Medicine dispenser for home health care

Abstract
A medicine dispenser includes a container having a lid and a removable compartmentalized tray which can be positioned upon an interior container ledge and held within the container interior immediately beneath the lid when closed. The tray includes a series of apertures dimensioned and positioned on the periphery of the tray to interact with a corresponding series of pegs positioned on the ledge. This arrangement permits only a properly encoded tray to be positioned within the container interior. The lid is provided a plurality of spring-loaded, hinged tray compartment covers aligned directly over corresponding tray compartments, which can be selectively opened and shut to expose the contents of any desired tray compartment. The medicine dispenser is further provided a microprocessor within the container interior which, together with a control button on the lid, controls the operation of an audible and visual alarm, as well as the automatic opening of selected compartment covers.

Patent number: 4717042
Filing date: May 28, 1986
Issue date: Jan 5, 1988
Inventor: John T. McLaughlin
Assignee: Pyxis Corporation

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A medicine dispenser, comprising:

a box-like container having a lid hinged along one upper edge thereof, which lid can be locked shut to deny unwarranted access to the interior of the container, the container providing an interior peripheral ledge spaced to lie near the lid when closed, the ledge providing means for supporting a tray or the like immediately beneath the lid when closed, the lid having a plurality of apertures therethrough;

means for manually encoding the tray supporting means to prevent the accidental positioning of an unintended tray within the container, the manually encoding means including a plurality of peg-receiving openings through the interior peripheral ledge of the container, and at least one peg manually insertable and removable from the peg-receiving openings, the at least one peg having a head extending above the upper surface of the interior peripheral ledge;

a medicine tray dimensioned for placement within the container, the medicine tray including at least one aperture therethrough dimensioned and positioned to permit the head of the at least one peg to fit within and through the at least one aperture when the medicine tray is positioned within the container and the lid is shut, the medicine tray further including a plurality of compartments, each of the compartments being positioned immediately beneath a respective one of the plurality of lid apertures when the lid is closed;

a plurality of compartment covers attached to the lid adjacent respective ones of the plurality of lid apertures, each of the compartment covers capable of being shut and opened with respect to the lid to selectively permit access to respective ones of the compartments, the plurality of compartment covers being spring loaded to automatically open when a latch means included on the lid is activated to selectively release the compartment covers, the latch means including a plurality of trigger solenoids positioned, respectively, adjacent respective ones of the plurality of lid apertures opposite the attachment points of the associated compartment cover;

an interior container compartment for housing power and controlling means for the medicine dispenser;

means for connecting the power and controlling means to the lid;

an audible alarm mounted on the lid and electronically coupled with the power and controlling means;

a manually actuable control button mounted on the lid and electronically coupled with the power and controlling means; and

a liquid crystal display positioned to be observable through the lid, which display is further electronically coupled with the power and controlling means.

2. A medicine dispenser, comprising:

a container having a lid which can be locked shut to deny unwarranted access to the interior of the container, the container providing means for supporting a tray or the like immediately beneath the lid when closed, the lid having a plurality of apertures therethrough;

means for manually encoding the tray supporting means to prevent the accidental positioning of an unintended tray within the container, the manually encoding means including a plurality of peg-receiving opening through an upper surface of the tray supporting means, and at least one peg manually insertable and removable from the peg-receiving openings, the at least one peg having a head extending above the tray supporting means upper surface;

a medicine tray dimensioned for placement within the container, the medicine tray including at least one aperture therethrough dimensioned and positioned to permit the head of the at least one peg to fit within and through the at least one aperture when the medicine tray is positioned within the container and the lid is shut, the medicine tray further including a plurality of compartment for holding medicine, each of the compartments being positioned immediately beneath a respective one of the plurality of lid apertures when the lid is closed; and

a plurality of compartment covers attached to the lid adjacent respective ones of the plurality of lid apertures, each of the compartment covers being capable of shutting and opening with respect to the lid to selectively permit access to respective ones of the compartments for holding medicine.

3. A medicine dispenser as set forth in claim 2, wherein the container is box-like, and the lid is hinged along one upper edge thereof.

4. A medicine dispenser as set forth in claim 2, wherein the tray supporting means includes an interior peripheral ledge attached to the interior of the container and spaced to lie near the lid when closed, so that only a peripheral lip of the medicine tray can fit between the ledge and the lid.

5. A medicine dispenser as set forth in claim 4, wherein the peg-receiving openings extend through the interior peripheral ledge.

6. A medicine dispenser as set forth in claim 2, including a compartment within the interior of the container for housing power and controlling means.

7. A medicine dispenser as set forth in claim 6, including means for connecting the power and controlling means with the lid.

8. A medicine dispenser as set forth in claim 7, including an audible alarm mounted on the lid and electronically coupled with the power and controlling means.

9. A medicine dispenser as set forth in claim 7, including a manually actuable control button mounted on the lid and electronically coupled with the power and controlling means.

10. A medicine dispenser as set forth in claim 7, wherein a visual alarm is positioned to be observable through the lid and is electronically coupled to the power and controlling means.

11. A medicine dispenser as set forth in claim 10, wherein the visual alarm includes a liquid crystal display.

12. A medicine dispenser as set forth in claim 2, wherein the plurality of compartment covers are spring loaded to automatically open when a latch means included on the lid is activated to selectively release the compartment covers.

13. A medicine dispenser as set forth in claim 12, wherein the latch means includes a plurality of trigger solenoids positioned, respectively, adjacent individual ones of the plurality of lid apertures and opposite the attachment points of the associated compartment covers.

14. A medicine dispenser, comprising:

a container having a lid which can be shut to completely enclose the interior of the container, the container providing means for supporting a tray or the like immediately beneath the lid when closed, the lid having a plurality of apertures therethrough;

means for manually encoding the tray supporting means to prevent the accidental positioning of an unintended tray within the container;

a medicine tray dimensioned for placement within the container, the medicine tray including a plurality of compartments for holding medicine, and means encoded into the tray, which encoded means interacts with the means for manually encoding the tray supporting means to permit the tray to be positioned and held securely immediately beneath the lid when closed; and

a plurality of compartment covers attached to the lid adjacent respective ones of the plurality of lid apertures, each of the compartment covers capable of being shut and opened with respect to the lid to selectively permit access to respective ones of the compartments, wherein each lid aperture is dimensioned and positioned to directly overlay a respective one of the tray compartments when the lid is closed.

15. A medicine dispenser as set forth in claim 14, including means for locking the lid shut against the remainder of the container to deny unwarranted access to the interior of the container.

16. A medicine dispenser as set forth in claim 14, wherein the manually encoding means includes a plurality of peg-receiving openings through an upper surface of the tray supporting means, and at least one peg manually insertable and removable from the peg-receiving openings, the at least one peg having a head extending above the tray supporting means upper surface.

17. A medicine dispenser as set forth in claim 16, wherein the means encoded into the tray includes at least one aperture through the medicine tray which is dimensioned and positioned to permit the head of the at least one peg to fit within and through the at least one aperture when the medicine tray is positioned within the container and the lid is shut.

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