Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61J—CONTAINERS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR MEDICAL OR PHARMACEUTICAL PURPOSES; DEVICES OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR BRINGING PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTS INTO PARTICULAR PHYSICAL OR ADMINISTERING FORMS; DEVICES FOR ADMINISTERING FOOD OR MEDICINES ORALLY; BABY COMFORTERS; DEVICES FOR RECEIVING SPITTLE
  • A61J7/00—Devices for administering medicines orally, e.g. spoons; Pill counting devices; Arrangements for time indication or reminder for taking medicine
  • A61J7/04—Arrangements for time indication or reminder for taking medicine, e.g. programmed dispensers
  • A61J7/0409—Arrangements for time indication or reminder for taking medicine, e.g. programmed dispensers with timers
  • A61J7/0481—Arrangements for time indication or reminder for taking medicine, e.g. programmed dispensers with timers working on a schedule basis
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61J—CONTAINERS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR MEDICAL OR PHARMACEUTICAL PURPOSES; DEVICES OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR BRINGING PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTS INTO PARTICULAR PHYSICAL OR ADMINISTERING FORMS; DEVICES FOR ADMINISTERING FOOD OR MEDICINES ORALLY; BABY COMFORTERS; DEVICES FOR RECEIVING SPITTLE
  • A61J7/00—Devices for administering medicines orally, e.g. spoons; Pill counting devices; Arrangements for time indication or reminder for taking medicine
  • A61J7/04—Arrangements for time indication or reminder for taking medicine, e.g. programmed dispensers
  • A61J7/0409—Arrangements for time indication or reminder for taking medicine, e.g. programmed dispensers with timers
  • A61J7/0427—Arrangements for time indication or reminder for taking medicine, e.g. programmed dispensers with timers with direct interaction with a dispensing or delivery system
  • A61J7/0436—Arrangements for time indication or reminder for taking medicine, e.g. programmed dispensers with timers with direct interaction with a dispensing or delivery system resulting from removing a drug from, or opening, a container
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61J—CONTAINERS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR MEDICAL OR PHARMACEUTICAL PURPOSES; DEVICES OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR BRINGING PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTS INTO PARTICULAR PHYSICAL OR ADMINISTERING FORMS; DEVICES FOR ADMINISTERING FOOD OR MEDICINES ORALLY; BABY COMFORTERS; DEVICES FOR RECEIVING SPITTLE
  • A61J7/00—Devices for administering medicines orally, e.g. spoons; Pill counting devices; Arrangements for time indication or reminder for taking medicine
  • A61J7/04—Arrangements for time indication or reminder for taking medicine, e.g. programmed dispensers
  • A61J7/0409—Arrangements for time indication or reminder for taking medicine, e.g. programmed dispensers with timers
  • A61J7/0427—Arrangements for time indication or reminder for taking medicine, e.g. programmed dispensers with timers with direct interaction with a dispensing or delivery system
  • A61J7/0445—Arrangements for time indication or reminder for taking medicine, e.g. programmed dispensers with timers with direct interaction with a dispensing or delivery system for preventing drug dispensing during a predetermined time period

Definitions

• This invention relates to a dispensing device and more particularly to a dispensing device for dispensing a discrete object in a fixed or selected 5 # order or in cyclic order.
• This invention will generally be described in relation to the dispensing of tablets or pills, perhaps made up for a particular dosage in pill bottles, but it will be realised that in general 10. concept it is not limited to tablets or pills but may be used for any type of dispensing where a regular or ordered dispensing is required.
• the problem therefore is to provide some means of for instance arranging pills so that 25. they may be obtainable at the time that they are required to be taken and once taken it can be realised that they have been taken.
• OMPI of pill bottles each pill bottle containing the pills to be taken at a certain time of day and it is hence an object of this invention to provide a means of dispensing a required pill bottle at 5. a specified time of day and perhaps to do this on a cyclic basis.
• a person may in some circumstances also need to be reminded that a pill or pills has been 15. taken at a particular time to prevent the taking of a further dosage of pills which could result in serious injury or death of a patient. It is therefore a further object of this invention to provide some form of warning that pills have been 20. taken or at least removed from the dispensing device.
• the present invention therefore endeavours to achieve as many objects as possible as solutions to the problems numerated above.
• the invention is said to reside in a discrete object dispensing device, including at least one storage area for the discrete objects, a release mechanism associated with the or each storage area and adapted to allow for
• alarm means adapted to provide an alarm signal upon the release of a discrete object.
• Such an alarm signal may be a light, flashing light or a steady light or a bell, buzzer or other audible signal.
• a day there may be provided a plurality of storage areas and associated release mechanisms. For instance a set of four storage areas and release mechanisms may be provided to provide a pill to be taken in the morning, to be taken at lunch 0 time, dinner time and in the evening before bed.
• each storage area may include a cassette which can be pre-loaded with discrete objects to be dispensed before loading the cassette as a whole into 5 the dispensing device.
• Such a cassette may be a linear device where the individual pill bottles are stacked one on top of each other or it may be a rotary cassette rotating around a fixed shaft with the release mechanism providing a gate from the rotary cassette from which the pill bottle may be ejected or removed by the user.
• the dispensing device may be modular and include a release and supply module, a cassette receiving module and a clock module, such that a dispensing device may be set up to dispense any number of sets of
• the discrete objects may be pill containers.
• indicia means which are 25. activated after a discrete object has been removed, which will provide, for a fixed period after the discrete object has been removed, an indication that the supply of a discrete object has been effected.
• the invention is said to reside in a dispenser for discrete objects 5.
• a dispenser for discrete objects 5 comprising a storage area, a timer, means responsive to the timer to effect on a cyclic basis operation of a release member whereby to enable access to a stored article within the stored area and warning means effective to warn of such operation of the 10. release member and means to detect removal of the stored article.
• warning means may be further provided, means to cancel the warning means upon detection of the removal of the stored article.
• the warning means may be set to provide warning for a fixed period of time.
• a plurality of storage areas each having its own release member such that in a single timer cycle, a set 20. of dispensations may be made.
• such sufficient storage area is provided to carry at least a weeks supply of pills or the like so that once a week a nurse 25. or nurses aid or other responsible person may visit a patient having such a dispensing devise according to this invention and reload the dispensing device with a weeks supply of tablets and then perhaps seal the dispensing device to prevent tampering and then the device may be set to dispense the full weeks tablets without any further maintenance.
• FIG. 1 shows one embodiment of a dispensing device according to this invention.
• FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the dispensing device of FIG. 1 and
• FIG. 3 shows alternative embodiment of the 15. dispensing device.
• the dispensing device comprises a casing 1 having a pill bottle storage area generally 2 and an area generally 3 for the removal of dispensed pill bottles.
• pill bottles are loaded into the cassettes 3 so that the pills to be taken in the morning are placed in area 4 and lunch time area 5 and so on.
• buttons 12 are provided so that the clock may be overidden.
• the pill bottles 15 may be stacked up to seven high in the cassette 3 and be prevented from dispensing 5 ⁇ by means of solenoid 16 which retracts at the required time for a short period to allow one bottle 17 to be dispensed and to travel to the storage area 3.
• solenoid 16 which retracts at the required time for a short period to allow one bottle 17 to be dispensed and to travel to the storage area 3.
• the pill bottle 3 Upon reaching the storage area the pill bottle 3 depresses the micro-switch 11 or breaks the 10. li ht circuit to the photo-detector 10 and so lights the light 18 and/or the buzzer 9 until the bottle 8 is lifted and the switch 11 or photo- detector 10 is deactivated.
• An electrical black box shown generally 5 m as 19 provides the control function and is powered by a battery 20 which may have a life of up to six months or more operation.
• Label 25 is provided so that details of the pills to be taken and the Patient's name and address or ward or room number, medication and time to be taken, Doctor and the like can be recorded.
• this invention may have applications other than in the dispensing of pills and for instance may be used for dispensing animal foods 5. at required times with the animal perhaps trained to listen for the buzzer to know when its food is available for eating.
• the discrete object may be a container of food which will open upon ejection to a supply area and in such cases 10. where different types of food may wish to be dispensed in the morning and afternoon for instance and in such a case the two different dispensing storage areas may direct the dispensed product into a single supply area.
• the storage region may be in the cassettes themselves or in the back region of the dispenser device.

Landscapes

• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Medical Informatics (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Animal Behavior & Ethology (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Public Health (AREA)
• Veterinary Medicine (AREA)
• Medical Preparation Storing Or Oral Administration Devices (AREA)

Priority Applications (1)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=3769892

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Cited By (7)

Families Citing this family (3)

Citations (6)

Family Cites Families (1)

• 1982
  • 1982-12-14 AU AU19318/83A patent/AU1931883A/en not_active Abandoned
• 1983
  • 1983-09-21 EP EP19830902883 patent/EP0127626A4/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 1983-09-21 WO PCT/AU1983/000128 patent/WO1984002269A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1983-09-21 JP JP83503015A patent/JPS60500080A/ja active Pending

Patent Citations (7)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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