Article dispensing – With recorder – register – indicator – signal or exhibitor – Audible
Patent
1992-04-17
1993-09-21
Skaggs, H. Grant
Article dispensing
With recorder, register, indicator, signal or exhibitor
Audible
221 2, 221 7, 221 15, 221 76, B65D 8300
Patent
active
052461360
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to an apparatus for storage and timed taking of medicaments in form of portioned particles, for example pills, coated tablets or capsules, in particular birth control pills, comprising a storage means for the medicaments to be taken and an adjustable electronic signal transmitting means for actuating alarm signals at the desired moment for taking the medicament, the storage means being provided with a plurality of receiving openings for the medicaments to be taken over a time interval of some days, said receiving openings being disposed in a circle around a rotation center and being covered by a cover member having a dispensing opening, said storage means being rotatable relative to the cover member into different rotary positions related to the receiving openings, in each of which rotary positions one of the receiving openings is disposed near the dispensing opening and, when rotating to a new one of these rotary positions, the signal transmitting means is re-set to a new counting cycle.
For numerous medicaments, in particular for contraception means, it is required to take these medicaments in predetermined continuous time intervals in order to ensure a reliable or optimal effect of the medicament. However, experience shows that, for reasons whatsoever, frequently the medicaments are not taken timely.
Therefore, already an apparatus called "Pill Box Timer" has become known which remembers one at the adjusted moment to take the medicament by means of an adjustable electronic signal transmitter in form of buzzer. This moment can freely be chosen and can be programmed at a timer. After programming the desired moment a starting key must be pressed, whereupon an electronic counter counts downwardly and releases the alarm as soon as it has been counted down to 0. The alarm can be stopped by means of a key. The medicaments are contained in a receiving compartment of the apparatus, which compartment can be closed by a slide cover. The medicament must now be taken and by again pressing the starting key the timer starts to count down to the pre-set alarm moment. Such an apparatus is disadvantageous with some respects: At first, each counting process of the counter controlling the signal transmitter must be released anew by pressing a key, what involves the danger of misoperation, inasmuch the apparatus must comprise more than one key for programming. Further, there is the possibility that more of the medicament than the prescribed dosis is taken by mistake or that pills or the like are lost from the receiving compartment by careless handling.
Within an apparatus of the initially described kind (GB-A 2,092,991), the storage means is formed by a disc being provided with the receiving openings for the medicaments, a further disc forming a cover member and being provided with the dispensing opening is bearingly supported for free rotation on the disc. In one of the compartments of the storage means a micro-processor is disposed for emitting the electric alarm signal at the programable taking moment. Re-set of the counter to a new cycle is made by mere rotation of the cover member. This apparatus has the disadvantage that the cover member can be rotated too easy and therefore also unitentionally or unseen and also in the false direction.
The invention has at its object to avoid the disadvantages of the pre-described known apparatus and to improve an apparatus of the initially described kind so that the medicaments are accommodated in a suitable and protected manner within the apparatus and that erroneous take and misoperation is avoided. The invention solves this task in that the storage means is a rotatable body bearingly supported for rotation around an axis within a casing embracing the rotatable body at least in the region of its receiving openings and having the dispensing opening, said rotatable body, however, protruding from this casing with a handling edge and being arrestable by an interlock means in the different rotary positions, and that an additional rotary position of the rotary body
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patent: 4572403 (1986-03-01), Benaroya
patent: 4674651 (1987-06-01), Scidmore et al.
patent: 4838453 (1989-06-01), Luckstead
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