Combination Medicine Containers and Dispensers
OwnerDonald T. Sandersinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Combination medicine containers and dispensers are shaped similar to or generally the same as standard prescription medicament containers but are configured to dispense one medicament at a time through easy manipulation of integral dispensing means. Each combination medicine container and dispenser has a bottle, a cap, and an integral dispensing mechanism that cooperate with one or more structures of the bottle and/or cap to dispense one medicament at a time from the container. In one form, the combination medicine container and dispenser is designed to allow a user to dispense a single medicament through properly applied pressure. In another form, rotation of one or more components provides dispensing of a single medicament.
Claims20
(canceled)
(canceled)
A combination medicine container and dispenser comprising:
- a cylindrical bottle having,
- an interior area,
- a lower cylindrical portion of a first diameter defining a lower interior area of the interior area of the bottle, and having a bottom,
- an upper cylindrical portion of a second diameter that is greater than the first diameter defining an upper interior area of the interior area of the bottle, and having an open top, the upper interior area in communication with the lower interior area, and
- a notch in a side of the cylindrical bottle at one of either 1) the bottom of the lower cylindrical portion of the cylindrical bottle in order to provide communication between the lower interior area and outside of the cylindrical bottle, with the upper interior area holding medicaments, and 2) the open top of the upper cylindrical portion of the cylindrical bottle in order to provide communication between the upper interior area and outside of the cylindrical bottle, with the lower interior area holding medicaments;
- a cap situated on and over the open top of the upper cylindrical portion of the cylindrical bottle;
- and
- indexing means disposed in the interior area of the cylindrical bottle and configured to cooperate with the cylindrical bottle to allow a user to dispense a single medicament of the medicaments within the upper interior area or the lower interior area through the notch and the lower interior area if the medicaments are in the upper interior area, or the upper interior area if the medicaments are in the lower interior area.
A combination medicine container and dispenser comprising:
- a cylindrical bottle having:
- an interior area;
- an open top;
- a bottom;
- and
- a notch in a bottom of the lower cylindrical portion of the cylindrical bottle in order to provide communication between the interior area and outside of the cylindrical bottle, with the interior area for holding medicaments;
- a cap situated about the open top of the cylindrical bottle, the cap having an open top, a closed bottom with a central bore, and an inner peripheral rim;
- a bearing disposed freely on the closed bottom of the cap;
- and
- indexing means configured to cooperate with the cylindrical bottle to allow a user to dispense a single medicament of the medicaments within the interior area of the cylindrical bottle through the notch and outside of the cylindrical bottle, the indexing means comprising:
- a disk rotatably situated in the cap, the disk having an opening such that the bearing is partially received in the opening to allow the disk to rotate relative to the cap when manually manipulated, the disk having a stem extending through the central bore of the cap and the cylindrical bottle, the stem having a configured tip;
- and
- a generally frusto-conical indexing tray rotatably situated in the bottom of the cylindrical bottle having a plurality of channels in an outside surface thereof and extending downwardly from an apex of the frusto-conical indexing tray, and a configured bore in the apex of the frusto-conical indexing tray that receives the configured tip of the stem of the disk, a channel of the plurality of channels registering with the notch in the bottom of the lower cylindrical portion of the cylindrical bottle upon rotation of the indexing tray via rotation of the disk via concurrent rotation of its stem whereby a single medicament is dispensed from the interior of the cylindrical bottle via the dispensing tray and notch in the bottom of the cylindrical bottle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.