Container with content monitoring and reporting capabilities
View Patent ↗An activity monitor is associated with a container, such as a medication bottle, and includes one or more detectors configured to detect activity associated with the bottle, such as movement, opening and/or closing, and changes in volume and/or mass. The activity monitor may include alerting devices and be programmed with scheduling information. The activity monitor may also, or instead, be part of a system and communicate with one or more remote devices such as a user device or monitoring system, such as to receive programming information from those devices or to output activity information to those devices.
1. A medicine container configured to removably contain medicants, said medicine container comprising:
a bottle comprising a peripheral wall, a top, and a bottom disposed opposite said top, and an interior inside of said peripheral wall between said top and said bottom, wherein said bottle is configured to contain said medicants in said interior;
a cap removably coupled to said wall at said top; and
a scale comprising a housing removably located at said bottom of said bottle, said housing comprising a bottom surface and a cylindrical wall extending upwardly from the bottom surface, a printed circuit board coupled to said housing, a sensor disposed on said printed circuit board, a circuitry apparatus electrically connected to said printed circuit board, and a battery electrically connected to said printed circuit board and disposed internally with respect to said cylindrical wall;
wherein said peripheral wall of said bottle has a number of cutouts, wherein said cylindrical wall of said housing of said scale includes a number of flexible extensions extending therein, each including a corresponding snap member extending into a corresponding one of said number of cutouts for attaching said housing to said bottle;
wherein said scale is configured to determine a weight of said medicants contained in said bottle.
2. The medicine container according to claim 1 , wherein said bottle further comprises a number of seating ribs extending from said wall and configured to engage said scale to support a mass of said bottle.
3. A scale for a medicine container, said medicine container configured to removably contain medicants, said medicine container comprising a bottle comprising a peripheral wall and having said top and a bottom disposed opposite said top, and a cap removably coupled to said wall at said top of said bottle, said scale comprising:
a housing configured to be removably coupled to said bottle, said housing including a central plunger; and
means for determining mass connected to said housing, said means comprising a sensor disposed on a printed circuit board coupled to the housing, a battery electrically connected to said printed circuit board, and a circuitry apparatus electrically connected to said printed circuit board wherein said printed circuit board is disposed between said central plunger and said battery, and wherein said sensor is disposed between said printed circuit board and said central plunger and extends therebetween;
wherein said scale is configured to determine a weight of said medicants contained in said medicine container.
4. The scale according to claim 3 , wherein said battery is disposed within said housing, and wherein said printed circuit board is disposed between said sensor and said battery.
5. The scale according to claim 4 , wherein said housing further comprises a bottom surface, wherein a cylindrical wall extends upwardly from a perimeter of said bottom surface, and wherein said bottom surface has a raised center portion for pressing said battery into said printed circuit board.
6. A medicine container configured to removably contain medicants, said medicine container comprising:
a bottle comprising a peripheral wall, a top, and a bottom disposed opposite said top, and an interior inside of said peripheral wall between said top and said bottom, wherein said bottle is configured to contain said medicants in said interior;
a cap removably coupled to said wall at said top; and
a scale comprising a housing removably located at said bottom of said bottle, said housing of said scale comprising a central plunger, a cylindrical wall, and a number of reinforcing ribs each extending radially outwardly from said central plunger to said cylindrical wall of said housing of said scale in order to provide structural support to said housing of said scale;
wherein said scale is configured to determine a weight of said medicants contained in said bottle.
7. A medicine container configured to removably contain medicants, said medicine container comprising:
a bottle comprising a peripheral wall, a top, and a bottom disposed opposite said top, and an interior inside of said peripheral wall between said top and said bottom, wherein said bottle is configured to contain said medicants in said interior;
a cap removably coupled to said wall at said top; and
a scale comprising a housing removably located at said bottom of said bottle,
wherein said support comprises a plate having a top loading surface, a bottom loading surface, and a column extending downwardly from said bottom loading surface,
wherein said bottle further comprises a conical member extending radially inwardly from said wall, and a projection extending downwardly from said conical member, and wherein said column interacts with said projection in order to attach said scale to said bottle,
wherein said scale is configured to determine a weight of said medicants contained in said bottle.
8. The medicine container according to claim 7 , wherein said projection of said bottle includes a number of flexible extensions each having a retention snap, wherein said column has a groove, and wherein said retention snap is configured to be disposed in said groove in order to attach said scale to said bottle.
9. A scale for a medicine container, said medicine container configured to removably contain medicants, said medicine container comprising a bottle comprising a peripheral wall and having said top and a bottom disposed opposite said top, and a cap removably coupled to said wall at said top of said bottle, said scale comprising:
a housing configured to be removably coupled to said bottle; and
means for determining mass connected to said housing;
wherein said housing comprises a cylindrical wall having a number of flexible projections each having a body and a projection extending outwardly from said body, wherein said wall of said bottle has a number of cutouts, and wherein each said projection is configured to be disposed in a corresponding one of said number of cutouts in order to attach said housing to said wall of said bottle,
wherein said scale is configured to determine a weight of said medicants contained in said medicine container.
10. A scale for a medicine container, said medicine container configured to removably contain medicants, said medicine container comprising a bottle comprising a peripheral wall and having said top and a bottom disposed opposite said top, and a cap removably coupled to said wall at said top of said bottle, said scale comprising:
a housing configured to be removably coupled to said bottle; and
means for determining mass connected to said housing;
wherein said housing of said scale comprises a central plunger and a number of reinforcing ribs each extending radially outwardly from said central plunger to said cylindrical wall of said housing of said scale in order to provide structural support to said housing of said scale;
wherein said scale is configured to determine a weight of said medicants contained in said medicine container.
11. The scale according to claim 10 , wherein said central plunger is raised with respect to said number of reinforcing ribs.