DISPENSING DEVICES

• US 3,637,109 A
• Filed: 11/12/1969
• Issued: 01/25/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: John J. Stifter
• Original Assignee: John J. Stifter
• Inventors: Stifter, John J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Reeves, Robert B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Slattery, James M.
• Application Number:
  US04/875,660
• Time in Patent Office: 804 Days
• Field of Search: 221/310,189,288 222/490,482,501,522,562 141/112,322,320,321,319,378,380,381
• US Class Current: 221/310
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 41/26 Caps or cap-like covers serving as, or incorporating, drinking or measuring vessels
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 83/049 the dispensing means forming a part of a removable closure, e.g. gripping teeth, cavity

Abstract

A pill or other particle container has a transverse diaphragm adjacent to its open end having a conical central portion radially slotted outwardly from the center to provide converging tongues which normally close the container and retain the pills or particles therein. A cap for the container has a flexible end wall and a downwardly open socket with an inwardly projecting annular wall whereby the container is inverted, the end wall is depressed to insert the annular wall through the tongues which flex outwardly, and pills or particles in a predetermined amount drop into the socket.

Claims

1. A safety pill dispensing container, comprising:

a container having an open end including a peripheral wall defining an opening in the container;

a diaphragm of resilient material mounted to said peripheral wall and transversing said opening;

said diaphragm having a plurality of individual flexible tongues defined by a plurality of slots directed radially outward from the center of the diaphragm;

said individual tongues forming a conical shaped slotted diaphragm and having the apex of the cone projected downwardly whereby the slotted diaphragm is adapted to close the open end of the container;

said slotted diaphragm being made of semirigid plastic providing relatively stiff tongues to inhibit removal of the pills by a child;

a cap disposed over said diaphragm and embracing the open end portion of the container;

said cap including an upper flexible wall having a centrally disposed depending annular wall secured thereto defining an open socket member in spaced relatioN to said diaphragm whereby the open socket depends downwardly toward the slotted diaphragm;

said flexible upper wall adapted to be depressed inwardly toward the open end of the container whereby the annular wall of said open socket is moved downwardly into contact with said diaphragm and flexes the tongues thereof radially outwardly for allowing pills to drop into the socket when the container is inverted;

said flexible upper wall being resilient for retracting the socket to its normal spaced position above the diaphragm whereby the semirigid tongues retract and close the container.

2. A pill dispenser as set forth in claim 1 said tongues having a length greater than the diameter of said end portion whereby if said tongues are flexed upwardly they will strike the opposite side of the container.

3. A pill dispenser as set forth in claim 1 said upper wall of said cap being normally flat and said annular wall projecting downwardly from the bottom surface of said upper wall;

said slotted diaphragm being recessed downwardly from the opening of said open end portion of the container.

4. A pill dispenser as set forth in claim 1 means providing a secondary barrier spaced below said tongues;

said secondary barrier comprising a transverse, upwardly convex, frustoconical wall having a central opening of such size as to admit the passage therethrough of only one pill at a time.

5. A pill dispenser as set forth in claim 1 said socket being open at both ends thereof whereby said pill is dispensed through said socket to the outside of said container.

6. A particle dispenser comprising a container having an open end portion;

a diaphragm mounted to said end portion transversely thereof;

said diaphragm having a central opening therein and a plurality of radial tongues directed toward said central opening to form a cone-shaped particle barrier;

said tongues being sufficiently flexible to separate and form a central aperture for a particle to pass through;

flexible cap means disposed above said diaphragm transversing said open end and detachably secured to the open end portion of the container;

said cap means having a downwardly depending socket member in spaced relation to said diaphragm and being adapted to be moved for contacting and spreading said tongues whereby upon application of an external force to said cap said cap is moved downwardly contacting said tongues whereby said tongues are displaced radially outwardly; and

said cap means being resilient for retracting the socket means upwardly to its spaced position for dispensing said diaphragm.