US 4,733,797 A · Dosage sealing, monitoring and dispensing assembly

Abstract

A dosage sealing, monitoring and dispensing assembly including a mounting receptacle and one or more cartridges removably connected to the receptacle. Each cartridge has sealed therewithin a fresh, supply of dosage units (e.g. medicine or vitamins) carried in moisture impervious shells on a flexible, segmented strip. The strip contains a predetermined number of dosage units to be consumed by the user over a particular duration. Each cartridge also has mechanical linkage by which a dosage unit can be automatically removed from its shell on the strip and delivered to the user by way of a trough formed in the mounting receptacle. When the supply of dosage units within a cartridge is exhausted, that cartridge may be conveniently removed from the mounting receptacle and replaced by another cartridge having a new supply of the same or different ingredients.

Claims16

Dependent claims

An assembly for storing and dispensing dosage units, said assembly having at least one cartridge comprising:

means in which to receive a supply of the units to be dispensed;
a dispensing orifice through which the units are delivered to the user;
means for advancing the units from said supply to said dispensing orifice;
actuator means located at a manually accessible position to be operated by the user;
plunger means adapted for reciprocal movement whereby to remove individual units into said dispensing orifice;
and
lever arms means connected at a first end thereof to said actuator means and at an opposite end thereof to said advancing means, said plunger means being interconnected to said lever arm means intermediate the first and opposite ends thereof, such that the operation of said actuator means simultaneously causes the advancement of units to a position below said plunger means and above said dispensing orifice and the reciprocal movement of said plunger means for delivering units to the user via said orifice.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Dosage sealing, monitoring and dispensing assembly

Life of this patent

Dosage sealing, monitoring and dispensing assembly

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims16