Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/EP1105324B1/en
Timestamp: 2019-01-19 13:21:06
Document Index: 264910950

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 6', 'art 6', 'art 5', 'art 6', 'art 6', 'art 6', 'art 6', 'art 6', 'art 5', 'art 5']

EP1105324B1 - Apparatus for dispensing pills, as well as dispenser and pillpack for use therein - Google Patents
EP1105324B1
EP1105324B1 EP19990940711 EP99940711A EP1105324B1 EP 1105324 B1 EP1105324 B1 EP 1105324B1 EP 19990940711 EP19990940711 EP 19990940711 EP 99940711 A EP99940711 A EP 99940711A EP 1105324 B1 EP1105324 B1 EP 1105324B1
EP1105324A2 (en )
The patent literature includes a great many publications relating to pocket dispensers with pill packages. Examples thereof are: US-A-9,667,895; US-A-3,651,927; EP-A-0 807 589; FR-A-2 538 791; US-A-5,409,132; US-A-4,015,717.
Such an apparatus comprising a pocket dispenser and pill package is also known from international patent application WO 97/08078 of applicant from which claims 1 and 11 have been delimited. In this prior art apparatus, the means for the stepwise rotatable positioning of the pill package in the form of a blister pack are mounted on both parts of the dispenser, whilst the blister pack is in non-rotatable engagement with one of said parts, as a result of which it is carried along upon rotation thereof.
In order to accomplish that objective, the invention provides an apparatus for dispensing pills having the features of the characterizing portion of claim 1.
By mounting the positioning means for the stepwise positioning of the pill package directly on the pill package itself, one source of inaccuracies in the positioning of the pill package relative to the push-out means is eliminated. The fact is that it has become apparent that it is very important that the cavity containing the pill to be dispensed be accurately positioned in line with the push-out means in order to ensure that the pill is ejected from the cavity and, in cases where a blister pack is used as the pill package, through the covering foil in a reliable manner. This plays a role in particular when the dimensions of the apparatus are to be reduced. The small dimensions impose restrictions on the stroke of the push-out means, the ejection force, the blister size and the like.
In order to achieve a further enhancement of the accuracy, said positioning means are fitted with a biassing element, which eliminates the play in said means that are imposed by the production process to one side.
In one possible embodiment, said positioning means comprise teeth formed on the respective part of the dispenser and a spring tooth formed on the pill package, wherein the biassing element preferably comprises a second tooth which is spaced from the former tooth in circumferential direction by a distance which slightly deviates from (a multiple of) the pitch of the teeth on the dispenser.
When said positioning means and said biassing element are formed on the pill package, they can be used not only for positioning the pill package in the dispenser, but also, in the case of a holder containing a blister pack, for positioning the blister pack correctly relative to the holder during production.
Holder 4 and the upper part 6 of dispenser 1 also include positioning means for non-rotatably interconnecting the upper part 6 and the blister pack 2 in several positions, so as to be able to rotate holder 4 and blister pack 2 with respect to the lower part 5 of dispenser 1 by means of upper part 6. To this end a short, outwardly extending flanged edge 16 including a number of notches 17 corresponding to the number of cavities 3 in blister pack 2 (Figs. 1, 6 and 7) is formed on the upper edge of holder 4 of blister pack 2. The upper part 6 of dispenser 1 includes one or more projections, four in this case, which fit(s) in notches 17 (Fig. 4). The position of the upper part 6 relative to the blister pack 2 is determined by the day on which the first pill P is taken, whereby the indication of the day or the date that the first pill is taken, which is present on the transparent upper part 6 (Fig. 5), is placed at the position of the first pill, wherein the various pills are numbered on the blister pack. There are several possible ways of providing the indication of the day on first part 6 as part of the manufacturing process, whereby the design must be such that the indication of the day can be easily aligned with the pills. This indication of the day makes it easier to check whether or not the pill associated with that particular day has already been taken.
The invention is not restricted to the above-described embodiment as shown in the drawings, which can be varied in several ways without departing from the scope of the claims. Thus it is for example possible to leave out the attachment 20 in the lower part 5 of the dispenser 1 and to form the receiving element 29 and the guide for the push-out element 8 on lower part 5. In that case, the pill package may be a disposable package other than a blister pack. The operating element and the push-out means may also consist of two interlocking parts, for example parts which are snapped together.
Apparatus for dispensing pills comprising at least one ring-shaped pill package (2), in which cavities (3) containing pills (P) are so distributed that the openings of the cavities therein are directed outwardly, as well as a flat pocket dispenser comprising a first part (5) for receiving the pill package (2) in a ring shape, a second part (6) fitting on said first part (5), which envelops the pill package (2) together with the first part (5), which first part (5) and/or which second part (6) comprise(s) at least one passage opening (7) with which a pill (P) to be dispensed can be aligned, and a push-out means (8), which can be positioned in line with the respective pills in the pill package and with the passage opening (7) and which can be operated and moved with respect to said first and second parts (5, 6) for pushing out the pill (P) to be dispensed through the passage opening (7), wherein positioning means (10, 12 - 15; 34 - 36) are provided for rotatably positioning the pill package (2) stepwise relative to the part (5) of the apparatus including the push-out means before and during the push-out operation, characterized in that the co-operating positioning means (10, 12 - 15; 34 - 36) are provided on the pill package (2) itself in addition to the cavities (3), and on the part (5) that includes the push-out means (8) for the stepwise positioning of the pill package (2) relative to said part (5).
Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said positioning means (10, 12 - 15; 34 - 36) are fitted with a biasing element (13, 15; 34, 35), which eliminates the play in said means to one side.
Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said positioning means (10, 12 - 15; 34 - 36) comprise teeth (10; 36) formed on the part (5) of the dispenser (1) and on the pill package (2) on the one hand and a spring tooth (12; 34) on the other hand.
Apparatus according to claim 2 and 3, wherein said the biasing element (13; 15; 34, 35) is in the form of a second spring tooth (13; 35), which is spaced from the former tooth (12; 34) in circumferential direction by a distance which slightly deviates from (a multiple of) the pitch of said teeth (10; 36).
Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, in particular intended for use with a pill package (2) in the form of a blister pack, wherein the push-out means (8) is provided at its outwardly extending free end with an ejector nose (32) having a sloping ejection surface (33), such that each cavity (3) of the blister pack is loaded off-center upon ejection of a pill (P), whilst furthermore the ejector nose tapers off slightly in transverse direction.
Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said pill package (2) and the part (5) of the dispenser (1) that includes said push-out means (8) include locking means (21, 22) for preventing rotation in a direction opposed to the correct direction of rotation in the starting position of the pill package and allowing rotation in said opposite direction in the other positions.
Apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said locking means (21, 22) include a sloping spring lip (21) and a mating recess (22), which are formed on the pill package and on the dispenser, respectively.
Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said pill package is in the form of a blister pack (2), which includes a holder (4) provided as part of the manufacturing process, which holder includes the aforesaid positioning means (12 - 15; 36).
Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second part (6) of the dispenser (1) is provided with an indication of the times at which a pill is to be taken, which time indications are arranged to correspond to the arrangement of the cavities (3) in the pill package (2), whilst the second part (6) can be brought into non-rotatable engagement with the pill package (2) in several positions.
Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said pill package (2) and the part (5) of the dispenser (1) that includes the push-out means (8) include placement means (19, 20) which ensure that the pill package (2) can only be placed into the dispenser in a predetermined position.
Pill package for use in an apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising cavities (3) for holding pills (P) in a ring shape relative to each other, wherein the pill package (2, 4) comprises positioning means (12 - 15; 36) for rotatably positioning the pill package (2, 4) characterized in that said positioning means (12 - 15; 36) on the pill package include at least one tooth having an inclined flank adapted for engagement with corresponding positioning means of the part (6) of the apparatus that includes the push-out means (8) for rotatably positioning the pill package (2, 4) stepwise relative thereto.
EP1105324A2 true EP1105324A2 (en) 2001-06-13
EP1105324B1 true EP1105324B1 (en) 2005-06-01