Abstract:
An improved medication organizing system for allowing patients to rapidly and easily prepare hermetically sealed dosage packages to set up their medication regime for a week, month, or longer period of time. The device includes seven hoppers to allow the patient to prepare a set of hermetically sealed medication packages for a given time for each day of the week. After being filled, each package in the set of seven packages is hermetically sealed simultaneously by simply loading the set into a sealing unit and pulling a lever. Sealing of the packages does not require manual manipulation of the individual packages by the user, such as would be required for medication organizers utilizing individual packages with zip-lock seals. The medication organizing system allows patients who lack manual dexterity, such as elderly patients, to easily prepare medication dosages for an extended period of time. The medication organizing system enables the preparation of small, easily transportable packages of medication that can be quickly and easily filled, sealed, handled, and reopened by any user, including the elderly.

Description:
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/034,153, filed Dec. 26, 2001 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,761,010. That application is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to medication organizers, and particularly to an improved medication organizing system that allows any patient, including the elderly or those having little manual dexterity, to rapidly and easily prepare a hermetically sealed package of tablets, capsules, and the like for each of their required daily dosages. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Doctors frequently prescribe a series of daily medications for their patients. These medications are typically prescribed for consumption at a particular time of the day. For example, if a medication must be taken four times per day, then it is common for a patient to consume one tablet in the morning, one at noon, one in the evening, and one at bedtime. Many patients are therefore faced with taking several medications several times a day. A patient therefore must plan his medication regime each day. Frequently, as a result of travel or running daily errands, the medications must be stored in easily transportable and accessible containers to allow the patient to quickly access them when they are needed. Additionally, since many patients who take multiple dosages of medications are elderly, it is helpful that medication organizers be easy to use and not require a lot of manual dexterity by the user. 
     Early examples of medication organizers typically provided a means of sorting the separate dosages of medication into separate compartments, but the compartments were typically integral with the organizer and therefore not easily transportable. One early example of this type of organizer is that of U.S. Pat. No. 4,318,477 to Kerpe, issued Mar. 9, 1982 (hereinafter the &#39;477 patent). This patent disclosed a pharmaceutical package having a plurality of containers with each container including an open mouth that can swing open and closed. Each container is sufficiently large enough to receive a plurality of medication. The bottom of each container is concave to facilitate easy removal of the medication stored within. The pharmaceutical package of the &#39;477 patent includes a plurality of containers that are integral with the package and therefore, when the user is planning to travel, the entire package must be transported or the individual containers must be emptied and transferred to separate containers. 
     Later examples of medication organizers typically provided a device for placing the separate dosages of medication into storage containers such as resealable plastic bottles. U.S. Pat. No. 4,749,085 for example, to Denney, issued Jun. 7, 1988 (hereinafter the &#39;085 patent) discloses a rectangular, open-top shallow tray with enclosing side walls and a top panel with markings designating each day of the week equally spaced across the top. A set of pill boxes reside in individual compartments corresponding to each day of the week with each set of pill boxes corresponding to various times of the day. The pill boxes are frictionally and removably held in place in the tray so that each set of the pillboxes can be individually removed to allow a patient to carry one or more days of medication. Although the &#39;085 patent and similar prior art medication organizers provided an adequate means of organizing the separate medication dosages for each dosage period of the day, the resultant storage containers are typically bulky and awkward to carry. If a patient were planning a week long trip away from home, he would likely be required to carry 28 separate bulky packages corresponding to the 4 dosages per day and 7 days that he were planning to be away from home. 
     Later examples of medication organizers include that of U.S. Pat. No. 6,293,403 to Holmberg, issued Sep. 25, 2001 (hereinafter the &#39;403 patent). This patent discloses a system for organizing, storing, and dispensing a plurality of sets of separate packets corresponding to the days of the week or the dates of the month. The system includes a packet organizer, which may be a tray or a panel, to arrange the sets and subsets of packets by day or date and time of day. The &#39;403 patent discloses the use of packets which may comprise resealable, flexible transparent envelopes, which must be sealed one at a time by the patient. 
     Although the &#39;403 patent greatly improved the transportability of daily medication dosages, the packets must be sealed individually and therefore require quite a bit of handling by the user. Frequently, elderly people are those most likely to use medication organizers and, in many cases, it may be difficult or nearly impossible for some patients, especially those with arthritic joints in their hands, to seal individual packets by hand. Sealing of individual packets, such as zip-lock packets, usually requires good manual dexterity on the part of the user. 
     The &#39;403 patent, while providing an adequate means of organizing medications for most individuals having good manual dexterity, does not provide an adequate means for those patients who lack manual dexterity, such as elderly patients. Accordingly, a need therefore exists for a medication organizer that employs small, easily transportable packages of medication that can be quickly and easily filled, sealed, handled, and reopened by any user, including the elderly and those with poor manual dexterity. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The proposed invention is an improved medication organizing system for allowing patients to rapidly and easily prepare hermetically sealed dosage packages to set up their medication regime for an entire week The device includes seven hoppers to allow the patient to prepare a set of hermetically sealed medication packages for a given time for each day of the week. After being filled, each package in the set of seven packages is hermetically sealed simultaneously by simply loading the set into a sealing unit and pulling a lever. Sealing of the packages does not require manual manipulation of the individual packages by the user, such as would be required for individual packages with zip-lock seals. Information is printed on the front of the packages to show the day of the week and prompt the user to write in the date and check a block to identify the dosage period of the day. The present invention makes it very convenient for patients to prepare individual dosage packages to set up their medication supply for an entire week. The device has the advantage of creating a hermetically sealed package for each individual dosage period. By creating individual sealed dosage packages, it makes it very easy for patients to grab the correct number of packages for the time they will be away from their house. Since they are not bulky, the packages have the additional advantage of being easy to transport. By being hermetically sealed, the medications are protected from any contaminants. The individual packages within the set of seven packages are separated by perforations, making it easy for a user to separate individual packages when required. Tear areas are provided on each package to provide for easy opening of the sealed packages. The packages are constructed with a measure of stiffness and rigidity and therefore enable easy handling by the user. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the medication organizing and dispensing unit and the sealing unit of the present invention with the hopper doors in the normally closed position. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the medication organizing and dispensing unit and the sealing unit of  FIG. 1  with the hopper doors open and the sealing unit cover closed. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the medication organizing and dispensing unit and the sealing unit of  FIG. 1  with the sealing unit cover open. 
         FIG. 4  is a side view of the medication organizing and dispensing unit and sealing unit of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5  is a plan view of a multi-compartmented container for use with the medication organizer of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 6  is a plan view of multi-compartmented container of  FIG. 5  in which the individual packages have been annotated with the date and time of the day. 
         FIG. 7  is a side sectional view of a package taken along lines  7 - 7  of  FIG. 6 . 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the medication organizing system with a multi-compartmented container loaded on the nozzles and with the hopper door closed. 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the medication organizing system with a multi-compartment container loaded on the nozzles and with the hopper door open. 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the medication organizing system of  FIG. 8  with a multi-compartment container loaded into the heat sealing unit. 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective view of the medication organizing system of  FIG. 8  with a multi-compartment container being sealed by the heat sealing unit. 
         FIG. 12  is a side sectional view of an individual filling section of the medication organizing system with the hopper door closed and medication loaded into the hopper. 
         FIG. 13  is a side sectional view of an individual filling section of the medication organizing system with the hopper door partially open and medication falling into the nozzle. 
         FIG. 14  is a side sectional view of an individual filling section of the medication organizing system with the hopper door fully open and medication falling into the package. 
         FIG. 15  is a side view of the medication organizing system showing the sealing unit cover open and a multi-compartment container loaded into the sealing unit. 
         FIG. 16  is a side view of the medication organizing system showing the sealing unit cover closed and sealing a multi-compartment container. 
     
    
    
     INDEX TO REFERENCE NUMERALS IN DRAWING 
     
         
         
           
               20  medication organizing system 
               22  medication sorting and dispensing unit 
               24  base section 
               26  top section 
               28  bottom surface 
               30  hopper 
               32  vertical nozzle 
               34  hopper door 
               36  handle (of hopper) 
               38  multi-compartmented container 
               40  sealing unit 
               42  cover (of sealing unit) 
               44  top (of cover) 
               46  shelf 
               47  passageway 
               48  hinge 
               50  heating element 
               52  heat sensor 
               54  packages 
               56  front wall 
               58  rear wall 
               60  overlap 
               62  lateral seams 
               64  longitudinal seam 
               66  bottom (of the container) 
               68  opening 
               70  top (of the container) 
               72  perforations 
               74  tear notches 
               76  printed characters 
               78  day of the week 
               80  date prompt 
               82  selection blocks 
               84  U-shaped notch 
               86  inner front layer 
               88  outer front layer 
               90  rear layer 
               92  angled end (of nozzle) 
               94  gusset 
               96  medications 
               98  stops 
               100  light or LED 
               102  date 
           
         
       
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     A perspective view of the preferred embodiment of a medication organizing system  20  according to the present invention is shown in  FIG. 8 . The medication organizing system  20  includes a medication sorting and dispensing unit  22  having a base section  24  and a top section  26 . The base section  24  includes a flat bottom surface  28  to permit placement of the dispensing unit  22  on a piece of furniture such as the top of a table or dresser. A plurality of hoppers  30  is arranged in a line along the top section  26 . A vertical nozzle  32 , a portion of which is visible in  FIG. 8 , is attached to each hopper  30  and a plurality of hopper doors  34  is disposed at the bottom of each hopper  30 . The hopper doors  34 , which are depicted closed in  FIG. 8 , have a common handle  36 . The medication organizing system  20  includes a multi-compartmented container  38  that can be lifted and fitted onto the nozzles  32  as shown. The medication organizing system  20  also includes a sealing unit  40  with a cover  42  that is depicted closed in  FIG. 8 . The top  44  of the cover  42  serves as a shelf  46  for supporting the multi-compartmented container  38  when it is lifted and fitted onto the nozzles  32 . 
     Referring to the perspective view of the medication sorting and dispensing unit  22  shown in  FIG. 1 , each of the vertical nozzles  32  extends from one of the hoppers  30 . The dispensing unit  22  in  FIG. 1  is depicted with the handle  36  pushed in and all of the hopper doors  34  closed. 
     When the common handle  36  is pulled out, as shown in  FIG. 2 , all of the hopper doors  34  are open, thereby opening a passageway  47  between each hopper  30  and its associated nozzle  32 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , the cover  42  of the sealing unit  40  is connected by hinges  48  to the base section  24 . The sealing unit  40  includes an heating element  50  that is connected to an electrical source. A heat sensor  52  is located in the cover  42  of the sealing unit  40 . The cover  42  is normally latched in the closed position. 
     A side view of the medication sorting and dispensing unit  22  in  FIG. 4  shows the nozzles  32  are aligned with the top  44  of the cover  42 . The common handle  36  for the hopper doors (not shown) is shown extending from the top section  26  of the dispensing unit  22 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , the multi-compartmented container  38  consists of a plurality of packages  54  arranged side by side. The container  38  includes an elongated front wall  56  comprised of one or more layers and an elongated rear wall  58  comprised of one or more layers. As shown by the overlap  60  depicted in  FIG. 5 , the rear wall  58  is typically wider than the front wall  56  to facilitate easy opening of the individual packages  54  when they are fitted to the nozzles (not shown) of the medication sorting and dispensing unit (not shown). The multi-compartmented container  38  is divided into separate packages  54  by the lateral seams  62  spaced longitudinally along the container  38 . The individual packages  54  include longitudinal seams  64  at the bottom  66  of the container  38  and have an opening  68  at the top  70  of the container where the rear wall  58  overlaps the front wall  56 . Perforations  72  are formed along the lateral seams  62  to facilitate easy separation of the individual packages  54  when desired. Tear notches  74  are provided near the top  70  of the packages  54  to enable effortless opening of the packages  54 . The tear notches  74  which facilitate easy tearing and opening of the packages could easily be small slits or die-cuts partially through the wall thickness of the front and rear walls. The tear notches  74  typically do not extend beyond the lateral seams  62  so that, once the packages  54  are sealed, the integrity of the sealed packages  54  is maintained until torn by the user. The individual packages  54  also include printed characters  76  to designate the day of the week  78 , a date prompt  80  consisting of the word “date:” followed by a space to prompt the user to write in the date the medication package  54  is intended for, and four selection blocks  82  plus printing identifying the four typical dosage periods of each day. After the individual packages  54  are filled with medication in the form of tablets, capsules, and the like (not shown), and the date has been written on the package  54  and the dosage period selection block  82  checked, the user can easily separate the packages  54  as needed. At this time all the pertinent information identifying the date and time of the dosage will be on each individual package  54 . An example depicting the multi-compartmented container  38  with the pertinent information entered by the user is depicted in  FIG. 6 . The individual packages  54  may also have a U-shaped notch  84 , as shown in the far left package in  FIG. 6 , in the front wall  56  extending from the opening  68  to enable easier opening of the packages. 
     A side sectional view of an individual package  54  is depicted in  FIG. 7 . Preferably the packages  54  are constructed of two front layers, including an inner front layer  86  and an outer front layer  88 , and a single rear layer  90 . The preferred materials of construction are Surlyn® for the inner front layer  86 , aluminum foil for the outer front layer  88 , and Surlyn® for the rear layer  90 . The multi-compartmented container (not shown) may, however, be constructed with a single front layer and a single rear layer and many different foils and plastics would be acceptable for construction of these layers. 
       FIGS. 8 through 16  illustrate the sequence of events as the medication organizing system  20  is used to prepare daily medication packages for an individual. It should be noted that the medication organizing system is designed to be simple to operate and to be used by any individual including elderly people or those who may be lacking in manual dexterity. There are many examples in the prior art of medication organizing devices that employ small objects such as bottles, bags, or packets. These devices may require individual handling and placement of up to 28 of these small objects to provide medication for the 7 days and 4 dosage periods in a typical week. The present invention reduces the amount of handling and therefore reduces the time involved to prepare the individual dosage packages by providing a simple medication sorting and dispensing unit coupled with a multi-compartmented container and a sealing unit that seals a plurality of packages at one time. This saves a lot of time over medication organizers that require an individual to seal 28 packages individually to prepare one week&#39;s worth of dosages. 
     To illustrate the operation of the medication organizing system  20 , refer now to  FIG. 8 , which depicts the medication sorting and dispensing unit  22  that has been loaded with an empty multi-compartmented container  38 . The container  38  has been lifted and fitted onto the vertical nozzles  32  until the bottom  66  of the container  38  rests upon the shelf  46  created by the closed top  44  of the cover  42 . As a result of the design, the dimensions, and the materials of construction of the container  38  and the medication sorting and dispensing unit  22 , the container sits upright on the shelf  46  and remains in place, with the individual packages  54  held around the nozzles  32 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 12 , a side sectional view of the medication sorting and dispensing unit  22  and an individual package  54 , when first lifted upon the nozzles  32 , the nozzles  32  easily enter the package as a result of the angled end  92  of the nozzle, the overlap  60  between the rear wall  58  and the front wall  56 , and the construction details of the packages  54 . The packages  54  may, for example, include a gusset  94  at the location of the longitudinal seam  64  at the bottom of each package  54 . The packages  54  rest upon the shelf  46  after they are fit onto the nozzles  32 . As depicted in  FIG. 12 , the nozzles  32  extend approximately halfway into the packages  54  after they are fitted thereon and rest on the shelf  46 . As shown in  FIG. 12 , at this point the handle  36  is pushed in and the hopper doors  34  are closed. The user would then load medications  96  such as tablets, caplets, capsules, gel tabs, or the like into each hopper  30 . 
     Referring now to  FIG. 9 , after all the hoppers  30  have been filled with medications (not shown), the common handle  36  connected to the hopper doors  34  is pulled out. The medications (not shown) that have been loaded into the individual hoppers  30  fall into the individual packages  54  in the multi-compartmented container  38 . This is also illustrated in the side sectional view of  FIG. 13 , where the handle  36  is depicted pulled out and the medications  96  are caused to fall by gravity into the individual packages  54 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 14 , after the medications  96  have fallen into the individual packages  54  they are concentrated in the lower portion of the packages  54  as shown. The angled end  92 , being shorter on the rear side of the nozzle  32 , allows the packages to slip easily off of the nozzle  32  as a result of the rear wall  58  of the package  54  clearing the nozzle  32  prior to the front wall  56 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 10  and  FIG. 15 , after the packages  54  have been filled, the cover  42  of the sealing unit  40  is opened to expose the heating element  50 . The multi-compartmented container  38  is then turned on its side and laid across the heating element  50  with the top  70  of the container  38  against the stops  98  at the back of the sealing unit  40 . When fully inserted into the sealing unit  40  as depicted, the heating element  50  is underneath the portion of the individual packages  54  having the day of the week  78  printed thereon. 
     Referring to  FIG. 11  and  FIG. 16 , the cover  42  of the sealing unit  40  is then closed and held closed until the light or LED  100  illuminates thereby signifying that the heat sensor  52  has detected that the front wall  56  of the packages  54  have reached an appropriate temperature to effectively seal them. The light or LED  100  ( FIG. 11 ) would typically be mounted on the cover  42  as shown but also could be mounted anywhere on the medication sorting and dispensing unit  22  that is conspicuous and easily viewed by the user when the container  38  is in place in the sealing unit  40 . The light or LED  100  is also constructed of a large enough size to make it conspicuous and easily visible to an elderly user. 
     Referring again to  FIG. 6 , the net result of applying the present invention, the medication organizing system, is a sealed multi-compartmented container  38  composed of individual sealed packages  54 . As the outer front layer  88  of the container  38  is typically constructed of aluminum foil, the medications are not observable from the front of the packages  54  as shown. The outer front layer is ink receptive, allowing the user to enter the date  102  and check the selection block  82  to identify the dosage period, as shown. 
     Referring to  FIG. 6 , since the rear wall  58  is typically constructed of Surlyn® or polyethylene, the medications (not shown) are visible from the rear of the packages  54 . By tearing along the perforations  72  the packages  54  can be separated from the container  38 . The design and arrangement of the multi-compartmented container  38  and the individual packages  54  therefore enable the user to easily separate the desired amount of packages required to cover his or her medication needs for the time they are planning to be away from home. The individual packages have the advantage of being very compact and easy to carry. The packages  54  are preferably 1.625 inches wide by 2.75 inches long. The width of an individual package  54  is measured between the lateral seams  62  and the length is measured from the bottom  66  to the top  70  of the container. 
     Although the description above contains many specific descriptions and typical materials of construction, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments of this invention. 
     Thus the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than by the examples given.