Medication compliance monitoring device having conductive traces upon a frangible backing of a medication compartment

Abstract

A medication compliance monitoring system consisting of a blister pack having an array of plastic blisters defining compartments for medication, with a frangible non-conductive backing sheet having conductive traces behind the compartments which are respectively ruptured when the medication doses are removed. The blister pack is detachably connected to an electronic memory circuit via a multi-terminal male connector tab on the backing sheet, wired to the conductive traces, and a corresponding female connector with terminals wired to the electronic memory circuit. The electronic memory circuit addresses each individual trace periodically at a constant time interval over a predetermined extended period of time to determine if it is intact. The electronic memory circuit detects the ruptures and stores the time data thereof over said extended period of time. During the patient's follow-up visit a microcomputer is employed to retrieve the dose-removal-time data from the memory circuit; it processes the data and provides a display of the compliance information. A socket adapter is used to alternately configure the electronic memory circuit for data acquisition and extraction. The socket adapter is in the form of a multiple-pin jumper plug engageable in a multi-contact socket connected to the memory circuit. Insertion of the plug configures the memory circuit for data acquisition. Removal of the plug configures the memory circuit for data retrieval and processing by the microcomputer. In a typical embodiment there are 42 blisters whose associated conductive traces are addressed every 15 minutes over an extended time period which may be as much as 85 days.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.