Patent Publication Number: US-2015088059-A1

Title: Pill administration device with liquid reservoir

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/880,614, filed on Sep. 20, 2013, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     The subject matter of this application is related to co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 13/932,223 filed on Jul. 1, 2013, and co-pending U.S. design patent application Ser. No. 29/467,652 filed on Sep. 20, 2013, the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to pill administration devices, and more particularly to pill administration devices for using liquids to administer pills. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Medication, vitamins, nutritional supplements and other materials are often administered in pill form. The term “pill”, as used herein, includes not only agglomerations of particulate matter (whether coated or uncoated), but also liquid-filled and powder-filled capsules having at least a solid exterior and administered by swallowing, including prescribed medication, over-the-counter medication, and vitamins and other nutritional supplements. 
     Many people find it easier to swallow pills when swallowing liquid at the same time. To this end, a number of devices have been developed to support the liquid-facilitated ingestion of pills, including those described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,055,709 to Esau, U.S. Pat. No. 6,386,358 to North et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,047,817 to Taylor et al. and U.S. Pat. Application Publication No. 2011/0224604. However, each of these devices has certain disadvantages. 
     SUMMARY 
     In some embodiments, a liquid-assisted pill administration device comprises a reservoir for containing a liquid and a pill receptacle for containing one or more pills. The pill receptacle has a receptacle opening remote from the reservoir for inserting and discharging pills, and the reservoir is in valve-governed fluid communication with the pill receptacle via a first fluid communication path wherein a valve is interposed in the first fluid communication path between the reservoir and the pill receptacle. The valve is selectively configurable in an open configuration in which fluid flow from the reservoir to the pill receptacle via the first fluid communication path is permitted and a closed configuration in which fluid flow from the reservoir to the pill receptacle via the first fluid communication path is obstructed. The pill administration device has a second fluid communication path into the reservoir for introducing air into the reservoir. When the reservoir contains liquid and is above the pill receptacle and the valve is in the open configuration, liquid in the reservoir flows under gravity from the reservoir to the pill receptacle via the first fluid communication path and air flows into the reservoir via the second fluid communication path. 
     In other embodiments, a liquid-assisted pill administration device, comprises a collapsible reservoir for containing a liquid and a pill receptacle for containing one or more pills, with the pill receptacle having a receptacle opening remote from the reservoir for inserting and discharging pills. The reservoir is in valve-governed fluid communication with the pill receptacle via a first fluid communication path wherein a valve is interposed in the first fluid communication path between the reservoir and the pill receptacle. The valve is selectively configurable in an open configuration in which fluid flow from the reservoir to the pill receptacle via the first fluid communication path is permitted, and a closed configuration in which fluid flow from the reservoir to the pill receptacle via the first fluid communication path is obstructed. When the valve is in an open configuration, collapsing the reservoir forces liquid contained therein through the valve into the pill receptacle. 
     The above-described liquid-assisted pill administration devices may further comprise a removable lid for selectively closing the receptacle opening. In certain implementations, the valve comprises a valve closure member movable between an open position which defines the open configuration of the valve and a closed position which defines the closed configuration of the valve, and the pill administration device further comprises a handle disposed externally of the reservoir and the pill receptacle, with the handle being coupled to the valve closure member to drive movement of the valve closure member between the open position and the closed position. The valve closure member may be coupled to the lid by the handle so that when the valve closure member is in the closed position, the lid covers the receptacle opening to close the receptacle opening and when the valve closure member is in the open position, the lid exposes the receptacle opening. The valve closure member may be rotatably received in the first fluid communication path so as to be rotatable between the open position and the closed position, and preferably rotation of the handle drives rotation of the valve closure member between the open position and the closed position. Still more preferably, rotation of the handle also pivots the lid into and out of engagement with the receptacle opening to close and open the pill receptacle, respectively. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and other features of the invention will become more apparent from the following description in which reference is made to the appended drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a top front perspective view of an exemplary liquid-assisted pill administration device; 
         FIG. 2  is a top rear perspective view of the pill administration device of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a first side elevation view of the pill administration device of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a rear elevation view of the pill administration device of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a second side elevation view of the pill administration device of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a front elevation view of the pill administration device of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a top plan view of the pill administration device of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a bottom plan view of the pill administration device of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 9  is an exploded side view of the pill administration device of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 10A  is a rear view of the pill administration device of  FIG. 1  showing the actuator thereof in a first position; 
         FIG. 10B  is a rear view of the pill administration device of  FIG. 1  showing the actuator thereof in a second position; 
         FIG. 11A  is a front cross-sectional view of the pill administration device of  FIG. 1  showing the actuator thereof in the first position; 
         FIG. 11B  is a front cross-sectional view of the pill administration device of  FIG. 1  showing the actuator thereof in the second position; 
         FIG. 11C  is a front cross-sectional view of the pill administration device of  FIG. 1  showing the device positioned for use and the actuator thereof in a second position, with liquid flowing through the valve of the device; 
         FIG. 12  shows use of the pill administration device of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 13  is a perspective view of the actuator of the pill administration device of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 14  is a side elevation view of the pill administration device of  FIG. 1  showing internal features thereof in dashed lines; and 
         FIG. 15  is a front cross-sectional view of a second exemplary pill administration device showing the device positioned for use and the actuator thereof in a second position, with liquid flowing through the valve of the device. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIGS. 1 to 7  show various external views of a first exemplary liquid-assisted pill administration device, which is denoted generally by reference numeral  100 . As best seen in the exploded view shown in  FIG. 9 , the exemplary pill administration device  100  comprises a reservoir  102  for containing a liquid, a main body  104 , an air tube  106  and an actuator  108 . 
     The actuator  108  comprises a valve closure member  110 , a handle  112  and a lid  114  and is shown in greater detail in  FIG. 13 . 
     Retelling now to  FIGS. 11A and 11B , the main body is divided by a divider  116  into a reservoir coupling collar  118  and a pill receptacle  120  for containing one or more pills  122 . The pill receptacle  120  has a receptacle opening  124  remote from the reservoir for inserting and discharging pills, and, as explained in greater detail below, the lid  114  can be removably positioned over the receptacle opening  124  of the pill receptacle  120  for selectively closing the receptacle opening  124 . 
     The reservoir  102  is generally campanulate and includes a flattened base  126  suitable for resting on a planar surface and has an open neck  128  opposite the base  126 . The reservoir coupling collar  118  has internal threads  130  and the neck  128  of the reservoir  102  has complementary external threads  132  so that the neck  128  can be removably threadedly received in the reservoir coupling collar  118 . This allows the reservoir to be filled, and refilled, with liquid  164  selected by a user. The liquid  164  may be water or a flavoured liquid, and in some embodiments, the liquid  164  may be, or may contain, medication or nutritional supplements. The reservoir  102  may be either resilient or rigid as long as the neck  128  is sufficiently rigid to be removably threadedly received in the reservoir coupling collar  118 . Other structures for removably securing the reservoir to the main body, for example a snap fit, may also be used. 
     The divider  116  forms a hollow generally cylindrical valve body  134  which includes an upstream port  136  opening into the reservoir coupling collar  118  and a downstream port  138  opening into the pill receptacle  120 . 
     The valve closure member  110  of the actuator  108  is hollow and generally cylindrical, and includes an upstream aperture  142  and a downstream aperture  144 . The valve closure member  110  of the actuator  108  is sealingly rotatably received in the valve body  134  so as to be movable by way of rotation between a closed position ( FIG. 11A ) and an open position ( FIG. 11B ), thereby forming a complete valve  150 . As can be seen, the valve  150  is interposed in a first fluid communication path between the reservoir  102  and the pill receptacle  120  so that the reservoir  102  is in valve-governed fluid communication with the pill receptacle  120  via the first fluid communication path, with the valve  150  being selectively configurable in a closed configuration ( FIG. 11A ) and an open configuration ( FIG. 11B ). The first fluid communication path is denoted by the arrow  152  in  FIG. 11C . 
     When the valve closure member  110  is in the closed position, the apertures  142 ,  144  in the valve closure member  110  are out of registration with the ports  136 ,  138  in the valve body  134 , thereby inhibiting fluid flow through the valve  150 . As such, the closed position of the valve closure member  110  defines the closed configuration of the valve  150 , in which fluid flow from the reservoir  102  to the pill receptacle  120  via the first fluid communication path  152  is obstructed. Conversely, when the valve closure member  110  is in the open position, the upstream aperture  142  and the downstream aperture  144  are in registration with the upstream port  136  and the downstream port  138 , respectively, in the valve body  134 , permitting fluid to flow through the valve  150 . Accordingly, the open position of the valve closure member  110  defines the open configuration of the valve  150 , in which fluid flow from the reservoir  102  to the pill receptacle  120  via the first fluid communication path  152  is permitted. 
     The divider also includes an air port  154  disposed exteriorly of the valve body  134 . The air tube  106  is fitted into the air port  154  and extends through the reservoir coupling collar  118  into the reservoir  102  to a position adjacent the base  126  of the reservoir  102 . The air tube  106  provides a second fluid communication path into the reservoir  102  for introducing air into the reservoir  102 . 
     As can be seen in the Figures, the handle  112  is disposed externally of the reservoir  102  and the pill receptacle  120 . As noted above, the valve closure member  110 , the handle  112  and the lid  114  all form part of an actuator  108 . As such, both the valve closure member  110  and the lid  114  are immovably attached to and extend from the handle  112 . Because the handle  112  is immovably attached to the valve closure member  110 , rotating the handle between the position shown in  FIG. 11A  and the position shown in  FIG. 11B  drives the valve closure member  110  to rotate between the open position ( FIG. 11B ) and the closed position ( FIG. 11A ) as the handle  112  pivots about the axis of rotation of the valve closure member  110 . In addition, because both the valve closure member  110  and the lid  114  are immovably attached to and extend from the handle  112 , the valve closure member  110  is coupled to the lid  114  by the handle  112  so that rotation of the handle  112  not only rotates the valve closure member  110  but also pivots the lid  114  into and out of engagement with the receptacle opening  124  to close and open the pill receptacle  120 , respectively. As such, when the valve closure member  110  is in the closed position ( FIGS. 10A and 11A ), the lid  114  is in registration with and covers the receptacle opening  124  to close the receptacle opening  124 , and when the valve closure member  110  is in the open position ( FIGS. 10B and 11B ), the lid  114  is out of registration with and exposes the receptacle opening  124 . 
     As can best be seen in  FIG. 13 , the handle  112  has an arcuate recess  166  positioned adjacent the valve closure member  110 , and as seen in  FIGS. 9 ,  10 A and  10 B, the main body  104  has a correspondingly positioned tab  168  disposed adjacent the aperture  172  in the main body  104  through which the valve closure member  110  is inserted into the valve body  134 . When the first pill administration device  100  is assembled, the tab  168  cooperates with the recess  166  to limit travel of the handle  112  in both directions and thereby prevent the valve closure member  110  from moving beyond the closed position and beyond the open position when the handle  112  is turned. In addition, the main body  104  includes two dome-shaped projections  174  positioned below the aperture  172 . The dome-shaped projections  174  project outwardly far enough to engage the handle  112  and retain the actuator  108  in an orientation in which the valve closure member  110  is in the closed position unless the handle  112  is rotated with sufficient force to push the handle  112  over and past the dome-shaped projection  174 . 
     The upper edge  156  of the pill receptacle  120  (which defines the receptacle opening  124 ) and the lower edge  158  of the lid  114  have complementary sloping shapes. The height of the main body  104 , measured from the reservoir  102 , decreases in the direction in which the superior end of the handle  112  pivots to rotate the valve closure member  110  from the closed position to the open position, and the length of the peripheral wall  160  of the lid  114 , measured from the main cover portion  162  thereof, increases in the direction in which the superior end of the handle  112  pivots to rotate the valve closure member  110  from the closed position to the open position. 
     To prepare the first pill administration device  100  for use, a user would unscrew the reservoir  102  from the main body  104 , fill the reservoir  102  with a desired liquid  164 , and thread the reservoir  102  and main body  104  back together. The user would also rotate the handle  112  to pivot the lid  114  away from the receptacle opening  124 , place desired pills  122  in the pill receptacle  120 , and then rotate the handle  112  in the other direction to pivot the lid  114  into registration with the receptacle opening  124  to close the pill receptacle  120 . These steps may be performed in any suitable order. A user can select which pills to use with the pill administration device  100 . For example, a user who has a heart condition may place pills containing a medically prescribed dosage of acetylsalicylic acid (also known under the name Aspirin) into the pill receptacle  120  so that the dosage can be quickly consumed in the event of chest pain. A user may place any desired pills in the pill receptacle  120 . When the pill administration device  100  is upright (e.g. resting on the base  126  of the reservoir  102 ) with the lid  114  closed and the valve closure member  110  in the closed configuration, the pills  122  are isolated from the liquid  164  by the divider  116  and valve  150 . 
     Reference is now made to  FIGS. 12 and 13 , which show the first exemplary liquid-assisted pill administration device  100  in use. To use the pill administration device  100 , a user would turn the handle  112  to rotate the valve closure member  110  into the open position and pivot the lid  114  away from the receptacle opening  124 , and then raise the pill administration device  100  to position the receptacle opening  124  in registration with the user&#39;s mouth  170 . As can be seen, in this position the reservoir  102 , which contains liquid  164 , is positioned above the pill receptacle  120 . Since the valve  150  is in the open configuration, the liquid  164  in the reservoir  102  flows under gravity from the reservoir  102  to the pill receptacle  120  via the first fluid communication path  152 , and air flows into the reservoir  120  via the second fluid communication path, in this case the air tube  106 . The liquid  164  entrains the pills  122  and travels through the receptacle opening  124  toward a user&#39;s mouth  170 . 
       FIG. 15  shows use of a second exemplary embodiment of a liquid-assisted pill administration device, indicated generally by the reference numeral  1500 . The second pill administration device  1500  shown in  FIG. 15  is similar to the first pill administration device shown in  FIGS. 1 to 12  and  14 , with corresponding reference numerals denoting corresponding features but with the prefix “15” instead of “1”. The second pill administration device  1500  differs from the first pill administration device  100  in that the second pill administration device does not include an air tube or air port and features a collapsible reservoir  1520 . In the illustrated embodiment, the reservoir  1520  is formed from a resilient material, such as a suitably pliable plastic, so that the reservoir  1520  may be collapsed by squeezing it; other embodiments may employ mechanical constructs for collapsing the reservoir, for example a plunger arrangement. Where the reservoir  1520  is formed from a resilient material, the neck  1528  should be made sufficiently thick so that it can be removably threadedly received in the reservoir coupling collar  1518 . 
     The second pill administration device  1500  is prepared for use in the same manner as the first pill administration device  100 . Use of the second pill administration device  1500  is similar to use of the first pill administration device  100 , and a user would turn the handle  1512  to rotate the valve closure member  1510  into the open position and pivot the lid  1514  away from the receptacle opening  1524 . The user would then raise the pill administration device  1500  to position the receptacle opening  1524  in registration with the user&#39;s mouth  1570  and collapse the reservoir  1520 , in this case by squeezing it. Collapsing the reservoir  1520  drives the liquid  1564  contained therein through the valve  1550  and into the pill receptacle  1520 , where the liquid  1564  entrains the pills  1520 . The liquid  1564 , now carrying the pills  1522 , can then continue through the receptacle opening  1524  into the user&#39;s mouth  1570 . 
     The valves  150 ,  1550  are merely exemplary, and other suitable valves may also be used. Similarly, while in the exemplary embodiments the valve closure members  110 ,  1510  are coupled to the respective lids  114 ,  1514  by way of direct connection to the handle  112 ,  1512 , other embodiments may employ indirect mechanical coupling (e.g. by way of gears, etc.) of the valve closure members  110 ,  1510  to the respective lids  114 ,  1514  via the respective handles  112 ,  1512 . 
     O-rings, resilient washers or other seals may be used to achieve sufficiently fluid-tight connection between parts. For example, an o-ring  176  is disposed on the valve closure member  110  adjacent the handle  112  to seal with the inside wall of the valve body  134 . 
     Various currently preferred embodiments have been described by way of example. It will be apparent to persons skilled in the art that a number of variations and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the claims.