JP-7855003-B2 - Locking Cap Assembly

JP7855003B2JP 7855003 B2JP7855003 B2JP 7855003B2JP-7855003-B2

Inventors

アバル、ダニエルエム．
バージェス、ブレンダンジョン
サブラマニアン、ラムクマール

Assignees

ケアフュージョン３０３、インコーポレイテッド

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20220317
Priority Date: 20210317

Claims (20)

Upper housing and A lower housing is rotatably connected to the upper housing and configured to fit into a container, An NFC module configured to wirelessly receive Near Field Communication (NFC) input, Induction charging coil and Microprocessor and A latching mechanism, wherein the latching mechanism is A locking cap assembly comprising a latching mechanism including a locking latch configured to prevent the upper housing and the lower housing from rotating relative to each other, and an electrically actuated component configured to lock and unlock the latch in response to a signal received from the microprocessor and a current generated by the inductive charging coil, The lower housing includes a plurality of locking vanes within the lower housing, and the locking vanes are configured to variably define the inner diameter size of the lower housing in response to the rotation of the upper housing relative to the lower housing when the lower housing is mechanically engaged with the container. The locking cap assembly is configured to lock the container by contracting the plurality of locking vanes around the container in response to the rotation of the upper housing relative to the lower housing in a first direction, A locking cap assembly configured such that the microprocessor receives the NFC input from the NFC module, and in response to the microprocessor determining that the NFC input received by the NFC module corresponds to authorization to release the locking cap assembly from the container, the microprocessor unlocks the locking latch, allows the upper housing to rotate in a second direction relative to the lower housing, retracts the plurality of locking vanes, and releases the lower housing from the container.
The locking cap assembly according to claim 1, further comprising a vane positioning ring in the lower housing, wherein the vane positioning ring is coupled to the plurality of locking vanes and the upper housing, and when the vane positioning ring rotates relative to the lower housing together with the upper housing, the vane positioning ring extends or retracts the plurality of locking vanes.
The locking cap assembly according to claim 2, further comprising a plurality of locking slots located within the lower housing, wherein the locking latch is configured to engage with one of the plurality of locking slots from the upper housing.
The locking cap assembly according to claim 2, further comprising a display disposed within the upper housing, wherein the display is configured to display a unique identifier associated with the drug in the container and the recipient of the drug.
The locking cap assembly according to claim 4, wherein the locking cap assembly is configured to transmit the unique identifier to a device adjacent to the locking cap assembly, and after the unique identifier has been transmitted to and read by the device, to receive the authorization from the device adjacent to the locking cap assembly via the NFC module.
The locking cap assembly according to claim 5, further comprising an electrical component for receiving wireless power charge from the device and supplying power to the electrically operating components of the locking cap assembly.
The locking cap assembly according to claim 2, wherein the lower housing is positioned between the upper housing and the container.
The locking cap assembly according to claim 7, wherein the electrically actuated component is coupled to the vane positioning ring and configured to cause a motor-driven rotation of the upper housing relative to the lower housing in response to the signal received from the microprocessor, thereby locking or unlocking the locking cap assembly on the container.
The locking cap assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising an optical sensor configured to determine the position of the locking latch and to determine the locking state of the locking cap assembly.
The locking cap assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising a buzzer configured to emit a human-recognizable output at a predetermined time prior to the scheduled administration of the drug in the container.
The locking cap assembly according to claim 10, wherein the human-recognizable output is at least one of sound or vibration.
The locking cap assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the NFC module is configured to communicate information to a data network in response to a determination that the locking cap assembly is unlocked from the container.
A method for securing a drug container, The steps include: receiving an authorization code wirelessly transmitted via the communication channel of a device placed near the locking cap assembly by a Near Field Communication (NFC) module in the locking cap assembly; The steps include determining whether the current time is within the drug administration time interval, based on the determination that the aforementioned approval code is a valid approval code, In accordance with the determination that the current time falls within the drug administration time interval, A method comprising the steps of releasing the locking latch of the locking cap assembly so that a plurality of locking vanes of the locking cap assembly retract, when an input received by the NFC module corresponds to authorization to release the locking cap assembly from the drug container, wherein the plurality of locking vanes variably define the size of the central opening, the plurality of locking vanes are configured to mechanically engage with the drug container in the locked state of the locking cap assembly, and power for releasing the locking latch is provided by wireless energy transmission from the device to the motor of the locking cap assembly via the communication channel.
The method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of receiving the authorization code transmitted by the device after the device has read the unique identifier associated with the locking cap assembly using the device's NFC module.
The method according to claim 13 or 14, further comprising the step of storing the approval information for unlocking the drug container in the data network, such that the drug container is configured to be unlocked by multiple approved mobile devices that obtain the approval information via the data network.
The method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein the device includes a mobile phone, the valid authorization code is transmitted from the mobile phone to the locking cap assembly as a cryptographic hash code, and the locking cap assembly includes a decryption key for decrypting the valid authorization code.
After the drug container is unlocked, the data is transmitted to the data network via the NFC module of the locking cap assembly. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 16, further comprising the step of maintaining a record in the data network of when the drug in the drug container was administered.
The method according to any one of claims 13 to 17, further comprising the step of sounding an alarm in the locking cap assembly at a predetermined time prior to the scheduled subsequent administration of the drug in the drug container.
The method according to any one of claims 13 to 18, further comprising the step of updating a marking on the locking cap assembly after the drug container is unlocked in order to provide information regarding the dosage or other information relating to the drug in the drug container.
The method according to any one of claims 13 to 19, further comprising the step of transmitting an access code for releasing the locking cap assembly from a first approved mobile device to a second approved mobile device.

Description

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/162482, entitled "Locking Cap Assembly," filed on 17 March 2021, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. This application generally relates to locking cap assemblies. Unauthorized access to medical containers or administering medication before the scheduled time for subsequent doses may compromise patient safety. Ensuring that authorized access to medication storage containers is granted only to authorized individuals at authorized times can enhance patient safety. Some patients may fail to adhere to their prescribed medication self-administration schedule. As a result, administering subsequent doses of medication before the intended time can compromise patient safety. In some cases, patients may not remember when they last administered their dose, leading to uncertainty about when to administer the next dose. Therefore, there is a need for systems, devices, and methods to help patients adhere to their prescribed medication schedule. Patient safety can be improved by granting patients or caregivers approved access to medication only at approved times (e.g., subsequent dose times) and by automatically logging the time the medication was accessed from the container. The systems, apparatus, and methods described herein provide an automated method for unlocking a drug container only when a valid authorization code is provided to the locking cap assembly that locks the drug container and secures the drug. According to various implementations, the drug container may only be unlocked within a time frame in which a subsequent dose of the drug is administered. The authorization code may be communicated between the caregiver and/or the patient to allow additional or different authorized personnel to access the drug container. The devices and systems of the present disclosure include a locking cap assembly having an upper housing, a lower housing rotatably connected to the upper housing and configured to fit into a container, an NFC module configured to wirelessly receive near-field communication (NFC) inputs, an inductive charging coil, a microprocessor, and a latching mechanism. The latching mechanism includes a locking latch configured to prevent the upper and lower housings from rotating relative to each other, and an electrically actuated component configured to lock and unlock the latch in response to signals received from the microprocessor and currents generated by the inductive charging coil. The lower housing includes a plurality of locking vanes within the lower housing, the locking vanes configured to variably define the inner diameter size of the lower housing in response to the rotation of the upper housing relative to the lower housing when the lower housing is mechanically engaged with the container. The locking cap assembly is configured to lock the container by retracting multiple vanes around the container in response to a first-direction rotation of the upper housing relative to the lower housing. The microprocessor is configured to receive an NFC input from the NFC module and, in response to the microprocessor determining that the NFC input received by the NFC module corresponds to authorization to release the locking cap assembly from the container, unlock the locking latch, allowing a second-direction rotation of the upper housing relative to the lower housing, retracting the multiple locking vanes, and releasing the lower housing from the container. The subject matter of this disclosure also relates to a method for securing a drug container, the method comprising the step of receiving an authorization code wirelessly transmitted via a communication channel of a device placed near the locking cap assembly by a Near Field Communication (NFC) module in the locking cap assembly. According to the determination that the authorization code is a valid authorization code, it is determined whether the current time is within the drug administration time interval. According to the determination that the current time is within the drug administration time interval, if the input received by the NFC module corresponds to authorization to release the locking cap assembly from the container, the locking latch of the locking cap assembly is released, allowing the multiple locking vanes of the locking cap assembly to retract. The multiple locking vanes variably define the size of the central opening, and the central opening defined by the multiple locking vanes is configured to mechanically engage with the drug container in the locked state of the locking cap assembly. Power for releasing the locking latch is provided by wireless energy transfer from the device via the communication channel to the motor of the locking cap assembly. Other embodiments include corresponding systems and corresponding devices for implementing their features, and computer program products. Other configurations of this technology will be readily a