Abstract:
The present invention relates generally to a crushing device. More particularly, the present invention relates to providing a portable pill crushing device for pulverizing medicines that are supplied in the form of pills, tablets, etc. The pill is automatically sealed within a bag and is pulverized and delivered to a practitioner.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to a crushing device. More particularly, the present invention relates to providing a pill crushing device for crushing medicines that are supplied in the form of pills, tablets, etc. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Many medicines and nutrients are provided in pill form. Unfortunately, many patients have difficulty in swallowing a pill. This is especially true in youth or geriatric environments. Likewise, comatose or physically impaired patients are not able to swallow the pills. Typically, a health practitioner such as a nurse must crush or pulverize the pill. Commonly, the nurse must place the pill in a mortar and must repeatedly beat the pill with a hammer to crush the pill. This technique has many drawbacks. The pill is crushed in the mortar into a powder and must be transferred to another container before being administered to the patient. Even with extreme care, some powder is left on the mortar, so that the patient does not receive a full dose. There is also unavoidable cross-contamination as the same mortar is reused for other patients. The powder may also be placed in the container that has an incorrect patient name, so that the wrong patient may receive the crushed medication. The technique is also time consuming using valuable and costly nurse time. During pounding, some of the fine powder becomes airborne and the nurse may inhale or come in contact with a variety of toxic compounds. Additionally, the nurse may receive physical injury to various body parts (e.g., arms, hands, tendons, etc.) due to the repeated pounding inflicted upon the body parts. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a pill crushing device that automatically pulverizes the pill within a sealed bag. The pill(s) are dropped into a top opening in the pill crushing device, sealed in the sealed package, crushed, and delivered through an exit opening to a practitioner such as a nurse. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The features of the present invention will best be understood from a detailed description of the invention selected for the purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings in which: 
     FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a portable pill crushing device; 
     FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the portable pill crushing device taken along line  2 — 2  of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of a bag dispensing system acquiring a bag from a bag dispenser; 
     FIG. 4 illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of the bag dispensing system holding the bag beneath a delivery funnel and a plurality of objects falling through the delivery funnel into the bag; 
     FIG. 5 illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of a bag closing system sealing an opening in the bag; 
     FIG. 6 illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of a crushing system pulverizing the objects in the bag; 
     FIG. 7 illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of a discharge system releasing the bag; 
     FIG. 8 illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the crushing system; 
     FIG. 9 illustrates a plan view of a door apparatus including a slide plate cover for covering and uncovering an inlet opening in a housing of the portable pill crushing device; 
     FIG. 10 illustrates a plan view of another embodiment of the door apparatus including a shutter apparatus; 
     FIG. 11 illustrates a side view of the bag including a gas vent including perforations in the bag; and 
     FIG. 12 illustrates a side view of the bag with the pulverized objects being poured into a container. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Although certain embodiments of the present invention will be shown and described in detail, it should be understood that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims. The scope of the present invention will in no way be limited to the number of constituting components, the materials thereof, the shapes thereof, the relative arrangement thereof, etc., which are disclosed simply as an example of the embodiment. The features and advantages of the present invention are illustrated in detail in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the drawings. Although the drawings are intended to illustrate the present invention, the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. 
     FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a portable pill crushing device  10 . FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view taken along line  2 — 2  of FIG.  1 . The portable pill crushing device  10  includes a housing  12 , a bag dispensing system  14 , an inlet opening  16 , a delivery funnel  18 , a bag closing system  20 , a crushing system  22 , a control system  24 , a power supply  26 , a discharge system  28 , a discharge opening  30 , and a control switch  32 . The housing  12  includes a plurality of sides  34 A,  34 B,  34 C, and  34 D. 
     The housing also includes a top  36 , a bottom  38 , a bag access door  40 , and a battery access door  42 . A plurality of feet  44  may be attached to the bottom outside surface  64  bottom  38  of the housing  12 . The feet  44  may include a resilient material (e.g., rubber, plastic, etc.) to reduce slipping and vibration between the bottom  38  of the housing and a support surface  48 . A noise reduction material  46  may be attached to the inner surfaces of the sides  34 A,  34 B,  34 C,  34 D, and the top  36  and the bottom  38  of the housing  12 . The noise reduction material  46  may include (e.g., fiberglass, acoustic tile, etc.). The noise reduction material  46  attenuates the noise that is transmitted from the inside  60  of the housing  12  to the outside  62  of the housing  12 . 
     The power supply  26  may include any suitable energy source (e.g., batteries, rechargeable batteries, 110V power supply, etc.). The battery access door  42  may be opened to allow batteries to be replaced within the power supply  26 . The power supply  26  connects to the control system  24  and supplies power to the control system  24 . The control system  24  may include a microprocessor  50 . A conduit  52  connects the control system  24  with the control switch  32 . A conduit  54  connects the control system  24  with the bag closing system  20 . A conduit  56  connects the control system  24  with the crushing system  22 . A conduit  58  connects the control system  24  with the bag dispensing system  14 . The conduits  54 ,  56 , and  58  allow the control system to send electrical power at the appropriate times to the bag closing system  20 , the crushing system  22 , and the bag dispensing system  14 , respectively. 
     FIG. 3 illustrates a partial cross sectional view of the portable pill crushing device  10  including the bag dispensing system  14 , and the control switch  32 . A practitioner depresses the control switch  32  to start an object  78 A crushing and bagging cycle. The object  78 A may be any suitable object to be pulverized (e.g., pill, tablet, foods, nutriments, etc.). Depressing the control switch  32  sends a signal to the control system  24  through the conduit  52 . The bag dispensing system  14  includes an actuating system  66  and a bag dispenser  72 . The actuating system  66  includes an arm  68  and a finger  70 A and a finger  70 B. The bag dispenser  72  stores a plurality of bags  74 . The bags  74  may include any suitable material (e.g., plastic, polyethylene, polypropylene, anti-static, foil, paper, etc.). One bag  74 A at a time projects from the top  76  of the bag dispenser  72 . The fingers  70 A and  70 B grasp the bag  74 A. The bag  74 A is pulled out of the bag dispenser  72  and the actuating system  66  transfers the bag  74 A to encircle a lower opening  80  of the delivery funnel  18  (FIG.  4 ). The fingers  70 A and  70 B continue to grasp the bag  74 A. When the bag  74 A is in this position, a light  82  in the control switch  32  is activated by the control system  24 . The light  82  illuminates and alerts the practitioner that an object  78 A may be deposited through the opening  16  of the delivery funnel  18 . Then a plurality of objects such as  78 A and  78 B, etc., may be deposited through the opening  16  into the delivery funnel  18  (FIGS.  1  and  4 ). The objects  78 A and  78 B drop to a lower portion  84  of the bag  74 A as illustrated in FIG.  5 . 
     FIG. 5 illustrates the bag  74 A sealing process of the objects  78 A and  78 B. The bag closing system  20  includes an actuator  86 , an arm  88 , and a sealing apparatus  90 . The sealing apparatus  90  is attached to the arm  88 . The bag  74 A may include any suitable closing means (zipper, heat seal, adhesive, etc.) to close a top opening  94  in the bag  74 A along a sealing line  92  as illustrated in FIG.  11 . The sealing apparatus  90  may include any suitable device (heat sealer, zipper closer, etc.) to close the bag  74 A along the sealing line  92 . When a zipper closure  140  is used, the sealing apparatus  90  may include a tab grasping device  136  for gripping a zipper tab  138  on the zipper closure  140  (FIGS.  5  and  11 ). Before and during sealing, the fingers  70 A and  70 B continue to grasp the bag  74 A as illustrated in FIG.  4 . The actuator  86  extends, retracts, and moves the sealing apparatus  90  along the sealing line  92 . The sealing apparatus  90  closes the bag along the sealing line  92  which closes the top opening  94  in the bag  74 A (FIG.  11 ). Thus, the objects  78 A and  78 B are encased within the bag  74 A. A plate  96  is attached to the side  34 A of the housing  12  (FIG.  5 ). After sealing, the sealing apparatus  90  applies pressure toward the plate  96 . The bag  74 A is trapped and held between the sealing apparatus  90  and the plate  96 . Then the fingers  70 A and  70 B of the bag dispensing system  14  are released from the bag  74 A and the actuating system  66  swings the fingers  70 A and  70 B into position above the bag dispenser  72  (FIG.  5 ). 
     FIG. 6 illustrates the crushing system  22 . The crushing system  22  includes a force actuator  98 , a thrust arm  100 , and a mallet  102 . The mallet  102  is attached to the thrust arm  100 . The force actuator  98  extends and retracts the thrust arm  100 . The mallet  102  presses against the bag  74 A, the objects  74 A and  74 B, and the plate  96 . The pressure against the objects  74 A and  74 B pulverize the objects  74 A and  74 B into a powder within the bag  74 A. The mallet  102  may apply a single force or may repeatedly impact the objects  74 A and  74 B until they are completely pulverized. Then the mallet  102  is moved away from the bag  74 A. 
     FIG. 11 illustrates the bag  74 A including a gas vent  103 . The gas vent  103  may include a plurality of perforations  104 . The perforations  104  allow gas to escape from within the bag  74 A when the bag  74 A is squeezed. This prevents the gas pressure from building up within the bag  74 A to a pressure level that would cause the bag  74 A to rupture. During the crushing process, the sealing apparatus  90  maintains a force towards the plate  96 , so that the bag  74 A continues to be gripped between the sealing apparatus  90  and the plate  96 . Additionally, a trap door  112  is in a closed position that also prevents the bag  74 A from falling (FIG.  6 ). 
     Another embodiment of the crushing system  22 A is illustrated in FIG.  8 . The crushing system  22 A includes an actuator  98 A, a thrust arm  100 A, and a roller  116 . The roller  116  is rotationally attached to the thrust arm  100 A. The actuator  98 A extends the trust arm  100 A until the roller  116  is crushing the objects  78 A and  78 B. Then the actuator  98 A repeatedly moves the roller  116  back and forth in a vertical direction  118  until the objects  78 A and  78 B are completely pulverized. 
     FIG. 7 illustrates the discharge system  28 . The discharge system  28  includes the trap door  112 , a door actuator  114 , and the discharge opening  30 . The trap door  112  is pivotally attached to the plate  96 . To release the bag  74 A, the control system  24  sends a signal to the bag closing system  20  to move the sealing apparatus  90  away from the bag  74 A, and the control system  24  sends a signal through a conduit  134  to the actuator  114 . The actuator  114  then rotates the trap door  112  into a vertical position (FIG.  7 ). The bag  74 A is free to fall into the discharge opening  30  in the housing  12 . The practitioner may remove the bag  74 A containing the pulverized objects  78 A and  78 B from the discharge opening  30  in the housing  12 . The bag  74 A may include a label portion  132  that may be written upon. This allows the practitioner to write pertinent information (e.g., patient&#39;s name, medication names, dosage, date, time, etc.) as illustrated in FIG.  11 . 
     As illustrated in FIG. 11, the perforations  104  may lie in a straight line that allows the practitioner to pull the tear off portion  106  away from the bag  74 A. An opening  120  is created in the bag  74 A (FIG.  12 ). A grip portion  108  including a plurality of raised protrusions  110  may be included on the bag  74 A. The grip portion  108  provides a non-slippery surface that the practitioner may easily grasp and pull. As illustrated in FIG. 12, the practitioner may pour the pulverized objects  78 A and  78 A through the opening  120  into a container  122 . 
     Another embodiment of the inlet opening  16  in the housing  12  includes a slide plate cover  124  as illustrated in FIG.  9 . The slide plate cover  124  normally covers the inlet opening  16 . When closed, the slide plate cover  124  prevents dirt or contaminants from entering the opening  16  in the housing  12 . The slide plate cover  124  is automatically opened when the bag  74 A is in position to receive the objects  78 A and  78 B as illustrated in FIG.  4 . 
     Another embodiment of the inlet opening  16  in the housing  12  includes a shutter apparatus  126  as illustrated in FIG.  10 . The shutter apparatus  126  includes a plurality of shutter blades  128 . The shutter blades  128  move and contract or expand an aperture  130 . The aperture  130  may close so that the opening  16  is fully covered. The aperture is opened when the bag  74 A is in position to receive the objects  78 A and  78 B as illustrated in FIG.  4 . 
     The foregoing description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. For example, the portable pill crushing device  10  may be used to bag and pulverize into a powder any suitable solid objects  78  (e.g., pill, tablet, foods, nutrients, etc.). Such modifications and variations that may be apparent to a person skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined by the accompanying claims.