PATENTS CITED

The following documents and references are incorporated by reference in their entirety, Kraft et al (WO 2013/033033), Lohman (U.S. Pat. No. 9,465,918) and Denny et al (U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2015/0251839), Villegas Estrada (U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2010/0147867), Schiff et al (U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2018/0360693), Aby-Eva (U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2014/0102859) and Baarman et al (U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,218,458 and 9,597,261).

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a system and method for the safe and authorized transport, storage and dispensing of medication, and for the access and dispensing of said medication only to approved and/or authorized parties.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

Over 10.3 million people used prescription opioids without a prescription in 2014. In 2016, 16 people died every day from opioid related overdoses, and 11.5 MM people misused prescription opioids. From July 2016 through September 2017 Opioid overdoses increased 30% in 45 states.

It can be difficult for doctors and health specialists to monitor patients' use of prescription drugs and supplements, particularly of opioids. Within family groups, sometimes unauthorized access to one patient's prescription by someone else, creates dangers and often illegal behavior. What is needed is a safe way in which to control, store and dispense addictive substances.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This section is for the purpose of summarizing some aspects of the present invention and to briefly introduce some preferred embodiments. Simplifications or omissions may be made to avoid obscuring the purpose of the section. Such simplifications or omissions are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

In one aspect the invention is about a controlled access medication dispensing system comprising a tamper-resistant (possibly tamper-proof) medication storage and dispensing unit equipped with internal medication storage and dispensing components, one or more dispensing openings and electronic interface components to control said internal medication component, including storing patient prescription, patient identification and stored medication information by authorized medical authorities or personnel. In another aspect, said dispensing units is comprised of an enclosed wheel within a housing, wherein said wheel is mechanically linked with wheel rotation components, said wheel having two or more cavities, so that rotation of said wheel by said rotation components causes the contents to come out through one or more dispensing slots. In yet another aspect, said wheel rotation components are selected from a combination of one or more of: a worm drive motor, stepper motor, servo motor, mechanical clock mechanism or such other, said rotation component is coupled to one or more gearing teeth on said wheel and said wheel can only be moved while said mechanism is engaged. In another aspect, there is a dispensing sensor on said dispensing slot. In yet another aspect, said dispensing unit is sealed.

In another aspect a control and monitoring unit having one or more user identification (ID) confirmation components, system interface electronic components and network interface components for interfacing to one or more of said dispensing units and operation of said medication dispensing and storage portion is limited to those authorized by medical authorities. In yet another aspect, said user identification (ID) confirmation components are selected from one or more of the group comprised of: biometrics for face recognition, fingerprint recognition and/or voice recognition, Global Positioning (GPS) location, Cellular/Wireless/Internet location, password entry, two factor authentication, Personal Identification Numbers (PIN) entry or authorized personnel interaction via voice/video, said system interface electronic components are selected from one or more of the group comprised of: wired or wireless electronics including power, communication and/or interface and said network interface electronic components are selected from one or more of the group comprised of: IoT, RFID, Internet protocols, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, email, 4G, 5G, SMS text, or messaging app (e.g. Telegram, WhatsApp, etc.). In another aspect said network interface is carried over a secure channel. In yet another aspect a refilling unit configured to drop medication via the dispensing unit's slot and automatically advancing the dispensing wheel within the dispensing unit. In yet another aspect said dispensing unit is lockable and access to said medication storage portion is limited to authorized medical authorities. In yet another aspect a refilling unit configured to drop medication via the dispensing unit's slot and automatically advancing the dispensing wheel within the dispensing unit.

In another aspect, the invention is about a method for controlled access medication dispensing, said method comprising providing a tamper-resistant (possibly tamper-proof) medication storage and dispensing unit equipped with internal medication storage and dispensing components, one or more dispensing openings and electronic interface components to control said internal medication component, including storing patient prescription, patient identification and stored medication information by authorized medical authorities or personnel. In yet another aspect said dispensing units is comprised of an enclosed wheel within a housing, wherein said wheel is mechanically linked with wheel rotation components, said wheel having two or more cavities, so that rotation of said wheel by said rotation components causes the contents to come out through one or more dispensing slots. In another aspect said wheel rotation components are selected from a combination of one or more of: a worm drive motor, stepper motor, servo motor, mechanical clock mechanism or such other, said rotation component is coupled to one or more gearing teeth on said wheel and said wheel can only be moved while said mechanism is engaged. In yet another there is a dispensing sensor on said dispensing slot. In another aspect said dispensing unit is sealed. In another aspect providing a control and monitoring unit having one or more user identification (ID) confirmation components, system interface electronic components and network interface components for interfacing to one or more of said dispensing units and wherein operation of said medication dispensing and storage portion is limited to those authorized by medical authorities.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon examining the following detailed description of an embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the attached drawings.

