DESCRIPTION

[0001] The present description concerns the technical field of systems for controlling if a patient sticks to a drug or food administration and particularly concerns a blister supporting device having an ejection detection circuit .

[0002] It is been a long time since there is the need for the availability of automated devices that allow controlling if a patient sticks to a drug or food administration. For example, in case the administration envisages orally taking drug or food products on a periodic base in form of pills, tablets or capsules, blister holder devices are known which allow detecting the ejection from the blister of pill, tablet or capsule products and signaling to an user, for example by means of an acoustic and/or optical signal, the missed product ingestion in the expected times for the administration.

[0003] As it is known, a blister is a packaging device including a shaped and locally deformable case including a plurality of deformable cavities, each housing a respective product. One side of the shaped case has a plurality of bulges, each being arranged at a respective cavity. Generally, the other side is flat and it is provided with a plurality of openings, each being arranged at a respective cavity and is covered by a lacerable film suitable to obstruct the openings in order to seal all the cavities. The shaped case is locally deformable by means of a manual pressure on the cavities and the lacerable film is suitable to be locally lacerated because of a pressure force being applied to a cavity, which is such to allow ejecting a product through the respective opening from a respective cavity containing it.

[0004] A blister holder device of the above-described type is disclosed in the patent application W02009/ 116108 Al . That device includes a plurality of buttons, each of them being adapted to push a respective cavity in order to eject the product therein contained and then to stay in a lowered position after pushing it. Each button, therefore each cavity, can be associated to a respective sensor adapted to detect that the button assumed the advanced position, therefore the ejection of a product from the blister.

[0005] Another known blister holder device is described in the patent US 4,660,991. This blister holder too includes a plurality of sensors, each being adapted to detect the ejection of a product from a respective cavity. [0006] Since they need a button and/or a sensor for each cavity, the above-described known blister holders are quite complex. The complexity of the above-mentioned blister holders, besides being a drawback in terms of production costs, is a drawback in terms of reliability as well .

[0007] A general purpose of the present description is to provide a blister supporting device which does not have the drawbacks of the blister holders of the known art.

[0008] This and other purposes are obtained through a blister supporting device as defined in claim 1 in its more general form and in the dependent claims in some of its particular embodiments.

[0009] The invention will be better understood from the following detailed description of its embodiments, carried out by way of non-limiting example together with the attached drawings, wherein:

- figure 1 shows a flat front view of one embodiment of a blister supporting device;

- figure 2 shows a three-dimensional view having separate parts of the blister supporting device of figure 1; and

- figure 3 shows an electronic functional block diagram of the blister supporting device of figure 1.

[0010] In the attached figures, same or similar elements will be shown by the same numeric references.

[0011] In the attached figures, there is shown an exemplary embodiment of a blister supporting device 1, also named blister holder 1 for short, being adapted to support a blister 20 including a plurality of products 23, for example in form of pills, tablets or capsules that can be ingested by a patient undergoing, for example, a pharmacological or homeopathic therapy envisaging periodically take said products according to the posology being given by a prescription, for example a doctor's prescription. From now on, pills, tablets or capsules will be generically indicated with the term products 23. Inside the blister 20, each product is contained in a respective cavity 21 protruding from one side of a base plate 22 of the blister 20. The side being opposite to the base plate 22 is covered, in a way known per se, by a lacerable film being suitable for example to hermetically seal the cavities 21.

[0012] The blister supporting device 1 includes a device body 10 including a housing seat 2 adapted to preferably support in a removable way the blister 20. The device body 10 for example includes a bottom half-shell 11 and a top half-shell 12, being for example joinable to each other through a snap fit system.

[0013] The bottom half-shell 11 and top half-shell 12 preferably are made of plastic material, for example an opaque plastic material, for example ABS . The snap fit system for example includes a plurality of engaging teeth and a corresponding plurality of engaging seats being adapted to keep the engaging teeth in the coupling configuration inside the respective engaging seats. The engaging teeth for example are provided in the bottom half-shell 11 and the engaging seats for example are provided in the top half-shell 12 or vice versa.

[0014] In the particular example shown in the figures, without introducing any limitation, the housing seat 2 of the blister 20 is made in the top half-shell 12.

[0015] The blister supporting device 1 also includes a locking mask 30 being fixable to the device body 10, preferably in a removable way, in order to allow locking the blister 20 in the housing seat 2. Preferably, the locking mask 30 is shaped as a grid that includes a plurality of through openings 31, each being adapted to be passed through by a respective cavity 21, so that said cavity protrudes above the locking mask 30. In the particular example being shown in the figures, without introducing any limitation, the locking mask 30 includes fourteen through openings 31 being arranged along two parallel rows wherein each row includes seven through openings 31. In an alternative embodiment, the locking mask 30 could be substituted by a locking frame that is adapted to fix an external peripheral edge of the blister 20 to the housing seat 2.

[0016] According to one embodiment, the locking mask 30 is fixable through interlock and snap means to the device body 10, in the particular example to the top half-shell 12. For example, the top half-shell 12, on a first side, includes a locking seat 24 adapted to receive a locking tab 34 of the locking mask 30 in order to engage said locking tab 34 and, on a second side facing said first side, it includes two recesses 25 adapted to receive two locking teeth 25 of the locking mask 30 in order to engage said teeth 25. In that way, it is possible to lock the locking mask 30 to the device body 10 along two opposite side of the locking mask 30. By acting on the flexible tab 24, it is possible to remove the locking mask 30 from the housing seat 20, for example in order to replace a blister 20 being at least partially emptied of its products 33 with a new blister 20.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the blister holder 1 preferably includes a screen 32 coupled to the device body 10 in order to obstruct the housing seat 2, the blister 20 and, if present, the locking mask 30. The screen 32 preferably is made of transparent or translucent material, so that it is possible to see the blister 20 from the outside.

[0018] The screen 32 can be of a removable type so that by removing it from the device body 10, it is possible to gain access to the housing seat 2 and therefore the blister 20, or it is possible to envision that the screen 32 is mechanically bound to the device body 10 in order to be moved between a closing position and an opening position and vice versa. For example, in a first embodiment, the screen 32 can be pivotably hinged to the device body 10 so that the closing position and the opening position of the screen 32 correspond to two positions of the screen 32 being angularly spaced apart with respect to the device body 10 and being reachable through a rotation of the screen 32 with respect to the device body 10. In a second embodiment, the screen 32 can be slidingly bound through at least one linear guide to the device body 10, for example through a pair of parallel linear guides, to be able to be translated with respect to the latter between a closing position and an opening position and vice versa, along a sliding direction being defined by the linear guide.

[0019] According to one embodiment, the housing seat 2 of the blister 20 includes a supporting grid 26 of the blister 20, including a plurality of through openings 27. Preferably, each through opening 27 is adapted to face a respective cavity 21 of the blister 20, so that by pushing a cavity, the product being contained therein can be ejected from the cavity passing through the respective through opening 27. The base 22 of the blister 20 faces the supporting grid 26 and abuts thereon. In the particular example being shown in the figures, without introducing any limitation, the supporting grid 26 of the blister 20 includes fourteen through openings 27 being arranged along two parallel rows, wherein each row includes seven through openings 27. It should be noted that in the above-described preferred and non-limiting embodiment, each through opening 27 of the supporting grid 26 of the blister 20 faces a respective through opening 31 of the locking mask 30.

[0020] Inside the device body 10, there is defined a collection compartment 5 of the products 23 being ejected from the blister 20, which is placed under the housing seat of the blister 20. In the particular example being depicted, without introducing any limitation, the above- mentioned collection compartment 5 is defined in the bottom half-shell 11 and it is delimited on the upper part by the supporting grid 26 of the blister 20. Such compartment 5 houses the products being ejected from the blister 20 through the through openings 27.

[0021] The device body 10 includes a product ejection opening 7, to allow the ejection of the products from the collection compartment 5. According to one embodiment, the above-mentioned collection compartment 5 includes a tapered portion 6 having a cross-section that gradually reduces towards the product ejection opening 7. The above-mentioned tapered portion 6 is a portion that, by gravity, allows conveying the products 23 being ejected from the blister 20 towards the product ejection opening 7.

[0022] According to one advantageous embodiment, the blister holder 1 includes a first lid 8 being removably coupled to the device body 10 for removably obstructing the product ejection opening 7. The first lid 8 can be fully removable, for example, by providing interlocking coupling elements between the first lid 8 and the device body 10, for example interlock and snap coupling elements, or it can be rotatably bounded to the device body 10 or it can be slidingly constrained to the device body 10 for slide on a plane being parallel to the plane of the product ejection opening 7, in order to selectively obstruct the product ejection opening 7.

[0023] According to one embodiment, the collection compartment 5 houses a stiffening partition wall 16 that is configured to oppose the pushing forces being exerted, for example, by the manual pressure on the blister 20 in order to eject the products 23, which forces would tend to bend the supporting grid 26. Actually, if those forces were excessive, they could permanently warp or damage the supporting grid 26.

[0024] According to one embodiment, the device body 10 includes a further compartment 15 for housing at least one independent supply source of the blister holder 1, for example, a battery. In the particular example being depicted in the figures, the above-mentioned supply source includes a pair of batteries 19. Preferably, the further compartment 15 is separated from the fall compartment 5 and the device body 10 includes an access opening 17 for the above-mentioned compartment 15, for example, being provided to allow a user replacing the batteries 19.

[0025] Preferably, the blister holder 1 includes a second lid 18 being removably coupled to the device body 10 for removably obstructing the access opening 17. The second lid 18 can be fully removable, for example by providing interlocking coupling elements between the second lid 17 and the device body 10, for example interlock and snap coupling elements, or it can be rotatably bounded to the device body 10 or it can be slidingly bounded to the device body 10 to slide on a plane being parallel to the plane of the access opening 17.

[0026] The blister supporting device 1 includes an ejection detection circuit 50 adapted to detect the ejection of a product 23 from the product collection compartment 5 through the ejection opening 7. For that purpose, according to one particularly advantageous embodiment, the ejection detection circuit 50 is configured to be able to distinguish the transit direction of a product 23 through the ejection opening 7.

[0027] According to one embodiment, the ejection detection circuit 50 includes an electronic printed board circuit 52 supporting at least part of the components of the ejection detection circuit 50, being visible in figure 2 and not shown in figure 3 in order not to compromise the readability of the drawing.

[0028] According to one preferred embodiment, in order to be able to decide the transit direction of a product 23 through the ejection opening 7, the ejection detection circuit 50 includes a pair of transit sensors RX1 and RX2, adapted to detect the ejection movement of the product 23 sequentially from each other. For that purpose, for example, the transit sensors RX1, RX2 are axially spaced from each other along an ejection path of the product 23. The ejection detection circuit 50 includes an electronic control unit 51, such as for example a microcontroller 52, being operatively connected to the pair of transit sensors RXl, RX2. In that case, the transit of a product 23 through the ejection opening 7 in the exit direction V, for example will be detected by the electronic control unit 51 due to a transit information being provided by the sensor RXl which precedes a transit information being provided by the sensor RX2, or by an end-of-transit information being first provided by the sensor RXl and then by the sensor RX2.

[0029] According to one embodiment, the ejection detection circuit 50 is an optoelectronic circuit and the two transit sensors RXl, RX2 are two photodetectors . In that case, the ejection detection circuit 50 also includes two photo-transmitters TX1, TX2, for example two LED photodiodes, being preferably driven by the electronic control unit 51 and each associated with a respective photodetector RXl, RX2, for example, each being arranged in front of and axially aligned to a respective photodetector RXl, RX2. According to one advantageous embodiment, as schematically represented in figure 3, the two photodetectors RXl, RX2 are opposite to each other in order to avoid that the optical signal being emitted by one of the photo-transmitters TX1, TX2 is received by both the photodetectors RXl, RX2. Alternatively or additionally, to obtain the same effect, it is possible to periodically turn on the photo- transmitters TX1, TX2 sequentially, so that the two photo-transmitters TX1, TX2 are never turned on at the same time. The turn-on frequency of the photo- transmitters TX1, TX2 can be chosen to be as low as desired based on the transit velocity of the product 23, so that both the photodetectors RX1, RX2 can detect the transit of the product 23 through the ejection opening 7. For example, the turn-on frequency of the photo- transmitters TX1, TX2 is greater than 1 Hz and preferably greater than 5 Hz, for example, greater than or equal to 10Hz .

[0030] According to one advantageous embodiment, the ejection detection circuit 50 also includes a sensor SI, for example connected to the control unit 51, adapted to detect the transition from an obstruction status to a non-obstruction status of the ejection opening 7 and vice versa, so that the ejection detection circuit 50 is enabled to detect the ejection of a product 23 when the ejection opening 7 transitions from the obstruction status to the non-obstruction status, for example following the removal of the first lid 8, and it is disabled from detecting the ejection of a product 23 when the ejection opening 7 transitions from the non- obstruction status to the obstruction status. For example, the sensor SI is an electro-mechanic switch whose close or open status is conditioned by the position and/or coupling or decoupling status of the first lid 8 with respect to the device body 10 of the blister holder 1. For example, the above-mentioned electro-mechanic switch is such to assume the closed status when the first lid 8 is coupled to the device body 10 and obstructs the ejection opening 7 and it is such to assume the open status when the first lid 8 is decoupled from the device body 10 to free the ejection opening 7. In that way, for example, when the ejection detection circuit 50 is disabled to detect the ejection of a product 23, the ejection detection circuit 50 is such to turn-off the two photodiodes TX1, TX2 in order to save as much as possible the charge status of the batteries 19. In one possible variation, the lid 8 is coupled to a permanent magnet and the sensor SI includes a Reed switch adapted to be opened and/or closed based on the magnetic field generated by the permanent magnet. In that way, by removing the lid 8 or moving it with respect to the position where it obstructs the opening 8, it is possible to discriminate the opening obstruction status from the non-obstruction status and vice versa. In a further embodiment, in the above-described embodiment, the Reed switch is replaced by a Hall effect magnetic field sensor.

[0031] According to one further embodiment, the ejection detection circuit 50 includes a display 53, for example a LCD display being controllable by the control unit 51 to graphically display one or more data among those listed in the following: date and/or time of the most recent ejection of a product 23, date and/or time when it is due a new ejection, number of products 23 being extracted from a given blister 20, number of residual products 23 in a given blister 20, charge status of the batteries 19, type of product 23 contained in a given blister 20, alarms related to a missed ejection of a product 23 in the expected times, alarm for an accidental obstruction of the ejection opening 7, etc. According to one embodiment, the ejection detection circuit 50 also includes a switch S2 to activate the display 53. For example, that switch S2 is automatically activated based on the position of the screen 32 with respect to the device body 10 so that, for example, opening the screen 32, the display 53 can be automatically turned-on. For example, the turn-off of the display 53 can be controlled by a timer and/or can be caused by closing the screen 32. As already described for the sensor SI, the sensor SI for example can be an electro-mechanic switch, a Reed sensor or a Hall effect magnetic field sensor. [0032] According to one advantageous embodiment, the ejection detection circuit 50 includes a wireless communication interface 55, for example, a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth interface to transmit and/or receive data to/from an external control unit. In that way, it is possible, for example, to remotely monitor the administration of a product by a patient and/or to upload an administration program to the blister holder 1. For that purpose, the ejection detection circuit 50 can be provided with at least one memory unit to store a product administration program. According to one preferred and non-limiting embodiment, the above-mentioned wireless communication interface includes both a Wi-Fi interface and a Bluetooth interface.

[0033] According to one additional or alternative embodiment, the ejection detection circuit 50 includes one or more buttons P1-P3 to allow locally configuring the ejection detection circuit 50.

[0034] The ejection detection circuit 50 also includes an acoustic signaling device 58, for example being configured to emit an acoustic signal, for example an intermittent one. The acoustic signaling device 58 is operatively connected to the control unit 51 and it can be activated by the latter, for example, when the control unit 51 detects a missed ejection in the expected or desired times. The acoustic signaling device 58 for example is a buzzer.

[0035] Alternatively or additionally to the acoustic signaling device 58, the ejection detection circuit 50 includes an optical signaling device 59, for example being configured to emit an optical signal, for example an intermittent one. The optical signaling device 59 is operatively connected to the control unit 51 and it can be activated by the latter, for example, when the control unit 51 detects a missed ejection in the expected or desired times. The optical signaling device for example is a LED.

[0036] In figure 4, there is shown an exploded view having detached parts of a possible variant embodiment of the blister supporting device 1 of figure 1, which basically differs from the latter in that the screen 32 includes a pair of opposite pins 42 adapted to be inserted in a respective pair of engagement recesses 43 being provided in the top half-shell 12 in order to rotatably hinge the screen 32 to the device body 10 and in that the two lids 8, 18 are two lids that can be coupled to the bottom half-shell 11 by means of a slide and hook coupling system.

[0037] Based on what described above, therefore it is possible to understand how a blister supporting device 1 of the above-described type allows obtaining the above- mentioned purposes referring to the known art status. Actually, in general the above-described blister supporting device allows certainly detecting the ejection of a product from the blister by detecting the actual ejection of a product from the blister holder, without needing a plurality of sensors, each being associated to a cavity of the blister. Moreover, the particular above- described preferred and/or advantageous embodiments allow solving additional technical problems, such as those connected to the power consumption and/or the use intuitiveness , etc.

[0038] It being understood the invention principle, the embodiments and the realization details will be able to be widely variated with respect to what has been described and shown by way of non-limiting example, without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the attached claims.