Horology: time measuring systems or devices – Combined with disparate device
Reexamination Certificate
1999-03-10
2001-10-09
Roskoski, Bernard (Department: 2859)
Horology: time measuring systems or devices
Combined with disparate device
Reexamination Certificate
active
06301196
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of pillboxes with timepieces and alarms which remind the user to take medication at a certain time. More particularly, the device covers pill dispensers that use a liquid crystal display (LCD) mechanism and either vibrate and/or produce an audible alarm at the time that medication is scheduled to be taken. The invention also relates to electronic devices that can automatically calculate the next scheduled dosage based upon user input.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Currently there is a great need for a device which can conveniently and confidentially remind a person when it is time to take a particular medicine. As the current population ages, more and more people ore taking high cholesterol medication, estrogen replacement therapy, high blood pressure medication, and a wide range of other medications, all at the same time. Different pills are on different schedules and must be taken at different intervals. This makes keeping track of all the different medications and time schedules very confusing.
Additionally, many people work in situations where an audible alarm simply is not acceptable. For example, lawyers, court clerks and judges must maintain a quiet atmosphere while court is in session. Teachers, bank tellers, shop clerks, hospital personnel and others in public service type jobs would also find it distracting to use audible alarm. Further, there are people who work or enjoy leisure pursuits in situations where they simply cannot hear an audible alarm. Some people work on construction sites, in factories or partake in noisy athletic events such as baseball, soccer, hockey, football and the like. And finally, other people are simply hard of hearing and can only respond to a vibrating alarm.
However, there are not many devices in the prior art which solve the problem of providing a silent or vibrating alarm, and more especially, one which conveniently provides a compartmental pill box corresponding to the number of alarms set which can be conveniently slipped onto a belt or into a pocket. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,367,505 issued to Tsuchiya, et.al., discloses a watch with a dumb alarm which is efficient in operation so as to consume less battery power by providing for a spiral spring for rotating an eccentric weight to create the vibrating alarm. However, this patent does not disclose the combination of providing a vibrating alarm with multiple settings and multiple corresponding pill compartments attached hereto.
Most timer devices relating to the dispensing of a medication are directed towards the purpose of accurately indicating when a pill from a particular container such as a pill bottle or blister package was last removed and then calculating the next proper time for a new dosage and sounding an alarm at that time. Accordingly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,364,955 issued to Ballew, U.S. Pat. No. 5,313,439 issued to Albeck and U.S. Pat. No. 5,233,571 are all related to pill bottle caps with audible alarms and visual alarms. U.S. Pat. No. 5,412,372 issued to Parkhurst, et al is but one example of a device which times the dispensing of blister pack packaged medication and stores and downloads pill dispensing times for later analysis by a health care professional.
Thus, in the prior art, there are many pill bottles with audible and/or visual alarms. The prior art also teaches a blister pack that monitors and transmits data concerning the taking of medication. There are, however, no pill containers with multiple compartments adjacent or removably secured to an electronic LCD display unit capable of storing several different alarm times, activating the alarm and then indicating which compartment contains the pill to be taken.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A medication dispensing unit is disclosed that has a preferred height on the order of about 3.5 inches, a width on the order of about 2 inches and a depth on the order of about ½ inch. The unit consists of a body that forms a chamber with an open first end, a closed second end, a front, a back and at least two sides. A lid is hinged to the first end of the body to prevent access to the chamber, preferably at the front of the body. Dividers within the chamber create multiple sub-chambers, each of the sub-chambers maintaining medication separate from the remaining sub-chambers. The dividers can be integral with said body or multiple pairs of opposing divider receiving slots can be molded within the chamber to receive dividers, enabling a user to create variable sized sub-chambers. A securing member has an open end and an affixed end and is affixed to the back of the body proximate the first end. The securing member can be a spring bias clip or a semi-rigid J-shaped clip and is positioned to maintain the first and second ends aligned vertically to one another. Programmable notification and display means enable a user to enter data and subsequently notify and display the entered data to the user. The programmable notification and display can be located within said lid. The user places medication within the chamber and clips said dispensing unit to clothing or user carried item.
In another embodiment the container for carrying and monitoring the medication of an individual patient has a hollow body with a first end; a second end, a front, a back and at least two sides to create an interior chamber. Multiple medication receiving modules, are vertically oriented within the body and are rotatable within the interior chamber to open for accessibility. Separators, rigidly affixed within the interior chamber, separate the modules from adjacent modules. Multiple rotation members proximate the second end of the chamber prevent complete removal of the modules. The rotation member can be a pivot member, affixed to the body and intersecting the module. Alternatively the rotation member can be a hinge. Stop members on each module prevent the modules from rotating beyond a predetermined amount. Multiple module closure members maintain the multiple modules within the interior chamber until released by a user. The multiple module closure members can be a pair of magnets, a first magnet being within the interior chamber proximate the first end and a second magnet affixed to a rotatable modules. The module closure members can also be rotatable latches proximate the first end of said body, with a first portion being affixed to the body and a second portion overlapping the modules. A securing member, affixed to the back of the body maintains the body in approximately a vertical position. Springs, having sufficient force to push said module to an open position, can be affixed within the interior chamber proximate said module. Programmable notification and display means enable user entry of data and subsequently notifying and displaying the data to a user. The notification and display means are preferably located at the first end of the body and covered by a lid, said lid being affixed to the body.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4483626 (1984-11-01), Noble
patent: 4626105 (1986-12-01), Miller
patent: 4748600 (1988-05-01), Urquhart
patent: 4905213 (1990-02-01), Masse et al.
patent: 5029726 (1991-07-01), Pendill
Parker Sheldon H.
Roskoski Bernard
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