US 11,806,312 B2
System and medication box for improving medication adherence
William Diehl Kearns, Tampa, FL (US); Kimberly Ann Crosland, Lithia, FL (US); Jeffrey D. Craighead, Groveland, FL (US); and James Leonard Fozard, Palm Harbor, FL (US)
Assigned to UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA, Tampa, FL (US); and THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT AS REPRESENTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS, Washington, DC (US)
Filed by UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA, Tampa, FL (US); and THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT AS REPRESENTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS, Washington, DC (US)
Filed on Feb. 14, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/670,808.
Application 17/670,808 is a continuation of application No. 15/802,635, filed on Nov. 3, 2017, granted, now 11,246,806.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/417,043, filed on Nov. 3, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2022/0160587 A1, May 26, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. A61J 7/04 (2006.01); G06K 19/06 (2006.01); A61J 7/00 (2006.01); G16H 20/13 (2018.01); G16H 70/40 (2018.01)
CPC A61J 7/0481 (2013.01) [A61J 7/0092 (2013.01); G06K 19/06028 (2013.01); A61J 7/0069 (2013.01); A61J 7/0076 (2013.01); A61J 7/0418 (2015.05); A61J 7/0445 (2015.05); A61J 2200/30 (2013.01); G16H 20/13 (2018.01); G16H 70/40 (2018.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A medication box, comprising:
an array of sequentially-ordered, transparent chambers;
one or more lids for covering top sides of the array of chambers;
an array of machine-readable markers disposed within the array of chambers and configured to be scanned by an image-capturing device, wherein one machine-readable marker is provided for each chamber, wherein each machine-readable marker is embedded with data pertaining to a medication plan of a user of the medication box, and wherein the data includes identification of medication to be contained within a corresponding chamber, a date and time that the medication is scheduled to be ingested by the user, and instructions for the image-capturing device to record a date and time at which the machine-readable marker is scanned by the image-capturing device; and
a marker cover disposed within one of the chambers and in overlying relation to one of the machine-readable markers, wherein the marker cover is transparent to permit the one of the machine-readable markers to be scanned by the image-capturing device through the marker cover.