Dosage sealing, monitoring and dispensing assembly
First Claim
1. An assembly for storing and dispensing dosage units, said assembly having at least one cartridge comprising:
- means in which to receive a supply of the units to be dispensed;
a dispensing orifice through which the units are delivered to the user;
means for advancing the units from said supply to said dispensing orifice;
actuator means located at a manually accessible position to be operated by the user;
plunger means adapted for reciprocal movement whereby to remove individual units into said dispensing orifice; and
lever arms means connected at a first end thereof to said actuator means and at an opposite end thereof to said advancing means, said plunger means being interconnected to said lever arm means intermediate the first and opposite ends thereof, such that the operation of said actuator means simultaneously causes the advancement of units to a position below said plunger means and above said dispensing orifice and the reciprocal movement of said plunger means for delivering units to the user via said orifice.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A dosage sealing, monitoring and dispensing assembly including a mounting receptacle and one or more cartridges removably connected to the receptacle. Each cartridge has sealed therewithin a fresh, supply of dosage units (e.g. medicine or vitamins) carried in moisture impervious shells on a flexible, segmented strip. The strip contains a predetermined number of dosage units to be consumed by the user over a particular duration. Each cartridge also has mechanical linkage by which a dosage unit can be automatically removed from its shell on the strip and delivered to the user by way of a trough formed in the mounting receptacle. When the supply of dosage units within a cartridge is exhausted, that cartridge may be conveniently removed from the mounting receptacle and replaced by another cartridge having a new supply of the same or different ingredients.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. An assembly for storing and dispensing dosage units, said assembly having at least one cartridge comprising:
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means in which to receive a supply of the units to be dispensed; a dispensing orifice through which the units are delivered to the user; means for advancing the units from said supply to said dispensing orifice; actuator means located at a manually accessible position to be operated by the user; plunger means adapted for reciprocal movement whereby to remove individual units into said dispensing orifice; and lever arms means connected at a first end thereof to said actuator means and at an opposite end thereof to said advancing means, said plunger means being interconnected to said lever arm means intermediate the first and opposite ends thereof, such that the operation of said actuator means simultaneously causes the advancement of units to a position below said plunger means and above said dispensing orifice and the reciprocal movement of said plunger means for delivering units to the user via said orifice. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. An assembly for dispensing articles to a user, said assembly comprising:
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cartridge means; a supply of articles carried by a flexible strip and loaded into said cartridge means; a dispensing orifice formed in said cartridge means through which the articles are delivered to the user; reciprocating means in said cartridge means adapted for reciprocal movement outwardly from and inwardly through said dispensing orifice; and means for advancing said strip to said dispensing orifice for locating an article on said strip below said reciprocating means and above said orifice while, at the same time, causing said reciprocating means to move inwardly through said orifice to remove an article from said strip for delivery to the user by way of said orifice, said advancing and moving means comprising a lever arm connected to and rotatable around said reciprocating means, one end of said lever arm being connected to an actuator means and the second end of said lever arm being connected to a ratchet, said lever arm rotating around said reciprocating means and thereby causing the reciprocal movement of said reciprocating means relative to said dispensing orifice. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification