GB2179919A - Medicament container with alarm - Google Patents

Abstract

A medicament container, primarily intended for carrying on the person, has a tray portion and a hinged cover portion (2) which bound at least one compartment for medicament. A timer-operable alarm system (5) includes an alarm cancelling control which cannot be operated, to cancel the alarm function, other than as a result of opening of the container, or preparing for its opening by releasing a latching or locking means (4). Provision may be made for deferment temporarily of the alarm function, and for its repetition one or more times. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Medicament container with alarm This invention relates to a medicament container and, whilst not limited to such use, is primarily intended to be of such compact dimensions as to permit it to he carried readily on the person, e.g. in a pocket or handbag.

Many people need to take a medicament at regular intervals, and must have a supply readily available and must remember, or be reminded, when the time comes to take the medicament.

The object of the present invention is to provide a medicament container which incorporates an alarm operated by a timer, the arrangement being such that once the alarm has commenced operation its alarm function cannot be cancelled, or finally cancelled at a specific occasion, unless the container is opened or at least has a latching or locking means released in preparation for opening of the container.

According to the present invention a medicament container comprises a tray portion and a cover portion which are relatively moveable into open and closed positions, and a timeroperable alarm system including a cancelling control which cannot be operated, to cancel the alarm, other than as a result of opening or preparing for opening of the tray and cover portions. Usually, the alarm will be audible, but other types of alarm, for example optical or vibratory, can be used.

The tray and cover portions may be strongly resiliently urged towards closed position, in order to remain normally firmly closed, but in a preferred arrangement the tray and cover portions have means for latching or locking them in the closed position.

Advantageously, such latching or locking means are made so far as possible "childproof", e.g. by the provision of moveable latch or lock members requiring relatively complex motions and/or requiring adult manual strength to move them.

In a first form of the medicament container, the alarm cancelling control is operated upon release of the latching or locking means, e.g.

by providing a mechanical connection between a moveable member of the latch or lock and a control component of the alarm system.

In a second form of the medicament container, the alarm cancelling control is operated upon movement of the tray and cover portions towards open position, e.g. by providing a mechanical connection between one such portion and a control component of the alarm system on the other such portion.

In a third form of the medicament container, movement of the tray and cover portions into open position provides access to the alarm cancelling control, e.g. uncovers a control component of the alarm system for operation, say by the user's finger.

The situation may arise that the alarm system commences to operate at a moment when the user does not wish immediately to open the container and take the medicament.

In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the alarm system provides for single or multiple deferment or repetition of its alarm function. Thus, the user may turn off the alarm momentarily, or for say a maximum of a few minutes, but the alarm will then again commence operation, and cannot be finally silenced (that is to say for that specific occasion of medicament taking) unless the container is opened or its latching or locking means released preparatory to opening.

In a preferred form of construction, the tray portion and the cover portion are hinged together. Conveniently, the tray portion and cover portion, when in closed position, together bound a plurality of compartments. It may be that the user has to have available two or more kinds of medicament and/or of different dimensions, e.g. tablets, capsules, substances in ampoules, and also small appliances such as phials, syringes etc. To accomodate such materials, it may be convenient to have at least one such compartment of greater volume than another such compartment.

The tray portion and the cover portion may readily be manufactured as mouldings of plastics material, and may incorporate an integral hinge.

A user who is obliged to take a medicament at intervals through the day, or week, can thus carry the container and rely upon its alarm system to alert him at appropriate times. The alarm cannot be shut off, or finally shut off, unless and until the user has taken steps to open the container, so that inadvertent failure to take the medicament by memory lapse is avoided. Very small electronic alarm systems, operated by a self-contained battery and/or a solar cell, are readily available commercially, and can include means for timesetting, period adjustment, and delay/repetition operation if required.

In order that the nature of the invention may be readily ascertained, an embodiment of tablet container in accordance therewith is hereinafter particularly described with reference to the figures of the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a plan view of the container, seen in closed condition; Figure 2 is a front elevation of the container, in closed condition; Figure 3 is a side elevation of the container, in closed condition; Figure 4 is a plan view of the exterior of the container, seen in open condition; Figure 5 is a plan view of the interior of the container, seen in open condition, in a first form; Figure 6 is a plan view of the interior of the container, seen in open condition, in a second slightly modified form.

The container comprises a tray 1 and a cover 2 which are hinged at 3 for opening, preferably to the full extent seen in Figure 4.

The hinge 3 may be an attached hinge, or may be formed integrally with the tray and cover, e.g. as a moulding of plastics material.

Centrally along the free edge of the cover 2 there is positioned a catch 4 which can serve to retain the container in closed condition. The catch 4 is shown only schematically, and could be of many different kinds of construction, e.g. so as to provide a totally smooth external contour for the container. A preferred form of catch has a release member in the form of a strip which is slideable longitudinally on the tray to release one or more detents on the cover.

Advantageously, the catch 4 is constructed so as to be difficult for a child to operate, whilst being easily within the skill of an adult.

Provision may also be made to associate the catch with the timing mechanism, to be described later herein, so that the container may only be opened at particular times.

The cover 2 incorporates a control panel 5 for an audible alarm system of the container.

The alarm system comprises a timer, which may be a simple electronic timer, or preferably an electronic alarm clock with the usual controls for setting time, duration, date, and a display selector, plus a light to indicate operation. A receptacle, not shown, is provided for a small battery to power the system.

The catch 4 includes, or is mechanically connected to, a switch incorporated in the timer. The basic arrangement is that when the timer sets off the alarm, the alarm cannot be turned off except by the act of opening the container using the catch. The switch may alternatively be mechanically coupled to the tray and cover of the container, so that the act of opening the container serves to operate the switch to turn off the alarm. A simple arrangement could include a switch having an operating member which is resiliently loaded to a projecting position, and which is held in a compressed condition whilst the container is closed but becomes released as soon as the container is opended.

The alarm system may simply provide a single continuing period of alarm, during which it can be cancelled by opening of the container.

However, in an alternative, the alarm may have a control which permits the user to cancel the alarm without opening the container, but the alarm will then repeat its operation after a suitable short interval, say five minutes.

This facility may be used more than once, but the alarm cannot be finally turned off until the container has been opened.

The container is intended to carry medicament(s) which the user needs to take at intervals. Referring now to Figures 5 and 6, there are shown two internal structures, for the container, which differ only in minor details of shaping. In each case, the tray 1 is formed with a larger compartment 6, and three smaller trough-like compartments 7. The cover 2 is formed with a larger compartment 6a, so that the compartments 6, 6a together provide a relatively large space for a bulky article, e.g. a phial or small syringe. The cover 2 is also formed with a flat area 7a which, in the closed condition of the container, overlies the troughs 7 to retain pills or the like safely in position.

Claims (12)

1. A medicament container comprising a tray portion and a cover portion which are relatively moveable into open and closed positions, and a timer-operable alarm system including a cancelling control which cannot be operated, to cancel the alarm, other than as a result of opening or preparing for opening of the tray and cover portions.

2. A medicament container as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the alarm is an audible alarm.

3. A medicament container, as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the tray portion and cover portion have means for latching or locking them in closed position.

4. A medicament container as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the cancelling control is operated upon release of the latching or locking means.

5. A medicament container as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the cancelling control is operated upon movement of the tray and cover portions towards open position.

6. A medicament container as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein movement of the tray and cover portions into open position provides access to the cancelling control.

7. A medicament container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the alarm system provides far single or multiple deferment or repetition of its audible alarm function.

8. A medicament container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the tray portion and cover portion are hinged together.

9. A medicament container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the tray portion and cover portion, when in closed position, together bound a plurality of compartments.

10. A medicament container as claimed in Claim 9, wherein at least one compartment is of greater volume than another such compartment.

11. A medicament container as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the tray portion and cover portion are mouldings of plastics material. cancelling control.

12. A medicament container as claimed in Claim 1 and substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.