US20090010575A1

US20090010575A1 - Bag to gather, removably secure, and track pills and pill organizers in a compact way

Info

Publication number: US20090010575A1
Application number: US12/156,477
Authority: US
Inventors: Namratha Sanka
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-06-01
Filing date: 2008-06-02
Publication date: 2009-01-08

Abstract

A bag that holds pill-organizers within, which together serve as a rolodex of pill organizers, accommodates several pill organizers that are commercially available in the market in an orderly and secure manner. Similar to a rolodex, the pill organizers in the bag can also be removed individually for refilling with pills and rearranged back into the bag easily. The bag is completely or partially lined on the insides or constructed with loop material such that found on one side of a Velcro®. The pill organizers are provided on their under-side with the hook part of the Velcro®. This makes it possible to temporarily fasten the pill organizers along the inside walls of both sides of the bag. The invention, which is the bag with the pill organizers within, can be completely closed to look like a compact carrying case. The invention has additional spaces to provide documentation and other aids for administration of pills. The bag of pill organizers can be easily carried in one's hand or on the shoulder with a shoulder-strap while on a visit to the doctor or medical professional for a visual examination of pills not yet consumed and any changes in medication. The present invention can also be carried as a travel accessory during a user's trip such as on a cruise. The invention can have various ornamental designs to serve as identifiers and to cater to the preferences of users. The invention fills the need for a simple tool to organize pills and remove the pain of taking pills even while traveling.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based on the Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/932,587, filed Jun. 1, 2007.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

REFERENCE TO A SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM, LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIX

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is related to bags, the internal surfaces of which will have a collection of pill organizers that can be individually and removably attached to the inside surface of the bags using material sold in strips or pieces that can be glued or sewn to the interior surface of the bags, with the complemental part of such adhering strips or pieces glued or molded to the external surface of pill organizers; the bags internal surface and the pill organizers' external surface when thus equipped and pressed together will form a utility bag to secure the pill organizers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Pill organizers are used regularly by a variety of people, whether they are senior citizens who consume a lot of pills to maintain their health, young individuals who take health supplements, pregnant women and new mothers taking pills such as pre-natal vitamins and other vitamins, or medical patients who are required to take several pills at regular intervals during the day. Several types of pill organizers are commercially available to cater to the needs of various pill consumers. Filling up a pill organizer is often a weekly chore for the individuals who are taking the pills or their care providers. It is a tedious process; however like any assembly line process once the filling of the pill organizers is started the repetitive action makes it easier to fill several weeks' supply of pills where practicable. Pills that are purchased against a prescription can be orders for several weeks at a time. The pill consumer or care provider ought to be able to complete the chore of several weeks at in a single filling session, thereby saving considerable time and energy due to the efficiency achieved by repetitive action. The pill consumers or care providers have to often face the inconvenience of having to open several bottles of pills multiple times a day based on the prescribed dosage, and retain the bottles as long as the prescription lasts. This is inconvenient and prone to costly errors not only at the time of consuming the pills, but also when the medicine cabinet, rearranging closets, moving things around the house or when traveling. Further, it has been observed that when physicians ask their patients to bring along with them information on the medications during their visit to the doctor, the patients take several bottles of medicines with them in a highly disorganized manner. This makes it difficult or impossible to check at a glance if the patient has been taking medicines as prescribed or to assess at a glance if the pills are ready for reorder with another prescription.
Accordingly, it is the principal object of the present invention to provide convenience to persons consuming pills as well as any care providers including physicians helping such pill consumers with their consumption of pills to be able to easily gather, secure, store move, carry, open, keep a track of them at a glance, and further, with minimal effort be able to temporarily detach and re-attach pill organizers of any shape and form or number, at will for convenience or replacement. The invention prevents clutter in the medicine cabinet; prevents wrongful medication or mixing up of medication if an elderly couple has medications that look similar, so long as each of the medicine consumers use separate colors or identifiers on the invention.
For most users, pills and pillboxes are not a pleasant chore to deal with. Adding mechanical devices or electronic devices make them further intimidating. The present invention makes organizing of pillbox a simple activity. The present invention makes review of medication taken also a simple visual activity that can be handled competently by any medically untrained person with common counting skills. The present invention also emphasizes on simplicity by creating a product of convenience using clasps and straps and fasteners that are easy to understand and use requiring no special training or learning curve by the end-users. The present invention aims at replacing the clutter in a medicine cabinet to bring more structure and organization in a simple visual manner to the chore of managing and consuming pills from pillboxes day after day. The present invention also helps users to keep their medications and pills discreet in neatly closed presentable bags. The present invention allows the user to take all the pills and keep them together in one place, neatly organized. The invention includes the bag which externally is pleasing to the eye can be conveniently carried during travel.
Prior art in this field is replete with examples of organizers that require a lot of administrative skills with calendars and documentation. An example is U.S. Pat. No. 4,889,237 to Brandon which discloses a monthly calendar with daily panels, requires skills of an accounting clerk and an administrative assistant combined.
Other prior art in this field are not designed for convenience during long travel such as a senior citizen's cruise on a ship. An example is U.S. Pat. No. 6,464,506 to Welles which discloses a magnetic panel, containers that are not discreet about the contents or purpose, and complicated forms for medication compliance.
The present invention also emphasizes the need of the pill consumers for some privacy and dignity by covering the pillboxes in a convenient bag that is discreet and can be carried around like a fashion accessory. This is an emotional need of the pill takers that the prior art does not address well. An example is the prior art in U.S. Pat. No. 4,749,085 to Denney that places conventional pill boxes in ribbed open top trays.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This and other objects are provided in accordance with the present invention by an aggregate of pill organizers which may be individually and removably fastened to the internal surface of a bag by a synthetic material sold in pieces or strips comprising complemental parts which adhere when pressed together. This is sold under the registered trademark VELCRO®, which is manufactured by American VELCRO Inc. of Manchester, N.H.
VELCRO® or the like, is applied by adhesive or sewn-in to both inside-surfaces of the bag and the outer surface of the pill organizers. This enables the pill organizers to be applied, removed and replaced at will. The VELCRO® or like material may be sewn in or applied by adhesive to the inside of the bag in the shape of parallel strips or other patterns, or completely covering or partially covering the inside surface of the bag. The complemental part of the VELCRO® or like material will be applied to the pill organizers by adhesive or may be molded to the surface of the pill box in strips, circles or other pattern to enable easy removal without compromising on the stability of the pill organizer when adhered to the bag after pressing the complemental VELCRO® surfaces against one another.
The bag itself may be shaped to adapt and hold any of a number of pill organizers of different shapes and styles. The bags themselves may be ornamental in design and may have a monogram or other decorative item or symbol attached or sewn in for fashion or identification. The bag may make a fashion statement as well. The bag may be made of denier nylon or fabric or leather or other synthetic material. The bag may have other utilitarian items attached as accessories such as planner or other aids to memory or fashion accessories.
These and other objects, features and advantages will be better understood by a study of the detailed description hereinafter with reference to the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an image similar to an open book, with a frontal perspective of the inside panel of the right-side surface of the bag of the type contemplated by this invention, and a partial-vertical perspective of the inside surface of the left-side surface of the same bag, with various pill organizers attached to the inside-surfaces by VELCRO® adhesive surfaces on one side of the pill organizers and the inner surfaces of the bag, which has a zipper running along three edges of the bag to close and secure the several pill organizers. The bag itself has three open edges that act as lips which can be secured by pulling a zipper through its uninterrupted length along all three open edges and the fourth edge that has no opening, acts as the spine.

FIG. 2 shows the diagonal-top view of the invention when the zipper is closed on the three edges. When closed with the zipper, the invention has sufficient volume to cover the depth of any pill organizer. This requires the zipper to be placed on

FIG. 3 shows the invention resting on its spine.

FIG. 4 shows the invention when disassembled, with the inside surfaces of the invention revealing strips made of VELCRO® material or the like.

FIG. 5 shows the pill organizers with the underside bearing complementing VELCRO® strips that complement the VELCRO® adhesive or sewn-in inside-surfaces of the bag or other patterns including dots. Complementing VELCRO® may also be molded to the surface of the pill organizers as an inherent part of the pill organizer itself.

FIG. 6 shows the invention when disassembled, with the inside surfaces of the invention revealing the VELCRO® sewn in to form the inside surfaces of the invention.

FIG. 7 shows devices for closing the bag other than use of zipper running along the three open edges.

FIG. 8 shows how the invention can adapt to different styles and designs of pill organizers.

FIG. 9 shows attachments that can hold relevant additional information for the user of the invention such as prescriptions or laminated medicine descriptions that usually come along with prescribed medicines.

FIG. 10 shows examples of straps that can be added to the invention to make them easy to carry around.

FIG. 11 shows how the invention can be further modified to include various accessories and allow for carrying other utility items to combine purposes while organizing the pills.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The preferred embodiment illustrated is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Rather, it is chosen and described to better explain the principles of the invention and to enable one having an ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention.
Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, there is shown a bag which is open on three edges, with the fourth edge being the spine 1. A continuous zipper 2 runs along the three open edges. The bag opens like a book, and has a left-panel 2 b and a right-panel 2 c. Each angle of the open book other than the spine 1 has a lip 2 a on the right panel and 2 d on the left panel, which has a zipper along the rim. When closed, the zippers come together to result in a flat surface along the three open edges of the bag, much like a hardback. The zipper has a grip 4 big enough to comfortably grip and open or close the bag. Both panels of the bag are deep enough to accommodate the depth 3 a of the pill organizers 3. The drawing in FIG. 1 shows the bag stacked with pill organizers 3 b one below the other.
FIG. 2 shows the invention resting on one of its three edges 7 a. The three edges 7 a, 7 b, 7 c are flattened to create volume inside the bag when closed. The width of the continuous running upper-lip 2 d and lower-lip 2 a along the three edges are equal, as a result of which, when the bag is closed the zipper 6 divides the length of the three edges equally.
FIG. 3 shows the invention resting on its spine 7 and the zipper grip 6 a in position once the bag is closed. The bag can have an exterior of leather, or it can be a fashion accessory with ornaments attached to it 6 b for fashion or identification or personalization with monogram 6 c. The bag will be made of flexible material such as leather, simulated leather, denier nylon or fabric or other synthetic flexible material allowing the pill organizers inside to be wedged out for ease of removal and reinstatement, by pushing the outside of the bag with the palm of one's hand, and touching the pill organizers with one's fingers to tilt each pill organizer and easily pull it out or adjust its positioning on the VELCRO®.
FIG. 4 shows the invention in FIG. 1 in a disassembled state, when the pill organizers 3 b of FIG. 1 have been removed from the bag. As shown in FIG. 4, the inside panels of the bag reveal strips 9 of VELCRO® material or similar adherent attached to be able to hold the pill organizers in a removable manner. The VELCRO® may alternatively take other patterns to adapt to corresponding complementary pieces of VELCRO that will be placed on the pill organizers in such a manner that when pressed together, they will stay in place inside the bag in stacks one below the other, or in any other form that the pill organizers are available and fit inside the bag.
FIG. 5 shows the pill organizers detached from the bag. The adherent used is VELCRO or similar synthetic material, allowing for the attaching and detaching of the pill organizers from within the bag, possible with little effort. The use of VELCRO or similar material also allows the individual pill organizers to be detached if just one pill organizer needs to be removed from the bag at a given point in time. FIG. 5 also shows corresponding pieces of VELCRO® on the pill organizers, such pieces being in the shape of small rectangles 8 exactly the same width as the strips 9, or may be in the form of small circles or dots 11 on the underside of the pill organizers. The VELCRO® or similar adherent may also have one of its two complementing parts molded into the pill organizers 10 to eliminate the need for aligning the rectangle pieces or the circular pieces or dots during manufacture. VELCRO® or similar adherent comes with multitudes of semi-open hooks on one complementing side and multitudes of loops or fizzy textured fibers on the other complementing side. FIG. 5 also shows a cross section of the pill organizer 3 with its underside bearing the adhered square shaped pieces 8 of VELCRO® or with the VELCRO® or similar adherent molded to the surface of the pill organizer 10. The pill organizers may come with built-in locking mechanisms to further secure their contents. The component of the VELCRO® or similar adherent which bears the fuzzy textured fiber will be the one that will be placed on the inside surface of the panels 2 b and 2 c of the invention.
FIG. 6 shows that the VELCRO or similar adherent may also be applied or sewn in to encompass the entire area 12 of the inside panels of the bag, thus forming the inside material for the bag, except the inside of the lips 2 a and 2 d and the inside of the spine 1.
Other modifications are shown in FIGS. 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11.
FIG. 7 shows the invention with alternatives to the zippers to secure the bag. A snap or button 13 or other ways to secure the bag can be used. FIG. 7 also shows other alternatives to the zipper can be used to secure the bag such as two overlapping flaps 13 a and 13 b of VELCRO on each on each adjacent edges of the outside of the bag can be used with at least one of the flaps originating from the longest open edge of the bag.
FIG. 8 shows the invention with a different style 15 of pill organizers adhered on inside panels, demonstrating that the invention can be used with any type of pill organizer and the bag will change in dimension and style 14 to accommodate the pill organizer.
FIG. 9 shows the invention with a built-in divider 16 placed between the two panels 2 b and 2 c, such divider originating in the inside of the spine 1 of the invention being a transparent sleeve or a cascading set of multiple transparent sleeves to store and display descriptions and prescriptions of all the pills that have been prescribed for the user or all the pills being stored in the invention.
FIG. 10 shows examples of how the bag can have convenient straps 17 for carrying by hand or on the shoulder.
FIG. 11 shows how the bag may have extra spaces to securely hold other accessories such as reading glasses 18, cellular phones 19, pens 20, pencils, note pad, zippered pockets 21 for carrying credit cards, money, medicine bottle labels, prescriptions, contact information and emergency medical records or codes as well as any radio-frequency identification chips that contain medical records, other devices to electronically page the bag to locate it if misplaced during travel, similar to how one would locate a telephone handset if one of two are misplaced, or other transmission or reception devices that help a user connect remotely with a care-provider.
Any other like materials can be substituted by one skilled in the art. While the invention has been described and illustrated in connection with preferred embodiments, many variations and modifications as will be evident to those skilled in this art may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention, and the invention as set forth in the appended claims is thus not to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth above as such variations and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A bag with multiple individual pillboxes securely held within, but capable of separating from the bag easily by simply pulling them apart by hand.

2. The invention according to claim 1, wherein said bag which contains pillboxes opens into two halves, and each half of such bag has an inside wall built of or equipped with a mechanism of Velcro® or like mechanism to hold firmly but temporarily onto several pillboxes at a time.

3. The invention according to claim 1 where in each of the said pillboxes further have their undersides equipped with the opposite kind of fastener allowing for the pillboxes to adhere securely but temporarily to the inside wall of the invention as explained in claim 2.

4. The invention according to claim 1 is further equipped with spaces and pockets to carry medical records and any documentation to assist the medical professional to check on the consumption of pills.

5. The invention according to claim 4 will have the facility to attach various accessories to create extra spaces for items of value to the user such as a place for plane tickets or currency and coins.

6. The invention according to claim 1 will have a mechanism like a zipper or other effective fasteners to effectively close and seal the invention in order to be able to carry the invention around during travel or during a visit to the doctor.

7. The invention according to claim 1 further has a strap or a handle on the outside to allow user to conveniently carry them around as a travel accessory.

8. The invention according to claim 1 wherein the bag opens up, further may have only one side with pillboxes, and the other side serving as a place to store any other item or items that can be held by Velcro® or similar compatible fasteners.

9. The invention according to claim 1 is of such capacity that it can store a 90-day supply of pills for the serious pill consumer.