TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to the storage and communication of time in therapy management systems, methods, and devices that use time-dependent therapy settings.

BACKGROUND

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder caused by an inability of a person's pancreas to produce sufficient amounts of the hormone insulin such that the person's metabolism is unable to provide for the proper absorption of sugar and starch. This failure leads to hyperglycemia, i.e. the presence of an excessive amount of glucose within the blood plasma. Persistent hyperglycemia has been associated with a variety of serious symptoms and life threatening long-term complications such as dehydration, ketoacidosis, diabetic coma, cardiovascular diseases, chronic renal failure, retinal damage and nerve damages with the risk of amputation of extremities. Self-monitoring of blood glucose and the self-administration of insulin is the typical method for treating diabetes. In order to assist with this self-treatment, many diabetes-related devices and systems (e.g., blood glucose meters, insulin pumps, etc.) can store time-dependent therapy settings (e.g., different basal insulin delivery rates depending on the time and/or day).

SUMMARY

Some embodiments of a time-dependent therapy management system can include a therapy delivery device and a mobile device in wireless communication with the therapy delivery device. The mobile device can be configured to display information regarding therapies administered by the therapy delivery device, future scheduled therapies to be administered by the therapy delivery device, and other information related a patient's medical treatment. A patient/user can also use the mobile device to change settings of the therapy delivery device and provide information to the therapy delivery device that is relevant to therapies administered by the therapy delivery device (e.g., information on meals consumed, exercise or other physical activities performed, information on medical treatments administered using other delivery devices, etc.).

The therapy delivery device can store a plurality of time-dependent therapy settings. The therapy delivery device can be configured to administer time-dependent therapies according to the time-dependent therapy settings based on a universal conception of time that is independent of a local time zone. The mobile device can include a display adapted to depict information about therapy or therapy-related data as compared to a local time that is stored on the mobile device based on a local time zone setting found in the mobile device. The therapy delivery device and the mobile device can therefore be configured to keep separate clocks, with a clock of the therapy delivery device being based on a universal concept of time that is independent of a local time zone (e.g., independent of a time zone setting of the mobile device), while the mobile device can maintain a clock that determines a time based on a local time zone and/or a time zone setting entered by a user of the mobile device. As such, the therapy delivery device can administer therapies to a patient based on the universal concept of time such that therapy administration is not affected by a time zone setting of the mobile device, or a change in time zone setting (e.g., due to the patient traveling from one time zone to another, or due to the patient manually changing a time zone setting of the mobile device) of the mobile device. Likewise, the mobile device maintains a clock that is based on a local time zone and/or time zone setting of the mobile device and can display information regarding therapies administered by the therapy delivery device, future scheduled therapies to be administered by the therapy delivery device, and other information related the patient's medical treatment based on the local time zone or time zone setting of the mobile device, thus allowing the patient or another user to view the information with time settings that are more relevant to the patient/user (e.g., because they are based on the current time zone of the user, rather than a time zone independent universal time).

Furthermore, one or both of the mobile device or the therapy delivery device can include software protocols for adjusting time related information from a time based on a local time zone and/or time zone setting of the mobile device to a time based on the universal conception of time that is independent of the local time zone and vise-versa. For example, the mobile device can include software that converts time stamps for time related information from a time based on a time zone setting of the mobile device to a time based on the universal conception of time that is independent of the local time zone prior to communicating the time stamps and time related information to the therapy delivery device. The software executing on the mobile device can also be configured to convert time stamps for information received from the therapy delivery device from times based on the universal conception of time that is independent of the local time zone to times that reflect a current time zone setting of the mobile device. Alternatively, or additionally, such time stamp conversions can be performed by software executing on the therapy delivery device.

In some cases, the mobile device can be a smartphone. In some cases, the information depicted on the mobile device can be information presented in a mobile application running on the smartphone. In some cases, the information depicted on the mobile device can include a graphical display of the therapy delivered and/or the therapy related data based on the local time. In some cases, the local time zone can be determined via a network or cloud connection of the mobile device to a remote server that determines the time zone for the location of the mobile device. In some cases, location information determined by or received at the mobile device can be used to determine the local time zone. For example, a GPS component of the mobile device can be used to determine a location of the mobile device and the mobile device can subsequently determine the time zone based on the location information. As another example, the location of the mobile device can be determined based on information associated with a wireless communications access point (e.g., a cell tower) in communication with the mobile device. For example, the location of the communications access point can be used as a rough approximation for the location of the mobile device and the mobile device or another computing system in communication with the mobile device can determine the time zone based on this location information. In some cases, a user may manually set a local time zone for the mobile device, which may be an override of a local time zone. In some cases, the universal conception of time can be established on the therapy delivery device based on a universal conception of time found on a remote server. In some cases, the universal conception of time on the therapy delivery device is reestablished in response to a previously identified universal concept of time being lost (e.g., power is interrupted from a clock in the therapy delivery device).

In some cases, a mobile application running on the mobile device wirelessly receives data from the therapy delivery device that is time stamped with the universal conception of time and presents the received data to the user based on a local time zone setting within the mobile device. In some cases, the mobile application can use a time counter on the mobile device to determine the time since the mobile application received the timestamped data. In some cases, systems and methods provided herein can reestablish the universal concept of time in the therapy delivery device (e.g., after a power failure) based on the time counter running on the mobile device and a timestamped data previously received by the mobile application. In some cases, systems and methods provided herein can reestablish the universal concept of time in the therapy delivery device (e.g., after a power failure) based on a universal concept of time found on a remote server. In some cases, a mobile application can determine the current universal concept of time from a wireless communication from the therapy delivery device. In some cases, a mobile application that is not in communication with the therapy delivery device may estimate the current universal concept of time on the therapy delivery device by receiving a universal concept of time from a remote server. In some cases, the universal concept of time is not reestablished on the therapy delivery device unless the universal concept of time is indeterminate (e.g., due to a loss of power to an internal clock).

In some cases, the time-dependent therapy management system can be a diabetes management system that includes a glucose sensor and/or an insulin delivery device. For example, the therapy delivery device can be an insulin delivery device such as an insulin pump or insulin pen. In some cases, the mobile device can depict past, current, and/or scheduled insulin delivery data based on the local time. In some cases, the mobile device can depict past, current, and/or predicted blood glucose data based on the local time. In some cases, the mobile device can include a graphical display that includes time-aligned or overlapping displays of blood glucose data and insulin delivery data. In some cases, the graphical display can indicate how the data relates a time relative to the current time (e.g., 5 minutes ago, 1 hour ago, etc.)

In general, in one aspect, a medication delivery system includes a medication delivery device adapted to dispense medication, the medication delivery device comprising memory to store a medication delivery schedule or time-dependent dosage parameters based on a universal concept of time that is independent of a time zone in which the medication delivery device is located, the medication delivery device being further adapted to record medication delivery information or user actions, the medication delivery information or user actions being stored along with timestamps based on the universal concept of time; and a remote computing device in communication with the medication delivery device, the remote computing device configured to receive the timestamped medication delivery information or user actions from the medication delivery device, and present a visual display of the medication delivery information or user actions along with times, wherein the displayed times are determined using the timestamps based on the universal concept of time adjusted based on the current time zone setting of the remote computing device.

In some implementations, the medication delivery system can include one or more of the following features. The medication delivery device can be configured to receive blood glucose level information from a blood glucose monitor and store the blood glucose level information along with timestamps based on the universal concept of time that is independent of the time zone in which the medication delivery device is located. The remote computing device can be further configured to receive the timestamped blood glucose level information from the medication delivery device, and present a visual display of the blood glucose level information along with times based on the universal concept of time at which the blood glucose levels were determined adjusted based on the current time zone setting of the remote computing device.

The remote computing device can be configured to display the medication delivery information and the blood glucose level information concurrently. The remote computing device can be configured to convert the timestamps for the timestamped medication delivery information from times based on the universal concept of time to times based on the current time zone setting of the remote computing device using a mobile application clock maintained by a mobile application executing on the remote computing device that is distinct from an operating system clock of the remote computing device. The mobile application clock can be configured to use information indicating a current time zone for the remote computing device to determine a current time for the current time zone of the remote computing device independent of time zone settings of the remote computing device. The mobile application clock can be configured to use information indicating a current time zone for the remote computing device to determine a current time for the current time zone of the remote computing device independent of manual time settings of the remote computing device.

The mobile application executing on the remote computing device can be configured to initialize the mobile application clock using a time based on the universal concept of time received from a server. The server can be a mobile application server for the mobile application. The mobile application executing on the remote computing device can be configured to initialize the mobile application clock using timestamped information received from the medication delivery device. The timestamps for the timestamped information received from the medication delivery device can be based on the universal concept of time.

The mobile application executing on the remote computing device can be configured to maintain a universal concept of time for the mobile application clock by monitoring an elapsed time since the remote computing device was started or an elapsed time since the mobile application was initialized and comparing the elapsed time associated with information from the medication delivery device that indicates the universal concept of time to the current amount of elapsed time. The medication delivery device can be configured to maintain a delivery device clock that maintains a current time based on the universal concept of time. The medication delivery device can be configured to initialize the delivery device clock using time information received from the remote computing device.

The medication delivery device can be a medication delivery pen and a cap affixed to the medication delivery pen. The cap can be a smart cap that includes the memory to store the medication delivery schedule or time-dependent dosage parameters. The medication delivery device can include a portable pump housing that receives a medication supply for dispensation to a user, the pump housing at least partially containing a pump drive system to dispense medication from the medication supply through a flow path to the user; and controller that communicates with the pump drive system to dispense the medication to the user based on the stored medication delivery schedule.

In general, in another aspect, a method of operating a medication delivery system can include maintaining, at a medication delivery device, a clock based on a universal concept of time that is independent of a time zone in which the medication delivery device is located; storing, by the medication delivery device and in a memory of the medication delivery device, a medication delivery schedule or time-dependent dosage parameters based on the universal concept of time that is independent of a time zone in which the medication delivery device is located; recording, by the medication delivery device, medication delivery information or user actions and timestamp information for the medication delivery information or user actions, wherein the timestamp information is based on the universal concept of time; transmitting, by the medication delivery device to a remote computing device, the timestamped medication delivery information or user actions; and presenting, by the remote computing device, a visual display of the medication delivery information or user actions along with times, wherein the displayed times are determined using the timestamps based on the universal concept of time adjusted based on the current time zone setting of the remote computing device.

The method of operating the medication delivery system can further include one or more of the following steps and/or features. The medication delivery device can receive blood glucose level information from a blood glucose monitor. The medication delivery device can store, in the memory of the medication delivery device, the blood glucose level information along with timestamps based on the universal concept of time that is independent of the time zone in which the medication delivery device is located. The medication delivery device can transmit to the remote computing device the timestamped blood glucose level information from the medication delivery device. The remote computing device can present a visual display of the blood glucose level information along with times based on the universal concept of time at which the blood glucose levels were determined adjusted based on the current time zone setting of the remote computing device.

The remote computing device can convert the timestamped medication delivery information from times based on the universal concept of time to times based on the current time zone setting of the remote computing device using a mobile application clock maintained by a mobile application executing on the remote computing device that is distinct from an operating system clock of the remote computing device. The mobile application clock can be configured to use information indicating a current time zone for the remote computing device to determine a current time for the current time zone of the remote computing device independent of time zone settings of the remote computing device. The mobile application clock can be configured to use information indicating a current time zone for the remote computing device to determine a current time for the current time zone of the remote computing device independent of manual time settings of the remote computing device.

The subject matter described in this specification can be implemented in particular embodiments and can result in one or more of the following advantages. Lifesaving medical therapies can be delivered according to a timed-schedule independent of a change in time zone and/or a change in time zone setting of a device used to control a therapy delivery device. Medical therapy information related to past, current, and/or scheduled medicine delivery or other therapy administration can be recorded according to a universal time that is independent of a current time zone or time zone setting for a computing device and presented to a user according to the current time zone or time zone setting. Medical therapy information related to past and/or current patient parameter reading (e.g., blood glucose levels of the patient) can be recorded according to a universal time that is independent of a current time zone or time zone setting for a computing device and presented to a user according to the current time zone or time zone setting. Current time settings for a therapy delivery device, mobile device, or other component of a time-dependent therapy management system can be re-established after a loss of power event, reboot event, or other event that causes a time setting to be lost. The current time setting can be based on a universal conception of time that is independent of a local time zone or based on a current time zone or current time zone setting. Medical therapy information related to past, current, and/or scheduled medicine delivery or other therapy administration can be presented to users of various different computing devices according to time zone settings specific to each computing device and/or according to time zone settings that are specific to other computing devices. Thus medical treatment and review of medical treatment information is improved.

The details of one or more implementations of the subject matter described in this specification are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter will become apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims.

