Abstract:
A device to hold a patient pill cup and receive medication as they are dispensed from blister packs. The structure is designed to capture pills that miss the pill cup, which may then be poured via a spout back into the cup without contamination or waste. The device may comprise a rimmed tray with a central cup holder, as well as a pour spout and handle on opposing ends.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/319,458 filed on Mar. 31, 2010, entitled “Medi Mouse—Medication Catch Tray.” 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention relates generally to a medication catch tray for nursing applications. More particularly, it relates to a catch tray specifically designed to catch loose pills as they are popped from blister packaging. The tray has a centrally located cup holder for retaining the medication cup. The cup holder comprises an upstanding circular flange that projects from the tray surface. The perimeter of the tray has a flange to prevent any loose pills from falling off. A spout is cutout in the flange to allow the loose pills to be easily poured into the cup. Use of the tray prevents having to discard any pills that miss or bounce out of the cup. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Prior Art 
         [0005]    Medical facilities administer compliance-packaged medication, which typically consists of blister type packaging. Blister packages are configured such that each dose of medication is individually contained, and is meant to be popped into a cup for patient administration. In such situations, however, the pills have a tendency to be propelled in a manner that misses the administration cup, thus landing on a table or floor. Compliance regulations dictate that pills that are not captured in the cup and land on the table or floor must be discarded and replaced, resulting in an increased cost burden on both the facility and the patients. A method that prevents pills from falling onto unsanitary surfaces is needed. 
         [0006]    The Medication Catch Tray is designed to prevent a situation in which dropped medication becomes contaminated and ultimately must be destroyed and replaced. The present invention is ideal when administering medication that is compliance-packaged, or packed in individual plastic bubbles. The present invention is beneficial in long-term care facilities, where patients often pay for the additional doses required to replace the contaminated capsules. The present invention effectively catches the medication before it can become contaminated, allowing medical personnel to distribute the medication quickly and with ease, saving both facilities and patients unnecessary costs. 
         [0007]    While no exact invention was found in the USPTO database, inventions that assist in dispensing pills from blister packs, as well as trays that have a centrally located cup holder and flange, were found and are reported below as prior art. 
         [0008]    Crawford U.S. patent publication number US 2006/0266748 is directed to a combined plate and cup holder. The apparatus includes a base portion with an aperture therethrough and a cup holder that extends around the periphery of the aperture and is raised above the base portion. A collapsible cup support may be inserted into the aperture that can be collapsed into a compact shape or extended below the bottom of the base portion. 
         [0009]    Musse U.S. patent publication number US 2009/0242454 is directed toward a nursing tray for organizing various objects such as medications, their receptacles and medical implements that are needed for typical nursing tasks. The tray is constructed to advantageously balance all the objects during transport such that the contents are prevented from toppling over. 
         [0010]    Murcott U.S. Pat. No. 3,351,210 is directed toward an apparatus including the combination of a plurality of trays and an open wire tray supporting form for use in hospitals in the delivery and administration of patient medications. Each tray has a plurality of tapered-wall receptacles for the reception of medication cups, and a plurality of channels for the reception of hypodermic syringes, and a plurality of card receiving sockets adjacent the receptacles for patient, dosage and medication identification. 
         [0011]    Brown U.S. Pat. No. 3,491,894 is directed toward a sterile platform for use in nursing applications, providing a tray for carrying a plurality of nursing devices and medication aids in a sterile manner. The tray is formed from molded plastic and is coordinated with the nursing and medicine aids to frictionally retain the same on the tray against accidental dislodgement. The tray is further adapted for a nesting relationship with other similar trays for compact facilitated storage. 
         [0012]    White U.S. Pat. No. 4,664,262 is directed toward a pill dispensing device containing compartments arranged in rows and columns and labeled with time indicia to assist in proper management of pills. A tray cooperates with a carrier member to locate the carrier member and the breakable seal. Pills in the carrier compartments may be forced through the seal of the compartment in a sequence indicated by the time indicia, into the tray and removed from the tray through the outlet. 
         [0013]    Powell U.S. Pat. No. 4,989,742 is directed toward a tray apparatus having two compartments separated from each other by a handheld portion, each compartment is capable of being further divided in order to receive more than one food element. The tray elements include cooperative locking structures that allow for expansion. 
         [0014]    Ardolino U.S. Pat. No. 5,590,861 is directed toward a cup holder with spill collecting plate and support ring. The ring is formed essentially in a circle with an opening along one extent thereof to allow for expansion and retraction. The holder further includes a base plate having a central extent of a circular configuration with an upstanding peripheral side wall. The base plate is fabricated with a relatively rigid material. The cup holder also employs a plurality of upstanding legs. These legs include a central leg which is coupled at its upper end to the lower edge of the ring at a location diametrically opposed from the opening. The legs also include supplemental legs having their upper ends coupled to the lower edge of the ring and their lower edges coupled to the upper face of the plate. Thus, the legs are in a vertical orientation equally spaced around the periphery of the ring. Each of the legs is made of a relatively rigid elastomeric material which allows for limited resilience. 
         [0015]    Hsu U.S. Design Pat. 298,296 is directed to a combined tray and cup holder having a lenticular shape that is pointed at each end. This embodiment has a flat planar tray with an upwardly extending rim from which an edge extends laterally. A second planar tray is separated from this first planar tray by an upstanding rim or edge that extends from one side of the tray portion to the other and defines a separate food compartment. This separate portion of the planar tray is not at the same height as (i.e. is not coplanar with) the bottom of the planar tray. The second planar tray is disposed above the first planar tray and does not rest upon a flat surface (i.e. a tabletop) when the combined tray and cup holder is used. This second planar tray of the combined tray and cup holder is presumably the cup holder portion, and is generally circular. By providing a portion of the tray for receiving a cup that is actually raised above the surface of the table when the tray is resting on the table, the combined tray and cup holder is inherently unstable and prone to tip. 
         [0016]    French U.S. Pat. No. 4,516,685 is directed to a device for supporting a drinking container with respect to a plate. This device in plan view is generally shaped as a rounded rectangular tray having an upwardly extending flange with a recess. This recess is configured to receive a part of the drinking container such that the container abuts and is supported by the wall of the recess and does not tend to slide out from the recess when the plate is tilted. 
         [0017]    Dumke U.S. Pat. No. 5,249,700 is directed to an inter-fitting plate and cup. The plate is generally circular in plan view, having a flat bottom portion with an upwardly extending sidewall and a planar outwardly extending flange coupled thereto. The flat bottom portion has a circular hole in the center of the plate that is flush with the bottom and is not surrounded by a raised edge or lip. In an alternative configuration, the circular hole in the center of the plate is surrounded by an upstanding lip that is integrally joined to the plate central section. The lip is preferably formed as parallel frustoconical surfaces having a free edge and an apex that is located on the top side of the plate generally parallel to the outwardly extending flange. The free edge of the lip defines the opening which is sized to accept and hold a conventional tapered beverage container. The plate may be manufactured from a variety of materials such as paper and plastic. 
         [0018]    These prior art devices have several known drawbacks. Most significantly, none of the prior devices solves the problem the present invention seeks to address. Several of the prior devices provide for the transportation of medical supplies, much like a specialized serving tray. These devices could provide ease of transportation for filled pill cups. Such devices are not useful in solving the problem addressed by the instant invention: namely, the sterile removal of pills from blister packs into patient cups. 
         [0019]    Alternative designs address the issue of carrying a plate of foodstuffs and a drink. Such devices provide for preventing spillage of the cup and ease of transport. Such devices also do not address the present issue. These devices are not designed to handle small patient medication cups, nor is there any pouring device that could be used for pills that fell to the side. As such, these inventions do not address the issue for which the present invention was designed. 
         [0020]    A final series of designs addresses the issue of carrying patient medication cups. However, these devices are not suitable for filling cups with blister pack medication as the present invention is. Such devices are suitable for the transport of filled pill cups, but are not designed to effective prevent the spoilage of medication during removal from blister packs. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0021]    In view of the lack of devices that address the issue of pill distribution and containment now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new device wherein the same can be utilized for providing convenience for the user when filling patient medication cups in a sterile and cost effective manner. 
         [0022]    It is therefore an object of the present invention to prevent medication dropped while filling patient containers from becoming contaminated and ultimately needing to be destroyed and replaced. It is a further object of this invention to be used when administering medication that is compliance-packaged, or packed in individual plastic bubbles. The present invention allows spilled medication to be poured into the patient cup rather than becoming spoiled and discarded. 
         [0023]    It is an object of this invention to provide a catch surface with a pour spout and a cup holder that is configured to support a patient medication cup. It is a further object of this invention to secure the patient medication cup while the practitioner dispenses the pill from said pill&#39;s package into the patient spill cup. It is a further object of this invention that there is a handle attached to the catch surface to allow the practitioner to pour any spilled medication back into the pill cup without spoilage. It is a further object of this invention to provide a cup holder having slits on two or more sides to allow the patient medication cup to be easily placed and removed. 
         [0024]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a device that reduces medication spoilage. This is most beneficial in long-term care facilities, where patients often pay for the additional doses required to replace the contaminated capsules. The disclosed invention effectively catches the medication before it can become tainted, thus saving both facilities and patients unnecessary costs. 
         [0025]    Yet another object of the present invention is to provide the ability for medical personnel to distribute the medication quickly and easily. The present invention facilities the filling of patient medication cups, thus allowing medical personal to more effectively carry out a time consuming yet necessary task. Another aspect of the present invention is a plurality of slits on the side of the cup holder. The slits on the sides of the plastic cup holder will allow the user to grasp the disposable medication cup easily and remove it without touching the inside of the cup and potentially contaminating the medication therein. 
         [0026]    Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0027]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0028]      FIG. 2  is a side view of an embodiment of the present invention 
           [0029]      FIG. 3  is a cross sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure the handle is highlighted. 
           [0030]      FIG. 4  is a top view of an embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0031]    The Medication Catch Tray offers a reliable method for protecting medication from becoming tainted during the distribution process. 
         [0032]    The present invention comprises a one piece or multi-piece catch tray. The device may have a pour spout on one of the shorter sides, which allows for easy pouring of medication which has missed the patient medication cup. Further the invention includes upstanding rim around with the shorter side opposite the pour spout rising into an arc to form a hand grip. The present invention includes a tapered upstanding flange in the center of the tray, attached to the tray to make the assembly a one-piece unit. Said cup holder may have two or more slits along its sidewall that begin at the top of the cup and continue downward and terminate prior to the tray, said slits may be of variable width. A disposable patient medication cup may be placed inside the molded cup on the tray and is stabilized while packaged medications are dispensed. Additionally, the present invention may be embodied with a larger size molded cup holder to accommodate disposable medication cups of various sizes. In an alternative embodiment, the upstanding flange of the cup holder may be an attachable second piece to first tray, as opposed to a single one-piece mold. 
         [0033]    The present invention is utilized by placing it on the work surface of a counter or medication cart. A clean disposable medication cup is placed inside the molded plastic cup holder on the tray. As medications are popped out of their original packaging, they will land in the paper cup. If the pill misses the cup, it will fall into the tray, which enables the pill to be poured into the cup without contamination. 
         [0034]    Referring now to  FIG. 1 , there is shown a perspective view of the present invention. The molded plastic catch tray comprises a rectangular flat catch surface  1  from which side walls extend perpendicularly  5 . One of the shorter sides of the catch surface  1  may be curved and contain an integrated pour spout  2  for returning spilled medication to the patient medication cup. The other short side of the rectangular flat catch surface may be extended upward beyond the side walls  5  and curved to form a handle  3  by which the catch tray may be held. Additionally, the handle  3  may contain a grip  4  allowing the plastic catch tray to be securely held during medication dispensation. In the center of the rectangular flat catch surface  1 , there is a cup holder  6  for holding patient medication cups. The sides of the cup holder  6  have a plurality of side slits  7  to allow for insertion and removal of the patient medication cup without the necessity of touching the inside of said cup or the medication therein. 
         [0035]    Referring now to  FIG. 2 , there is shown a side view of the present invention. The side wall  5  extends around the rectangular flat catch surface  1 . On one of the short sides the rectangular catch surface  1  may be rounded and the side wall  5  may be decreased in height to form a pour spout  2 . Another short side of the rectangular catch surface may be extended perpendicularly beyond the side wall  5  and curved to form a handle  3 . In the center of the rectangular flat catch surface  1  there extends vertically a cup holder  6  which is equipped with two slits  7  for easy insertion and removal of patient medication cups. 
         [0036]    Referring now to  FIG. 3 , there is shown a cross sectional view of the present invention. The side wall  5  extends around the rectangular flat catch surface  1 . On one of the short sides the rectangular catch surface  1  may be rounded and the side wall  5  may be decreased in height to form a pour spout  2 . Another short side of the rectangular catch surface may be extended perpendicularly beyond the side wall  5  and curved to form a handle  3 . Additionally, the handle  3  is indented to form a grip  4 . In the center of the rectangular flat catch surface  1  there extends vertically a cup holder  6  which is equipped with two slits  7  for easy insertion and removal of patient medication cups. 
         [0037]    Referring now to  FIG. 4 , there is shown a top view of the present invention. The side wall  5  extends around the rectangular flat catch surface  1 . On one of the short sides the rectangular catch surface  1  may be rounded and the side wall  5  may be decreased in height to form a pour spout  2 . Another short side of the rectangular catch surface may be extended perpendicularly beyond the side wall  5  and curved to form a handle  3 . Additionally, the handle  3  is indented to form a grip  4 . In the center of the rectangular flat catch surface  1  there extends vertically a cup holder  6  which is equipped with two slits  7  for easy insertion and removal of patient medication cups. 
         [0038]    In use an individual places the catch tray on a solid surface such as a counter or tray, then inserts a patient medication cup into the cup holder structure. Pills are popped from commercial packaging into the patient medication cup. Any pills that miss the patient medication cup are caught by the rectangular catch surface and may be deposited into the patient medication cup by removing the cup and pouring the pill into it. Further the slits on the sides of the cup holder may be used for ease of insertion and removal of the patient medication cup. 
         [0039]    With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. 
         [0040]    Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.