Article dispensing – Cellular magazine type – With non-gravity means to remove articles from cells
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-12
2001-12-04
Walsh, Donald P. (Department: 3651)
Article dispensing
Cellular magazine type
With non-gravity means to remove articles from cells
C221S086000, C221S091000, C206S533000, C206S538000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06325241
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to tablet dispensers for consecutive administering of tablets, and specifically a dispenser comprising a circular container in which tablets are stored in compartments along the perimeter of the container, and a circular lid concentric with the container, which lid covers the compartments and has a dispensing opening allowing access to one compartment at the time when the lid is rotated relative to the container.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a known dispenser the lid is made rotatable relative to the container about a bearing formed by a cylindrical wall in the container concentric with said container, which wall forms a journal for the lid which has a central opening encompassing said cylindrical wall. The opening is along its perimeter provided with a toothing comprising teeth having a ramp shaped edge and steep edge. This toothing collaborates with protrusions in said bearing which protrusions form similar teeth having their ramp shaped edges facing the ramp shaped edges of the teeth in the opening of the lid. This way the ramp shaped edges of the teeth of the lid and the ramp shaped edged of the teeth of the protrusions will slide over each other when the lid is rotated in one direction whereas the steep edges of the two sets of teeth will engage each other and block the rotation if the lid is rotated in the opposite direction.
When the ramp shaped edges of the teeth of the lid slides over the ramp shaped edges of the teeth of the protrusions on the cylindrical wall this wall will be deformed and pressed towards its centre. The force needed to provide said deformation is large enough to make it difficult to rotate the lid even when axial slots are provided on each side of the protrusions so that the cylindrical wall is divided into more less rigid sectors. If the parts of the cylindrical wall carrying the protrusions are made weaker and more flexible their liability to flex away when rotation in the not allowed direction is attempted will increase too. If the teethes are made low to make the lid easier to rotate then the difference in force needed to rotate the lid in the allowed direction with the ramp shaped edges of the teeth sliding over each other and the force needed to force the steep edges of the teeth to cam over each other is made small too and the detent function may be destroyed.
It is an object of the invention to provide a tablet dispenser of the described circular kind in which the lid can easily be rotated in the allowed dispensing direction whereas the force needed to break the detent and rotate the lid in the opposite direction is remarkably higher.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This is obtained by a tablet dispenser for consecutive administering of tablets, and specifically a dispenser comprising a circular container in which tablets are stored in a number of compartments along the perimeter of the container, and a circular lid concentric with the container, which lid covers the compartments and has a dispensing opening allowing access to one compartment at the time when the lid is rotated relative to the container, wherein a cylindrical surface on one of the parts, the container part or the lid, forms a pawl wheel provided with teeth each having a ramp shaped and a steep edge and the other part is provided with a detent co-operating with said teeth to allow only unidirectional rotation of the parts relative to each other, which dispenser is according to the invention characterised in that the detent comprises at least one elongated, flexible pawl which is at its one end fixed to the other of said parts and mainly follows a chord of the circular device to engage the teeth of the pawl wheel by its other free end.
A pawl of the kind described is flexible when influenced by bending forces perpendicular to its longitudinal direction as it is when it slides along the ramp shaped edges of the teeth but is practically inflexible when influenced by forces in its longitudinal direction as it is when the steep edge of a tooth presses against its free end.
To ensure that the pawl has a length which allows it to be sufficiently resilient, the arc spanned by the pawl may appropriately be at least 30° and preferably about 60°.
In a preferred embodiment of the dispenser according to the invention three pawls are provide displaced about 120° from each other.
In a preferred embodiment of the dispenser according to the invention the teeth are provided at an inner surface of the ring formed by the compartments and the pawl is carried by the lid. Said inner surface makes the cylinder surface with the largest obtainable diameter and therefore allows the highest possible teeth with a given slope of the ramp shaped edges. It shall be noticed that the number of teeth corresponds to the number of compartments in the container so that one tooth is passed by the pawl each time a tablet is dispensed.
The container part with the teeth and the lid with the pawl may each be integrally moulded parts.
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Garde Kristian
Lykke Peter
McGugan Steve
Mackey Patrick
Novo Nordisk A S
Skadden, Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP
Walsh Donald P.
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