US20040251165A1

US20040251165A1 - Medication organizer system

Info

Publication number: US20040251165A1
Application number: US10/858,753
Authority: US
Inventors: Nancy Girzaitis
Original assignee: Pfizer Inc
Current assignee: Pfizer Products Inc; Pfizer Inc
Priority date: 2003-06-13
Filing date: 2004-06-02
Publication date: 2004-12-16

Abstract

A medication organizer system includes an arrangement of day of the week containers with each container divided into separate time of the day compartments. Each time of the day compartment has pictorial indicia which readily signifies a specific respective time of the day. A medication dosage instruction sheet is provided with medication/pill identifying pictorial indicia and an imprinted grid which tracts the container and compartment arrangement; the grid having juxtaposed imprinted pictorial indicia corresponding to the compartment pictorial indicia. A sheet of adhesive backed peel-off numerals is provided, whereby a peeled-off numeral corresponding to correct number of prescribed pills is adhesively inserted onto the medication dosage instruction sheet juxtaposed to the grid. The peeled-off numeral signifies the prescribed number of pills are to be taken.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a medication organizer system. Specifically, this invention relates to a medication organizer system particularly suitable for use by persons with limited language skills, limited pharmacology acumen and/or advanced age.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is known in the pillbox art to provide time and day of the week compartments for separately holding pills. The patient or user however requires a certain level of language facility and pharmacology acumen to follow instructions and correctly organize the pills in the appropriate pill box compartments. Such pill box prior art constructions are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,749,085 to Denney, U.S. Pat. No. Des. 393,203 to Saltzman and U.S. Pat. No. 5,558,229 to Halbich.

It is also known in the prior art to provide a pill box holder with separately removable day of the week compartments with each day of the week compartment divided into four separate time of the day compartments imprinted with “MORN”, “NOON”, “EVE” and “BED” designations as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,749,085, to Denney. The Denney pill box holder permits transport of a desired day of the week compartment without transport of the entire week's worth of medication. The elongated ribs hold the compartments in separate spaces, but are not generally sufficient to prevent unwanted removal of the compartments.

It is also known in the prior art to provide information displays in connection with pillbox constructions to assist the user in organizing the medication. Such medication organizers and dispensing systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,464,506 to Welles, U.S. Pat. No. 5,174,451 to Niven, U.S. Pat. No. 4,889,237 to Brandon and U.S. Pat. No. 4,473,156 to Martin. In general, such prior art constructions are used by professional medical care providers and particularly in hospitals and nursing homes. The medication organizers of the Welles and Niven patents exemplify constructions suitable for use by professional medical care providers. These prior art organizers were not generally suitable for use by persons with limited language skills and/or limited pharmacology acumen and/or the elderly.

It is also known in the prior art to provide a guidance/reminder calendar to assist in the administration of medication as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,031,937 to Nellhaus. This Nellhaus guidance/reminder calendar included pictorial time of the day designations and picture stamps reflecting respective units of medication.

The art desires a simplified medication organizer system, which permits a patient or user with limited language skills and/or limited pharmacology acumen and/or the elderly to readily correctly organize diverse medications in the correct respective pill box compartments. The art also desires a system, as immediately aforesaid, which is readily transportable, and particularly so for any particular days of the week, rather than having to transport the entire medication organizer and dispenser system when only one or two days of medication is required and wherein the un-removed compartments remain secured in place

The present invention provides solutions to the aforementioned prior art needs, resolves the aforementioned deficiencies in the prior art constructions, and provides a practical solution to several impediments attendant the aforesaid prior art medication organizers. The present invention provides a practical medication organizer system for persons having limited language skills, limited pharmacology acumen and/or advanced age.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The term “pill” as used hereinbefore and hereinafter throughout the specification and claims refers to any medication or therapeutic intervention in a specific physical form, particularly including, but not limited to, oral administration medicants, e.g., capsules, caplets, pills and the like. The term “pill” also comprises non-oral administration forms of medications, e.g., transdermal patches, and the like.

The medication organizer system includes a plurality of separable day of the week Sunday through Saturday containers or pillboxes. Each pill box is inscribed with the respective day of the week, i.e. “SUN” through “SAT”. Each day of the week container or pill box has walls separating the pill box into several, usually four, time of the day compartments. Each time of the day compartment is imprinted with a respective pictorial, which is readily cognizable as signifying a specific time of the day. The pictorial includes a house, horizon, sun, moon and/or stars. The pictorials are readily cognizable as signifying a specific time of day, such as, morning/daybreak, noon/midday, dusk/early evening and late evening/nighttime/bedtime. The separate time of the day compartments have hinged lids or covers. The respective pictorial is boldly imprinted on the respective compartment covers, and is readily viewable and cognizable by the user.

A medication instructions display is provided as an integral part of the medication organizer system. The medication instructions display may be a plurality of separable pages or paper sheets. One or more grids are imprinted on each sheet. The grid tracts and corresponds to the day of the week and times of the day arrangement of the compartments. The respective day of the week designations “SUN” through “SAT” are imprinted on the sheet juxtaposed to of the grid. Imprinted pictorials corresponding to the time of the day compartment pictorials are juxtaposed to the grid. Medication and pill identifying indicia, such as by way of example, written information, imprinted pictorial and imprinted color indicia are juxtaposed to each grid. The medication provider or user marks the medication and pill identifying indicia, in a simple manner, to specify the prescribed medication and the pill dosage. A paper sheet containing a plurality of adhesive backed peel-off numerals is provided. The healthcare provider peels off the numeral(s) corresponding to the number of pills for a prescribed pill dosage. The peeled-off numeral is adhesively bonded to the sheet, juxtaposed to the grid. The adhesively applied numeral signifies the prescribed number of pills for a specific prescribed medication. The user thereby uses the grid to signify the correct day(s) of the week and time(s) of the day that the prescribed pills are to be administered.

In the aforesaid manner of construction, the user is pictorially and numerically instructed as to the correct dosage for each medication at the correct day and time of the day. A professional healthcare provider may fill in the medication dosage information sheet and grid, and apply the numerals. The patient, even one of limited language skills, limited pharmacology acumen and/or advanced age, may then readily follow the pictorial indicia, the numeral(s), and the grid to place the correct pills in the correct number in the correct day(s) of the week and time(s) of the day compartments. The medication organizer system minimizes, if not eliminates, pill organization errors.

The user, when traveling, may remove any one or more of the day of the week compartments from a carry tray with the pills contained in the compartments. The unremoved compartments remain securely in place by means of opposed short projections integrally formed in the tray. This construction provides a practical readily transportable medication organizer travel system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective partial fragmentary view of the medication organizer system of the present invention; [0013]
FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the tray with the day of the week medication containers as shown in FIG. 1; [0014]
FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the medication directions sheet shown in partial view in FIG. 1; [0015]
FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the adhesive backed peel-off numerals sheet shown in partial view in FIG. 1; [0016]
FIG. 5 is a perspective partial fragment view of a travel bag containing features and elements of the present invention; [0017]
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the invention as shown in FIG. 2; and [0018]
FIG. 7 is a perspective assembly view of the invention as shown in FIG. 6 with one of the day of the week containers removed and with three time of the day compartments uncovered with pills disposed therein.[0019]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the Figures, there is shown the [0020] medication organizer system 10 of the present invention. System 10 includes an array of separate day of the week or daily medication containers 11. Each medication container 11 has a different day of the week designation viz. “SUN” through “SAT” inscribed at top or front position 12. Each medication container 11 is composed of four separate medication compartments 13, 14, 15 and 24. A different pictorial 20, 21, 22 and 23 is imprinted on each respective compartment cover 48, 49, 50 and 51. Each pictorial is comprised of a specific combination of the following images: a house, the horizon, the sun and/or the moon/stars, as best shown in FIG. 2. Pictorial 20 on compartment 13 includes house 16, horizon 17 and sun 18 disposed just above horizon 17. Pictorial 20 signifies dawn, early morning or breakfast time. Pictorial 21 imprinted on compartment 14 includes house 16, horizon 17 and sun 18 disposed directly above house 16. Pictorial 21 signifies midday, noontime or lunchtime. Pictorial 22 on compartment 15 includes house 16, horizon 17 and setting sun 18. Pictorial 22 signifies late afternoon, early evening or dinnertime. Pictorial 23 on compartment 24 includes house 16, horizon 17 and moon 25/stars 26. Pictorial 23 signifies late evening, bedtime or nighttime. Pictorials 20, 21, 22 and 23 are readily cognizable as signifying the afore-discussed respective times of the day.
Referring specifically to FIG. 7, each day of the [0021] week container 11 has a top or cover portion 36, elongated sides 37 and 38, rear 39, front 40 and bottom 41. Three integrally formed transversely disposed walls 47 (typical) separate each container 11 into the four separate time of the day compartment 13, 14, 15 and 24. Each day of the week compartment, 13, 14, 15 and 24, is selectively enclosed by a respective cover 48, 49, 50 and 51. Each cover 48-51 is movably connected to side 38 by integral flexible hinge 52. Each cover 48-51 is formed with a downwardly disposed rectilinear edge 55 and an outwardly extending edge or lip 56. In this manner of construction, the cover is securely press-fitted and removably secured to the respective compartment opening 58 (typical), with edge 55 press-fitted into compartment opening 58. The user may selectively engage lips 56 and, at any desired time, open the desired compartments and selectively place the desired array of pills 200, 201 and 202 in the selectively opened compartments. Covers 48-51 when closed secure the medication in the respective time of the day compartments. The user may then, on the correct day at the correct time of day, open the desired compartment to access the correct medication, as will be further discussed hereinafter.
[0022] Plastic tray 60 is formed with a front wall 61, rear portion or wall 62, opposed sidewalls 64 and 65, bottom wall 66 and hinged transparent cover 67. Walls 61, 62, 64, 65 and 66 form rectilinear recess 68, sidewalls 64 and 65, front wall 61, and rear wall 62. A series of detents or short projections 69 (typical) are formed on tray bottom wall 66. The container 11 is size to be press-fitted into the recess 68 in tray 60 disposed between and contactingly engaged by ends 70 (typical) of short projections 69. Container 11 front 40 is formed with a rounded forwardly extending lip 73. The user may engage lip 73 to selectively remove a desired day of the week container 11, without disturbing or moving the other containers 11. Tray 60 rear portion 62 is provided with corresponding day of the week imprinted designations 204, viz. “SUN”-“SAT”, juxtaposed to the corresponding container designations 12. That is, each container 11 is disposed and arranged in tray 60 with the corresponding juxtaposed day of the week designations.
The user has the option of carrying a complete week's supply of daily medication by having all the day of the week containers disposed in [0023] tray 60, or alternatively, may selectively remove any one more specific day of the week containers for ready separate transport. With specific reference to FIG. 5, there is shown the removed containers for Saturday and Sunday being separately transported in a travel bag or fabric case 80 together with other features and elements of the system 10.
As previously discussed, [0024] short projections 69 tightly secure containers 11, whereby unremoved containers do not slide or slip out of place. The user is then not faced with the attendant confusion of unwanted containers slipping or falling out of the tray.
Referring specifically to FIG. 3, there is shown the medication [0025] dosage instruction sheet 90 of the present invention. The medication dosage instruction sheet is preferably completed by a healthcare provider for use by the patient. A plurality of separable medication instruction imprinted paper sheets 90 may be provided in a tear-off pad 91. Instruction sheet 90 includes provision for insertion of the patient's name 92, the date the medication was prescribed 93, the medication identification or name 94, the prescribed dosage 95, 95 a and the purpose of the medication 95 b. Pill identifying indicia may also include pictorial or inscribed indicia 96 to signify the shape of the pill, e.g. oval, and a plurality of color codes 98 to signify the color(s) of the pill. The healthcare provider inscribes the shape of the prescribed pill and places an “X”, e.g. as at 99, to signify the color the prescribed pill. Other means for pill identification are also within the contemplation of the invention. The medication instruction sheet 90 also importantly includes a grid 150, which includes day of the week “SUN” through “SAT” designations as at 151, and time of day pictorials 152, 153, 154 and 155. Pictorials 152-155 correspond to the respective compartment pictorials 20-23. With specific references to FIGS. 3 and 4, the healthcare provider peels off adhesive backed numeral(s) 190 (typical), from the peel-off sheet 191. The healthcare provider then inserts the numeral(s) 190 in the grid box corresponding to the correct day(s) and time(s) of the day the pill(s) are to be taken. Grid Inserted numeral 190 signifies the prescribed correct number of pills to be inserted in the corresponding compartment to be subsequently taken or administered. The user readily discerns that grid 150 mimics or tracts the compartments 11 arrayed in tray 60, and that inserted numeral 190 in the grid 150 signifies the number of pills for that particular medication to be organized in the corresponding compartments.
Other numerical and grid arrangements are within the contemplation of the present invention. The user or healthcare provider may insert a single numeral in a space juxtaposed to a specific medication identification and respective grid. The user may then, using a writing instrument, mark or check the grid locations corresponding to the days and times of the day that specific medication is to be taken in the adhered numeral designated number of pills. [0026]
A paperboard or cardboard folded [0027] box construction 170 is provided to hold closed cover tray 60 and the arrayed containers 11. Box 170 has a front 171, back 172, opposite sides 173, 174, top 175, bottom 176 and hinged cover 177. Top 175 is formed with a recess 178 which is sized to slidably received tray 60. A rearwardly infolded recess on opening 179 permits the user to insert a finger into recess 179 to engage and remove tray 60. Hinged cover 177 is formed with a sleeve 180. Sleeve 180 is provided for slidably holding pad 91 composed of a plurality of tear-off medication identification sheets 90, as well as a plurality of peel-off numeral sheets 191. A travel bag 80 (FIG. 5) may be folded and stored in box construction 170 between the bottom 176 and the tray bottom wall 66. (Bag 80 is not shown as folded in FIG. 5). Travel bag 80 may be removed and used to stow a desired number of container 11 and filled-in sheets 90, as previously discussed. Box construction 170 provides an effective packaging for the medication organizer system 10. Box construction 170 may be a variant of the box construction as shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,078,268, granted to Olson et al, which disclosure is incorporated herein by reference thereto. Box construction 170 may be of cardboard or reinforced paperboard construction, as is well known in the papearboard construction art. Container 11 and tray 60 may be formed of injection or press molded thermoplastic material, as is well known in the plastic molding art.
Having thus described a presently preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be appreciated that the objects of the invention have been achieved, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that changes in construction and widely differing embodiments and applications of the invention will suggest themselves without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The disclosures and description herein are intended to be illustrative and are not in any sense limiting of the invention, which is defined in accordance with the adjoined claims. [0028]

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A medication organizer system comprising;

a day of the week container, each container comprising a plurality of separate compartments for containing pills for dispensing from each compartment, each compartment comprising respective pictorial indicia which is readily cognizable as representing a particular respective time of the day, said containers being arrayed according to the days of the week so that said compartments are in an arrangement; and

a display comprising a grid comprising spaces corresponding to the arrangement of the compartments, further comprising pictorial indicia corresponding to the compartments' pictorial indicia, said display pictorial indicia being juxtaposed to the grid, and means for inserting a numeral in the display, said numeral corresponding to the prescribed number of pills for a specific medication, whereby the prescribed number of pills for the prescribed time of the day and day of the week is readily discerned and the pills correctly organized in the respective compartments.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the pictorial indicia comprises one or more selected from the group signifying, morning, noon time, evening and nighttime.

3. The system of claim 1, said display comprises a sheet, said sheet further comprises means for identifying the specific medication, said means for identifying the specific medication being juxtaposed to the grid.

4. The system of claim 1, said means for identifying the specific medication comprising from pictorial means.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a frame, said frame having a recess, and said containers being removably disposed in the recess, said frame further comprising detent means comprising short projections contactingly engaging the containers for securely holding the containers in the frame, whereby when one container is removed the other containers are held in place by the short projections.

6. The system of claim 1, said display comprising at least one imprinted sheet.

7. The system of claim 1, said means for inserting a numeral comprising a sheet comprising a plurality of adhesive backed peel-off members bearing numerals, whereby the user peels off the member bearing the numeral corresponding to the number of prescribed pills and adheres the peeled-off member with the numeral in the display juxtaposed to the grid.

8. The system of claim 1, said sheets comprising means for visually distinguishing one prescribed medication and corresponding pill from another prescribed medication and corresponding pill.

9. The system of claim 1, each said container comprising indicia identifying the respective day of the week.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising wall means wherein the compartments are separated from each other.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising a tray having a recess for removably receiving of the containers.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the tray and containers are cooperatively formed so that the containers are separately removable from the tray, whereby the user removes one particular desired day of the week container.

13. The system of claim 1, said pictorial indicia comprises one or more pictorial indicia selected from, a house, the sun, the moon, the horizon and the stars.

14. The system of claim 1, said sheet further comprising indicia for visually identifying at least one selected from the shape and the color of a prescribed pill.

15. The system of claim 14, said indicia visually identifying the shape of the prescribed pill comprises pictorial indicia.

16. The system of claim 15, said indicia for visually identifying the color of a pill comprises pictorial indicia.