Timed medicine dispenser

• US 4,207,992 A
• Filed: 05/26/1978
• Issued: 06/17/1980
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: John H. Brown
• Original Assignee: John H. Brown
• Inventors: Brown, John H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Knowles, Allen N.
• Application Number:
  US05/909,628
• Time in Patent Office: 753 Days
• Field of Search: 221/15, 221/4, 221/8, 221/243, 221/82, 221/86, 221/89, 222/70
• US Class Current: 221/15
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0445 for preventing drug dispensing during a predetermined time period
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0481 working on a schedule basis

Abstract

A timing mechanism for dispensing medicine on a timed basis for a patient to remind the patient to take the medication. The device comprises a dispensing wheel having a plurality of medication storage compartments, which are labeled to indicate various times of the day and days of the week to receive the medicine. The timing device comprises an electric motor which drives a gear adapted to turn a transfer gear which in turn rotates a driven gear to move the compartmented dispensing wheel one compartment per time period to dispense medicine into a hopper for use.

Claims

1. A medication dispensing device for dispensing medication at timed intervals over a predetermined period of time, comprising:

a cabinet;

a hopper supported within said cabinet;

a shaft rotatably supported in said cabinet;

a dispensing wheel rotatably supported by said shaft having a plurality of compartments with each compartment having an opening on the outer edge of the wheel;

means to rotate said shaft one revolution per the predetermined period of time;

a driven gear for rotating said dispensing wheel positioned around said shaft;

a driving gear secured to said shaft having teeth spaced about its periphery by intervals sufficient for the opening of each compartment to be registered with an opening into the hopper at each timed interval;

a transfer gear rotatably secured in said cabinet, a portion of the transfer gear positioned to engage said driven gear and another portion of the transfer gear positioned to engage the teeth of the driving gear at the timed intervals which rotates said dispensing wheel and register a compartment with the hopper and thereby dispense medication at the timed intervals over the predetermined period of time.

2. The combination called for in claim 1 wherein said cabinet comprises;

an enclosure having a side with an opening therein; and

a transparent door secured over said opening to allow viewing of medication in the dispensing wheel.

3. The combination called for in claim 2 wherein the side of the enclosure which includes the opening is disposed at an angular position to allow viewing of the medication.

4. The combination called for in claim 1 wherein said dispensing wheel comprises:

a disc concentrically supported about said shaft; and

a plurality of radially extending partitions extending outwardly from said shaft for forming said compartments.

5. The combination called for in claim 1 wherein said dispensing wheel is disposed at an angle to the cabinet bottom to facilitate viewing of medication.

6. The combination called for in claim 1 wherein said means to drive said shaft comprises:

an electric motor supported in said cabinet.

7. The combination called for in claim 1 wherein said driving gear has four teeth equally spaced about one-half its periphery for rotating the transfer gear at the timed intervals.

8. The combination called for in claim 1 with the addition of:

a shield disposed within said cabinet adjacent to said dispensing wheel adapted to prevent medication from falling out of said compartments.

9. The combination called for in claim 8 wherein said hopper is formed in the bottom portion of the front wall of said cabinet and is communicating with an opening formed in said shield such that as a compartment passes the opening in the shield the medication from the compartment falls into the hopper.

10. The combination called for in claim 1 wherein said means to drive said shaft comprises:

a spring wound motor supported in said cabinet.

11. The combination called for in claim 1 wherein said means to drive said shaft is adapted to be reset before rotating said shaft for dispensing more medication.

12. A medication dispensing device for dispensing medication at timed intervals over a predetermined period of time, comprising:

a cabinet having a bottom, a front wall with a portion of the wall angularly disposed, an opening through the angularly disposed portion of the front wall, and a transparent door secured to the front wall to cover said opening while permitting viewing of the medication within said cabinet;

a hopper formed in the front bottom portion of said cabinet to permit access to the dispensed medication;

a dispensing wheel having a disc and a plurality of radially extending partitions forming compartments to receive the medication to be dispensed at each timed interval, each compartment being open on the outer edge of the disc;

a shield adapted to prevent the medication from falling out of the compartments having an opening disposed in the shield so that as a compartment passes the opening the medication falls into the hopper;

a shaft concentrically supporting the disc of said dispensing wheel rotatably supported in said cabinet;

means to rotate said shaft one revolution per the predetermined period of time and adapted to reset before rotating said shaft;

a driving gear secured to said shaft having four teeth equally spaced about one-half the periphery of the driving gear;

a segmented transfer gear for engaging the teeth on said driving gear rotatably secured adjacent to said driving gear;

a driven gear secured to said dispensing wheel and rotatably positioned around said shaft, said driven gear engaging said transfer gear such that rotation of said transfer gear at the timed intervals causes said driven gear and dispensing wheel to rotate which dispenses medication from the compartments into the hopper at the timed intervals over the predetermined period of time.

13. The combination called for in claim 12, wherein said means to drive said shaft comprises an electricmotor supported in said cabinet.

14. The combination called for in claim 13, wherein said means to drive said shaft comprises a spring motor supported in said cabinet.