US 5,664,697 AGranted

Automatically advancing pill regimen device

AssigneeOrtho Pharmaceutical Corporation

InventorsLawrence E. Lambelet, Jr., Thomas A. Frazier

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Abstract

The present invention is directed to a self-actuating dispenser for a regimen of pills satisfying the needs discussed herein above. A self-actuating dispenser having the features of the present invention comprises a base, a pill container, and a means for cyclically indexing the pill container with respect to the base. The base has a pill exit aperture. The pill container, which houses the pills in individual compartments or cells, is movably attached to the base such that any pill cell can be aligned with the pill exit aperture. The pill cells are provided with open bottoms for loading and dispensing which are covered over by the base when attached thereto. The means for cyclically indexing provides that each pill cell in turn is brought into alignment with the pill exit aperture thereby singly dropping the resident pills in a series of dispensing cycles.

Claims24

Dependent claims

A self-actuating dispenser for a regimen of pills comprising:

(a) a base having a pill exit aperture;
(b) a pill container having pill cells for the containment of pills therein, the pill container movably attached to the base such that any pill cell can be aligned with the pill exit aperture, the pill cells having open bottoms for loading and unloading which are adjacent to the base when attached thereto;
and
(c) means for cyclically indexing the pill container with respect to the base such that each pill cell in turn is brought into alignment with the pill exit aperture thereby dropping resident pills in a said pill cell from the dispenser;
and
wherein the means for cyclically indexing comprises a set of vertical saw teeth attached to a circular wall of the pill container concentric with the pill cell array, the saw teeth and pill cells in one to one correspondence with respect to number and regularity, each tooth having an upward-facing ramp face with a pitch to horizontal corresponding to an angular throw equal to the pill cell spacing, and a plunger attached to the base such that the plunger pivots in a vertical plane while remaining torsionally rigid in a horizontal plane, the plunger having a sliding shoe with a downward-facing sliding face complementary to the ramp faces, the sliding shoe located sufficiently distant from the pivot axis for the application of leverage while extending to a position directly above the leading edge of one of the saw teeth such that a downward pivoting force applied to the plunger would bring the sliding face of the sliding shoe into contact with the ramp face of the proximate saw tooth thereby collapsing the inclines into a traversing slide resulting in a rotational thrust of the pill container, the plunger thereafter having means for recycling to the next saw tooth at the completion of the downward pivot stroke.

3 more elements

A self-actuating, sequence-indicating dispenser for a periodic regimen of pills comprising:

(a) a base having a pill exit aperture;
(b) a pill container having pill cells for the containment of pills therein, the pill container movably attached to the base such that any pill cell can be indexed over the pill exit aperture, the pill cells having open bottoms for loading and unloading which are adjacent to the base when assembled thereto;
(c) means for cyclically indexing the pill container with respect to the base such that each pill cell in turn is brought into alignment with the pill exit aperture thereby dropping resident pills from the dispensers;
and
(d) means for indicating the sequence of pills, which can be adjusted to a specific therapy;
wherein the pill container has a circular outer wall and the pill cells are circularly arrayed with even spacing about an axis of rotation in the base, the pill cells numbering the pills, the pill cell initially positioned over the pill exit aperture of the base having means for temporary suspension of the pill contained therein;
wherein the means for indicating comprises a ring encircling the pill container and having means for moveable attachment thereto, the means for moveable attachment providing for changeable settings of the ring relative to the pill container while maintaining the setting when the pill container is indexed forward, the ring having a top surface imprinted with indicators of periodicity such that the indicators and the pill cells are in one to one correspondence with each setting, and a stationary indicating feature to provide a reference point for the operating indicator of periodicity.

4 more elements

A self-actuating, sequence-indicating, refillable dispenser for a periodic regimen of pills comprising:

(a) an essentially circular base having a flat platform, an axis-of-rotation perpendicular to the center of the platform, a pill exit aperture at the periphery of the platform, a spring finger attached to the base at the periphery and extending into the space above the pill exit aperture, two vertical cradle struts rigidly mounted to the platform with opposing cradle recesses in the ends, the cradle recesses defining therebetween an axis perpendicular to the axis-of-rotation, and two vertical parallel beam springs attached to the platform between the pill exit aperture and the axis perpendicular to the axis-of-rotation, the parallel beam springs and the cradle struts straddling a common bisecting line passing through the axis of rotation;
(b) a pill container having pill cells arrayed evenly about a circle having a radius equal to the distance between the pill exit aperture and the axis-of-rotation, an inner wall and an outer wall connected by a top surface surrounding the pill cells which are enclosed except for bottom openings, a last pill cell reserved for the last sequential pill of the regimen, a last pill aperture opening into the last pill cell for insertion of the spring finger serving to suspend the last pill when located above the pill exit aperture, means for camming the spring finger out of the way of the pill cell without expressing the last pill when the pill container is advanced, vertical channels in the outer wall corresponding in number and interval to the pill cells, a circular aperture in the center of the pill container sized to circumscribe the parallel beam springs and the cradle struts, a base flange between the circular aperture and the bottom of the inner wall, means for rotatably retaining the pill container when the pill container is assembled to the base centered on the axis-of-rotation with the last pill cell over the pill exit aperture, the base forming a bottom to the pill cells thereby containing the pills until each pill cell is advanced over the pill exit aperture causing the resident pill to drop through, means for ratcheting interposed between the pill container and the base for regulating clockwise-only motion, and a set of Vertical saw teeth corresponding to the pill cells in count and interval, the saw teeth comprising one half of a sliding inclined plane set having a pitch and stroke sufficient to rotate the pill container one index position, the saw teeth and the means for ratcheting oriented to the pill cells such that each index position corresponds to the alignment of a pill cell with the pill exit aperture, each saw tooth having an upward facing ramp face forming an acute angle with the inner wall and a downward facing overlap face forming an oblique angle with the inner wall;
(c) a periodicity indicator ring for encircling the pill Container having a ring top surface imprinted with indicators of periodicity corresponding to the pill cells in :number and interval, a ring wall attached to the inner rim of the ring top surface, a plurality of tangential springs attached to the ring wall terminating in rounded ring pawls, the ring pawls biased against the lo outer wall of the pill container when assembled thereto by the tangential springs, the ring pawls evenly spaced such that they simultaneously seat to a set of vertical channels, each such seating providing a unique alignment of the indicators of periodicity with the pill cells which is maintained by interlock of the ring pawls in the vertical channels during transportation of the pill container, the alignment made variable by rotating the periodicity indicator ring about the pill container, the rotation urging the pawls to flex outward into the intervening space between the ring wall and the outer wall, and second means for rotatably retaining the periodicity indicator in assembly between the pill container and the base;
(d) a plunger having a plunger base with a slotted extension, a pivot attached to the plunger base dimensioned to seat within the cradle recesses with provision for freedom to pivot, a spreading wedge attached to the plunger base between the pivot and slotted extension, the slotted extension, spreading wedge and pivot located linearly to coincide with the saw teeth, the parallel beam springs and the cradle recesses, respectively, of the base and pill container subassembly, means for pivotally retaining the plunger to the base, the spreading wedge acting to spread the parallel beam springs apart when a downward pivoting force is applied to the plunger thereby creating the potential for a reciprocating force, a sliding shoe flexibly attached to the end of the slotted extension forming the second half of the sliding inclined plane set, the sliding shoe having an angled extension for insertion between the saw teeth thereby establishing an underlap with an advancing saw tooth at the finish of a pivot stroke, the angled extension initiating the pivot stroke above the leading edge of the operating saw tooth, the angled extension having a downward-facing sliding face with inclinations complementary to that of the ramp face such that the sliding face moving downward against the ramp face causes the contacting faces to interlock while moving opposite to each other thus imparting torque to the pill container and causing a rotational movement of the pill container with respect to the base and plunger, the angled extension further having an upward-facing bypassing face with an inclination to vertical complementary to that of the overlap face such that the composite structure of the sliding shoe and the slotted extension is flexed inward when the bypassing face moves upward against the overlap face by the sliding interaction of the vertical angles driven by the reciprocating force of the parallel beam springs thereby allowing the angled extension to transition over the thickness of the advancing saw tooth to regain position for the next indexing cycle, means for limiting the upward and downward extents of the pivoting stroke thereby providing regulation of indexing movement, means for preventing rotation of the pill container except when the plunger is pivoted, and an indicating feature on the plunger providing a reference point for the operating indicator of periodicity;
and,
(e) a hinged shell having cupped bottom and top elements dimensioned for containing the subassembly of the base, pill container, indicator of periodicity ring and plunger, the subassembly comprising a refill unit when loaded with a regimen of pills, the bottom element having a pill release aperture positioned to coincide with the pill exit aperture thereby providing conduit for the pills, means for orienting the refill unit to the hinged shell for alignment of the pill release aperture and the pill exit aperture, and means for removably connecting the refill unit to the hinged shell.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.