Patent Publication Number: US-6220480-B1

Title: Dispenser

Description:
This application is the national phase of international application PCT/GB98/00059 filed Jul. 9, 1998 which designated the U.S. 
    
    
     The present invention relates to a dispenser. 
     Various dispensers for dispensing pills are known. It is desirable in some applications for the dispenser to be able to dispense one and only one pill on each operation of the dispenser. Some prior art dispensers do not function reliably in that the dispenser may dispense more than one pill or no pills at all on operation of the dispenser. In addition, with some pills, it is essential or at least desirable for the pills not to be touched so that the pills can be kept clean and sterile. 
     There is a general need for an improved pill dispenser as many prior art dispensers do not operate reliably and consistently. 
     According to the present invention, there is provided a pill dispenser for dispensing pills, the dispenser comprising: a container for holding pills, the container being closed at one end and open at an opposite end; and, a sleeve in which the container is slidably received; the dispenser having an outlet through which a pill can pass from the container and a gate for closing the outlet to prevent a pill passing through the outlet; the arrangement being such that the gate is opened when the container is moved in the sleeve so that a pill can pass through the open end of the container to the outlet to be dispensed from the dispenser. 
     The gate may be carried by the sleeve. 
     The gate may be a resilient flexible arm. 
     The dispenser may have a cam which biases the gate to its open position when the container is moved towards the outlet end of the dispenser to allow a pill to pass to and through the outlet. 
     The dispenser preferably has a stop for preventing second and further pills being dispensed after a first pill has moved past the stop. The stop may be an abutment which projects into the outlet. The stop may be carried by the sleeve so that the stop moves into the outlet when the container is moved in the sleeve towards the outlet end of the dispenser. 
     The passage from the container to the outlet may be a stepped funnel having a plurality of steps of decreasing diameter from the container to the outlet for example preferably eccentric in cross-sectional shape and may be elliptical or oval for example. 
     The container may have an external annular rib which is received in an internal retaining groove in the sleeve for movement therein as the container is moved back and forth in the sleeve. The sleeve may have an internal annular recess in which the annular rib may be received when the dispenser is not in use. 
     For ease of manufacture and assembly, the dispenser may include an outlet plug which is received in the open end of the container. Where a cam is provided, the cam may be carried by the plug. The plug may also carry the stop where provided. The plug may also provide the stepped funnel to the outlet where provided. 
     The container may include a tube therein. This serves to keep the contents clean and sterile by keeping the contents out of contact with the container. The tube may be glass. Where an outlet plug is provided, the plug may have a first collar received in the tube. 
     The dispenser may have biasing means for biasing the container away from the outlet. The biasing means may be a resilient return spring carried by the sleeve. 
     There may be provided a cap for fitting to a neck of the dispenser. The dispenser may be arranged to dispense a pill directly into the cap. This can help to avoid pills being handled by the user. 
     The pills which can be dispensed from the dispenser of the invention include medicines, homeopathic remedies, vitamins, artificial sweeteners and any other material which can be provided in a pill form. 
    
    
     An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a first example of a dispenser; 
     FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the dispenser of FIG. 1 with the section being at a right angle to that of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 a  is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a sleeve of the dispenser of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 b  is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the sleeve at a right angle to the sectional view of FIG. 3 a;    
     FIG. 4 a  is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of an outlet plug of the dispenser of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 b  is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 4 a  at a right angle thereto; 
     FIG. 4 c  is a view from one end of the outlet plug; and, 
     FIG. 5 is a side elevation of an operating button of the dispenser of FIG.  1 . 
    
    
     A dispenser  1  has a hollow cylindrical sleeve  2  which has a screw-threaded neck  3 . A closed cap  4  is provided with a corresponding screw thread so that the cap  4  can be fitted to the neck  3 . The sleeve  2  and cap  4  may both be injection moulded plastics such as polypropylene. 
     The end  5  of the sleeve  2  opposite the neck  3  is open and receives a cylindrical container  6  which acts as an operating button  6  and which may also be injection moulded plastics such as polypropylene. The button  6  is hollow cylindrical and is closed by an end wall  7 , the other end  8  of the button  6  being open. The button  6  is received in the sleeve  2  so that the open end  8  of the button  6  is towards the neck  3  of the sleeve  2 . 
     The button  6  has an external annular rib  9  around its circumference towards the closed end  7 . The sleeve  2  is provided internally with an annular recess  10  towards its open end  5  which can receive the rib  9  of the button  6 . The rib  9  is normally positioned in the recess  10  to seal the dispenser  1  during transit of the dispenser  1 . The sleeve  2  also has an inner annular groove  11  near to the annular recess  10  but closer to the neck  3  of the sleeve  2 . In use, the button  6  is pushed further into the sleeve  2  so that the annular rib  9  passes out of the transit recess  10  and into the groove  11 . Because of the longitudinal extent of the groove  11 , the button  6  can move back and forth in the sleeve  2  over a distance corresponding to the longitudinal extent a of the groove  11  with the rib  9  sealing the dispenser  1  by contact with the portion of the sleeve  2  defining the groove  11 . 
     The button  6  contains therein a borosilicate glass tube  12  which has a closed end  13  adjacent the closed end  7  of the button  6 . The glass tube  12  serves to keep any pills within the tube  12  sterile by preventing the pills from being contaminated by direct contact with the plastics material from which the button  6  is made. 
     An outlet plug  14  is slidably received in the sleeve  2 . The plug  14  has a first collar  15  which carries five thin flaps or fins  15   a  which project tangentially from the collar  15  and which are resiliently flexible. The fins  15   a  enable the plug  14  to fit in the glass tube  12  to hold the glass tube  12  in position and serve to cushion the glass tube  6  to prevent breakage of the glass tube  6  under adverse shock conditions. The plug  14  has a second, slightly wider collar  16  which fits in the sleeve  2  and which has an end face  16   a  which is a flush fit against the open end  8  of the button  6 . In the assembled dispenser  1 , the mechanism plug  14  is therefore positioned towards the neck  3  of the sleeve  2  and holds the tube  12  and button  6  in position relative to each other. The mechanism plug  14  may be made of injection moulded plastics such as polypropylene. 
     The mechanism plug  14  is generally hollow and has an internal projection  17  which projects into the hollow centre of the plug  14  from the wall of the plug  14 . The internal projection  17  defines with an opposing part  18  of the wall of the plug  14  an outlet  19  which, as can be seen particularly clearly in FIGS. 1 and 4 a,  is off-centre and which has a diameter or width which corresponds to the diameter or width of a pill to be dispensed from the dispenser  1 . The portion  18  of the wall of the plug  14  which defines in part the outlet  19  is curved towards the centre of the plug  14  in the region adjacent the neck  3  of the sleeve  2  so that the outlet  19  curves towards the centre of the dispenser  1  on passing out of the outlet  19 . 
     The plug  14  is further internally moulded so that the passage from the glass tube  12  to the outlet  19  has three steps  20 , 21 , 22  having diameters which decrease towards the outlet  19 . The steps  20 , 21 , 22  preferably have a cross-sectional shape such as circular elliptical or oval and are eccentrically arranged with respect to each other. The three steps  20 , 21 , 22  define a stepped funnel which leads towards the outlet  19  from the glass tube  12 . The use of a stepped funnel helps to ensure that pills enter the outlet  19  one at a time in single file. If an ordinary smoothly tapered funnel is used as in some prior art dispensers, jamming of the pills on the way to the outlet can occur as stable locking patterns of pills can occur. The use of the steps  20 , 21 , 22  of decreasing diameter, of a shape and size which can be tailored to suit the pills to be dispensed, helps to prevent such stable locking patterns of pills occurring. 
     The internal projection  17  of the plug  14  also carries a curved cam surface  23  facing towards the neck  3  of the sleeve  2 , the cam surface  23  moving away from the neck end of the tube  2  when moving radially outwards of the centre line  24  of the dispenser  1 . 
     The neck  3  of the sleeve  2  is formed internally with a gate  25  in the form of a flexible resilient arm  25 . The gate  25  projects generally inwardly of the sleeve  2  and towards the centre line  24  of the sleeve  2  from one side of the neck  3 . As will be explained further below, the tip  26  of the gate  25  can come into contact with the cam  23  on the mechanism plug  14 . 
     The other side of the neck  3  of the sleeve  2  is formed with an internally projecting abutment surface  27  which faces away from the neck end of the sleeve  2  and which moves away from the neck end of the sleeve  2  when moving radially outwards of the centre line  24  of the dispenser  1  for reasons which will become clear from the following. 
     The sleeve  3  also has two internally projecting spring arms  28  which project inwards from the neck  3  as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 b.    
     It will be appreciated that the sleeve  2  and the plug  14  can each be moulded as a single piece which includes the various components such as the gate  25  and cam surface  23  needed for the dispenser  1  to operate. 
     In the assembled dispenser, the glass tube  12  is filled with pills (not shown). The glass tube  12  is held within the button  6  by the outlet plug  14 , with the glass tube  12  fitting over the first collar  15  and the button  6  sitting against the face  16 a of the second collar  16  of the plug  14 . 
     The subassembly of the button  6 , tube  12  and plug  14  is then inserted into the end  5  of the sleeve  2  opposite the neck  3  so that the annular rib  9  on the button  6  sits in the transit recess  10 . For transport and storage, the open end of the neck  3  of the sleeve  2  can be sealed with an appropriate thin seal of aluminium or plastics for example. This serves to keep the contents of the tube  12  clean and sterile and also acts as a tamper-evident device. The cap  4  can be screwed onto the neck  3  of the sleeve  2 . An outer tamper-evident seal, of plastics or aluminium foil for example, can be wrapped around the cap  4  and the sleeve  2 . The cap  4  is sealed against the sleeve  2  by means of an annular ring  29  on the neck  3  of the sleeve  2 . The dispenser  1  is then ready for transport and storage. 
     To use the dispenser  1 , the cap  4  is unscrewed (which breaks the outer seal if provided). Any inner seal is removed from the neck  3  of the sleeve  2 . The cap  4  can then be replaced if desired depending on whether or not the user wishes to dispense pills into the cap  4 . The button  6  is pushed further into the sleeve  2  so that the rib  9  passes out of the annular recess  10  and into the operation groove  11 . In this position, the free ends of the return springs  28  bear against the plug  14 , thereby ensuring that the subassembly of the button  6 , tube  12  and plug  14  is constantly biassed away from the neck  3  with the annular rib  9  of the button  6  sitting in the portion of the operation groove  11  which is furthest away from the neck  3 . 
     To dispense a pill, the dispenser  1  is inverted so that the neck  3  and cap  4  are lowermost. The button  6  is fully depressed so that the subassembly of the button  6 , the tube  12  and the plug  14  is moved towards the neck  3  of the sleeve  2  against the bias of the return springs  28 . When the button  6  is pressed sufficiently far, the tip  26  of the gate arm  25  comes into contact with the cam surface  23  on the plug  14  and follows the cam  23  as the button  6  is pressed further into the sleeve  2 . The cam surface  23  therefore flexes the gate arm  25  away from the centre line  24  of the dispenser  1 . This movement of the gate arm  25  allows a pill in the outlet  19  to pass from the outlet  19  through the open part of the neck  3 . In some circumstances, it may be appropriate for the cap  4  to have first been removed to allow a pill to be dispensed directly into some receptacle or perhaps straight into the user&#39;s mouth. On the other hand, it may be more convenient or even essential to leave the cap  4  in position on the neck  3  so that a pill is dispensed into the cap  4 ; the cap  4  can then be unscrewed from the sleeve  2  and the pill in the cap  4  then transferred directly to the user&#39;s mouth from the cap  4 , thus avoiding any contact between the user&#39;s fingers and the pill dispensed. 
     As mentioned above, the use of the steps  20 , 21 , 22  of decreasing diameter to define a stepped funnel in the plug  14  prevents pills jamming on the way to the outlet  19 . Jamming of pills can be a particular problem where the outlet is a conventional smooth taper as mentioned above. The use of a stepped funnel, is particularly useful in stopping this type of jamming as stable locking patterns of pills in the funnel are prevented. 
     When the button  6  is pushed fully forwards in the sleeve  2  so that the gate arm  25  is fully opened and a first pill has passed out of the neck  3 , it will be appreciated, particularly from a study of FIG. 1, that the curved portion  18  of the wall of the plug  14  which defines in part the outlet  19  moves past the abutment surface  27  on the sleeve  2 . Thus, the abutment surface  27  moves relatively into the outlet  19 , which prevents any further pills being dispensed. Thus, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the use of the gate  25  to selectively open the outlet  19  and the abutment surface  27  which moves into the outlet  19  together ensure that one and only one pill is dispensed on operation of the dispenser  1 . 
     When the button  6  is released, the return springs  28  bias the subassembly of the button  6 , the tube  12  and the plug  14  away from the neck  3 . This allows the gate  25  to relax back to its rest position at which it effectively closes the outlet  19  to prevent pills from passing out of the outlet  19  and the dispenser  1  and thus prevents pills being inadvertently dispensed. The dispenser  1  can then be returned to its upright position with the neck  3  uppermost and the cap  4  replaced. 
     An embodiment of the present invention has been described with particular reference to the example illustrated. However, it will be appreciated that variations and modifications may be made to the example described within the scope of the present invention.