Article dispensing – With recorder – register – indicator – signal or exhibitor – Dispenser part position or adjustment indicator
Patent
1998-06-03
2000-05-16
Skaggs, H. Grant
Article dispensing
With recorder, register, indicator, signal or exhibitor
Dispenser part position or adjustment indicator
221 31, 221 88, 206531, 206534, B65D 8304
Patent
active
060624205
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to an apparatus for dispensing pills from a blister pack in accordance with the preamble of claim 1.
Such apparatus is for example known from WO 94/067-06. In this prior art apparatus, the lower part is a round disk and the upper part is a flat dome shaped cover rotatably positioned thereon. The push out means is cut out from the upper surface of the upper part in the shape of a spring tongue or finger and by pushing the tongue from above the respective pill is pushed out by an ejecting nose of the tongue downwardly through the foil of the blister pack and through the respective passage opening of the lower part of the apparatus. By rotating the upper part, the ejecting nose of the tongue-shaped push out means is positioned above the next pill and the correct position of the ejecting nose is determined by a snap lock. According to the description, the ejecting nose may be positioned above the pill only just before it is being pushed out, by rotating the upper part with respect to the lower part, since otherwise there is a risk that the pill is pushed out by accident, for example when the apparatus becomes wedged in a pocket or bag of the user.
It is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus of the type mentioned in the preamble, in which the risk of accidentally pushing out a pill is further reduced, also when the push out means is aligned with a pill to be dispensed.
To obtain this object, the apparatus according to the invention is characterised by the features of the characterising portion of claim 1.
According to the invention, the push out means is positioned on the inner side of the ring-shaped upper and lower parts, so that only a pressure from the inside can operate the push out means. It is very unlikely that such a movement takes place accidentally.
According to a preferred embodiment, an unintended operation of the push out means, particularly also by children, is prevented by using a locking means, which is moveable between operative and inoperative positions and which prevents an outward movement of the push out means in its operative position.
Still a further protection of the pills and the pack in the apparatus, in an embodiment which is intended for a substantially flat ring-shaped blister pack, which is positioned in the apparatus in a flat manner, is offered if the push out means is connected to the lower part, and the upper part comprises means to lock the blister pack in a rotationally fixed matter with respect thereto, and wherein the lower part preferably has only one passage opening for a number of passage openings corresponding to a number of pills to be pushed out simultaneously. Due to this assembly of parts, the pack moves with respect to the lower part of the apparatus, so that the lower part has to be provided with one passage opening only, contrary to the apparatus according to said WO 94/06706 for example, where there should be as many passage openings in the lower part as pills in the pack, which creates a certain risk that the pack is damaged through the passage openings and a pill is polluted or even lost from the pack.
An alternative embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention is intended for substantially flat rectangular blister packs which should be positioned in the apparatus in a ring shape with the openings of the cavities therein directed outwardly. Herein, the push out means is connected to the upper part and the lower part comprising means for locking the blister pack in a rotationally fixed manner with respect thereto, and wherein the upper part has preferably only one passage opening or a number of passage openings corresponding to the number of pills pushed out simultaneously.
A further improvement of the operation of the apparatus according to the invention is obtained when a part, preferably the lower part, substantially defines the inner side of the ring and the other part, preferably the upper part defines the outer side of the ring.
Due to this structure it is enabled to grab a part of the apparatus on the
REFERENCES:
patent: 5405011 (1995-04-01), Haber et al.
patent: 5464118 (1995-11-01), Grau et al.
Krouwel Peter J. W.
Van der Hout Erik W.
Van Dullemen Marlies
Witte Johannes H.
NPK Industrial Design BV
Skaggs H. Grant
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