US 12,213,798 B2
Adherence-tracking and monitoring device for metered-dose inhaler
Nandan Kulkarni, Maharashtra (IN); Geena Malhotra, Maharashtra (IN); Brinder Ahluwalia, Karnataka (IN); and Mohnish Jagdish Zaveri, Maharashtra (IN)
Assigned to CIPLA LIMITED, Mumbai (IN)
Appl. No. 16/630,391
Filed by CIPLA LIMITED, Maharashtra (IN)
PCT Filed Jul. 11, 2018, PCT No. PCT/IN2018/050454
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jan. 10, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/012558, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 17, 2019.
Claims priority of application No. 201721024423 (IN), filed on Jul. 11, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2021/0059600 A1, Mar. 4, 2021
Int. Cl. A61M 15/00 (2006.01); A61B 5/00 (2006.01); G16H 20/10 (2018.01); G16H 20/13 (2018.01); G16H 40/67 (2018.01)
CPC A61B 5/4833 (2013.01) [A61B 5/746 (2013.01); A61M 15/0026 (2014.02); A61M 15/008 (2014.02); A61M 15/009 (2013.01); G16H 20/13 (2018.01); G16H 40/67 (2018.01); A61M 2205/18 (2013.01); A61M 2205/3331 (2013.01); A61M 2205/3334 (2013.01); A61M 2205/3375 (2013.01); A61M 2205/52 (2013.01); A61M 2205/583 (2013.01); A61M 2205/587 (2013.01); A61M 2205/8206 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An adherence-monitoring and tracking device for capturing usage of a metered dose inhaler (MDI), the device comprising:
an enclosure configured to enclose the MDI; and
an electro-mechanical system forming a part of the enclosure configured to sense and log an operation of the MDI, said electro-mechanical system comprising:
a microcontroller;
at least one transducer configured to capture one or more parameters pertaining to the operation of the MDI by a user, wherein the microcontroller is configured to process said captured one or more parameters at a periodic sampling interval of less than 10 milliseconds, wherein the microcontroller is configured to process the capture one or more parameters received from said at least one transducer during the operation of the MDI to ascertain:
a) a number of steps undertaken during an inhalation maneuver by the user;
b) shaking of the MDI before usage;
c) dislodgement of an actuator cap from the MDI;
d) occurrence of exhalation before inhalation;
e) inhalation for a certain duration before and after generation of spray; and
f) restoration of the actuator at the MDI, wherein the microcontroller is further configured to process the captured one or more parameters received from said one or more transducers to derive an inhalation-profile of the user; and to identify a triggering flow-rate based on the inhalation-profile, and wherein the microcontroller is further configured to determine at least one error of the operation of the MDI due to execution of one or more parameters of parameters a) to f), and wherein the at least one error of the operation is triggered in response to referring said inhalation-profile; and
an output-unit configured to render data pertaining to the operation of the MDI.