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US-12621177-B2 - Medical injectors and systems and methods for an injection management platform

US12621177B2US 12621177 B2US12621177 B2US 12621177B2US-12621177-B2

Abstract

Systems, methods and articles of manufacture provide for an injection management platform that allows the verification and management of injection event transactions involving injectors equipped with NFC or RFID chips utilizing a distributed and secure technology such as blockchain. An injection event transaction ledger allows for digital receipts of injection event transactions to be securely verified and updated. In accordance with some embodiments, injectors may comprise blow-fill-seal (BFS) injectors that are pre-filled with a single dose of a fluid agent comprising a vaccine or medicament, allowing for tracking of individual doses of the fluid agent via the injection event transaction ledger.

Inventors

  • Jay S. Walker
  • Timothy Scott Case
  • Lindsey Walker
  • Isra Elmahdi
  • Daniel Curaca Malito
  • Kristen Marie Hannon

Assignees

  • KOSKA FAMILY LIMITED

Dates

Publication Date
20260505
Application Date
20240708

Claims (19)

  1. 1 . A system for managing an injection management system, comprising: a processor; a memory storing a program, wherein the program, when executed by the processor causes the processor to perform a method, the method comprising: receiving, via an injection provider platform of an Injection Management App stored on a first mobile device corresponding to first user, an indication of a dose of a fluid agent to be administered to a patient, the indication including first data comprising a unique identifier of an injector containing the dose, thereby recognizing a first injection event transaction; authorizing the dose of the fluid agent; generating an electronic record unique to the first injection event transaction, thereby generating a first injection event record; receiving, from the first user and via the Injection Management App, an indication that the dose has been administered to the patient; generating, in response to the receiving, a first passcode; outputting the first passcode to the first user via the Injection Management App; receiving the first passcode from a second user; concluding, based on the receiving of the first passcode from the second user, that the second user is the patient to whom the dose of the fluid agent from the injector has been administered by the first user as part of the first injection event transaction; updating the first injection event record to indicate that the dose of the fluid agent has been administered to the second user; and transmitting to the second mobile device of the second user, via the patient portal of the Injection Management App, a verifiable confirmation that the dose of the fluid agent has been administered to the second user, thereby transmitting to the second mobile device a digital receipt for the first injection event, to be stored in the patient portal of the Injection Management App of the second user.
  2. 2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the first user previously signed in to the injection provider platform via the first mobile device by providing first user credentials that allowed the electronic processing device to uniquely identify the first user and recognize the first user as a registered injection provider.
  3. 3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the second user has previously signed in to a patient platform of the Injection Management App via a second mobile device by providing second user credentials that allowed the electronic processing device to uniquely identify the second user and recognize the second user as a registered patient.
  4. 4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the authorizing is based on the unique identifier of the injector.
  5. 5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the first passcode corresponds to an expiration time and is stored in association with the first injection event record.
  6. 6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the first passcode is only accepted from the second user if it is received prior to the expiration time.
  7. 7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the digital receipt comprises a unique digital receipt identifier that corresponds to the first injection event record, the unique digital receipt identifier for enabling the second user, via the patient portal of the Injection Management App, to communicate with the Injection Management System and verify a vaccination status of the second user based on data stored in the first injection event record.
  8. 8 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises: outputting, prior to receiving and via the Injection Management App and to the first user, an indication that the injection has been authorized.
  9. 9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the first injection event record is stored as a blockchain record in a distributed network of the injection management system.
  10. 10 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the digital receipt comprises at least one of the following: (i) an indication of the fluid agent; (ii) an identifier of the injector; (iii) a time of the administration of the dose; (iv) a location of the administration of the dose; (v) an identifier of the second user; and (vi) an indication of the first user who administered the dose.
  11. 11 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the digital receipt includes a code that can, upon request of the second user, be displayed on the second user's mobile device via a Graphical User Interface (GUI) of the patient platform of the Injection Management App, the code being readable by an external electronic device in order to confirm that the dose of the fluid agent has been administered to the second user.
  12. 12 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the digital receipt comprises multiple privacy levels of information that can be shared with third parties, each privacy level of information corresponding to a respective permission requirement of the second user, such that in order for a given privacy level of information of the digital receipt to be shared with a third party, the second user must first provide a corresponding permission requirement.
  13. 13 . The system of claim 12 , wherein a first level of information of the multiple levels of information corresponds to anonymous information about the dose administered to the second user without identifying the second user and a second level of information of the multiple levels of information corresponds to information that identifies the second user as well as information about the dose administered to the second user.
  14. 14 . The system of claim 1 : wherein the fluid agent comprises a vaccine against a particular transmittable disease that is effective for a predetermined period of time from a time of administration, such that the second user is to be considered vaccinated against the particular transmittable disease for the predetermined period of time, and further wherein the digital receipt further comprises an expiration date of the dose that is based on the predetermined period of time, the expiration date for utilization by the patient portal of the Injection Management App, only up to a time of the expiration date, to output via a Graphical User Interface (GUI) of the Injection Management App, a confirmation that the second user is considered vaccinated against the particular transmittable disease.
  15. 15 . The system of claim 1 , wherein receiving the indication that the dose has been administered to the patient comprises receiving a photo of the second user taken during the first injection event transaction, and wherein updating the electronic record comprises transmitting a copy of the photo to the second user's mobile device, to be stored in association with the digital receipt.
  16. 16 . The system of claim 1 , wherein a copy of the photo is stored in association with the first injection event record.
  17. 17 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises: retrieving, based on the unique identifier of the injector, information descriptive of the fluid agent and the dose.
  18. 18 . The system of claim 17 , wherein authorizing comprises: confirming, based on the information, that the dose is valid and approved for administration.
  19. 19 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the injector is equipped with an NFC chip and wherein the receiving is performed by reading the first data via the Near Field Communication (NFC) chip.

Description

CLAIM OF PRIORITY The present application is a Continuation Application of U.S. application Ser. No. 18/051,187, filed Oct. 31, 2022, now U.S. Pat. No. 12,063,318, in the name of Walker et al. and title titled MEDICAL INJECTORS AND SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR AN INJECTION MANAGEMENT PLATFORM, which Application is a Continuation Application of PCT Application No. PCT/US21/30530, filed May 3, 2021 in the name of Walker et al. and titled MEDICAL INJECTORS AND SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR AN INJECTION MANAGEMENT PLATFORM; this PCT Application No. PCT/US21/30530 claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/019,192 filed in the name of Walker et al. on May 1, 2020 and titled NFC-ENABLED DRUG CONTAINING SYSTEM AND ASSOCIATED INFORMATION LAYER. The entirety of each of these Applications is incorporated by reference herein for all purposes. COPYRIGHT NOTICE A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. BACKGROUND Every year, staggering numbers of people become infected and die from a variety of diseases, some of which are preventable (or the severity of which could have been mitigated) through injectable medicines (i.e., medicines delivered via use of a syringe or other needle-type medical delivery device). Although injectable medicines have led to a dramatic decline in the number of cases of several infectious diseases (or the severity of symptoms or instances of death resulting therefrom), some of these diseases remain quite common and new ones are emerging. In many instances, large populations of the world, particularly in developing or economically disadvantaged countries, suffer from the spread of preventable diseases due to ineffective injectable medicine/vaccine delivery programs, either because of poor implementation, lack of available medicines/vaccines, lack of sufficient skilled persons to administer injections, poor tracking and management of where injections have been administered vs. where there is still a need for administration, or combinations thereof. More recent world events, such as the COVID-19 Pandemic, have further highlighted the inadequacies of existing vaccine and other injectable medicine administration programs. This Pandemic is an example of a situation in which a populace would benefit from (i) being able to verifiably and efficiently track who has been vaccinated (as well as perhaps tracking where, when and with what particular vaccine); (ii) allowing persons to efficiently provide evidence of having been vaccinated (and, in some embodiments, a current vaccination status, such as for circumstances in which vaccine effectiveness requires booster shots or additional injections), (iii) identifying areas of the population that have ongoing vaccination needs; and/or (iv) enabling a wider-ranging vaccination effort by providing means for less skilled persons to administer vaccinations. Existing systems and infrastructure have proven inadequate to satisfy the foregoing needs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS An understanding of embodiments described herein and many of the attendant advantages thereof may be readily obtained by reference to the following detailed description when considered with the accompanying drawings, wherein: FIG. 1 is an example block diagram of a system consistent with at least some embodiments described herein; FIG. 2 is an example block diagram of a server device consistent with at least some embodiments described herein; FIGS. 3A through 3L are example graphical user interfaces of a mobile device App that may be output to users in accordance with some embodiments described herein; FIG. 4 is an example process flow diagram of an example process consistent with at least some embodiments described herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Embodiments described herein relate to injectors for administering single doses of fluid agents that are equipped with a data storage mechanism that allows for electronically recognizing, tracking and/or authorizing the administration of the single doses into patient. In some embodiments, an electronic platform is operable to facilitate (i) transmission of data from an injector to an injection provider device and then to the electronic processing system of the platform, to facilitate the authorization and tracking of the administration of a dose of the fluid agent from the injector into a patient; and/or (ii) exchange of data with a patient's device that allows the patient to receive and store a digital receipt of having had the single dose of the fluid agent administered from the injector. The electronic platform further allows for healthcare systems and authorities to generate and utilize an information layer associated with t