Abstract:
The present invention provides a modular dispenser for organizing solid dosage preparations. An innovative lid concept provides a space to layout and inspect an incremental count of solid dosage preparations preliminary to committing them to compartment storage with minimal manipulative effort. Mnemonic devices, such as indicia, color-coded lids, and a mobile device app facilitate remembering event times. Releasable mounting and modular construction facilitates the staging of individual compartments for travel and sequencing purposes.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This is a national stage application claiming priority under 35 USC 371 to PCT/US2015/050888, filed 18 Sep. 2015, and to U.S. Provisional Application 62/052,333, filed 18 Sep. 2014, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in entirety. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    This invention relates to pill dispensing containers, and more particularly to mnemonic devices for medication regimens. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    The problem of complying with a physician-prescribed medication regimen is exacerbated by the demographic of an aging population prevalent in the developed world. According to governmental sources, there are over 43 million adults aged 65 and over in the U.S. alone, and this number is forecasted to almost double by the year 2040. Nearly 92% of seniors have at least one chronic condition, and 77% have at least two. More than half take 5 different prescription drugs regularly, and one in four take between 10 and 19 pills a day. Add to this count vitamins, supplements, NSAID&#39;s and other non-prescription medications increasingly prevalent in what has become, in recent years, a “pill culture”, and the task of keeping track of doses and times of administration becomes even more unmanageable. Seniors are especially at risk for managing multiple regimens due, not only to the physiological changes attendant to aging, but to higher incidence of chronic diseases and conditions. 
         [0004]    Pill boxes that array daily doses in modular-like compartments are useful for keeping track of regimen schedules. Most are labeled with day-of-the-week indicia and some also have additional compartments for iterative applications during a day, such as for morning (AM) and evening (PM). Typically, the compartments are connected in a box representing a week of administration. The need for enlargement of the individual compartments to accommodate the increasing volume of pills, however, makes the overall size unwieldy for travel purposes. At the same time, the limitations on dexterity prevalent with seniors make it difficult to load the compartments by hand, and errors of manipulation, such as separating individual pills, abound. Correcting a misplacement of a pill, or even inspecting the contents of a compartment, requires dumping a load and starting over. 
         [0005]    What is needed is a senior-friendly mnemonic device that allows the pill-taker to pre-sort the regimen and visually confirm it before loading the compartments of a pill box. Another need is to separate the individual compartments for selection purposes while providing an organization means to keep track of each day&#39;s administration. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0006]    The present invention beneficially fulfills these needs by providing individual daily containers magnetically held onto a base from which they can be selectively removed and repositioned at will. One or several of the containers can be removed to make up a kit for short-term travel, or the base can be eliminated to further conserve space. The individual containers are capped with an elastomeric cover containing a receptacle for assembling and sorting a daily regimen of doses. The receptacle facilitates a visual confirmation before committing the pills to the container through an expandable aperture therein. In the case of AM and PM accommodation, a two-compartment container can be capped with piggybacked covers of different colors, or markers, to facilitate visual identification. The container can be switched around on the base following a current administration of pills to indicate, at a visual glance, the next administration due. The reminder function of the device can be augmented by adding a mobile device app in a system of apparatus plus media tool. 
         [0007]    Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a weekly complement of daily pillbox containers releasably organized on a base. It is a further object to connect the containers to the base by magnetic means and array them there upon by post and recess means. It is a further object to identify the containers, and compartment divisions therein, by indicia means. It is a further object to provide a container cover having a concavity therein for the purpose of sorting and displaying a daily regimen of pills. It is a further object to provide a means for dispensing the pills from the concavity directly into the container after a confirming inspection of the pills. It is a further object to provide a visual means of identifying compartments within the container by hingeably attached lids of different colors. It is a further object to provide access with minimal force of manipulation. It is a further object to accommodate outsized multivitamins and supplements. It is a further object to visually inspect stored pills in the container without removing them. It is a further object to provide a mobile device app to signally communicate a time for dose administration. 
         [0008]    These objects, and others to become hereinafter apparent, are embodied in a modular dispenser for organizing medicaments, comprising, in a first element, at least one modular container having at least one compartment. The at least one compartment has a top, a front wall and a back wall. The front wall has indicia thereon. A second element comprises an elastomeric lid attached proximate the back wall to hingeably cover the top. The elastomeric lid has a concave recess therein configured to receive the medicaments. The concave recess has at least one slit there through. A final element comprises a base mount configured to releasably receive and register the at least one modular container. With such means and in such manner, the medicaments may be distributed from supply to the concave recess for visual count and confirmation before being pushed through the at least one slit into the at least one compartment for storage therein until retrieved therefrom by hingeably opening the lid at a time indicated by the indicia. 
         [0009]    In a preferred embodiment, the at least one modular container is seven containers and each corresponds to a day of the week indicated by the indicia. The at least one compartment is two compartments and each corresponds to AM or PM as indicated by the color of the elastomeric lid. The two compartments are joined proximate the back walls thereof and the elastomeric lids are joined by living hinge construction. The at least one slit is two slits in cruciate formation. Finally, each modular container is releasably mounted to the base by magnetic means. 
         [0010]    In an alternate embodiment, a modular dispenser system comprises a reminder app for a mobile device in combination with the elements and functionalities of the modular dispenser as described above. 
         [0011]    As this is not intended to be an exhaustive recitation, other embodiments may be learned from practicing the invention or may otherwise become apparent to those skilled in the art. 
     
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]    Various other objects, features and attendant advantages of the present invention will become fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood through the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and wherein: 
           [0013]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the modular dispenser of the present invention; 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of one of the several of the containers of the modular dispenser in array; 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of one transparent module showing two compartments; 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  is a top plan view of one module; 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  is a section view of the module of  FIG. 4  taken along the lines  5 - 5 ; 
           [0018]      FIG. 6  is a top plan view of the modular dispenser showing bi-colored lids and staging of the containers for event sequencing; 
           [0019]      FIG. 7  is an exploded perspective view of a preferred module; 
           [0020]      FIG. 8  is a top plan view of the preferred module; and 
           [0021]      FIG. 9  is section view of the preferred module of  FIG. 8  taken along the lines  9 - 9 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0022]    Throughout the description and the claims, the term “pill” will be taken to refer to a tablet, a capsule or any solid dosage preparation, medical or otherwise. 
         [0023]    Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a modular dispenser  1  for organizing medicaments  2  ( FIG. 3 ) comprises an at least one modular container  10 . The modular container  10  has at least one compartment  15  therein. The at least one compartment  15  has a top  11 , a front wall  12  and back wall  13 . The front wall  12  has indicia  14  thereon to identify the container  10  with a particular time of administration. In the preferred embodiment, the indicia indicates a day-of-the-week, typically displayed by one or more initials of the day. Preferably, the at least one modular container  10  numbers seven containers and the at least one compartment  15  numbers two compartments. The two compartments  15  may be associated with AM and PM administrations of the medicaments  2 . Preferably, the modular container  10  is transparent so that contents placed therein can be easily viewed and inspected ( FIGS. 3 and 7 ). 
         [0024]    In the preferred embodiment, the medicaments  2  are pills  5  of a nominal 8-10 mm size. Each compartment  15  is configured to receive a first preferred count of between 10 and 19 pills  5 . Ideally, the volume of the compartment  15  is sufficient to include at least one outsized multivitamin or supplement. In a particularity, the compartment  15  is approximately 10 cm 3  in volume. The pills  5  may include tablets, capsules, caplets, gelcaps or any combination thereof. 
         [0025]    As shown in  FIGS. 3-5, 7 and 9 , the modular dispenser  1  further comprises an elastomeric lid  20  hingeably attached to a corresponding compartment  15  proximate the back wall  13  thereof. A lidded modular container  10  comprises a module  6 . The elastomeric lid  20  covers the top  11  of the compartment  15  to protect and isolate the contents placed inside. The elastomeric lid  20  has a concave recess  21  debossed therein to receive the medicaments  2  for counting and inspection purposes. Consequently, the concave recess  21  is preferably configured to a second preferred count of medicaments  2 . In the preferred embodiment, the second preferred count is between 2 and 7 pills  5 . In a particularity, a span diameter  26  ( FIG. 4 ) of the concave recess  21  is approximately 2.5 cm. 
         [0026]    The concave recess  21  has at least one slit  22  there through to provide an opening in the elastomeric lid  20  for dispensing the medicaments  2  into the compartment  15  of the modular container  10 . In the preferred embodiment, there are two slits  22  in crossed, or cruciate, formation  24 . The crossed slits provide tongue-like appendages of the elastomeric lid  20 , which are easily deformed into an aperture by gentle pressure applied to the medicaments  2  from above. The crossed slits  22  facilitate dispensing the medicaments into storage in the compartment  15  after the inspecting and counting step. 
         [0027]    As best shown in  FIG. 2 , the modular dispenser  1  further comprises a base mount  30 . The base mount  30  comprises a plurality of protuberances  33  matching the plurality of the modular containers  10 . Each modular containers  10  has a mating recess  16  ( FIG. 5 ) to locate to a corresponding protuberance  33  by interposition therewith. In the preferred embodiment, the protuberances  33  are arrayed linearly and spaced to register the modular containers side by side for convenient viewing of the indicia. 
         [0028]    The modular containers  10  may be releasably mounted to the base mount  30  by magnetic means  31 . In the preferred embodiment, the magnetic means  31  comprises at least one magnet  32  (not shown) embedded in one of either of the recess  16  or the protuberance  33  and a ferromagnetic plate  34  embedded in the other. In the preferred embodiment, the ferromagnetic plate  34  is comprised of steel. The symmetries of the protuberances  33  and the recesses  16  are such that the modular containers  10  may be dismounted and switched end for end in a remount. This switching is useful for visually indicating progress of administration events, as further discussed below. 
         [0029]    In the preferred embodiment, as best shown in  FIGS. 5 and 7 , the two compartments  15  are arranged back-to-back. The two corresponding elastomeric lids  20  are similarly arranged back-to-back. Each elastomeric lid  20  has a hinge hook  28 , which extends around and under a ledge  18  extending from the back wall  13  of the corresponding compartment  15  to anchor the elastomeric lid  20  ( FIGS. 7 and 9 ). In an alternate embodiment, two corresponding elastomeric lids  20  are joined at a living hinge  23  to form a dual lid composite  27  ( FIGS. 3 and 5 ). 
         [0030]    As best shown in  FIGS. 5 and 9 , each compartment  15  has a periphery lip  17  protruding from at least the front wall  12 . Each elastomeric lid  20  has an engagement flange  25  positioned to underlap the periphery lip  17  of a corresponding compartment  15 . Because of resiliency of the elastomeric lid  20 , the underlapped engagement can be peeled away when the lid is raised and hinged open to reveal the compartment. In the case of the dual lid composite  27 , while one of the lids  20  is open, the other remains engaged to provide a pivot base for the living hinge  23 . Because the elastomeric lids  20  are malleable, opening and closing the compartments for purposes of dispensing the contents therein and, and afterward resealing them, can be done with minimal manipulative effort. 
         [0031]    The dual lid composite  27  can be labeled with indicia to indicate AM and PM for the constituent compartments  15 . In the preferred embodiment, there are two lid colors to differentiate AM compartments from PM compartments. In a particularity, the two colors are white for AM and black for PM. In another particularity, the two colors are green and blue. The colors may be any two colors showing contrast. As illustrated in  FIG. 6 , where a second color is indicated by stippling, the containers  10  can be staged and oriented to broadcast, at a glance, the next compartment to be emptied. In this case, it is visually evident that the next administration event occurs at Monday PM. 
         [0032]    The modular dispenser  1  may be injection molded from any food grade and BPA-free resins. Preferably, the resin of choice is clear polycarbonate (PC) or crystal styrene (PS). The base mount  30  may be injected molded from any tough commodity resin, such acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), high-impact polystyrene (HIPS) or high-density polyethylene (HDPE), for example. The elastomeric lid  20  may compression molded from butyl rubber or injection molded from a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), for example. Preferably, the resin of choice is a thermoplastic urethane (TPU). A bi-colored dual lid composite  27  may be two-shot injection molded. The living hinge  23  may be formed in-mold and molecularly oriented by known technologies. 
         [0033]    In an alternate embodiment, a modular dispenser system (not shown) is comprised of a mobile device app (not shown) in combination with the modular dispenser  1  discussed above. The mobile device app is a downloaded software application that operates to signal an alert through its host mobile device at a selected reminder interval to take the next administration of pills. The app may have a customization feature to record data pertaining to a patient&#39;s list of medications, for example. The combination of the mobile device app and the improved ease-of-use features and other mnemonic functionalities provided by the innovative modular dispenser herein disclosed assures critical patient compliance with regard to one or many medication regimens. 
         [0034]    It is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the preceding description or illustrated in the drawings. For example, the modular container  10  may be mounted to the base mount  30  by hook-and-loop means, commonly known by the trade name Velcro®. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of the description and should not be regarded as limiting.