System and method for loading pills into a pillbox

• US 6,779,663 B1
• Filed: 02/06/2002
• Issued: 08/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Powell John Pocsi
• Original Assignee: Powell John Pocsi
• Inventors: Pocsi, Powell John
• Primary Examiner(s): Walsh, Donald R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Schlak, Daniel K
• Application Number:
  US10/071,800
• Time in Patent Office: 930 Days
• Field of Search: 221/2, 221/86, 414/404, 220/625, 222/47, 222/48, 222/485, 141/242, 141/243, 141/247, 206/534, 206/538, 206/539, 206/540
• US Class Current: 206/534
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/03 for pills or tablets containers for pills or tablets with special dispensing means therefor B65D83/04
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2205/20 Colour codes
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2205/30 Printed labels
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0084 for multiple medicaments
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/04 Arrangements for time indication or reminder for taking medicine, e.g. programmed dispensers

Abstract

A pill loader system comprising a pillbox loader and a matching pillbox for loading pills into the pillbox. The pillbox loader has a plurality of loader containers, and the pillbox has an identical number of pillbox containers. The pillbox loader is positioned on top of the pillbox and the pills are placed into the loader containers according to instructions written on a pillbox loader form, which is positioned within a loader bottom plate which is slidably inserted between the loader and pillbox such that the loading instructions appear in the bottom of the loader containers. In operation, the loader bottom plate is removed, and the pills drop into corresponding pillbox containers.

Claims

1. A pill loader system comprising:

a loader, said loader having a loader housing with a removable loader bottom plate having a top and bottom surface, and said loader having a loader latticework, forming a loader latticework pattern, said loader latticework disposed within the loader housing, whereby said loader housing, removable bottom plate, and loader latticework define a plurality of loader containers with each container having a bottom portion and an open top end in order to permit one or more pills to be placed into one or more loader containers;

a loader form positioned on the top surface of the loader bottom plate, said loader form displaying a loader form pattern which matches and is aligned with the loader latticework pattern, and said loader form pattern defining a plurality of dosage indicator spaces which appear in the bottom portion of each loader container, whereby each dosage indicator space may be used to display a number which corresponds to the number of pills to be placed within the corresponding loader container.

2. The pill loader system of claim 1 in which the plurality of pill loader containers form a plurality of rows and columns in which each row corresponds to a different time of the day and each column corresponds to a different day.

3. The pill loader system of claim 1 in which the plurality of pill loader containers form four rows and seven columns in which each row corresponds to a different time of day and each column corresponds to a different day of the week.

4. The pill loader system of claim 3 in which the different time of day corresponds to morning, noon, evening and night.

5. The pill loader system of claim 1 in which the loader form is covered with a flap of clear flexible plastic.

6. The pill loader system of claim 1 in which the loader form displays a representation of least one pill to be loaded into the pill loader container.

7. The pill loader system of claim 1 further comprising a pill loader cover which is pivotally attached to the loader housing, whereby the pill loader cover covers the pill loader housing when the cover is rotated downwardly.

8. The pill loader system of claim 7 in which the pill loader cover has an inside surface, said inside surface having a loader form holder, whereby the holder holds at least one loader form to be used to load pills into the loader.

9. The pill loader system of claim 1 further comprising a pillbox, said pillbox having a pillbox housing and a pillbox latticework, said pillbox latticework forming a pillbox latticework pattern which matches the loader latticework pattern, and said pillbox latticework disposed within the pillbox housing, whereby said pillbox housing and pillbox latticework define a plurality of pillbox containers with each container having an open top end.

10. The pill loader system of claim 9 in which the pillbox is mated to the loader by placing the loader on top of the pillbox such that each loader container aligns with and is directly above a corresponding pillbox container, whereby each pill placed into a loader container will drop into a corresponding pillbox container when the loader bottom plate is removed from the loader.

11. The pill loader system of claim 9 in which the pillbox further comprises a pillbox cover which is pivotally attached to the pillbox, whereby the pillbox cover covers the pillbox housing when the cover is rotated downwardly.

12. The pill loader system of claim 11 in which the pillbox cover has an inside surface, said inside surface having a pillbox form holder, whereby the holder holds at least one pillbox composite form to be used to determine whether the pills were correctly loaded into the pillbox.

13. The pill loader system of claim 9 in which the loader and pillbox are interchangeable.

14. The pill loader system of claim 9 in which at least one removable pill cup is disposed within at least one pillbox container.

15. The pill loader system of claim 9 in which the pillbox is made of plastic.

16. The pill loader system of claim 15 in which the plastic is transparent.

17. The pill loader system of claim 1 in which the pill loader is made of plastic.

18. The pill loader system of claim 17 in which the plastic is transparent.

19. A method of loading pills into a pillbox comprising:

providing a loader, said loader having a loader housing with a removable loader bottom plate, and having a loader latticework, forming a loader latticework pattern, said loader latticework disposed within the loader housing, whereby said loader housing, removable bottom plate and loader latticework define a plurality of loader containers with each container having a bottom portion and an open top end;

providing a loader form, said loader form displaying a loader form pattern which matches the loader latticework pattern, said loader form pattern defining a plurality of dosage indicator spaces;

marking a number within at least one dosage indicator space, whereby said number corresponds to the number of pills corresponding to a single dosage;

placing the loader form on top of the loader'"'"'s removable bottom plate such that the loader form pattern aligns with the loader latticework pattern;

placing a quantity of at least one pill within the bottom portion of each loader container which displays a number in its bottom portion such that the number matches the quantity of the at least one pill;

providing a pillbox, said pillbox having a pillbox housing and a pillbox latticework, said pillbox latticework having a pattern which matches the loader latticework pattern, and said pillbox latticework disposed within the pillbox housing, whereby said pillbox housing and latticework define a plurality of pillbox containers with each container having an open top end;

placing the loader on top of the pillbox such that each loader container is aligned with and directly above a corresponding pillbox container; and

removing the loader'"'"'s bottom plate, whereby each quantity of at least one pill contained within a loader container drops down into a corresponding pillbox container.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

providing a pillbox cover, said pillbox cover pivotally attached to the pillbox;

removing the loader from the pillbox; and

rotating the pillbox cover downwardly in order to cover the top of the pillbox housing.

21. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

providing a pillbox cover, said pillbox cover pivotally attached to the pillbox;

removing the loader from the pillbox;

completing a composite pillbox form which summarizes all of the pills that should have been loaded into the pillbox; and

inserting the composite pillbox form into a pillbox form holder disposed on inside surface of the pillbox cover.