U.S. patent application number 12/503003 was filed with the patent office on 2010-06-17 for pill organizer and dispenser.
This patent application is currently assigned to Charles Musgray. Invention is credited to Charles Ivy Musgray.
Application Number | 20100147735 12/503003 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42239241 |
Filed Date | 2010-06-17 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100147735 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Musgray; Charles Ivy |
June 17, 2010 |
Pill Organizer and Dispenser
Abstract
The present invention provides an organizer and dispenser for
pills and the like which reduces demands for manual dexterity when
the user retrieves the pills. In one aspect of the invention, the
novel organizer and dispenser may have a plurality of compartments,
such as one for each day of the week. The organizer and dispenser
may have a closure at the top which reveals all of the compartments
simultaneously. This is convenient for loading a full week's supply
of pills. In addition to the closure at the top, each compartment
has an individual closure at the bottom of the compartment. This
enables all of the pills stored within one compartment, which are
presumably to be taken by the user at one time, to be discharged
from the organizer and dispenser by gravity.
Inventors: |
Musgray; Charles Ivy;
(Magna, UT) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Charles Ivy Musgray
3580 Autumn Gate Court
Magna
UT
84044
US
|
Assignee: |
Musgray; Charles
Magna
UT
|
Family ID: |
42239241 |
Appl. No.: |
12/503003 |
Filed: |
February 23, 2010 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61080948 |
Jul 15, 2008 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
206/538 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61J 7/04 20130101; A61J
1/03 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/538 |
International
Class: |
B65D 83/04 20060101
B65D083/04 |
Claims
1. The organizer and dispenser may have a plurality of
compartments, such as one for each day of the week; organizer and
dispenser may have a closure at the top which reveals all of the
compartments simultaneously convenient for loading a full week's
supply of pills.
2. The organizer and dispenser of claim 1: In addition to the
closure at the top, each compartment has an individual closure at
the bottom of the compartment.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to receptacles, and more
particularly to multicompartmented receptacles for organizing
medicaments such as pills or tablets and for dispensing the
same.
[0003] 2. Background of the Invention
[0004] Increasingly, many people require medicaments in the form of
pills or tablets, to be taken each day. A person may be obliged to
take several pills or tablets each day. Small containers have been
provided as organizers and dispensers so that once loaded with each
day's measure of pills, the user need only open the container and
retrieve one day's dosage.
[0005] Consumers of pills may be elderly, or otherwise afflicted
with minor physical limitations of the fingers and hands, such as
arthritis and Parkinson's disease. Such limitations may adversely
affect the ability of the person to open and retrieve a correct
dosage of pills. Many pill organizing dispensers require that the
user insert his or her fingers into a compartment to withdraw
pills. This may be difficult or impossible for those having
infirmities of the sort noted above. There exists a need for an
improved medicament organizer and dispenser, which can reduce the
need for manual dexterity in loading the organizer and dispenser,
and dispensing therefrom.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The present invention provides an organizer and dispenser
for pills and the like which reduces demands for manual dexterity
when the user retrieves the pills. In one aspect of the invention,
the novel organizer and dispenser may have a plurality of
compartments, such as one for each day of the week. The organizer
and dispenser may have a closure at the top which reveals all of
the compartments simultaneously. This is convenient for loading a
full week's supply of pills. In addition to the closure at the top,
each compartment has an individual closure at the bottom of the
compartment. This enables all of the pills stored within one
compartment, which are presumably to be taken by the user at one
time, to be discharged from the organizer and dispenser by
gravity.
[0007] This characteristic both eliminates the necessity of
possibly bothersome and difficult use of fingers to grasp small
pills within the limited confines of a pill compartment, while not
simultaneously discharging unneeded pills contained within
adjoining compartments.
[0008] The common closure at the top of the organizer and dispenser
assures expeditious filling of each compartment. Pills may simply
be dropped into each compartment by gravity, so that careful
maneuvering and grasping by finger are not necessary.
[0009] It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a
suitable organizer and dispenser for pills and the like, which can
avoid necessity of careful grasping of individual pills within a
limited space or volume, while limiting discharge to the contents
of one compartment.
[0010] Another object of the invention is to enable expedited
initial loading of plural compartments with pills, which also does
not require potentially difficult manual handling of pills.
[0011] It is an object of the invention to provide improved
elements and arrangements thereof by apparatus for the purposes
described which is inexpensive, dependable, and fully effective in
accomplishing its intended purposes.
[0012] These and other objects of the present invention will become
readily apparent upon further review of the following specification
and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] Various objects, features, and attendant advantages of the
present invention will become more fully appreciated as the same
becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate
the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and
wherein:
[0014] FIG. 1 is a perspective environmental view of an organizer
and dispenser according to at least one aspect of the
invention.
[0015] FIG. 2 is a perspective environmental view of the organizer
and dispenser of FIG. 1, showing an upper closure open to enable
the organizer and dispenser to be loaded with small objects.
[0016] FIG. 3 is a perspective environmental view of the organizer
and dispenser of FIG. 1, showing one of a plurality of compartments
open at the bottom, for discharging contents.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 of the drawings show an organizer and
dispenser 10 for organizing and dispensing small objects such as
pills, such as pills 2, 4, 6. The organizer and dispenser 10, which
is intended to contain these small objects and to make it easy to
retrieve the small objects while demanding minimal manual dexterity
and effort, comprises a plurality of compartments 12, 14, 16, 18,
20, 22, 24. The compartments 12 . . . 24 may be bounded by a common
front wall 26 and a common rear wall 28, and may be separated yet
connected by partitions 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40. End compartments 12
and 24 may have respective end walls 42 and 44. The common front
wall 26, the common rear wall 28, the partitions 30 . . . 40, the
left end wall 42, and the right end wall 44 may be formed
monolithically by molding a rigid polymeric material for
example.
[0018] Such a construction leaves each of the compartments 12 . . .
24 with a first open side (for example, the respective top sides)
and a second open side (for example, the respective bottom sides).
The open tops may be closed in common by a first closure 46 (see
FIG. 2) which may span all of the first open sides of the
compartments 12 . . . 24, and which opens and closes all of the
compartments 12 . . . 24 at the first open sides thereof
simultaneously.
[0019] A plurality of second closures 48, 50, 52, 54, 56, 58, 60
(see FIG. 2) is disposed to open and close all of the second open
sides of the compartments 12 . . . 24. There may be one second
closure 48, 50, 52, 54, 56, 58 or 60 for each of the second open
sides of the compartments 12 . . . 24. The compartments 12 . . . 24
may thus be opened and closed simultaneously using the first
closure 46, and each compartment 12 . . . 24 may be opened and
closed individually using an associated one of the second closures
48 . . . 60.
[0020] The first closure 46 and the second closures 48 . . . 60 may
fit to the compartments 12 . . . 24 by friction, as is well known
in the art of receptacles. The degree of friction will be selected
so that the closures 46 . . . 60 will remain closed under the
weight of pills, but will be easy to open by finger.
[0021] While the compartments 12 . . . 24 are linearly arrayed in
the organizer and dispenser 10, other configurations may be
employed. The number of compartments, such as the compartments 12 .
. . 24, may vary from the number shown. In the organizer and
dispenser 10, the number of compartments 12 . . . 24 corresponds to
the days of the week. This would be useful for example in preparing
a dosage of pills, such as the pills 2, 4, and 6, for each day,
preparing a one week supply at one time. FIG. 2 illustrates
convenient loading of the organizer and dispenser 10, exploiting
the fact that the closure 46 may expose all of the compartments 12
. . . 24 in one operation. That is, the closure 46 may be opened by
grasping by a tab 68 which projects from the compartments 12 . . .
24 sufficiently to enable grasping by finger. The closure 46 may be
swung into the open position illustrated in FIG. 2, the closure
pivoting on hinges 62, 64, and 66. Pills such as the pills 2, 4, 6
may be conveniently dropped into each compartment 12, 14, 16, 18,
20, 22, or 24 as needed. It will be appreciated that more than one
pill may be inserted into any one or any several of the
compartments 12 . . . 24.
[0022] Each one of the second closures 48 . . . 60 has a respective
tab 70, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 82 which projects from its respective
compartment 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, or 24 sufficiently to enable
grasping by hand. The tabs 70 . . . 82 may be pulled downwardly, as
shown in FIG. 3, to enable the respective closures 48 . . . 60,
which may be hinged to their respective compartments 12 . . . 24,
to swing downwardly as seen in FIG. 3.
[0023] The compartments 12 . . . 24 may collectively be configured
as a parallelepiped. Hence the organizer and dispenser 10 may also
generally take the form of a parallelepiped. This is a convenient
configuration for grasping by one hand when loading, as illustrated
in FIG. 2, and for dispensing pills, such as the pill 8, as seen in
FIG. 3, wherein the closure 60 has been pulled into the dispensing
position shown.
[0024] The compartments 12 . . . 24 may be one inch high, one inch
wide, and one inch deep, the overall length of the organizer and
dispenser 10 thereby being about seven inches.
[0025] The organizer and dispenser 10, which may be fabricated from
polymeric material, may thus be dimensioned, configured, and
limited in weight so as to be capable of being held in one hand by
a person. The constituent polymeric or other material may be
transparent throughout the entire organizer dispenser 10 or at a
limited part thereof. This construction enables contents of each
compartment 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, or 24 to be viewed without
opening either the first closure 46 or any of the second closures
48 . . . 60. As employed herein, transparent will be understood to
encompass limited transparency, such as translucent.
[0026] Each one of the compartments 12 . . . 24 may bear unique
indicia, such as the indicia 84, 86 88, 90, 92, 94, 96. As
illustrated herein, the indicia 84 . . . 96 may correspond to days
of the week, so that each compartment 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, or 24
may be opened when appropriate to dispense pills. The indicia 84 .
. . 96 may be located on the first closure 46 as illustrated, on
each tab 70, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 82 of the second closures 48 . . .
60 as illustrated, or may be elsewhere on the organizer and
dispenser 10.
* * * * *