WO1998018426A1

WO1998018426A1 - Container for drinks and medication

Info

Publication number: WO1998018426A1
Application number: PCT/GB1997/003001
Authority: WO
Inventors: Mandy Nicola Haberman; Victor Davies; Adrian Llewellyn-Jones
Original assignee: Mandy Nicola Haberman; Victor Davies; Llewellyn Jones Adrian
Priority date: 1996-10-31
Filing date: 1997-10-31
Publication date: 1998-05-07
Also published as: GB9622680D0; GB9723097D0; GB2318783A; AU4789997A

Abstract

A dispenser for solid medication to be taken with liquid comprises a container having a first compartment fillable with potable liquid, and a second compartment adapted for use as a storage means fillable with solid medication.

Description

Container for Drinks and Medication This invention relates to dispensers for medication.

In order to be effective, medicines should be taken at the correct doses and appropriate times prescribed by the physician. Medication which has been prescribed in the form of syrups, for example, cough medicine, can be simply swallowed. However, if the medication is supplied in solid form, for example, pills, capsules or tablets, ingestion of the medication can pose problems. Because the active ingredients in medicines can in many cases be bitter, or otherwise unpleasant tasting, the pills, capsules or tablets are usually not chewed but rather are swallowed whole. Some form of liquid, for example, water or fruit juice, is usually swallowed with the medication, to ease the passage of the solid medication down the throat. While it is not impossible to swallow the medicine without intake of liquid, this is often difficult, and can be painful. In other cases, especially if a large amount of medication needs to be taken, it may be impossible to take the medication on its own, and liquid intake may be absolutely necessary.

In general, therefore, solid medication is usually swallowed with some form of liquid. Obtaining a supply of drinking liquid is usually not a problem in an urban environment. However, problems can arise when there is no ready source of potable liquid available for swallowing with the medication. If a person is travelling on long journeys, for example in a car or a bus, a ready supply of drinking liquid may not be available. Similarly, if the person finds himself in remote areas, for example the countryside, or in wilderness, it may be impossible to find a supply of potable water. In these cases, the person would have to remember to pack a supply of drinking water, or some other such drink, before setting off on his journey. This is inconvenient, and requires the person to remember to pack the liquid as well as the medicine that needs to be taken. The present invention seeks to solve the problem of providing a convenient source of drinking liquid for the intake of solid medication.

A third problem for the taking of medication is the need of a mother or carer to be sure that a child will take its medication at school or the elderly or bedridden will take their medication when left alone for a period. As explained below by providing a convenient source of liquid to take with solid medication in a single dispenser, a mother can send her child to school with all it needs to take its medication on time. The empty liquid container will provide visual confirmation that the medication has been taken.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a dispenser for solid medication to be taken with liquid, comprising a container having a first compartment fillable with potable liquid, and a second compartment adapted for use as a storage means fillable with solid medication.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the first compartment of the container is provided with a self-closing slit valve adapted to prevent passage of liquid except when suction is applied. The slit valve suitably comprises a membrane of resiliently flexible material which is dished inwardly of the container, opposite the direction through which the potable liquid is taken in use of the dispenser, the membrane being formed generally at its centre with at least one slit. The potable liquid is removed from the container through a spout formed in the body of the container, and the membrane may be co-moulded with the spout. The spout is preferably formed on the top surface of the container. The first compartment of the container is suitably arranged to be opened at the top in order to fill it. The top may be removable, or connected to the rest of the container by a hinge. The first compartment may also be filled with potable liquid by way of the spout, if the spout has no self-closing slit valve, but is simply open. The spout may be covered by a dust cover, which substantially covers the opening of the spout, or by a separate lid.

Preferably, the second compartment is formed in the lid or in the body of the container, and is openable. The second compartment may further comprise a tray, which can be slid out of the compartment in the manner of a drawer. When formed in the lid, the second compartment may also be openable. It may comprise a hinged inner lid, which can be lifted to access the medication. Alternatively, it may comprise a removable inner lid, which can be removed to access the medication.

In a particularly preferred arrangement, the container has a dispensing mechanism for the solid medication in a form commonly employed for dispensing sweetener tablets in which a button is depressed to allow release of one, but only one, tablet at a time from an opening on the underneath of the container. The only difference from the conventional sweetener dispenser is that in a container in accordance with the present invention, there will also be a separate compartment from the medication for a potable liquid and, suitably, an opening through which the liquid can be drunk. This arrangement is particularly suitable for use with conventional programmable watch-alarm electronics so that the device can be programmed to set off an alarm at appropriate intervals for taking the medication, the alarm only being turned off by depressing the button to dispense the medication. By "solid medication" we mean medication which is neither liquid nor gaseous. The medication may itself be a solid, for example a tablet, or may have a solidity by being contained within a capsule (for example gelatine) or other slow release vehicle. The term "solid medication" therefore extends to liquid medication contained within capsule walls as well as to entirely particulate materials.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of examples only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a medicine dispenser in accordance with the present invention;

FIGURE 1A is a perspective view of a medicine dispenser of the kind shown in Figure 1, but with an open spout sealed with a dust cover by a screw-fit;

FIGURE IB is a perspective view of a medicine dispenser of the kind shown in Figure 1, with a plug covered orifice but without an openable top;

FIGURE 2 is a medial sectional view of a medicine dispenser of the kind shown in Figure 1, but with a removable lid; FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment, in which medication is stored in a drawer in the lid;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view of an embodiment, in which medication is stored in the lid, and protected by an inner lid;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view similar to Figure 4, but with a hinged inner lid shown open;

FIGURE _.6 is a perspective view illustrating opening of the medicament compartment in another embodiment;

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of yet another embodiment showing how the medicament compartments are opened to locate the medicament ;

FIGURE 8 is a perspective view showing how the medicaments are located in yet in another embodiment;

FIGURE 9 is an exploded view of a further embodiment of container in accordance with the present invention;

FIGURE 10 is a perspective view of another embodiment of container in accordance with the present invention provided with a dosage of arm;

FIGURE 11 is a somewhat schematic and partially broken away view of the embodiment of FIGURE 10 illustrating the medicament and potable liquid compartments; and

FIGURE 12 is an illustration showing dispensing of an individual medicament in the embodiment of FIGURES 10 and 11. The medicine dispenser shown in Figure 1, and in a minor alternative arrangement in Figure 2, consists of a first compartment 1 for a drink, which first compartment includes a top 11, and a compartment 2 for storing solid medication 3. The container is suitably made of moulded thermoplastics, and is arranged to be filled with a potable liquid 14 (for example, water or fruit juice) by opening the top 11. The top 11 may be permanently attached to the body of the container 1 by a hinge, and can be lifted for filling. In this case, it can be co-moulded with the body of the container. Alternatively, top 11 is a separate unit, which can be attached to the rest of the container by a ^wpush-fit" or "snap-fit". The top 11 includes a spout 15, which is co- moulded with the top 11. The spout provides an opening through which the potable liquid is removed. Although the spout is described as being on the top of the container, it should be understood that the spout can be formed anywhere in the wall of the first compartment.

The spout 15 may be formed with an open end, but in a preferred embodiment incorporates a self-closing slit valve

16. The slit valve 17 is formed from a resiliently flexible sheet or disc, which may be of rubber or more preferably of

, plastics material, and which has a self-closing slit 16. The valve is preferably of the type described in my earlier British Patent Application No. 9611233.9 (Publication No. GB-A-2304545) . The slit valve 17 may be co-moulded with the spout 15. To prevent contamination of the liquid, and to seal the container from leakage, a dust cover 5 (shown in Figure 1) may be provided for the spout. Alternatively, the entire top 11 of the container is covered by a lid 4 (shown in Figure 2) . The lid 4 is made of moulded thermoplastics, and fits onto the body of the container by a snap-fit, via projections 41. The lid 4 has a rim 42 formed as a projection on its inner surface. When the lid is fitted on to the container, the rim 42 covers the spout 15. This seals the spout and prevents leakage of the drinking liquid from the container .

Valves of the kind illustrated at 17 are adapted to prevent flow of liquid from the interior of the first compartment through the valve and to enable a user to draw the liquid through the valve on demand. The configuration of the valve is such that, it will open upon no more than a predetermined difference of pressure, greater within the vessel than outside, being present across the valve. Thus, the valve prevents flow from the interior, unless a predetermined level of suction is applied to the opening, and a user is enabled to draw liquid through the opening by the sole application of suction thereto to provide a difference of pressure. In the preferred arrangement, the valve comprises a membrane of resiliently flexible material dished inwardly of the container, opposite the direction through which the liquid is taken in use of the dispenser, the membrane being provided with one or more self-closing slits. When a spout is provided, the membrane may be co-moulded therewith.

When the spout is open (in other words, has no valve), the first compartment does not need an openable top. Liquid is suitably filled via the spout in this arrangement, but a caplike dust cover 5, or a snap-on lid 4 is then indispensable to prevent spillage. The dust cover may be firmly attached to the spout by means of a snap fit, or preferably, a screw fit. An embodiment with a screw fit is shown in Figure 1A. Thus, the outer surface of the spout 15 may have helical grooves or ridges 151, which mate with complimentary ridges or grooves 501 formed on the interior surface of the dust cover 50.

Although the first compartment has been described as having a removable or hinged top, it should be understood that this may not be necessary in other arrangements, so long as the first compartment is adapted to be filled with liquid. For example, the first compartment may be formed without an openable top, but provided with an orifice on a face of the container, as shown in Figure IB. The orifice 9 is closed with a plug or bung 8, which is removed when the container is being filled.

The solid medication 3 is stored in a second storage compartment. As seen in Figure 2, the storage compartment is a separate compartment from the liquid containing chamber of container 1. In one embodiment, the second compartment is formed integrally with the first compartment, being separated from it by a dividing internal wall of the container. Thus, the storage compartment may be formed in one of the side walls or the bottom wall 13 of the container. Alternatively, the storage compartment may be formed in the top 11 of the container. The storage compartment is preferentially made of thermoplastics, and is co-moulded with the remainder of the container 1.

Figure 1 shows the medication 3 placed on a tray 21, which can be slid in and out of second compartment 2, in the manner of a drawer. Stops formed on the inside of the storage compartment prevent the tray 21 from sliding out too far and being detached from the dispenser . The medication 3 , which may be in the form of capsules, tablets or pills, sits in recesses on tray 21. The recesses prevent the medication from moving about when the medicine dispenser is transported. Alternatively, the tray 21 may be divided into separate sub- compartments, and the medication may be stored in these sub- compartments. The tray may be filled with medication at the same time as the container is filled with the drinking liquid, or independently. Tray 21 may be formed with differently shaped or sized recesses for, for example, capsules, tablets and pills of different configuration. In this way the dispenser is adapted for universal use.

The medication does not need to be stored individually in the tray. For example, prescription medicine is often dispensed in the form of foil packs. Medicine can thus be conveniently stored by placing an entire foil pack on the tray. Recesses can also be moulded on the tray to suit the configuration of the foil pack; in this case, the foil pack is stored with the foil side up.

When it is time for a person to take the medication, he or she slides tray 21 out of the compartment 2, and removes an appropriate dose of medication from the tray. The person taking the medication pops the medication into his mouth, and takes a sip of the liquid. This can be done by placing the spout to his mouth and sucking on the spout. Alternatively, he can apply pressure on the body of the container to force liquid out of the container, or decant the liquid into another container. Alternatively, a straw can be pushed through the spout, and the liquid drunk through the straw. When access to the medication is no longer needed, tray 21 can be pushed back into compartment 2 for storage until the next dose is due. A hinged clip 18 on the body of the container 1 can be folded down to prevent the tray 21 from sliding out when access is not required.

In other embodiments, the medication is stored in a compartment in the lid of the dispenser. Figure 3 shows an embodiment in which the medication 3 is stored on a tray 61 within the lid 6. The tray may be slid in and out of the compartment as in the previous embodiment. Again, the tray may be held in place with a clip (not shown) .

Figures 4 and 5 show other embodiments, in which the storage compartment for the medication 3 is also in the lid 7 of the dispenser. However, as seen in Figure 4, instead of being stored on a tray, the medication 3 is stored in a chamber formed by the walls of the lid 7 and a removable inner lid 71. Figure 5 is generally similar except that its inner lid 73 is attached permanently to the lid 7 via a hinge, in which case the medication 3 is accessed by lifting the inner lid. In Figure 4, inner lid 71 is formed as a separate piece from the lid 7, in which case it can be attached to the lid by a "push-fit" or "snap-fit". The inner lid 71 can therefore be removed to access the medication.

It will be seen that inner lids 71 (Figure 4) and 73

(Figure 5) are each provided with a rim 42 as for lid 4 in the Figure 2 embodiment to serve the same purpose. It will therefore be apparent to a person of ordinary skills in this art that there are many alternative ways in which the solid medication can be dispensed from the container. Other arrangements are illustrated in Figures 6-12. Thus, in Figure 6, a wall 74 is slid open to reveal one or more sectioned off compartments 75 containing the medication 3. In Figure 7, the compartments 75 are revealed behind hinged flip top lids 76, while in Figure 8 a magazine 77 is slid out from its position below the potable liquid compartment 1 so that tablets can be taken out by hand.

Figure 9 shows an exploded view of an arrangement not unlike that used for holding replaceable bits for a drill or a screwdriver in which a (usually clear) cap 78 rotates to align an opening 79 with one of a series of individual compartments 80 in a tablet container. The tablet container may be mounted over the spout 81 of the potable liquid compartment.

A particularly preferred arrangement is illustrated in Figures 10-12. The container has a shape and operating mechanism commonly employed in dispensers for sweeteners. In the arrangement illustrated, the medication is mounted in a magazine 82 (Figure 11) alongside the compartment 1 for the potable liquid. Depression of a button 83 against a spring mechanism (not shown) results in a single tablet being dispensed from the magazine 82 through an opening 84 on the under side (Figure 12) , in exactly the same manner that individual sweetener tablets are conventionally dispensed from magazines of such sweetener tablets. Exactly the same mechanism which ensures that only one such tablet is dispensed at a time on a single depression of the button can be used in this embodiment . This mechanism particularly lends itself to dispensers for medication which the patient is required to take at predetermined timed intervals. Figures 10-12 show how this mechanism can be combined with an alarm/timer, although in alternative embodiments of this particular arrangement, the sweetener dispenser mechanism may be used without any alarm or timer. As shown in Figure 10, the container includes a digital display such as a liquid crystal display of entirely conventional form. The display suitably includes a date, day and time mechanism of the conventional kind shown at 85, but suitably also includes a dosage display at 86. Programable proprietary watch alarm electronics of this kind are readily available in the electronics market. Suitable examples are incorporated in CASIO (Registered Trade Mark) watches such as that sold under their trade mark MINI G-SHOCK. The watch-alarm electronics are programmed to provide one or more of a series of alarms at spaced intervals corresponding to the selected time of dosage. The alarm is only capable of being turned off by depressing the dispenser button 83 so as to dispense a tablet. In this way, the patient and any carer is assured that the medication will be taken at and only at the times and intervals required. By combining such proprietary watch-alarm electronics with the container for potable liquid and solid medication in this way, this particular embodiment ensures not only that medication is timely taken but that the supply of liquid necessary to swallow the tablets is simultaneously available at the same time, by being carried together in one and the same alarmed container.

Claims

1. A dispenser for solid medication to be taken with liquid, comprising a container having a first compartment fillable with potable liquid, and a second compartment adapted for use as a storage means fillable with solid medication.

2. A dispenser according to Claim 1, provided with an opening, the opening having valve means associated therewith and adapted to prevent flow of liquid from the interior of the first compartment through the opening and to enable a user to draw liquids through the opening, the configuration of the valve means being such that said valve means is adapted to open upon no more than a predetermined difference of pressure, greater within the vessel than outside, being present across the said valve means, whereby said valve means prevents flow from the interior, unless a predetermined level of suction is applied to the opening, and a user is enabled to draw liquid through the opening by the sole application of suction thereto to provide said difference of pressure.

3. A dispenser accordingly to Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein said potable liquid is adapted to be drawn from said first compartment through a valve comprising a membrane of resiliently flexible material dished inwardly of the container, opposite the direction through which the potable liquid is taken in use of the dispenser, the membrane being provided with one or more self- closing slits.

4. A dispenser accordingly to any preceding claim, wherein said potable liquid is adapted to be drawn from said first compartment through a spout or the like closeable with a cap or dust cover.

5. A dispenser according to any preceding claim, wherein said second compartment is formed in a lid for the dispenser.

6. A dispenser according to any of Claims 1-4, wherein said second compartment comprises a compartment within the body of the container openable on demand for access to medication stored therewithin.

7. A dispenser according to Claims 5 or 6, wherein said second compartment comprises a tray or the like which can be slid out of the compartment in the manner of a drawer to access medication mounted thereon.

8. A dispenser according to any of Claims 1-4, wherein said second compartment is separated into a plurality of individual compartments angularly spaced about an axis and provided with a cap rotatable about said axis to align an opening in said cap with one of said individual compartments to allow the contents thereof to be removed through said cap opening.

9. A dispenser according to Claim 8, wherein said potable liquid is arranged to be dispensed from said first compartment through a spout aligned with said axis.

10. A dispenser according to any of Claims 1-4, wherein said second compartment comprises a magazine for solid medication located alongside said first compartment within the body of the container, said second compartment being provided with a medication dispensing mechanism comprising a button located on the top of said container, depression of which button is adapted to release an individual solid medication through an opening in the under side of the container.

11. A dispenser according to any preceding claim, provided with an alarm-timer mechanism programmable to generate one or more alarms at (an) interval (s) corresponding to a selected time of medication dosage.

12. A dispenser according to both Claim 10 and Claim 11, wherein said alarm is adapted to be turned off by depressing said button to release an individual said solid medication.