Medication dispenser and schedule reminder

• US 3,911,856 A
• Filed: 08/28/1974
• Issued: 10/14/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/1974
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Charles C. Ewing
• Original Assignee: Charles C. Ewing
• Inventors: Ewing, Charles C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Queisser, Richard C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rasco, Marcus S.
• Application Number:
  US05/501,056
• Time in Patent Office: 412 Days
• Field of Search: 116/121 206/538,539,533,534 220/327,328
• US Class Current: 206/534
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0472 of the count-down type, i.e. counting down a predetermined interval after each reset
• CPC Class Codes: G04B 47/02 Installations within mirrors, pictures, furniture or other household articles clock-lamps, globe-clocks with a fixed dial, G04B19/04; clock in the form of a lamp with a dial mounted upon it, moved by the clockwork G04B19/21; clockwork in the form of a globe for indicating different local apparent times G04B19/22; illumination of the dial and the hands G04B19/30; clock-lamps with the lamp switched on and off by the clockwork mechanism G04C19/02, within keys G04B47/005, within lighters G04B47/006, within pens B43K29/087

Abstract

My invention relates to a device for containing medication and for indicating the time when such medication should be taken. The device comprises a base having a plurality of compartments arranged in a circle, and a cover rotatably carried by the base and overlying the compartments. A circular wall defines the outer peripheral portions of the compartments and a circular ledge circumscribes the wall and has an upwardly facing saw-tooth edge. A screw-threaded hub extends upwardly from the center portion of the compartments. The cover is formed of a transparent material, such as clear plastic, and is in the form of a circular disc with a central opening to pass the threaded hub, and an off-center opening, which may be aligned with a selected compartment. The cover has a depending peripheral flange with a saw-tooth edge which is complementary to the edge of the circular ledge. An internally threaded cap is threaded on the hub to hold the cover in place and against unintentional rotation by reason of the fact that the complementary saw-tooth edges are held in mating relationship. All, or selected compartments, are filled with prescribed medicinal tablets and each compartment is marked with a prescribed indicia, such as certain hours of the day. At the prescribed time, the user will rotate the cap in a direction to permit a slight elevation of the cover to disengage the saw-tooth edges, whereby the cover may be rotated to align the cover opening with the desired compartment. The cap is then threaded to move the cover onto the compartments and to engage the saw-tooth edges, and the device may be inverted to remove the tablet from the compartment, through the opening in the cover. If the medication to be taken is in liquid form, a reminder, such as a miniature teaspoon or tablespoon, may be placed in the prescribed compartments.

Claims

1. A medication dispenser and schedule reminder comprising a base having a circular wall extending upwardly therefrom, said wall defining the bottom boundary of a plurality of compartments formed by a plurality of spaced ribs radiating from a center upstanding hub on said base, each compartment opening upwardly and adapted to contain an object such as a medicinal tablet or medicine reminder to be taken at a predetermined time, a cover of a size to overlie all of said compartments and having a central opening to pass said hub therethrough whereby said cover is rotatable about said hub, said cover having an offcenter opening which may be rotatably aligned with a selected compartment so that the contents may be removed, a circular ledge circumscribing said base circular wall at its lower portion, said ledge having a serrated upper edge, said cover having a circular flange bounding said base wall and having a serrated lower edge interfitting with and complementary to said serrated upper edge of said base ledge, and, a retainer cap having means threadedly cooperable with said hub whereby said cap overlies said cover and releasably securable to said hub to hold said cover in position closing said compartments excepting the compartment exposed by said cover opening, the complementary base ledge and cover flange serrations mating and seating when said cap is secured to said hub tHereby to restrict rotation of said cover, thereby to ensure that only the selected exposed medication is taken at the predetermined time and whereby loosening of said retainer cap releases the engaging serrations and permits turning of said cover to expose a further compartment containing medicament for another predetermined time.

2. The construction according to claim 1 wherein the serrations on said ledge edge are upwardly facing teeth, and the serrations on said flange are downwardly facing teeth.

3. The construction according to claim 2 wherein said teeth are V-shaped.

4. The construction according to claim 2 wherein said teeth provide equally spaced crests and troughs, the latter in a number equal to the number of compartments and respectively radially aligned therewith, whereby said cover opening is aligned with a said compartment in every complementary mating position of said upper and lower teeth.

5. The construction according to claim 1 wherein said base supports a timer which may be set to provide a signal when a selected time has elapsed.

6. The construction according to claim 5 wherein said base also supports a date selector.

7. The construction of claim 1 including time indicia on said base aligned with each of said tooth troughs and each of said compartments.