U.S. patent application number 11/415649 was filed with the patent office on 2007-11-22 for self-storing, self-feeding vial closure.
Invention is credited to Myron F. Levenson.
Application Number | 20070267380 11/415649 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38711069 |
Filed Date | 2007-11-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070267380 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Levenson; Myron F. |
November 22, 2007 |
Self-storing, self-feeding vial closure
Abstract
A vial closure comprising an inside base portion having an
adhesive material to which pills can be adhered to facilitate the
inspection and withdrawal of the pills.
Inventors: |
Levenson; Myron F.; (Gates
Mills, OH) |
Correspondence
Address: |
D. Peter Hochberg;D. Peter Hochberg Co., L.P.A.
6th Floor
1940 East 6th St.
Cleveland
OH
44114
US
|
Family ID: |
38711069 |
Appl. No.: |
11/415649 |
Filed: |
May 2, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
215/228 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 41/165 20130101;
B65D 83/049 20130101; B65D 51/24 20130101; B65D 2231/005
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
215/228 |
International
Class: |
B65D 39/00 20060101
B65D039/00 |
Claims
1. A vial closure comprising: a base having an inside base portion
for facing the inside of a vial body when the closure is attached
to the vial body; and an adhesive material on said inside base
portion to which pills can adhere to make the pills easy to inspect
and/or be removed.
2. A vial closure according to claim 1 wherein said adhesive
material is a disk having adhesive surfaces.
3. A vial closure according to claim 2 wherein said disk has
portions of the adhesive material reduced to reduce the surface
area of the adhesive material to accordingly reduce the adhesive
strength on pills adhered to said disk.
4. A vial closure according to claim 3 wherein said disk has
adhesive portions removed from said disk.
5. A vial closure according to claim 1 wherein said adhesive
material is coated on said inside base portion.
6. A vial closure according to claim 1 wherein said adhesive
material is integral with said inside base portion.
7. A vial closure according to claim 1 wherein said inside base
portion has an enlarged portion for increasing the adhesive surface
area of said adhesive material.
8. A vial closure according to claim 7 and further including an
attachment to said inside base portion for enlarging the adhesive
area.
9. A vial closure according to claim 8 wherein said attachment is a
plastic foam.
10. A vial closure according to claim 7 wherein said enlarged
portion is integral with said inside base portion.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] This invention relates to medicinal pill storage containers
and, in particular, to closures for pill vials for making pills
more readily available and accessible to the user.
[0003] 2. Descriptions of the Prior Art
[0004] Pill containers are widely known and used by millions of
people every day, both with respect to prescriptions from doctors,
which are dispensed by pharmacists, and to over-the-counter
medicines sold and dispensed in drug stores, food stores, and the
like, and remotely ordered by telephone, the Internet and the like.
Medicinal pills are usually packaged in containers having a
cylindrical wall with a circular base and a pop-off, threaded or
integrally hinged top, or from glass jars with similar tops. In
these types of containers, hereinafter referred to as "vials," the
pills are loosely contained and the user either puts a finger into
the vial to withdraw the desired number of pills or pours a number
of pills into the user's hand, selects the desired pill or pills
for insertion into the user's mouth, and manually pours the
remaining pills back into the vial. As used herein, a vial assembly
comprises a vial body and a vial closure.
[0005] These conventional ways of withdrawing pills from vials have
a number of disadvantages. For many users whose hand coordination
is not good, such as feeble people, people with various diseases
such as Parkinson's Disease, and the like, there is a real problem
of the pills being dropped, the vial itself being dropped and the
difficulty of either grasping a pill within the vial or pouring
unused pills back into the vial. Sometimes a person wants to
inspect pills in a vial to make sure the right pill is to be taken
prior to ingesting it. Another problem is that sometimes a user's
hands are wet prior to pouring the pills in the user's hands, and
the pills can become wet as well occasionally causing them to
partially decompose.
[0006] The foregoing problems of the prior art exist both for vials
for a person's personal use, for giving pills to another person, or
to insert the pill in an animal's mouth.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] It is an object of the present invention to provide a vial
closure which enables the withdrawing of pills without having to
insert a finger into the vial body or without having to pour pills
into one's palm to select the desired pill or pills and pour the
remainder back into the vial body.
[0008] Another object of the invention is to provide a vial closure
for enabling the easy grasping of one or more pills without risking
the dropping of other pills in the vial body.
[0009] A still further object is to provide a vial assembly from
which pills can be inspected prior to use and can be reinserted in
the vial assembly if not to be used.
[0010] It is yet still another object of the invention to provide
an improved vial closure of a vial assembly for pills from which
pill(s) can be removed in the desired number without getting them
wet prior to grasping even if the user's hands are wet.
[0011] Another object of the present invention is to provide a vial
closure having an adhesive material for holding a small number of
pills, the adhesiveness of which material can be varied in a very
efficient and inexpensive manner.
[0012] An additional object is to present pills from a vial closure
which enlarges the adhesive area of the portion of the vial closure
to facilitate the adhesive attachment of the pills to the portion,
and to make it easier to inspect the pills and remove them as
desired for insertion in the mouth of the user or another person or
an animal.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one version of the
invention, showing a vial body with a vial closure positioned apart
from the vial body.
[0014] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the vial assembly shown in
FIG. 1 with the vial closure closing the vial body.
[0015] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a vial closure as shown
in FIG. 1, taken in the direction 3-3 as shown in FIG. 1.
[0016] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the
invention.
[0017] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the vial closure shown
in FIG. 4, taken in the direction 5-5 as shown in FIG. 4.
[0018] FIG. 6 is a plan view of one type of adhesive pad for
inclusion in a vial assembly according to the invention.
[0019] FIG. 7 is a plan view of another type of adhesive pad for
use in a vial assembly according to the invention.
[0020] FIG. 8 is a plan view of another type of adhesive pad for
use in a vial assembly according to the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0021] The present invention according to the preferred embodiments
comprises a vial body and a vial cap for such a vial body, wherein
the vial cap, closure, top or cover (hereinafter referred to as a
"closure") has an adhesive material disposed on the inside of the
closure to which pills adhere when the vial assembly is turned over
and from which the adhered pills can be inspected and/or removed
for use. There are various embodiments for the adhesive
material.
[0022] FIG. 1 shows a vial assembly 1 according to one embodiment
of the invention. Vial assembly 1 comprises a vial body 3 having a
cylindrical tubular side 5, a circular bottom 7 and a circular open
top 9. A closure 13 comprises a cylindrical tubular outer wall 15,
a cylindrical tubular inner wall 17 having an outwardly protruding
rim 19 near a recess 21 which terminates in a circular base 23
which forms the inside central portion or inside base portion of an
end wall 25 of closure 13. A vial body receptacle 27 is defined
between the outer wall 15 and inner wall 17 for receiving the upper
portion of vial body 3 and rim 11. Outer wall 15, inner wall 17 and
vial body 3 are made from a flexible material, such as a hard
plastic, and that the walls 15 and 17 are resilient and flex as rim
11 passes between them and engages outwardly protruding rim 19, the
latter of which retains closure 13 on rim body 3 as shown in FIG.
2.
[0023] An adhesive material 29 is disposed on the inside of
circular base 23. Adhesive material 29 could be in the form of a
disk, as described below, it could be coated on base 23, or it
could be an integral part of closure 13. The adhesive material must
be non-toxic and non-reactive with any pills or the like, or the
material from which vial assembly 1 is made. In order to inspect
and/or withdraw a pill, tablet, capsule or the like (hereinafter
referred to as "pills") P from vial assembly 1, one merely tips or
turns vial assembly 1 over, or shakes vial assembly 1, so that one
or more pills P contact adhesive material 29 and to which pills P
are adhesively stuck. The user can then inspect pills P adhered to
the vial closure 13 and remove them as necessary to put pills P in
the user's mouth, the mouth of another person or an animal.
[0024] The inside base portion could be made of a material which
itself is adhering. Some plastics could become adhesive when heated
appropriately.
[0025] Another embodiment 51 of the invention is shown in FIG. 5,
which is a cross section of that shown in FIG. 4. The hard plastic
portions shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 are identical to those shown in
FIGS. 1-3, and they are given the same numerical designator as in
FIGS. 1-3. A description thereof can be read with respect to the
description relating to FIGS. 1-3.
[0026] Item 51 is a vial closure having an enlarged surface area to
hold more pills P adhesively than existed for equally sized vial
closures 13. This is accomplished by means of an enlarged adhesive
area on the inside of vial closure 51. The enlarged area can be
made by shaping the contour of base 23 appropriately or, as shown,
by means of a built-up surface provided by a foam enlargement 55
stuck to base 23. The foam material could be replaced by any other
appropriate material. An adhesive coating, pad or the like 44 is on
foam enlargement 55. Operation of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4
and 5 is the same as that for FIGS. 1-3, and reference of the
operation is made to the earlier descriptions.
[0027] In the event that adhesive pads are used to be attached to
the inside circular base 3, a plain pad or disk 61 can be used as
shown in FIG. 6. However, if the adhesive provides too much
adhesive strength, small holes 73 could be provided to reduce the
adhesive area to which pills P could be adhered, as shown in a disk
71 in FIG. 7, or notches 83 or the like provided in disk 81 shown
in FIG. 8. The holes or notches could be made by various
mechanical, chemical or heating methods. Similar arrangements could
be used for the adhesive material shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. Of
course, other types of adhesives could be used, or grains or
particles of a non-adhesive material could be adhered to the
adhesive material.
[0028] Although the foregoing description referred to plastic vial
assemblies, the inventive concepts also apply to other such
assemblies, such as those made from glass, metal, and combinations
thereof and combinations thereof with plastic.
[0029] The invention has been described in detail with particular
reference to the preferred embodiments, but variations and
modifications may occur to those skilled in the art from the
foregoing description and the appended claims.
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