Abstract:
A combined pill and water container comprising a cylindrical housing is disclosed. A first cylindrical chamber is adapted for holding a supply of water or other liquid for facilitating the swallowing of pills, tablets or other dry medication forms which are stored, separately, in a second chamber screwably attached to the first chamber, so that a person carrying the cylindrical housing can take their pills with water any time.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]    This application is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/563,242, filed May 3, 2000. 
     
    
     
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    The present invention relates generally to containers. More particularly, the invention comprises a two-part container for carrying pills or similar items and, in a separate portion of the container, a liquid, such as water, to facilitate swallowing the pill or other medication.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    In general, a first field of use of the disclosed invention is by those who take pills or other medications requiring water to wash them down, especially while away from home. However, many other fields, such as manufacturers of camping equipment, food, etc., could find potentially beneficial uses of this invention.  
           [0004]    Thus, it can be seen that the potential fields of use for this invention are myriad and the particular preferred embodiments described herein is in no way meant to limit the use of the invention to the particular field chosen for exposition of the details of the invention.  
           [0005]    A comprehensive listing of all the possible fields to which this invention may be applied is limited only by the imagination and is, therefore, not provided herein. Some of the more obvious applications are mentioned in the interest of providing a full and complete disclosure of the unique properties of this previously unknown general purpose article of manufacture. It is to be understood from the outset that the scope of this invention is not limited to these fields or to the specific examples of potential uses presented herein.  
         DISCUSSION OF THE PRIOR ART  
         [0006]    Numerous attempts have been made in the prior art to devise containers for holding two different separate products.  
           [0007]    U.S. Pat. No. 378,752, issued to Henry Ader on Feb. 28, 1888, discloses a bottle having a fully removable upper cap with a smaller, sealable mouth therein. A second chamber is formed by an intermediate partition within the bottle which allows a liquid to be carried in the upper end and a dry item in the lower. Access to the second chamber is by either removing the lower chamber from the bottle or by a second removable cap at its lower end.  
           [0008]    U.S. Pat. No. 2,766,796, issued to Earl S. Tupper on Oct. 16, 1956, discloses vacuum and seal receptacle, a plastic tumbler with a sealable cap. A second, dry compartment is located on the upper surface of the cap with a second sealable cap.  
           [0009]    U.S. Pat. No. 3,514,008, issued to Philip K. Dorn on May 26, 1970, discloses a combination pill container and drinking cup. An outer sleeve is mounted on the pill container and is axially slidable from a retracted storage position to an extended position when the pill container is inverted. The sleeve serves as a drinking cup in the extended position.  
           [0010]    U.S. Pat. No. 3,920,120, issued to Andrew P. Shveda on Nov. 18, 1975, discloses a combination package. The combination package is for a primary product and a secondary product complementary to the primary product. The secondary product is restrained in the secondary product containment volume.  
           [0011]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,051,977, issued to Carolyn VeAlletto Steinfeld on Oct. 4, 1977, discloses a pill and water dispenser in which a removable, spring loaded tablet dispenser occupies one end of a cylinder and a removable water vial occupies the opposite end of the cylinder.  
           [0012]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,171,753, issued to Bastiaan Vreede on Oct. 23, 1979, discloses a holder for capsules, pills and similar objects. A spring within a hollow cylinder pushes tablets within a second cylinder upwardly against the top of the second cylinder. Tablets may be removed, individually, by sliding them through a slot in the wall of the second cylinder.  
           [0013]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,324,338, issued to Robert Beall on Apr. 13, 1982, discloses a compartmented container, typically intended for either one time use or use at a fixed location. The cup constitutes an upper chamber, while a second chamber is formed by a downward extension of the cup wall beyond the floor of the cup. A cap with slot engaging pins around its perimeter fits within the walls of the second chamber to form a loose seal. Optionally, the cup and second compartment could be sealed for one time use by an adhesive seal.  
           [0014]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,387,804, issued to John J. Austin on Jun. 14, 1983, discloses a convertible pill cup package. The package is for containing a preselected quantity of product such as a pill, which may be easily and quickly converted for use as a drinking cup. A portion of the package enclosing the product may be removed from the remaining part of the package which defines the cup.  
           [0015]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,416,370, issued to Robert Beall on Nov. 22, 1983, discloses a compartmented container. The compartmented container is capable of being used to efficiently and expeditiously dispense both a liquid and a non-liquid substance therefrom. It is easy to handle so that it reduces the overall time required for dispensing the substances therefrom.  
           [0016]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,076,433, issued to James P. Howes on Dec. 31, 1991, discloses a prize delivery system. It consists of a container, holder or instrument for use with food products. It is identical in all respects to typical product containers, holders or instruments, but which secretly contains a hidden prize award.  
           [0017]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,397,017, issued to Robert Muza, et al., on Mar. 14, 1995, discloses a pill dispenser cap for sealing a bottle containing a liquid. A plurality of chambers surround a central, threaded bottle cap portion. A rotating disk allows access to individual chambers for dispensing of tablets or the like.  
           [0018]    In contradistinction, the container of the present invention has a first, upper cylinder adapted to hold pills or the like. The upper cylinder has internal threads, or in an alternate embodiment, external threads, adapted to interact with mating threads (either internal or external, as required) on a lower cylinder. The lower cylinder is adapted to hold a liquid such as water. A two-compartment structure wherein a first part is screwed into or onto a second part is not shown in the prior art.  
           [0019]    None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0020]    The present invention provides a combined pill and liquid container. A first portion is adapted to hold pills or other medications. Threads on the first portion are adapted to mate with corresponding threads on a lower portion of the container. The lower portion is adapted to hold water or a similar liquid to facilitate swallowing a pill stored in and removed from the upper container portion. The screw interface between the upper and lower portions provides a liquid proof seal for the lower portion of the container.  
           [0021]    Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a combined pill and water container that will overcome the shortcomings of the prior art devices.  
           [0022]    Another object of the invention is to provide a combined pill and water container that consists of a two-part container having a first portion that is screwably attached to a second portion.  
           [0023]    An additional object of the invention is to provide a combined pill and water container wherein a pill container (i.e., the upper portion) is retained by threads to a lower portion which is adapted to hold a liquid, each compartment having a separate sealing means.  
           [0024]    A further object of the invention is to provide a combined pill and water container that is simple and easy to use.  
           [0025]    A still further object of the invention is to provide a combined pill and water container that is economical to manufacture.  
           [0026]    It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.  
           [0027]    These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0028]    Various other objects, features, and attendant advantages of the present invention will become more fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views, and wherein:  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 1 is an environmental perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the container of the present invention.  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the embodiment at FIG. 1., with the pill compartment cap open;  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the container of FIG. 1, with the pill compartment cap closed;  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic cross sectional view of the container of FIG. 1 at line  4 - 4  of FIG. 3;  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 5 is an environmental perspective view of a second embodiment of the container of the present invention;  
         [0034]    [0034]FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of a second embodiment of the container of FIG. 5; and  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic cross sectional view of the container of FIG. 5 at line  7 - 7  of FIG. 6.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0036]    Referring first to FIGS. 1, 2,  3  and  4 , there are shown perspective, side elevational, front elevational and cross-sectional views, respectively, of a first embodiment of a two-part container, generally at reference number  100 . Container  100  has an elongated, lower cylinder  102  having a closed bottom and an open top. Internal threads  104  are disposed in the upper region of cylinder  102 .  
         [0037]    A shorter upper cylinder  106  has a closed bottom and an open top and has external threads  108  formed on a lower portion thereof. Internal threads  104  are adapted to fit snugly with external threads  108  so that as upper cylinder  106  is screwed into lower cylinder  102 , a liquid tight joint is formed. A gasket  105 , such as an O ring, occupies a groove  107  around the open top of lower cylinder  102  enhances the seal between lower cylinder  102  and upper cylinder  106 . It would be evident to one skilled in the art that gasket  105  could be incorporated into the lower surface of upper cylinder  106  with equal effectiveness. It would be further evident that in lieu of a gasket  105 , a seal  105  could be formed by the use of a deformable polymer in either upper cylinder  106  or lower cylinder  102 . Upper cylinder  106  is adapted to receive a cap  110  at its open, upper end. Cap  110  may be affixed to upper cylinder  106  in a number of ways. Although a screw cap is the preferred embodiment, other typical attachment methods may include bayonet, plug-in (e.g., corks), or a snap on connections. Any other method known to those of skill in the art could be used. Because cylinder  106  is adapted to hold pills, capsules  112 , tablets, or other solid pharmaceutical dispensing units  112 , it is important that the cap  110  be retained tightly and sealed to keep the pills water and air tight and to avoid accidental spillage of the contents of cylinder  106 . For purposes of brevity, the term pill will be used to represent any physical pharmaceutical dispensing unit. On the other hand, cap  110  should be relatively easy to remove by the person consuming the medication. It would be evident to one skilled in the art that a although not a vital element of the invention, a gasket could be incorporated in the inner perimeter of upper cylinder  106  or the rim of cap  110  to enhance the seal between cylinder  106  and cap  110 .  
         [0038]    Lower cylinder  102  is adapted to hold a liquid  114 , typically water, used to facilitate the ingestion of pill(s)  112  and sealed to isolate pill(s)  112  in an air and watertight environment. The term water  114  will be used hereafter to designate any potable liquid which might be used to facilitate ingestion of pill(s)  112 .  
         [0039]    In the embodiment chosen for purposes of disclosure, cap  110  is shown connected to cylinder  106  by a tether  116 . Tether  116  prevents accidental loss of cap  110  when it is removed for access to pills  112 .  
         [0040]    The inventive container would typically be used in the following manner. A user would remove cap  110  and remove one or more pills  112  from upper cylinder  106 . After pills  112  are removed, cap  110  is reinstalled on upper cylinder  106 . Upper cylinder  106  is then unscrewed from lower cylinder  102  and water  114  within lower cylinder  102  is used to facilitate ingestion of pill(s)  112 . Upper cylinder  106  is then reattached to lower cylinder  102  (i.e., the two cylinders are screwed back together).  
         [0041]    A clip  118  may be attached to lower cylinder  102  to facilitate retention of container  100  within the pocket of a garment, etc. It will be recognized that while clip  118  is attached to lower cylinder  102  in the preferred embodiment, it could readily be attached to upper cylinder  106  in alternate embodiments.  
         [0042]    Referring now to FIGS. 5, 6 and  7 , there are shown perspective, front elevational and cross-sectional views, respectively, of a second embodiment of a two-part container, generally at reference number  200 . Container  200  has an elongated, lower cylinder  202  having a closed bottom and an open top. External threads  204  are disposed on the upper region of cylinder  202 .  
         [0043]    A shorter upper cylinder  206  has a open bottom, an open top and a bulkhead  207  separating the upper region and the lower region of the cylinder. Internal threads  208  are formed within the lower region thereof. External threads  204  are adapted to fit snugly with internal threads  208  so that as upper cylinder  206  is screwed over lower cylinder  202 , a liquid tight joint is formed. A gasket  205 , such as an O ring, is disposed within the lower perimeter of bulkhead  207  to enhance the seal between lower cylinder  202  and upper cylinder  206 . It would, again, be evident to one skilled in the art that gasket  205  could be formed through the use of a deformable polymer in either upper cylinder  206  or lower cylinder  202 . Upper cylinder  206  is adapted to receive a cap  210  at its open, upper end. Cap  210  may be affixed to upper cylinder  206  in a number of ways. Although the preferred embodiment is a screw cap, other typical attachment methods may include bayonet, plug-in (e.g., corks), or a snap on connections. Any other method known to those of skill in the art could be used. Because cylinder  206  is adapted to hold pills  212 , it is important that the cap  210  be retained tightly so as to avoid accidental spillage of the contents of cylinder  206  and maintain pill(s)  112  in an air and watertight environment. On the other hand, cap  210  should be relatively easy top remove by the person consuming the medication. It would again be evident to one skilled in the art that, while not an integral part of the present invention, the seal between cap  210  and upper cylinder  206  could be enhanced by a gasket.  
         [0044]    Lower cylinder  202  is adapted to hold a liquid  214 , typically water, used to facilitate the ingestion of pill(s)  212  and sealed to maintain pill(s)  112  in an air and watertight environment. The term water  214  will be used hereafter to designate any potable liquid which might be used to facilitate ingestion of pill(s)  212 .  
         [0045]    In the embodiment chosen for purposes of disclosure, cap  210  is shown connected to cylinder  206  by a tether  216 . Tether  216  prevents accidental loss of cap  210  when it is removed for access to pills  212 .  
         [0046]    A clip  218  may be attached to lower cylinder  202  to facilitate retention of container  200  within the pocket of a garment, etc. It will be recognized that while clip  218  is attached to lower cylinder  202  in the preferred embodiment, it could readily be attached to upper cylinder  206  in alternate embodiments.  
         [0047]    It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.