Smart vial interactive medication dosage dispensing system and method

Abstract

A medication dispensing system is disclosed, having an interactive vial having a controllable lock for containing medications prescribed for a patient; a processor contained in the vial; a computer program stored in a computer readable medium the computer program comprising instructions for execution by the processor, the computer program comprising: instructions to read patient data for the patient from a data base stored in the computer readable medium; instructions to authorized dispensing of the medication from the vial; and instructions to upon reading an authorization value of “YES”, unlock the vial to allow access to the medication from the vial. A method for using the system is disclosed.

1 . A medication dispensing system, the system comprising:
 an interactive vial having a controllable lock for containing medications prescribed for a patient;   a processor contained in the vial;   a computer program stored in a computer readable medium the computer program comprising instructions for execution by the processor, the computer program comprising:   instructions to read patient data for the patient from a data base stored in the computer readable medium;   instructions to authorize dispensing of the medication from the vial upon receiving an authorization value of “YES”, unlock the vial to allow access to the medication from the vial, wherein the authorization value is indicated in a data stream containing markers sent to the smart vial.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the controllable lock is a metal pin and solenoid to magnetically lift the metal pin from a rotatable pill container, the instructions to unlock the vial further comprising:
 instructions to send an unlock command to the controllable lock to lift a magnetically actuated pin out of a receiving hole on the rotatable pill container to allow the rotatable pill container to rotate and provide access to a single dosage of the medication and instructions to send a lock command to the lock to release and lower a magnetically actuated pin into a receiving hole on the rotatable pill container to resist further rotation of the rotatable pill container so that only a single dosage of the medication is dispensed.   
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a patient authentication camera that takes a picture of the patient's face;   a patient's face reference image stored in patient data for the patient in a database;   the computer program further comprising instructions to capture and store in the data base an image of the patient's face on the vial camera;   instructions to compare the compare the image of the patient's face from the vial camera to the face reference image;   instructions to when the image of the patient's face on the vial camera and the reference image correlate above 90 percent matching, generate store in the data base a facial recognition authentication result with a value of “YES” indicating a positive result indicating that the vial camera image and the reference image match,   else generate and store in the data base a facial recognition authentication result with a value of “NO” indicating negative result indicating a positive result indicating that the vial camera image and the reference image do not match.   
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a medication authentication camera that takes a picture of the single dosage of medication in the vial before setting a verification value to “YES” indicating that the medication matches a doctor's reference image for the prescribed medication;   a patient's face reference image stored in patient data for the patient in a database;   the computer program further comprising instructions to capture and store in the data base an image of the patient's face on the vial camera;   instructions to compare the compare the image of the patient's face from the vial camera to the face reference image;   instructions to when the image of the patient's face on the vial camera and the reference image correlate above 90, generate store in the data base a facial recognition authentication result with a value of “YES” indicating a positive result indicating that the vial camera image and the reference image match,   else generate and store in the data base a facial recognition authentication result with a value of “NO” indicating negative result indicating a positive result indicating that the vial camera image and the reference image do not match.   
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a patient authentication camera that takes a video of the patient's face taking the medication showing the medication on the patient's tongue and swallowed;   a reference video of the patient's face taking the medication stored in patient data for the patient in a database;   the computer program further comprising instructions to   compare the video of the patient's face taking the medication to the reference video when the video of image of the patient's face on the vial camera and the reference of the patient's face taking, the medication correlate above 90, generate store in the data base a medication taken authentication result with a value of “YES” indicating a positive result indicating that the of the patient's face taking the medication and the reference video match and the patient has taken the medication,   else generate store in the data base a medication taken authentication result with a value of “NO” indicating a positive result indicating that the of the patient's face taking the medication and the reference video match and the patient has not taken the medication.   
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a temperature sensor on the vial, the computer program further comprising instructions to monitor the temperature sensor to determine a vial temperature; and   instructions to issue an alarm when the vial temperature exceeds 80 degrees Fahrenheit.   
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 instructions to read patient data for medications the patient has taken and when; and   instructions to calculate, using drug interaction stored in the data base for the medication for the patient, a sliding scale medication dosage schedule based on the food eaten and when and the medications taken and store the sliding scale food requirement value in the data base as an authentication value parameter for calculating the authentication value to unlock the vial.   
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 instructions to read patient data for food the patient has eaten; and   instructions to calculate, using doctor food recommendations stored in the data base for the medication for the patient, a sliding scale food requirement value based on food eaten and when and the medications taken and store the sliding scale food requirement value in the data base as an authentication value parameter for calculating the authentication value to unlock the vial.   
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a server, wherein the database is stored in a computer readable medium on the server;   the computer program further comprising instructions to determine when the vial has been breached, instructions to send an alert to authorities when the vial has been breached.   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 sending the unlock command followed by 2 seconds later, a lock command to resist rotation of the medication wheel.   
     
     
         11 . A method dispensing medication dispensing system, the system comprising:
 controlling from a vial processor an interactive vial having a controllable lock for containing medications prescribed for a patient;   reading patient data for the patient from a data base stored in the computer readable medium;   authorizing dispensing of the medication from the vial; and   instructions to upon reading an authorization value of “YES”, unlocking the vial to allow access to the medication from the vial.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the controllable lock is a metal pin and solenoid to magnetically lift the metal pin from a rotatable pill container, the method further comprising:
 sending an unlock command to the controllable lock to lift a magnetically actuated pin out of a receiving hole on the rotatable pill container to allow the rotatable pill container to rotate and provide access to a single dosage of the medication and   sending a lock command to the lock to release and lower a magnetically actuated pin into a receiving hole on the rotatable pill container to resist further rotation of the rotatable pill container so that only a single dosage of the medication is dispensed.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , the method further comprising:
 taking a picture of the patient's face using a patient authentication camera on the vial;   a patient's face reference image stored in patient data for the patient in a database;   the computer program further comprising instructions to capture and store in the data base an image of the patient's face on the vial camera;   comparing the compare the image of the patient's face from the vial camera to the face reference image;   when the image of the patient's face on the vial camera and the reference image correlate above 90, generating and storing in the data base a facial recognition authentication result with a value of “YES” indicating a positive result indicating that the vial camera image and the reference image match,   else generating and storing in the data base a facial recognition authentication result with a value of “NO” indicating negative result indicating a positive result indicating that the vial camera image and the reference image do not match.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 taking a picture of the single dosage of medication on a medication authentication camera in the vial before setting a verification value to “YES” indicating that the medication matches a doctor's reference image for the prescribed medication;   accessing a medication reference image stored in patient data for the patient in a database;   the method further comparing the image of the patient's face from the vial camera to the medication reference image;   generating and storing in the data base a medication authentication result with a value of “YES” indicating a positive result indicating that the medication authentication camera image and the medication reference image match when the image of the patient's face on the vial camera and the reference image correlate above 90   else generating and storing in the data base a facial recognition authentication result with a value of “NO” indicating negative result indicating a positive result indicating that the vial camera image and the reference image do not match.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 taking a video on the patient authentication camera, of the patient's face taking the medication showing the medication on the patient's tongue and then swallowed;   comparing the video of the patient's face taking the medication to the reference video when the video of image of the patient's face on the vial camera and the reference video of the patient's face taking the medication correlate above 90, generating and storing in the data base a medication taken authentication result with a value of “YES” indicating a positive result indicating that the of the patient's face taking the medication and the reference video match and the patient has taken the medication, else generating and storing in the data base a medication taken authentication result with a value of “NO” indicating a positive result indicating that the of the patient's face taking the medication and the reference video match and the patient has not taken the medication.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 monitoring the temperature sensor to determine a vial temperature a temperature sensor on the vial; and   issuing an alarm when the vial temperature exceeds 80 degrees Fahrenheit.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 reading patient data for medications the patient has taken and when; and   calculating, using drug interaction stored in the data base for the medication for the patient, a sliding scale medication dosage schedule based on the food eaten and when and the medications taken and store the sliding scale food requirement value in the data base as an authentication value parameter for calculating the authentication value to unlock the vial.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 11 , the method further comprising:
 reading patient data for food the patient has eaten; and   calculating, using doctor food recommendations stored in the data base for the medication for the patient, a sliding scale food requirement value based on food eaten and when and the medications taken and store the sliding scale food requirement value in the data base as an authentication value parameter for calculating the authentication value to unlock the vial.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 alerting to authorities when the vial has been breached.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 ending the unlock command followed by 2 seconds later, a lock command to resist rotation of the medication wheel.