US 2013/0256331 A1 · TABLET DISPENSER

Abstract

A tablet dispenser for dispensing randomly stored tablets from a bottle is disclosed. The dispenser includes offset inlet and outlet paths, a helical dispensing screw, and a rotation drive. The inlet path can be positioned for receiving a tablet to be dispensed from a bottle or other supply of tablets. The outlet path can be positioned for dispensing a tablet. The helical dispensing screw can be configured to rotate, driven by the rotation drive, to transport a tablet from the inlet path to the outlet path. The rotation drive can be operable by pushing the structure defining the inlet path and the outlet portion toward each other. The dispenser can be equipped with a dispensing sensor and memory that records data regarding each pill dispensed, such as the time of dispensing and the number of pills remaining, and optionally transmits the data to a device on or off the patient's premises.

Claims32

Dependent claims

A tablet dispenser for dispensing tablets from a bottle, comprising:

A. an inlet portion with an inlet opening for receiving a tablet from the bottle;
B. an outlet portion with an outlet opening for dispensing the tablet;
C. a tablet transporter situated between the inlet portion and the outlet portion;
and
D. a rotation drive for rotating the tablet transporter with respect to the inlet portion and the outlet portion;
E. wherein the tablet transporter has a transporter opening for receiving the tablet from the inlet opening in a receiving position
F. wherein the rotation drive is adapted to rotate the tablet transporter from the receiving position to a dispensing position, thereby transporting the tablet with the transporter opening to the outlet opening.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Tablet dispenser

Life of this patent

Tablet dispenser

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims32