US 8,985,388 B2Granted

Smart medicine container

OwnerNitesh Ratnakarinventor

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Abstract

Present invention discloses a dispenser having means to dispense desired number of pills from a bulk supply of pills contained in the dispenser. The dispenser comprises of storage compartment having bulk supply of pills and having a discharge port emptying into counting compartment. The counting compartment contains first and second conveyors moving at first and second speed; wherein the second speed is greater than the first speed thereby enabling pill separation; the second conveyor discharges pills into dispensing compartment. Sensors are strategically placed along the conveyors to count pills discharged into dispensing compartment. A pill recovery system and apparatus is disposed inside the dispenser having means to recover pills remaining on first and second conveyors upon completion of a dispensation cycle and there after deposit recovered pills back into the storage compartment for use in future dispensation cycles.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A portable medical container configured to recover there-inside one or more pills remaining in a conveying means after completion of a dispensing cycle, the medical container comprising:

an enclosure means including a cap, a base, and one or more side walls extended between the cap and the base, the enclosure means configured to define a substantially enclosed inner chamber of a portable size;
a storage compartment inside the inner chamber, the storage compartment configured to receive a bulk supply of pills, the storage compartment having a discharge port configured to controllably discharge one or more pills stored therein, and a recovery inlet configured to receive one or more recovered pills and deposit the received one or more recovered pills back into the storage compartment;
a dispensing means, the dispensing means having an inlet and configured to receive one or more pills transported to the inlet and dispense the one or more pills received from the inlet for a user to access;
a conveying means inside the inner chamber, the conveying means configured to receive pills discharged from the discharge port of the storage compartment, transport at least a subset of the pills received from the discharge port to the inlet of the dispensing means for dispensing through the dispensing means so as to complete a dispensing cycle, the conveying means further configured to have an outlet for discharging one or more pills remaining therein after the completion of the dispensing cycle;
and
a pill recovery means inside the inner chamber, the recovery means configured to receive, from the outlet of the conveying means, the one or more pills remaining in the conveying means after the completion of the dispensing cycle, and transport and deposit the received one or more remaining pills back to the storage compartment through the recovery inlet of the storage compartment.

3 more elements

A method of recovering inside a portable medical container one or more pills remaining in a conveying means after completion of a dispensing cycle, the portable medical container configured to dispense a predetermined number of one or more pills for a patient to consume, the portable medical container comprising:

(1) an enclosure means including a cap, a base, and one or more side walls extended between the cap and the base, the enclosure means configured to define a substantially enclosed inner chamber of a portable size;
(2) a storage compartment inside the inner chamber, the storage compartment configured to receive a bulk supply of pills, the storage compartment having a discharge port configured to controllably discharge one or more pills stored therein, and a recovery inlet configured to receive one or more recovered pills and deposit the received one or more recovered pills back into the storage compartment;
(3) a dispensing means, the dispensing means having an inlet and configured to receive one or more pills transported to the inlet and dispense the one or more pills received from the inlet for a user to access;
(4) the conveying means inside the inner chamber, the conveying means configured to receive pills discharged from the discharge port of the storage compartment, transport at least a subset of the pills received from the discharge port to the inlet of the dispensing means for dispensing through the dispensing means so as to complete a dispensing cycle, the conveying means further configured to have an outlet for discharging one or more pills remaining therein after the completion of the dispensing cycle;
and (5) a pill recovery means inside the inner chamber, the pill recovery means including a recovery receptacle, the method comprising:
positioning the recovery receptacle just below the outlet of the conveying means in a recovery position;
recovering in the recovery receptacle the one or more pills remaining in the conveying means after the dispensing cycle by discharging the one or more remaining pills from the outlet of the conveying means into the recovery receptacle;
moving the recovery receptacle containing the recovered one or more pills from the recovery position and positioning the recovery receptacle substantially in flush with the recovery inlet of the storage compartment in a depositing position;
and
depositing the recovered one or more pills back into the storage compartment through the recovery inlet of the storage compartment.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/267,555Filed 7 Nov 2008 · continuation in part
Priority: 11 Dec 2004
Published: US 2009/0057328 A15 Mar 2009
Granted: 24 Mar 2015
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification13 codes

A61J 7/0481
With timers: working on a schedule basis
G07F 9/026
Devices for alarm or indication, e.g. when empty; Advertising arrangements in coin-freed apparatus: for alarm, monitoring and auditing in vending…
G07F 11/26
Delivery means: endless bands
G07F 11/44
From non-movable magazines: in which magazines the articles are stored in bulk

Family

Application10/905,032Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 11 Dec 2004
US 7,269,476 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 11 Sep 2007
US 2009/0057328 A1Pre-grant publication · published 5 Mar 2009
US 2006/0124655 A1Published application
US 8,985,388 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.