GB2285522A

GB2285522A - Alarm device

Info

Publication number: GB2285522A
Application number: GB9500343A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michael Warren Allman
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1994-01-08
Filing date: 1995-01-09
Publication date: 1995-07-12
Also published as: GB9500343D0

Abstract

An alarm device provides an indication as to when a patient should take his or her next dose of medicine. The device comprises a housing which includes a front plate (10) having a first opening (11) through which a display can be seen and a second opening (12) through which an operating button projects. Within the housing there is a control circuit which can be primed to operate the alarm a set number of times during a 24-hour cycle. The device is supplied to a user in a primed condition and the user initiates a sequence of cycles by pressing the operating button. <IMAGE>

Description

ALARM DEVICES Field of the Invention This invention relates to alarm devices which will provide an indication as to when a patient is required to take his or her next dose of medicine.

As explained in my co-pending Application No. 9119793.9, there are people for whom medicines are prescribed and who, for one reason or another, may be uncertain as to when they last took their medicine or who may forget that it is time to take their next pill.

The invention described in co-pending Application No.

9119793.9 accordingly comprises the provision of a medicine container for the storage of pills, tablets or capsules, said container having a base which includes a timing mechanism and an audible alarm operable under the control of the timing mechanism, the timing mechanism being such as to ensure operation of the alarm at predetermined time intervals and the base of the container being rotatable relative to the body of the container to effect adjustment of the number of times at which the alarm is operated during a 24-hour period.

In my further co-pending Application No. 9220506.1, there is described a device for use with a medicine container, said device comprising a moulded plastic housing containing a timing mechanism, an audible alarm and a battery, the timing mechanism being such as to ensure operation of the alarm at predetermined time intervals and the device also including a display element which provides an indication of the frequency of operation of the alarm, the housing being attached to a collar or to a ring which can be fitted over the neck of the medicine container.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an alarm device which is more versatile than that of Application No. 9220506.1 and which provides improved functions as compared to the medicine container of Application No. 9119793.9 or the device of Application No. 9220506.1.

Summary of the Invention According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided an alarm device which will provide an indication as to when a patient is required to take his or her next dose of medicine, said device including an alarm and a control circuit including timing means for controlling operation of the alarm, said control circuit being such that it can be primed to operate the alarm a set number of times during a 24-hour cycle and with a selected time interval or intervals between successive operations of the alarm, said control circuit further being such that the device can be supplied to a user in a primed condition whereby the user can initiate a sequence of cycles.

The control circuit is preferably such that it can be reprogrammed, i.e. after a user has completed a course of medication, the device can be returned to a "carer" who carries out a resetting operation.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided an alarm device which will provide an indication as to when a patient is required to take his or her next dose of medicine, said device including an alarm and a control circuit including timing means for controlling operation of the alarm, said control circuit being such that it can cause the alarm to be operated a set number of times during a 24-hour cycle and with a selected time interval or intervals between successive operations of the alarm, said device further being such that it can provide a time display function and can be switched between a time display mode and a "programming" mode in which programming of the control circuit is effected.

The alarm may be a buzzer or other audible alarm, such as a voice simulator. Preferably, however, the device includes not only an audible alarm but also a visible alarm, for example, a flashing light or an intermittent display.

The device preferably includes a display which affords information to the user as to the total number of times at which medication is to be taken during a 24-hour cycle and/or the number of times at which the alarm has operated during a given 24-hour cycle.

The arrangement may be such that the time intervals between successive operations of the alarm during a given cycle are all the same. For example, the alarm may be arranged to operate every three hours or every four hours. Alternatively, the time intervals during a given cycle may be different. For example, the alarm may be arranged to operate at 8.00 a.m., 10.00 a.m., 2.00 p.m. and 8.00 p.m., this sequence of operations then being repeated every twenty four hours.

The device preferably includes an operating button which is pressed by the user of the device to initiate a sequence of cycles. The control circuit is preferably such that, if said operating button is pressed while the alarm is being operated, operation of the alarm will then cease. The control circuit is also preferably such that, once a sequence of cycles has been initiated, pressing of the operating button at any time other than when the alarm is being operated has absolutely no effect.

Thus, once the user has initiated a set sequence of cycles, the sequence will not be altered by pressing the operating button.

The device may be in the form of a housing having front and back plates between which the components of the control circuit are mounted. The housing may be provided with an integral ring or collar whereby it may be mounted on a medicine bottle. Alternative mounting arrangements may also be provided.

For example, the housing may include an integral clip so that it can be clipped on to a pocket or other part of the clothing of the user. It may instead be provided with a magnet or suction element so that it can be attached to, for example, the door of a cupboard or a refrigerator. The housing is preferably of a size comparable to that of a watch and may be provided with a strap so that it can be worn in like manner to a watch.

The operating button is preferably carried by the front plate of the housing and the front plate preferably also includes an opening through which a display is visible.

A reset facility is preferably provided in the form of a control element access to which is obtained from the rear of the housing but which does not respond to normal manual pressure applied to the rear plate of the housing. For example, the reset control element may be located in a recess in the rear plate and a sharp or pointed member may be required to effect operation of the reset control element.

The device may be so designed as to be capable of multiple medication warning. Thus, as opposed to being programmed for the user to take one course of tablets, the device may be programmed so as to provide indications of a plurality of discrete tablet-taking events. Thus, in one example, the device is programmed for five such events, i.e.

for five different types of medication.

The display may include a plurality of diodes of different colours which are activated at the time intervals appropriate to the specific medications.

Alternatively, the display may be arranged to show flashing numerals at the time intervals associated with the different medications.

Brief Description of the Drawings Figure 1 is a front view of a front plate of the housing of an alarm device, Figure 2 is a sectional view of the front plate, Figure 3 is a rear view of the front plate, and Figures 4 to 8 are flowcharts showing different functions of the device.

Description of the Preferred Embodiment Figures 1 to 3 show the front plate 10 of the housing of the device and it will be appreciated that the front plate 10 is connected to a back plate of corresponding size and that the components of the control circuit of the device will b mounted between the front and back plates, typically being carried by the back plate with the front plate 10 acting as a closure for the housing.

The control circuit includes a microcontroller unit (or MCU). The preferred MCU is the MC68HC7051 which is a member of the low-cost, high-performance M68HC05 family of 8-bit MCU's.

The M68HC05 family is based on the customer-specified integrated circuit (CSIC) design strategy. All MCU's in the family use the popular M68HC05 central processor unit (CPU) and are available with a variety of sub-systems, memory sizes and types, and package types.

On-chip memory of the MC68HC705K1 includes 504 bytes of erasable, programmable ROM (EPROM). In packages without the transparent window for EPROM erasure, the 504 EPROM bytes serve as a one-time programmable ROM (OTPROM).

Features of the MCU include the following: a) Memory-Mapped Input/Output (I/O) Registers, b) 32 Bytes of User RAM, c) 64-bit Personality EPROM, d) 10 Bi-directional I/O Pins with Software-Programmable Pulldown Devices, e) 8mA Sink Capability on 4 I/O Pins, f) External Interrupt Capability on 4 I/O Pins, g) Hardware Mask and Flags for External Interrupts, h) 15-Bit Multi-Function Timer with Real-Time Interrupt Circuit, i) Power-Saving Stop, Wait, Halt and Data-Retention Modes, and j) 8 x 8 Unsigned Multiply Instruction.

In order to ensure minimum power consumption, the MCU is driven at its absolute minimum clock frequency by means of a 100KHz quartz crystal and is powered by a low-voltage, longlife lithium battery.

The front plate 10 is formed with an opening 11 through which can be seen a two-digit, seven-segment liquid crystal display and with a smaller opening 12 through which an operating button projects. Alongside the smaller opening 12 there are four vents 13 which are positioned in register with a buzzer so that the sound of the buzzer (when operated) is emitted from the housing with the minimum loss of volume.

The system flowcharts are shown in Figures 4 to 8 and the liquid crystal display is driven by means of the overflow interrupt service routine shown in Figure 5. This interrupt occurs every 20.48 milliseconds and, by alternating the back plane every time the display is refreshed, the LCD display is provided with an AC signal. This prolongs its life and ensures correct operation.

The various actions of the device, such as the flashing display, key holding, etc. are controlled by software timers.

All these timers are driven from the on-board hardware timer.

This overflows every 20.48 milliseconds with the tOOKHz crystal and also generates a real time interrupt every 655.36 milliseconds. The real time interrupt is the basis for the dosing timer which counts down these interrupts until an hour has passed; at which point it decrements an hour counter. When the hour counter reaches zero it is time for the user of the device to take his or her next dose of medicine or next tablet(s).

The keypad sub-routine (Figure 4) is called continually during the set-up procedure and performs all necessary actions called for by pressing the button, e.g. holding the button to change modes or pressing the button to cancel the buzzer.

The method of operation includes: a) a programming or set-up mode, in which a carer programmes the number of doses to be taken during a 24 hour period, the number of hours between doses within the 24 hour period and prepares the device for actuation by the user at the time of taking the first dose, and b) a dosing mode, in which the programmed number of doses is displayed and an indication is given of the number of doses so far taken, plus a flashing display at dose time to give a visual as well as an audible reminder of the dose to be taken.

The device is supplied to a dispensing chemist or other responsible person (hereinafter referred to as a "carer") in its 'reset/off' mode in which there is minimum battery current and thus maximum shelf life. The processor is stopped, the oscillator is stopped and the display is off.

The carer presses the operating button once and the device is now in its 'setting' mode. A flashing display then prompts for the number of doses to be selected during the 'set dose' step. The left-hand digit of the two-digit display shows the setting symbol "d". A cycle of 1,2,3,4, 5, 6 doses is then offered on the right-hand digit of the two-digit display. Each 'doses number' offered is stepped on to the next 'doses number' by momentarily pressing and then releasing the operating button. The circuit is such that the step actually occurs when the button is released.

When the desired 'doses number' is reached, the operating button is pressed and held in its depressed position for at least two seconds to confirm the 'doses number' required. The circuitry then progresses to the 'set interval' step in which the flashing display prompts for selection of the interval between each dose in the 24 hour period. This is achieved by a cycle of 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,A,b,C hours offered by the left-hand digit of the two-digit display, while the right-hand digit shows the letter "H" to indicate hours. The letters A, b and C are used in place of the numerals 10, 11 and 12 so that they can be represented by the seven segments of the display.

Each hours interval offered is stepped on to the next hours interval by momentarily pressing and then releasing the operating button; and the step again occurs when the button is released. "Range checking" is provided in the software to ensure that the number of hours offered multiplied by the number of doses does not exceed 24. When the desired hours interval is reached, the operating button is pressed for at least two seconds to confirm the hours interval required.

Programming of the device is now complete and the device is now ready to be given to the user for him or her to start the course of medication on the next day. To indicate that the device has been primed, but the course of medication has not actually started, the right-hand digit of the display will continually flash the number of digits.

An exception to the above 'set interval' procedure occurs if only one dose per 24 hours is required. No interval is then offered and the device proceeds straight from the 'set doses' mode to the primed mode.

Once the circuitry has been programmed as described above, the user is required to initiate the cycle of operations the next day on taking the first dose of the series of doses making up the treatment programme. The user presses the operating button so as to synchronise the device to the time at which this first dose is taken. The device then enters its 'dosing' mode and will prompt for the next dose to be taken at the appropriate time by operating a buzzer for a period of 30 seconds and flashing the display. The device is now synchronised to repeat its cycle every 24 hours from the time of the first dose.

During the 'dosing' mode, pressing the operating button on operation of the buzzer serves as an acknowledgment of the dose reminder and the buzzer is then stopped. Pressing of the operating button at any other time has no effect. With the device in its 'dosing' mode, the number of doses is permanently displayed by the right-hand digit of the two-digit display and the left-hand digit shows a progression of illuminated segments, depending on the last dose that was taken.

When the first dose of the day becomes due, the display flashes and the buzzer beeps. The first dose segment of the left-hand digit of the display is now illuminated and the reminder is terminated either by the user pressing the operating button or, automatically, after 30 seconds. Once the reminder has been terminated, the left-hand dose segment relevant for that dose will remain illuminated.

As an example, 3 doses may be required in a 24 hour period with a 4 hour interval between doses and the dispenser may cause the device to be synchronised at 10.00 a.m. when the medication is dispensed and the first dose is taken. The display will then show " 3". Four hours later, i.e. at 2.00 p.m. the next reminder will occur, the buzzer will beep and the display will flash " 3". When the reminder is terminated, the display stops flashing but still shows " 3". The final dose reminder of the day occurs a further four hours later, at 6.00 p.m. with the display flashing " 3". Once the dose reminder is terminated, the display stops flashing and shows " 3", thereby indicating that the day's medication is complete. The device is now ready to repeat the cycle the next day.

A small, recessed switch is carried by the back plate of the housing of the device. This is the reset switch, which is operable by means of a small pointed object to put the circuitry back to its 'reset/off' mode so that the programming sequence can then, if desired, be recommenced.

When the device is in the 'reset/off' mode and the operating button is pressed, a period of 60 seconds is allowed for programming of the device to be completed. If the necessary stages in the programme have not been completed during this period, the device will return automatically to its 'reset/off mode. This facility serves to ensure that the device can only be programmed by a responsible "caret" who has the necessary instructions, with which programming can readily be effected during a period of 60 seconds.

If, during any of the operating modes of the device, the battery voltage is detected as being low (by means of a simple threshold detector), the relevant display will then be alternated with the display reading 'LO' at a 2Hz flash rate.

The housing of the device can be provided with a ring, loop, clip, collar, strap or other mounting or holding fixture so that it can be mounted on a medicine bottle, on the clothing of the user or at some position convenient to the user. It may alternatively carry a pad of the material sold under the Registered Trade Mark "VELCRO" so that it can be fixed to a complementary pad of "VELCRO" material attached to the belt or other part of the clothing of the user of the device.

Blind people, in particular, are accustomed to recognising different sound pitches. The device may accordingly include a facility for changing the pitch or frequency of the buzzer and/or the volume or level of the sound generated by the buzzer. Thus, for example, a blind person who is taking a number of different medicaments may be provided with devices which have buzzers of different pitch so that the user can differentiate between the different devices and hence the different medicaments. In such instances, it may be preferred to have the devices attached to the medicine bottles or other containers. A voice simulator may alternatively employed and the device may be programmed so that the voice simulator is operated at the appropriate times to say "MEDICATE", or other appropriate wording.

In the specific arrangement described above, the devices are programmed for a user who is taking a single course of medication. In many cases, however, people take a variety of pills, tablets and the like, not necessarily at the same time.

Thus, in a further form of the device, provision is made for multiple medication warning. For a person taking five different types of medication, the display may be arranged so that, for the first type of medication, a numeral "1" is flashed at the appropriate time intervals. For the second type of medication, the numeral "2" is flashed at the respective appropriate time intervals, and so on.

In a further arrangement, not shown in the drawings, the housing is in the form of a watch-case and the display which is normally shown is a time display, i.e. the device combines the functions of a watch and of a medication alarm and is switchable from one mode to another. Thus, in its time display mode, the time is displayed whereas, when the device is in its programming mode, the times at which the alarm is to be operated can be set. The alarm can be set to operate a certain number of times during a 24-hour cycle, with either a constant time interval between successive operations of the alarm, or with different time intervals between successive operations of the alarm.

Once the device has been programmed, it will be supplied to the user in a "primed" condition and the user will press an operating button to initiate a sequence of cycles.

Objectives of the device include the following: a) to improve significantly, but not guarantee, compliance with a medication programme by means of an audible and/or visible alarm, b) to "train" patients to taka medication appropriately through the operant conditioning effect of exposure to regular alert bleeps or flashing warning lights, c) to alert patients to take medication at the correct times and intervals without placing responsibility upon the patient to programme or reprogramme a reminder device, d) to provide a means of reminding patients which does not prejudice the integrity of the dispensing container or labelling, or cause risk of contamination such as might be caused by the transfer of medicine from one container to another, e) to provide a means of reminder which is costeffective, i.e. involves minimal initial purchase cost and is re-usable, f) to provide a means of reminder which can be attached variously as deemed appropriate via a wrist strap, bottle collar, "VELCRO" tab, belt clip, key ring or magnet to the medicine container, to the patient or to some other suitable object, g) to provide a means of reminder which can be used for more than one medication by means of colour coding by, for example, providing a number of devices of different colours, each for a specific colour-coded medication, h) to provide a means of reminder which can be easily dispensed by a qualified "carer", for example, a doctor, pharmacist, community paramedic or other responsible adult, and i) to provide a means of reminder for more than one course of medication with each discrete course of medication indicated by, for example, coloured diodes or simple numerals.

Claims

Claims:

1. An alarm device which will provide an indication as to when a patient is required to take his or her next dose of medicine, said device including an alarm and a control circuit including timing means for controlling operation of the alarm, said control circuit being such that it can be primed to operate the alarm a set number of times during a 24-hour cycle and with a selected time interval between successive operations of the alarm, said control circuit further being such that the device can be supplied to a user in a primed condition whereby the user can initiate a cycle of operations.

2. An alarm device as claimed in Claim 1, in which the control circuit is such that it can be reprogrammed, i.e. after a user has completed a course of medication, the device can be returned to a "carer" who carries out a resetting operation.

3. An alarm device which will provide an indication as to when a patient is required to take his or her next dose of medicine, said device including an alarm and a control circuit including timing means for controlling operation of the alarm, said control circuit being such that it can cause the alarm to operate a set number of times during a 24-hour cycle and with a selected time interval or intervals between successive operations of the alarm, said device further being such that it can provide a time display function and can be switched between a time display mode and a "programming" mode in whivch programming of the control circuit is effected.

4. An alarm device as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 3, in which the alarm is a buzzer or other audible alarm.

5. An alarm device as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 3, which includes both an audible alarm and a visible alarm.

5. An alarm device as claimed in Claim 5, in which the visible alarm is a flashing light or an intermittent display.

7. An alarm device as claimed in Claim 1, which includes a display which affords information to the user as to the total number of times at which medication is to be taken during a 24hour cycle and/or the number of times at which the alarm has operated during a given 24-hour cycle.

8. An alarm device as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 3, which includes an operating button which is pressed by the user of the device to initiate a sequence of cycles.

9. An alarm device as claimed in Claim 8, in which the control circuit is such that, if said operating button is pressed while the alarm is being operated, operation of the alarm will then cease.

10. An alarm device as claimed in Claim 9, in which the control circuit is such that, once a sequence of cycles has been initiated, pressing of the operating button at any time other than when the alarm is being operated has absolutely no effect.

11. An alarm device as claimed in Claim 8, in which the device is in the form of a housing having front and back plates between which the components of the control circuit are mounted.

12. An alarm device as claimed in Claim 11, in which the operating button is carried by the front plate of the housing.

13. An alarm device as claimed in Claim 12, in which the front plate of the housing includes an opening through which a display is visible.

14. An alarm device as claimed in Claim 11, in which a reset facility is provided in the form of a control element access to which is obtained from the rear of the housing.

15. An alarm device as claimed in Claim 1, which includes means whereby it is capable of multiple medication warning.

16. An alarm device as claimed in Claim 15, which is programmed so as to provide indications of up to five discrete medication-taking events.

17. An alarm device as claimed in Claim 15, which includes a display including a plurality of diodes of different colours which are activated at the time intervals appropriate to the different medications.

18. An alarm device as claimed in Claim 15, which includes a display and means whereby the display can be arranged to show flashing numerals at the time intervals associated with the different medications.

19. An alarm device for providing an indication for the purposes set forth substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.

20. An alarm device having any new and useful combination of the features and functions hereinbefore described.