Patent Application of Andrew B. Unsworth A Dispensing Top For Pills and Flavor Crystals (4)

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to an apparatus for dispensing pills, tablets and other substrates comprising at least one pill package and a dispenser.

2. Description of Prior Art

The patent literature includes a great many publications relating to pocket dispensers with pill packages. Examples thereof are: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,667,845; 3,651,927; EP-A-0 807 589; FR-A-2 538 791; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,409,132; 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. 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. While previous inventions have been comprised of many parts, the invention herein described is comprised of only two parts, plus a blister pack, which contains the substrate to be dispensed. The device can be either single use or reloadable. The simplicity of the device makes it suitable for single use, as little material is wasted with each use.

While previous devices have incorporated ratchets and pawls, the invention relies on the blisters themselves in combination with the sprung cam, to regulate the rotary motion of the turning top. The integrity of the seal is much less likely to be violated as the pressing of the material through the blister can be controlled and constant in pressure and stroke.

Previous devices have incorporated separate moving parts to: a) rotate a part of the device to align the pill with ejector; and b) to push a plunger to eject the pill or substrate through the blister pack foil floor, actuated by the thumb or the finger of the operator. By contrast the present invention requires the operator to only rotate the top of the device to select and eject the pill or tablet.

Previous devices did not provide a dispenser which could be screwed onto a vessel so that the dispensed substrate could drop directly into the vessel, without being handled by the operator.

It has be understood that this invention is suitable for dispensing any substrate in tablet, liquid or powder form into a vessel, hand or surface below the device. And the use of the word pill or tablet herein include all substrates including liquids, pills, tablets and substrates in any other suitable form.

It is to be understood that days, time intervals and other regulating guides may be placed on the device to assist the operator in dispensing the substrate contained in the blister packs, and these are well known to the art and are intended to be included in various embodiments of the invention. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is a one or two piece dispenser, which dispenses tablets, contained in a blister pack, preferably, into a vessel 5 bellow, and into which it is screwed or otherwise detachably attached eliminating the possibility of the tablet or other substrate from becoming contaminated by the user.

The invention is ideal for dispensing flavor tablets, liquids or crystals into a water bottle. In these embodiments the blister pack is usually waterproof and when one blister is compressed and the contents ejected, the remaining blisters remain waterproof. Various flavors can be sequenced in the device allowing for variation in flavor experiences for the user. Also the operator can combine different flavors to produce interesting blends. Likewise, in the case of a pill dispenser, the pills can be sequenced. While the example of the invention is illustrated with a single row of round blisters, additional rows, which index with a cam, and blister packs with pie shaped blisters, which accommodate pie shaped tablets and pills, and other shapes, are all within the ambit of the invention.

One embodiment of the invention consists of a rotating turn top 2, which incorporates a cam 2a which in some embodiments is spring loaded, by the springy top surface of the turning top 2c, imparting a downward force 2ci, which compresses the blister 3c and presses the tablet 3b contained in each blister 3a through the foil floor 3g, rupturing the said foil floor 3ci of the blister pack, causing the tablet to drop 3bi. The operator can feel the various levels of resistance to rotation, when the blister is compressed 3c, as it pushes the tablet 3b through the ruptured blister floor 3ci, and as the resistance drops to near zero as it moves between the blisters, only to once again feel the next blister containing a tablet. This tactile feedback provided by the interaction of the sprung or unsprung cam, with the blisters, obviates the need for a ratchet and pawl. In some embodiments of the invention the turning top may be transparent, which also assists the operator in selecting and positioning the cam with respect to the loaded blisters, and seeing how many and which blisters remain undispensed. The bottom barrel of the dispenser can be any type of container or be made to be detachably attachable to a container, or simply dispense the tablet onto a surface below, and all are within the ambit of the invention. In the example illustrated in Fig. 1, a thread is formed on the lumen of the bottom barrel to accommodate a screw in vessel 5, with interleaving threads 5b such as a water bottle. The bottom barrel also incorporates a sliding surface which interacts with a complementary sliding surface in the turning top, which allows the assembly of the two to rotate with respect to each other, while maintaining a permanent or detachable connection. Such means are well known to the art and any such connection is within the ambit of the invention, and that illustrated herein are meant only as examples of that larger class of connections.

It is important to note that the dispensing of the tablet, of this embodiment, requires only the turning motion of the turn top, relative to the bottom barrel, and no other

manipulation by the operator is necessary.

Some embodiments of the invention include a straw, tube 6 or other orifice from which the operator can draw the fluid contained in the vessel 5, attached to the lower barrel 4. In these embodiments, the straw is normally fused and sealed to the blister pack 3, forming one sealed unit. This provides a convenient method of drawing the fluid and permits quick sealing of the proximal end of the tube with a simple cap 6a.

While it is expected that the invention, due to its simplicity, will be a one use device, it can also be reloaded by the operator, and some embodiments of the invention include convenient means to remove the turning top 2 from the lower barrel 4. These means are well known to the art, and all are within the ambit of the invention, however an example of such means would be wings 2e attached to the turning top 2, as illustrated in Fig. 3a and 3 b, and which when pinched together 2ei, splay the points of connection 2bi, 2bii with the lower barrel 4, causing the two to separate. The operator may then remove the used blister pack, replace it with a new one and then snap the turning top and barrel together.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a perspective, cross-sectional, exploded view of the dispensing top 1, including the turning top 2, blister pack 3 and lower barrel 4.

Fig. 2 is a perspective, cross-sectional view of the dispensing top 1, assembled.

Fig. 3a and 3b are perspective, cross-sectional views of the turning top with wings 2e, which the operator can pinch 2ei and cause the points of connection 2bi, 2bii, to withdraw from the barrel groove 4a, thus allowing the turning top 2 and the lower barrel 4 to separate.

Fig. 4 is a perspective, cross-sectional view of a blister pack 3 with an integral straw 6.

Fig. 5 is a perspective, cross-sectional view of a dispensing top 1 with an integral straw.

Fig. 6 is a perspective, cross-sectional view of a dispensing top 1, including the turning top 2, blister pack 3 and lower barrel 4, in which the blister pack 3 is located beneath the barrel ridge 4b. When assembled, and screwed onto the vessel 5, the blister pack 3 is sandwiched between the top surface of the vessel 5, and the bottom surface of the barrel ridge 4b, providing a water tight/air tight seal.

Fig 7 is a cross-sectional detail illustrating the complementary perimeter groove 4d in the bottom surface of the barrel ridge 4b and the perimeter ridge 3di in the top surface of the blister pack 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Fig. 1 illustrates an exploded view of the dispensing top 1, comprised of a turning top 2, blister pack 3, and lower barrel 4. The turning top 2 incorporates a cam 2a, which when the said turning top 2 is assembled into the lower barrel 4, and in contact with the sandwiched blister pack 3, is loaded by the springy top surface 2c, which imparts a downward force 2ci on the cam 2a, and hence on the top surface of the blister pack 3. While some embodiments of the invention include a preloaded springy top surface 2c, other embodiments of the invention have a relatively rigid top surface 2c, which does not impart a downward force 2ci, but relies solely on the shape of the cam 2a and close tolerances between the cam 2a and the blisters 3a to press the tablet 3b through the ruptured foil floor 3ci of the blister 3a. Some Preferred embodiments of the invention utilize a flexible cam 2a, which deflects as it encounters the blister 3a, creating or exaggerating the slope of the cam.

The turning top 2 includes a slideable connecting ridge or fingers 2b, which index into a complementary radial feature or barrel groove 4a, to provide a slideable connection. This turning top ridge 2b, can be continuous as illustrated in Fig. 1 or discontinuous 2bi, 2bii as illustrated in Fig. 3a and 3b. It is to be understood that these are only illustrative of a slideable connection between the turning top 2 and the lower barrel 4 and that many other slidable connections, well known to the art may be utilized, and all are within the ambit of the invention. Fig. 1 also illustrates the blister pack 3 which perimeter edges rest on the barrel ridge 4b. This interface may include an elastomeric sealer or other seal 3d to prevent intrusion of liquids between the turning top 2 and the lower barrel 4, around the interface between the blister pack 3 and the barrel ridge 4b. This seal 3d may be a part of the blister pack 3, and/or the barrel ridge 4b. For reloadable systems, the seal 3d is generally placed on the lower surface of the blister pack 3, allowing it to seal on attachment to the top surface of barrel ridge 4b, but release on detachment, for reloading. In some preferred embodiments, the barrel ridge 4b may be wider, which would otherwise cover the foil floors 3g of the blister pack 3, if not for matching holes in the said barrel ridge 4b, allowing the tablet 3b to fall bellow, when the cam 2a pushes the tablet through the ruptured foil floor 3ci. Such embodiments are used in combination with thin and/or mechanically weak blister packs. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Fig. 1 , the wall of the barrel groove 4a, intrudes into the lumen of the lower barrel 4, forming a covering ridge 4ai, which is slightly smaller than the outside diameter of the slightly flexible blister pack 3. This allows the blister pack 3, on assembly, to be pressed pass the covering ridge 4ai, and against the wider barrel ridge 4b, and thus the blister pack 3 is securely clamped between the barrel ridge 4b and the covering ridge 4ai. This arrangement is meant only to be illustrative of means to secure the blister pack 3 within the lower barrel 4, all well known to the art and all within the ambit of the invention. For example the covering ridge 4ai, and barrel ridge 4b might be a set of bumps or fingers on the lumen of the lower barrel 4, arranged to conveniently secure the blister pack 3.

Fig. 1 also illustrates a female thread 4c incorporated into the lumen of the lower barrel 4, interlacing with the male threads 4ci incorporated into the exterior of top of vessel 5. Other embodiments of the invention have male threads, baronet connections or other connecting means well know to the art and all are within the ambit of the invention. This allows for the detachable attachment of the dispensing top 1 to the vessels 5, such as water bottles or medicine bottles. In some embodiments of the invention the top surface of the said vessel 5, interfaces with the bottom surface of the barrel ridge 4b, with perhaps a intermediate seal such as an "O" ring or other seal well known to the art.

Once the three components of the dispensing top 1 are assembled, the operator need only rotate 2d the turning top 2 to cause the cam 2a to press against the blister 3a, which is compressed 3c, by the cam 2a ramp, pressing the tablet 3b against the foil floor 3g until finally ejecting the tablet 3b through the ruptured foil floor 3ci of the blister pack 3, discharging the tablet 3bi below. For those embodiments of the invention that have a springy top 2c loaded cam 2a, the downward force 2ci, also acts to project the tip of the cam 2a through the foil floor 3ci of the blister pack 3, ensuring proper ejection of the tablet 3b. It is important to note that some embodiments do not rely on a springy top 2c to load the cam 2a, but rely on the close tolerances between the cam 2a and the blister pack 3 to accomplish the same ends. Other embodiments of the invention have springy blister packs 3, in which the cam 2a, when assembled, bends the blister pack 3 downward, thus loading it, and allows the cam to project through the foil floor of the blister, as the sprung blister pack recovers in an upward direction when the blister is compressed 3c. Still other embodiments have a springy barrel ridge 4b, which act in the same way as the springy blister pack 3, and may act alone or in concert with the other springy elements, 2c and 3.

However, for those embodiments incorporating a sprung top 2c and or sprung blister pack

3, the sufficiently rounded shape of the tip of the cam 2a, prevents the cam 2a from becoming trapped in the hole so formed 3ci in the floor of the blister pack, and allows the operator to move the turning top 2 past the compressed blister 3c to the next loaded blister 3a. Also the round form prevents the blister from breaking, maintaining the integrity of the bulkhead. The springy top surface 2c and/or the springy blister pack 3, also provides the system with some suspension, which also assists in rotating the turning top 2 past any small obstructions. Interference elements, well known to the art, such as the slot 3e can index with a bump 3ei to prevent the blister pack 3 from rotating when the turning top 2 is turned 2d and the cam 2a exerts a radial moment on the said blister pack 3.

Fig. 2 illustrates the dispensing top 1 assembled.

Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 illustrate one embodiment of the invention in which the turning top 2 may be removed from the dispensing top 1, allowing the operator to remove the blister pack 3 and replace it. In this embodiment the turning top includes wings 2e, illustrated in Fig. 3, which may be pinched together by the operator to position 2ei, as illustrated in Fig.

4. This pinching action splays the discontinuous turning top ridge 2bi as illustrated in Fig. 3 to that position 2bii, illustrated in Fig. 4. This splaying allows the turning top ridge 2bii to disengage from the barrel groove 4a, thus allowing the turning top 2 to be removed from the lower barrel 4. It is to be understood that many methods for

attachment and removal of the turning top 2 and the lower barrel 4 are well known to the art and all are within the ambit of the invention. Fig. 4 illustrates a embodiment of the invention in which a drinking straw or tube 6 is integral or attached to the blister pack 3 at seal/connection 3f. This in combination with a orifice 2f in the turning top 2, as illustrated in Fig. 5 permits the operator to draw fluid from a vessel 5 to which the dispensing top 1 is attached, while retaining all the functionality of the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Fig. 1 and described herein.

Other embodiments of the invention include a straw or tube 6, illustrated in Fig. 4a and 4b, to relieve the vacuum created by the withdrawal of fluid up the straw or tube 6. These embodiments of the invention include a sliding seal 3f and a section 6a, which has a smaller diameter wall. The tube or straw 6 while in the resting position, as illustrated in Fig. 4a, seals the fluid contained below the blister pack 3. However, the operator, as illustrated in Fig. 4b, may pull up 6e the straw or tube 6 to the point at which the smaller wall section 6a is within the sliding seal 3f, and air is then able to pass 6d between the seal 3f and the attenuated straw or tube 6. The operator may then draw fluid up the straw, without creating a vacuum in the vessel 5 below. The straw may also have a break 6b to prevent the straw or tube 6 from being pulled too far up by the operator and may also have a slight bulge 6c which prevents the straw or tube 6 from falling back down, when intended by the operator to be in the "up" position, as shown on Fig. 4b. The said bulge 6c is just large enough to prevent the straw or tube 6 from falling down, but not so large as not to pass through the sliding seal 3f without damaging the seal.

Other embodiments of the invention use other pressure relief means well known to the art, such as a sprung flapper valve included on the planar surface of the blister pack 3, while other embodiments simply rely on a flexible vessel 5 or small orifice in the said blister pack 3, to relief such pressure, and all of such means are within the ambit of the invention.

Making the blister pack 3 and tube or straw 6 one sealed unit ensures that there will not be any leakage. It also ensures that there is a fresh tube or straw 6 when the blister pack 3 is periodically changed, or if it is one use design, that there is a fresh straw or tube each time the dispensing unit is replaced with a fresh one. This feature will greatly improve the safety of the device and avoid spread of infection.

Fig. 5 also illustrates how the said straw or tube 6 may have a stopper or seal 6a attached. It should be noted that the tube or straw 6 is only illustrative of a conduit, with or without stopper 6a, which transports fluid from the vessel 5 below the distributing top 1, and all are within the ambit of the invention. It should also be noted that some embodiment of the invention have tubes or straws 6 which are not permanently connected to the blister pack 3, but pass through an orifice in said blister pack 3 and all such embodiments are within the ambit of the invention. The said vessel 5 in Fig. 3 is threaded 5b into the lower barrel 4.

Fig. 5 also illustrates how the turning top 2 may be beveled or recessed 2h so as to reduce the possibility of the turning top 2 being inadvertently turned by the operator, when he means to turn just the lower barrel 4. These embodiment of the invention may include handles 2g to make turning the turning top 2 easier and more independent from the bottom barrel 4.

Fig. 6 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention in which the blister pack 3 is located beneath the barrel ridge 4b. When assembled, and screwed onto the vessel 5, the blister pack 3 is sandwiched between the top surface of the vessel 5, and the bottom surface of the barrel ridge 4b, providing a water tight/ air tight seal. This mechanical seal may be enhanced by elastomeric material or other sealing material applied 3d around the upper and/or bottom perimeter edge of the blister pack 3, or by such other means, well known to the art. The seal on the upper surface of the blister pack 3 may be permanent, for one time use dispensing tops 1, or may be detachably detachable for those dispensing tops 1, in which the empty blister pack 3 may be replaced by the operator with new blister pack 3. The operator may grasp a tab 3h on the blister pack 3, as shown in Fig. 6, to facilitate the removal and placement of the blister pack 3 onto the under surface of the barrel ridge 4b. The elastomeric or other sealing material on the bottom surface of the said blister pack 3 will allow for a sliding seal between the said surface and the top surface of the vessel 5, by means well known to the art. The outside perimeter 3d of the blister pack 3 may also include a ridge 3di (as illustrated in detail Fig. 7) which would index with a complementary groove 4d running around the bottom surface of the barrel ridge 4b. When the top of the vessel 5 is screwed tightly against the bottom surface of the blister pack 3, the said ridge 3di is forced into the groove 4d, thus ensuring that the blister pack does shift laterally and thus does not retreat vertically away from the cam 2a, when the said cam 2a presses against the blister 3a. The shape of the said groove 4d and ridge 3di are also shaped, so as to create a friction fit between them, so that the blister pack 3 does not drop out of the lower barrel 4, when the operator removes the dispensing top 1 from the vessel 5. The ridge 3di can also be shaped and sized, with respect to the groove 4d, when the dispensing top is assembled, such that it radially springs the blister pack, and thus makes it taught and more resistant to deflection, when the cam 2a contacts the blister 3a. Other preferred embodiments switch the position of ridge 3di and groove 4d, while other embodiments of the invention utilize other means of restraint, well known to the art, such as complementary textures, and pegs and holes, and all these methods are within the ambit of the invention. Other preferred embodiments may rely solely on the adhesive seal material applied to the top perimeter 3d, to hold the blister pack 3 securely in place. And other preferred embodiments may rely on complementary textured mating surfaces (the top perimeter 3d of blister pack 3 and the corresponding bottom surface of barrel ridge 4b) to ensure stability, or by other means known to the art.

Fig 7 is a cross-sectional detail which illustrates the complementary perimeter groove 4d in the bottom surface of the barrel ridge 4b and the perimeter ridge 3di in the top surface of the blister pack 3. Fig. 7 also illustrates the threads 4ci of vessel 5 indexing with threads 4c of the lower barrel 4. Fig. 7 also illustrates turning top ridge 2b in barrel groove 4a, which guides and retains the turning top 2 as it rotates in a horizontal plane. It can be readily appreciated that the said top ridge 2b and groove 4a can on some preferred embodiments be reversed; that is, the ridge can be part of the lower barrel 4 and the groove into which it indexes can be part of the turning top 2. Fig. 7 also illustrates the vessel 5 imparting an upward force as it is screwed into the lower barrel 4, pressing and further sealing blister pack 3 against the lower surface of the barrel ridge 4b. Some preferred embodiments of the invention includes a protuberance 4e, as illustrated in Fig. 7, around the perimeter of the lower barrel 4, to allow for a capping machine to grasp the turning top 2 and drive it onto the bottle without rotating the turning top 2. Similarly, the operator of the dispensing top 1 may by hand, more easily turn the lower barrel to turn on or off the said dispensing top 1, without turning the turning top 2, and thereby

inadvertently cause the cam 2a to dispense the contents 3b of the blisters 3a into the vessel 5.

While this disclosure illustrates various embodiments of the invention in which the elements are stacked in various sequences, it is to be understood that these are merely example of a larger class of embodiments, in which the various elements can be stacked in any convenient order, and that the position of seals between the various elements are adjusted accordingly.

Various examples of the invention described herein include different features, and it is to be understood that other embodiments of the invention may incorporate any combination of such features and be within the ambit of the invention.

While the present invention has been described in conjunction with preferred

embodiments, it is to be understood that modifications and variations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as those skilled in the art will readily understand. Such modifications and variations are considered to be within the purview and scope of the inventions and appended claims.