Pill compliance device and monitoring system

A microcontroller-controlled method of providing pill compliance by use of a pill compliance device for maintaining a patient's pill supply and monitoring the patient's access to the pills contained in the device to memorialize the patient's compliance with his/her pill-taking regimen, the pill compliance device comprising an electronics unit with a microcontroller and electronic components, a housing with an inner pill or capsule storage compartment for storing pills, a removable cover covering the inner pill or capsule storage compartment of said housing,

• said removable cover including at least one of:
• a) a magnet, a magnetically activated switch with a magnet, or,
• b) a mechanical switch including a capacitive touch sensor element and a switch press element and wherein the press plate is in contact with the capacitive touch sensor in the closed switch state,
• each said switch is used to detect removal of said cover and magnet away from said housing, and is responsive to a replacement of said cover and magnet to said housing,
• wherein when separating the magnet and cover from the magnetically activated switch triggers a transition from an active state, to a dormant state, when the switch is activated, the magnet and switch are proximate due to the cover's presence prior to removal, and wherein attaching the cover to the housing triggers a transition from the dormant state to an active state, the method including steps of:
• first generating an access signal upon removal of the removable cover from the housing and inner pill storage compartment, the access signal indicative of a transition from the active state to the dormant state;
• second generating a pill-taken signal when, within a predetermined amount of time, the removable cover is replaced on the housing and inner pill storage compartment, the pill-compliance signal indicative of the patient's having ingested the pill;
• in response to a pill-taken signal, the microcontroller generating a compliance notification signal and provides said compliance notification signal to a wireless communication attached to or coupled to an electronic unit to memorialize the apparent compliance.