Indexing pill dispenser

Abstract

A rotary manually operated pill dispenser is disclosed, for holding and dispensing a collection of pills from several separate compartments. A cover has an integral dispensing porthole which overlies each compartment in turn. Six tapered tabs strategically placed on a ledge of the cover to match the same configuration of open-notches on a shelf of the base serve as an indexing apparatus, whereby the user can readily align the cover, and porthole, correctly. The dispenser has an integrated conical plastic spring washer, fitted in a central chamber in the base, which biases the cover and base apart, and keeps the ledge in engagement with the shelf. The bottom of the base is constructed with the same configuration of tabs as the lid, and a pills reservoir, or other accessory component, can be locked onto, and removed from, to the dispenser. The base and cover can be injection-moulded in a suitable transparent plastic material.

1 . Pill dispenser, which includes a base and a cover, wherein; 
 the cover is mounted and guided for rotation with respect to the base, about a rotary axis;    the base is formed with a number C of compartments, which are suitable for containing pills;    the compartments comprise respective sectors of an annulus of the base, the annulus being coaxial with the rotary axis;    the cover is formed with one porthole;    the compartments and the porthole are so arranged that, when the cover is rotated, the porthole sequentially overlies each one of the compartments in turn;    the porthole is so dimensioned that a pill residing within the one compartment can be removed, through the porthole, from the one compartment, while the remainder of the compartments are simultaneously covered;    one of either the base or the cover is termed a tabs-component, and the other is termed a sockets-component;    the tabs-component includes a ledge on which are formed N tabs, which lie pitched at respective locations around a tabs pitch-circle;    the sockets-component includes a shelf on which are formed N open-sockets, which lie pitched at respective locations around a sockets pitch-circle;    both pitch-circles lie centred on the rotary axis of the cover;    the locations of the tabs on the ledge, and the locations of the open-sockets on the shelf, are so arranged that there exists a remove-cover orientation of the cover with respect to the base, in which all N tabs axially overlie respectively the N open-sockets;    the tabs on the ledge and the open-sockets on the shelf are so arranged that: 
 when the cover is in the remove-cover orientation, the tabs lie aligned with the open-sockets, and can pass in an axial direction through the open-sockets, thereby enabling the cover to be removed from the base; and that  
 when the cover is in an orientation other than the remove-cover orientation, the tabs lie out of alignment with the open-sockets, and lie blocked from passing through the open-sockets, thereby preventing the cover from being removed from the base; and  
   the number N is at least three.    
   
   
       2 . As in  claim 1 , wherein: 
 the tabs and open-sockets are so arranged that: 
 when the cover is in any rotational orientation, other than the remove-cover orientation, no more than N−3 of the tabs lie aligned with any of the open-sockets, in that at least three of the N tabs, termed the non-aligned tabs, lie out of alignment with each and every one of the open-sockets; and that  
 chords joining the said non-aligned tabs form a polygon of which the non-aligned tabs comprise the vertexes thereof; and that  
 the polygon includes the rotary axis inside its perimeter.  
   
   
   
       3 . As in  claim 2 , wherein the porthole is sized to uncover only the one of the C compartments that the porthole overlies, the cover being so arranged as to prevent any pill from being removed from any of the remaining compartments.  
   
   
       4 . As in  claim 1 , including an indexing-apparatus of such structure that, upon the cover undergoing a rotational movement relative to the base, and upon the cover being orientated to respective positions in which the porthole overlies each one of the individual compartments in turn, in respect of each one of those respective locked positions, the indexing-apparatus holds the cover locked against rotation away from that locked position.  
   
   
       5 . As in  claim 4 , wherein the locked position of the indexing-apparatus can be over-ridden and released by manually rotating the cover.  
   
   
       6 . As in  claim 4 , wherein the indexing-apparatus includes a number T of tight-sockets, the number T being such that, when the cover is orientated to the respective positions in which the porthole overlies each one of the individual compartments in turn, in respect of each one of those positions, one of the tabs engages one of the tight-sockets.  
   
   
       7 . As in  claim 6 , wherein the number T is such that, in respect of each individual compartment, three of the tabs engage three of the tight-sockets.  
   
   
       8 . As in  claim 1 , wherein the open-sockets and the tight-sockets lie circumferentially intercalated, on the sockets pitch-circle.  
   
   
       9 . As in  claim 1 , wherein: 
 the cover is mounted and guided for movement also in an axial sense relative to the base;    the dispenser includes a biasing spring, and the arrangement of the dispenser is such that: 
 the biasing spring urges the shelf and the ledge together, in an axial direction; and  
 the biasing spring urges the shelf and ledge together in such manner that, when the cover is in the remove-cover orientation, the biasing spring urges the cover in the axial sense to separate the cover from the base.  
   
   
   
       10 . As in  claim 9 , wherein: 
 inside the annulus, the base is formed with a hollow cylindrical chamber; and    the biasing spring is housed inside the chamber;    the spring pushes against a wall of the chamber, and pushes against the cover.    
   
   
       11 . As in  claim 10 , wherein the biassing spring is a conical disc spring.  
   
   
       12 . As in  claim 11 , wherein the conical disc spring is formed with a star-shaped central aperture.  
   
   
       13 . As in  claim 10 , including: 
 a timer;    an operable annunciator, which is effective, when operated, to announce a warning signal, and to do so at a time that is predetermined by the timer;    the timer and the annunciator are contained in a module; and    the module lies placed inside the said hollow chamber in the base of the dispenser.    
   
   
       14 . As in  claim 13 , wherein: 
 the timer includes a manual control, in the form of a mechanical knob; and    the knob protrudes through a central hole in the cover.    
   
   
       15 . As in  claim 1 , wherein the number N of tabs is four or more.  
   
   
       16 . As in  claim 15 , wherein the number C of compartments is seven or more.