U.S. patent number 3,579,883 [Application Number 04/801,543] was granted by the patent office on 1971-05-25 for pill dispenser with indicating means.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Eli Lilly and Company. Invention is credited to Thomas H. Hayes.
United States Patent |
3,579,883 |
Hayes |
May 25, 1971 |
PILL DISPENSER WITH INDICATING MEANS
Abstract
A pill dispenser with indicating means in the form of a flexible
strip having a plurality of day indicia which are selectively
adjustable to align any set of a predetermined number of successive
indicia with a like number of columns of pills, thereby providing
an indication of when each pill is to be taken.
Inventors: |
Hayes; Thomas H. (Indianapolis,
IN) |
Assignee: |
Eli Lilly and Company
(Indianapolis, IN)
|
Family
ID: |
25181398 |
Appl.
No.: |
04/801,543 |
Filed: |
February 24, 1969 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
40/107; 116/308;
206/534 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61J
7/04 (20130101); B65D 83/0463 (20130101); B65D
2583/0409 (20130101); A61J 1/035 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A61J
7/04 (20060101); A61J 7/00 (20060101); B65D
83/04 (20060101); A61J 1/03 (20060101); A61J
1/00 (20060101); G09f 009/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;40/118,107 ;206/42 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Schnall; Jerome
Assistant Examiner: Wolff; J. H.
Claims
I claim:
1. A plastic pill container comprising: a cover in hinged
connection with a base, said base defining a plurality of pill
apertures arranged in a plurality of rows and columns, said base
having retaining means adapted to receive and removably secure a
card containing individual transparent blisters with pills therein
and arranged in a pattern conforming to said aperture pattern, a
flat elongated support element integrally hinged to said base
parallel and adjacent to the first of said rows of apertures, said
hinged support element having a first position whereby it assumes
an upright position and a second position whereby its upper edge is
seated underneath a flange on said base, and a flexible loop strip
slidably mounted about and in flush contact with said support
element, said strip bearing a linear pattern of day indicia on its
outer surface of which only a portion is aligned with said columns
of apertures.
2. A pill dispenser as defined in claim 1 in which the number of
said pill columns is seven.
3. A pill dispenser as defined in claim 2 in which said indicia
comprises at least 13 successive days of the week.
4. A pill dispenser as defined in claim 3 in which a different day
of the week is aligned with each of said seven pill columns.
5. A pill dispenser as defined in claim 4 in which said strip has a
tab.
6. A pill dispenser as defined in claim 5 in which said tab is
positioned on said strip at a point on the backside of said flat
support element.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a pill dispenser and in particular to a
pill dispenser having means for automatically indicating the
removal of each pill from the dispenser.
In writing out prescriptions it is generally the practice of
physicians to state that a pill should be taken at prescribed
intervals. The intervals may be only a matter of hours, or, on the
other hand, may be on the basis of 1 per day, or perhaps one every
other day. In any event, it is essential that the user be able to
determine whether or not he has taken a pill for that interval
since it is quite possible that his memory will fail him. Various
devices have been contrived in which the user, upon taking a pill
from the dispenser or container, will, in a separate physical
action, record this fact. For those persons who are always able to
remember to make a recording mark or other similar act, such a
procedure is sufficient. However, many a person has tended to
forget entering on his own personal record the fact that he has
taken a pill for a specified day. Thus, he is confronted with the
problem of trying to remember whether or not he actually took a
pill for that interval.
Various dispensers have been designed with automatic indicating
means coordinated with specially arranged pills. For example, pills
have been spring loaded in tubes or disposed in a unique pattern to
provide accurate coordination with an adequate indicating means. In
such dispensers of the prior art it has been necessary to develop
suitable equipment for efficiently and quickly loading the
dispenser with pills. In addition, such equipment has had to
provide means for assuring sanitation of the pills during loading
of the dispenser. Furthermore, the dispenser necessarily had to be
designed to readily receive the pills; and, consequently, the pills
in some instances were not fully sealed from the atmosphere. Thus,
the pills could be affected by moisture in the atmosphere as well
as being subjected to possible contamination.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In general, the pill dispenser of this invention comprises a
receptacle for receiving pills in a plurality of rows and columns.
An indicating means in the form of an adjustable strip is mounted
on the dispenser. The adjustable strip bears a linear pattern of
indicia, such as 13 days. Seven of these days are positioned over
seven columns of pills thereby establishing the day for which each
pill is to be taken.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the dispenser of this invention
with the indicating means shown in an exploded position;
FIG. 2 is a view in cross section taken along line 2-2 of FIG.
1;
FIG. 3 is a view in transverse cross section of the dispenser in
its closed position with its mounted indicating strip; and
FIG. 4 is a front elevation of the adjustable strip broken to
illustrate it in its extended position.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to FIG. 1, a pill dispenser is illustrated having a cover
12 and a base 13. The cover and base may be made of a plastic
material such as polypropylene and formed integrally by
conventional injection molding techniques. As shown in FIG. 1,
cover 12 and base 13 are hinged together by a pair of integral thin
webs 15. Cover 12 has a latch element 16 which cooperates with a
complementary element 17 on a base 13. The cover and base may be
provided with mating sidewalls 18 and 19 and front walls 20 and 21
to provide an enclosed compartment thereon.
Base 13 is formed with a plurality of apertures 22 through its
bottom wall 23. In the particular embodiment there are three rows
of apertures forming seven columns. Thus, the dispenser is capable
of holding 21 pills 35.
The pills to be contained in this dispenser may be individually
packaged in blisters 38 formed from vinyl acetate or the like.
Thus, each pill 35 is individually captured between a blister and
the supporting card 39 which has an aperture directly beneath the
pill. A thin layer of foil or other easily rupturable material not
visible in the drawing covers the bottom of the card to prevent
accidental discharge of the pill. The card 39 is retained in base
13 by means of a pair of retaining lugs 41 and is sufficiently
flexible to permit a small amount of temporary deflection in order
to position it underneath the lugs. Thus, pills 35 are positioned
over individual apertures 22. In the event pills 35 comprise more
than one type of pill requiring assurance that the several types of
pills are consumed in a proper sequence, an indexing means 44 may
be integrally formed in base 13. Thus, card 39 in such an instance
would have a corresponding V-shaped cutout that may be registered
with indexing means 44, thereby positioning the card of pills in
the proper sequence for consumption.
The indicating means of this dispenser comprises an adjustable
strip 46 which is preferably formed from a flexible material that
is slightly elastic such as vinyl. Strip 46 is shown in a loop form
but may be constructed from a linear length of material which is
subsequently fastened together to form a loop. Inasmuch as the
illustrated dispenser has been designed for taking one pill a day,
the strip 46 bears a linear pattern of 13 consecutive days indicia
47 on its outer surface FIG. 4 of which only seven will be visible
from the front for any one setting.
Strip 46 is positioned over a flat support element 48 which may be
formed integrally with base 13 and cover 12. As shown in FIG. 2,
support element 48 is hinged to ledge 49 on base 13. The dispenser
may be molded with support element 48 in an upright position.
The support element 48 is maintained in an upright position while
the adjustable strip 46 is positioned over it. Strip 46 is of a
dimension to require maintaining it in a slightly stretched
condition while positioned in flush contact with support element
48. The precise length for this strip will be a matter of simple
experimentation with the primary factor being that the strip is not
so tight as to prevent selective sliding of it about the support
element 48. Once strip 46 is positioned over support element 48,
the combination is deflected downwardly to an inclined position
with upper edge 50 of support element 48 seated underneath a small
flange 51 extending from the rear of base 13. The dispenser will
now be in the form shown in FIG. 3.
Adjustable strip 46 which may be moved while element 48 is under
flange 51, is adjusted until the desired day of the week appears
over the first column of three pills, headed by pill 35a, the first
pill to be taken. Thus, if the first day for a pill is Wednesday,
the last (seventh) column of pills will be aligned with the
indicium Tuesday on the strip.
In order to facilitate the adjustment of strip 46, a tab 53 may be
formed on the back side of the strip. Adjustment of tab 53 from one
side of the dispenser to the other side will effect a change in the
indicia whereby the first day to consume pill 35a can be any of the
7 days of the week.
Each pill may be removed by pushing it through card 39 and aperture
22. After the first row of pills is taken, the second row is
removed, again starting with the first column. It is noted that the
first pill 35b in the second row is the eighth pill consumed and,
therefore, is taken on the same day of the week as pill 35a. After
all 21 pills are consumed, a new card of pills may be inserted
under retaining elements 41 and 41 upon removal of the first card.
Adjustable strip 46 is again moved to align the first pill with the
desired day.
It is to be understood that adjustable strip 46 need not
necessarily require a tab 53 in order to be moved since movement
can be effected by gripping it between the thumb and forefinger. As
a further alternative, strip 46 may be formed from paper and
adjustably mounted about a rigid strip of cardboard. This
combination can be inserted into a slot in the dispenser's base,
thereby eliminating the need for integrally molding support element
48. More than 13 days on strip 46 may also be needed if it is
mounted on a support element of significant depth instead of a
relatively thin member such as element 48. In addition, the
illustrated means for retaining pills in seven columns may be
varied. Instead of a blister card, the pills can be positioned in
small receptacles in base 13.
* * * * *