U.S. patent application number 11/327204 was filed with the patent office on 2007-07-12 for medication container holder.
Invention is credited to Matthew T. Coe, Richard Costa.
Application Number | 20070158519 11/327204 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38231871 |
Filed Date | 2007-07-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070158519 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Coe; Matthew T. ; et
al. |
July 12, 2007 |
Medication container holder
Abstract
A medication container holder for holding at least one
medication container includes at least one base having a forward
end and a rear end with the base being slanted upwardly from the
forward end to the rear end, and each base comprising a plurality
of spaced-apart medication container holding spaces for removably
holding a medication container. The plurality of medication
container holding spaces are arranged successively beginning from
the forward end to the rear end of the base, and adapted so that
each of the successive medication containers placed in the
spaced-apart medication container holding spaces formed by the
slanted base is elevated relative to the preceding medication
container held in a preceding medication container holding space to
yield a tiered arrangement. The bases may employ an interlocking
mechanism to enable bases to be removably attached to each
other.
Inventors: |
Coe; Matthew T.; (Annandale,
NJ) ; Costa; Richard; (Bedminster, NJ) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Allen R. Kipnes, Esq.;WATOV & KIPNES, P.C.
P.O. Box 247
Princeton Junction
NJ
08550
US
|
Family ID: |
38231871 |
Appl. No.: |
11/327204 |
Filed: |
January 6, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
248/346.01 ;
206/528; 206/570 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61J 7/0069
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
248/346.01 ;
206/528; 206/570 |
International
Class: |
A47B 91/00 20060101
A47B091/00; B65D 85/42 20060101 B65D085/42; B65D 69/00 20060101
B65D069/00 |
Claims
1. A medication container holder for holding at least one
medication container, comprising: at least one base having a
forward end and a rear end with the base being slanted upwardly
from the forward end to the rear end; and each base comprising a
plurality of spaced-apart medication container holding spaces for
removably holding a medication container, said plurality of
medication container holding spaces arranged in sequence beginning
from the forward end to the rear end of the at least one base, and
adapted so that each of the successive medication containers placed
in the spaced-apart medication container holding spaces formed by
the at least one base is elevated relative to the preceding
medication container held in a preceding medication container
holding space to yield a tiered arrangement.
2. The medication container holder of claim 1 further comprising
interlocking means for removably interlocking a base to another
base.
3. The medication container holder of claim 1 further comprising a
timing assembly operatively associated with the base for alerting
the user of the time to take medication contained in one of the at
least one medication container.
4. The medication container holder of claim 3 wherein the timing
assembly further comprises a timer capable of being set to a
predetermined time interval when a medication should be taken, and
an alert mechanism for notifying the user of the lapsing of the
predetermined time interval.
5. The medication container holder of claim 4 further comprises a
reset mechanism for resetting the timer upon removal of the
medication container as indicative of the user taking the
medication.
6. The medication container holder of claim 6 wherein the reset
mechanism is configured to be activated by the user upon taking the
medication.
7. The medication container holder of claim 1 wherein the
medication container holding spaces are in the form of a
cylinder.
8. The medication container holder of claim 1 comprising a single
base.
9. The medication container holder of claim 1 wherein each base
comprises three spaced-apart medication container holding spaces.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to medication
container holders, and more particularly to a medication container
holder adapted for holding a plurality of containers in a tiered or
stepped arrangement that enhances visibility and access of the
containers to the user, while providing a neat and orderly
appearance.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Increasing numbers of patients are prescribed with multiple
medications during the course of their medical treatments. Such
patients especially the elderly often inadvertently skip dosages
either because they forget to take or misplace the medication
container containing the corresponding medication. Multiple
medication containers can also present a cluttered appearance that
can confuse the patient or make it difficult to retrieve the
desired container without knocking over the other containers. The
patient's ability to take the medications properly in a safe manner
may thus be affected.
[0003] Accordingly, it would be highly desirable to develop a
medication container holder for accommodating and holding one or
more medication containers in close proximity to one other to
promote an orderly and neat appearance, while enhancing the
visibility of each of the individual medication containers, and
allowing the user to more easily identify and grasp a selected
medication container from the holder. It would be further desirable
to provide a medication container holder designed to remind the
user when to take the medication contained in the medication
container in a simple and convenient manner.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The present invention is generally directed to medication
container holders designed to accommodate and hold one or more
medication containers in a neat and orderly arrangement and provide
the user with enhanced visibility and access to the medication
containers. The medication container holder of the present
invention includes a base having a front end and a rear end, and at
least one, and typically a plurality of medication container
holding spaces that are each configured to removably hold a
medication container, and are adapted to maintain each successive
medication container at an elevated position relative to the
preceding medication container. As a result, the medication
containers accommodated by the medication container holder of the
present invention are maintained in a tiered or stepped arrangement
which improves visibility of each of the individual medication
containers, and allows the user to more easily identify a desired
medication container and to grasp the desired medication container
from the holder.
[0005] The medication container holder of the present invention may
also provide for an interlocking assembly enabling a plurality of
bases to interlock with each other to thereby vary the overall
capacity of the holder to accommodate a greater number of
medication containers as required by the user. The medication
container holder of the present invention may further include an
optional timer assembly useful for notifying the user at
predetermined time intervals when to take the medication contained
in the medication containers.
[0006] In one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a
medication container holder, comprising:
[0007] at least one base having a forward end and a rear end with
the base being slanted upwardly from the forward end to the
rearward end; and
[0008] each base comprising a plurality of spaced-apart medication
container holding spaces for removably holding a medication
container, the plurality of medication container holding spaces
arranged in sequence beginning from the forward end to the rear end
of the at least one base, and adapted so that each of the
successive medication containers placed in the spaced-apart
medication container holding spaces formed by the at least one base
is elevated relative to the preceding medication container held in
a preceding medication container holding space to yield a tiered
arrangement.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] The following drawings are illustrative of embodiments of
the present invention and are not intended to limit the invention
as encompassed by the claims forming part of the application.
[0010] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a medication container
holder for one embodiment of the present invention;
[0011] FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the medication
container holder of FIG. 1;
[0012] FIG. 3 is a top elevational view of the medication container
holder of FIG. 1;
[0013] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the medication container
holder of FIG. 1 with a plurality of medication containers placed
into the holder in accordance with the present invention;
[0014] FIG. 5 is bottom perspective view of a plurality of bases
assembled together to form another embodiment of the present
invention;
[0015] FIG. 6 is top perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 5
with the medication container holders arranged in an interlocked
side-by-side arrangement in accordance with the present
invention;
[0016] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a timing assembly for the
medication container holder of FIG. 5 in accordance with the
present invention; and
[0017] FIG. 8 is an exploded assembly view of the medication
container holder of FIG. 7.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0018] The present invention is generally directed to medication
container holders that provide enhanced visibility and access for
convenient holding of medication containers. The medication
container holder of the present invention includes at least one
base having a front end and a rear end with a plurality of
medication container holding spaces disposed in the base for
removably holding a medication container. The plurality of
medication container holding spaces are arranged successively
upwardly beginning from the front end to the rear end. The
plurality of medication container holding spaces are each further
configured to hold a medication container at an elevated position
relative to the preceding medication container held in a preceding
medication container holding space located closer to the front end
of the base. In this manner, the medication containers are arranged
in a tiered or stepped layout to improve visibility of the
medication containers, and to allow the user to more easily
identify and retrieve a selected medication container from the
holder.
[0019] The base of the medication container holder of the present
invention may further include an interlocking mechanism to enable a
plurality of bases to be assembled into a interlocking arrangement,
preferably removable interlocking arrangement thereby allowing the
user to vary the holding capacity of the medication container
holder as required. As used herein the term "removable: or "
removable interlocking arrangement" or related term shall mean that
the bases can be connected together, then separated from each other
and then connected again to enable the formation of the device with
multiple bases. The medication container holder of the present
invention may further include an optional timer assembly
operatively associated with the base, and configured for alerting
the user of the time to take the medication contained in the
medication containers.
[0020] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, a medication container holder 2
is shown for one embodiment of the present invention. The
medication container holder 2 includes a single base 4 having a
front end 6 and a rear end 8. The base 4 further includes a
plurality of medication container holding spaces 10 successively
disposed therein and extending from the front end 6 to the rear end
8 thereof. The medication container holding spaces 10 are suitably
dimensioned for receiving and removably holding a medication
container 12 (as best shown in FIG. 4). The plurality of medication
container holding spaces 10 may be arranged in a linear or
staggered layout.
[0021] Each medication container holding space 10 includes a
container receiving area 14 defined by a floor portion 16 and a
sidewall portion 18 extending therearound. The size and shape of
the container receiving area 14 is suitably dimensioned to
accommodate the medication container 12. It will be understood that
the layout of the medication container holding spaces, the shape
and size of the container receiving area, and the number of the
medication container holding spaces is not limited to the
embodiments disclose herein. As shown specifically herein the
invention is exemplified with respect to the common cylindrically
shaped pill container normally dispensed by medical facilities such
as pharmacies. The medication container holder 2 may be composed of
any suitable material including plastic, and preferably molded
plastic.
[0022] The medication container holder 2 may be formed from a
single base 4 or assembled from a plurality of bases 4 interlocked,
preferably removably, with one another to form a single unitary
product. The base 4 of the medication container holder 2 includes
an optional interlocking tab 20 located on a side portion thereof.
The interlocking tab 20 enables a plurality of bases 4 to be
assembled into an interlocking cluster arrangement as will be
further described hereinafter. This modular feature of the base 4
allows the holding capacity of the medication container holder 2 to
be readily varied or modified as desired.
[0023] The medication container holder 2 may further include a
timing assembly 22 containing a reset button 24 with a built-in
light source (not shown) for notifying the user of the time to take
the medication contained in the medication containers 12. The
timing assembly 22 may be programmable for a predetermined time
interval (e.g., 24 hour interval or 4 hour interval). Upon the
lapsing of the predetermined time interval, the timing assembly 22
activates the light source of the reset button 24 to alert the user
to take the medication. Upon receiving the alert, the user may
remove the corresponding medication container 12, and take the
medication. The user thereafter returns the medication container 12
to the medication container holding space 10, and activates the
reset button 24 to restart the timing assembly 22 for the next
dosage to be taken.
[0024] Referring to FIG. 4, the medication container holder 2 in
the present embodiment includes three medication container holding
spaces 10 for accommodating three medication containers 12. As
shown in FIG. 4, the medication containers are the same shape and
size. However, the medication container holder can contain spaces
10 of different shapes and/or sizes to accommodate medication
containers which differ in shape and/or size.
[0025] The medication containers 10 are lowered into the
corresponding medication container holding space 10, and supported
by the floor portion 16 of the container receiving area 14 with
each medication container 12 raised at an elevated position
relative to the preceding medication container 12 nearer to the
front end 6 of the base 4 to provide a corresponding tiered
arrangement. The tiered arrangement of the medication containers 12
greatly enhances the visibility of the individual medication
containers 12 to the user. The tiered arrangement of the medication
containers 12 further allows the medication containers 12 to be
retained in close proximity to one another to provide a compact
grouping that is neat and orderly in appearance and function, while
improving access of each of the medication containers 12.
[0026] Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the base 4 of the medication
container holder 2 further includes a sidewall 28 with a notched
portion 26 on the opposing side thereof from the interlocking tab
20. The sidewall 28 and the notched portion 26 are adapted to
cooperate with the interlocking tab 20 of an adjacent base 4 for
facilitating an interlocking engagement between the adjacent bases
4. As shown in FIG. 6, the bases 4 are removably interlocked with
one another to yield a secure compact side-by-side arrangement.
Additional bases 4 can be attached successively to the bases 4 at
the ends of the medication container holder 2 correspondingly to
increase the holding capacity of the medication container holder 2
as required.
[0027] Referring to FIG. 7, the timing assembly 22 includes the
reset button 24 with the built-in light source (not shown), a
timing control chip 32, a power source 34 connected to the control
chip 32 and the light source (not shown), and a circuit board 30
for supporting the components thereon. The timing control chip 32
is programmed to electrically activate the light source (not shown)
at the end of a predetermined time interval. The timing control
chip 32 is responsive to the actuation of the reset button 24 and
resets the predetermined time interval upon actuation of the reset
button 24. The timing assembly 22 is not limited to the form
disclosed herein, and may encompass a range of timing assemblies
useful for notifying the user of the lapsing of a predetermined
time interval as known to one skilled in the art. Referring to FIG.
8, the timing assembly 22 is fastened securely under the base 4
with the reset button extending through an opening 36 proximate the
front end 6 of the base 4.
[0028] The foregoing discussion discloses and describes merely
exemplary embodiments of the present invention. One skilled in the
art will readily recognize from such discussion, and from the
accompanying drawings and claims, that various changes,
modifications and variations can be made therein without departing
from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the
following claims.
* * * * *