US2893599A

US2893599A - Pill dispenser

Info

Publication number: US2893599A
Application number: US471983A
Authority: US
Inventors: Richard S Kay
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1954-11-30
Filing date: 1954-11-30
Publication date: 1959-07-07
Anticipated expiration: 1976-07-07

Description

R. S. KAY

PILL DISPENSER July 7, 1959 Filed Nov. 30. 1954 fl/ z/ w mw f WM z, 8 f, zy, ,h w #m f lv. WW a w 4 id av W PILL DISPENSER [Richard S. Kay, Chicago, Ill.

Application November 30, 1954, Serial No. 471,983 Claims. (Cl. 221-260) The present invention relates to dispensing apparatus, and more particularly to apparatus for dispensing pills and the like. i v

Still more particularly, the present invention relates to inconspicuous dispensing of pills for such persons as diabetics who are frequently required to consume pills while they are in public places. Heretofore, many persons found it most disagreeable to their social tastes and etiquette to take or otherwise consume pills while in public or Semi-private places since they were forced to expose either a bottle of such pills or other container thereof such as pillboxes, etc.

By the present invention, however, there is provided a pill-dispensing device which has the general shape and appearance of a pocket fountain pen and which fully dsguises its pill-dispensing character and thns obviates such disagreeable situations as those described above. In addition, by the principles of the present invention there may be provided-a pill dispenser which is efiective to eject or dispense pills singularly, or one at a time.

By the use of a pill dispenser embodying the principles of the present invention'the user thereof may easily entirely disguise the fact that he is utilizing medication 'by simply so holding the dispenser in one hand that upon actuation thereof the'single pill ejected will be ejected into the palm of the hand or into the other hand so that no one present With the user will be aware of the users V actions.

Pill dispensers embodying the principles of the present invention may be so constructed as to have a push button-like actuator at the top or cap end thereof which will actuate an ejector to force a single pill from the bottom or mouth end thereof. The dispenser may further be provided with a loading aperture in the body portion and means to close and eifectively seal the loading aperture so that accidental inversionv of the dispenser ICC and to eject the pills singularly or one at a time through the bottom or mouth end of the dispenser.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved pill dispenser with a cooperating resilient retainer and an inner mouth flange or shoulder to prevent pills from falling freely through the dispenser.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a cooperating resilient actuator and resilient ejector operable in combination with the resilient retainer to eject pills singularly and then reposition the mechanism for ejection of a new single pill.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved pill dispensing device with concealable loading aperture therein, the concealing means further being operable 'as a pocket clip or the like.

Still other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention and an embodiment thereof, from the claims, and from the accompanying drawings in which each and every detail shown is fully 'and completely disclosed as a part of this specification, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts, and in which:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a pill dispenser embodying the prnciples of the present invention and shown in a deactuated position, further being shown substantially as taken along the line I-I of Figure 2;

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view of the pill dispenser of Figure 1 shown as taken substantially along the line II-II of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the dispenser similar to Figure 1 but shown with the loading aperture closure means disposed in a closed position and with the actuator and ejector shown in the depressed or actuating and ejecting position;

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view of the pill dispenser of Figures 1 and 3 and shown as taken substantially along the line IV-IV of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the body i and cap portion of the pill dispenser;

Figure 6 is an elevational view of the actuating spring and ejector;

Figure 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of the guide and retainer; and

will not permit the pills therein to leave the dispenser principles of the present invention are equipped to accept through the loading aperture.

It is, therefore, an important object of the present invention to provide a new 'and improved pill dispenser which has a general shape and configuration resemblng that of a pocket fountain pen or the like.

Another important object of the, present invention is to provide a new and improved pill dispenser operable to dispense or eject pills singularly, or one at a time.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved pill dispenser having a resilient actuator which is thumb-operable or depressible to actuate an ejector for ejecting pills from the dispenser;

Yet another object of 'the present invention is to provide a new and improved pill`dispenser with a tubular body having disposed therein a guide member and pillretainer with resilient retaining means thereon to prevent pills therein from freely falling through the dispenser.

Yet another object of the present invention is to pro'- vide a new and improved pill dispenser with cooperating resilient retaining. means land ;resilient .ejectingmeans to Figure 8 is a transverse sectional view of the guide and retainer shown as taken substantially along the line VIII- VIII of Figure 7.

As shown on the drawing:

As hereinbefore stated, pill dispensers embodying the and hold a plurality of pills and eject the same in a singular manner. That is to say, that pill dispensers embodying the principles of the present invention are operable to carry a plurality of pills and to eject the same one at a time through the open mouth end thereof.

An embodiment of this invention is illustrated in the drawing wherein there is shown a pill dispenser 10 having a generally tubular body 11 which may be formed .t in any particular desired manner such as from tube stock or the like and from any particular desired material such as metal or plastic or the like. The tubular body 11 has an open upper or actuating end 12, while the lower end 13 thereof is rolled sli'ghtly inwardly to a smaller diameter and has provided thereon an inwardly extending flange or shoulder 14. In practice, it is preferred that the lower end actually be provided by an independent mouthpiece 15 which is generally frusto-conical in external configuration and is provided with a slot 16 therein of sufficient size to permit a pill to pass therethrough.

retain pills against falling freely through the dispenser The upper surface or inner face of the mouthpiece 15 would then form the fiange or shoulder 14. This flange or shoulder supports a guide and retainer 17 which is fitted into the interior of the body 11 with a relatively tight friction fit whereby it will be retained in place without the necessity of otherwise securing the same to the body portion and will be properly positioned in the body 11 by abutment between the lower end of'the guide and retainer with the upper face or shoulder 14 on the mouthpiece 15 which is secured to the slightly inwardly rolled end 13 of the body 11.

The retainer and guide 17 is preferably formed as a double channel device with a pair of substantially parallel side walls 18 and 19 that extend transversely across the interior of the body 11 and longitudinally thereof. A pair of

guide walls

20 and 21 are secured to and extend between the side walls 18 and 19 to hold the same in position and fix the space definition of a pair of channels between the several walls. That is, the side walls 18 and 19 together with the

guide walls

20 and 21 define a pill channel 22 of suficient size and transverse dimensions to accept pills therein edgewise of the pills and to permit the pills to fall therethrough by force of gravity. The wall 20 is spaced inwardly from the edges of the side walls 18 and 19, however, to provide a guide channel 23 for an ejector 24 which is slidably arranged longitudinally in the channel 23.

Thus, pills fed into the dispenser will be fed into the guide 17 edgewise and will be permitted to fall by force of gravity in edge relation with each other through the channel 22 defined by the side walls 18 and 19 and the

guide walls

20 and 21.

To feed pills into the dispenser, an appropriate aperture 25 is cut or punched or otherwise provided in the side of the tubular body 11 in the vicinity of the upper end 12 thereof but spaced below the upper end 12 by a distance required for retaining and moving the cap 26 of the actuator portion of the dispenser. This slot 25 is of such configuration that it will extend longitudinally of the barrel or body 11 so that pills inserted therethrough will have an edgewise relation with each other and their axes will be substantially perpendicular to the axis of the barrel or body 11.

Also, to facilitate loading or feeding pills into the body of the dispenser and into the channel 22 of the guide 17, the upper end portion of the guide wall 21 and immediately adjacent portions of the side walls 18 and 19 are removed as at 27 whereby pills fed through the slot 25 in the barrel 11 may also be fed through the slot 27 in the retainer 17. Pills so fed through the slots and into the channel 22 of the guide 17 will assume the edgewise relation and such gravity fed positions as shown by the

pills

28, 29 and 30, etc. in Figure 1.

Once the dispenser is so loaded, it is desirable to seal or otherwise close off the

slots

25 and 27 for reasons not the least of which is that upon accidental dropping or inversion of the dispenser from its normal position may result in loss of pills through the

slots

25 and 27. To this end, a closure device is provided by a rotatable relatively tight friction fitting ring 31 mounted on the barrel 11 exteriorly thereof and about the region of the slot 25 therein. The ring 31 is also provided with a slot 32 corresponding to the slot 25 so the pills may be fed therethrough when loading the dispenser. The ring is caused to be rotatable or slidable and when the dispenser is loaded the ring 31 may be moved from its position as shown in Figure 1 to a closed position as shown in Figure 3 with the slot 32 in the ring 31 displaced from the slot 25 in the body 11. Since the ring has a relatively tight fri'ction fit with the barrel 11, however, it will not be accidentally or easily displaced. The ring also serves as a securing member for a pocket spring clip 33 which may be welded or otherwise secured thereto and which permits the dispenser to be placed in the pocket and secured thereto much in the same manner as an ordinary pocket fountain pen 01' the like.

To keep the pills from falling freely through the dispenser and through the slot 16 in the mouthpiece 15, a resilient retainer 34, in the form of a resilient strip of spring metal or the like is secured to the lower end of the outer guide wall 21 on the guide 17. It will be seen that the guide wall 21 does not extend to the bottom edge 35 of the side walls 18 and 19 but ends substantially above the bottom edge 35 to permit effective operation of the retainer 34.

The free end of the retainer 34 is rolled or otherwise bent toward the opposite guide wall 20 so that the space between the free end 36 of the retainer and the opposite edge of the guide 17 and the opposite wall of the barrel 11 is normally less than the diameter of the pills in the dispenser. Thus a pill fallng against the resilient retainer 34 cannot escape through the slot 16 but is withheld from so fallng through the slot by the retainer which holds the pill against the opposite side of the barrel 11 by its free end 36 such as the pill 28 is held in Figure 1. The retainer 34 also cooperates with the mouthpiece 15 in this regard since it extends well over the slot 16 in the mouthpiece 15 and even if it did not urge the pill against the opposite side wall of the barrel 11, it would cause the pill to engage the shoulder 14 and thus prevent the pill from fallng through the slot 16.

To eject a pill from the dispenser 10 and to overcome the force of the retainer 34, however, the ejector 24 is slidably positioned in the channel 23 of the guide 17 and adjacent to the side wall of the barrel 11 against which the pill 28 is held by the guide 34. When this ejector is actuated downwardly, its free end 37 which is rolled or bent inwardly, the ejector being formed of such a material as a resilient strip of metal or the like, will engage the pill 28 and push the same against the force of the ejector 24 to permit it to-fall through the slot 16 and thus eject the pill 28 in the manner as shown in Figure 3. This movement of the ejector 24 is eifected through operation of the actuator and the guide wall 20 of the guide 17, which guide wall extends downwardly only to a position substantially above the bottom edge 35 of the side walls 18 and 19 even though it extends below the terminating lower end of the guide wall 21.

Actuation of the ejector 24 by the actuator is effected through movement of the cap 26 such as by thumb pressure to move the cap into the upper end of the barrel 11 such as from the position shown in Figure l to the position shown in Figure 2 where the lower end or inner end 38 of the tubular cap 26 abuts the upper end of the guide 17. During such movement of the cap 26 a coil spring 39, .or the like, which is retained between the closed upper end of the tubular cap 26 and the top edge of the guide 17v is compressed. Upon release of thumb pressure from the top of the cap 26, the coil spring 39 will resiliently urge the cap 26 back to its original position, as to the position shown in Figure 1 from the position shown in Figure 3. The ejector 24 is secured to one of the convolutions of the coil spring 39 as by welding or the like as indicated at 40. It is preferred that the convolution to which the ejector 24 is secured be at or near the upper end of the helical coil spring 39 so that maximum movement of the ejector 24 may be eifected during compression of the actuator spring by movement of the actuator cap 26.

From the foregoing it will be readily observed that by the present'invention there is provided a pill dispenser which is operable todispense one pill at a time and has incorporated therein an actuator which will resiliently operate a resilient ejector that, cooperates With a resilient retainer for the stated purposes. It will also be apparent that numerous variations and modifications may be made Without departng from the true spirit and scope of the novel concepts and principles of this invention. I, therefore, intend to cover all such modificationsV and variations las fall within the true spirit and scope of the novel concepts and' prnciples of this invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. A pocket pill dispenser comprising a tubular body, a guide member in said body comprising two Channels, one of said Channels disposed to retain pills therein in edgewise relation, a second channel disposed to retain a pill ejector, an ejector formed of resilient strip sldably arranged in said second channel and normally out of engagement with the pills and operative to engage the lowermost pill and eject it from said body, a single resilient retaining means secured to the lower end of said guide to restrict ejection of said pills by said ejector to a single pill on each occasion of manipulation of the ejector, a thumb depressible cap sldably arranged in the upper end of said body, and an actuator spring means disposed between said guide member and said Cap and compressible by depression of said cap into said body, said ejector being so secured at its upper end to one of the uppermost coils of said actuator spring means so that compression thereof manipulates said ejector so that the lower end thereof will eject the lowermost pill from said guide member and said body.

2. A pocket pill dispenser comprising a tubular body, a guide member in said body formed of a double channel device, one of said Channels disposed to retain pills there in in edgewise relation, said second channel disposed to retain a pill ejector, and an ejector formed of resilient strip sldably arranged in said second channel in said guide to engage the lowermost pill and eject it from said guide and said body, said guide having a friction fit in said body to retain the same in place therein, a single resilient strip retaining means secured to the lower end of said guide to restrict ejection of said pills by said ejector to a single pill on each occasion of manipulation of said ejector, a thumb depressible cap sldably arranged in said body, and an actuator spring means disposed between the upper end of said guide member and the upper interior end of said cap and compressible by depression of said Cap into said body, said ejector being so seCured at its upper end to one of the uppermost coils of said actuator spring means so that compression thereof manipulates said ejector whereby the lowermost end thereof will eject the lowermost pill from said guide member and said body.

3. A pocket pill dispenser comprising a tubular body, a guide member in said body formed as a double channel device, one of said Channels disposed to retain pills therein in edgewise relation, said second channel disposed to retain a pill ejector, a resilient ejector sldably arranged in said second channel and normally out of engagement with the pills and operative to engage the lowermost pill and eject it from said body, resilient retaining means secured to the lower end of said guide to restrict ejection of said pills by said ejector to a single pill on each occasion of manipulation of said ejector, a thumb depressible cap sldably arranged in the upper end of said body, and an actuator spring means disposed between said guide member and said cap and compressible by depression of said cap into said body, said ejector being so secured at its upper end to one of the uppermost coils of said actuator spring means that compression thereof manipulates said ejector and so that the lower end thereof will eject the lowermost pill from said guide member in said body, said body having a leading slot therein beneath the actuator spring and near an end thereof opposite to the region of ejection of the pills, and means to open and close said loading slot.

4. A pocket pill dispenser comprising a tubular body, a mouthpiece on said body providing an interior shoulder on said body at one end thereof, a guide member formed as a double channel device and frictionally disposed in said body, the side walls of said guide member abutted against said shoulder, one of said Channels disposed therein, the second of said Channels disposed to retain a pill ejector, a resilient ejector formed of a resilient strip sldably arranged in said second channel to engage the lowermost pill and eject it from said body, a single resilient retaining strip means secured to said guide to restrict ejection of said pills by said ejector to a single pill on each oceasion of manipulation of said ejector, a thumb depressible cap sldably arranged in said body at the upper end thereof, and an actuator spring means disposed between said guide member and said cap and compressible by depression of said cap into said body, said ejector being so secured to the uppermost portion of said actuator spring means that compression thereof manipulates said ejector to eject a single pill from said first channel in said member and said body through said mouthpiece.

5. A pocket pill dispenser comprising a tubular body, a guide member in said body comprising two Channels longitudinally arranged adjacent each other, one of said Channels disposed to retain pills therein in edgewise relation, an ejector formed of a resilient strip sldably arranged in said guide normally Cut of engagement with pills in the guide and operative to engage the lowermost pill and eject it from said guide and from said body, a single resilient retaining means secured to the lower end of said guide to restrict ejection of said pills by said ejector to a single pill on each occasion of manipulation of said ejector, a thumb depressible cap on said body and an actuator spring means disposed between said guide and said cap and compressible by depression of said cap, and said ejector being firmly secured to a Coil of the actuator spring adjacent the upper end thereof whereby compression of said spring will effect the lower end of the ejector to eject the lowermost pill from said guide member and said body.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 584,999 Goldsmith et al. June 22, 1897 623,334 Perkins Apr. 18, 1899 1,615,642 Martino Jan. 25, 1927 2,131,518 Lurssen Sept. 27, 1938 2,294,001 Ritter Aug. 25, 1942 2,569,629 Everitt Oct. 2, 1951 2,718,299 Atwater et al Sept. 20, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 135,432 Austria Nov. 10, 1933 499,271 Great Britain Ian. 20, 1939 602,568 Germany Sept. 12, 1934 685,551 France July 11, 1930 874,648 Germany Apr. 27, 1953