U.S. patent number 3,915,393 [Application Number 05/463,747] was granted by the patent office on 1975-10-28 for medication crushing apparatus.
Invention is credited to Bill Webb Elkins.
United States Patent |
3,915,393 |
Elkins |
October 28, 1975 |
Medication crushing apparatus
Abstract
A new and improved apparatus for crushing medication, such as
pills or tablets, sanitarily and quickly with reduced likelihood of
contamination of medications.
Inventors: |
Elkins; Bill Webb (Hattiesburg,
MS) |
Family
ID: |
26993395 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/463,747 |
Filed: |
April 24, 1974 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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343267 |
Mar 21, 1973 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
241/168;
241/DIG.27; 241/199.11 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61J
7/0007 (20130101); Y10S 241/27 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A61J
7/00 (20060101); B02C 019/08 () |
Field of
Search: |
;241/168,169,169.2,199,199.9,199.11,DIG.27 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Custer, Jr.; Granville Y.
Assistant Examiner: Goldberg; Howard N.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Pravel & Wilson
Parent Case Text
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application is a continuation-in-part of my prior U.S.
Pat. Application Ser. No. 343,267, filed Mar. 21, 1973, copending
herewith, and now abandoned.
Claims
I claim:
1. An apparatus for crushing medication and the like,
comprising:
a. base member means having a crushing bowl formed therewith;
b. said crushing bowl having a contact surface therein for
receiving the medication to be crushed;
c. crushing arm means movable with respect to said base member
means, said crushing arm means having a crusher head mounted
therewith;
d. said crusher head having a crushing surface formed thereon
substantially conforming to said contact surface in said crusher
bowl for increased crushing action on the medication;
e. said crusher head further moving into said crushing bowl upon
movement of said crushing arm means with respect to said base
member means and crush the medication;
f. means for pivotal movement of said crushing arm means with
respect to said base member means wherein said crusher head may
move into said crushing bowl and crush the medication; and
g. a crushing cup mounted over said crusher head for preventing
contact between said crusher head and the medication wherein
cross-contamination of medication is prevented.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, further including:
a medication cup for containing the medication to be crushed, said
medication cup being insertable into said crushing bowl.
3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said crushing bowl
comprises:
a container wall extending upwardly from said base member about
said contact surface to receive said medication cup containing the
medication to be crushed.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said means for pivotal
movement comprises:
a. plural lugs mounted with said base member means;
b. an axle mounted with said crusher arm; and
c. a sleeve mounted with said crusher arm and enclosing said axle
for pivotal movement therewith.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said crusher arm includes:
a hand grip portion formed on said crusher arm outwardly of said
crusher head with respect to said means for pivotal movement for
increased leverage during crushing.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to crushing of medication.
2. Description of Prior Art
So far as is known, prior art medication crushers of pills and
tablets have been of two types.
The first type, as exemplified in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,602,596 and
2,892,595, have been portable plastic containers adapted for
individual use and having two relatively movable mating portions
which crushed the medication therebetween by the strength of the
user's hands, and were generally undesirable for institutional use,
such as at nursing homes or hospitals.
The other type of medication crushers, as exemplified by U.S. Pat.
No. 2,631,786 have used serrated or toothed crushing faces to crush
the medication, as did the ice crusher of U.S. Pat. No. 75,913.
This type of crusher was not generally suitable for institutional
use, since pieces of the crushed medication would lodge between the
teeth on the crusher and cross-contaminate other medication
subsequently crushed, which was clearly undesirable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly, the present invention provides a new and improved
apparatus for crushing medication such as pills, tablets and the
like. The apparatus includes a base member, having a crushing bowl
therewith adapted to receive a medication cup containing the
medication to be crushed, and a crushing arm having a crushing head
therewith which is adapted to move into the crushing bowl and crush
the medication when the crusher arm is pivotally moved with respect
to the base member. A crushing cup is mounted between the crusher
head and the medication to prevent contact therebetween and thereby
prevent cross-contamination of medication.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and
improved apparatus and method for crushing medication.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the apparatus of the present
invention;
FIGS. 2 and 3 are elevation views, taken partly in cross-section,
of the apparatus of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 4 is an isometric view of an alternative apparatus of the
present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
In the drawings, the letter A designates generally the apparatus of
the present invention for crushing medication, such as pills,
tablets and the like. The apparatus A is particularly adapted for
installational use, such as in hospitals and nursing homes,
although it may be otherwise used as well.
The apparatus A includes a base member M having a crushing bowl B
formed therewith, with the crushing bowl B adapted to receive a
medication cup 8 containing the medicine such as a pill or tablet
P, to be crushed. The apparatus A further includes a crushing arm C
pivotally mounted with the base member M in a manner to be set
forth below, with the crushing arm C having a crusher head H
mounted therewith.
The crusher head H is adapted to move into the crushing bowl B upon
movement of the crushing arm C with respect to the base member M
and thereupon crush the medication P. A means for pivotal movement
F permits the pivotal movement of the crushing arm C with respect
to the base member M so that the crushing head H may move into the
crushing bowl B and crush the medication P.
Considering the apparatus A more in detail, the base member M
includes a generally rectangular flat upper surface member 10
mounted along side edges 10a and 10b with side walls 12 (FIG. 1)
and 14 (FIG. 2), and along a front edge 10c with an end wall 16 and
a rear edge 10d (FIG. 2) with an end wall 18. The side walls 12 and
14 and the end walls 16 and 18 support the apparatus A on a
suitable work surface, such as a shelf or tray at a nursing station
in a hospital or nursing home.
The base member M has the crushing bowl B formed therewith and
extending upwardly therefrom. The crushing bowl B includes a
cylindrical container wall 20 extending upwardly from the upper
surface 10 of the base member B about the periphery of a contact
surface 22 upon which the medication P to be crushed is placed.
The base member M further includes a support beam member 24 (FIGS.
2 and 3) formed extending downwardly from the upper surface 10
between inner surfaces of the side walls 12 and 14 underneath the
crushing bowl B to strengthen and support the upper surface member
10 and the contact surface 22 of the crushing bowl B against loads
imposed thereon during crushing. If desired, an additional support
beam member 26 (shown in phantom in FIG. 1) may be formed extending
between the end walls 16 and 18 underneath the crushing bowl B for
additional strength and support.
The medication cup 8 which receives the medication P to be crushed
is preferably formed from paper, wax paper, plastic or other
suitable disposable material. The medication cup 8 prevents contact
between the medication P and the contact surface 22 of the crushing
bowl B, and therefore prevents cross-contamination between various
medications being crushed, permitting various types of medication
to be sanitarily crushed at different times, as the need arises,
with a single apparatus A of the present invention. The medication
cup 8 is also used for mixing of, and administering, the pulverized
medication P, thereby eliminating the requirement that such
medication be transferred to another receptacle for mixing or
administration. After such use, the medication cup 8 may then be
disposed of or discarded.
A crushing cup 30, of similar material and configuration to the
mixing cup 8, is mounted over the crushing head H to prevent
contact between the medication P being crushed and the crushing
head H and thereby prevent cross-contamination between various
medications being crushed, so that the apparatus A may be used at a
nursing station and sanitarily crush various types of medication
with no cross-contamination between the various medications as such
medicines are crushed.
The means F for pivotal movement of the crushing arm C with respect
to the base member M includes a pair of lugs or ears 32 and 34
formed extending upwardly from the upper surface 10 of the base
member M adjacent the end wall 18. An aperture is formed in the lug
32 adjacent a surface 32a (FIG. 1), and a similar aperture is
formed in the lug 34 so that an axle 36 (FIG. 2) may be mounted at
opposite ends thereof extending between the lugs 32 and 34.
The crushing arm C is mounted with the axle 36 by a sleeve 38 which
receives the axle 36 therein. The sleeve 38 is rotatably movable
with respect to the axle 36 so that the crushing arm C may be moved
pivotally with respect to the base member M.
An enlarged outer mounting collar 40 is mounted with the sleeve 38
by a hub 42 (FIG. 2) and is connected with an upper beam 44 and a
lower beam 46 of the crushing arm C. The enlarged outer mounting
collar 40 permits greater spacing between the upper beam 44 and the
lower beam 46 than with the collar 38, thereby providing a crushing
arm C of greater thickness and strength.
The upper beam 44 extends outwardly from the mounting collar 40
along an initial portion 44a to a corner 44b, and from the corner
44b along an outer portion 44c at an angle with respect to the
corner 44b. In a like manner, the lower beam 46 extends outwardly
from the mounting collar 40 at an initial portion 46a, preferably
of increased thickness for additional strength, to a corner 46b,
and from the corner 46b along an outer portion 46c at an angle with
respect to the corner 46b.
The angles at which the outer portions 44c and 46c extend from the
corners 44b and 46b, respectively, are chosen so that the crusher
head H is substantially horizontal (FIG. 3) when the medication P
in the crushing bowl B is crushed.
A connecting beam 48 is mounted at an outer end 46d of the lower
beam 46 and extends between the outer end 46d to an outer end 44d
of the upper beam 44, forming a tapered, reduced thickness hand
grip 50 at the outer end of the crushing arm C.
A web 52 extends between the upper beam 44 and the lower beam 46
connecting beam 48 to strengthen the crushing arm C. Plural ribs 54
and 56 are formed extending transversely to the web 52 at various
positions along the length thereof between the upper beam 44 and
the lower beam 46 to further strengthen the crushing arm C.
The crushing head H includes a crushing plate member 58 mounted
with a support 60 of generally cruciform horizontal cross-section
at a lower end thereof. The support 60 is mounted at its upper end
with the lower beam 46 of the crushing arm C.
The crushing plate 58 of the crushing head H is of a
cross-sectional area conforming to the configuration of the
crushing bowl B and the cup 8, and has a crushing surface 58a
formed thereon which substantially conforms to the configuration of
the contact surface 22 in the crushing bowl B to thereby provide
increased crushing action on the medication P.
In the operation of the present invention, the medication P to be
crushed is placed in the medication cup 8, and the cup 8 containing
the medication P is inserted into the crushing bowl B. The crushing
cup 30 is then placed over the crushing plate 58, or alternatively,
in the medication cup 8 above the medication P. The hand grip 50 of
the crushing arm C is then grasped, and the crusher arm C is
pivotally moved with respect to the member M so that the crushing
head enters the crushing bowl B and contacts the crushing cup 30
above the medication P.
The crushing arm C is then moved further downwardly with respect to
the base member M, urging the crushing head H firmly into the
crushing bowl B by force exerted on the hand grip 50, exerting a
lever effect on the medication P in the crushing bowl B due to the
relative location of the hand grip 50 and the crushing head H with
respect to the pivotal connection between the crushing arm C and
the base member M.
In this manner, the medication P is crushed sanitarily, with no
contact between the contact surface 22 of the crushing bowl B and
the medication, and no contact between the contact surface 58a of
the crushing head H and the medication. Further, the medication is
available in the medication cup 8 for mixing or administering
without requiring a separate bowl for mixing or administering,
after which the medication cup 8 may be disposed of or
discarded.
It has also been found with the present invention that while the
medication is being crushed in the medication cup 8, a triturating
action can be exerted on the medication P being crushed. The user
of the apparatus A grips the crushing cup 30 and medication cup 8
along the upper rim portions thereof with one hand, and the
crushing arm C with the other hand. The crushing cup 30 and the
medication cup 8 are then rotated with respect to the crushing bowl
B, while several slight, short distance, up and down movements of
the crushing arm C and crushing head H are made with respect to the
bowl B, providing a triturating effect and action on the medication
P being crushed. This action maintains sufficient crushing pressure
on the medication P, while providing for variations in such
pressure, which when combined with rotational movement of the cups
8 and 30 achieves the triturating action on the medicine P, further
pulverizing such medicine.
It should be understood that although the crushing bowl B, crushing
head H and cups 8 and 30 are shown in the preferred embodiment as
circular in horizontal cross-section, they could also be square,
rectangular or other configuration, if desired. Further, the
location of the crushing head H with respect to the pivotal
connection F may vary in accordance with the amount of force
required to be exerted to crush the medication P. For example, in
an alternative apparatus A-1 (FIG. 4) in which like structure to
that of the apparatus A performing like functions bears like
reference numerals, a crushing head H-1 and a crushing bowl B-1 of
like structure to the crushing head H and crushing bowl B,
respectively, are mounted with a crushing arm C-1 and base member M
at a position spaced relatively closer to the hand grip 50 than to
the means F for pivotal connection between the crushing arm C and
base member M of the apparatus A.
In addition, it is sometimes desirable to provide for side-to-side
horizontal pivotal or rotational movement of the crushing arm C and
crushing head H with respect to the base member M and bowl B. To
provide for such rotational movement, a slight clearance is
provided between the axle 36 and sleeve 38, either by reducing the
diameter of the axle 36 or increasing the inner diameter of the
sleeve 38.
The foregoing disclosure and description of the invention are
illustrative and explanatory thereof, and various changes in the
size, shape, and materials as well as in the details of the
illustrated construction may be made with departing from the spirit
of the invention.
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