US3141570A

US3141570A - Feeding device for small units, in particular a dispensing device for medicines, sweetening agents and the like

Info

Publication number: US3141570A
Application number: US153007A
Authority: US
Inventors: Englesson Per Torsten
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1961-10-06
Filing date: 1961-11-17
Publication date: 1964-07-21
Anticipated expiration: 1981-07-21
Also published as: GB990588A; DE1207869B; CH399650A

Description

July 21, 1954 P. T. ENGLEssoN 3,141,570

FEEDING DEVICE FOR SMALL UNITS, IN PARTICULAR A DISPENSING DEVICE FOR MEDICINEs, swEETENING AGENTS AND TEE LIKE INVENTOR. PER roRsTE/v sA/suisso/vi Ahr/@6 United States Patent O 3,141,570 FEEDNG DEVECE FR SMALL UNHTS, EN PARTEC- ULAR A DISBENSHNG DEVICE FR MEDECENES, SWEETENDJG AGENTS AND THE LIKE Per Torsten Engiesson, Danderyd, Stockhelrns Lan, Sweden, assigner to Bertha Engiessen, Geneva, Switzerland Filed Nov. 17, 1961, Ser. No. 153,907 Claims priority, application Sweden Get. 6, 1951 S Clmfrns. (tCl. 22h-10ft) This invention relates to a feeding device for small units, in particular a dispensing device for medicines, sweetening agents and the like in the form of tablets, and is intended to facilitate the distribution, extraction and dispensing of such units especially of tablets.

An inconvenience of known devices for distribution and dispensing of drugs, sweetening agents and the like in tablet form is that, during transport and when carried by the user in boxes and similar packages, they tend to crumble unless provided with sugar-coatings, which however add to the cost of the product.

Another inconvenience is that, especially in the case of small tablets, it is diiiicult to check the exact number of tablets shaken out of a container. Often, too, the users have diiculty, when taking medicine in tablet form, in remembering whether a tablet has been taken or not.

This invention is intended to avoid these inconveniences and embodies essentially a feeding or dispensing device consisting, firstly, of a container with at least one channel for holding and dispensing the tablets, in which container the tablets can be packed and distributed and which is permanently closed at one end, its other end being openable; secondly of a feeder which can be fitted over the open end of the container, the feeder having a closure member which closes said channel in the unactuated condition of the feeder but is openable against spring action, exerted for example by a lid having in it an opening so arranged that the outlet of the dispensing channel is laid open in the actuated position of the lid, whereupon a resilient part of the feeder, which comes into action in the actuated position of the closure member, is arranged to press at least the tablet next to the tablet or tablets in turn to be dispensed against one of the limiting surfaces of the channel, for example the bottom, thus preventing the tablet under pressure and subsequent tablets from moving in the direction of the opening while permitting extraction under the force of gravity of the tablet or tablets nearest to the opening.

Consequently the feeding device according to the invention operates in such a way that, of the tablets to be propelled along the dispensing channel under the force of gravity at least one of the tablets to be subsequently dispensed is pressed by a spring appliance acting upon it from the upper side of the channel against, for example, the bottom of the channel, so that the tablet then being dispensed, by simultaneous opening of the channel can fall out under the force of gravity.

This manner of extraction dilers from that of known devices in that the dispensed tablet can fall out solely under force of gravity and that no appreciable pressure need be exerted on any of the tablets during the dispensing process. The device according to the invention also has the advantage in respect of manufacture and distribution that the place at which the spring appliance shall enter through, for example, the top of the dispensing channel need not be exactly located for the purpose of pressing upon the second and possibly one or more of the subsequent tablets. The actual feeding device will therefore be simple to manufacture and handle, and also cheap, so that, if desired, all forms of package could be supplied with such feeding device. Preferably, however,

p 3,141,570? Patented July 21, 1964 ICC it can be constructed as a separate feeder unit which can be easily transferred from one package to another after the first has been used.

Another very important advantage of the dispensing apparatus according to this invention is, as will be apparent from the following, that it can very easily and at small expense be provided with a catch for 'the lid which cannot readily be released by children, a property which is required of dispensing devices of this kind when used for medicine or drugs, the uncontrolled consumption of which may involve risks, especially for children.

According to one form of the invention the container is made with a number of channels for holding and dispensing the tablets, arranged, in the sectional view, cycli cally around the periphery of the container in such a way that a feeder with closure member in which is a dispensing opening can be fitted above the extraction end of the container in a number of mutually angularly displaced positions corresponding to the number of channels, so enabling extraction to take place from any selected one of the channels on each occasion.

According to another form the container has four channels for holding and dispensing the tablets arranged, in the sectional view, in the form of a swastika for saving of space, so that there are four positions at right angles to one another between the container and feeder.

According to another characteristic of the invention the feeder has a spring appliance in the form of an appropriately soft stud designed, simultaneously with the actuation of the extraction lid, to enter through an opening in the top of an extraction channel so as to exert a light pressure on the next tablet after the one to be dispensed. The extracting end of the container, in the parts of its outer walls which correspond to the upper sides of the dispensing channels, should preferably be provided with holes or slots for the passage of actuating studs.

Another characteristic of a feeder according to the invention is that, on two sides corresponding to the edges of the lid, it has an inwardly projecting protuberance or knob, designed to engage with one of the openings in the container. It is advisable in this connection to form the feeder with a slot in order to increase its elasticity.

According to the invention it is also advisable to make the lid in the form of an angle piece in which one limb forms the end wall with a dispensing opening and the other limb has a pressure surface, preferably milled, and resiliently connected, as by means of a fillet, to the upper rear edge of the feeder. A suitable arrangement is to locate the resilient stud on the bottom of said pressure surface. l'nstead of mounting said piece by means of a fillet, the piece might be bent through an arc of roughly at the rear edge of the feeder and the underside of the bent portion could, for example, be glued to the upper side of the feeder. The container should suitably be made of transparent material such as plastic, so that the tablets can be seen in the extraction channel or channels, and also counted. The length of the channels can be chosen so as to suffice, for example, for seven days doses, so that the user can readily see how many tablets have been consumed and how many remain. In such case the size of the dispensing device will generally be such as to lit conveniently into a coat or waistcoat pocket or ladys handbag.

ln order that the dispensing lid shall not be actuated accidentally, projecting 0r bent edges can be arranged on the sides of the feeder'. These edges can either project in the longitudinal direction of the dispensing device and be bent around the sides of the lid so that the lid slides up and down in lateral grooves, or the sides of the feeder can be made to project upwards past the upper pressure surface of the angle piece.

The mounting of the angle piece by means of the llet at the rear edge should suitably be arranged so that the upper rear edge of the feeder illet projects over the pressure surface of the angle piece in the dispensingv direction. Especially if the feeder is made of plastic, a resilient and simple mounting is obtained for the angle piece.

The container may suitably be manufactured by rst extruding a plastic profile of essentially swastika-shaped cross-section, thereafter gluing to this profile longitudinal plastic strips to form Walls, especially on the upper and lower sides of the semi-finished product, which can thereafter be cut into lengths corresponding t the desired length of container.

For certain types of units or tablets it may still be advisable to use a box-like container. In such case a dispensing channel can be arranged along one long side of the box with a feeder essentially of the kind indicated at the outlet of the channel at one corner of the box.

The invention will now be described in greater detail in association with the appended drawing. The drawing shows in FIG. l a perspective view of a dispenser according to this invention,

FIGS. 2 and 3 a longitudinal cross-section of the dispenser shown in FIG. l,

FIGS. 4, and 6 the dispenser shown in FIG. l divided into its component parts,

FIG. 7 an appropriate method of manufacturing the container, and

FIG; 8 a dispenser of box type.

The form of the invention shown in FIG. l consists of a container 1 and a feeder 2. The feeder 2 is pushed over the end of the container at the far left of the drawing and at its upper rear edge 3 is furnished with an inwardly facing, fingernail-shaped projection 4 under which limb 7 of the dispensing lid, shaped as an angle piece 5 with a front Wall 6. Limb 7 has a milled pressure surface 8 and a fillet-shaped edge 9 tting into a corresponding recess furthest in under the fingernail-shaped portion 4. By pressure with a finger on the pressure surface 8, the angle piece 5 can be pushed down against the upper surface of the container, whereby the front wall of the dispensing lid 6 is moved essentially at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the container;

In FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 the various parts of the dispenser are shown severally. As is seen, the container 1 has four feed channels 1t?, 11, 12, 13, which may be filled with tablets, preferably rectangular tablets. The body of the feeder 2 is shown in FIG. 5. It forms a cap with ve surfaces, which slides over the open fore end of the container 1. This end is therefore covered by the front wall 14 of the cap which, however, in the relative positions shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 of the container and the feeder cap, leaves feed channel 11 open through a rectangular opening 1S in the front wall 14 of the cap. The angle piece 5 of the feeder is shown in FIG. 4. It is composed of a limb 7 With a pressure surface 3 and a dispensing lid 6. The limb '7 has a fillet 9 on its rear edge. The angle piece 5 is designed to be fitted to the cap in such in such manner that the fingernail projection 4 on the cap is bent slightly upwards and the pressure surface 8 slides in under said projection 4 so that its llet 9 enters under a corresponding groove 16 below the fingernailshaped projection 4. The pressure surface 8 of the angle piece is thereby clamped under the projection 4 and under the spring action of the projection can be moved up and down against the cap surface 17. The dispensing lid 6 is thereby pushed along the cap surface 14 until the opening 18 of the lid cornes opposite opening 15 in the cap. Thus in this position a tablet can be dispensed when the despenser is inclined slightly downwards. To prevent all tablets except the tablet or tablets adjacent the dispensing opening from falling out, the angle piece 5 has on the underside of the pressure surface 8 a soft resilient stud projection 24 which, in this position of the angle piece,

projects through the opening 19 of the container so that a light pressure can be exerted on the second tablet to be dispensed. To prevent accidental pressure on the pressure surface 8, the sides of the feeder are sloped upwards in front of the projection 4 and in the same plane therewith to form edges Ztl, 21. On their inner surfaces the sides of the cap can be furnished with protuberances or knobs 22 which, when the cap is pushed over the container, enter into engagement with two opposing openings 19 in the container.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show the described form of the invention in cross-section. The dispenser is shown in closed position in FIG. 3 and in dispensing position in FIG. 2, with a tablet 23 just having fallen out of the dispensing opening 18. Otherwise the designations in FIGS. 2 and 3 are the same as in the remaining figures. As appears from FIG. 3, the stud 24 projects into the opening 19 even when the dispenser is closed. Front wall 14 of the cap and front wall 6 of the lid should preferably be slightly arced to permit ease of movement around the bearing formed by llet 9.

The container may be manufactured in different ways. A suitable method is shown in FIG. 7. A profile of plastic or metal with essentially swastika-shaped cross-section is first extruded or die-cast and on this profile are then glued strips of plastic or metal to form the Walls of the container, especially its top and walls.

FIG. 8 shows another form of the invention in which the tablets are placed in a box 25, inside which a wall 26 is arranged along one long side of the box to form a dispensing channel. The tablets can be brought into the channel through an opening 27 in `one end Wall so as to be disposed one after the other in the dispensing channel. In the figure rectangular tablets are shown in the box, but this form of the invention is also very suited to round tablets. In one corner of the box there is at the outlet of the channel an angle piece 5, mounted in the same way as the angle piece in the earlier described form of the invention. In this case, too, the angle piece has a pressure surface 8, pressure on which causes a dispensing lid 6 t0 move in a direction at right angles to the direction of dispensing of the tablets. An opening 1S in the lid is thus brought opposite the outlet of the dispensing channel so that, if the box is tilted downwards, the tablet or tablets nearest the opening is/ are dispensed, whereas the remaining tablets are retained in the dispensing channel by a stud on the underside of the pressure surface 8 by light pressure of the tablet next to the tablet or tablets to be dispensed against the bottom of the dispensing channel.

To prevent use of the dispenser according to the invention by children, the angle piece 5 can be latched in its upper, closed position, for example by means of a button depressable against spring tension through the pressure surface 8, the button being rotatable around its own axis and locking the movement of the angle piece down against surface 1'7 of the cap in all angular positions of the button except one specific position.

Although the invention has been described in relation to merely two of its forms, it can be varied as desired within the scope of the following claims.

What I claim is:

l. A tablet dispenser made of plastic having a container with at least one channel for holding and dispensing the tablets through one openable end of the channel, a feeder fitting to said openable end having a lid closing said channel in unactuated position and being openable against spring tension, said lid having an opening arranged so as to open the outlet of the channel in the active position of the lid, a springing member on said feeder in the form of a soft stud designed to be introduced simultaneously with the actuation of the dispensing lid through an opening in the top of the dispensing channel so as to exert a light pressure on at least the tablet next to the tablets or tablets to be dispensed thus pressing them against one of the wall surfaces of the channel, so preventing the movement of Y the tablet under pressure and of the subsequent tablets against the opening, While enabling dispensing of the tablet or tablets adjacent the opening under force of gravity, the dispensing lid having the form of an angle piece, one limb of which consists of the lid with dispensing opening, the other limb being arranged at a certain level above the upper surface of the feeder portion and at the rear edge of this surface being bent downwards and backwards through an arc of 180 so as to form an elastic arc, the downward facing, bent portion of which can be attached by its lower side to the upper side of the feeder,

2. A tablet dispenser made of plastic having a container with at least one channel for holding and dispensing the tablets through one openable end of the channel, a feeder fitting to said openable end having a lid closing said channel in unactuated position and being openable against spring tension, said lid having an opening arranged so as to open the outlet of the channel in the active position of the lid, a spring member on said feeder in the form of soft stud designed to be introduced simultaneously with the actuation of the dispensing lid through an opening in the top of the dispensing channel so as to exert a light pressure on at least the tablet next to the tablet or tablets to be dispensed thus pressing them against one of the wall surfaces of the channel, so preventing the movement of the tablet under pressure and of the subsequent tablets against the opening, while enabling dispensing of the tablets or tablets adjacent the opening under force of gravity, the dispensing lid having the form of an angle piece which is mounted at its rear edge under a fingernail shaped protuberance projecting from the upper rear edge of the feeder in the dispensing direction.

3. A tablet dispenser comprising a container having walls therein dening an article containing channel, said channel being so dimensioned as to receive a single row of articles, one end of the channel opening through one wall of the container, a closure for said opening, said closure comprising an apertured plate, means mounting said plate on said container and having sliding contact with said end Wall of the container, and adapted to move from closing position to dispensing position, the aperture in the plate being adapted to register with the opening in said one wall when the plate is in dispensing position, said mounting means comprising an integral angular extension plate secured to an adjacent Wall of said container and normally held in resilient spaced relation thereto and holding said first-named plate in closed position, said adjacent wall having an opening therethrough extending into the channel in spaced relation to the channel opening, and a resilient projection on the underside of the extension plate operating through said opening in the adjacent wall, said projection entering said channel only upon resiliently depressing said extension wall toward the container Wall and simultaneously moving said closure plate to dispensing position.

4. A tablet dispenser having a container With at least one channel for holding and dispensing the tablets through an outlet at one end of the channel, a feeder fitting to said outlet comprising in combination a lid tightly closing said outlet when no tablets are to be dispensed and openable against spring tension for dispensing a tablet or tablets, a locking element designed to be introduced through an opening in the wall of the channel simultaneously with the opening of the lid so as to exert light pressure on at least the tablet next to the tablet or tablets to be dispensed thereby preventing the movement of the tablet or tablets under pressure and of the subsequent tablets against the outlet while enabling dispensing of the tablet or tablets adjacent the outlet under force of gravity, a pivot member enabling the dispensing movement of the feeder, and a limb member uniting said lid, locking element and pivot member to form a single piece consisting of a material with springing properties.

5. A tablet dispenser having a container with at least one channel for holding and dispensing the tablets through an outlet at one end of the channel, a feeder fitting to said outlet comprising in combination a lid tightly closing said outlet when no tablets are to be dispensed and openable against spring tension for dispensing a tablet or tablets, said lid having a lower part closing the outlet under said spring action and an upper part provided with an opening which coincides with the outlet when the lid is put downwards against the action of the spring tension, a locking element designed to be introduced through an opening in the wall of the channel simultaneously with the opening of the lid so as to exert light pressure on at least the tablet next to the tablet or tablets to be dispensed thereby preventing the movement of the tablet or tablets under pressure and of the subsequent tablets against the outlet, while enabling dispensing of the tablet or tablets adjacent the outlet under force of gravity, a pivot member enabling the dispensing movement of the feeder, and a limb member uniting said lid, locking element and pivot member to form a single angled piece consisting of a material with springing properties.

6. A tablet dispenser having a container with at least one channel for holding and dispensing the tablets through an outlet at one end of the channel, a feeder fitting to said outlet comprising in combination a lid tightly closing said outlet when no tablets are to be dispensed and openable against spring tension for dispensing a tablet or tablets, said lid having a lower part closing the outlet under said spring action and an upper part provided with an opening which coincides with the outlet when the lid is put downwards against the action of the spring tension, a locking element designed to be introduced through an opening in the wall of the channel not far from the lid simultaneously with the opening of the lid so as to exert light pressure on at least the tablets next to the tablet or tablets to be dispensed thereby preventing the movement of the tablet or tablets under pressure and of the subsequent tablets against the outlet, while enabling dispensing of the tablet or tablets adjacent the outlet under force of gravity, a pivot member enabling the dispensing movement of the feeder, and a limb member uniting said lid, locking element and pivot member to form a single angled piece consisting of a material with springing properties.

7. A tablet dispenser having a container with at least one channel for holding and dispensing the tablets through an outlet at one end of the channel, a feeder fitting to said outlet comprising in combination a lid tightly closing said outlet when no tablets are to be dispensed and openable against spring tension for dispensing a tablet or tablets, said lid having a lower part closing the outlet under said spring action and an upper part provided With an opening which coincides with the outlet when the lid is put downwards against the action of the spring tension, a locking element designed to be introduced through an opening in the wall of the channel not far from the lid simultaneously with the opening of the lid so as to exert light pressure on at least the tablets next to the tablet or tablets to be dispensed thereby preventing the movement of the tablet or tablets under pressure and of the subsequent tablets against the outlet while enabling dispensing of the tablet or tablets adjacent the outlet under force of gravity, a pivot member enabling the dispensing movement of the feeder, and a limb member uniting said lid, locking element and pivot member to form a single angled piece of a plastic material with springing properties.

8. A tablet dispenser made of plastic having a container with at least one channel for holding and dispensing the tablets through an outlet at one end of the channel, a feeder fitting to said outlet and having a lid closing said outlet in unactuated position and being openable against spring tension, said lid having an opening arranged so as to open the outlet of the channel in the active position of the lid, a locking member on said feeder in the form of a soft spring designed to be introduced simultaneously with the actuation of the dispensing lid through an opening in the top of the dispensing channel to thereby exert a light pressure on at least the tablet next to the tablet or tablets to be dispensed, thus pressing them against one of the Wall surfaces of the channe, thereby preventing the movement of the tablet under pressure and of the subsequent tablets against the outlet While enabling dispensing 5 of the tablet or tablets adjacent the outlet under force of gravity, the dispensing lid having the form of an angel piece, one limb of which consists of the 1id with the dispensing opening, the other limb being in actuated position arranged in parallel relationship to the outer Wall of the 10 channel and having its end pivoted on said Wall.

References Cited in the le of this patent Y UNITED STATES PATENTS Tuttle Oct. 11, 1921 Webber Mar. 10, 1931 Petrecca Dec. 8, 1953 Hansen et al Mar. 20, 1956 Hermanson I an. 30, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Apr. 2, 1925,

Claims

3. A TABLET DISPENSER COMPRISING A CONTAINER HAVING WALLS THEREIN DEFINING AN ARTICLE CONTAINING CHANNEL, SAID CHANNEL BEING SO DIMENSIONED AS TO RECEIVE A SINGLE ROW OF ARTICLES, ONE END OF THE CHANNEL OPENING THROUGH ONE WALL OF THE CONTAINER, A CLOSURE FOR SAID OPENING, SAID CLOSURE COMPRISING AN APERTURED PLATE, MEANS MOUNTING SAID PLATE ON SAID CONTAINER AND HAVING SLIDING CONTACT WITH SAID END WALL OF THE CONTAINER, AND ADAPTED TO MOVE FROM CLOSING POSITION TO DISPENSING POSITION, THE APERTURE IN THE PLATE BEING ADAPTED TO REGISTER WITH THE OPENING IN SAID ONE WALL WHEN THE PLATE IS IN DISPENSING POSITION, SAID MOUNTING MEANS COMPRISING AN INTEGRAL ANGULAR EXTENSION PLATE SECURED TO AN ADJACENT WALL OF SAID CONTAINER AND NORMALLY HELD IN RESILIENT SPACED RELATION THERETO AND HOLDING SAID FIRST-NAMED PLATE IN CLOSED POSITION, SAID ADJACENT WALL HAVING AN OPENING THERETHROUGH EXTENDING INTO THE CHANNEL IN SPACED RELATION TO THE CHANNEL OPENING, AND A RESILIENT PROJECTION ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE EXTENSION PLATE OPERATING THROUGH SAID OPENING IN THE ADJACENT WALL, SAID PROJECTION ENTERING SAID CHANNEL ONLY UPON RESILIENTLY DEPRESSING SAID EXTENSION WALL TOWARD THE CONTAINER WALL AND SIMULTANEOUSLY MOVING SAID CLOSURE PLATE TO DISPENSING POSITION.