Pill dispenser in toothbrush handle

A pill dispenser that is disposed in a handle of a toothbrush includes an auger mechanism constructed so that one complete turn of a dispensing knob causes the dispenser to eject a single pill from a port. The dispensing knob includes a safety mechanism that requires the knob to be pushed inward to engage the auger mechanism. The housing of the device, the toothbrush handle, is constructed so as to be waterproof so that no water is introduced to the pills in the dispenser. The ejection port is sealed so that there is no water introduction through the port. In addition, there is a labelling means provided so that the user can easily track the daily ingestion of the pills.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates generally to medication dispensing 
mechanisms, and more particularly is a pill dispenser disposed in a 
toothbrush handle. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
There are many devices in the prior art that provide variations on the 
structure of a toothbrush. One of the most common goals is to provide 
collapsible and/or dual purpose brushes for travellers, thereby reducing 
the space required to store toiletries in luggage. 
Another goal of some prior art devices is to provide means to help users 
take medication with the proper dosages and with the proper frequency. One 
situation in which a consistent ingestion of medication is particularly 
crucial is a woman taking birth control pills. 
Current art birth control pills utilize low dosage levels when compared 
with older birth control medications. For this reason, it is essential 
that the woman take the same dosage at the same time every day. Without 
this very consistent dosage, failures of the birth control pills can 
occur, which leads to an unwanted pregnancy for the user. 
There is no device in the prior art that includes a means to combine two or 
more functions into a single device, and that provides a means of 
reminding a user to take a consistent dosage of a medication on a daily 
basis. 
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a 
toothbrush with a pill dispenser disposed in a handle of the toothbrush. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a labelling 
method to allow a user to track the days relative to medication taken. 
It is a still further object of the present invention to allow the 
combination of a toothbrush and a pill dispenser in a single device to 
reduce required storage space. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention comprises a pill dispenser disposed in a handle of a 
toothbrush. The pill dispenser includes an auger mechanism. The dispenser 
is constructed so that one complete turn of a dispensing knob causes the 
dispenser to eject a single pill from a port. The dispensing knob includes 
a safety mechanism that requires the knob to be pushed inward to engage 
the auger mechanism. 
The housing of the device, the toothbrush handle, is constructed so as to 
be waterproof so that no water is introduced to the pills in the 
dispenser. The ejection port is sealed so that there is no water 
introduction through the port. 
In addition, there is a labelling means provided so that the user can 
easily track the daily ingestion of the pills. 
An advantage of the present invention is that it provides a convenient 
means of reminding a user to take a pill each day by situating the pill 
dispenser in the handle of a toothbrush. 
Another advantage of the present invention is that the dispenser includes a 
means to track the daily ingestion of the pills. 
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become 
apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the description of the 
best presently known mode of carrying out the invention as described 
herein and as illustrated in the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention is an automatic pill dispenser 10 adapted to be 
disposed in the handle of a toothbrush 12. The pill dispenser 10 includes 
a central auger mechanism 14 that moves pills through the body of the 
toothbrush handle 12. 
The pill dispenser 10 is constructed so that one complete revolution of a 
dispensing knob 16 causes the pill dispenser 10 to eject a single pill 
from a port 18. Causing the auger mechanism to dispense a pill with each 
revolution is easily accomplished by adjusting the thread pitch of the 
helical shaft that comprises the auger mechanism 14. Ensuring that only a 
single pill is dispensed is accomplished by a stop means 20. 
The dispensing knob 16 includes a safety mechanism 20 that requires the 
dispensing knob 16 to be pushed inward to engage the auger mechanism 14. 
In the preferred embodiment, the safety mechanism comprises a pair of 
projections 201 extending from a engaging plate 202. The engaging plate 
202 is mounted on a coil spring 203 that is affixed to an inner side of 
the dispensing knob 16. The projections 201 are received in a pair of 
recesses 204 in the lower end of the auger mechanism 14. The coil spring 
203 pushes the dispensing knob 16 away from the auger mechanism 14 so that 
in a normal non-actuated position, the projections 201 are separated from 
the end of the auger mechanism 14. When the dispensing knob 16 is rotated 
in this inactive position, there is no effect on the auger mechanism 14. 
To actuate the auger mechanism 14, a user must depress the dispensing knob 
16 to overcome the force exerted by the spring 203. The projections 201 
enter the recesses 202 so that the auger mechanism 14 is in communication 
with the dispensing knob 16. In this actuated position, rotating the 
dispensing knob 16 causes the auger mechanism 14 to also rotate. As the 
dispensing knob 16 is rotated through 3600, a terminal end 141 of the 
auger pushes a pill out through the port 18. 
The stop means 22 comprises a first stop projection 221 and a second stop 
projection 222. The first stop projection protrudes inward from the inner 
side of the dispensing knob 16. The second stop projection protrudes 
outward from an upper surface of the engaging plate 202. When the 
dispensing knob 16 is pushed down to the actuated position and rotated, 
the first stop projection 221 will come into contact with the second stop 
projection 222 during each revolution of the auger mechanism 14 so that 
the dispensing knob 16 must be released and depressed again to complete 
another revolution and dispense a second pill. 
The housing of the device, the toothbrush handle 12, is constructed to be 
waterproof so that no water is introduced to the pills in the dispenser. 
Since normal usage requires that a toothbrush be rinsed after each use, 
the sealing of the handle 12 and the ejection port 18 is quite important 
to the function of the pill dispenser 10. 
In the preferred embodiment, a labelling means 24 is provided so that the 
user can easily track the daily ingestion of the pills. The labelling 
means 24 is simply a stick-on label with multiple sequences of the days of 
the week. The user trims the labelling means 24 so that the proper day is 
at the end of the label, and then affixes the label to the toothbrush 
handle 12. In this manner, the user can track her usage to be certain that 
no day's dosage has been missed. 
While the above disclosure has been made with reference to birth control 
pills, it should be clear that various types of other medications, 
vitamins, etc., could as easily be dispensed from the pill dispenser of 
the present invention. Accordingly, the above disclosure is not intended 
as limiting. Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous 
modifications and alterations of the device may be made while retaining 
the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the above disclosure should 
be construed as limited only by the restrictions of the appended claims.