Abstract:
Disclosed herein are approaches for a precise medication, vitamin, and/or other medication substance organizer having a plurality of storage compartments that house and separate medications and vitamins by a specific time of day and a means for indicating whether a particular medication or vitamin has already been or needs to be taken. This organizer removes doubt associated with missed or duplicate drug dosages, interactions between medications and vitamins, as well as regulating daily medication and vitamin doses. Additionally, the organizer provides a location to indicate a name and a time a medication or vitamin should be ingested or otherwise taken and an indicator to show whether a medication or vitamin has already been removed from the organizer for ingestion. The medication, vitamin, and/or other medication substance organizer can also be used to prompt a user to take medications that will not fit into the organizer, such as an inhaler.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    The present invention claims priority to provisional U.S. patent application 62/389,108 entitled “Precision Vita-med Organizer” and filed on Feb. 18, 2016, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The present invention generally relates to medication and/or vitamin organizers and more specifically relates to medication and/or vitamin organizers having a means for indicating that a medication substance has been consumed. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Many individuals, especially the elderly, have a tendency to forget to take their medications and other health supplements, such as vitamins. Missed medication can cause mild to severe medical issues. So too can accidentally taking a second dose of a medication when an individual cannot recall whether he or she already took the medication. To be effective, many medications and vitamins must be taken on a daily basis, sometimes even multiple times a day. Although medication and vitamin organizers exist that indicate a general segment of a day, such as morning, noon, night, or bedtime, at which a medication and/or vitamin should be taken, such fail to specify a specific time, which can cause an individual to vary a time he or she takes a medication and/or vitamin each day by several hours. There is a risk of possible drug and vitamin interactions, as well as the loss of benefits, if a medication is not ingested properly, missed, or taken at the wrong time, as well as if a medication is taken with a vitamin that affects the effectiveness of the medication. Therefore, it is imperative that the elderly, as well as many other segments of the population, easily and accurately remember to take their regular medications, daily vitamins, and any other health supplements at regular times each day. 
       SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
       [0004]    Disclosed herein are approaches for a precise medication, vitamin, and/or other medication substance organizer having a plurality of storage compartments that house and separate medications and vitamins by a specific time of day and a means for indicating whether a particular medication or vitamin has already been or needs to be taken. This medication, vitamin, and/or other medication substance organizer removes doubt associated with missed or duplicate drug dosages, interactions between medications and vitamins, as well as regulating daily medication and vitamin doses. Additionally, the medication, vitamin, and/or other medication substance organizer provides a location to indicate a name and a time a medication or vitamin should be ingested or otherwise taken and an indicator to show whether a medication or vitamin has already been removed from the organizer for ingestion. The medication, vitamin, and/or other medication substance organizer can also be used to prompt a user to take medications that will not fit into the organizer, such as an inhaler. 
         [0005]    One aspect of the present invention includes a medication substance organizer, comprising: a housing comprising a plurality of compartments adapted to receive one or more medication substances; a plurality of lids fastened to each of the plurality of compartments; a plurality of indicators disposed on each lid of the plurality of lids, each lid corresponding with an indicator disposed thereon, wherein: each indicator of the plurality of indicators is a width of the corresponding lid, each indicator of the plurality of indicators has two visual signs, a first visual sign of the two visual signs indicating a medication substance has not been taken and a second visual sign of the two visual signs indicating a medication substance has been taken, and each visual sign of the two visual signs is a half width of the corresponding lid; a plurality of sliders disposed over each of the plurality of indicators, wherein: each slider of the plurality of sliders is a half width of the corresponding lid, each slider moves along one degree of freedom from the first visual indicator to the second visual indicator, and each slider covers the first visual sign when in a first position and covers the second visual sign when in a second position; and a plurality of labels fastened to each lid of the plurality of lids, each lid corresponding with a label fastened thereon, wherein each label indicates a medication substance and a time associated with the compartment corresponding to the lid corresponding to the label. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]    These and other features of this invention will be more readily understood from the following detailed description of the various aspects of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
           [0007]      FIG. 1  illustrates a downward-facing view of a medication and/or vitamin organizer from a top with all lids dosed according to illustrative embodiments of the present invention; and 
           [0008]      FIG. 2  illustrates an isometric view of the medication organizer of  FIG. 1  with all lids open to show a set of compartments according to illustrative embodiments of the present invention. 
       
    
    
       [0009]    The drawings are not necessarily to scale. The drawings are merely representations, not intended to portray specific parameters of the invention. The drawings are intended to depict only typical embodiments of the invention, and therefore should not be considered limiting in scope. In the drawings, like numbering represents like elements. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    Embodiments of the present invention relate to a medication substance (e.g., medication, vitamin, and/or pill) organizer. More specifically, the present invention provides a safer, more precise way to ensure medication and vitamins are taken on time and in the correct dosage, thereby preventing interactions between medications and vitamins and with the added benefit of not requiring a user to have to remember whether he or she has taken his or her medication or not. The organizer of embodiments of the present invention provides a user with an exact time medication substance should be taken and a means for checking off that such medication substance has been taken. Embodiments can also help a user with an efficacy of absorption of his or her daily medications and/or vitamins. Accordingly, the problems of drug and medicine interactions, double dosages, and forgotten dosages can be avoided by using the organizer of the present invention. 
         [0011]    As used herein, the term “medication substance” includes prescription and over-the-counter drugs, vitamins and minerals, any type of pill, and any non-pill medication, including inhalers and injections. 
         [0012]    It should further be understood that, as used herein “type of medication substance” refers to any specific medication substance, for example aspirin. 
         [0013]    Embodiments offer an improvement on past medication and vitamin organizers, which only show a segment of a day or day of the week that medication should be taken. Embodiments of the present invention provide a more efficient way to take medications and vitamins using one or more precise time organizers depending on the needs of a user. In embodiments of the present invention, compartments of the organizer may be filled on demand based on the needs of a user, rather than merely a seven-day fill or a thirty-day fill. Accordingly, as a user goes through his or her daily medication requirements, the medication substance organizer of the present invention can show the user whether he or she has removed a medication, vitamin, or other substance from a compartment of the organizer, and, if not, prompt him or her to take the medication substance. Further, even if a medication (e.g., an inhaler) does not fit in a compartment of the organizer, a user can still use the organizer to mark off whether he or she has taken that medication yet. 
         [0014]    Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like or similar elements. To present a brief and clear description of the present invention, preferred embodiments will be discussed. The Figures are intended for representative purposes only and should not be considered to be limiting in any respect. 
         [0015]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , a downward-facing view of medication substance organizer  100  from a top with all lids  102  closed is shown according to illustrative embodiments of the present invention. In embodiments of the present invention, the organizer has a plurality of recessed areas or compartments  214  ( FIG. 2 , discussed below) with lids  102 . 
         [0016]    Lids  102  each have a bracketed area (e.g., at a bottom of lid  214 ) for sliding in card or label  109  (or another name and time indicator, such as a label or wording written with, e.g., a marker) showing a name of a medication, vitamin, pill, and/or other medication substance and an exact time of day said medication, vitamin, pill, and/or other medication substance, should be taken, as determined or chosen by the user. Card or label  109  can be inserted between between left bracket  105  and right bracket  106  of lid  102 . In some other embodiments, card or label  109  can be fastened to a lid  102  with any other type of fastener, including, but not limited to, a clear pouch, an adhesive, a temporary adhesive, a loop and hook material, a snap, and a magnet. Name and time information can be specified by a user. Cards or labels  109  can be moved, removed, and/or replaced depending on the needs of a user, thereby making organizer  100  highly versatile. A user may label a lid  102  that corresponds with an empty compartment  214  to act as a placeholder and to indicate a time and medication substance that is otherwise unable to be placed within compartment  214 , such as an inhaler or an injection. 
         [0017]    Each lid  102  further binary indicator  107  to show whether a medication substance corresponding to the compartment associated with that lid has been taken/consumed. In one embodiment, binary indicator  107  can be an area on lid  102  having two colors, such as green  103  and red  104 . In other embodiments, binary indicator  107  can be two symbols, such as an unchecked box and a box with a check mark or an “X,” two icons, such as a happy and sad face, or two words, such as “yes” and “no.” For example, lid  102  can have a green area  103  located at a left half of a top of each lid  102  and a red area  104  located at a right half of the top of each lid  102 . When green area  103  is exposed, it can indicate to a user that a dose of medication, vitamin, or other medication substance from the corresponding compartment has not yet been taken and should be taken when at the time indicated on card or label  109 . When red area  104  is exposed, it can indicate to a user that he or she has already taken the medication, vitamin, or other medication substance from the corresponding compartment and should not take more at that time. 
         [0018]    According to some embodiments, binary indicator  107  can include a sliding component  108 , that is half the width of lid  102 , and that glides over (e.g., sliding left to right and right to left) and covers one-half of binary indicator  107  (e.g., green area  103  or red area  104 , but not both). In other words, when a first half of binary indicator  107  is showing, a second half of the binary indicator  107  is concealed by sliding component  108 . In some embodiments, a top bracket  110  and a bottom bracket  111  located on a portion of lid  102  can hold slider  108  in place over binary indicator  107 , restricting slider  108  to one degree of freedom sliding back and forth over binary indicator  107 . For example, slider  108  can be held in place behind top bracket  110  and bottom bracket  111 . In some embodiments, binary indicator  107  and brackets  110  and  111  can be located at a top portion of lid  102 . 
         [0019]    Referring now to  FIG. 2 , an isometric view of organizer  100  of  FIG. 1  with lids  102  open to show insides of compartments  214  is shown. It should be understood that the structure of compartments  214  can be similar to pre-existing medication organizers, and made of materials such as food-grade materials. For example, housing  217  can hold and/or be comprised of a plurality of compartments  214 . In some embodiments, organizer  100  can have a number of compartments  214  corresponding to a period of time, such as seven (7) compartments for a week or thirty (30) compartments for a month. Compartments  214  can have inside dividers  213  in between each of compartments  214 . Each compartment  214  can be used to separate different medications, vitamins, pills, or other medication substance by type of medication substance and time of day. In some embodiments, compartments  214  can be arranged in a grid (e.g., a four-by-seven (4×7) grid for up to four (4) different times during a day with seven (7) days in a week). In further embodiments, organizer  100  can be the shape of a rectangular prism  218 . In still other embodiments, organizer  100  can have the shape of a cylinder or any other shape that facilitates easy access to medication substances in compartments  214 . 
         [0020]    Lids  102  can be opened to access compartments  214 . Opening and closing lids  102  can be a repeatable process and lids  102  can have mechanism  216  for opening and closing lids  102  and for attaching lids  102  to housing  217  at each compartment  214 . Such mechanism  216  can include, but is not limited to, a hinge, a flap, or a semi-deformable folded plastic crease which acts as an axis of movement. A bottom surface  215  of lids  102  can be flat, curved, or any other shape to facilitate opening and dosing lids  102 . 
         [0021]    To use organizer  100 , at the beginning of each day, a user starts off with all sliders  108  of each binary indicator  107  in a start position. For example, each slider  108  may be initially positioned to hide red area  104  (i.e., “stop”) and show green area  103  (i.e., “go”). Throughout the day, as the user ingests or otherwise takes his or her medication (i.e., medications, vitamins, and/or other medication substance like inhalers or injections), he or she may slide slider  108  (on lid  102  of corresponding compartment  214  from which the medication substance was taken) from a first position to a second position (e.g., from showing green area  103  to showing red area  104 ) to remind him or herself that he or she has already taken that medication, vitamins, and/or other medication substances. The user can repeat this action for each subsequent medication substance and/or each subsequent dosage time indicated on cards or labels  109  of organizer  100  until all lids  102  show that all medication, vitamins, or other medication substances have been taken (i.e., each indicator  107  shows red area  104 ) at the end of the day. The user may then reset each slider  108  (e.g., to expose green area  103 ) for the next morning. This process can be repeated each day until a compartment needs refilling (i.e., each compartment  214  can hold several days&#39; worth of medication or vitamins). When a compartment is empty, it can be refilled as needed by the user. In the case organizer  100  is a grid organizer having compartments  214  corresponding to multiple days (e.g., several columns representing days by several rows representing times of day), organizer  100  need not be reset until all sliders  108  are in the “taken” position (e.g., slide to expose red area  104 ). 
         [0022]    While the invention has been particularly shown and described in conjunction with exemplary embodiments, it will be appreciated that variations and modifications will occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes that fall within the true spirit of the invention.