MATERIAL MEASURING AND DISPENSING APPARATUS

• US 3,730,388 A
• Filed: 02/10/1972
• Issued: 05/01/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Louis Bender
• Original Assignee: Louis Bender
• Inventors: Bender, Louis
• Primary Examiner(s): Coleman, Samuel F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rolla, Joseph J.
• Application Number:
  US05/225,074
• Time in Patent Office: 446 Days
• Field of Search: 222/276,336 221/68,151,152,155,206,207,224,296,93,94,4,5,264 133/4,5,8 141/94,320,325 214/1C
• US Class Current: 221/68
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/02 Pill counting devices

Abstract

An apparatus for dispensing materials such as pills, coffee, sugar and the like is described wherein precise desired quantities may be dialed into the apparatus and quickly and accurately dispensed. In a preferred embodiment for a pill counter and dispenser, a plurality of channels are provided with a flexible channel selector located to fill selected channels with pills to be dispensed. The channels each contain a predetermined number of pills so that, upon actuation of a pill gate, the desired quantity of pills is dispensed. A unit pill dispensing feature is included to enable the dispensing of any desired quantity of pills within a practical range. An interlock operable between the pill gate and the channel selector protects against the spillage of pills. Several embodiments are shown to provide pill counters capable of dispensing a variety of pill shapes such as large tablets and capsules. Pill counters for either mounting on bottles or for mounting on a surface in a self-contained manner are described.

Claims

1. A pill counter for dispensing a desired quantity of pills from a supply of pills comprising pill retaining channels shaped to each retain a predetermined plurality of pills, one of said pill retaining channels being a unit pill dispensing channel, with other channels being multiple pill dispensing channels, a channel selector disposed between said channels and the supply of pills, said channel selector being movably mounted relative to the pill retaining channels for selective closing and opening movement thereof to determine the channels to be provided with pills from the supply of pills, a pill gate having pill passages and pill supports and being operatively disposed relative to said pill retaining channels to dispense pills therefrom upon actuation of the pill gate, said pill gate being mounted for movement between first and second pill dispensing positions and a pill supporting position, said pill supporting position being selected to align the pill supports with the pill retaining channels to maintain pills while the channel selector enables pills from the supply to enter open channels, with said first pill dispensing position being selected to align pill passages with the multiple pill dispensing channels to dispense the pills therein, and with said second pill dispensing position being selected to align a pill passage with the unit pill dispensing channel to dispense a single pill therefrom whereby a desired quantity of pills is discharged.

2. A pill counter as claimed in claim 1, and further including means for interlocking said channel selector with the pill gate to lock the pill gate into said pill supporting position when said channel selector is operated and lock the channel selector into a channel closing position when said pill gate is moved to said first and second pill dispensing positions.

3. The pill counter as claimed in claim 2 wherein said interlocking means further includes means for automatically advancing said pill gate to said first pill dispensing position upon the locking of the channel selector into its channel closure position to dispense pills from the multiple pill dispensing channels.

4. The pill counter as claimed in claim 3 wherein the unit pill dispensing channel is selectively located relative to the other channels to require said pill gate to advance in a direction opposite to that produced by the automatic advancing means for the release of a single pill.

5. The pill counter as claimed in claim 2 wherein the channel selector further includes a dial provided with indicia representative of a number of pills to be dispensed from the multiple pill dispensing channels, the movement of the dial being effective to open selected channels to the pill supply in correspondence with displayed indicia.

6. In a pill counter for dispensing a desired quantity of pills from a pill supply wherein pill retaining channels are provided to each receive a predetermined number of pills from the supply, the improvement comprising channel selecting means operative between the channels and the pill supply for supplying selected channels with pills from the pill supply and isolate the channels from the pill supply during discharge of the pill supplied channels, a pill gate movably mounted to the channels between pill supporting and pill discharging positions, said pill gate having pill passages and pill supports spaced from one another for registration with the channels in accordance with desired operative positions of the pill gate, and interlocking means for locking the pill gate into its pill supporting position when the channel selecting means enables pills from the supply to enter channels and for locking said channel selecting means in a channel isolating position when said pill gate is operated to discharge pills from pill supplied channels.

7. The pill counter as claimed in claim 6, and further including a unit pill dispensing channel, said pill gate having a unit pill dispensing passage located to align with said unit pill dispensing channel upon movement of the pill gate to a predetermined unit pill dispensing position.

8. The pill counter as claimed in claim 7 wherein the pill gate is mounted for movement between said unit pill dispending position and a multiple pill releasing position, and wherein said interlocking means includes means for moving said pill gate automatically to said multiple pill releasing position when said channel selecting means is locked into its channel isolating position.

9. The pill counter as claimed in claim 6 wherein said interlocking means further includes a lever mounted for manually actuated movement between the pill gate and the channel selecting means for respective locking contact therewith, a spring mounted to urge said pill gate towards a first pill discharging position, said lever being provided with a pill gate locking segment and a channel locking segment, both of said segments being located to release the pill gate upon locking of the channel selecting means by said lever, whereby said spring moves the pill gate to said first pill discharging position to dispense pills from the channels.

10. The pill counter for dispensing pills as claimed in claim 9 wherein said channel selecting means further includEs indicating means bearing indicia operatively located and related to correspond with the channels selected to be supplied with pills and the desired pill quantity to be discharged.

11. The pill counter for dispensing pills as claimed in claim 10 wherein said pill gate has a unit pill passage and a unit pill support and is mounted for movement between first and second pill discharging positions, the first pill discharging position corresponding to the location of the pill gate upon completion of its movement under action of said spring and the second pill discharging position being located with movement of the pill gate against the action of the spring to register said unit pill passage with a channel for the discharge of a single pill.

12. A convenient, rapid operating pill counter for dispensing a desired, measurable quantity of pills comprising channel means for retaining a plurality of pills in vertically oriented and adjacently spaced arrays, each of said arrays being located in a channel shaped to retain a predetermined number of pills to dispense a desired measurable quantity of pills, each of said channels having a top opening for communication with a supply of pills and having a bottom opening to dispense the pills, means for selecting a desired quantity of pills to be dispensed, said selecting means including a channel selector being shaped and sized for selective closure of the top openings of the channels, said channel selector being further mounted for movement across said top openings to isolate and open selected ones of said channels, with the position of the channel selector being chosen to fill open channels with pills from the pill supply, and a pill gate positioned in alignment with the bottom openings of the channels and being movable relative thereto, said pill gate having pill passages separated by pill array supports, the pill openings being sized to freely pass pills retained by the channels in a pill release position, said pill openings and pill array supports being spaced for alignment with the channels in correspondence with the movement of the pill gate.

13. The pill counter and dispenser as claimed in claim 12 wherein the channel selector is formed of a flexible member, and wherein the selecting means further includes a rotatably mounted dial coupled to the flexible member to take up and unwind the flexible member in correspondence with the desired quantity of pills.

14. The pill counter and dispenser as claimed in claim 12 and further including an interlock having an edge engagement with the channel selecting means and further having an extension for releasable locking engagement with the pill gate, said extension being shaped to move the pill gate to a pill array supporting position upon locking engagement of the interlock with the pill gate while said edge has released the channel selecting means.

15. The pill counter and dispenser as claimed in claim 14 wherein said interlock is further provided with a spring element shaped to maintain contact with the pill gate and urge it towards said extension upon release of the pill gate to automatically move the pill gate to a pill releasing position when the interlock locks the channel selecting means.

16. The pill counter and dispenser as claimed in claim 15 wherein said extension has a wedge surface and wherein said pill gate is provided with a wedge surface, with both of said wedge surfaces being oriented to move the pill gate to said pill array supporting positions.

17. The pill counter and dispenser as claimed in claim 16 wherein said pill gate has a recess located and sized to receive the wedging surface of the extension of the interlock, said recess being provided with a stop edge located to engage the extension when said pill gate is at the pill array supporting position.

18. The pill counter and dispenser as claimed in claim 15 wherein said pill gate is further provided with a unit pill support sized and shaped to maintain support of an array of pills in one of the channels when the spring element moves the pill gate to said pill releasing position;

said pill gate being movable, upon release by the interlock, in a direction which is against the action of the spring element and for a distance sufficient to align a pill passage with said one channel to release a single pill.

19. The pill counter and dispenser as claimed in claim 12, and further including a hopper section having a bottom wall commencing at a back wall and terminating above the channels, said bottom wall being inclined downwardly towards said channels to transfer pills to the channels.

20. The pill counter and dispenser as claimed in claim 19 wherein said hopper section bottom wall is further provided with spaced, upwardly extending, ribs terminating above the channels with the spacing between ribs in alignment with the channels.

21. The pill counter and dispenser as claimed in claim 20 wherein said ribs are provided with sharply defined, top located, edges to enhance the transfer of pills from the hopper section to the channels.

22. The pill counter and dispenser as claimed in claim 19 wherein said bottom wall is contoured in the vicinity of said channels to form a surface and recess shaped to orient pills for transfer into the channels.

23. The pill counter and dispenser as claimed in claim 19, and further including for a removable hopper for retaining pills, said removable hopper having an inclined opening edge and being mounted to form a pill retaining back wall for the hopper section when pills from the removable hopper are transferred to the hopper section through the opening formed by the inclined edge.

24. The pill counter and dispenser as claimed in claim 19, and further including means for mounting the pill counter on a pill retaining container, said means including a container mounting wall having an opening in communication with the hopper section and the contents of the container, and a back wall located adjacent the opening in the container mounting wall to retain pills in the hopper section after transfer from the container.

25. The pill counter and dispenser as claimed in claim 12 and further including a funnel having an inlet and an outlet and being mounted in operative relationship with the channels to receive pills therefrom to be passed through the funnel outlet, means for retaining a vial in pill receiving relationship below the funnel outlet and a funnel gate movably mounted to close the funnel outlet and operatively located in the path of a retained vial to retain pills within the funnel in the absence of a vial.

26. A dispenser for discharging a desired quantity of of material from a supply comprising channel means for retaining material, said channel means including a plurality of channels each of which retains a preselected multiple of a unit quantity of material and is open at a top end to receive the material from the supply and is open at the bottom to dispense the material, means for selecting a quantity of material to be dispensed, said selector being shaped and sized for selective closure of the top openings of the channels, said channel selector further being mounted for movement across said channel top openings to isolate and open selected ones of said channels, with the position of the channel selector being chosen to fill open channels with material from the supply, a material gate positioned in alignment with the bottom openings of the channels and being movable relative thereto, said gate having material openings separated by material retainers, said material openings and retainers being spaced for alignment with the channels in correspondence with movement of the material gate, means for interlocking said channel selector with the material gate to lock the gate into a material retaining position when said channel selector is operated and lock the channel selector into a channel closing position when said gate is moved to dispense material through said material openings, and means for dispensing a unit quantity of said material from one of said channels through one of said material openings in the gate to dispense the desired quantity of material.

27. The dispenser of a desired quantity of material as claimed in claim 26 wherein said channel selector is formed of a flexible member, and wherein the selecting means further includes a rotatably mounted dial coupled to the flexible member to take up and unwind the flexible member in correspondence with the quantity of material to be dispensed from the channels.

28. The dispenser of a desired quantity of material as claimed in claim 27 wherein said interlocking means includes a lever mounted for movement between the channel selecting means and the material gate, means cooperating with said lever to lock the channel selector in a channel closing position, means in cooperation with the lever to lock the material gate in a material retaining position, and means for moving said material gate to a material dispensing position when said channel selector is locked into its channel closing position.