TECHNICAL AREA

The present invention refers to the area of medical products, particularly to devices capable of managing, storing and distributing medicines.

Definitions

In order to have a better understanding of the present invention a series of definitions are included:

Pillbox: a device with sections whose main function is to store and deliver medicines in a controlled manner.

Peripheral Devices: sensors that connect to the pillbox wirelessly to obtain medical data on the patients' health, generate warnings to patients/users/responsible persons, see their location and enable two-way communication between patient/user/responsible persons.

Expansion modules: optional modules that can be added to the device to add functionalities to the system (such as a module for indoor environmental control).

Patient: a person who uses the system to follow a pharmacological treatment programme, to access the health system in some way or to remotely check their health data.

User: a person who uses the system through the application of a smartphone, web or a computer programme to control compliance with a treatment programme by one or more patients, upload treatment programmes, as well as monitor the health measurements of their assigned patients. It can be enabled or not by the responsible person in order to perform the functions explained above. A user can also be a patient.

Responsible Person: a person who has total control over the system (pillbox, peripherals devices, etc.), who in turn can also delegate permissions to other users to carry out actions on the system. The responsible person can, in turn, be a patient and user.

Application (APP): A multiplatform software that allows one to manage all the functions of the pillbox remotely, receive and consult biometric measurements of the patients, view the history of medications administered to patients, see treatment and environmental parameters as well as the operation of the pillbox. The software can be used in a variety of platforms such as: Android, IOS, MacOS, Windows, Linux, FireFoxOS, Symbian, etc.

BACKGROUND

The present invention deals with an intelligent device, connected to the internet, for the delivery of medicines to patients automatically and in a controlled manner. In addition, it allows the patient to be checked by measurements of health parameters obtained through external sensors, which are not the object of this invention.

When following a treatment programme, patients use their own methods to take the medicines at the right times, often forgetting to take them, or taking more than one dose by mistake. This generates health complications for the patient and additional costs for health centers or relatives who must deal with the consequences of these situations.

In many cases, people who are in charge of an older adult who is undergoing treatment, do not have a patient monitoring system, which is needed to know if they are following the treatment correctly or in case of detection of an anomaly in the schedules, to advise the patient/user/responsible person to correct the behavior.

In addition, not all patients users/responsible persons are advised on what is the best time to take the doses of prescribed drugs in order to obtain the best results, or which medicines cannot be administered together, when the combination can cause a health problem or the loss of treatment efficacy either due to pharmaco-kinetic, pharmaco-dynamic and/or psycho-chemical interactions between them.

While there are other devices that fulfill some of the functions of the present invention, there are none that include all of them. In the case of the present invention, the novelty is not only the integration of all these functions, but the inclusion of other novel functions.

The devices that are currently available provide interfaces for patients/users that are overwhelming, comprising many buttons, displays, indications, etc., which leads to rejection by the patient/user/responsible person. Additionally, they do not assist the responsible person/user in the loading of the medicines when they are part of a complex treatment.

Thus, the following patents: US2012316405, WO2016141102, US2006124655, U.S. Pat. No. 7,269,476, WO0217850 deal with systems for dispensing drugs and monitoring the vital signs of patients, using a microprocessor system and communication modules, information screen, keyboard or buttons to control the device and others, but lack some functionalities included in this device, such as those detailed below.

On the other hand, the medical assistance centers, health institutions or pharmaceutical laboratories need anonymous statistical information on drug consumption, times when they are taken, etc. to carry out studies and research on the effect of medications under prescribed treatments. The device of the present invention can collect this information anonymously if the user authorizes it and analyze it via Big Data algorithms to obtain information automatically, without using information that can identify the patient/user, rather only the medications administered. Each person can choose not to provide this anonymous information to the system.

The aforementioned patents contain a series of substantial differences to the present invention, namely:

1.1 Screen, Buttons, Display:

Devices which are currently available have a screen, keyboard or buttons, etc. This leads to rejection on the part of the patients/users/responsible person because they understand that the device itself adds complexity that many times they are not willing to face.

To the contrary, the present invention does not have any button or screen on the device. The smartphone application centralizes all the information and commands to be used by the users or the responsible person (family member, health professionals, or patient if they have the capacity). The user only has to use the device when it emits visual and/or audible indications or when the bracelet vibrates. In this way the complexity of the system is markedly diminished for the user.

1.2 Quantity of Medicines:

Current devices provide large capacity containers for storing drugs of the same type. The present invention has 21 compartments in which at least 6 different drugs can be loaded in each of them, providing the opportunity for the necessary different medicines according to the user's treatment needs.

1.3 Internal Quality Measures:

The devices reported so far do not monitor the internal environment of the device. This determines that the medicines are exposed to variations of temperature and/or humidity, which can adversely affect storage conditions and if that happens they will not be apt for consumption.

To the contrary, the device of the present invention has internal measurements of these parameters and alerts those responsible when the internal environment where the drugs are found is not adequate. The device of the invention can also control the humidity/temperature of the container, which guarantees the stability of the medicines and stops the patient taking medications that after being loaded in the dispenser are subject to conditions that alter their active ingredients.

1.4 Artificial Intelligence and BigData Analysis:

The device of the present invention, unlike those already known, can also combine its features together with the storage of relevant information. By means of analysis of BigData and Artificial Intelligence (AI) on the use of medicines, anonymous information on drug consumption by the overall population can be obtained, so that it is able to generate statistics by region, age, gender, etc., thus providing information for institutions and researchers and enabling adjustments to be made in the dosage and/or therapeutic indications of medicines based on what has been learned.

1.5 Drug Interactions:

The known devices do not provide information about drug interactions, so they do not provide alerts as to when such may occur.

However, the claimed device at the time of loading medicines verifies the treatment against a database prepared by health professionals about adverse reactions and interactions between medicines, medicinal herbs, homeopathic specialties and foods, and alerts the responsible person in case it finds any.

1.6 Security:

The device of the present invention, unlike the existing ones, encrypts user data in all stages, as well as the communications with the servers, using the most robust encryption algorithms available (AES256 and TLS/SSL). In addition, it allows remote security updates to implement improvements in the device automatically, in a secure and transparent way for the user, achieving a rapid response to a possible security emergency.

1.7 Performance Tests:

The devices available in the market do not include as a function, a periodic test of their internal systems to detect a malfunction.

The device claimed herein carries out internal predictive tests, imperceptible by the user, while waiting to deliver the medicines. If one of these tests detects a malfunction of the system, it alerts the person in charge to anticipate a failure and avoid putting the patient at risk, allowing him to look for alternatives so the patient receives the medication.

1.8 Storage of Drugs Outside their Packaging:

Currently available devices store the drugs in open containers, this determines that their integrity cannot be guaranteed.

On the other hand, the device of the present invention allows storage of the different tablets in unit doses allowing daily/weekly/monthly loading of treatments, by the pharmacy, nursing, medical service or the user/responsible person. In addition, at the moment that the medicines are being loaded, it is possible to select an option whether the medicine was already removed from its blister or packaging. With this information entered by the responsible person user, the device is able to alert the user/responsible person if the medication contained in it has expired and therefore should not be administered.

1.9 Another characteristic to highlight is that none of the devices in the state of the art is modular, that is, they do not have the capacity to add additional modules with more functions such as: storage capacity, refrigeration, capacity to dispense medicines by injection, etc. This allows you to add/remove functions depending on the specific needs of each user and improve the cost/benefit ratio of the system, allowing only the necessary features to be used depending on the patient's need.

1.10 None of the aforementioned devices permit identification of the patient/user/responsible person at the time of withdrawal of the medication. This determines that the drugs are only released at the right time but anyone can pick them up. The present device identifies to whom the medicines are delivered, avoiding delivery to a person other than the user. This also ensures that, in hospitals, geriatric institutions or any other type of institution where drugs need to be delivered, the person who withdraws them for administration to patients and at what time is identifiable. Thus, the traceability of medicines can be improved and, in the specific case of controlled or prescription drugs (narcotic drugs and psychotropic drugs), it is particularly relevant to know who withdraws them.

1.11 The system of the present invention has voice recognition capability, for example, the device can recognize requests for help, notify a responsible person and/or health center, answer questions of the patient/user/responsible person (such as for example if they have taken medications or if they have to take any more on that day, etc.), respond to voice commands and perform actions (calls, reminders, etc).

Object of the Invention

The object of the present invention is a system connected to the internet comprising an electromechanical device, intelligent peripheral devices and a method for loading and delivering medicines to patients at the time previously programmed, by means of an application (APP) on a Smartphone or Tablet/web/Computer program, all of them controlled by software.

The system seeks to prevent errors in the intake of medications through data analysis, as well as avoiding mistakes in the administration of medications. Intelligent peripheral devices such as the bracelet help to clearly communicate to the patient when taking medication, and allows, among other functions, notification to the responsible person by means of an emergency button located on said bracelet and two-way audio communication between the patient and the user/responsible person.

The system also allows the integration of other intelligent peripheral devices (not the subject of this patent), such as sensors that measure blood glucose, heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, blood oxygen, or any other health sensor or device available in the market capable of communicating via Bluetooth, wifi or other wireless protocol. These sensors perform approximation analysis and allow both the responsible persons and health centers to collect patient health information. Any intelligent electronic device that has communication capability through some wireless protocol (cell phones, tablet, smart watch, etc.) can also be used as a peripheral device to interact with the system's functionalities.

