IL147206A - Tablet dispenser - Google Patents

Description

TABLET DISPENSER Tablet Dispenser Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improved device for dispensing tablets individually.

Background of the Invention Medication, saccharin, vitamins and mineral supplements are frequently packaged as pills or tablets to enable the easy and reliable provision of exact dosages. Many packaging means that allow single pills or tablets to be dispensed individually have been disclosed. These include blister-packaging for example. Other means for dispensing tablets individually, that are particularly suitable for saccharin tablets and similar disk shaped tablets, are the many dispensers of the art, that release saccharin tablets individually in response to a push button being depressed, or a slide being slid.

The purpose of such devices is to reliably dispense whole tablets individually, without their being damaged. Preferably, when dispensing saccharin for example, the tablets can be released straight into a cup of tea or other beverage, without the tablets being physically touched. Dispensing tablets without their being physically handled is more hygienic, and is also more pleasant and convenient. Some tablets, such as saccharin tablets for example, tend to leave traces on the fingers. Small objects such as tablets are difficult to handle, are easily dropped and are difficult to pick up. Use of a dispenser makes their handling very much easier.

Individual tablet dispensers in general, and saccharin dispensers in particular, though widespread, nevertheless, have various problems associated with them. Some are awkward to use, and pick up. Others are unreliable, sometimes releasing two or more tablets at once, instead of the desired single tablet. A widespread problem with dispensers is that the dispensing drawers usually have some means for holding back the bulk of tablets, apart from the one to be dispensed, and these are often crumbled, broken or otherwise damaged. Damaged tablets may result in only part of a dosage being released, or more than a single dosage being released.

Of the many dispensers disclosed in the crowded prior art, of particular interest are US 5,351,858, US 4,492,316, US 4230236 and US 4,564,124.

US 5,351,858 discloses a tablet dispenser with a tablet storage compartment having a thickness only slightly greater than the thickness of the tablets dispensed therefrom. The tablets remain aligned, and correctly oriented for dispensing in a single layer. This provides the dispenser with a narrow profile and makes it ideal for carrying in a pocket or the like. The storage capacity of the dispenser is, however, small and needs frequent replacement or refilling. Additionally, when such a dispenser is placed on a tabletop or similar surface, it is very difficult to pick up by virtue of its flatness.

US 4,492,316 describes a dispenser having a reservoir containing a large number of randomly oriented tablets and a horizontally moving slider member located under the reservoir. The tablets are oriented with their edges in a downward orientation so that they can enter the dispensing passageway. The edge-downward orientation of the tablets is accomplished by the horizontal movement of a serrated portion on the slider member as it moves back and forth. The tablets in the reservoir are thus scraped against each other and against the serrated portion of the slider prior to their entering the dispensing passageway. Within the dispensing passageway, the tablets move back and forth, and are thus further scraped against each other and against the casing being frequently damaged by this scraping wear. This is particularly pronounced with fragile tablets, such as those made from saccharin.

US 4,230,236 describes a tablet dispenser with a slidably mounted inner portion that slides vertically, and is supported and returned by a vertical, helical spring. The spring has to take the weight of both the sliding part and of all the tablets therein, and is unreliable and subject to breakage. Moreover, the helical springs illustrated in the embodiments are separate pieces, and thus increase the number of moving parts.

US 4,564,124 to Burton describes a tablet dispenser that has a slidably mounted inner portion that slides vertically, and is supported and returned to its non-operative position by a pair of leaf springs. Since the springs have to take the weight of both the sliding part and of all the tablets therein, they have a tendency to break. Two leaf springs are required, and if one of them fails, or is substantially stronger than the other, the mechanism has a tendency to jam.

Many of the other tablet dispensers of the prior art are, by virtue of their sophisticated construction, inherently expensive. Others are unreliable.

Thus, there is still a need for a reliable, practical, inexpensive tablet dispenser, and it is to fulfilling this need that the present invention is addressed.

Summary of the Invention It is an object of the present invention, to provide a tablet dispenser that reliably releases tablets individually, without their being contacted by the operator.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a reliable tablet dispenser, having a simple mechanism and with a minimal number of discrete components, being inexpensive to manufacture.

Another object of the invention is to provide a compact, ergonomic, freestanding tablet dispenser without sharp corners, which may be easily carried in a pocket, or handbag.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a tablet dispenser that is refillable.

According to the present invention there is thus provided a tablet dispenser comprising: a) a housing; 0 b) a cover for said housing; c) a horizontally sliding dispensing mechanism held within the housing; said housing having a bottom base with a dispensing hole, two side walls, two edge walls, and an open top, the bottom corner of the walls along one edge being cut away; said housing providing an upper chamber for storing tablets and a lower chamber for housing the said dispensing mechanism, with an opening linking the said chambers, said dispensing mechanism comprising a mechanism block element whose width plus the width of a tablet is slightly less than the width of the lower housing chamber, the mechanism base element containing a push button at one end and a leaf spring at the other end, a first fixed tablet stop protruding from a side at the bottom of the mechanism base, an elbow shaped leaf spring protruding from the same side of the mechanism base having one leg attached to the mechanism base and the other free leg extending to form a resilient second tablet stop perpendicular to the mechanism base above the first tablet stop, the combined width of the mechanism base element and each tablet stop corresponding substantially to the width of the lower chamber, wherein the space between the mechanism base element and the lower chamber side wall forms a dispensing chute between the upper tablet storing chamber and the dispensing hole at the base of the housing, said dispensing chute being blockable by the tablet stops.

Brief Description of the Drawings For a better understanding of the invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 shows a tablet dispenser in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross-section of the tablet dispenser of Fig. 1, viewed from the left along line BB.

Figure 3 is an isometric view of the inner left housing side of the dispenser shown in Fig. 1.

Figure 4 is an isometric view of the inner right housing side of the dispenser shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is an isometric projection of the cover of the embodiment of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is an isometric projection of the dispensing mechanism of the invention, viewed from the right.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the dispensing mechanism of Figure 6.

Fig. 8 is a right side elevation of the dispensing mechanism of Figure 6.

Fig. 9 is a back elevation of the dispensing mechanism of Figure 6.

Fig. 10 is a cut-away of the dispenser with the dispensing mechanism assembled therein in a non-dispensing orientation.

Fig. 11 is a cut-away of the dispenser with the dispensing mechanism assembled therein in a dispensing orientation.

For ease of comprehension, similar parts are labeled in a similar manner in all Figures.

Description of the Preferred Embodiments Reference is now made to Figs. 1 and 2, which show a tablet dispenser 10 in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention constructed from four parts, a left housing side 12, a right housing side 14, a cover 16 and a dispensing mechanism 18. The interior of the dispenser comprises an upper chamber 20 for storing tablets, and a lower chamber 22 for holding the dispensing mechanism 18. The dispensing mechanism 18, has a push button 24, which protrudes from the lower chamber 22 through cut away bottom corners 26 on both left and right housing sides 12 and 14. Pressing the push button 24 laterally causes the dispensing mechanism 18 to slide inwards, into the lower chamber 22. On one side of the dispensing mechanism 18, there is a dispensing chute 28 through which tablets may be dispensed. At the bottom of the chute 28 there is a dispensing hole 25 which is blocked by a first tablet stop 27, which is a tab protruding from the dispensing mechanism 18. A second tablet stop 29, which will be described in more detail with respect of Figure 6, also blocks the dispensing chute 28, some distance up form the dispensing hole 25.

Reference is now made to Figure 3, which shows the left housing side 12. This has an inner surface 30, a base 32, a front wall 34, a back wall 36 and an upper wall 38. A front divider-shelf 40 protrudes from the front wall 34 and inner surface 30 and curves downward 41 at its inner end. A back divider-shelf 42 protrudes from the back wall 36 and inner surface 30 and terminates with a downward extension 44. The divider shelves 40, 42 divide between the upper chamber 20 and the lower chamber 22 (Fig.2) and span the depth of the left housing side 12. The upper wall 38 has a cut out section 46 that forms an aperture, when assembled, for introducing tablets into the dispenser 10. The front and back walls 34, 36 have a plurality of spaced apart reinforcing ribs 48 on their inner surfaces. A tab 49 on the inner housing side 12 under the upper wall 38 is provided to hold the cover 16 in place (not shown).

Reference is now made to Figure 4, which is the right housing side 14. This side has an inner surface 50, a base 52, a front wall 54, a back wall 56 and an upper wall 58. A front divider-shelf 60 protrudes from the front wall 54 and inner surface 50. A back divider-shelf 62 protrudes from the back wall 56 and inner surface 50 and has a downward extension which ends in a sloping funneling section 64 having a width slightly wider than the width of the tablets to be dispensed, but less than their diameters. The divider shelves 60, 62 divide between the upper chamber 20 and the lower chamber 22 which houses the dispensing mechanism 18, and span the depth of the right side housing 14. The downwardly sloping funneling section 64 terminates in a back chute-wall 66 of similar thickness to that of funneling section 64, and extends downwards towards the base 52, running perpendicularly to it.

The front divider-shelf 60 extends sloping downwards as funneling section 68 and terminates in a leaf spring engaging knob 65. Under the leaf spring engaging knob 65, there is a gap 67, beneath which there is a front chute-wall 69. The downwardly sloping funneling section 68, the leaf spring engaging knob 65, and the front chute-wall 69 have substantially the same thickness as the downwardly sloping funneling section 64, that is, more than the thickness of the tablets to be dispensed, but less than their diameters. The space between the back chute-wall 66 and the front chute-wall 69 defines the chute 28. Chute 28 has a width of slightly greater than the diameter of a tablet, and a depth, defined by the thickness of the chute-walls 66, 69, being between the thickness and the diameter of the tablets to be dispensed.

At the end of the chute 28, within the base 52, there is a break-off tab 63 that is attached, on one side only, to the bottom edge of the inner surface 50 of the right housing side 14. Breaking off tab 63 provides the dispensing hole 25 (Fig. 1 1). The upper wall 58 has cut out section 46A, which together with cut out section 46 form an aperture for introducing tablets into the dispenser 10. There is also a tab 49 A under the upper wall 58 to engage catches 72 (only one is shown) of cover 16 (Fig. 5).

Fig. 5 shows the cover 16 of a preferred embodiment. From the interior of cover 16 there extend two vertical catches 72 that snap onto tabs 49 and 49A of housing sides 12, 14 to hold the cover in place.

Reference is now made to Figures 6-9, which illustrate the dispensing mechanism 18 of the invention. The dispensing mechanism 18 is a single molded unit comprising a mechanism base element 19, a push button 24 at one end thereof, a leaf spring 80 extending downward at the other end from the back of the upper surface 82 thereof. On one side 84 thereof, the dispensing side, there is a protruding tab which is a first tablet stop 27. A second leaf spring element 86 is attached to the side 84 of the mechanism 18 and is anchored near the inside bottom 87 of the push button 24. Leaf spring 86 is shaped in the form of an elbow 81 to give it greater length and springiness. Spring 86 terminates in a tab 29, which is a second tablet stop. The upper surface 82 of the dispensing mechanism 18 has a feeder ramp 88 thereon for guiding tablets into the chute 28 between the housing side 14 and the dispensing mechanism 18 (Fig. 2).

To assemble the dispenser 10, the left and right housing sides 12 and 14 are press-fitted together with the dispensing mechanism 18 therebetween. The housing sides 12,14 are aligned with the plurality of reinforcing ribs 48 which provide stability against deformation, and press-fitted together to close. The push button 24 protrudes through the cut away corner 26, and the leaf spring 80 contacts the innner back wall 36,56 of the dispenser. After filling the dispenser 10 with the tablets, the cover 16 is placed over the hole 46, 46A where the catches 72 clip onto the tabs 49, 49A to close the dispenser.

Reference is now made to Figs. 10 and 1 1, which illustrate the operation of the dispenser 10. When the push button 24 of dispensing mechanism 18 is pressed laterally, the whole mechanism 18 slides forward within the mechanism housing 22, compressing the leaf spring 80 (Fig. 11). When the force is released, the dispensing mechanism 18 slides back to its initial position in the mechanism housing 22 (Fig. 10), driven by the compression energy released by the leaf spring 80. A small number of tablets 90, 92, 94, and 96 situated within the mechanism housing 22 are also shown, particularly a first tablet 90 and a second tablet 92.

When the push button 24 is pressed, and the dispensing mechanism 18 is slid forwards, the first tablet stop 27 is carried towards the back wall 36, 56, opening the dispensing hole 25 of the dispensing chute 28 and allowing a first tablet 90 to be released. Simultaneously, the second tablet stop 29 slides beneath the leaf spring engaging knob 65 and springingly engages the bottom of a second tablet 92, preventing it from being released, and thereby blocking the chute 28. The upper surface 82 of the dispensing mechanism 18 and the feeder ramp 88 thereon, are carried inwards as the push button 24 is depressed, and carried outwards as it is released. The feeder ramp 88 causes tablets in the bottom part of the upper chamber 20 to be oriented vertically, and carried into the funnel-feeder defined by the downwardly sloping funneling elements 64,68 (Fig. 4) from which they roll, carried by gravity, into the entrance of the chute 28.

The number of tablets within the chute 28 is thus kept constant. The second tablet stop 29 moves inwards through a small gap 67 between the leaf spring engaging knob 65 and the front chute-wall 69, thereby retaining all the tablets within the dispensing mechanism 18, apart from the first one 90. The leaf spring engaging knob 65 contacts the leg 83 of the second leaf springy element 86, thus preventing the second tablet stop 29 from exerting excess pressure on the second tablet 92 and causing damage thereto.

The first tablet stop 27 prevents tablets from being dispensed unless the push button 24 is depressed, carrying the first tablet stop 27 inwards with the dispensing mechanism 18 and thus opening the dispensing hole 25 at the end of the chute 28. However, when the dispensing mechanism 18 is moved inwards by depressing the push button 24, the second tablet stop 29 moves under the second tablet 92, blocks the chute 28, and prevents the tablet from being dispensed. Since the leaf spring engaging knob 65 engages the second leaf spring element 86, the pressure exerted on the second tablet 92 is minimized, significantly reducing the likelihood of damage thereto, and thus minimizes the likelihood of dispensing partial dosages.

It should be noted that because the second leaf spring 86 is elbow shaped 81 and is anchored at only one point 87, its springiness is increased, and therefore, the contact between the tablet stop 29 and the tablet 92 is very gentle. This makes it possible to use the dispenser of this invention with uncoated saccharine tablets which are rather brittle.

There is thus provided a dispensing device that dispenses tablets individually without their being physically handled by the operator, which, because of its simplicity and minimum number of parts is inherently reliable and economical to manufacture.

The design is ergonomic and easily carried in a pocket, or handbag, has no sharp corners, or unnecessary bulk. In some preferred embodiments, the cover 6 can be removed, allowing the dispenser to be refilled.

Claims (5)

Claims

1. A tablet dispenser comprising: a) a housing; b) a cover for said housing; c) a horizontally sliding dispensing mechanism held within the housing; said housing having a bottom base with a dispensing hole, two side walls, two edge walls, and an open top, the bottom corner of the walls along one edge being cut away; said housing providing an upper chamber for storing tablets and a lower chamber for housing the said dispensing mechanism, with an opening linking the said chambers, said dispensing mechanism comprising a mechanism block element whose width plus the width of a tablet is slightly less than the width of the lower housing chamber, the mechanism base element containing a push button at one end and a leaf spring at the other end, a first fixed tablet stop protruding from a side at the bottom of the mechanism base, an elbow shaped leaf spring protruding from the same side of the mechanism base having one leg attached to the mechanism base and the other free leg extending to form a resilient second tablet stop perpendicular to the mechanism base above the first tablet stop, the combined width of the mechanism base element and each tablet stop corresponding substantially to the width of the lower chamber, wherein the space between the mechanism base element and the lower chamber side wall forms a dispensing chute between the upper tablet storing chamber and the dispensing hole at the base of the housing, said dispensing chute being blockable by the tablet stops.

2. A tablet dispenser as in claim 1, wherein the dispensing mechanism comprises a break-away tab that blocks the bottom of the dispensing chute when not broke away.

3. A tablet dispenser as in claim 1, wherein: when the push button of the dispensing mechanism is pressed laterally the first tablet stop is moved to unblock the dispensing hole permitting one tablet in the chute to be dispensed, while the second resilient tablet stop is moved simultaneously to block the dispensing chute and prevent descent of additional tablets, and when the push button is released, the dispensing mechanism returns to its initial position, the second resilient tablet stop unblocks the chute permitting a tablet to pass while the first tablet stop blocks the dispensing hole.

4. A tablet dispenser as in claim 1, wherein the housing is comprised of wall sections that are press-fitted together with the dispensing mechanism held between them.

5. A tablet dispenser as in any of the claims 1-4 as disclosed and illustrated in Figures 1 to 11. AGENT FOR APPLICANT F:\Winword\anne\SPECS\659-01 doc