Abstract:
A pill box which can be loaded by user with pills and which can dispense a particular desired pill or pills when the user presses or repeatedly presses a button of the pill box. The pill box includes a case defining a picking opening, a rotating member rotatably mounted in the case, and a thumb-operated pressing structure. The rotating member includes a ratchet wheel and a plurality of pill grips each containing a pill or pills. The pressing structure includes a sliding member slidably mounted to the case and a pawl abutting the ratchet wheel. The sliding member is slidable relative to the case and the pawl moves the ratchet wheel one click per thumbpress to rotate the ratchet wheel to align one of the plurality of pill grips with the picking opening for taking out the pill or pills.

Description:
FIELD 
       [0001]    The subject matter herein generally relates to pill box in an automatic pill dispenser. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    A pill box includes a plurality of receiving grids each configured to receive one type of pill, convenient for identifying and taking the pills. The pill box needs to be opened to take out pills. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0003]    Implementations of the present technology will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the attached figures. 
           [0004]      FIG. 1  is an exploded, isometric view of one embodiment of a pill box. 
           [0005]      FIG. 2  is similar to  FIG. 1 , but viewed from a different angle. 
           [0006]      FIG. 3  is an exploded, isometric view of a pressing structure of the pill box of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0007]      FIG. 4  is similar to  FIG. 3 , but viewed from a different angle. 
           [0008]      FIG. 5  is an assembled, isometric view of the pill box of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0009]      FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of the pill box of  FIG. 5 , taken along a line VI-VI. 
           [0010]      FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of the pill box of  FIG. 5 , taken along a line VII-VII. 
           [0011]      FIG. 8  is similar to  FIG. 5 , but viewed from a different angle. 
           [0012]      FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional view of the pill box of  FIG. 8 , taken along a line IX-IX. 
           [0013]      FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional view of the pill box of  FIG. 8 , taken along a line X-X. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0014]    It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, where appropriate, reference numerals have been repeated among the different figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. In addition, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments described herein. However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments described herein can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, methods, procedures, and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the related relevant feature being described. Also, the description is not to be considered as limiting the scope of the embodiments described herein. The drawings are not necessarily to scale and the proportions of certain parts may be exaggerated to better illustrate details and features of the present disclosure. 
         [0015]    Several definitions that apply throughout this disclosure will now be presented. 
         [0016]    The term “substantially” is defined to be essentially conforming to the particular dimension, shape, or other feature that the term modifies, such that the component need not be exact. For example, “substantially cylindrical” means that the object resembles a cylinder, but can have one or more deviations from a true cylinder. The term “comprising,” when utilized, means “including, but not necessarily limited to”; it specifically indicates open-ended inclusion or membership in the so-described combination, group, series, and the like. 
         [0017]      FIG. 1  illustrates a pill box  100  in an embodiment. The pill box  100  is configured to receive a plurality of pills and can include a case  10 , a rotating member  40  rotatably mounted in the case  10 , and a pressing structure  50  slideably mounted to the case  10 . In at least one embodiment, the pill box  100  is used in an automatic pill dispenser. 
         [0018]      FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2  illustrate that the case  10  can include a first case body  20 , a second case body  30  connected to the first case body  20 , and a cover (not shown). A top of the case  10  defines a picking opening  15  (shown as in  FIG. 5 ) for loading and extracting the pills. The cover covers the picking opening  15 . The first case body  20  and the second case body  30  cooperatively define a receiving space  25 , and the rotating member  40  is received in the receiving space  25 . The first case body  20  is secured to the second case body  30  by screws or hooks or adhesively. 
         [0019]    A rotating shaft  21  and a ring wall  22  extend from an inner surface of the first case body  20 . The ring wall  22  is substantially circular with the rotating shaft  21  as a center of that circle. The rotating member  40  is received within the ring wall  22 . An installation portion  23  is located in the top portion of the first case body  20 . The installation portion  23  defines a through hole  231  communicating with the receiving space  25 . The pressing structure  50  is slideably installed in the installation portion and extends into the receiving space  25  through the through hole  231 . The installation portion  23  can include two sidewalls  232  each defining a sliding slot  233  extending vertically. An installation plate  234  extends from one of the two sidewalls  232  towards the through hole  231 . A positioning post  235  extends from the installation plate  234 . The first case body  20  defines a window  24 , through which the internal workings of the case  10  can be observed. 
         [0020]    A rotating shaft  31  and a ring wall  32  extend from an inner surface of the second case body  30 . The ring wall  32  is substantially circular with the rotating shaft  31  as a center of that circle. The rotating member  40  is received within the ring wall  32 . Two driving modules  35  are located in the ring wall  32 . Each driving module  35  can include a mounting member  36  secured to an inner surface of the second case body  30  and a driving member  37  mounted in the mounting member  36 . The mounting member  36  can include two mounting blocks  365  (shown in  FIG. 7 ). A gap is defined between the two mounting blocks  365 . The driving member  37  is capable of being inserted into the gap so as to be mounted to the mounting member  36 . Each driving member  37  can include a mounting piece  371  (shown in  FIG. 7 ) and a driving piece  372  (shown in  FIG. 7 ) perpendicularly connected to the mounting piece  371 . The mounting piece  371  is inserted in the gap so as to be mounted to the mounting member  36 . Each driving piece  372  is elastically deformable. The two driving pieces  372  are substantially parallel to each other. 
         [0021]      FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2  further illustrate that the rotating member  40  can include two rotating plates  41  parallel to each other and a plurality of partitions  42  located between the two rotating plates  41 . Each two adjacent partitions of the plurality of partitions  42  are perpendicularly connected to each other and define a plurality of pill grips  425 . Each pill grip  425  is configured to receive different number of pills or different type of pills. A size of the picking opening  15  is substantially equal to a size of each pill grip  425 . A sleeve  43  and a ratchet wheel  44  extend outwards from an outer surface of each rotating plate  41 . The sleeve  43  is located within the ratchet wheel  44 , and the ratchet  44  includes four ratchets  441  each having a blocking surface  446 . The rotating plates  41  have a plurality of tags  45 , each tag  45  is readable, and each tag  45  corresponds to one of the pill grips  425 . In at least one embodiment, the tags  45  can display “morning”, “noon”, “afternoon”, and “before sleep” respectively. A rotating block  46  extends from an outer surface of another rotating plate  46  and surrounds the sleeve  43 . The rotating block  46  is substantially a square and includes four rotating pieces  461 . The driving piece  372  can abut each of the rotating pieces  461 . 
         [0022]      FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4  illustrate that the pressing structure  50  can include a pressing plate  51 , a sliding member  52 , a pushing plate  53 , a pawl  54 , and a resilient member  55 . 
         [0023]    The sliding member  52  can include a bottom plate  521  and two side plates  525  extending perpendicularly from opposite sides of the bottom plate  521 . A latching plate  522  extends from the bottom plate  521  and a latching block  523  extends from an end of the latching plate  522 . The latching block  523  is configured to latch the pushing member  53  to one of the two side plates  525 . A sliding plate  526  extends from an edge of each side plate  525  substantially parallel to the bottom plate  521 . The sliding member  52  further includes two connecting plates  527  connected to the bottom plate  521  and the two side plates  525 . Each connecting plate  527  defines a pivoting hole  528  for mounting the pawl  54 . 
         [0024]    The pushing plate  53  abuts one of the two side plates  525  and with a first end latched between the latching plate  522  and the sliding plate  526  by the latching block  523 . A second end of the pushing plate  53  is curved to abut the pawl  54 . Two pivoting shafts  545  extend from the pawl  54  and are configured to be inserted into the pivoting holes  528  to pivotably mount a first end of the pawl  54  in the sliding member  52 . A second end of the pawl  54  can abut the ratchet wheels  44  and can push the ratchet wheels  44  to rotate. A first end of the resilient member  55  is secured to the positioning post  235 , and a second end of the resilient member  55  abuts the pressing plate  51 . 
         [0025]      FIGS. 5-7  illustrate that in assembly of the pill box  100 , the rotating member  40  is placed between the first case body  20  and the second case body  30  so as to be closely received in the ring walls  22  and  32 . The rotating shafts  21  and  31  are inserted into the sleeves  43  to rotatably mount the rotating member  40  to the case  10 . The driving piece  372  abuts the rotating piece  461 . 
         [0026]    The pressing plate  51  is mounted to the top portion of the sliding member  52 . The pivoting shaft  545  is inserted into the pivoting hole to rotatably install the ratchet wheel  54  to the sliding member  52 . The pushing plate  53  abuts one of the two side plates  525  with the first end latched between the latching plate  522  and the sliding plate  526  by the latching block  523 . The second end of the pushing plate  53  abuts the pawl  54 . The pressing structure  50  is placed in the installation portion  23 , and the ratchet wheel  54  and the pushing plate  53  extend through the through hole  231  to be received in the receiving space  25 . The pawl  54  abuts the blocking surface  445 . The sliding plate  526  is inserted into the sliding slot  233  to slidably install the sliding member  52  to the first case body  20 . The installation plate  234  abuts the connecting plate  527  to prevent the sliding member  52  from disengaging from the first case body  20 . The resilient member  55  abuts the positioning post  235  and the pressing plate  51 . The first case body  20  is secured to the second case body  20  with the cover covering the picking opening  15 . The pill box  100  is thus assembled. 
         [0027]      FIGS. 8-10  illustrate that when taking the pill carried in the pill grip  425  out of the pill box  100 , the pressing plate  51  is pressed to slide the sliding member  52  downward in the sliding slot  233  together with the ratchet wheel  54 . The ratchet wheel  54  abuts the blocking surface  446  to rotate the rotating member  40 . The rotating block  46  pushes past the driving piece  372  to elastically deform the two driving pieces  372  outwards. When the rotating block  46  is just after being diagonal to the two driving pieces  372 , the two driving pieces  372  rebound to force the rotating member  40  to further rotate until the rotating block  46  abuts another pair of rotating pieces  461 . In this position, one pill grip  425  is aligned with the picking opening  15 , and the pill or pills in the pill grip  425  can be taken out by opening the cover. 
         [0028]    In at least one embodiment, the user can place different pills in different pill grips  425 . When the user wants the morning pill, the user can check the display of the tag  45  through the window  24 , if “morning” is displayed, the user can take the pill out directly; if not, the user can repeat his press on the pressing plate  51  until the display of the tag  45  shows the correct label, and then take out the correct pill. 
         [0029]    The embodiments shown and described above are only examples. Many details are often found in the art such as the other features of a pill box. Therefore, many such details are neither shown nor described. Even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present technology have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the present disclosure, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in the details, including in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of the parts within the principles of the present disclosure, up to and including the full extent established by the broad general meaning of the terms used in the claims. It will therefore be appreciated that the embodiments described above may be modified within the scope of the claims.