GB2099803A - Tablet dispenser - Google Patents

Abstract

A device for dispensing a desired quantity and desired mix of medical tablets at timed periods during the day has a housing with an access compartment, from which a patient may take tablet(s), and a collecting compartment below the access compartment to receive tablets which have not been retrieved by the patient. Tablets are fed from one or more bulk stores at timed intervals to the access compartment. At timed intervals, a tablet support is actuated to permit un-retrieved tablets to pass by gravity from the access compartment to the collecting department, to which unauthorised access is not possible. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A tablet dispensing device This invention relates to a device for dispensing tablets for medical purposes.

Most doctors are well aware of the fact that a large number of patients make mistakes in taking their tablets according to doctor's instructions.

Many patients also forget to take their tablets.

Sometimes it is necessary to prescribe more than one type of tablet, and these may have to be taken at two to four times a day. It is also common knowledge amongst doctors that elderly and mentally demented patients can find it very difficult to cope with their tablet medication, and thus may require constant supervision.

The object of the present invention is to provide a relatively simple and if desired portable dispensing device which can be programmed to make available, to a patient, a required number of tablets, possibly of different natures, at desired intervals of time, whilst not permitting access to a bulk storage of tablets in the dispenser.

According to the present invention a device for dispensing tablets for medical purposes comprises a housing having a tablet-access compartment and a lower tablet-collecting compartment, at least one tablet-storing means disposed in the housing and communicating with the tablet-access compartment, tablet-releasing means normally preventing passage of tablets from the tablet-storing means to the tabletaccess compartment, tablet-supporting means normally supporting in the tablet-access compartment any tablet received therein and preventing it from passing to the tablet-collecting compartment, and means for timed actuation of said tablet-releasing and of said tablet-supporting means.

In an advantageous further feature, the or each tablet-storing means has a tablet-urging means for urging successive tablets towards the tabletaccess compartment, said tablet-urging means being actuated in timed relationship with the tablet-reieasing means and the tablet-supporting means. The tablet-releasing means and/or the tablet-urging means may conveniently be an iristype diaphragm actuatable against resilient loading.

In a preferred embodiment, the tabletsupporting means comprises at least one pivoted leaf forming a part of a base of the tablet-access compartment, said leaf being resiliently loaded to a tablet-supporting position but being actuatable out of that position to permit a tablet to fall into the tablet-collecting compartment.

The tablet-releasing means and and/or the tablet-supporting means and/or the tablet-urging means, where included, may conveniently be electrically actuatable, e.g. electromagnetically.

In the preferred embodiment, an electricallyoperated timer and electrical actuating means are incorporated in the housing.

The dispenser advantageously includes a warning device having timed actuation, e.g. a warning light and/or an acoustic signal.

In the preferred arrangement, the dispensing device is provided in combination with a lockable enclosure having an opening providing access only to the tablet-access compartment.

In order that the nature of the invention may be readily ascertained, an embodiment of tablet dispenser in accordance therewith is hereinafter particularly described with reference to the figures of the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a perspective elevation of the dispenser, seen from the front and one side; Figure 2 is a similar perspective view of a carrier case for receiving the dispenser; Figure 3 is a partial central vertical section, taken in a plane parallel to the front face of the dispenser; Figure 4 is a partial section, similar to that of Figure 3, to show one tablet receptacle on a somewhat larger scale; Figures 5a and 5b are plan views of a large iristype diaphragm, for the upper part of a tablet receptacle, seen respectively in open and closed position;; Figures 6a and 6b are plan views of a smaller iris-type diaphragm, for the base canal of a tablet receptacle, seen respectively in closed and open position; Figure 7 is a partial front elevation of the dispenser to show details of a central access compartment and its closure; Figure 8 is a partial plan view of a lower collecting compartment, to show details of a magnetic actuator.

Referring to Figure 1, the dispenser comprises a parallellepipedal box-like housing 1 which is made suitably strong to resist entry by an unauthorised person, and which is advantageously of a transparent material such as a plastics material.

The housing 1 has an upper compartment 2, serving essentially for bulk tablet storage, a central compartment 3 serving the access to tablets received from the storage compartment, and a lower compartment 4 serving as a collecting compartment for any tablets which have remained un-collected in the central access compartment.

At an end of the housing 1 there is a further section 5 which houses an electronic timer and actuating means for various movable items to be described. If the timer and actuating means are to be battery-operated, a part of the section 5 may serve as a battery compartment.

The upper compartment 5 comprises three cup-like or substantially inverted conical receptacles 6 which may each conveniently be moulded in plastics material in a single block or each in a separate block 7. The upper wall 8 of the compartment 2, which may be fixed or removable as a whole, is provided with three openings 9 aligned each with a respective one of the receptacles 6, and each opening 9 is fitted with a removable bung 10 to permit insertion of fresh supplies of tablets 11 into the receptacles.

Referring to Figures 3, 4, 5a, 5a, 6a and 6b, each receptacle has at its upper rim a large springloaded iris-type diaphragm 12 which is normally in closed position (Figure 5b) but can be moved to open position (Figure 5a) when required, either by forcing the diaphragm open from above, or by use of any suitable control (not shown). When a quantity of tablets 11 have been inserted in a receptacle 6, the diaphragm 12, in closed position, sits on top of the tablets. The diaphragm, or a part of it, is made of magnetic material and (see Figure 4) an energisable electro-magnetic ring 1 3 is situated about a lower canal 14 through which tablets can fall one at a time from the receptacle.At the lower end of the canal 14 there is disposed a further but smaller iris-type diaphragm 15 (Figures 6a, 6b) which is springloaded into closed position, and thus normally prevents the lowermost tablet 11 falling out of the lower end of the canal 14. The smaller diaphragm 1 5 is likewise of magnetic material, or a part of it is of magnetic material. When the electro-magnetic ring 13 is energised, both the upper diaphragm 12 and the lower diaphragm 15 are simultaneously opened, by magnetic attraction, with the result that (a) the upper diaphragm 12 bears down on the tablets 11 in the receptacle 6 and urges them smoothly downwards towards the canal 14, and (b) the lower end of the canal 14 is opened long enough for a single tablet 11 (only) to fall through into the central compartment 3.The tablet 11 which has emerged from the canal 14 is replaced by another from the stock in the upper part of the receptacle.

Each of the receptacles 6 is of smaller construction and operation to that described, so that there is a possibility of a tablet being dropped from each of them into the central compartment 3 each time the respective electromagnetic rings 13 are energised. The rings 13 are under the control of a timer (not shown) included in the section 5 of the housing 1, and the timer can be set to energise any required combination of the rings 13, and any number of times at any one point in time, e.g. there may be delivered a single tablet from two of the receptacles 6, but three from the third one.

The tablets 11 received from the respective receptacles fall onto a base, of the central compartment 3, constituted by two leaves 16, 16 each hinged at 17 and 'urged by spring-loading to normally assume a horizontal position. Each leaf 16, 16 is made wholly or partly of magnetic material. In the base 1 8 of the housing 1 there is mounted an electro-magnetic circuit 19 positioned so that, upon energising of the circuit, the leaves 16, 16 will be attracted downwardly, against their spring-loading, to the inclined position shown in broken line in Figure 3. This causes any un-retrieved tablets to slide down into the lower compartment 4 where they can remain for subsequent collection by a qualified attendant.

For this purpose, the base 18 of the housing 1 is provided with an opening 20 closed by a removable bung 21.

The tablets which have been delivered into the central compartment 3 are those which it is intended shall be retrieved by a patient. For this purpose; the front wall of the housing 1 has an opening 22 large enough for the hand to be inserted. The opening 22 is provided with a slidable shutter 23 which can be moved to left and to right in suitable grooves, and has a bent-up portion 24 at one end to assist moving it by hand.

At an adjacent position on the front wall.there is provided a-red warning light 25 which is controlled by the timer and which is arranged to become illuminated when the time for taking the tablet(s) in the central compartment 3 has arrived.

This red light could be replaced by, or supplemented with, an audible warning device.

The shutter 23 may have an electricallyoperable catch (not shown) which is only released whilst the warning light 25 or audible warning device is operative.

The dispenser 23 as a whole is advantageously placed in a carrier case 26 (see Figure 2) which has a front opening 27 to provide access to the shutter 23 and to reveal the warning light 25. An openable top portion 28 is releasably closed by means of a sliding clasp fastener 29 which is preferably lockable, e.g. with a small padlock applied at the tag 30.

The timer can be arranged to operate at suitable intervals, for example at up to four or more different times of the day. The actuating means, controlled by the timer, can be adjusted to cause operation of the tablet-releasing means of any selected one(s) of the receptacles 6, so that the required tablet or tablets are delivered to the central compartment 3 at the required times. It will be appreciated that any desired permutation of tablet(s), quantities of each tablet, and timing, can be set up, according to the dosage required.

The tablet or tabrets only become available at specific times of the time, and for only a certain period of accessibility as determined by the timer/actuator. When the tablet(s) become available, the light or acoustic warning is given to the patient, who can then obtain access by sliding the shutter 22 to open position. Preferably the shutter is spring-urged to closed position, or electronically operated to return it to closed position. If the patient fails to take the tablet at the required time, that is to say during the period permitted by the timer, the leaves 16, 16 are operated after a suitable interval, say 1-4 hours, to permit the tablet(s) to fall into the lower compartment 4, to which the patient has not access. The light or acoustic warning also goes "off". This will prevent double dosing, and a doctor, nurse or pharmacist can also assess, from the contents of the lower compartment 4, on how many occasions the patient has omitted to take the tablet(s). In practice this could be checked at, say, weekly intervals.

With the carrier case 26 locked, no unauthorised person can vary the timing or the number of allocation of different tablets, nor can they have access to any tablet except at an authorised time.

It is anticipated that the device will be of use with all patients who require long-term drug treatments, and particularly so with elderly patients, or patients with limited intelligence, or dementia, or epilepsy, or patients who tend to be suicidal. This should also be helpful to patients with limited eyesight or complete blindness.

Claims (10)

Claims

1. A device, for dispensing tablets for medical purposes, comprising a housing having a tabletaccess compartment and a lower tablet-collecting compartment, at least one tablet-storing means disposed in the housing and communicating with the tablet-access compartment, tablet releasing means normally preventing passage of tablets from the tablet-storing means to the tabletaccess compartment, tablet-supporting means normally supporting in the tablet-access compartment any tablet received therein and preventing it from passing to the tablet-collecting compartment, and means for timed actuation of said tablet-releasing means and of said tabletsupporting means.

2. A device, as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the or each tablet-storing means has a tablet-urging means for urging successive tablets towards the tablet-access compartment, said tablet-urging means being actuated in timed relationship with the tablet-releasing means and the tabletsupporting means.

3. A device, as claimed in Claim 2 wherein the tablet-releasing means and/or the tablet-urging means is an iris-type diaphragm actuatable against resilient loading.

4. A device, as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the tablet-supporting means comprises at least one pivoted leaf forming a part of a base of the tablet-access compartment, said leaf being resiliently loaded to a tablet-supporting position but being actuatable out of that position to permit to tablet to fall into the tablet-collecting compartment.

5. A device, as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the tablet-releasing means and/or the tablet-supporting means and/or the tablet-urging means, where included, are electrically actuatable.

6. A device, as claimed in Claim 5, wherein the actuation is electro-magnetic.

7. A device, as claimed in either of Claims 5 and 6 wherein an electrically-operated timer and electrical actuating means are incorporated in the housing.

8. A device, as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, including a warning device having timed actuation.

9. In combination, a dispensing device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, and a lockable enclosure having an opening providing access only to the tablet-access compartment.

10. A dispensing device, or the combination of Claim 9, substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.