Alarm devices

• US 4,858,207 A
• Filed: 03/04/1988
• Issued: 08/15/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Micro Technologies International Limited
• Original Assignee: Micro Technologies International Limited
• Inventors: Buchner, Albrecht
• Primary Examiner(s): Miska, Vit W.
• Application Number:
  US07/164,388
• Time in Patent Office: 529 Days
• Field of Search: 368/10, 368/107-109, 368/113, 206/534, 221/2, 221/3, 221/9
• US Class Current: 368/10
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/035 Blister-type containers blisters in general B65D75/36
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0436 resulting from removing a drug from, or opening, a container
• 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 37/127 used as containers or cartridges means for incorporating a battery in the case G04G17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 15/006 for operating at a number of different times cigar or cigarette receptacles or boxes with means for limiting the frequency of smoking A24F15/005

Abstract

An alarm device which will remind the user to take individually packaged medicaments such as contraceptive pills at the correct time. The device has a support for the package and individually depressible buttons, each aligned with one individual compartment of the packet. In this way depression of a button will get an individually packed pill. Timer means are provided for monitoring the time lapsed after any button has been depressed and means link the button to the timer means so that depression of any one button will re-start the timer means. An audible alarm is provided which sounds when the timer means reach a preselected time.

Claims

1. An alarm device for reminding a user to take an individually packaged pill from a package of individually packaged pills, each of said pills being packaged in an individual compartment of said package, comprising:

a support for holding said package;

a number of buttons mounted to said support, each said button aligned with a compartment of said package and being depressable into a retained position to eject a package pill from said aligned compartment;

slidable actuating means mounted to said support and displaceable with respect to said support in response to depression of any one of said buttons into its retained position;

a timer for monitoring elapsed time after a push-button has been depressed, said timer being actuated upon displacement of said slidable actuating means with respect to said support; and

an alarm operatively associated with said timer to indicate when elapsed time reaches a preselected duration.

2. An alarm device according to claim 1 in which said depressed button remains in its retained position until the subsequent depression of an undepressed button, said subsequent depression releasing any previously depressed buttons.

3. An alarm device according to claim 1 in which a number of additional buttons are provided, each said additional button being depressable into a retained position to displace said slidable actuating means, but not being aligned with a pill containing compartment, thereby to enable a regular routine of acknowledging the alarm to be kept even if for some period no pill is to be taken.

4. The alarm device of claim 1 wherein said displacement of said slidable actuating means directly actuates said timer.

5. An alarm device for reminding a user to take an individually packaged pill from a package of individually packaged pills, each of said pills being packaged in an individual compartment of said package, comprising:

a support for holding said package;

a number of buttons mounted to said support, each said button being aligned with a compartment of said package and being depressable into a retained position to eject a pill from said aligned compartment, each said button further having a cam means associated therewith;

a slidable plate mounted to said support, said plate having holes through which said buttons extend whereby said cam means associated with said depressed button displaces said plate sideways upon depression of any one of said buttons into a retained position;

a timer for monitoring time elapsed after a button has been depressed, said timer being actuated by said sideways displacement of said plate; and

an alarm operatively associated with said timer to indicate when elapsed time reaches a preselected period of time.

6. The alarm device of claim 5 wherein said displacement of said slidable plate directly actuates said timer.