Pill dispenser with reminder

• US 6,581,797 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2001
• Issued: 06/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sharper Image Acquisition, LLC (ThreeSixty Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharper Image Corporation (ThreeSixty Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Christianson, Tristan M., McKinney, Edward C. Jr., Thalheimer, Richard J., Patterson, Jesse F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Noland; Kenneth W.
• Application Number:
  US09/882,901
• Publication Number:
  US 20030006242A1
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 221/2,3,7,8,13,15,76,82,84,85 368/10
• US Class Current: 221/7
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0427 with direct interaction with a dispensing or delivery system
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0454 for dispensing of multiple drugs
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0481 working on a schedule basis

Abstract

A programmable vitamin and pill dispenser that is capable of storing multiple pill groups. The dispenser provides reminders to an individual when it is time to ingest the next serving. The serving is dispensed into a cup upon depressing a dispenser button. By loading the individual compartments specific to each serving, an individual does not have to create the serving each time.

Claims

1. A device for storing articles comprising:

an elongated upstanding housing extending upwardly from a base, the housing having a cover;

a flexible belt within the elongated housing having dividers extending from the belt to define individual compartments adapted to store one or more articles wherein the flexible belt is formed into an elongated loop and defines a space within the elongated loop;

a dispensing compartment at the base of the housing located below the elongated loon wherein the articles stored in the compartments are selectively gravity fed into the dispensing compartment;

a dispensing control located in the space within the elongated loon that causes the flexible belt to advance in a direction to allow at least one article to be gravity fed from the individual compartment into the dispensing compartment; and

wherein the flexible belt remains in the housing and the cover is removable to enable the articles to be plated placed in one or more of the individual compartments.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the rotating belt has 29 individual compartments.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein a removable container sits within the dispensing area to contains the one or more articles that enters the dispensing area.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the housing is adapted so that the device may hang vertically on a wall.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the dispensing control is a button that must be depressed to index the rotating belt one space.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the dispensing control is sound activated, so that if a sound is detected above a minimum threshold the rotatable belt will index forward one space.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the housing is adapted so that the device may lie on a surface in a substantially vertical position.

8. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a programmable timer wherein the programmable timer automatically calculates serving times by a user moving a switch to a “

first serving time”

position, by a user setting the first serving time of the day by pressing an hour and minute button, and by a user selecting the number of servings per day.

9. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a display indicating a timing schedule wherein the display will further indicate that a serving has been missed by displaying a “

missed”

indicator.

10. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a display indicating a timing schedule wherein the display will further indicate that a serving has been taken by displaying a “

taken”

indicator.

11. A device for storing articles comprising:

an elongated upstanding housing extending upwardly from a base, the housing having a cover;

a flexible belt within the elongated housing having dividers extending from the belt to define individual compartments adapted to store one or more articles wherein the flexible belt is formed into an elongated loon and defines a space within the elongated loop;

a dispensing compartment at the base of the housing located below the elongated loop wherein the articles stored in the compartments are selectively gravity fed into the dispensing compartment;

a dispensing control located in the space within the elongated loop that causes the flexible belt to advance in a direction to allow at least one article to be gravity fed from the individual compartment into the dispensing compartment; and

wherein the flexible belt remains in the housing and the cover is removable to enable the articles to be placed in one or more of the individual compartments without rotating the belt to a loading location.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein the device has twenty-nine compartments, each compartment capable of storing the one or more articles.

13. The device according to claim 11, wherein a removable container sits within the dispensing area to contain the one or more articles that enters the dispensing area.

14. The device according to claim 11, further comprising a programmable timer wherein the programming means automatically calculates serving times by a user moving a switch to a “

first serving time”

position, by a user setting the first serving time of the day by pressing an hour and minute button, and by a user selecting the number of servings per day.

15. The device according to claim 11, further comprising a display indicating a timing schedule wherein the display will further indicate that a serving has been missed by displaying a “

missed”

indicator.

16. The device according to claim 11, further comprising a display indicating a timing schedule wherein the display will further indicate that a serving has been taken by displaying a “

taken”

indicator.

17. The device according to claim 11, wherein the housing is adapted so that the device may hang vertically on a wall.

18. The device according to claim 11, wherein the dispensing control is a button that must be depressed to index the rotating belt one space.

19. The device according to claim 11, wherein the dispensing control is sound activated, so that if a sound is detected above a minimum threshold the rotatable belt will index forward one space.

20. The device according to claim 11, wherein the housing is adapted so that the device may lie on a surface in a substantially vertical position.

21. A device for storing articles comprising:

an elongated upstanding housing extending upwardly from a base, the housing having a removable front cover;

a flexible belt within the elongated housing having dividers extending from the belt to define individual compartments adapted to store one or more articles, wherein the flexible belt is formed into an elongated loop and defines a space within the elongated loop;

a dispensing compartment at the base of the housing located below the elongated loop wherein the articles stored in the compartments are selectively gravity fed into the dispensing compartment;

a dispensing control that causes the flexible belt to advance in a direction to allow at least one article to be gravity fed from the individual compartment into the dispensing compartment; and

wherein the flexible belt remains in the housing and the cover is removable to enable the articles to be placed in one or more of the individual compartments without rotating the belt to a loading location.

22. The device according to claim 21, wherein the housing is adapted so that the device may hang vertically on a wall.

23. The device according to claim 21, wherein a container is located within the dispensing area to hold the one or more articles after the one or more articles leaves the individual compartment.

24. The device according to claim 21, wherein the housing is adapted so that the device may stand on a surface in a substantially vertical position.

25. The device according to claim 21, wherein the dispensing control is a button that must be depressed to index the rotating belt one space.

26. The device according to claim 21, wherein the dispensing control is sound activated, so that if a sound is detected above a minimum threshold the rotatable belt will index forward one space.

27. The device according to claim 21, further comprising a programmable timer wherein the programmable timer automatically calculates serving times by a user moving a switch to a “

first serving time”

position, by a user setting the first serving time of the day by pressing an hour and minute button, and by a user selecting the number of servings per day.

28. The device according to claim 21, further comprising a display indicating a timing schedule wherein the display will further indicate that a serving has been missed by displaying a “

missed”

indicator.

29. The device according to claim 21, further comprising a display indicating a timing schedule wherein the display will further indicate that a serving has been taken by displaying a “

taken”

indicator.