JP2009542532A - Container with support device to indicate when it was last taken or when it should be taken next - Google Patents

Abstract

  The present invention relates to a container for a solid or liquid, the container comprising a hollow main body for holding the contents, a lid for cooperating with the main body to close the container, and the last or next dose. A compliance support device for indicating when to do. The compliance support device has a movable first part and a fixed second part. When the lid part moves relative to the hollow body part, the first part automatically moves to a new indicated position in the second part.

Description

  The present invention relates to tablets or liquid storable containers used, for example, in the pharmaceutical industry, and in particular to adherence attached to such containers to indicate when it is last taken or when it should be taken next time. ) Regarding support devices.

  Regardless of the medication prescribed by the doctor or over-the-counter medication, most medications are more effective when taken at the time prescribed or recommended by the physician, pharmacist and / or pharmaceutical company. By complying with these dosing instructions, the desired sufficient efficacy of the drug can be obtained. Many prescription drugs are less effective if they are not taken at certain regular intervals, or if they are not taken according to the prescription. However, people who have been prescribed these drugs may not clearly remember when they last took it or when they should take it for one or more reasons. If the patient is not sure about taking a drug, the patient will be anxious about the next dose, fearing overdose or underdose. These problems are unpleasant and can be a serious concern depending on the target drug.

  US Pat. No. 6,152,067 and International Patent Application Publication No. WO2005 / 023173 describe a prior art drug volume alert device (drug volume reminder device) attached to a drug container device. These devices are separate devices formed, for example, by paper, cardboard or plastic sheet material, mounted or attached to the container device. This attachment operation may involve another operation to be done by the packaging and / or labeling process or by the patient himself. In addition, the alert device may be damaged during normal operation of the container device, such as when it is in a handbag or user pocket, due to the material used or attached to the outside of the container. There is. Thus, the known device configurations are not particularly rugged and have microparts that have proved difficult to handle, especially for elderly patients or patients with rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis or other limb disorders. is there.

  U.S. Pat. No. 2,636,469 relates to a capsule removal container, in particular a removal container that records the last removal. The take-out container is divided into two parts (compartments), one of which is relatively large and is intended to accommodate the article to be administered, the other of which is relatively small and has one or several stages. It is intended to shield and protect the stepped wheel. The patient compliance support apparatus includes a wheel for instructing specific data to be periodically displayed through a window portion visible from the outside of the extraction container. The problem with this solution is that the construction of the container device consisting of several parts is complicated and requires a lot of assembly work. A further problem is that since the prescribed dosing interval is displayed on the wheel itself, different withdrawal containers must be made depending on the dosing interval.

U.S. Patent No. 6,152,067 International Patent Application Publication No. WO2005 / 023173 U.S. Pat.No. 2,636,469

  An object of the present invention is a container that eliminates or reduces the problems of known devices, and includes a simple and effective means including a time indicating unit for indicating when the last dose or the next dose should be taken. The object is to provide a container with a compliance support device. Such compliance support devices are especially important for elderly patients with weak memory and for taking a large number of medications.

  It is a further object of the present invention to provide a robust and elderly friendly compliance support device that is easy to handle and operate, especially for elderly patients and patients with handicapped hands.

  The above-described object is achieved by providing the following container, which is a container for a solid or a liquid, and includes a hollow main body part for holding contents, and a container in cooperation with the main body part. A closing lid and a compliance support device for indicating when it was last taken or when it should be taken next. The compliance support device has a movable first part and a fixed second part. When the lid part moves relative to the hollow body part, the first part automatically moves to a new indicated position in the second part.

  The main advantage of the present invention is to provide a container with a compliance support device that is robust and easy to handle, since the compliance support device automatically moves to a new indicated position in the second part.

  According to at least one embodiment of the invention, when the lid of the container is opened or closed, the first part automatically moves to a new indicated position in the second part. In this way, the patient does not have to move the first part of the compliance support device without forgetting, which is particularly useful for the elderly.

  According to at least one embodiment of the invention, the second part is time indicating means for indicating when it was last taken or when it should be taken next.

  According to at least one embodiment of the invention, the time indicating means of the second part is a part incorporated in the hollow body part.

  According to at least one embodiment of the present invention, the second part is a relief provided on the surface of the hollow body part.

  According to at least one embodiment of the present invention, the second part is a label provided on the hollow body, and the time indicating means for indicating when the label is last taken or when it should be taken next is provided. Have. By providing the second part as a label on the hollow body part, even when different dosing times and / or dosing instructions are different, the time indicating means can be selected and handled using the same container configuration. .

  According to at least one embodiment of the invention, the second part includes a sign indicating the day of the week and / or time.

  According to at least one embodiment of the invention, the second part includes a sign indicating day and / or night.

  According to at least one embodiment of the present invention, a portion of the first portion is disposed inside the hollow body portion. Since a part of the first part of the compliance support device is disposed inside the hollow main body, the device can be made robust and reliable in use. There is also less risk of tampering.

  According to at least one embodiment of the invention, a portion of the first portion penetrates the wall of the container and is exposed to the user.

  According to at least one embodiment of the present invention, the first part has an indicator for indicating the time indicating means of the second part in a part penetrating the wall of the container.

  According to at least one embodiment of the present invention, the first part is a means for engaging a part of the lid part, and the first part is moved to a new designated position as the lid part of the container is opened and closed. Have something to move. With this configuration, the first portion can be automatically moved to the new designated position.

  According to at least one embodiment of the present invention, the first portion is a circular indicator wheel, and a plurality of teeth are provided on the entire circumference of the indicator wheel.

  In accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a compliance support device for a container, etc., which device is movable to indicate when it was last taken or when it should be taken next. 1 part and the fixed 2nd part which exists on a container, and when a cover part moves with respect to a hollow main-body part, a 1st part will automatically move to the new indication position in the 2nd part fixed .

It is a perspective view of a container with a dose compliance support device. It is a perspective view of the container with the dosing compliance assistance device which concerns on another embodiment. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a first portion of a compliance support device. It is a perspective view of the container containing a cover part and a hollow main-body part, fractures | ruptures a hollow main-body part and illustrates a medication compliance assistance device in detail.

  For illustrative purposes, embodiments according to the present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a container for a solid or liquid comprising a compliance support device according to the present invention. The container has a hollow main body portion 2 for holding the contents, a lid portion 3 that closes the container in cooperation with the main body portion, and a compliance compliance device for instructing when the last dose or the next dose should be taken 4 and 5. The compliance support device includes a movable first part 4 and a fixed second part 5. In one embodiment according to the present invention, a part of the first part 4 is disposed inside the hollow body 2 and another part penetrates the wall of the container and is exposed to the user. It is configured. The first part 4 is movable with respect to the hollow body part. The second part of the compliance support device is an instruction means when taking, and may be a part incorporated in the container or the hollow main body. Usually, the second part is arranged close to the first part. The second part 5 of the compliance support device is also a means such as a label provided on the container or the hollow main body. In FIG. 1, the second part is illustrated as a relief sign provided on a component of the hollow body, and shows the day of the week and the day of the week indicating different times of the day such as morning, noon or night. Is displayed. The second part 5 is illustrated in a further embodiment in FIG. 2 and has the form of a label on the surface of the hollow body 2. This label has a sign indicating when it was last taken or when it should be taken next, ie day of the week and / or time. Furthermore, the second part 5 may also indicate the dose size to be taken, such as the number of tablets. There are several advantages to configuring the second part as text, numbers, signs on a label that is mounted on the wall of the container. First, it is possible to select an appropriate time indicating means that is a dosing interval from a great number of possibilities. Second, a single container can be used to accommodate different drugs and other products, and a label appropriate to the particular product dose interval and / or patient can be selected. The second portion 5 may be a combination of a display unit incorporated in the hollow main body and a label having a time instruction unit.

  FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the first part, wherein the first part 4 is a circular indicating wheel and has a plurality of teeth 6 arranged on the peripheral edge thereof. A part of the instruction wheel exposed to the user is provided with an indicator 8 that indicates an intended time designation portion displayed in the second part. The indicator 8 is an arrow or a suitable symbol formed on the indicator wheel, for example as a groove, a protrusion or a printed symbol in a component of the indicator wheel. The shape, size and location of the teeth 6 naturally depend on the form and size of the contents of the container in which the first part is disposed.

  4, the first part 4 of the compliance support device is shown in more detail and the components of the container are partially broken away. The peripheral edge of the indicating wheel 4, that is, the tooth 6 is disposed inside the hollow main body 2 and engages with a protrusion 9 below the lid 3, and the central portion of the indicating wheel 4 is the wall of the container And is exposed to the user. Since the indication wheel 4 is disposed and attached so as to penetrate the wall portion of the container 1, it can slide in a slot integrally formed in the molded hollow body portion. The slot has an opening at an upper portion thereof, and a wheel is inserted from the opening. The wheel can be accurately positioned by the recess provided in the hollow main body. The central portion of the wheel that protrudes through the hollow body portion is somewhat convex and is substantially fitted in the recess, but can rotate and move to a new indicated position. The central part of the indicator wheel functions as the wheel axis of rotation, provides a more integrated design with fewer components and requires only a few parts, ensuring a more efficient assembly process It is. Similarly, the support member 7 is disposed below the lid portion and adjacent to the protruding portion 9. An inversion prevention block 10 is disposed in the hollow body so that the support wheel can move in only one direction. If for some reason the compliance support device is accidentally moved to a new indicated position, or if the indicator needs to be reset, the user must open the lid manually or manually. The first part can be corrected by moving it to the correct position.

  With reference to FIG. 4, the operation function of the compliance support device will be described below. By pressing the button 11 on the top of the container, the lid 3 of the container is opened, and at the same time, the lid is slid in the direction of the arrow displayed on the top of the lid, and the lid is turned upside down. The protrusion 9 disposed below the lid engages with the teeth 6 of the indication wheel 4. As the lid slides, the projection 9 pushes the teeth 6 and the wheel moves a predetermined distance counterclockwise in the illustrated embodiment to a new indicated position. When the support member 7 engages with the teeth 6 of the indicator wheel to push the wheel forward, the support member 7 stabilizes and supports the protrusion 9. At this time, the container is turned upside down so that the user can take out a single dose, and the protrusion 9 again engages the teeth 6 of the indicating wheel. The protrusion is slightly curved so that the teeth 6 can be passed over (passed through) when the lid moves back to the closed state. Since the indicating wheel is fixed by the inversion preventing block 10 disposed in the hollow main body portion, it is maintained in a state of being moved when the lid portion is opened. That is, the wheel can move only in one direction. In the illustrated embodiment, the first portion of the compliance support device moves when the lid is opened. However, it should be understood that the first portion of the compliance support device may rather be configured to move when the lid is closed.

  Furthermore, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but can be modified in a number of ways without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

1: container, 2: hollow body part, 3: lid part, 4: first part (medication compliance support device), 5: second part (medication compliance support device), 6: teeth of indicator wheel, 8: indicator, 9: Projection, 10: Inversion prevention block, 11: Button.

Claims (14)

A container for solid or liquid,
A hollow body for holding the contents;
A lid that closes the container in cooperation with the body,
A compliance support device to indicate when it is last taken or when it should be taken next,
The compliance support device has a movable first part and a fixed second part,
A container wherein the first part automatically moves to a new indicated position in the second part when the lid part moves relative to the hollow body part.   The container according to claim 1, wherein the first part automatically moves to a new indicated position in the second part when the lid of the container is opened or closed.   The container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second part is time indicating means for indicating when the medicine is last taken or when it should be taken next.   4. The container according to claim 3, wherein the time indicating means of the second part is a part incorporated in the hollow main body.   The container according to claim 3, wherein the second part is a relief provided on the surface of the hollow body part.   The container according to claim 3, wherein the second part is a label provided on the hollow main body part, and has time indicating means for indicating when the label is last taken or when it should be taken next. .   The container according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the time indicating means of the second part includes a sign indicating the day of the week and / or time.   The container according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the time indicating means of the second part includes a sign indicating day and night.   The container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a part of the first portion is disposed inside the container.   The container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a part of the first portion penetrates the wall portion of the container and is exposed to the user.   11. The container according to claim 10, wherein the first part has an indicator for indicating the time indicating means of the second part in a part penetrating the wall of the container.   The first part is a means for engaging with a part of the lid part, and has means for moving the first part until a new designated position is reached as the lid part of the container is opened and closed. Or the container of 2.   The container according to claim 12, wherein the first portion is a circular indicating wheel, and a plurality of teeth are provided on the entire circumference of the indicating wheel. A compliance support device for containers,
Having a movable first part for indicating when it is last taken or when it should be taken next and a fixed second part on the container;
A compliance support device that automatically moves to a new designated position in a second part where the first part is fixed when the lid part moves relative to the hollow body part.

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