US2729366A - Pill dispenser - Google Patents

Description

- Jan. 3, 1956 v o. A. CHADWICK PILL DISPENSER Filed Oct. 25, 1952 INVENTOR. ORLANDO A. CHADWICK Fig.

ATTORNEY United States Patentf) PILL DISPENSER Orlando A. ChadwiclnDenver, Colo.

Application October 25, 1952, Serial No. 316,919

6 Claims. or. 222-662) This invention relates to the dispensing of dry granular and pellet form materials from conventional bottles, vials, cartridges, and the like, housing a loose bulk charge of the material, and has as an object to provide novel and improved means susceptible of association with such containers and optionally manipulable to release a predetermined fraction of the container charge.

A further object of the invention is to provide novel and improved means susceptible of association with conventional containers for dry granular and pellet form materials to release a predetermined fraction of the container charge in reaction to single-hand, optional manipulation thereof.

A further object of the invention is to provide novel and improved dispensing means adapted for incorporation in or removable and replaceable association with conventional containers of dry granular and pellet form materials to condition the containers for optional release of predetermined charge fractions in reaction to convenient, single-hand manipulation of the container and its associated means.

. A further object of the invention is to provide novel and improved means for optionally dispensing predetermined charge fractions of dry granular or pellet form materials from conventional containers thereof that is practical and convenient of adaptation to and as a permanent end closure of such containers at the time of their manufacture.

A further object of the invention is to provide novel and improved means for optionally dispensing predetermined charge fractions of dry granular or pellet form materials from conventional containers thereof that is practical and convenient of development in and as a remov-' able and replaceable end closure .cap for the container.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, my invention consists-in the construction, arrangement, and combination of elements as hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure" 1 is a section taken axially through a typical embodiment of the invention as incorporated in and with a container, a portion of the latter being broken away to conserve space.

Figure 2 is a section similar to Figure 1 taken substantially on the indicated line 2-2 of the latter view.

Figure 3 is a cross section taken substantially on the indicated line 3-3 of Figure 2.

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Figure 8 is a cross section taken substantially on the indicated line 8-8 of Figure 7.

Many products in granular and pill form designed for regularly recurrent use in uniform amounts are so packaged as to complicate ready access to the desired quantity at need, the usual screw-cap container of a supply in bulk being awkward and difiicult of manipulation when but a small proportion of its charge is to be extracted and is especially ill-adapted for manipulation by one hand, hence the instant invention is directed to the provision of means susceptible of convenient and practical incorporation in and association with conventional containers and readily manipulable for the dispensing of a predetermined uniform fraction of the container charge when the charge is of granule or pellet form.

In the embodiment of the invention typified by Figures l-6, inclusive, the improvement is represented as incorporatcd in and permanently associated with the normally closed end 10 of an otherwise conventional tubular container 11, such as a vial or bottle, adapted to contain the dispensable material and expediently formed with an open other end, not shown, cooperable with any desired form or style of closure. The normally closed end 10 of the container is intersected by an aperture, or apertures, sized to accommodate and to measure the quantity, or fraction, of the container charge desired to be dispensed at one time, the illustrated arrangement show ing two like apertures 12 centered and spaced apart on a diameter of the said end 10 and opening entirely through the latter for the simultaneous accommodation of two like units of the container charge, such, for example, as two pills or pellets.

Abutting, coextensively overlying, and coaxially revoluble relative to the exterior surface of the container end 10, a transfer plate 13 is formed as the closed end of a tubular cup 14 and is provided with an aperture, or apertures, 15 sized and positioned for registration with the apertures 12 of the container end 10 in one position of plate 13 rotation relative. to and about the axis of the said end 10, the said plate 13 having a thickness the same as that of the container end 10 to provide identical capacities for the apertures 12 and 15.

Closing against and overlying the face of the plate 13 within the cup 14, a dispensing disk 16 is immobilized in fixed relation with the container and its end 10 and serves to revolubly retain and to determine the extent of angular travel of the plate 13 between itself and the said Figure 4 is a cross section taken substantially on the indicated line 4--4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a cross section taken substantially on the indicated line 5-5 of Figure 2.

Figure 6 is an isometric exploded view of the elements comprised in the organization according to the preceding views.

Figure 7 is a section similar to Figure 1 taken through a modification of the invention adapted for removal and replacement relative to a conventional container.

container end, and said disk is formed with an aperture, or apertures, 17 sized and disposed to register with the apertures 15 of the plate 13 when said plate is rotated to shift its apertures 15 out of registration with the container end apertures 12 and to close the latter; registration of the plate apertures 15 and disk apertures 17 preferably being accomplished upon a ninety degree displacement of said plate from the position of aperture 15 registration with the container end apertures 12. Efiectively interrelating the container end 10, plate 13, and disk 16 to cooperate in the manner and for the purposes above set forth, stiff spring fingers 18 are fixed to and at the opposite ends of a diameter of the disk 16 to outstand perpendicular to the plane of said disk in a length adequate to extend entirely through the plate 13 and container end 10; the free ends of said fingers 18 being formed as outwardly-directed hooks 19 engageable with and to look into diametrically-opposed recesses interrupting the inner wall of the container 11 adjacent the inner face of the end 10. Accommodative of spring finger 18 passage therethrough, the container end 16 is provided with intersecting holes 20 disposed to angularly relate the disk 16 to the container end with the respective apertures preferably ninety degrees out of registration and the. plate 13. is. formed. with oppositely-disposed. arcuate slots 21, slightly more than ninety degrees of are in extent, opening therethrough in alignment with and along the inner cylindrical wall of the cup 1.4, so that, withthe elements assembled as shown particularly in Figures 1 and 2, the: plate 13. is held between the: fixedly related container end 10 and. disk. 16. for rotation relative there.- to through an are such as will serve. to alternatelyregister the plate 13 apertures 15- with'. the apertures 12 of the container end 10 and with the apertures 17 of the disk 15.

With the container 11 heldapproximately'upright above.

from the apertures 15; through said disk andinto the palm of the manipulator; the dispensing position of the transfer plate precluding escape from. the container of any of its charge other than that first measured through the apertures 12.

he modification according to Figures 7 and 8 is essentially identical with the organization hereinabove described and differs only in that the container 11 and its closed end 10 is replaced by an internally-threaded closure member ZZadapted for coaction in the usual manner with the threaded, open end of.a.container 23 inreplacement for the. closure member originally furnished with the container. The; end web 10' of the. closure member 22 is thickened, apertured, and worked induplication of the container end it) and cooperates with and carries the elements 13, 14, 16, 18 and 19 in the. functional and structural association hereinbefore set forth; substitution of the closure member 22 for the usual container closure effectively mounting the improved dispenser for use as a removable and replaceable element of the. assembly.

Since changes, variations, and modifications in the pensed eccentrically' intersecting said end closure, a disk fixedly carried by the container in registration with and to spacedly parallel said end closure exteriorly' of thecontainer, apertures intersecting said disk out of registration with the end closure apertures, a transfer plate all) revolubly engaged et een .said disk an n lo and apertures through said plate alternatively registrable with the apertures of said disk and end closure as an incident of plate angular adjustment.

2. A dispenser for dry granular and pellet form materials comprising the combination with a container for the material of a container end closure fully and transversely obstructing the container, apertures accommodative of a measured quantity of the material to be dispensed eccentrically intersecting said end closure, a disk registered with and spacedly paralleling said end closure exteriorly of the container, means marginally of the disk and engaged with, the container fixedly interrelating said disk and end closure, apertures intersecting said disk out of registration with the end closure apertures, a transfer plate revolubly engaged on said means between said disk and end closure, and apertures through said plate alternatively registraole with the apertures of said disk and end closure as an incident of plate angular adjustment.

3. The organization according to claim 2, wherein the means fixedly interrelating the disk and end closure are constituted as stitf spring fingers outstanding from and perpendicular to the disk through accommodating holes in the end closure and hooks terminating said fingers for coactionwith interior elements of the container.

4. The organization according to claim 2, wherein stifi spring fingers outstand from and perpendicular to the disk through: accommodating holes in the end closure, hooks terminating said fingers coact with interior elernents of the container, and the transfer plate is operatively mounted between the disk and end closure through the agency of arcuate slotsintersecting said plate and siidably embracing said fingers;

5. Theorganization according to claim 2, wherein the transfer plate is formed as the base of a cup-like member whereof the wall encircles the disk in open-end extension away: from the container end closure.

6. In a dispenser of the character described, a container, a container end closure fully and transversely obstructing; the container, dispensing apertures accommodative of a measured quantity of the. material to be dispensed eccentricallyx intersecting said end closure, a transfer plate. angularly adjustable in exterior overlying relation with said. end closure, apertures through said plate registrable with the end closure apertures in one position of plate angular adjustment, a disk fixedly engaged with; the container in exterior overlying relation with saidv transfer plate, and apertures through said disk out. of registration. with the; end closure apertures positionedfor registrationwitlrthe.transfer plate apertures as an incident of: plate angular. adjustment.

Harriss et a1. Dec. 26, 1944 Poskey Mar. 6, 1951

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