EP1602589A2

EP1602589A2 - Support for pill-dispensing box

Info

Publication number: EP1602589A2
Application number: EP05009480A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Bruno Van Den Branden
Original assignee: FRISK INTERNATIONAL NV
Current assignee: FRISK INTERNATIONAL NV
Priority date: 2004-06-04
Filing date: 2005-04-29
Publication date: 2005-12-07
Also published as: EP1602589A3; ITMI20040265U1

Abstract

Disclosed is a support 1 for a box 2 designed to dispense pills 8, which said support has a box shape open at the top so that pill-dispensing box 2 can be inserted from above, and has a lower compartment 12 designed to receive and allow front removal of pills 8 dispensed by dispenser 2, adhesive means 15 being present on the rear wall 14 of support 1 so that the support can be attached to a wall 17 which is substantially vertical or steeply inclined.

Description

This innovation relates to a support for a pill-dispensing box.
In particular, the support according to the invention is designed to receive a pressure-operated pill dispenser marketed by the same applicant under the name Frisk®.
The Frisk® pill dispenser, which is pressure-operated, has a vertical use position that comprises an outer casing which has a central opening in the bottom and is fully open at the top, where it presents a concave slot, and an inner container, inserted into said outer casing from above, which can perform limited axial movements in relation to said outer casing.
The inner container presents a kind of dispenser spout in its lower central part, which takes up a position corresponding to said lower central opening of the outer casing.
When downward pressure is exerted on the outer container from above, a single tablet exits through the bottom opening in the outer casing, through the dispenser spout, which is shaped so as to form a seating in which the tablet is housed.
A spring acting between the outer casing and the inner container ensures that the container returns to the rest position after each dispensing operation.
The pill dispenser described above operates efficiently, but requires the use of both the user's hands: one to exert pressure on the inner container, and the other to collect the tablet dispensed.
There are situations in which it would be preferable to operate the pill dispenser with one hand only, with no need to perform particular operations in order to activate the device.
This occurs, for example, when the user is engaged in other operations, and becomes practically essential, for safety reasons, if the user is driving a vehicle, for example, and could easily be distracted when performing the operations required to remove a tablet from the box.
The purpose of the innovation is to eliminate said drawbacks, allowing extremely easy removal of the tablet and eliminating all risk of distraction involved in looking for the pill-dispensing box, holding it, removing and taking the tablet.
This purpose is achieved, according to the invention, by providing a support for the pill-dispensing box which is fixed to a substantially vertical, or at least steeply inclined surface, and which said support has the characteristics listed in independent claim 1.
Preferred embodiments of the support according to the invention are described in the dependent claims.
Substantially, the support for the dispenser of products, in particular pills, according to the invention, has a box shape open at the top, so that the pill-dispensing box can be inserted in it from above, means for fixing said support to a surface, preferably adhesive means, being attached to the rear wall thereof.
Conveniently, the support will have a large front window, bounded by a pair of vertical side wings, which act as guides and dispenser retainers.
The support extends beyond the lower edge of the dispenser, to form a compartment where the pills dispensed collect.
Thus users merely need to press the top of the inner container of the dispenser with one finger and remove the tablet which falls into the compartment under the support.
Further characteristics of the innovation will become clear from the detailed description that follows, which relates to an embodiment described by way of example but not of limitation, and illustrated in the annexed drawings, wherein:

figure 1 is a perspective view from the rear of the pill-dispensing box support according to the invention;
figure 2 is a side elevation view showing the support illustrated in figure 1 at the stage of application to a vertical wall;
figures 3, 4 and 5 are front perspective views showing the insertion of the pill-dispensing box into the support, the operation of the dispenser, and removal of the product respectively.

In said figures, no. 1 generically indicates the support according to the invention, which is designed to receive a box for dispensing products, in particular pills, indicated as 2.
As already stated, pill-dispensing box 2 is the one marketed by the same applicant under the name Frisk®, and comprises an outer casing 3, which presents a lower central opening (not shown in the figures) and an upper opening 4, in correspondence with which it presents, at least at the front, a concave slot 5, and an inner container 6, inserted from above into outer casing 3, which can perform limited axial movements in relation to said casing.
In the bottom central part of inner container 6 there is a dispenser spout 7 (figure 4), which is located in a position matching said bottom central opening (not shown) in outer casing 3.
The operation of pill-dispensing box 2, which is known in itself, requires downward pressure to be exerted on inner container 6 (figure 4), thus causing a single pill 8 to exit through the bottom opening in outer casing 3.
Each pressure exerted on inner container 6 obviously corresponds to the exit of a pill 8, and the inner container is returned to the rest position (figure 5) by a spring operating between said container and the outer casing.
Support 1 according to the invention has an open box shape, which substantially reproduces the shape of pill-dispensing box 2 but has slightly larger dimensions, so that box 2 can be housed in support 1.
In particular, support 1 is completely open at the top and, in the preferred embodiment illustrated in the annexed drawings, presents a large front window 9 bounded by two side wings 10.
Pill-dispensing box 2 can consequently be inserted from above into support 1, as shown in figure 3, wings 10 acting as guides during this insertion and as retainers of the pill-dispensing box during use.
Abutments 11 fitted inside support 1 act as stop means for pill-dispensing box 2 at the insertion stage, so that box 2 takes up a position with its lower end at a certain distance from the base of support 1, which forms a compartment 12 designed to house pills 8 dispensed by dispenser 2 (figures 3 and 4).
In the embodiment illustrated, said abutments 11 take the form of wings projecting from the bottom end of opposite side walls 13 of support 1, and the lower edge of outer casing 3 of pill-dispensing box 2 comes to rest against them.
On the rear wall 14 of support 1 there is a piece of double-sided adhesive tape 15 covered by a peel-off sheet 16; when said sheet 16 is removed, the support can be attached to a vertical or inclined surface 17 (figures 1 and 2), such as that of a vehicle dashboard or any other structure in which pill-dispensing box 2 is to be fixed ready for use.
Once support 1 has been installed as described above, pill-dispensing box 2 can be inserted in it, and replaced when the pills it contains run out.
The operation and usefulness of the support and pill-dispensing box according to the invention are clear from the description given above and the annexed drawings.
For example, a user driving a vehicle can press inner container 6 of pill-dispensing box 2 one or more times without being distracted from driving, causing one or more pills 8 to drop into lower compartment 12 of support 1, where they can very easily be removed with a finger, as systematically shown in figure 5.
The innovation is obviously not limited to the particular embodiment described above and illustrated in the annexed drawings; numerous details thereof could be modified by one skilled in the art, while still remaining within the scope of the model defined by the claims set out below.

Claims

Support (1) for box (2) designed to dispense products, in particular pills (8), characterised in that said support has a box shape substantially corresponding to the shape of pill-dispensing box (2) and dimensions slightly larger than box (2) so as to house it, said box shape being open at least at the top so that said pill-dispensing box (2) can be inserted into it, and having a lower compartment (12), accessible from the front, designed to receive and allow the removal of pills (8), means being provided for attaching support (1) to a substantially vertical or inclined surface (17).
Support as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that said means for attaching the support to said surface (17) are adhesive means (15).
Support as claimed in claim 2, characterised in that said adhesive means (15) are attached to the rear wall (14) of the support and covered by a peel-off sheet (16).
Support as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterised in that it has a large front window (9), bounded by a pair of side wings (10), which may be continuous or discontinuous, and which act as guides for the insertion of pill-dispensing box (2) and retainers of said box (2).
Support as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterised in that it is fitted with abutment means (11), which act as stop means at the insertion stage of pill-dispensing box (2) so that the lower edge of said box remains at a certain distance from the base of support (1) where said compartment (12) for receiving pills (8) is located.
Support as claimed in claim 5, characterised in that said abutments (11) are constituted by wings projecting internally from opposite side walls (13) of the support.
Support (1) for pill-dispensing box (2) as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein said pill-dispensing box comprises an outer casing (3) with a lower central opening and an upper total opening (4), and an inner container (6) inserted from above, through said upper opening (4), into outer casing (3), which can perform limited axial movements in relation to said box, which said inner container (6) presents in the bottom centre a dispensing spout fitted in correspondence with said lower central opening in outer casing (3), so that when downward pressure is exerted on inner container (6), a single pill (8) exits through said lower opening, and is collected in said compartment (12) of support (1).
Support (1) for box (2) designed to dispense pills (8), wherein said pill-dispensing box (2) is known by the trademark Frisk®.