US3319827A

US3319827A - Tablet container having tablet release means

Info

Publication number: US3319827A
Application number: US371056A
Authority: US
Inventors: Englesson Per Torsten
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1963-05-31
Filing date: 1964-05-28
Publication date: 1967-05-16
Anticipated expiration: 1984-05-16
Also published as: AT262872B; DK113375B; DE1486316A1; NL6406097A; CH425086A; SE318972B; BE648594A; GB1062013A

Description

y 1967 PER TORSTEN ENGLESSON 3,319,827

TABLET CONTAINER HAVING TABLET RELEASE MEANS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 28, 1964 Fig.3

m m I INVENTOR. PER TORSTEN ENGLESSOIV A TTOR/VEKS y 1967 PER TORSTEN ENGLESSON 3,319,827

TABLET CONTAINER HAVING TABLET RELEASE MEANS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 28, 1964 INVENTOR. PER TORSTEN ENGLESSON BY MAW A/fcmeys United States Patent 3,319,827 TABLET CONTAINER HAVHNG TABLET RELEA$E MEANS Per Torsten Englesson, Sjovagen 3, Danderyd, Sweden Filed May 28, 1964, Ser. No. 371,056 Ciaims priority, application Sweden, May 31, 1963, 6,061/63 9 Qlairns. (Cl. 221-299) This invention relates to a container, tablet box or the like, particularly for small units, such as tablets, which container comprises a supply part and a discharge part. The requirements put on such containers for tablets are, that the tablets should be easily packed therein, when refilling with certain common standard doses, and that the tablets or the like must be able to be stored therein without damages and that they should be easily discharged in any wanted number, such as one or two at a time. Finally the container itself should have a compact and pleasant shape and be easy to carry in pockets, handbags or the like.

A disadvantage of such previous containers and tablet boxes is that the tablets or the like, during the storing in the container, will be crumbled to pieces and that the containers are dilficult to open without shaking out their contents and that it is difficult to feed out exactly the wanted amount of tablets or the like.

This invention has for its objects to eliminate the above mentioned disadvantages and mainly consists therein that the supply part of the container is arranged as a supply chamber for a randomly heaping of units, that is as a chamber having a three-dimensional extension, whereas the discharge part in the shape of a discharge channel, is adapted for linearly ordered units. In accordance with an embodiment a fore-room is arranged between the supply part and the discharge part, in which room the units from the three-dimensional heaping in the supply chamber are re-arranged to a two-dimensional order so as to more easily transfer the units to the onedimensional order in the discharge channel. The supply chamber is thereby suitably formed by a partition wall, mainly parallel with the main direction of the discharge channel, which wall has a length inferior to the length of the side wall of the container lying along the discharge channel and is unattached at least at its one end and thereby, partly forms a partition wall between the supply chamber and the fore-room, partly allows the free passage of the units through at least one opening at said end, between this end and one of the walls of the container perpendicular to the discharge channel.

According to a further embodiment of the invention a support wall is arranged centrally within the supply chamber, the length of which does not exceed that of the said partition. The bottom of said chamber and room and of the discharge channel as well as side and other walls are thereby suitably made integrally to form a single bottom part and the closure part for said bottom part should be arranged as a cover, the side walls of which enclose the side walls of the bottom part. The bottom part, as well as the cover, may be made of plastics and one of said parts is preferably made of transparent plastics.

By means of the invention it is made possible to easily pack the tablets in the bottom part by filling the supply chamber either up to the support wall or up to the partition wall, which latter separates the supply chamber and the fore room. These walls are thereby preferably arranged with such a spacing to the side of the container, directed from the discharge channel, that the supply chamber up to the support wall contains e.g. 250 tablets 3,3l9,827 Patented May 16, 1967 and up to the partition wall 500 tablets. If the bottom part or the cover part are made of transparent plastics, there is a possibility during sale or use to see how much it really contains. An advantage of the tablet box according to the invention is also that the mentioned partition walls stiffen the container bottom, so that the tab lets will not be crumbled to pieces between the bottom and the cover of the container and so that the move ments of the tablets within the box are reduced, for instance when the box is carried in a pocket.

According to another advantage of the container of the invention, in spite of the simple packing by randomly heaping the units in the supply chamber, it is possible, through the fore-room, wherein the tablets from the three-dimensional heaping are re-arranged to a twodimensional order, and on account of the one-dimensional order in the discharge channel, to easily feed out one or more tablets at a time.

By making the container have a small height and small dimensions for the rest, it is easily carried in a pocket, a ladys handbag or the like and it may for instance have a height of 5 to 8 millimeters and it need not, for the rest, be much greater in square than a match box.

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention the discharge mechanism is arranged mainly along the side wall or" the container, directed from said supply part, and the mouth of the channel is separated from the discharge opening of the supply chamber by a wall which has a suitably arcurate surface directed towards said discharge opening, which surface extends to the intake of the channel which lies one or more units widths from the mouth of the channel. Furthermore by counter-sinking the bottom of the discharge channel somewhat relative to the bottom of the fore-room a sharp edge is formed between said bottom part and the bottom of the channel. This measure will contribute to the easy putting of the tablets into a One-dimensional order in the channel. In order to facilitate the feeding of the tablets in the channel, the bottom of said channel may be lowered step-wise in one or more steps in the direction towards the mouth.

The invention will be described more in detail in connection with the attached drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bottom part of a tablet box according to the invention,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a cover part for said bottom part together with a discharge mechanism separated from the cover part,

FIGS. 3 and 4 show a section of the discharge channel in its longitudinal direction with the discharge mechanism inserted into the cover part, whereby FIG. 3 represents the mechanism in its unactuated condition and FIG. 4 represents said mechanism in its actuated condition, and

FIG. 5 represents another embodiment of the bottom part of a tablet box.

As appears from FIG. 1 the bottom part of the represented embodiment consists of a plastic member made in one piece and comprising a bottom surface and three side walls 8, l8 and it, united to the bottom surface at three sides thereof. By means of a partition wall 4, arranged par-allel to the side wall 13 at a distance from said side wall equal to approximately two thirds of the distance between said side wall and the opposed bottom edge, the bottom part of the container is divided into a supply chamber 1 and a fore-room 3. Along the romote edge of the bottom part, as counted from the side wall 18, a discharge channel 2, having a mouth 19 and a artition 21, is arranged in connection with the fore-room. At both sides of the partition 4, at its

ends

7 and 9 and between said ends and the side walls,

openings

6 and 10, respectively, are left through which openings tablets by shaking may be fed to the fore-room and therefrom to the 3 intake 22 of the channel 2. As shown in FIG. 1 round tablets are piled up to a heap in the supply chamber 1, whereas in the fore-room a number of tablets are situated evenly upon its bottom. Two tablets are shown in the discharge channel 2.

In FIG. 5 there is shown a modified embodiment of a bottom part, essentially corresponding to the embodiment according to FIG. 1 and wherein the same designations represent the same parts as in FIG. 1. In the said figure, however, the arrangement is modified so as to be better adapted to tablets of a rectangular shape and therefore the discharge channel 2 has been arranged parallel with the side edge of the bottom part and moreover the bottom of the channel has been countersunk relative to the bottom of the fore-room 3. The rectangular tablets are thereby more easily put into a one-dimensional order along the discharge channel.

It is import-ant, in the embodiment according to FIG. 1 as well as in that according to FIG. 5, that the width of the channel is greater than the width of a tablet unit but smaller than the total width of two such units. It is also suitable that the spacing between the bottom and the cover, partition and side walls, between the two supply chamber walls, between the partition and the flow divider wall, as well as between the partition wall and the side wall directed against said partition wall of a long depressed part of the cover along the discharge channel, essentially differs from the sum of widths and thicknesses of multiple units.

FIG. 2 shows the cover part 14 of the container or tablet box. It is arranged with a depending extended part 23 above the discharge channel 2 of the container bottom part in order to make the height of last mentioned part somewhat greater than the thickness of a unit but smaller than the total thickness of two units. The cover part has

side walls

15, 16, 17 and 5. In the said extended depression in the cover a discharge mechanism 24 is adapted to be inserted which mechanism comprises parts 26 to 31, inclusive, and is shown separated from the cover in FIG. 2.

The discharge mechanism 24 is arranged in the shape of an angularly bent lastic piece, preferably of a plastic having very good flexibility, e.g. Delrin, on account of which the one branch 28 of said piece is provided with a fastening projection 29 intended to be inserted into a corresponding recess 30 in the extended depression 23 of the cover 14. The branch 28 is somewhat reduced in thickness in front of the said fastening point so that for the same a bending indication having a given motion centre 31 is obtained. Between said indication and the angular bending a downwardly directed resilient member 26 is arranged and intended to be inserted through an opening 32 in the extended depression 23 of the cover 14. Said member thereby reaches into the discharge channel and is arranged therein to engage the second tablet, as counted from the mouth of discharge channel, in order to make the discharge of the tablet situated adjacent to said mouth possible. The other branch 25 of the discharge piece is arranged as a lid 25 covering the mouth 19 of the discharge channel, which lid has a discharge opening 26 bounded like a hook by the lower edge 27 of the lid.

The discharge mechanism is thereby suitably arranged obliquely above the discharge channel so that its centre line and the centre line of the discharge mechanism 24 do not coincide. Owing thereto the opening 26 of the lid 25 in front of the channel mouth 19 may be shaped as a hook 27.

In FIGS. 3 and 4 the discharge mechanism is shown in section in its closed and opened condition, respectively. It appears that it is possible to open the lid 25 against spring action and it is provided with an opening 26 so that the mouth 19 of the discharge channel is exposed in the one position of the lid 25 in which position the resilient member 26, as has already been stated, is actuated upon during the movement of the lid (FIG. 4) and thereby presses at least the tablet next to that or those tablets, which are just being fed out, against the bottom of the discharge channel, whereby the movement of the pressure atcuated tablet as well as of the succeeding tablets in the direction towards the opening is prevented, whereas the discharging of that or those tablets, being situated nearest to the opening, by the action of gravity, is made possible.

As appears from FIG. 2 the hook shaped lower edge 27 of the lid 25 is extended so far towards the side wall 5 of the discharge channel 2 and into a recess 33 therein, that the movement of the discharge mechanism 24 upwards is restricted. Owing thereto the discharge mechanism, when it is situated in its position within the extended depression in the container cover, will be seated with its outer boundary surface flush with one side surface 15 of the cover 14.

The invention has been described in relation to certain specific embodiments but it is obvious that it may be varied in many other respects and that it is therefore restricted only by the scope of the attached claims.

What I claim is:

1. A compact container for receiving small articles such as pills or tablets and operable for dispensing the articles one at a time, said container comprising walls defining a closed supply chamber for receiving the articles in random order in three dimensions, said walls also defining a discharge passage at one end of the container having a discharge end opening to the outside of the container and an entrance end inside the container, said walls confining said discharge passage to a width and height such that the articles can pass therealong in a single layer in single file only, a second chamber in said container adjacent said one end thereof and into which said entrance end of said discharge passage opens and which second chamber has restricted communication with said supply chamber so that articles transferred from said supply chamber to said second chamber will normally be in small amount and can distribute themselves in a single layer in said second chamber and can then readily move therefrom in single file into the entrance end of said discharge passage, a discharge control member moveably mounted on said container and having an end part normally disposed in closing relation to said discharge end of said discharge passage to prevent discharging of articles therefrom, means for moving said member to cause said end part thereof to release said discharge end of said passage for the discharge of an article therefrom, and resilient tongue means depending from said member and normally disposed outside said discharge passage and operable for resiliently clampingly engaging the article in the discharge passage next to the article therein at the said discharge end of the discharge passage as said member is moved to article discharging position.

2. A compact container according to claim 1 in which said supply chamber and second chamber are parts of a main chamber in said container, a partition in said container near one end of said main chamber dividing it into a larger said supply chamber and a smaller said second chamber, said partition at at least one end thereof being spaced from the adjacent container wall to provide said restricted communication between said supply cham her and said second chamber.

3. A compact container according to claim 2 in which said container comprises a bottom part having a bottom wall and peripheral walls upstanding from the bottom wall, said partition also upstanding from said bottom wall, said container also comprises a top part having a top wall and peripheral walls dependent therefrom, said top part telescoping over said bottom part, said discharge passage being in the form of an upwardly opening groove in said bottom part at one end thereof, and a portion on said top part below the level of the top wall thereof which extends over and closes the top of said groove when said parts are assembled.

4. A compact container according to claim 3 in which said discharge passage is positioned adjacent an end wall of the bottom part of said container and is confined on one side by the adjacent end wall of the bottom part of said container and on the other side of a wall element upstanding from the bottom wall of the bottom part of the container and spaced from said end wall, said wall element terminating a substantial distance from the side of said container opposite the side in which said discharge end of said discharge passage is located to provide a wide approach to said entrance end of said discharge passage.

5. A compact container according to claim 4 in which said wall element and the adjacent end wall are inclined so the portion of said discharge passage adjacent said entrance end is inclined toward said supply chamber.

6. A compact container according to claim 4 in which the bottom wall of said discharge passage is formed by the bottom of a recess extending below the bottom level of said second chamber, said recess extending into said second chamber from the entrance end of said discharge passage for receiving and orienting articles to be fed into the entrance end of said discharge passage.

7. A compact container according to claim 4 in which said top part has a recess extending thereacross above said portion thereof which closes the top of said discharge passage, said control member being dropped in said recess, the side of said container at said discharge end of said passage being notched so as to form a continuation of said recess, said end part of said control member being disposed in said notch.

8. A compact container according to claim 7 in which said control member is resilient and has its end opposite said end part thereof anchored to said top part of the container, said end part having an aperture which registers with said discharge end of said discharge passage when said member is depressed on said top part, said end part having an upwardly facing shoulder formed thereon, and said notch having a downwardly facing shoulder found thereon, said shoulder engaging when said member is released to stop the member in a position where it is flush with said top part.

9. A compact container according to claim 8 in which said resilient finger projects angularlyfrom the underside of said member, and an aperture in said portion of said top part through which said finger moves when said member is depressed so as to engage the next to the last article in said discharge passage before the aperture in said end part of said member aligns with the said discharge end of said discharge passage.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,249,141 12/1917 Litchfield 221-301 X 2,348,449 5/1944 Chandler 221-299 2,606,088 8/1952 Leaf 221- 2,766,763 10/1956 Shough 221-301 X 2,795,354 6/1957 Freudlich et al. 221-312 X 3,018,921 1/1962 Hermanson 221-299 X 3,154,217 10/1964 Gregg et al. 221-155 X 3,224,634 12/1965 Semsch 221-299 FOREIGN PATENTS 190,441 7/1956 Austria. 1,113,200 11/1955 France.

331,360 11/1935 Italy.

WALTER SOBIN, Primary Examiner.