Pill cutters and methods of use

A handheld pill cutter adapted to cut a pill, comprising:

• a base portion that includes a pill receiving area sized and configured to receive a pill;
• a bladed portion that includes a cover, a blade adapted to spin relative to the cover about a blade axis of rotation, a blade arm that supports the blade, and a spring, wherein the bladed portion is coupled to the base portion,
• the cover movable relative to the base portion to allow access to the pill receiving area;
• and
• one or more energy communication elements configured to operably communicate energy from an energy source to the blade to cause the blade to spin about the blade axis of rotation relative to the cover,
• wherein the blade axis of rotation and the blade arm are movable relative to the cover such that the blade axis of rotation and the blade arm can be displaced from a neutral position in which the blade axis of rotation is at a first distance from the cover to a non-neutral position in which the blade axis of rotation is at a second distance from the cover, the second distance less than the first distance,
• the spring adapted and positioned to be compressed as the blade axis of rotation and the blade arm move from the neutral position to the non-neutral position, and further adapted and positioned to apply a restoring force that causes the blade arm and the blade axis of rotation, when the blade is spinning, to be moved from the non-neutral position to the neutral position.

A handheld pill cutter adapted to cut a pill, comprising:

• a base portion that includes a pill receiving area sized and configured to receive a pill;
• a bladed portion that includes a blade adapted to spin about a blade axis of rotation, a blade arm that supports the blade, and a cover, the cover movable relative to the base portion to allow access to the pill receiving area and movable toward the base portion to a closed position in which the cover surrounds the pill receiving area;
• one or more energy communication elements configured to operably communicate energy from an energy source to the blade to cause the blade to spin relative to the cover;
• and
• electronics that are configured to prevent the blade from beginning to spin unless the cover is in the closed position,
• wherein the electronics are further configured to automatically cause blade spinning to slow if the blade arm and the blade axis of rotation have moved from a first position to a second position, wherein in the second position the blade axis of rotation is further away from the cover than in the first position and wherein in the second position the blade axis of rotation is closer to the pill receiving area than in the first position.