to these devices. In particular, all of these devices include a power source with the device and therefore with the medication and accordingly these devices would be expensive to operate. Further, these devices do not have a method of providing contra-indications or handling multiple medications.
Alternatively, more comprehensive devices have been suggested. For example U.S. Pat. No. 4,831,562 issued May 16, 1989 to McIntosh et al. shows a reminder device that includes individual compartments for each different medication. The device is programmed to provide a reminder signal and provide a display to indicate that a medication should be taken. Similarly U.S. Pat. No. 5,805,061 issued Sep. 8, 1998 to Hermann et al. shows an interactive medication reminder/dispenser device with a plurality of compartments for different medications. The device provides a visual and audio signal indicative of a time to take at (east one medication. This device may also include a weighing mechanism or an optical system which enables the device to determine if a pill has actually been removed. Alternatively the user presses a key to indicate that the medication has been taken. Both devices could also include information with regard to medication incompatibilities. Each of these devices has a power source attached thereto. There are a number of shortcomings with regard to these devices. In particular by emptying the medication into another container the user risks confusing the medication by inadvertently putting it into the wrong compartment. Further, information from the medications is read into the device but no Information with regard to the use of the medication is written back to the medication container. Therefore, no information with regard to use of the medication is attached to the medication container.
Other devices have been suggested which have specific functions with regard to the safe use of medications. For example U.S. Pat. No. 5,812,064 issued Sep. 22, 1998 to Barbour shows a device that has a medicine bottle with a memory unit attached thereto. However, the memory unit allows only for information to be transferred from the memory unit to a playback unit. No information is written from the playback unit to the memory unit. Therefore, no information with regard to actual use of the medication is carried in the memory unit. Other devices are used to indicate when the product has passed its expiration date. This can be very important with regard to medicines because after that date they may not have any value or they may become toxic. An example of such a device is U.S. Pat. No. 5,802,015 issued Sep. 1, 1998 to Rothchild et al. which shows an electronic label that indicates the expiration of a predetermined time period.
None of the prior art systems described above show a package with an interactive memory unit that both stores information with regard to the medication and the use of the medication by an individual. The package would be used in association with a consumer prompting device that both reads information from the package and writes information onto the package with regard to use of the medication. The information with regard to the use of the package is stored on the interactive memory unit, that is information with regard to a method of determining the next take time. Information with regard to the method of determining the next take time is transferred to the consumer prompting device wherein the next take time is calculated and the next take time is stored on the consumer prompting device and the method of determining next take time is deleted from the consumer prompting device. In addition, if the consumer takes a medication the take time is
Infuso Michael E.
Momich Robert
Hill & Schumacher
Miska Vit
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