Pill dispenser canister having dual reservoirs
First Claim
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1. A dual-reservoir canister for dispensing pills, the canister comprising:
- a dispensing reservoir for holding a first supply of pills;
a backup reservoir for holding a second supply of pills;
a partial partition separates the dispensing reservoir from the backup reservoir during dispensing and provides a passageway for transferring pills from the backup reservoir to the dispensing reservoir when the canister is tilted off axis, thereby preventing comingling of the first supply of pills with the second supply of pills until the second supply of pills is needed;
a pill dispensing mechanism that releases a desired quantity of the first supply of pills from the dispensing reservoir at a target location;
an access door for filling the backup reservoir; and
a passageway between the backup reservoir and the dispensing reservoir for transferring pills from the backup reservoir to the dispensing reservoir.
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Abstract
A dual-reservoir canister for dispensing pills includes a dispensing reservoir and a backup reservoir. Pills (solid medications such as pills, capsules and caplets) are stored in both reservoirs but dispensed only from the dispensing reservoir until the dispensing reservoir is empty, at which time, the dual-reservoir canister is tilted to pour the pills from the backup reservoir into the dispensing reservoir. An access door is provided to refill the backup reservoir and, in some embodiments, the access door includes an extension that prevents pills from accidentally falling into the dispensing reservoir while the backup reservoir is refilled.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A dual-reservoir canister for dispensing pills, the canister comprising:
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a dispensing reservoir for holding a first supply of pills; a backup reservoir for holding a second supply of pills; a partial partition separates the dispensing reservoir from the backup reservoir during dispensing and provides a passageway for transferring pills from the backup reservoir to the dispensing reservoir when the canister is tilted off axis, thereby preventing comingling of the first supply of pills with the second supply of pills until the second supply of pills is needed; a pill dispensing mechanism that releases a desired quantity of the first supply of pills from the dispensing reservoir at a target location; an access door for filling the backup reservoir; and a passageway between the backup reservoir and the dispensing reservoir for transferring pills from the backup reservoir to the dispensing reservoir. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method for dispensing pills, the method comprising:
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providing a device for dispensing pills comprising; a plurality of dual-reservoir canisters, each having; a dispensing reservoir for holding a first supply of pills; a backup reservoir for holding a second supply of pills; a partition separating the dispensing reservoir from the backup reservoir and a passageway for transferring pills from the backup reservoir to the dispensing reservoir only when the canister is tilted off axis, thereby the partition prevents comingling of the first supply of pills with the second supply of pills until the second supply of pills is needed; a pill dispensing mechanism that releases a desired quantity of the first supply of pills from the dispensing reservoir at a target location; an access door for filling the backup reservoir; selecting one of the dual-reservoir canisters; dispensing pills from the dispensing reservoir until the dispensing reservoir is empty; transferring pills from the backup reservoir through the passageway and into the dispensing reservoir by tilting the canister off axis; and continuing with dispensing pills from the dispensing reservoir. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A canister for dispensing medications, the canister comprising:
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at least two reservoirs for holding medications; between each pair of the at least two reservoirs, a partial partition separates a first reservoir of the each pair of reservoirs from a second reservoir of the each pair of reservoirs, the partial partition preventing comingling of medications within each of the at least two reservoirs until the canister is at least partially rotated to purposely migrate the medications from the first reservoir into the second reservoir through a passageway; and an access door for filling at least one of the reservoirs with medications. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification