Patent Abstract:
A tray comprises a flexible floor comprising a first surface and a second surface, at least one pocket in the first surface dimensioned to hold a medicine and a flexible wall extending upward from the first surface and surrounding every at least one pocket most proximal to edges of the first surface, the flexible wall configured to deform elastically when the second surface of the flexible floor is bent.

Full Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     Disclosed are embodiments of the invention that relate to, among other things, assisting healthcare professionals and consumers with discriminating between medications and identifying medications. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Pharmacists and other healthcare professionals fill prescription medications for patients and other consumers. While trying to ensure timely delivery of desired medications, healthcare providers lack the time and resources to confirm the type, amount and accuracy of all dispensed medications. There is a need to provide healthcare professionals with means to better achieve accurate dispensation of medications. 
     Consumers of medications, including bottled pills and other drugs, may not always be aware of the contents of the medication containers. Consumers lack quick and effective means to determine the contents of their medications. There is a need to provide consumers with means to ensure accuracy in reviewing their dispensed medications. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A bendable tray may hold medicines in wells formed in its surface to discriminate medicines, discriminate medicine amounts and pour such medicines back into a container. 
     A tray may have a flexible floor and one or more flexible walls capable of deforming when the floor is bent. Upon deforming, the flexible wall may allow medicines within the walls of the tray to exit the tray. 
     The flexible walls of a tray may be shaped and sized to operate as a tray container for medicines nestled in a flexible floor and a pouring apparatus when the flexible floor is bent. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIGS. 1 ,  1 A and  1 B illustrate multiple vantage points of an exemplary embodiment of a tray. 
         FIGS. 2 ,  2 A and  2 B illustrate multiple vantage points of another exemplary embodiment of a tray. 
         FIGS. 3 ,  3 A and  3 B illustrate multiple vantage points of yet another exemplary embodiment of a tray. 
         FIGS. 4 and 4A  illustrate multiple vantage points of an alternative exemplary embodiment of a tray. 
         FIGS. 5 ,  5 A and  5 B illustrate multiple vantage points of an operative configuration of exemplary embodiments of a tray. 
         FIGS. 5C ,  5 D,  5 E,  5 F and  5 G illustrate multiple vantage points of another operative configuration of exemplary embodiments of a tray. 
         FIGS. 5H ,  5 I and  5 J illustrate an exemplary tool to fabricate and an exemplary method of fabricating various exemplary embodiments of a tray. 
         FIGS. 6A and 6B  illustrate additional operative configurations of exemplary embodiments of a tray. 
         FIGS. 7 ,  7 A and  7 B illustrate additional operative configurations of yet another exemplary embodiment of a tray. 
         FIG. 8  illustrates a construct for operation with exemplary embodiments of a tray. 
         FIG. 9  illustrates an operative configuration of an exemplary construct for operation with exemplary embodiments of a tray. 
         FIGS. 10 and 10   a  illustrate an exemplary utilization of embodiments of a tray. 
         FIG. 11  illustrates an alternative embodiment of a tray with exemplary attachments. 
         FIGS. 12 and 12   A  illustrate exemplary molds for the manufacture of an exemplary tray. 
     
    
    
     In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures. The drawing figures, elements and other depictions should be understood as being interchangeable and may be combined in any like manner in accordance with the disclosures and objectives recited herein. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     With reference to  FIG. 1 , a tray  100  may comprise a floor  110 , left side-wall  112 , right side-wall  113 , front wall  114 , and back wall  115 . Disposed within walls  112 - 115  surrounding floor  110 , e.g., the interior of the tray  100 , may be a plurality of bays  50 . Each of left- and right-side walls  112  and  113 , respectively, may extend from floor  110  and have a height, thickness, shape, curvature and any other mechanical attributes sufficient to hold contents within tray  100 . For example, side wall  112 , sidewall  113 , front wall  114 , and back wall  115 , in any combination, may be shaped to preclude objects that can fit in bays  50  from leaving tray  100  when tray  100  may be shuffled, moved, bent or made to slide along a surface. Left- and right-sidewall  112 ,  113 , respectively, may be equal in all dimensions and substantially rectilinear in shape. Front wall  114  may also extend from floor  110  and be mechanically similar to left- and right-sidewalls  112 ,  113 , respectively. Alternatively, front wall  114  may possess different shapes and configurations as may be the case for any of the disclosed embodiments of an exemplary tray. Back wall  115 , which may be similar to the other walls previously described, may be a continuous piece of material, or back wall  115  may possess a cut  116  across a width or height that allows it to have two distinct regions ( FIG. 1B ). For example, back wall  115  may have a diagonal cut  116  forming a region to the right of the cut  116  and a complementary region to the left of cut  116 . If tray  100  is bent on floor  110  or any of its walls  112  and/or  113 , cut  116  may allow one of the wall  115  regions to be more distal from the interior side of front wall  114  than the other region of wall  115 . An exemplary view of such compression formation of outer wall  115  with cut  116  may be seen, for example, in  FIGS. 5C ,  5 D and  5 G. 
       FIG. 1A  shows a side view of an exemplary tray  100  facing left side wall  112 . Floor  110  is shown as a solid material with a series of bays  50  molded, carved or etched into its surface. Alternatively, bays  50  may be formed as a result of molding floor  110  using a preset mold for different bay sizes according to molding techniques known to those skilled in art. According to this alternative, floor  110  with bays  50  may be made out of one continuous material. Floor  110  may be made out of any one of the following: rubber, Teflon, latex, silicone, polyurethanes and any other elastomers known to those skilled in art. Floor  110  may be formed by molding such flexible materials using extrusion, injection molding, structural foam molding, blow molding, rotational molding, thermoforming, compression molding, transfer molding, casting, dip molding, dip molding and vulcanization and other like techniques known to those skilled in art. However, floor  110  may be made out of non-flexible materials to the extent these materials can plastically deform. 
     Front wall  114  may be subsequently attached to floor  110  using adhesives, heat bonding, and mechanical attachments such as sewing, wire links, staples or clamps, etc. Alternatively, front wall  114  may be molded along with floor  110  so that the two are made from one continuous piece of material, e.g., front wall  114  may be molded from the same cast in which floor  110  may be molded. In either embodiment, front wall  114  may be formed from similar materials and in similar fashion to floor  110 . As may be discussed with respect to other embodiments disclosed herein, front wall  114  may be shaped and configured in numerous manners to allow for operation of the various disclosed embodiments. An exemplary front wall  114  may be flexible and made out of an elastomer. 
     Left side wall  112  and right side wall  113  may be formed in similar fashion and from similar materials as front wall  114  and/or floor  110 . In one embodiment, left side wall  112  and right side wall  113  may be molded from the same material as floor  110  and front wall  114 , thereby being formed via a multiple dimension molding process. Alternatively, either of the various side walls may be joined to floor  110  via adhesives, heat bonding, mechanical attachments such as sewing, wire links, staples or clamps, etc. Both side wall  112  and  113  may be shaped and molded to allow for flexible operations using floor  110  and front wall  114 , as may be disclosed herein. 
     In  FIG. 1 , left and right side walls  112 ,  113  are integrally attached to back wall  115 . Alternatively, where cut  116  is involved, as in  FIG. 1B , left side wall  112  is integrally attached to left region of wall  115  while right side wall  113  is integrally attached to a right region of wall  115 . Either of the left and/or right regions of back wall  115  may be separately attached to floor  110  and their respective side walls, or may be molded together and attached to floor  110  and either of side walls  112 ,  113 . 
     For a back wall  115  without cut  116 , a single piece of material may be used to form the back wall of tray  100 . Alternatively, walls  112 ,  115  and  113  may be made of a single material and attached to floor  110  as previously described. Further all walls  112 - 115  may be made of a single material and attached to floor  110  as previously described. Still further, all portions of tray  100  may be molded together as one continuous piece of material. A mold of a tray  100  may be made by sculpting or designing a preform that will have the dimensions of the floor  110 , walls  112 - 115  and bays  50  desired. An exemplary mold  90  may be illustrated with reference to  FIGS. 12 and 12A . According to the exemplary embodiment illustrated by  FIG. 12 , mold  90  may possess hills  91  and trough  92  into which moldable material may be poured, extruded or otherwise set. An adjustable divider  93  and divide  94  may be situated at the top of mold  90  to form cuts like cut  116  in molded objects being formed with mold  90 . Divide  94  may have numerous configurations including straight, curved or zigzag. 
       FIG. 12A  illustrates an exemplary mold  90  from a different vantage point. In  FIG. 12A , hills  91  may be part of mold  90  or alternatively the hills  91  may be capable of being replaced from a given mold  90  (by screwing in a hill  91  or snapping in place) so a single mold  90  may be used with different hills  91  and hill  91  patterns. Troughs  92  lay on either side of hills  91  and upon molding may form one or more of the front, side and back walls of an exemplary tray  100 . To manufacture cut  116  in back wall  115 , a unified back wall may be molded and cut using cutting tools such as blades or lasers on completed molds (such as a mold completed using an exemplary mold  90  illustrated in  FIG. 12  using the methods and tools illustrated in  FIGS. 5H-J  and related disclosures) or the cut  116  may be made by specialized molds with dividers (as illustrated in  FIG. 12  with divider  93  and divide  94 ). 
     The walls of tray  100  enclose floor  110  and the various bays  50  formed in floor  110 &#39;s surface. Bays  50  may be any shape or size and orientation within floor  110  for fitting a form of matter, such as, for example, pills, capsules, food stuffs, mechanical components, ammunition, or medicinal matter. A more detailed discussion of the bays  50  may be found with reference to  FIGS. 10 and 10A . 
     Walls  112 - 115 , bays  50  and floor  110  may be made of flexible material and may be produced on a single mold or formed substantially simultaneously from the same starting material to allow each of the walls  112 - 115  and floor  110  to be a continuous piece of material.  FIGS. 12 and 12A  may illustrate one such mold for producing a tray  100  made of a single solid piece of flexible material. In this way, a tray  100  manufactured in this fashion may have a lower cost of production and more stability when bent and flexed in operation (as may be discussed further). The trays  200 - 500  and all related embodiments may similarly be formed, fabricated and designed as tray  100 . 
       FIG. 2  illustrates another embodiment of a tray  200  which has a floor  210 , bays  50  embedded in floor  210 , front wall  214 , left and right side walls  212  and  213 , respectively, and back wall  115 , which may possess a cut  216  (similar to cut  116 ) in its surface (not shown). As previously discussed, the fabrication, design and manufacture of any of walls  212 - 215 , cut  216 , bays  50  and floor  210  may be the same as those for walls  112 - 115 , cut  116 , bays  50  and floor  110 , of  FIGS. 1 ,  1 A and  1 B. 
     According to  FIG. 2 , front wall  214  may have a spout  219 . Spout  219  may be part of front wall  214 &#39;s molded surface or may be attached to front wall  214  via any of attachment mechanisms disclosed herein. As can be seen in  FIGS. 2A and 2B , spout  219  may be a certain height above floor  110  and bays  50  so as not to remove the existence of front wall  214  below spout  219  in its entirety. While spout  219  is illustrated as coextensive with front wall  114 , it may also be molded or formed in any shape or fashion that would allow contents within walls  212 - 215  to pour out of tray  200 . Spout  219  may be made of the same materials and in like fashion to any of the various components of tray  100  or tray  200 . 
       FIG. 3  illustrates a tray  300  which has a floor  310 , bays  50  embedded in floor  310 , front wall  314 , left and right side walls  312  and  313 , respectively, and back wall  315 , which may possess a cut  316  (similar to cut  116 ) in its surface (not shown). As previously discussed, the fabrication, design and manufacture of any of walls  312 - 315 , cut  316 , bays  50  and floor  310  may be the same as those for walls  112 - 115 , cut  116 , bays  50  and floor  110 , of  FIGS. 1 ,  1 A and  1 B and/or for walls  212 - 215 , cut  216 , bays  50  and floor  210 , of  FIGS. 2 ,  2 A and  2 B. 
     According to  FIG. 3 , front wall  314  may have a funneled body  320  comprised of flap  319  and left- and right wings  322  and  321 , respectively, extending distally from front wall  314 . Funneled body  320  may be part of front wall  314 &#39;s molded surface or may be attached to front wall  314  via any of attachment mechanisms disclosed herein. As can be seen in  FIGS. 3A and 3B , funneled body  320  may be a certain height above floor  310  and bays  50  so as not to remove the existence of front wall  314  below funneled body  320  in its entirety. While funneled body  320  is illustrated as coextensive with front wall  314 , it may also be molded or formed in any shape or fashion that would allow contents within walls  312 - 315  to pour out of tray  300 . Funneled body  320  may be made of the same materials and in like fashion to any of the various components of trays  100 ,  200  or  300 . 
     Funneled body  320  may also have variable surfaces on its various portions,  319 ,  321  and  322 . For example, flap  319  may be of similar texture to floor  310  while left- and right wings  322  and  321  may be of a different texture. Additionally when made of a flexible material, funneled body  320  may be bent so that wings  322  and  321  in combination with flap  319  form a funnel for delivery of contents within walls  312 - 215 . Further discussion of such an embodiment may be had with respect to  FIG. 6B . 
       FIG. 4  illustrates another embodiment of a tray  400  which has a floor  410 , bays  50  embedded in floor  410 , front wall  414 , left and right side walls  412  and  413 , respectively, and back wall  415 , which may possess a cut  416  (similar to cut  116 ) in its surface (not shown). As previously discussed, the fabrication, design and manufacture of any of walls  412 - 415 , cut  416 , bays  50  and floor  410  may be the same as those for walls  112 - 115 , cut  116 , bays  50  and floor  110 , of  FIGS. 1 ,  1 A and  1 B and/or for walls  212 - 215 , cut  116 , bays  50  and floor  210 , of  FIGS. 2 ,  2 A and  2 B and/or for walls  312 - 315 , cut  316 , bays  50  and floor  310 , of  FIGS. 3 ,  3 A and  3 B. 
     According to  FIG. 4 , front wall  414  may have a door  419  created by left and right slits  420  and  421 , respectively, extending partially or completely through a height of front wall  414 . As can be seen in  FIG. 4A , door  419  may extend the entire height of front wall  414 . Alternatively, slits  420  and  421  may extend partially from the top of front wall  414  toward floor  410 , so that door  419  may be a certain height above floor  410  and bays  50 . In this way, door  419  may be formed so as not to remove the existence of the portion of front wall  414  below door  419  in its entirety. Alternatively, door  419  may be made of different material from front wall  414  and be attached to floor  410  in any manner previously described. Alternatively, in embodiments where front wall  414  is made of a different material than floor  410 , door  419  may be integrally molded with floor  410  such that the two components are made of a single continuous material. 
     As previously described, slits  420  and  421  may be made by any cutting or material removal means known to those skilled in art, such as by blades, lasers or via the particular mold in which tray  400  is formed. One such exemplary mold may be mold  90  in  FIG. 12  with multiple dividers  93 . Further discussion of door  419  and its operation may be had with respect to  FIGS. 7 ,  8  and  9 . Further, slits  420  and  421  may also be configured and fabricated in like manner to cut  116 , as described herein. 
     The various trays  100 ,  200 ,  300  and  400  described may be combined or used in combination. For example, it may be recognized, that a tray  100  according to the disclosures related to  FIGS. 1 ,  1 A and  1 B may be formed into tray  400  following molding and subsequent treatment with a cutting tool to form slits  420  and  421  in front wall  114 / 414 . An exemplary cutting tool and process may be illustrated in  FIGS. 5H-J . Alternatively, slits  420  and  421  may be made on either side of spout  219  of tray  200  to create additional advantages to having a door  419  with the curvature of spout  219  in its inner surface facing floor  210 . Further, multiple doors  419  may be made in front wall  414  to permit certain contents within walls  412 - 415  to exit from tray  400 . In this manner, front walls  114 ,  214 ,  314  and  414  of the various embodiments may serve as selective exits for objects found within the walls of trays  100 ,  200 ,  300  and  400 . 
       FIG. 5  is an illustrative embodiment of an operation using tray  100 . As a force F is applied to floor  110  of tray  100 , floor  110  and flexible walls  112 - 115  may bend and/or plastically deform. According to  FIG. 5 , a force F may be applied to bend floor  110  or, may be applied to left and right side walls  112  and  113 , respectively, causing them to bend floor  110 . The upper edges  117  and  118  of right and left side walls  113  and  112 , respectively, may be illustrated as converging toward the center of floor  110  due to the bending force F. This may also be seen in  FIG. 5A . 
       FIG. 5A  shows the deformation along the left side of tray  100  due to force F on either the left side of floor  110  or left side wall  112 . As a force is continuously applied, bays  50  may be seen to converge about axis of bending of floor  110 . Due to the convergence of floor  110 &#39;s left and right portions about the bending axis, bays  50  located at the peripheries of floor  110  may be seen to reduce in size and/or undergo changes in shape to release whatever contents they may possess prior to application of force F. In this way, bending of floor  110  may act to deform floor  110  and release contents held in bays  50 . 
       FIGS. 5 and 5A  also illustrate that as floor  110  deforms due to force F, front wall  114  may deform so that its edges produce a lip  120 . Unlike spout  219 , lip  120  may result from application of force F on the floor  110  or side walls  113  and/or  112  and without application of such force, lip  120  may not exist. Thus, front wall  114 &#39;s flexible nature permits the existence of lip  120  so that contents within tray  100  under deformed conditions may pour out of tray  100 . A more detailed view of lip  120  may be had with reference to  FIG. 5B . In  FIG. 5B , lip  120  may possess a ramp  119  leading from the lower portion of front wall  114  to the edge of lip  120 . The texture of ramp  119  may be smooth or soft to permit sliding of contents from within tray  100  to a destination outside of tray  100 . 
     Application of force F may have numerous effects on back wall  115  depending on the shape and configuration of wall  115 . In  FIG. 5A , application of force to a uniform back wall  115  may create a lip  121  in its surface similar to that created with respect to front wall  114 . Alternatively, a back wall with a cut  116  may not form a lip  121  because the material that otherwise would make up lip  121  may, instead, overlap. 
     Alternatively, as illustrated in  FIGS. 5C-F , cut  116  may allow right polyhedral component  115   a  and left polyhedral component  115   b  of wall  115  to slide past one another during compression to maintain a back wall surface but allow for reduction in a back wall area. An exemplary sliding configuration may be seen in  FIGS. 5C and 5F . In  FIG. 5C , under application of a force F on floor  110  by virtue of forces on side walls  112  and  113 , right polyhedral component  115   a  of back wall  115  may deflect inwardly towards the interior of tray  100  while left polyhedral component  115   b  of back wall  115  deflects distally from the interior of tray  100 . According to an exemplary embodiment illustrated in  FIGS. 5C and 5G , where each of the polyhedral wall components of  115  cross cut  116 , the more distal of the components may form wall overlap  115   o . Overlap  115   o  may protrude from wall  115  surface or may remain in substantial contact with the exterior surface of the less distal polyhedral component of wall  115 . 
     The number, angle, texture and dimension of cut(s)  116  may influence the overlap  115   o  and ultimate form of reduced-area back wall  115  after a compression event. Cuts  116  resulting in smooth edges between components  115   a  and  115   b  may allow for more predictable overlapping of components, or leaving one component edge smooth while the other not as smooth may also make for predictable overlapping of components. Another factor to consider for the overlapping of components  115   a  and  115   b  may be angles at which cut  116  is made. For example, as shown in  FIG. 5D , cut  116  may be made at an angle α from the interior surface of back wall  115 , e.g., the surface of back wall  115  facing front wall  114 . Cut  116  may simultaneously be at substantially the same or different angle β from the exterior surface of back wall  115 , e.g., the surface facing away from front wall  114 . Different cut angles α and β may segment back wall  115  which may not be rectilinear in shape, and thus may have differently shaped surfaces depending on application and need of tray  100 . 
     In another embodiment where α is much less than β,  115   o  may be comprised of component  115   b  of back wall  115  during a compression event. However, in an alternative embodiment, an example of which may be illustrated using  FIG. 5E , as β approaches 90 degrees or greater, a zigzag cut  116  may exist in back wall  115  such that a portion of cut edge of side wall component  115   b  interlocks with a complementary cut edge of side wall component  115   a . For zigzag cut  116 , one advantage may be an interlocking arrangement of back wall  115  components, e.g.,  115   a  and  115   b , which may unlock when subjected to compression forces such as force F on floor  110  or sidewalls  112  and  113 . When force F is removed from tray  100 , the flexible material of back wall  115  and its various components may allow for the components to re-lock into their original positions. 
     Other considerations related to the type and extent of compression arrangement of back wall  115  may be the distance from the side wall  112  or  113  that cut  116  may be made, angle at which cut  116  may be made and the depth of the cut  116  through the height of back wall  115 . An exemplary view of back wall  115  in  FIG. 5F  illustrates a back wall  115  with cut  116  through its surface. Cut  116  may be any shape through back wall  115 &#39;s cross section (e.g., single angle shapes such as in  FIGS. 5C-5D  or zigzags as in  FIG. 5E ). As shown in  FIG. 5F , cut  116  may be a certain distance S from side wall  112  or  113  (in  FIG. 5F , the distance S may be measured from side wall  113 ). Cut  116  may extend over a length L of back wall  115  and be cut a depth D into back wall  115 . Cut  116  may also be cut at an angle Δ from a surface of back wall  115 . While Δ is shown as a single angle, those skilled in art may appreciate that other exemplary cut  116  angles are possible with flexible material cutting tools, e.g., arced cuts, zigzags or a combination of each. Further, an exemplary cutting tool may need to be shaped to a particular cut  116  cross section (e.g., a zigzag as shown in  FIG. 5E ) before cutting into back wall  115  at angle Δ. Thus, according to numerous aspects of tray embodiments with cuts  116 , customization of cutting tool shapes, mold shapes or either of the two in combination may be utilized to achieve a desired cut  116  in back wall  115 . 
     For example, after molding a tray  100  with a unified back wall  115 , a cutting tool such as a blade, may be shaped to have its sharp surface bent into a v-like cross section with an angle θ of 180°−β+α or any other angle or angles to accomplish a zigzag configuration shown in  FIG. 5E . An exemplary tool for making cut  116  may be illustrated in  FIG. 5H . Cutting tool  160  may have one or more angles θ which may be used to form the particular cut  116  in back wall  115  of tray  100 . According to an exemplary fabrication array in  FIG. 5I , placing cutting tool  160  at an angle Δ from a surface of unified back wall  115 , a cut  116  may be made through unified back wall  115  at a desired distance S and for a length L and depth D into the unified back wall  115  (e.g.,  FIG. 5J ). An exemplary completed cutting procedure may be further illustrated in  FIG. 5J , whereby back wall  115  may have one or more components, e.g., components  115   a  and  115   b , created as a result of cutting by tool  160  through a surface of back wall  115 . 
     Where a force F is applied to tray  100 , a bending in floor  110  may occur about an axis of bending such that each of the various walls, bays and surfaces of tray  100  flexibly deform.  FIG. 5G  illustrates an exemplary result of application of force F to either of floor  110  and/or walls  112 ,  113  of tray  100 . In one embodiment, sidewalls  112  and  113  converge such that lip  120  forms in front wall  114  and back wall  115  achieves an overlap  115   o  maintaining a wall for contents within tray  100 . According to such an embodiment, as illustrated in  FIG. 5G , contents within bays  50  of tray  100  may exit tray  100  by pouring those contents out of folded tray  100  via lip  120  formed in front wall  114 . In one aspect of this embodiment, contents may travel from within tray  100  down ramp  119  and depart tray  100  through lip  120 . While  FIG. 5G  may show complete convergence of side walls  112  and  113 , in practice, any degree of convergence may be achieved to accomplish the task of permitting contents of tray  100  to exit from the tray. Further, while  FIG. 5G  illustrates embodiments where back wall  115  has cut  116 , it may be that such bent trays could also have unified back walls  115  with their own lips  121  formed as a result of such bending. In those cases, those skilled in art would recognize that either back wall  115  or front wall  114  may be used to allow contents of tray  100  to exit via lips  121  and  120 , respectively. 
       FIGS. 6A and 6B , illustrate embodiments of trays  200  and  300  as disclosed in  FIGS. 2 and 3  under force F on their respective floors  210 ,  310  and/or side walls  212 ,  213  and  312 ,  313 . The disclosures related to the various components of tray  100  apply equally to trays  200  and  300 . However, as illustrated in  FIG. 6A , front wall  214  possesses a spout  219  which may protrude further from the exterior surface of front wall  214  as force F is applied to floor  210 . Spout  219  may be a distance above floor  210  so that contents stored within bays  50  of floor  210  would not immediately fall out of folded tray  200  unless tray  200  was inclined at a certain angle. In this way, spout  219  may permit exit for contents of tray  200  when the entire folded tray is tilted in a direction. Spout  219  may permit any number of the contents in tray  200  to exit from it and it may be understood that spout  219  may be any shape or texture. In one example, spout  219  is made out of the same materials as any other component of tray  200 . Rather than a lip form in front wall  214 , spout  219  may pre-exist the deformation of tray  200  and be shaped for easy pouring of tray  200 &#39;s contents, e.g., medicine tablets or other pills. Force F on tray  200  may also have similar effects on back wall  215 , by causing a similar form of overlap  215   o  due to cut  216  (not shown). 
       FIG. 6B  illustrates tray  300  under force F. Unlike in a relaxed state where tray  300  has flap  319  and wings  321  and  322  ( FIGS. 3 ,  3 A and  3 B), a bent tray  300  has a funnel  320  formed from bending of wings  321  and  322  with floor  310  and front wall  314 . Thus, folding of flap  319  and wings  321 - 322 , respectively, as a result of force F, may allow a bent tray  300  to funnel contents (e.g., medicines, pills, capsules) from within tray  300 &#39;s interior walls out and into a target container or onto a target location. 
     In another exemplary embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 7 , tray  400  receiving force F on its floor  410  and/or its left and right side walls  412  and  413 , respectively, may have its left and right wall edges  418  and  417 , respectively, converge towards a bending axis along floor  410 . While force F on floor  410  may cause side walls  412  and  413  to converge at their edges  418  and  417 , respectively, force F may also open door  419  made in front wall  414 . Referring to  FIG. 7A , a bent floor  410  may cause front wall segments  414   a  and  414   b  to displace. As wall segments  414   a  and  414   b  displace their respective slits  421  and  422  permit movement of door  419  from its location when no force F is applied. The type, depth and angle of slits  421  and/or  422  may be configured in like fashion to cut  116 . Thus, while slits  421  and/or  422  are shown as single angle cuts, they may alternatively be zigzags, arcs or a combination of the two. For example, a zigzag slit  421  and/or  422  may serve as a “lock” between zigzag edges in front wall component  414   a/b  and door  419  that may not disengage with its complementary zigzag edge until acted upon by force F. 
     The size, shape and angle of slits  421 ,  422  may control to what extent door  419  may open in reaction to convergence of front wall components  421   a  and/or  421   b . In an exemplary front wall  414  arrangement,  FIG. 7B  illustrates how a trapezoidal front wall  419  may move due to convergence force T which may derive from force F. Similar to surfaces on either side of cut  116  with respect to back wall  115 , surfaces on either side of slits  420  and/or  421  may be made smooth or rough depending on application. Those skilled in art may recognize that the numerous features of cut  116  described above are equally applicable to the formation and operation of slits  421  and/or  422 . Thus, the same or similar cutting tool  160  and method used to make cut  116  ( FIGS. 5H-J ) may also be used to make slits  420  and/or  421 . In an embodiment where tray  400  is made from a single mold of material, multiple cutting operations may result in both cut  116  and slits  421  and  422 . Alternatively, the same cutting tool or tool arrangements may be utilized to form any of cut  116 , slit  421  and/or slit  422 . 
       FIGS. 8 and 9  illustrate another form of controlling opening of door  419  of tray  400  or another exemplary tray  800  having a floor  810 , front wall components  814   a  and  814   b , and door  819 .  FIG. 8  illustrates an exemplary latch skeleton  860  made of a wire or other substantially flexible material which quickly regains its original shape after release of compression. 
     According to an exemplary latch skeleton  860 , right and left arms  803  and  804  extend across a width similar to a width of floor  810 . Extending from right and left arms  803  and  804  are right and left elbows  805  and  806 , respectively. A brace  802  may be formed from the remaining ends of the wire used to make skeleton  860 . In an exemplary latch skeleton  860 , the combination of elbows  805  and  806  serve as the latch while brace  802  may be embedded in door  419  or door  819  so that bending at arms  803  and  804  may cause door  419  or  418  with embedded brace  802  to bow forward in response to such bending. As illustrated in  FIG. 9 , bending of floor  810  with embedded skeleton arms  803  and  804  causes convergence of front wall components  814   a  and  814   b  about the bending axis and cause bowing of elbows  805  and  806 . As elbows  805  and  806  bow in response to bending at arms  803  and  804 , door  819  moves with brace  802  and opens in response to bending of floor  810  holding the encapsulated latch skeleton. Use of latch skeletons embedded in trays  800  may provide additional mechanical capabilities to open and close doors  819  via floor  810  bending. 
     Latch skeleton  860  may be encapsulated within the material used to make any of the trays described herein, including tray  800 . Latch skeleton  860  may be placed in the liquid flexible material prior to molding of tray  800  and then allowed to cool within material. Those skilled in art may recognize that tray  800  may be formed by pouring liquefied rubber into a mold and then placing latch skeleton  860  into the liquefied rubber so that the rubber cools about the skeleton  860 . In this way, skeleton  860  may be embedded in tray  800 . The size, shape and orientation of latch skeleton  860  may impact its location of placement and time of placement in the tray  800  molding process. An exemplary skeleton  860  may be placed in the mold so that its brace  802  may be located in the same trough in which door  819  may form and arms  803  and  804  and elbows  805  and  806  may be embedded below the surface of floor  810 . With reference to  FIG. 12A , brace  802  may be situated in trough  92  while the remainder of latch skeleton  860  is held above hills  91  while it is coated in tray  800  materials during fabrication. While the latch skeleton  860  illustrated is shown, other forms of compression/decompression structures made out of molded wire may be readily apparent to those skilled in art which may accomplish the task of opening and closing a molded door  819  upon bending of a floor  810 . 
     In each of the various tray embodiments described, floor  110 ,  210 ,  310 ,  410  and  810  may contain more than one bay  50 , shaped and sized to hold a particular content. Bays  50  may be provided in floor  110  of an exemplary tray in columns and rows equaling to 30, 60, 90 or any other multiple necessary for a given application. 
     In an exemplary embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 10 , bay  50  may hold a particular medicine  30 . Medicine  30  may take the form of pills, tablets, capsules, caplets, suppositories or gel caps. Medicine  30  may sit within bay  50  in any manner. In one embodiment, an exemplary medicine  30  in the form of a pill may be situated so that a hemisphere may be visible when inside bay  50 . Bay  50  may be shaped so that a particular pill  30  may fit within it. The number of bays  50  may correlate to the number of pills  30  an exemplary tray should hold, e.g.,  30 ,  60  and  90  pill prescription containers. All bays  50  of a particular tray may be designed to hold a particular sized and shaped pill  30  or may hold assortments of such pills, depending on applications. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 10 , each bay  50  may hold a pill  30 , and in set numbers and arrangements, a tray  100  of a number of bays  50  may hold a number of pills corresponding to a prescription or regimen provided by a pharmacist or a doctor. For example, a tray  100  may have thirty bays  50  to account for a thirty-day supply of a pill  30 . When checking to see whether a given prescription has the correct supply, pouring the contents onto tray  100  and seeing whether each bay  50  of tray  100  is filled by a pill may confirm that the prescription container has the requisite number of pills for the patient. After use, tray  100  may be bent according to any of aforementioned bending embodiments described above and emptied back into the prescription container. While tray  100  is referenced in the following embodiments, any and all trays described herein may similarly be used in accordance with the disclosures related to  FIGS. 10-10A ,  11  and  12 . 
     Bays  50  may also be used to discriminate whether all pills in a container are the same. Bays  50  of tray  100  may accomplish this pill discrimination mechanism via their size, shape or with reference to a model pill  40  which indicates how a correct pill should be situated in a bay  50  of a given tray. In this manner, different trays  100  may be molded to have bays  50  that fit a particular type of pill or medication, e.g., unique trays for Lipitor® and unique trays for Zoloft®. Thus, a practitioner can use a tray  100  to scrutinize a mixed container of pills to determine which should belong in the container and which should be excluded. 
     As shown in  FIG. 10A , model pill  40  may be molded into the surface of floor  110  of tray  100  during fabrication. Along with other molds in tray  100  surface, model pill  40  allows users of tray  100  to determine whether a given pill  30  matches with model pill  40 . An incorrect pill may not resemble model pill  40  and may be excluded. 
     Where an exemplary tray as described in the various embodiments disclosed herein contains multiple bays  50  to hold pills  30 , persons buying or seeking to observe medications may see whether a particular prescription container has the requisite number and requisite type of pills  30 . Were a prescription container to hold more than the prescribed number of pills  30 , an exemplary tray may enable identification of an inaccurate number of pills  30 . For example, where a prescription is for 30 pills, a tray with 30 bays may be used to ensure that 30 pills fill the 30 bays. If all the bays  50  of a tray are filled, any excess may be poured out of the tray via any of the various bending embodiments previously described. Excess pills may be poured back into a medicine holder or back into a bottle via the lip  119 , spout  219 , funnel  320  or door  419  via one or more or a combination of the various embodiments and methodologies related to these items of an exemplary tray 
     According to the exemplary embodiment of tray  100  floor  110  in  FIG. 10 , bay  50 &#39;s size and shape may exclude larger pills  31  such that a larger pill  31  may not embed itself in bay  50  because of a bay barrier  51  or because bay  50  is not properly shaped. A user of a tray may quickly recognize that a pill  31  stands out among a majority of pills  30 . Smaller pills  32  may readily be seen as lacking a substantially tight fit in bay  50  upon comparison to other properly sized pills  30 . Both larger pills  31  and smaller pills  32  may be distinguishable when compared to a model pill  40  formed in the surface of floor  110 . 
     However, where a properly sized pill  30  may otherwise be improperly situated in floor  110 , e.g., pill  33 , shuffling tray  100  or using a brush or pharmacy spatula (not shown) to cause pill  33  to be properly situated in its bay may be used to ensure proper pill arrangement. The disclosed embodiments may be used with any type of brush or pharmacy spatula. 
     In an exemplary embodiment, repetitive shuffling of tray  100  may move pill  33  into a position so that it is situated in bay  50  like pill  30 . In another example, a spatula may be moved across the surface of floor  110  to move pills into their bays  50 . Using a pharmacy spatula or other tool known to those skilled in art to gently arrange pills  30  and  33  after a pour allows both proper situation of the correct pills in bays  50  and may alert the user to the presence of incorrect pills in tray  100 . A large pill  31  would not fit in a bay  50  after being shuffled or moved with a spatula and a smaller pill  32  would not stabilize upon shuffling or arrangement by spatula. In this way, shuffling, brushing or moving via spatula those pills in tray  100  may serve as another pill discrimination methodology according to the various embodiments disclosed herein. 
     A tray  100  may be molded so that a precise alignment among pills  34  and  35  may be achieved when poured into a tray  100 . Groove  52  may be shaped or formed so that pills of an exact size and shape may fit side-by-side following a shuffle or brush or spatula stroke. Alternatively, peaks  53  and dividers  54  may separate pills  36  and  37  so that a user can clearly identify whether the proper pills are in the bay. Finally, a cavern  55  may be made of a flexibly material to cover a correct pill so that incorrect pills cannot displace the correct pill  38  and cannot be covered as well. While these examples of bay  50  formations and floor  110  arrangements are proposed, variations or use of several flexible structures on floor  110  may be realized in order to hold particular contents, such as pills, medicines and capsules, and exclude others. 
     In an example of the use of any trays disclosed herein, a pharmacist may select a group of pills for a patient. Rather than count every pill in the container by hand, the pharmacist may pour the contents of the container onto an appropriate tray  100  to see whether she has the proper number of pills and that the pills match the shapes of the bays in the surface of the floor of the tray. If the requisite number and type of pill is confirmed by inspection using tray  100 , the pharmacist may bend the tray at its floor or at its side walls and pour the pills back into the container to provide the patient. In this manner, a medical practitioner can inspect pills of a container and return each pill back to the container without ever touching the pills with their hands. This same inspection process may be undertaken by elderly patients and parents of children to confirm accuracy of their medications. 
     A tray  100  may also be used to identify incorrect pills by virtue of their misalignment or incomplete fit within the bays  50  of a given tray. In this way, a practitioner or medicine user may identify whether the batch of pills poured onto a tray contains incorrect pills. Further, use of model pill  40  may further enhance the pill discrimination process as between pills that are close in certain dimensions. Users may compare pills to the model pill  40  to ensure each pill is properly part of their medication regimen. Where individuals take a variety of pills, multiple trays may be used to sort out the proper pills to be taken and ensure they are not mistakenly being taken out of order. 
       FIG. 11  illustrates a tray  500 , which may be the same as or similar to any of the trays disclosed herein in type and combination. Tray  500  possesses a front wall  714  with a spout  719 , a toggle  74 , a ring  75  and engraving  76 . As previously described with respect to spout  719 , toggle  74 , ring  75  and engraving  76  may be made from the same or similar molding processes used for tray  500 . In on example, any of the spout  719 , toggle  74 , ring  75  and/or engraving  76  may be molded from the same material as tray  500 , molded from a different material and attached to tray  500  or molded from the same material and attached to tray  500 , using any of above-disclosed mechanical or chemical attaching methods. A user of tray  500  may use any of spout  719 , toggle  74  or ring  75  to shuffle tray  500  to sort pills  30  or  33  so that they are properly situated in their respective bays. 
     Toggle  74  may be used to move a tray  500  back and forth to shuffle pills  30  and  33  into their proper bay  50  configurations. Having a smooth surface under tray  500  may be advantageous for use of toggle  74  to shuffle tray  500  on a smooth surface, e.g., a countertop. Ring  75  may be used in like fashion to toggle  74 , but may have an additional use as a means of twisting or flexing tray  500  to allow for pills or other contents to exit from the bays. For example, rings  75  located at the left corner of a back wall of tray  500  and the right corner of a front wall of tray  500  may be pulled by a user so that a rectilinear tray  500  takes on a rhomboid shape. A user may then pour pills located within tray  500  from one of acute vertices of rhomboid tray  500  and back into a container or other location. Use of rings  75  in this way may be enhanced when using flexible material to fabricate tray  500 . 
     Engraving  76  may be any type of molded engraving in tray  500  flexible material that contains words, descriptions or symbols. For instance, engraving  76  may set forth the type of drug for which its bays are configured to receive. It may provide additional medical information regarding the pills or capsules it can hold. Engraving  76  may provide any number and form of useful information to the user of a tray  500 , e.g., engraved pictures of pills, dosage information or other identification indicia on a given pill. 
     As described with respect to various trays  100 - 500  and  800 , a variety of materials and in a variety of colors may be utilized to achieve the various aspects described. Using a flexible material such as silicone or rubber for all components of an exemplary tray  100 - 500  and  800  may allow for easier storage (e.g., rolling up a tray and placing into a tube for later use), ease of cleaning, increased durability and longevity of use. For purposes of molding, a rubber or silicone tray may be formed with little expense, ease of manufacture and short processing times. Softer, flexible materials may be easier to cut or shape to suit particular tray arrangements, forms and uses. While flexible materials may have certain advantages, alternative materials may be suitable depending on application of a particular tray, e.g., plastic trays used to hold liquid materials that may resist absorbing or liquid adhering to its bay or floor surfaces. 
     To further aid in discrimination of contents fitting within an exemplary tray bay  50 , the flexible tray material may be a color or colors which provide contrast to the target contents of bays  50 . For example, in an exemplary tray  100 , tray  100  may be made out of a grey silicone so that a user may more efficiently depict Lipitor®, a white pill. 
     Many further variations and modifications may suggest themselves to those skilled in art upon making reference to above disclosure and foregoing illustrative embodiments, which are given by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope and spirit of the interrelated embodiments of the invention described herein.

Technology Classification (CPC): 1