US 4,784,288 AGranted

Article dispenser with tamper-evident means

OwnerKenneth L. Jenningsinventor

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Abstract

An easy-to-open article dispenser preferably made of readily moldable plastic and comprising a container member having a chamber for containing a plurality of articles such as vitamin pills and having a dispenser portion, the article dispenser also comprising a dispenser control member adapted for slideable engagement with the dispenser portion whereby to selectively place a first dispenser aperture in communication with a port or second aperture for opening the dispenser. A plurality of embodiments are disclosed. Some embodiments provide for axial motion and some provide for rotational motion of the dispenser control member relative to the dispenser portion of the container member. A particularly timely improvement relates to a tamper-evident feature which makes it virtually impossible for anyone to tamper with the contents of the dispenser without such tampering being immediately discernible to the user. A rotational motion version of this tamper-resistant feature provides aligned arrows or other indicia when the dispenser control member is first placed onto the dispenser. Only if such indicia are not aligned at the time of purchase, is it possible for someone to have gained unauthorized access to the contents of the dispenser. Only after the indicia alignment is confirmed by the user, does the user place the dispenser in a normal open and close mode of operation.

Claims1

Dependent claims

A pill dispenser for containing and dispensing pills such as aspirin, vitamins, and the like, the dispenser comprising:

a container member having a compartment for containing said pills, said compartment communicating with a dispenser portion having a first aperture;
a dispenser control member having a second aperture and positioned relative to said dispenser portion of said container member for providing access to said pills only when said first and second apertures are substantially aligned;
means preventing removal of said dispenser control member from said container member after initial relative positioning thereof;
means indicating whether or not said first and second apertures may have been previously aligned;
said indicating means comprising at least one twist-limiting protrusion on said dispenser portion, a slot, a bridge and a second locking groove on said dispenser control member, said bridge separating said slot from said second locking groove, said slot receiving said twist-limiting protrusion upon placement of said dispenser control member on said dispenser portion and said bridge permitting only unidirectional travel of said twist-limiting protrusion from said slot into said second locking groove upon rotation of said dispenser control member whereby the initial position of said twist-limiting protrusion is indicative of whether or not said pill dispenser has been tampered with previously;
and
wherein said removal preventing means comprises at least one non-removable locking protrusion on said dispenser portion and a first locking groove on said dispenser control member for receiving said protrusion in slideable engagement whereby said locking protrusion, once within said first locking groove, cannot be removed therefrom.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.