Patient controlled timed medication dispenser
AssigneeAvancen MOD Corp.
InventorsN. Sharon Conley, Bernie Boydston, Rob Grillo, Mike Keefe, Ross Mayfield
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A medication on demand dispenser. The dispenser provides patient access to medications prescribed to be available on an as-needed basis but with a prescribed minimum time interval between doses. The dispenser permits access to a single medication dose after each minimum time interval has elapsed. After a drug dose is presented to the patient, the dispenser prevents access to the next dose until the minimum time interval has elapsed.
Claims28
A medication dispenser for permitting access to medication doses by a patient only after a minimum dosing interval between consecutive doses, the medication dispenser comprising:
- a medication tray comprising medication retention areas, wherein prior to dispensing any medication doses, medication retention areas carrying a medication dose alternate with empty medication retention areas;
- a cover disposed over the medication tray, the cover defining a dose opening therein through which a dose in a retention area can be accessed when the dose opening is aligned with a medication retention area carrying a medication dose;
- an indicator for indicating when the minimum dosing interval has elapsed;
- an authenticating element responsive to patient identification information for authenticating the patient to access a medication dose, the authenticating element operable to authenticate the patient only after the minimum dosing interval has elapsed;
- and
- a controller for aligning the dose opening and a retention area carrying a medication dose to present a medication dose through the dose opening after the patient has been authenticated, the medication dose available through the dose opening for a predetermined time, after the predetermined time the controller for moving the medication tray to align the dose opening with an empty retention area;
- wherein responsive to a failed patient authentication attempt or lack of an authentication attempt, the controller does not rotate the tray to align the dose opening with a retention area carrying a medication dose.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.