Kali Care patents self-authenticating smart container

Digital health company Kali Care has been awarded a US patent on a technology that makes regular containers for medicines or other products ‘smart’, using sound.

The patent (No. 10,723,529) covers the addition of an “acoustic emitter” device – likened in one format to a hammer and anvil – that is activated when the container is opened, without needing any power, a computer processor, or sensors.

Aside from registering when the container is opened – which could aid in monitoring a patient’s adherence to treatment – the acoustic signal could also be used to communicate information, such as the “lot number of a produce, name, contents etc” or validation data to show that the products “are not counterfeit.”

The abstract of the patent appears below:

Determining use and validity of vehicles through acoustic emissions

Abstract: Arrangements are provided for "smart" functionality with "dumb" containers, such as for determining medication adherence, tracking product use, and validating product authenticity. An acoustic emitter is engaged with a container or other vehicle. Opening the container causes the acoustic emitter to produce an acoustic emission, without requiring power, processing capacity, or sensors. A cell phone or other station receives and registers acoustic emissions, such as by logging opening of the container, verifying authenticity of the acoustic emission, communicating with an oversight system, or similar. Data as may be encoded in an acoustic emission may include vehicle detection data (e.g., logging a container being opened), vehicle information (e.g., lot number, contents name), vehicle validation (e.g., valid or counterfeit numerical code), and audible user recognition (e.g., brand jingles, warning sounds).

US Patent No. 10,723,529