Combination medicine containers and dispensers

• US 10,479,588 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2017
• Issued: 11/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Donald T. Sanders
• Original Assignee: Donald T. Sanders
• Inventors: Sanders, Donald T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Crawford, Gene O
• Assistant Examiner(s): Randall, Jr., Kelvin L
• Application Number:
  US15/613,804
• Publication Number:
  US 20170267440A1
• Time in Patent Office: 897 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/03 for pills or tablets containers for pills or tablets with special dispensing means therefor B65D83/04
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/1412 Containers with closing means, e.g. caps
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/1418 Threaded type
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0084 for multiple medicaments
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 83/0409 the dispensing means being adapted for delivering one article, or a single dose, upon each actuation B65D83/0445 takes precedence

Abstract

A combination medicine container and dispenser allows a user to select one of a plurality of medicament compartments to selectively dispense a single medicament of the medicaments held in the container at a time through easy manipulation of a selectively locking dispensing means. A rotating dispensary at a bottom of the bottle allows rotation of the dispensary relative to the bottle structure(s) for transfer of a single medicament from the bottle to the dispensary, and out of the bottle. The dispensary has several compartments, each dimensioned for a differently sized medicament to dispense medicaments of different sizes from the bottle. An insert has removable segments corresponding to the compartments of the dispensary providing selection of medicament dispensing compartment.

Claims

1. A combination medicament container and dispenser comprising:

a hollow cylindrical bottle defining a cylindrical interior area, an upper cylindrical portion having an upper end, a lower cylindrical portion having a lower end, a window in the lower cylindrical portion of the hollow cylindrical bottle adjacent the lower end and providing communication between the lower cylindrical portion of the cylindrical interior area of the hollow cylindrical bottle and external to the hollow cylindrical bottle, and a central longitudinal axis extending from the upper end of the upper cylindrical portion to the lower end of the lower cylindrical portion;

a cylindrical partition within the cylindrical interior area of the hollow cylindrical bottle transverse to the central longitudinal axis and dividing the cylindrical interior area into an upper cylindrical interior area and a lower cylindrical interior area, the cylindrical partition having a cutout providing communication between the upper cylindrical interior area and the lower cylindrical interior area of the cylindrical interior area;

a cap configured for reception onto the upper end of the upper cylindrical portion of the hollow cylindrical bottle;

a circular dispensary having a top, a bottom, a circular perimeter, a central axis of rotation, the circular dispensary rotationally disposed in the lower cylindrical interior area of the hollow cylindrical bottle under the cylindrical partition such that the central axis of rotation is co-axial with the central longitudinal axis of the hollow cylindrical bottle so that the circular dispensary rotates about the central longitudinal axis of the hollow cylindrical bottle within the lower cylindrical interior area, a plurality of differently sized medicament compartments each compartment having a medicament inlet at the top of the circular dispensary and a medicament outlet at the circular perimeter of the circular dispensary, and a peripheral edge at the bottom of the circular dispensary that allows user rotation of the dispensary; and

a circular insert received onto the circular dispensary, the circular insert having a plurality of removable segments corresponding in number to the plurality of differently sized medicament compartments of the circular dispensary, each one of the plurality of removable segments of the circular insert aligned over a corresponding differentially sized medicament compartment of the plurality of differently sized medicament compartments of the circular dispensary, wherein removal of a segment allows user selection of a particular medicament compartment of the plurality of differently sized medicament compartments from which to dispense a single medicament from the cylindrical interior area of the hollow cylindrical bottle and out the window of the hollow cylindrical bottle;

whereby rotation of the circular dispensary via the peripheral edge in to a first position aligns the medicament inlet of the user selected particular medicament compartment under the cutout of the cylindrical partition to receive a single medicament from the upper cylindrical interior area, and rotation of the circular dispensary via the peripheral edge into a second position aligns the medicament outlet of the user selected particular medicament compartment with the window in the lower cylindrical portion of the hollow cylindrical bottle to dispense the single medicament.

2. The combination medicament container and dispenser of claim 1, further comprising:

a user manipulated biaser situated in the lower cylindrical portion of the hollow cylindrical bottle; and

a receptor situated on an outside periphery of the circular dispensary;

wherein the user manipulated biaser is normally biased in a connection state relative to the circular dispensary such that the circular dispensary is locked from rotation relative to the lower cylindrical portion of the hollow cylindrical bottle; and

wherein when the user manipulated biaser is biased by a user, the circular dispensary is free to rotate relative to the lower cylindrical portion of the hollow cylindrical bottle.

3. The combination medicament container and dispenser of claim 2, wherein the user manipulated biaser comprises a resilient tab.

4. The combination medicament container and dispenser of claim 2, wherein the user manipulated biaser comprises a plurality of resilient tabs.

5. The combination medicament container and dispenser of claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of differently sized medicament compartments of the cylindrical dispensary are configured to accept capsules.

6. The combination medicament container and dispenser of claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of differently sized medicament compartments of the cylindrical dispensary are configured to accept pills.

7. The combination medicament container and dispenser of claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of differently sized medicament compartments of the cylindrical dispensary are configured to accept tablets.

8. A combination medicament container and dispenser comprising:

a cylindrical bottle having,

a cylindrical sidewall defining an upper cylindrical portion with an upper end and a lower cylindrical portion with a lower end,

a cylindrical interior area within the cylindrical sidewall, the cylindrical interior area defining an upper cylindrical interior area and a lower cylindrical interior area,

a central longitudinal axis within the cylindrical sidewall and extending between the upper end of the upper cylindrical portion and the lower end of the lower cylindrical portion, and

an outlet in the lower cylindrical portion of the cylindrical sidewall, the outlet providing communication between the lower cylindrical interior area and outside of the cylindrical bottle;

a cylindrical partition within the lower cylindrical interior area of the cylindrical bottle, the cylindrical partition having a cutout providing communication between the upper cylindrical interior area and the lower cylindrical interior area, and a center longitudinal axis, the cylindrical partition positioned such that the center longitudinal axis is coaxial with the central longitudinal axis of the cylindrical bottle;

a cap configured for reception onto the upper end of the upper cylindrical portion of the cylindrical sidewall of the cylindrical bottle;

a cylindrical dispensary rotationally disposed in the lower cylindrical interior area of the cylindrical bottle under the cylindrical partition and having a top, a bottom, a circular perimeter, a central axis of rotation that is coaxial with the central longitudinal axis of the cylindrical bottle so that the cylindrical dispensary rotates about the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical bottle within the lower cylindrical interior area, a plurality of differently shaped medicament compartments each one having a medicament inlet at the top of the cylindrical dispensary and a medicament outlet at the circular perimeter of the cylindrical dispensary, and a rim that allows user rotation of the cylindrical dispensary relative to the cylindrical bottle; and

a cylindrical insert received onto the cylindrical dispensary, the cylindrical insert having a plurality of removable segments corresponding in number to the plurality of differently shaped medicament compartments of the cylindrical dispensary, each one of the plurality of removable segments of the cylindrical insert aligned over a corresponding differentially shaped medicament compartment of the plurality of differently shaped medicament compartments of the cylindrical dispensary, wherein removal of a segment allows user selection of a particular medicament compartment of the plurality of differently shaped medicament compartments from which to dispense a single medicament from the lower cylindrical interior area of the cylindrical bottle and out the window of the cylindrical bottle;

whereby rotation of the cylindrical dispensary via the rim in to a first position aligns the medicament inlet of the user selected particular medicament compartment under the cutout of the cylindrical partition to receive a single medicament from the upper cylindrical interior area, and rotation of the dispensary via the rim into a second position aligns the medicament outlet of the user selected particular medicament compartment with the window in the lower cylindrical portion of the cylindrical bottle to dispense the single medicament.

9. The combination medicament container and dispenser of claim 8, further comprising:

a user manipulated biaser situated in the lower cylindrical portion of the cylindrical bottle; and

a receptor situated on an outside periphery of the cylindrical dispensary;

wherein the user manipulated biaser is normally biased in a connection state relative to the cylindrical dispensary such that the cylindrical dispensary is locked from rotation relative to the lower cylindrical portion of the cylindrical bottle; and

wherein when the user manipulated biaser is biased by a user, the cylindrical dispensary is free to rotate relative to the lower cylindrical portion of the cylindrical bottle.

10. The combination medicament container and dispenser of claim 9, wherein the user manipulated biaser comprises a resilient tab.

11. The combination medicament container and dispenser of claim 9, wherein the user manipulated biaser comprises a plurality of resilient tabs.

12. The combination medicament container and dispenser of claim 8, wherein:

the plurality of differently sized medicament compartments of the cylindrical dispensary are configured to accept capsules.

13. The combination medicament container and dispenser of claim 8, wherein:

the plurality of differently sized medicament compartments of the cylindrical dispensary are configured to accept pills.

14. The combination medicament container and dispenser of claim 8, wherein:

the plurality of differently sized medicament compartments of the cylindrical dispensary are configured to accept tablets.