The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 08, 1999
Filed:
May. 03, 1997
Donald C George, Santa Barbara, CA (US);
Dean T Upton, Santa Barbara, CA (US);
Other;
Abstract
A pill dispenser including a pill carrier having multiple through-holes forming pill chambers. Each of these pill chambers holds, at least initially, a pill which is sealed from the outside environment and completely contained within the pill chamber. The dispenser also has a housing with a pill carrier slot into which the pill carrier resides. There is a pill dispensing channel forming a pathway from the slot to the exterior of the dispenser housing. The pill carrier is displaceable within the slot which allows each pill chamber to be sequentially aligned with the channel. A plunger apparatus is positioned adjacent the slot and opposite the channel and is extended into a pill chamber, then in alignment with the channel, so as to push a pill contained within the pill chamber into the channel for dispensing. In an alternate embodiment, the pill dispenser includes a pill carrier similar to the first embodiment. However, in this embodiment there are multiple pill dispensing channels forming individual pathways from the slot to the exterior of the dispenser housing, and multiple corresponding plungers. Each plunger is located adjacent said pill carrier slot and opposite a different one of said plurality of pill dispensing channels. In addition, the pill carrier is situated such that each of the pill chambers is in alignment a different one of the plurality of pill dispensing channels. In this way, each plunger is capable of extending into a pill chamber so as to push a pill contained within the pill chamber into a channel for dispensing.