CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present patent application claims the priority benefit of U.S. provisional patent application 62/ 750,208 filed October 24, 2018, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field Of The Disclosure

[0002] The present disclosure is generally related to monitoring cannabis usage with a wearable device that can deliver at least one cannabinoid to the user based on user preference and / or a treatment plan.

2. Description Of The Related Art

[0003] Cannabis is becoming increasingly available to the public for medicinal and social use. As a result, a plethora of cannabis products have flooded and continue to enter the market. Consumers of cannabis are faced with various forms of products and delivery methods, such as smoking dried flower, vaping liquids for inhalation, and utilizing extracts and concentrates for oral, nasal and transdermal administration. In order to find the correct dosage and delivery system to obtain a desired effect, users may test various different strains or delivery methods in small and ever increasing doses. The difficulty of finding a match is further compounded by the inaccuracy of product labels on the product package.

[0004] Furthermore, while it is possible to estimate the desired effect based on the cannabinoid contents of the various cannabis products, each user metabolizes cannabinoids differently. It is necessary for a method of individualized testing of a user's levels in real time so as to maximize the drug's therapeutic effects. This present disclosure is related to systems and methods of providing automatic feedback of individualized cannabis user's cannabinoid levels based on real time data, helping to keep treatments consistent and eliminate user error. BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary network environment in which a system for automated cannabinoids usage through a wearable device may be implemented.

[0006] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for controlling automated user dosage using a wearable device.

[0007] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for adjusting user preference of desired cannabis dosages.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0008] Embodiments of the present disclosure include systems and methods for automated real time cannabinoids usage and monitoring through a wearable device. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary system 100 for automated cannabinoids usage through a wearable device. This system 100 may include a testing network 102, a

communication network 112, a user device 114, other intake device 120, and a smart patch 122. The communication network 112 may be the cloud or internet that connects and enable communication between the label network 102, user device 114, intake device 120, and smart patch 122.

[0009] The testing network 102 collects usage data from any intake devices 120 and data collected from the smart patch 122. The testing network 102 uses the received data to make determinations on the release of drug compounds through the smart patch to keep the user's levels within a desired range during consumption events. The testing network 102 may include a user database 104, a testing database 106, a usage database 108, and a

recommendation module 110. The user database 104 may store information about the user of the system. User information may include the user's treatment plan, medical information, physical ailments, data related to any intake device 120, data related to any smart patch 122, and the user device 114.

[0010] The testing database 106 stores information provided by the smart patch 122. The smart patch 122 may detect analytes (e.g., cannabinoids such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD)) in the sweat of the user. A separate step of swabbing and testing the user sweat is unnecessary. Upon detection of analytes, the related information is transmitted to the testing database 106. Information stored in the testing database may include a timestamp, whether cannabinoids were detected, and related information such as the amount and type of cannabinoids detected.

[0011] The usage database 108 may contain information related to the user's cannabis usage from any intake device 120, smart patch 122, and user input from the user device 114. The usage database 108 may catalog each user's cannabis consumption history. Each consumption event documented may also include the cannabis strain, quantity used, and user feedback. [0012] The recommendation module 110 analyzes an aggregate of data received by the testing network 102, in order to provide a recommendation to the user and executable instruction to the smart patch 122. The recommendation module 110 may analyze the amounts of cannabinoids tested in the user. New data received from the testing database 106 may trigger the activation of the recommendation module 110. The recommendation module 110 may compare the levels of cannabinoids detected in the user's system to the user- configured treatment plan. For example, the testing database 106 may have received data from the smart patch 122 regarding the relative amounts of THC and CBD in the user's sweat. The recommendation module 110 may compare the reported relative amounts to the preset treatment plan of the user and control the administration of at least one other cannabinoid by the smart patch 122.

[0013] The communication network 112 may include wired and wireless network. If wireless, the communication network 112 may be implemented using communication techniques such as visible light communication (VLC), worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX), long term evolution (LTE), wireless local Area network (WLAN), infrared (IR) communication, public switched telephone network (PSTN), radio waves, near field communication (NFC), and other communication techniques known in the art. The communication network 112 may allow ubiquitous access to shared pools of configurable system resources and higher-level services that can be rapidly provisioned with minimal management effort. The communication network 112 is often a network in the Internet and may rely on sharing of resources with outside networks to achieve coherence and economies of scale.

[0014] The user device 114 may be a laptop, smartphone, tablet, smart watch, or any personal computer device that may facilitate the collection of data from the intake device 120 and the wearable device such as the smart patch 122. Data from the user device 114 may be transmitted to the testing network 102 via the usage application 116. The usage application 116 is software downloaded onto the user device 114 that may allow the user to track the user's cannabis usage and its effects. The usage application 116 may allow the user to specify their preferences for the consumption events with specific types of cannabis products or products with specific traits. In an example, the user's regular treatment plan calls for a 1:1 ratio of THGCBD as the effective therapeutic dose to control pain. The user can specify the duration (e.g., all day or temporary for two hours) and the degree (e.g., peak THC:CBD ratio of 15:1). If the user provides no input, the system works to keep them in the default effective dose range automatically. The preference database 118 stores the user-configured settings per consumption event. For example, the user may have stored in the preference database 118 an event with the preset of duration of 2 hours of 15:1 THGCBD ratio when consuming an Indica strain with at least 20% THC. The preference database 118 may be selected and activated by the user to allow the recommendation module to automate the release of compounds via the smart patch 122.

[0015] The intake device 120 may include any other non-smart patch device that allows user to intake cannabinoids. The intake device 120 may be connected via a communication network 112 to the user device and testing network 102 such that the release of cannabinoids from the intake device 120 is monitored and controlled. Examples of intake non-wearable devices may include a vaporizing device that vaporizes cannabis product to be inhaled by the user. For the purposes of this disclosure, a vaporizing device may also be an aerosol inhaler device. In this example, the vaporizer may transmit the amount consumed wirelessly to the user device 114 and the testing network 102 to the stored in the usage database 108. In one embodiment, the intake device 120 may not be able to connect with the testing network. In such an embodiment, user may manually report the intake device and corresponding cannabinoid usage via the user application 116. Any reported usage is transmitted and stored in the usage database 106 of the testing network 102. In one embodiment, the testing network 102 may be connected to multiple intake devices 120 with each intake device 120 sending its relative data to the usage database 108.

[0016] The smart patch 122 is a wearable device by a user. The term "smart patch" is used to indicate a general class of wearable devices that allows automated control over the release and monitoring of cannabinoids, without additional user action, after the device has been programmed by the user and attached to the user. The smart patch 122 may contain a communication module 124, a delivery actuator 126, and a drug reservoir 128.

[0017] In one embodiment, the smart patch 122 is an actual patch that can adhere to the surface of the user's skin. In an embodiment, the smart patch 122 may be a triboelectric energy harvester patch. The delivery actuator 126 of the smart patch 122 may be a drug delivery system with a pump that may be coupled with a bendable microneedle skin patch. The drug reservoir 128 may store at least one cannabinoid. The microneedle and triboelectric patches may be coupled to multiple dry adhesive patches to enable the entire wearable device to adhere onto the curved skin surface. The drug reservoir 128 may be connected to the delivery actuator 126. For example, the reservoir 128 may be located on backside of the microneedle patch of the delivery actuator 126. The delivery actuator 126 may trigger the release of the drug in the reservoir and control the drug delivery upon skin penetration. The communication module 124 may deliver information regarding the absorbed cannabinoid to the user device 114 and the testing network 102.

[0018] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method 200 for controlling automated user dosage using a wearable device. First the recommendation module 110 may receive new data event from testing database 106 at step 202. In an embodiment, the user may configure the system to a two-parameters testing system, where the two parameters are CBD and THC. Then the recommendation module 110 may query the user database 104 for the user's treatment plan at step 204. The user's treatment plan may detail the desired effective CBD:THC ratio. The recommendation module 110 may query the usage database 108 for a consumption event in the last 120 minutes. A consumption event may be the use of a cannabis product through the intake device, the wearable device, and other usage that the user has reported through the user device 114. The usage database 108 may receive and save the usage event including related data such as timestamp, amount in milligram of consumed product, THC and CBD percentages, etc.. After analyzing the data in the user database 104, testing database 106, and usage database 108, the recommendation module 110 may determine if the CBD:THC ratio in the current testing data is within the effective dose range at step 208. If the CBD:THC ratio in the current testing data is within the effective dose range, then the recommendation module 110 may stop its analysis and poll for new data event in the testing database 106 at step 222.

[0019] If the CBD:THC ratio in the current testing data is not within the effective dose range, the recommendation module 110 may determine if there was a consumption event in the effective time period at step 210. In one embodiment, the effective time period may be 2 hours. The user may configure the system to an effective time period of their preference or in accordance with a preset treatment plan. [0020] If there was not a consumption event within the time period, then the recommendation module 110 will calculate the CBD or THC dose necessary to reach the effective dose range at 216. However, if there was a consumption event at this juncture of the monitoring, then the recommendation module 110 pause its inquiry to allow the usage database 108 to update the data regarding the consumption effect (e.g., the cannabis strain and amounts) at step 212. The data supplied will include quantity of consumption and attributes of the product, such as THC and CBD percentages, Sativa versus Indica dominance, etc. Then the recommendation module 110 may query the usage application 116 on the user device 114 to determine whether the user will configure a new desired effective dose at step 214.

[0021] The effective dose preferences or desired effective dose is a configurable dosage amount that is configured by the user. The user may specify the length of time and the level of "high" or pain relief that they wish to experience. The effective dose range may be configured by the user at various times. For example, the user may activate a saved preference in the preference database 118 and transmit that preference to the testing network 102. For example, a 1:1 ratio of THC to CBD has been shown to have a therapeutic effect in pain relief in chronic cancer patients. For such patients, the recommendation module 110 may release cannabinoids from the smart patch 122 continuously at the 1:1 ratio and monitor the user via the smart patch 122 to ensure the 1:1 ratio is maintained. In contrast, THC provides psychoactive effects that some users desire and the user may indicate temporary preference for higher dosage of THC. In such cases, CBD may also be used to balance the psychoactive effects of THC to maintain the specified preference. For example, a user may want to feel the psychoactive effects of the THC when they utilize the intake device 120 for a preset period of time. The recommendation module 110 may activate the patch 122 to releases CBD into the bloodstream to bring down that high and return the user to the desired effective dose range specified in their treatment plan. Generally, a user may have the option to tailor the preferred effective dose range to each life event. For example, the user may have saved a preset preference for higher THC ratios for parties but another saved preference for higher CBD ratios that may be suitable for deeper sleep.

[0022] Once the recommendation module 110 has received the updated consumption and preferred dosage data, the recommendation module 110 may calculate the CBD dose needed to reach the effective dose range at step 216. Once the amount of CBD is calculated in step 216, the recommendation module 110 may poll the wearable device 122 to see if the needed dose is available in the drug reservoir 128 at step 218. If there are insufficient amounts, the recommendation module 110 may notify the user to refill the reservoir 128 at step 220. In an embodiment, the user may communicate through the usage application 116 that the user will consume the needed dose outside of the wearable device 122 or through the intake device 120. The user may also accept or select a different preference dose. If the reservoir 128 contains the calculated dose, then recommendation module 110 may release the calculated CBD dose according to the user selected preferences at step 222. The

recommendation module 110 may continuously poll the testing database for a new data to monitor the levels of cannabinoids in the user at step 222. The process continually repeats at step 202.

[0023] In an example, the user has consumed 20 mg of 20% THC and 1% CBD. The user has indicated their user preference via the usage application 116 to set a maximum duration of two hours and a maximum THGCBD ratio of 15:1. The default therapeutic level as specified in the user's treatment plan is a ratio 1:1. Upon receiving the new preference data, the recommendation module 110 may calculate a CBD amount of necessary to keep the user under 15:1 ratio for the duration of the 120 minutes. The recommendation module 110 may then activate the smart patch 122 to release the calculated amount. After the 120 minutes expires, the recommendation module 110 will analyze the data in the testing database 106 and the usage database 108, to calculate the amount of CBD to bring the ratio down to 1:1, the default preference.

[0024] In another example, the user may have consumed 4 mg of THC and 0.2 mg of CBD. If the user was a perfect processor the THGCBD ratio in the testing data would be 20:1, but users metabolize cannabinoids at different rates. The testing data in this example shows 17:1 ratio in the user's sweat. So rather than needing the 3.8 mg of CBD to make up the difference, the system need only output 85% of that, or 3.23 mg of CBD. The

recommendation module 110 will then deliver only the 3.23 mg of CBD to bring the user down to the 15:1 ratio specified in the user preference data.

[0025] It is important to note that the flow chart of FIG. 2 illustrates a continuous process of monitoring and cannabinoid adjustment that may be triggered with each new data that enters the testing database in order to maintain a preference level. The math will change when the 120 minutes after the consumption event is met, as the system will be reset back to a default preference such as the 1:1 therapeutic dose again as opposed to the 15:1 temporary preference. .

[0026] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method 300 to adjust user preference of desired cannabis dosages. First the usage application 116 of the user device 114 may receive data that the user has consumed cannabis at step 302. The usage application 116 may receive this data from the smart patch 122, the intake device 120, or from user's manual input. The usage application 116 may identify the strain and related data at step 304. Related data identified may include quantity of product consumed and percentages of product constituents like THC and CBD. In an example, the user may have consumed 20 mg of "Strain A" cannabis that has been identified to contain 20%THC and 1% CBD.

[0027] Next, the application 116 may prompt the user to provide strain based alterations to their treatment plan at step 306. Example alteration may include preferences in maximum allowable THC:CBD ratio, and the duration of the "high" desired. In an example, the user may set 2 hours as their maximum desired effective duration of THC-induced psychoactive effects with a maximum desired THC:CBD ratio of 15:1. The usage application 116 may then save the user preferences to the preferences database at step 308. The usage application 116 may then poll for a prompt from the recommendation module 110 at step 3010. The usage application 116 may then receive a prompt from the recommendation module 110 that new testing data has been received in the testing database 106 at step 310. The usage application 116 may then offer the user to take manual control of the specific consumption experience at step 314. The usage application 116 may wait to receive confirmation of whether the user opts for manual control of their experience within a time limit (e.g., two minutes) at step 316. If the user selects the manual control option within the time limit, the user will be offered the same type of prompts as received in step 306.

[0028] If the user rejects manual control of their experience or is nonresponsive within a time limit, the usage application 116 may then query the preference database 118 for user defined preferences for the strain identified by the intake device 120 at step 318. The usage application 116 may send the preferences back to the recommendation module 110 at step 320. The preference sent back to the recommendation module 110 may be the preference indicated in the preference database 118, the preference indicated by user manual inputs, or a NULL message. Finally, the usage application 116 may poll for a prompt of a consumption event at step 322. This process is an automated continuous process triggered by data of new cannabis usage.

[0029] The foregoing detailed description of the technology has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the technology to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The described embodiments were chosen in order to best explain the principles of the technology, its practical application, and to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the technology in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the technology be defined by the claims.