Timed medicant dispensing device

A device for storing a plurality of hollow balls defined by interlocking half portions that may be manually separated, which balls are consecutively dispensed at desired time intervals, with each of said balls serving as a carrier for a prescribed quantity of a medicant contained therein, which device includes:

• a. a cannister in which said balls are stored, in which cannister an opening is formed through which said balls can roll by force of gravity;
• b. a housing having a first opening formed therein through which said cannister may be inserted into the interior thereof, and with a second opening being formed in said housing through which said balls may roll due to force of gravity;
• c. a spring-loaded ball dispenser tray pivotally supported from said housing that in a first position obstructs said second opening and when in a second position serves as a support for a ball discharged thereonto from said second opening;
• d. movable ball stop means in said housing capable of occupying first and second positions, with said ball stop means as it moves from said first to said second position allowing one of said balls to roll from said cannister and pivot said dispenser tray from said first to said second position;
• e. first electrically operated spring-loaded means for moving said ball stop means from said first to said second position;
• f. an electrically operated timer supported at a fixed on said housing, said timer including a drive shaft;
• g. an opaque, non-light reflecting disk having a plurality of circumferentially spaced apertures formed therein, with said disk being non-rotatably mounted on said drive shaft;
• h. electrically operated light generating means which emit a beam of light that is sequentially aligned with said apertures as said disk rotates;
• i. light sensitive means that becomes electrically conductive only when said beam of light travels through one of said apertures and impinges thereon;
• j. a source of electric power;
• k. electrically operated sound generating means;
• l. a first normally open electrical switch that is closed when said dispenser tray pivots to said second position;
• m. a second normally closed electric switch that is opened when said dispenser tray occupies said second position and has one of said balls resting thereon;
• and
• n. an electrical circuit connected to said source of power, with said circuit including said first electrically operated means, timer, light-emitting means, light-sensitive means, and said first and second switches, with said first electrically operated means being energized by said electrical circuit each time one of said apertures is aligned with said beam of light to allow the latter to impinge on said light-sensitive means to move said ball stop from said first to said second position and allow one of said balls to pivot said dispenser tray from said first to second position to thereafter rest on said dispenser tray, said first switch when said dispenser tray is in said second position assuming an open position to break said circuit to said timer, which second switch when said dispenser tray is in said second position assumes a closed position to energize said sound-generating means to alert a patient to remove a ball from said dispenser tray, which tray when a ball is removed therefrom pivots to said first position to allow said first and second switches to move to closed and open positions respectively, to energize said timer and terminate operation of said sound-generating means.