Abstract:
A Combination Water Dose and Medication Container is disclosed. The device provides a single, pocket-sized, disposable unit that separately contains water and pills. The water chamber is foil-sealed to prevent tampering. The pill container is available pre-loaded with pills and foil-sealed, as well as empty so that the user can add his or her own pills. Five different versions of the combination container are enumerated in order to optimize flexibility to meet user tastes and manufacturing constraints.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates generally to pill containers and, more specifically, to a Combination Water Dose and Medication Container. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Virtually every adult in the modern world swallows pills or some type or another on a daily basis. Pill swallowing can be an uncomfortable and even dangerous endeavor, depending upon the size of the pill and/or the quantity of pills being taken. If the pills get stuck going down, choking and/or extreme discomfort can result. 
     While in the home, the user has the ability to get a glass of water prior to attempting to swallow pills. If the person is away from the home, however, it is rarely so convenient. When a person leaves home knowing that he or she will need to take one or more pills during the course of the day, that individual will generally take only those pills necessary for the day, and will keep them in a small pill box, bottle or bag. Since the pills don&#39;t come with their own water source, the user must either rely on a convenient outside source, or bring along a bottle of water. 
     The problem is that the bottle of water is not nearly as portable as the pill container. As a result, the water bottle may be left in the car or at the individual&#39;s desk, etc. Since the pill dispenser and the water source are not associated with one another, there really isn&#39;t any insurance that the water will be there when it&#39;s time to take a pill. 
     What is needed, then, is a specialized container that will hold a few pills, but will also hold just enough water to wash down a swallow or two of pills. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In light of the aforementioned problems associated with the prior devices, it is an object of the present invention to provide a Combination Water Dose and Medication Container. The device should provide a single, pocket-sized, disposable unit that separately contains water and pills. The water chamber should be foil-sealed to prevent tampering. The pill container should be available either pre-loaded and sealed, or empty so that the user can add his or her own pills. A variety of styles should be available in order to optimize flexibility to meet user tastes and manufacturing constraints. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The objects and features of the present invention, which are believed to be novel, are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The present invention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, of which: 
         FIG. 1  is a partially exploded perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the combination water dose and medication container of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is another partially exploded perspective view of the combination container of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a side view of the combination container of  FIGS. 1 and 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a side view of the combination container of  FIGS. 1-3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a side view of a second preferred embodiment of the combination water dose and medication container of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a side view of a third preferred embodiment of the combination water dose and medication container of the present invention; 
         FIG. 7  is a side view of a fourth preferred embodiment of the combination water dose and medication container of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 8  is a side view of a fifth preferred embodiment of the combination water dose and medication container of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The following description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention and sets forth the best modes contemplated by the inventors of carrying out their invention. Various modifications, however, will remain readily apparent to those skilled in the art, since the generic principles of the present invention have been defined herein specifically to provide a Combination Water Dose and Medication Container. 
     The present invention can best be understood by initial consideration of  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 1  is a partially exploded perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the combination water dose and medication container  10 A of the present invention. The purpose of the container  10 A is to provide a user with pocket-sized container for both a single dose of pills and a single dose of water sufficient to wash down the pills dose. 
     The container  10 A has a first housing  12 A for water, a second housing  14 A for pills, and a lid  16 A to cap off the second housing  14 A. The second housing  14 A is attached to the first housing  12 A by a first hinge  18 . The lid  16 A is attached to the second housing  14 A by a second hinge  20 . In its preferred form, the hinges  18  and  20  are molded as part of the lid  16 A and second housing  14 A, such as from plastic. 
     The first housing  12 A is defined by a first end  22 A and a second end  24 A. The second end  24 A in this version is closed (to form the bottom of the housing  12 A), while the first end  22 A is defined by a first opening  26  through which the first chamber  30 A is accessed. The first chamber  30 A is sized to hold a swallow or two of water; the first opening  26  has a first rim  28  around its periphery. The first rim  28  provides a smooth edge to which the first membrane  32  can be adhered. The membrane  32  is preferably attached to the rim  28  via a sanitary adhesive after the first chamber  30 A is filled with water (or other liquid). When the user wishes to dispense the water, he or she need simply to peel back the plastic or foil membrane  32 . 
     The second housing  14 A has a first end  34  and a second end  36 . The second end  36  in this version is sealed, but may have a ridge around its periphery (as depicted here). The second end  36  is designed to cooperate with the first rim  28  and the membrane  32  to provide backup security to the sealing properties of the adhesive used to attach the membrane  32  (more below on this aspect in connection with  FIG. 4 . 
     As discussed previously, the lid  16 A is hingeably attached to the second housing  14 A such that it can flip over to cover the second end  34  of the second housing  14 A. As should be apparent from the orientation of the elements, the top surface  38  of the lid  16 A will be facing out once the lid  16 A is flipped over to cover the first end  34  of the second housing  14 A. If we now turn to  FIG. 2 , we can examine additional features of this device. 
       FIG. 2  is another partially exploded perspective view of the combination container  10 A of  FIG. 1 , viewing from the bottom of the container  10 A (as compared to the orientation of the device in  FIG. 1 ). The sealed second end  24 A of the first housing  12 A can be seen in this view to be a generally flat surface; in other versions, a more ergonomically-shaped (e.g. rounded) surface may be provided. 
     The second housing  14 A has a second chamber  40 A formed therein. This chamber  40 A is provided to give the user a small storage compartment for a single dose of pills. The chamber  40 A is accessed through the opening formed in the first end  34 A of the second housing  14 A. The second rim  42  forms the periphery of the opening to the second chamber  40 A. 
     A second membrane  44  is depicted here in hidden lines in order to indicate that the membrane  44  may or may not be included with all containers  10 A, depending upon the particular use that the container  10 A is being put to. For example, if the user has obtained a set of containers  10 A with the intent of self-loading them with each pill dosage (e.g. vitamins or other daily pill regimen), then the second membrane  44  would not be included with the container  10 A. The container  10 A would come with the first chamber (see  FIG. 1 ) pre-filled with water and sealed with the first membrane  32 . The second chamber  40 A, however, would simply be covered by the lid  16 A, so that the user can flip open the lid  16 A to load the pills. 
     Alternatively, if the user obtains his or her set of containers  10 A pre-loaded with pills in the second chamber  40 A, then the second chamber  40 A would be sealed by a second membrane  44  adhered to the second rim  42 . This would be the case, for example, if the container  10 A is used in connection with prescription drugs. In fact, in that scenario, the pharmacy (or other dispensary) could pre-load the containers  10 A (i.e. their second chambers  40 A) with a mix of pills that the user is to take as a group as a single dose. This would make it much more convenient for the user, and the user wouldn&#39;t have to either create his or her own package of daily dosages each day, nor would he or she have to carry all of the individual pill bottles around all day long. In these situations, the foil or plastic membrane  44  would be provided to seal the pre-made dosages within the second chamber  40 A. We will now turn to  FIGS. 3 and 4  to take a final look at this version of the device of the present invention. 
       FIG. 3  is a side view of the combination container  10 A of  FIGS. 1 and 2  and  FIG. 4  is a side view of the combination container  10 A of  FIGS. 1-3 . Essentially,  FIG. 3  is a view of the device  10 A with both chambers open, and  FIG. 4  is a view of the same device  10 A after the chambers have been closed. The second end  36  of the second chamber  40 A will cover over the first end  22  of the first chamber  30 A if the second housing  14 A is rotated about the first hinge  18  in the direction of arrow  48 . The bottom surface  46  of the lid  16 A will cover the second chamber  40 A if the lid  16 A is rotated about the second hinge  20  in the direction of arrow  50 . 
     Once the second housing  14 A is folded over and the lid  16 A is folded over, the device  10 A will present the compact, sleek, pocket-sized profile shown in  FIG. 4 . This package can be easily carried by the user in their pocket or purse, among other places. 
     While the previously-described product version has some very desirable features, the inventors have gone on to develop other embodiments that are somewhat modified versions of this first container. The first of these modified versions is depicted in  FIG. 5 . 
       FIG. 5  is a side view of a second preferred embodiment of the combination water dose and medication container  10 B of the present invention. In this version, the second housing  14 B is not hingeably attached to the first housing  12 B, but rather simply snaps onto the first end  22 B of the housing. Like the version discussed above, the first end  22 B of the first housing  12 B is sealed with a membrane  32 , since the liquid is contained therein. Unlike the first embodiment of the device, the first end  34 B of the second housing  14 B is oriented towards the first end  22 B of the first housing  12 B. The open end of the second housing  14 B is still at the first end  34 B, but it is directed down, rather than up. Of course the top end (as shown here) of the second housing is a solid wall. 
     In order to load or dispense pills, the user need simply pop off the second housing  14 B to expose the first end  34 B. Load the desired pills into (or remove them from) the second chamber. If loading, simply flip the device  10 B upside down and snap the two housings back together. If dispensing the pills, simply drop them out of the second chamber, pull off the membrane  32 , take the pills and swallow the liquid contained within the first chamber.  FIG. 6  depicts a slightly modified version of this design. 
       FIG. 6  is a side view of a third preferred embodiment of the combination water dose and medication container  10 C of the present invention. Similar to the previous design, this container  10 C has its second housing  14 C attached to the top of the first housing  12 C with the first end  34 C facing down. The membrane  32  is sealed to the open end of the first housing  12 C. 
     What is different here is that the second housing  14 C is hinged to the first housing  12 C. Rather than providing the hinge as in the device of  FIGS. 1-4 , here, the hinge action is provided by a pair of arms  52 , one on each side of the second housing  14 C. Each arm  52  has an inwardly-turned hinge finger that engages a bore or dimple  54  on opposite sides of the first housing  12 C. The second housing  14 C can rotate around the hinge in the direction of indicator arrow  52 . Yet another modification to this basic design is depicted in  FIG. 7 . 
       FIG. 7  is a side view of a fourth preferred embodiment of the combination water dose and medication container  10 D of the present invention. This container  10 D is essentially the same design as provided above in  FIG. 5 , with one exception. There is a second membrane  44  adhered to the first end  34 D of the second housing  14 D. As discussed above in connection with  FIGS. 1-4 , this second membrane  44  provides for the safety, hygiene and security of pre-loaded pills within the second housing&#39;s chamber. Of course, the design of  FIG. 6  could similarly be modified to add the second membrane, just as was executed here. Finally, turning to  FIG. 8 , we can examine yet another version of the device. 
       FIG. 8  is a side view of a fifth preferred embodiment of the combination water dose and medication container  10 E of the present invention. Here, the first housing  12 D contains both the first chamber  30 E and the second chamber  40 E; the chambers form the interior of the housing and are separated by an internal wall  54 . The first chamber  30 E opening is on the first end  22 E of the first housing  12 D. The second chamber  40 E opening is located at the second end  24 E of the first housing  12 D. Each chamber (here) is sealed with its own membrane ( 32 ,  44 ), but certainly the second membrane  44  could be eliminated. 
     To simplify the design of this container version  10 E, there are first and second lids  16 B,  16 C that snap on to the first and second ends  22 E,  24 E, respectively, to either close off the related chamber (i.e. the second chamber  40 E), or to protect the membranes  32 ,  44  from being accidentally punctured. 
     Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations and modifications of the just-described preferred embodiment can be configured without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described herein.