U.S. patent application number 09/730978 was filed with the patent office on 2002-06-06 for flat pack pill case.
Invention is credited to Fanelli, Patrick R., Mattis, Martin P..
Application Number | 20020066690 09/730978 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 24937566 |
Filed Date | 2002-06-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020066690 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Mattis, Martin P. ; et
al. |
June 6, 2002 |
Flat pack pill case
Abstract
A thin, credit card sized reusable pill case. A top half lid and
bottom half base are joined by a living hinge on one side and a
releasable lock on the other side. Individual dosages are secured
within the pill case in pods, the pods being sized to fit a
particular medication pill to be held therein. Each pod
substantially encloses the individual pill while having a finger
engagement opening to allow easy extraction of the pill without
turning the pill case upside down. Transparent windows formed in
the top half case are aligned over the pods to allow the inventory
of the pill case to be assessed without opening the pill case. In
an alternative embodiment, sawtooth edges are provided to perforate
packaging around pre-packaged medications.
Inventors: |
Mattis, Martin P.; (Wilder,
KY) ; Fanelli, Patrick R.; (Harrison, OH) |
Correspondence
Address: |
R. Christian Macke
Attorney at Law
40 East 10th Street
Newport
KY
41071
US
|
Family ID: |
24937566 |
Appl. No.: |
09/730978 |
Filed: |
December 6, 2000 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/532 ;
206/528; 206/539 |
Current CPC
Class: |
Y02W 30/80 20150501;
Y02W 30/807 20150501; A61J 1/03 20130101; B65D 25/10 20130101; B65D
83/0445 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/532 ;
206/528; 206/539 |
International
Class: |
B65D 083/04 |
Claims
I claim:
1. A reusable pill case for storing and securing individual pills
comprising: a top half lid; a bottom half base; a living hinge
between said top half lid and said bottom half base along a first
edge of said top half lid and said bottom half base; locking means
along a second edge of said top half lid and said bottom half base,
said second edge opposite said first edge; and pods securely
retaining individual pills when said top half lid is closed and
locked to said bottom half base.
2. The reusable pill case of claim 1 wherein said pods comprise
upstanding walls substantially enclosing said individual pills.
3. The reusable pill case of claim 2 wherein said pods further
comprise a finger access opening.
4. The reusable pill case of claim 3 further comprising windows
formed in said top half lid aligned with said pods.
5. The reusable pill case of claim 4 wherein said top half lid
comprises multiple top half lids and said bottom half base
comprises multiple bottom half bases.
6. The reusable pill case of claim 5 wherein said multiple top half
lids are independently operable.
7. The reusable pill case of claim 6 wherein said pods are sized
and formed to accommodate different medications.
8. The reusable pill case of claim 7 further comprising windows
formed in said multiple top half lids.
9. A reusable pill case for storing and securing individual dosages
of prepackaged medication comprising: a bottom half base having
compartments formed therein for receiving said pre-packaged
individual doses; raised sawtooth edges affixed to a top half lid
engaging said bottom half base; wherein said raised sawtooth edges
engage and perforate said pre-packaged medication upon closure of
said top half lid.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] A flat pack provides a reusable pill case having provisions
for retention and security of individual medication pills while
also providing easy accessibility to the pills.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Medication in the form of pills, tablets and capsules, has
become a traveling companion for a vast number or persons affected
by ailments and diseases of all kinds and severity. The desire and
need of a user to always have pills, tablets or capsules with him
and available, comprising a dose or doses of medication, has
created a need for a convenient and secure carrying case or
packaging for the pills, tablets or capsules. The ease of
portability of such a carrying case or package is of the utmost
importance. Prior art pill storage and transport cases have taken
on a great number of different structures and designs, the most
basic being the familiar cylindrical pill bottles with locking caps
in which prescription medication is typically packaged.
[0003] As the use and variety of medication have increased, cases
for carrying doses of the medication with a user have evolved. One
problem that has been addressed by prior art pill cases has been
the transportability of the pill case. Specifically, pill cases
have been designed and developed that are smaller and flatter than
the common prior art cylindrical pill bottles with locking caps. In
addition, the evolution of pill cases has seen a variety of novel
dispensing means applied to pill cases to facilitate removal of a
single pill. Examples of prior art pill cases adopting a more
easily transported flat profile with a distinctive dispensing means
include U.S. Pat. No. 5,974,294 to Omata et al.; U.S. Pat. No.
6,068,126 to DeJonge; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,230,237 to de Wit.
[0004] Another approach at designing a device for transporting
medication has been to pre-package pills in a blister pack wherein
each individual pill is contained in a separate bubble cavity such
that it may be removed individually by pushing them through a back
panel. Blister packaging of pills is reflected in U.S. Pat. No.
4,889,236 to Bartell et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,927,500 to Godfrey et
al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,753,352 to Dauphin et al. Blister packs
allow for a slim design and are easily adapted to various size
pills. The '236 Patent to Bartell specifically contemplates the use
of such packaging as a credit card style blister pack that may be
carried in a purse or wallet. Blister packs have a number of
disadvantages, however. First, the pills are pre-packaged in the
blister packs, increasing the cost of the medication because the
cost of the packaging is built into the cost of the medication.
Second, the blister pack is not re-usable; once the pills stored in
the blister pack are consumed, the empty pack is discarded and a
new blister pack of pills must be purchased.
[0005] In addition, there a number of medications that are of
relatively infrequent use and which require only a small or
one-time dosage, but which a user desires to keep with him at all
times. For such medication, a blister pack having 10 or 20 or 30
pills is a waste of money. For example, it is advisable for persons
having heart conditions to carry nitroglycerin pills with them at
all times. In the event of a heart attack, immediate ingestion of
one or two nitroglycerin pills can be very beneficial. However,
there is no purpose for a user to carry a blister pack with many
nitroglycerin pills in it. The use is immediate and of a small
dosage and will in all probability only be used a couple of times
in a lifetime, so a blister pack having 20 nitroglycerin pills will
be a waste of money and packaging.
[0006] Another important consideration in the design of a pill
carrying case, particularly if the medication will be accessed
during a period of physical distress, e.g. a heart attack, is the
ease of accessing the pills. Blister packs are disadvantageous in
this regard by requiring the pill to be pushed by a user through a
back cover membrane, which may very well be an obstacle that cannot
be overcome by a person suffering a heart attack.
[0007] A need is thus identified for a reusable pack for retaining
and securing medication pills, the pills in the pack being easily
accessible and the pack being of such design that it is easily
transportable, specifically as a thin credit card sized pack that
can be carried in a wallet or purse.
[0008] The high cost of some medications provides additional
motivation for an improved pill case. Specifically, a user that
pays a large amount for a single pill will want to ensure that the
pill will be secured and protected within the pack. If pills are
able to rattle around within the case or to contact other pills
stored in the case, there is an increased danger that the pill will
crumble or be chipped, broken or powdered, particularly if the pill
exists in the case for weeks, months or even years before it is
used. In addition, if the pill is not easy to remove from the case,
there is an increased risk of dropping or losing the pill during
extraction from the case.
[0009] One example medication that a user will want to easily and
quickly access, but which may be stored for weeks or months without
being used, is the sexual enhancement drug VIAGRA. Each VIAGRA pill
is very expensive, so a user wants to be sure that the integrity of
the pill is maintained in the case. Protection from contamination,
from crumbling, powdering, chipping or breaking, are all desired
functions of a case designed to carry VIAGRA. In addition, it is
desirable to provide a case that is easily transportable and which
permits a user discretion in the transport and use of the
medication. To those ends, it is desirable to provide a pill case
that holds each VIAGRA pill isolated and secure from contact with
other pills and to prevent rattling within the pill case. In that
way, it will be possible to protect the integrity of the VIAGRA
pill even if it exists in the pill case for weeks, months or years
before it is used. The desirable pill case will be sized similarly
to a credit card and will have a thin profile that allows
discretionary storage in a wallet or billfold, and will also
incorporate an easy opening device.
[0010] For a user that transports medication in a pill case,
particularly for a user and medication that will be accessed
infrequently, it is desirable to know the inventory of medication
in the pill case without having to open it. That is, if a user must
open the pill case to check its inventory, there is an increased
risk of dropping the medication or spilling the pill case's
contents during the inventory check. This risk is eliminated if
transparent windows are provided that allow a user to check the
inventory without opening the pack. In a number of the prior art
blister packs, in which pills are pre-packaged, a user can evaluate
the inventory because the pills will be visible through the blister
pack if they are present. However, in a reusable pill case wherein
expensive medications are retained, it is desirable to provide a
pod for holding each pill secure and a transparent window over each
of the pill containing pods, so that a user can instantly assess
the inventory of medication in the pill case without opening the
pill case.
[0011] In some instances, medication comes in individually
pre-packaged units, generally in perforated, separable blister
packs on which a card may be torn to separate a single dose of such
pre-packaged medication. Examples of such pre-packaged medication
include pills such as vitamins, and cold and flu pills and a
variety of other medications that come in perforated and separable
blister packs.
[0012] Another specific example of an individually packaged item
that a user carries with him is chewing gum containing a nicotine
supplement that is utilized to allow smokers to be weaned off
cigarettes. Some of the most well known manufacturers of such
nicotine gum provide each chicklet of gum wrapped in an individual
blister pack foil backed package. These individually wrapped
medications are important relative to portable pill cases because
the gum is extremely expensive and it is desirable to provide a
pill case for carrying such individual chicklets to eliminate the
transport of small individually packaged chicklets. A pill case
accommodating such medication has the advantages of allowing a user
to neatly carry multiple pre-packaged units in a credit card sized
case that may be carried in a wallet or billfold rather than
carrying multiple individually pre-packaged units.
[0013] Another difficulty encountered with the use of small
pre-packaged doses of medications, gums, etc., in blister pack,
foil backed packaging is the difficulty in opening the dosage
pre-packaging in which they are wrapped. Typically the size of a
dime or nickel, the individual blister pack, foil backed
pre-packaging requires a user to break a seal or peel away a corner
of the pre-packaging to get at the medication, gum, etc. For such
small items, good finger dexterity is required to remove the pill
therefrom, specifically to peel the foil backing away. This becomes
even more problematic when the package contains gum and is
unintentionally heated such as through body warmth transferred to
the package and gum. The gum becomes sticky and gooey and difficult
to remove as a result. Peeling away the foil backing becomes
particularly difficult under those circumstances. There is thus
identified a need for a pill case designed to carry such
pre-packaged medication, gum, etc., that is advantageously designed
such that the pre-packaging is punctured or perforated by the pill
case upon closure. The puncturing of the pre-packaging is
particularly advantageous for small items that require fingertip
dexterity to open. A pill case with perforating teeth that clamp
down on and puncture pre-packaging around medication, gum, etc., is
advantageous because it reduces the difficulty in removing the foil
backing therefrom so that the medication, gum, etc., immediately
available to the user upon opening the pill case without having to
further puncture or manipulate the prepackaging.
[0014] Finally, it is advantageous to provide a reusable pill case
that may be used and reused to store individual doses of expensive
medication having provisions to write identification information
thereon indicating the owner and the medication stored therein. It
thus is desirable to provide a pill case having a surface on which
a user may write or print such information.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
[0015] It is an object of the present invention to provide a
reusable pill case that is highly portable and securely retains
individual pills in fixed positions.
[0016] It is another object of the present invention to provide a
reusable pill case of the approximate dimensions of a credit card
that has a thin profile and fits within a wallet or billfold for
ease of transport.
[0017] It is yet another object of the present invention to provide
a reusable pill case formed from a single piece of material with
provisions for retaining pills in fixed and secure positions during
transport.
[0018] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a
reusable pill case having pods that are sized to fit particular
pills, said pods having means for accessing an individual pill in
the pill case by a user's fingertip without disturbing the other
pills stored in the pill case.
[0019] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a
reusable pill case having individual pods and means for a user to
assess the inventory of the medication in the pill case without
opening it by providing transparent windows aligned with individual
pods wherein pills are securely retained and protected.
[0020] It is yet another object of the present invention to provide
a reusable pill case which prevents the movement or rattling of
pills stored therein to protect the integrity and effectiveness of
such pills.
[0021] It is another object of the present invention to provide a
reusable pill case incorporating means for puncturing pre-packaging
around medication upon closure of the case so that upon reopening
the case the medication is immediately available for use.
[0022] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a
highly portable reusable pill case formed from a single piece of
material that includes multiple sub compartments, each sub
compartment having different size pods to accommodate specific
medications.
[0023] It is yet another object of the present invention to provide
a highly portable credit card sized pill case having a surface for
writing identification of the user and medication stored
thereon.
[0024] These and other objects and advantages of the present
invention will be apparent from a review of the following
specification and accompanying drawings.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0025] The present invention is a reusable pill case for storing
and securing individual pills wherein the case comprises a top half
lid and a bottom half base connected on one side by a living hinge.
On the other side of the pill case is provided a locking means such
that the top half lid may be closed and secured to the bottom half
base. Pods are provided as part of the pill case that securely
retain and maintain the position of pills when the pill case is
closed and locked to prevent movement of the pills. Crumbling,
chipping, erosion and powdering of the pills over time is prevented
by securing and retaining them within the pods.
[0026] The pods formed as part of the reusable pill case of the
present invention comprise upstanding walls substantially enclosing
the pills to be retained therein. The pods are sized appropriately
to accommodate the particular pills that are retained therein. In
the most preferred embodiment of the present invention, the pods
are affixed to the bottom half base although it is specifically
contemplated that the pods can also be affixed to the top half lid
or can be partial cooperating pods affixed to the top half lid and
bottom half base which combine to hold the pills securely in place.
The pods of the present invention have the advantageous feature of
a partial opening wherein a user may extract a pill stored in a pod
by engaging the pill with a fingertip. The fingertip access opening
allows for the extraction of a single pill without disturbing the
remaining pills stored therein.
[0027] The most preferred embodiment of the present invention
comprises a reusable pill case having transparent windows formed
therein that align with the pill retaining pods so that a user may
instantly assess the inventory of pills stored therein without
opening the pill case. The windows are preferably formed in the top
half lid of the pill case. By providing the windows as an inventory
assessment means, the need for a user to open the pill case to
check the inventory is eliminated, thereby reducing the risk of
opening the case and spilling its contents.
[0028] On the exterior of the bottom half base a surface for
providing vital information about the medication user and the
medication itself is provided. Specifically, a user will be able to
print identification information such as name and phone number, as
well as the kind of medication stored within the reusable pill
case, on the exterior of the pill case.
[0029] One of the preferred embodiments of the reusable pill case
of the present invention comprises multiple sub cases, each having
a top half lid and bottom half base connected on one side by a
living hinge and on the other side by an individual locking means.
The sub cases are attached so that a user may carry a single pill
case accommodating multiple different medications, although the sub
cases may be separately and independently opened and closed.
[0030] Another preferred embodiment of the present invention
comprises raised sawtooth edges that cooperate with the upstanding
walls of the pods to engage and puncture pre-packaging around
medication, pills or gum stored therein. Upon closure of the top
half lid on the bottom half base, the sawtooth edges engage the
pre-packaging so that, upon reopening, the user needs only to
remove the medication from the punched or punctured opened
pre-packaging. The need for a user to manually peel or puncture the
pre-packaging is eliminated thereby.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0031] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the opened reusable pill
case of the present invention.
[0032] FIG. 2A is a side view of the reusable pill case of the
present invention demonstrating closure of the top half lid onto
the bottom half base.
[0033] FIG. 2B is a side view of the reusable case of the present
invention with the top half lid closed.
[0034] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of
the present invention reflecting the use of inventory assessment
windows in the top half lid.
[0035] FIG. 4 is a top view of a preferred embodiment of the
reusable pill case of the present invention incorporating the use
of inventory assessment windows.
[0036] FIG. 5A is a perspective view of the reusable pill case of
the present invention that is bifurcated into two sub-cases for
storage of different kinds and sizes of pills.
[0037] FIG. 5B is a perspective view of the reusable pill case of
the present invention that is bifurcated into two sub-cases which
also provides windows for inventory access.
[0038] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of
the reusable pill case of the present invention wherein raised
sawtooth edges are provided to perforate pre-packaging around
medication stored in the pill case.
[0039] FIG. 7A is a front view of a preferred embodiment of the
reusable pill case of the present invention wherein raised sawtooth
edges are being closed upon pre-packaged medication to perforate
the prepackaging around medication stored in the pill case.
[0040] FIG. 7B is a front view of a preferred embodiment of the
reusable pill case of the present invention wherein raised sawtooth
edges are closed upon pre-packaged medication to perforate the
pre-packaging around medication stored in the pill case.
[0041] FIG. 8 is a view of the bottom of the reusable pill case
illustrating the vital information and medication template surface
on the exterior side of the bottom half base.
[0042] FIG. 9 is a perspective illustration of the finger
extraction of the medication from a pod.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0043] The present invention comprises a reusable pill case 10 for
storing and securing medication 11 in single dosage amounts. The
reusable pill case 10 is of minimal thickness to accommodate the
medication stored therein. Moreover, the dimensions of the reusable
pill case 10 approximate those of a credit card so that the
reusable pill case 10 may be readily transported and carried in a
wallet or billfold. This allows the use of the reusable pill case
10, and the medication stored therein, to be highly transportable
and discrete. As shown in FIG. 1, the reusable pill case comprises
a top half lid 12 that is affixed to a bottom half base 14. A
living hinge 16 bridges and connects the top half lid 12 to the
bottom half base 14 along a first edge 15 of the top half lid 12
and a corresponding edge 17 of the bottom half base 14. The living
hinge 16 is resilient and provides a spring effect such that the
top half lid 12 pivotally rotates about the living hinge 16
relative to the bottom half base 14. While a variety of materials
may be used to construct the reusable pill case 10, and are
specifically contemplated, the most preferred embodiment
contemplates construction from a polypropylene plastic resin.
[0044] Closure of the reusable pill case 10 is effected by rotating
the top half lid 12 about he living hinge 16 against the spring
effect of the living hinge 16, as indicated by the directional
arrow in FIG. 2A. On the interior of edge 30 of the top half lid 12
opposite the living hinge edge 15 and the exterior of edge 32 of
the bottom half base 14 opposite the living hinge edge 17, there is
provided a locking means 18 for securing the top half lid 12 closed
upon the bottom half base 14. In the most preferred embodiment of
the present invention, the locking means 18 comprises raised nubs
20 that are small elongated protuberances affixed to the exterior
edge 32 of the bottom half base 18, and a lip 22 formed on the
interior of edge 30 of the top half lid 12. A cavity 23 behind the
lip 22 receives the nubs 20 to maintain the reusable pill case 10
in a closed condition as shown in FIG. 2B. As the top half lid 12
is rotated about the living hinge 16 as shown in FIG. 2A, the lip
22 engages and passes over the nubs 20 as a result of the pliable
resiliency of the top half lid 12 and bottom half base 14 being
formed from relatively soft, injection molded plastic such as a
polypropylene plastic resin. Thus, the locking means 18 are
provided along the second edge 30 of the top half lid 12 opposite
the living hinge edge 15 and second edge 32 of the bottom half base
14 opposite the living hinge edge first edge 17. Other means and
devices for locking the top half lid 12 to the bottom half base 14,
such as, without limitation, slots, latches, grooves and other
devices, are specifically contemplated within the principles of the
present invention so that the use thereof is not distinguishable
from the principles of the present invention.
[0045] In a significantly advantageous feature of the present
invention, a number of pods 24 are affixed to the bottom half base
14 to hold and retain individual pills stored therein secure when
the top half lid 12 is closed and locked to the bottom half base
14. It is specifically contemplated that the pods 24 may also be
affixed to the top half lid 12, or cooperating pods 24 formed on
both the top half lid 12 and bottom half base 14, without departing
from the principles of the present invention. In the most preferred
embodiment the pods 24 are formed from injection molded plastic at
the same time as is the rest of the reusable pill case 10.
[0046] The pods 24 comprise upstanding walls 25 that are formed to
specifically fit the medication to be carried in the reusable pill
case 10. In the most preferred embodiment of the present invention,
the upstanding walls 25 affixed to the bottom half base 14 extend
almost to the top half lid 12 as shown in FIG. 2B, so that pills
retained in the pods 24 and walls 25 are not free to rattle within
the reusable pill case 10. In addition, the upstanding walls 25 and
pods 24 are shaped and sized specifically for the medication that
is to be stored within. For instance, single doses of VIAGRA, a
relatively large pill, are shown retained in pods 24 in FIG. 1.
Other medications such as, without limitation, other sexual
enhancement pills, allergy medications, weight loss medications,
anti-smoking medications, and a variety of others may be
accommodated by merely changing the size and shape of the pods to
hold and securely retain the specific pills.
[0047] The upstanding walls 25 comprising the pod 24 do not
completely enclose a pill stored therein but rather include a
finger access opening 26 that provides an improved means for
extracting the pill 11 from the pod 24. As set forth above, the pod
24 is sized appropriately for the medication retained therein, and
the finger access opening 26 is adequately small so that the tight
engagement of the pill 11 by the pod 24 is maintained. The finger
access opening 26 is located, in the most preferred embodiment of
the present invention, on a corner of the pod 24, although
alternative locations for the finger access opening 26 are
contemplated. The finger access opening 26 is advantageous because
it allows a user to extract the medication 11 stored in a pod 24 by
engaging the medication 11 with his finger to pop it out of the pod
24 (see FIG. 9). There is thus no need to turn the pill case 10
over to use gravity or to otherwise shake the pill case 10 to
extract the medication 11. The risk of spillage of the contents of
the pill case 10 is reduced as a result.
[0048] The most preferred embodiment of the reusable pill case 10
provides transparent windows 40 in the top half lid 12 aligned with
the pods 24 formed in the bottom half base 14. The windows 40
provide an inventory assessment means allowing the user to quickly
determine the amount of medication stored therein without opening
the pill case 10. This is beneficial because reducing the opening
and closing of the reusable pill case 10 reduces the opportunities
for spillage of the contents, i.e. the medication, and also reduces
the opportunities for contamination thereof. As shown in FIGS. 3
and 4, the windows 40 are sized to allow the user visual access to
the medication, although the precise size and location of the
windows 40 may be varied without departing from the principles of
the present invention. The windows 40 thus provide an inventory
assessment means to the user through the visual inspection of the
pods 24 and their contents without requiring the user to open the
reusable pill case 10.
[0049] It is often desirable for a user to utilize a single pill
case to transport more than one kind of medication. However, if the
two medications comprise pills of different sizes, a uniform size
pod will be inadequate to securely retain both medications to
prevent chipping, rattling and powdering thereof. The present
invention addresses this problem by providing an alternative
preferred embodiment 50 wherein the reusable pill case 50 is
bifurcated into two sub cases 52, 54, a first sub case 52 having a
top half lid 58 connected to a bottom half base 60 by a living
hinge 61. A locking means comprising a lip 70 on the top half lid
58 and nubs 68 on the bottom half base 60 is provided on the first
sub case 52.
[0050] A second sub case 54 is provided having a top half lid 62,
with locking lip 76, and a bottom half base 74 with nubs 75. The
top half lid 62 is connected to the bottom half base 74 along a
second living hinge 63, separate and independent from the living
hinge 61 of the first sub case 52 so that the second top half lid
62 is operable separately and independently from the first top half
lid 58. As shown in FIG. 5, the top half lids 58, 62 are distinct
and may be opened and closed independently of each other. The pods
80 in the first sub case 52 are sized to accommodate the medication
stored therein, such as VIAGRA, while the pods 82 in the second sub
case 54 are sized to accommodate the size of the pills sought to be
carried by the user. The size of the pods 80, 82 may be altered to
accommodate different medications without departing from the
principles of the present invention. In addition, it is
specifically contemplated that additional subcases accommodating
different medications may be added without departing from the
principles of the present invention.
[0051] The bifurcated reusable pill case 50 is advantageous because
it eliminates the need to have two separate pill cases for two
differently sized pills. It also is advantageous because, as a
result of the separate and independent living hinges 61, 63, the
two sub cases 52, 54 may be opened and closed independently of each
other. As discussed above, decreasing the number of instances of
opening and closing a pill case is advantageous because the
opportunities for spillage and contamination are decreased. As
shown in FIG. 5B, the bifurcated pill case 50 may be provided with
windows to allow inventory assessment of the sub cases 52, 54.
[0052] Another preferred embodiment of the present invention
comprises a reusable pill case 100 incorporating raised sawtooth
edges 102 affixed to a top half lid 104. Upon closure of the top
half lid 102 onto the bottom half base 106, the sawtooth edges 102
fit into pods 108 and extend substantially to the floor 110 of the
bottom half base 106, as shown in FIG. 7B. Closure of the top half
lid 104 onto the bottom base 106 effects engagement of the sawtooth
edges 102 with the edges of prepackaged medication 112 as shown in
FIG. 7B. The pre-packaging of medication 112 such as, without
limitation, a blister pack with foil backing enclosing chewing gum
having a nicotine supplement is punctured to ease the removal of
the medication form the pre-packaging 112.
[0053] As shown in FIG. 8, a vital information template is provided
on the underside 122 of the bottom half base 60. A similar template
is provided for the bottom half base 14 and bottom half base 106 of
the present invention.
[0054] The foregoing description of a preferred embodiment of the
invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and
description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the
invention to the precise form disclosed. Obvious modifications or
variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The
embodiment was chosen and described in order to best illustrate the
principles of the invention and its practical application to
thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to best utilize the
invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as
are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that
the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended
hereto.
* * * * *