Patent Publication Number: US-9889068-B1

Title: Pill organizer

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a Divisional application of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/866,932, filed on Sep. 26, 2015, in the name of Ezzat G. Bakhoum for “Novel Pill Organizer”. 
    
    
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention is a novel pillbox for storing medicines that overcomes the deficiencies in existing commercial products. Unlike existing products, in which medicine is loaded into the pillbox by opening a top lid, the present invention is a pillbox that allows side-loading and unloading, thereby eliminating the lids. Because the lids tend to break after extensive use, the elimination of the lids extends the lifetime of the pillbox. Another objective of the invention is to offer the user medicine compartments with sizes that can be easily modified, unlike existing products that only offer medicine compartments with fixed sizes. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a sketch of one embodiment of the present invention. The figure shows a pillbox with drawer-shaped bins that open toward the side of the pillbox. A plurality of push-buttons are used for ejecting the drawers. 
         FIG. 2  shows the novel internal features of one of the drawers shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a sketch of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The figure shows a pillbox with drawer-shaped bins that open toward the side of the box by simply applying finger pressure directly to the drawers. 
         FIG. 4  shows another embodiment of one of the drawers used in the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  shows a non-preferred embodiment of the invention, where medicines are loaded and unloaded through the top side of the pillbox. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION, AND PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS THEREOF 
     The problem of organizing prescription medicines has been extensively researched and solved in a number of ways in the prior art. Of particular importance are U.S. Pat. No. 7,624,890 (Noble et. al.) and the three US Patent Applications No. 2004/0089581 (Dienst), 2014/0251862 (Priebe et. al.), and 2014/0251863 (Priebe et. al.). Those prior art references show a pillbox that contains seven or more compartments for storing medicines, where each compartment is covered with a plastic lid that can be opened with a push-button. This prior art technology now exists in the marketplace. There are two potential problems, however, with the pillbox described in the mentioned references: 1) the plastic lids usually break after extensive use, and 2) because the AM and the PM medicine compartments usually have equal sizes, such a pillbox is not ideal for storing disproportionate quantities of medicine (where, for example, the owner needs to take substantially more medicine in the AM than in the PM). It is the objective of the present invention to solve these two problems. 
     Reference is now made to the drawings.  FIG. 1  shows a plastic pillbox  100  that preferably contains a transparent top cover  110 , so that the medicines inside the box can be clearly seen. Unlike the prior art, where the pills are loaded and unloaded through the top of the container, the present invention is based on side loading and unloading. As  FIG. 1  shows, the pillbox contains 7 drawers (labeled SUN through SAT), starting with drawer  120 . The drawers can be opened and closed through the side of the box, in the direction indicated by the arrows. In this manner, it is possible to store medicines without having to open a hinged plastic lid as shown in the prior art.  FIG. 1  also shows a plurality of pins, such as pin  130 , which act as push-buttons for ejecting the drawers (i.e., forcing the drawers to open). The drawers can be closed by simply pushing them back inside the box. The drawers can be labeled directly as shown in  FIG. 1 , or can be labeled indirectly by placing the text on the main container, in close proximity to the drawers 
       FIG. 2  shows an expanded view of one of the drawers in  FIG. 1 . The second problem of the prior art is solved in the present invention by allowing the user to define his/her own compartment size. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the drawer contains a group of vertical guiding structures or vertical guiding structures  200 , placed on the two internal sides of the drawer (the guides  200  can be either bulges on the surface of the plastic or grooves in the surface). A set of dividers,  210 ,  220 ,  230 , and  240  can be inserted vertically and held in place by the guides  200 , as the figure shows. The inset in  FIG. 2  shows the guiding structure in detail. The bulges  201  and  202  can be used to secure the divider in place. Alternatively, a groove  203  can be used to accomplish the same task of securing the divider in place. The technique of securing a divider in place by means of two bulges or grooves in a surface is well-known in the prior art. The dividers are labeled “Morning”, “Noon”, “Evening”, and “Bedtime”, as shown. By inserting the dividers at arbitrary locations inside the drawer, four different compartments can be created, each with a different size. This solution, therefore, solves the second problem that is known in the prior art. (Note that the labeling may be in the form of adhesive-backed labeling or may be in the form of printing that is pre-applied to each divider) 
       FIG. 3  shows a different embodiment of the present invention, where the drawers (starting with drawer  320 ), can be opened and closed directly by simply pushing them into the pillbox with the user&#39;s finger. Each drawer is attached internally to a reciprocating latch mechanism (not shown in the figure, but very well known in the prior art), such that the drawer latches in place and remains closed if pushed once, and subsequently de-latches and moves to the outside if pressed once again. (Normally, such a latch mechanism would consist of two parts: one part in the drawer, and the other part in the container, as well known in the prior art). This alternative arrangement eliminates the need for the pins or push-buttons shown in  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 4  shows another expanded view of one of the drawers of the present invention, where, instead of four dividers, only two dividers ( 400  and  410 ), labeled “AM” and “PM”, can be inserted inside the drawer. This solution can be used by the owner of the pillbox if only two compartments are needed inside the drawer. 
       FIG. 5  shows yet another embodiment of the present invention, although it is a non-preferred embodiment. As the figure shows, a group of hinged transparent lids, starting with lid  510 , are mounted in the top cover of pillbox  500  for top-loading of medicine. Each lid can possibly include a tooth  520  that engages a reciprocating latch  530  for the purpose of opening and closing the lid by simply pressing on it. The difference between the configuration shown in  FIG. 5  and the pillboxes shown in the prior art is the structure of the medicine bin. As the figure shows, the medicine bin, which holds medicine for one specific day, comprises side-guides ( 200 ) and a set of dividers ( 210 ,  220 ,  230 , and  240 ) for arbitrarily configuring the bin into four, three, or two compartments, as desired. 
     The pillbox described hereinabove and its components (drawers, dividers, etc.) should preferably be made of plastic for simplicity and low cost. However, it is certainly possible to manufacture the pillbox and/or some of its components from wood or metal. Furthermore, while the drawers described hereinabove have been shown with specific features that allow the user to open and close such drawers, it will be recognized that other features, such as handles, can be used with the drawers without any departure from the scope of the invention. In addition, it will be readily recognized that the invention, when offered as a product, may include materials of different colors, and may also include decorations (such as, for example, cartoon illustrations of the sun and the moon) in order to be appealing to the user. Finally, it will be recognized that the labels that are attached to the dividers described hereinabove may be attached by the manufacturer or included separately in order to be attached later by the user. Accordingly, while the invention has been described hereinabove with reference to specific features and embodiments, it will be recognized by those skilled in the art that several variations are possible, and the invention is intended to encompass all possible variations and alternatives within its scope.