Article dispensing – With collapsible or telescoping supply container walls
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-19
2001-08-14
Bollinger, David H. (Department: 3651)
Article dispensing
With collapsible or telescoping supply container walls
C221S263000, C221S266000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06273294
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to a tablet dispenser for giving out tablets in an individually portioned manner, with a prismatic housing whose base surface has a base opening that is offset toward an end face and whose top surface is open over its entire cross section and whose side surfaces each have a cutout at the top, with an inner part which is inserted into the housing through the open top surface and which is displaceable so as to be limited with respect to lift and comprises a preferably prismatic tablet reservoir space, an essentially vertically oriented tablet discharge shaft being provided at the base of the tablet reservoir space and guided through the base opening of the housing, and including a spring which is supported against the base surface of the housing and a web for limiting lift.
2. Description of the Related Art
Dispensers for giving out tablets in an individually portioned manner by means of a displacement of the inner part into the housing, which displacement is limited with respect to lift, are known, wherein a tablet is discharged through a tablet discharge shaft at the opening on the base side. For instance, a tablet dispenser is described in EP 0 345 413 B1, wherein an individual tablet is dispensed through an opening on the base side in a housing by pressing in an actuating key which is connected with a slide via a centrally arranged actuating shaft. This known dispenser is disadvantageous in that tablet fragments and rubbed off portions exit easily when the dispenser is used and carried, for example, in pockets of clothing, handbags or the like, and accordingly soil the carrying vessel or surroundings.
In order to remedy this disadvantage, it is suggested in GM 296 01 693.4 to arrange gap-closing elements at the housing and at the inner part of a tablet dispenser, wherein the inner part comprises actuating key, slide and connection part. The tablet dispenser known from this reference has a prismatic housing with an open end face and a laterally offset opening in the base surface. An inner part is inserted into the housing from above, this inner part comprising a slide and an actuating key connected by a connection element which, together, form a structural unit in the manner of an inner housing having a tablet reservoir space located in its upper part. By pressing with a finger on the upper part of the actuating key, this inner part is displaced, wherein the slide is slid through the base opening of the housing and releases a tablet. The displacement of the inner part is limited with respect to lift by a crosspiece or web which strikes the housing base during the downward movement of the inner part, so that further downward movement is blocked.
Although gap-closing elements are arranged at the housing as well as at the inner part in this known dispenser, tablet fragments and rubbed off portions can still exit from the dispenser between the side walls of the housing and of the inner part which are displaceable relative to one another when the tablet dispenser is operated, so that the frictional resistance between the side walls sliding against one another can be increased sharply. Further, a liquid film can build up in the narrow gap between the side walls of the housing and of the inner part due to capillary action and, combined with rubbed off tablet portions, can also sharply increase frictional resistance.
In order to prevent bridging within the bulk of tablets, which would impede discharge of an individual tablet, but without shaking the tablet dispenser as is usually done in order to break up formation of bridges, the tablet dispenser known from EP 0 345 413 B1 is constructed with inclined surfaces in the region of the discharge shaft, wherein these inclined surfaces, in combination with the actuation of the slide, provide for an individual discharge of the tablets, so that the risk of breakage of the tablets which is increased by shaking the tablets is reduced.
In order to ensure improved loosening or freeing of the tablets in the upper region of the tablet dispenser also, the housing of the tablet dispenser described in GM 296 01 693.4 is formed at its inside with parallel, vertically oriented ribs projecting inward, wherein these ribs engage in longitudinal slits of the connection element and bring about a loosening of the tablets when the slide moves out of its basic position along the lift out direction into its discharging position.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Proceeding from this known prior art, it is the object of the invention to further develop the described tablet dispenser for the purpose of reducing the described disadvantages with respect to sealing, friction and, further, the loosening of tablets with high reliability of operation and simple manufacture of the tablet dispenser and without creating additional disadvantages such as increased manufacturing costs or increased risk of tablet breakage.
The stated objective is met for a tablet dispenser for giving out tablets in an individually portioned manner by providing the tablet dispenser with a prismatic housing whose base surface has a base opening that is offset toward an end face and whose top surfaces open over its entire cross section and whose side surfaces each have a cutout at the top, with an inner part being inserted into the housing through the open top surface and being displaceable so as to be limited with respect to upward movement and comprising a preferably prismatic tablet reservoir space, an essentially vertically oriented tablet discharge shaft being provided at the base of the tablet reservoir space and extended through the base opening of the housing, and including a spring which is supported against the base surface of the housing and a web for limiting upward movement, wherein according to the invention, a web is arranged at the inner side wall of the housing and is in a working connection with the outer side wall of the inner part during the displacement of the inner part.
Through the feature of the invention in which a web is arranged at the inner side wall of the housing for loosening the tablet bulk and is in a working connection with the outer side wall of the inner part during the displacement of the inner part, a loosening of the tablet bulk is achieved during use of the dispenser and during the displacement of the inner part into the housing involved in this use. When the tablet dispenser is used and, in so doing, the inner part is pushed into the housing up to a stop by finger pressure so that an individual tablet is released from the tablet discharge shaft, the web according to the invention is pressed laterally in a pulsed manner against a flexible side wall of the inner part, so that a movement (shaking movement) is introduced within the tablet bulk in the inner part. As a result of this shaking movement, tablets fall into the discharge shaft and individual discharge is made possible.
The web is dimensioned in the outer part of the housing in such a way that it is open or free with respect to the outer surface of the inner part in the rest position. It is only when the inner part is pressed down that the web strikes the inclination of the outer surface of the inner part, slides farther upward over this inclination, and presses against the outer surface of the inner part which is accordingly pressed toward the side. When the inner part is returned to the original rest position, the outer surface is suddenly reset as soon as the web leaves the outer surface again over the inclination, so that there is an additional intensive shaking movement depending on resetting speed.
The ribs and slits known from GM 296 01 693.4 are accordingly no longer necessary to bring about a shaking movement inside the tablet bulk. The web is advantageously arranged in the area of the base opening of the housing, that is, in the area of the tablet discharge shaft, because the side wall of the inner part in this region has a greater flexibility due to the absence of a front wall.
Advantageous constructions of the inventi
Petzold Werner
Sudkamp Ludger
Bollinger David H.
Kueffner Friedrich
RPC Bramlage GmbH
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