Pill Or Tablet Crushers Patents (Class 241/DIG27)
  • Patent number: 6059209
    Abstract: A pill crusher with a pivotable hammer which applies pressure to the tablets when a press applies pressure to the hammer enables a user to quickly and securely crush tablets. The hammer and the press are pivotally connected to opposing ends of a body which has a crushing recess. Tablets are sandwiched between cups which are disposed in a crushing bowl. The crushing bowl is rotatably and removably located in the crushing recess. The hammer has a crushing head configured to be pivoted into the rotatable crushing bowl. The crushing head has a crushing surface configured with a pattern of alternating recessed portions and raised portions. The press is eccentrically connected and a lever extends eccentrically from the press.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2000
    Inventor: John C. Barson
  • Patent number: 5915637
    Abstract: A pill crusher having an elongated base, an anvil integrally fixed to the base, a movable handle and a compression link, pivotally coupled to the base and pivotally connected to the handle, for facilitating rotational movement of the handle relative to the base. A platen is coupled pivotally to an anchor block on the base and connected at the other end to the handle so that movement of the handle produces movement of the platen relative to the anvil, for crushing a pill between the two. A pouch is provided, for receiving a pill to be crushed. It is adapted to fit in a mouth defined by the anvil and the platen. The pill crusher includes a cover fixed to the base and disposed above the rear anchor block, the cover providing an onboard dispenser for a plurality of pouches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 1998
    Date of Patent: June 29, 1999
    Assignee: Links Medical Products Inc.
    Inventor: J. Stuart Parsons
  • Patent number: 5863001
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for crushing various items such as medicinal pills, foods, including garlic, and the like, wherein a biased force is applied between an item in a pocket and a boss conforming to the interior configuration of the pocket resulting in a gradual crushing of the product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 26, 1999
    Assignee: Dynachieve, Inc.
    Inventor: Herbert C. Schulze
  • Patent number: 5823451
    Abstract: A device for crushing medication and the like between a crushing cup and a medication cup, with the device including a base member, a upright member, and a crushing arm pivotally movable with respect to the upright member, with the crushing arm having a crushing element mounted therewith. The base member has an upper surface, a lower surface, a first end surface, a second end surface, and a recessed portion. The recessed portion has a first dimension corresponding to its length and a second dimension corresponding to its width, with the first dimension being greater than the second dimension. The upright member has a first ear portion and a second ear portion, with each ear portion having a top surface. The upright member also has an additional intermediate top surface located between the top surfaces of the ear portions and the base member. The crushing arm is pivotally movable with respect to the upright member until the first end of the crushing arm contacts the intermediate top surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 20, 1998
    Assignee: Health Care Logistics, Inc.
    Inventor: Gary L. Sharpe
  • Patent number: 5733173
    Abstract: An apparatus for grinding a solid material into a granulated powder formed of particles of generally uniform size includes: a mounting frame; a grinding vessel mounted on the mounting frame which has a grinding cavity defined by a substantially planar floor, a substantially planar ceiling parallel and opposed to the vessel floor, and a substantially circular internal wall; a circular grinding disk positioned within the grinding cavity; and a drive motor or other revolving means for revolving the grinding vessel along an essentially circular path. The revolving motion of the grinding cavity should cause the grinding disk to contact and roll a solid material against the cavity internal wall and thereby grind a solid material contained therein into granules of substantially uniform size.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 31, 1998
    Inventors: Robert R. Whittle, Gerald Sakowski
  • Patent number: 5667158
    Abstract: In combination an automated blend waste reclaim apparatus and a pharmaceutical tablet compression machine to facilitate reintroduction of blend into the tablet compression machine and comprising a filter operatively connected to the bulk material container of the tablet compression machine which serves to collect excess blend being pneumatically removed from the tablet compression machine. A blast of compressed air serves to periodically remove blend from the filter, and the blend is then caused to be reintroduced into the bulk material container of the pharmaceutical tablet compression machine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 16, 1997
    Assignee: Glaxo Wellcome Inc.
    Inventors: Brian C. Bullock, Steven R. Nowicki
  • Patent number: 5660342
    Abstract: The mixing device for mixing a liquid with a dry material, particularly a bleaching agent, includes a mixing container (1) for the liquid having a top edge and a screw thread on which a threaded cap (5) can engage to close the mixing container and a receiving insert (7) located between the top edge of the mixing container (1) and the threaded cap (5). The receiving insert (7) includes an insert top member (8) and an insert bottom member (9). The insert bottom member (8) is provided with tablet receptacles (12) for tablets of the dry material and throughgoing openings (14) connecting each tablet receptacle (12) with the interior of the mixing container (1). The insert top member (9) is provided with comminuting pins (16) projecting into the tablet receptacles (12) of the insert bottom member (9) so that tablets in the tablet receptacles can be smashed and the broken pieces delivered to the interior of the mixing container when the threaded cap is screwed sufficiently tightly to the mixing container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 26, 1997
    Inventor: Gabriele Bock
  • Patent number: 5618004
    Abstract: Two pill crushing/dispensing cups are provided, with a base cup and a nesting cup being snap-fit together top-to-top which defines a cavity for storing a dosage of pills. By decoupling the cups with the base cup facing upward and inserting the nesting cup therein the pills are crushed/ground between a pair of opposing abraded surfaces. A flange on the exterior of the nesting cup limits the advance of nesting cups such that the opposing abraded surfaces do not mesh. The nesting cup is removed and a liquid is added to the base cup. The cups are again snap-fit together and shaken to facilitate complete suspension of the pill crushings. The cups are decoupled and the suspension is administered directly from either cup.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: April 8, 1997
    Assignee: Lake Medical Products, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey Klearman, Jerry Roth, Matt Roth, Robert T. Bronson
  • Patent number: 5553793
    Abstract: Two pill crushing/dispensing cups are provided, each having an interior and an exterior abraded surface on the cup bottom. A pill is placed within a first of the cups and a second cup is nested within the first such that the pill is positioned between the first cup interior knurled surface and the second cup exterior knurled surface. The pill is crushed as the second cup is rotated and advanced within the first cup, a fluid is added to the first cup forming a fluid/pill crushing suspension therein, and the suspension is orally administered directly from the first cup. Both cups may be identical in design.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 1994
    Date of Patent: September 10, 1996
    Assignee: Lake Medical Products, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey D. Klearman, Robert Bronson
  • Patent number: 5531386
    Abstract: A device 10 for crushing medicaments originally formed in pill of tablet contour into a fine powder. An impact device 140 moves from a first energy stored position latched thereagainst spring pressure awaiting tripping of the latch or cam 190 by the pill which has been ensconced in a container embodied as an envelope 260. The envelope 260 is placed in a slot 84 and oriented to trigger a switch 234 which releases from a captive position the hammer 142. The hammer 142 advances linearly impacting against an anvil 89 upon which the envelope 260 and the enclosed pill awaits. The explosive force of the hammer 142 creates a powder substance because of the explosive nature of the hammer's 142 contact against the anvil 89. While the hammer 142 is being withdrawn under motor drive 212, the envelope 260 may be removed for access to the interior contents for subsequent dispensation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 2, 1996
    Inventor: Reginald S. Jensen
  • Patent number: 5490454
    Abstract: In the device disclosed, a foodstuff is placed in a carrier which can be rotated eccentrically around and over the face of a blade providing a circular cutting track by means of a plunger which is slidable within the carrier and can be gripped by a user to rotate the carrier while exerting pressure on a foodstuff contained in the carrier thereby to work the foodstuff against the cutting track.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 13, 1996
    Assignee: B. Via International Housewares, Inc.
    Inventors: Bruce Ancona, Edward H. Kilduff
  • Patent number: 5178337
    Abstract: A pill crusher has a pair of pivoted handles each including a serrated jaw for crushing pills therebetween. Each jaw includes a handle-engaging portion substantially perpendicular to the jaw surface. The serrated jaw surfaces extend outwardly from the handles and have a convex curved outer perimeter for resting against a hand receiving a crushed pill. The device has finger-retaining rings and is opened and closed similarly to scissors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 1991
    Date of Patent: January 12, 1993
    Inventor: Paul Lupoli
  • Patent number: 5174508
    Abstract: A tablet extractor includes a housing which defines a cylindrical chamber having a bottom wall and a side wall. A relief is formed in a sector of the chamber side wall which creates a relatively sharp knife edge. An impeller rotatably mounted in the housing includes a rigid finger which extends along the chamber, that finger having a leading face which extends generally radially and a radially outer surface which follows closely the unrelieved portions of the chamber side wall. There is an opening in the bottom wall of the chamber and a second opening in the chamber side wall. When the impeller is rotated so that the finger rotates toward the knife edge, the extractor can recirculate liquid and a tablet and parts thereof entrained in the liquid through the chamber for mixing and can position the tablet while in the chamber for impaction against the knife edge to pulverize the tablet. A complete automated extraction and analysis workstation incorporating the tablet extractor is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 1991
    Date of Patent: December 29, 1992
    Assignee: Source For Automation, Inc.
    Inventor: Arthur L. Martin
  • Patent number: 5148995
    Abstract: Apparatus for decomposing hard compressed tablets into powder includes a housing having a hopper for receiving the tablets therein and a discharge chute in the housing for discharaging the decomposed powdered tablets directly into a patient's cup. The housing is further provided with a cylindrical aperture therethrough which is adapted to receive an imperforate rotor in the cylindrical aperture. The imperforate rotor is provided with helical blades which protrude from said imperforate rotor means for decomposing said hard compressed tablets by a slicing and cutting action which controls the size of the powder by the height of the slicing blades.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 1991
    Date of Patent: September 22, 1992
    Inventor: Richard F. Hurst
  • Patent number: 5123601
    Abstract: A tablet pulverizer for crushing a pill or tablet, wherein the pulverizer includes a convex arm and concave arm. The concave arm has a smooth, arcuate crushing surface which nests with a smooth, convex crushing surface on the convex arm. The meshing of these smooth, arcuate, nesting arms provide a substantial crushing surface to be applied to the pill or tablet for crushing the same without damaging the pill container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 1991
    Date of Patent: June 23, 1992
    Inventors: Janice A. Lavin, Terence J. Lavin
  • Patent number: 5118021
    Abstract: A device for splitting an object, preferably a pill, tablet, capsule or caplet of any of a variety of shapes or sizes, the device having a base with a pill receptacle for receiving and centering the pill. The device also includes a hinged top with a blade adapted for entering the receptacle and engaging and splitting the pill when the cap is closed. The device is adapted to be used as a cap for a container for storing the pills, tablets or caplets to be split.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 1991
    Date of Patent: June 2, 1992
    Assignee: American Medical Industries
    Inventor: James Fiocchi
  • Patent number: 5067666
    Abstract: A portable device for pulverizing pills, tablets and the like to form a minute substantially uniform powder therefrom. The device includes a cam-driven spring biased ram which reciprocates once on a vertical axis into and out of engagement with a pill disposed therebeneath with sufficient localized force to pulverize the pill. A microswitch interrupts power to the device until it senses that the pill is correctly disposed axially beneath the ram.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 1991
    Date of Patent: November 26, 1991
    Inventor: David P. Sussman
  • Patent number: 5025996
    Abstract: A tablet pulverizer for crushing a pill or tablet, wherein the pulverizer includes a convex arm and concave arm. The concave arm has a smooth, arcuate crushing surface which nests with a smooth, convex crushing surface on the convex arm. The meshing of these smooth, arcuate, nesting arms provide a substantial crushing surface to be applied to the pill or tablet for crushing the same without damaging the pill container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 1990
    Date of Patent: June 25, 1991
    Inventors: Janice A. Lavin, Terence J. Lavin
  • Patent number: 4967971
    Abstract: The present pestle and mortar for crushing pills in pill cups is tailored to conform to the shape of a pill cup. A conventional frustum-shaped pill cup lines a frustum-shaped receptacle in the mortar to receive a frustum-shaped pill crushing portion of the pestle which is nestable in the pill cup. The frustum-shaped crushing portions of the pestle and mortar distribute pressure over much of the exterior and interior surface areas of a pill cup so that pills may be crushed in even fragile paper pill cups without tearing or otherwise damaging the paper pill cups. Moreover, the pill cup and mortar operate as one piece and the frustum-shaped crushing portion of the pestle substantially seals the interior of the pill cup to prevent pill granules from flying out of the pill cup during a pill crushing operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 1989
    Date of Patent: November 6, 1990
    Inventor: Kevin R. Smith
  • Patent number: 4887755
    Abstract: An assembly for breaking tablets is disclosed where a tablet is secured on a surface through the action of a crank working on two flanges and subsequently broken with pressure applied to a hammer which is contacted with the tablet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 1989
    Date of Patent: December 19, 1989
    Assignee: Merck & Co., Inc.
    Inventor: Kenneth J. Gibilisco
  • Patent number: 4714205
    Abstract: A garlic press comprising a cylindrical housing and within that an axially movable ram. Movement of the ram is brought about by mating screw threads between the ram and plunger and twisting one relative the other. The housing has an open lower end which is closed by a perforated grinding plate which fits flushly within the lower end of the housing and is attached, as by screw threads, to the outside of the housing so that the inner end of the ram can fit closely within the housing and ensure full expulsion of all the garlic pieces and juice. An additional feature is a cover which encloses the lower end of the housing and the grinding plate to prevent drying out of the garlic and garlic smells when the device is not in use. This cover can fit with a skirt formed on the housing and can have a flat lower surface on which the whole device can stand upright when not in use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 1986
    Date of Patent: December 22, 1987
    Assignee: Mike & Kremmel Ltd.
    Inventor: Willi Steinko
  • Patent number: 4694996
    Abstract: An apparatus for crushing multi cavity medication cards wherein each cavity serves as a receptacle containing individual doses of medication such as, for example, pills or tablets. The apparatus includes a frame with a reciprocally movable platen and changeable medication card support plates mounted below the movable platen. Dependent upon the configuration of the card to be crushed, a crusher plate is attached to the platen having protrusions formed thereon to engage each of the cavities of the card. The card support plate may be of a substantially solid construction for crushing pills contained within each cavity of the card, or may be apertured so as to permit expulsion of the medication from the card as the card is crushed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 1986
    Date of Patent: September 22, 1987
    Assignee: Siegel Family Revocable Trust
    Inventor: Harold B. Siegel
  • Patent number: 4473192
    Abstract: A tablet breaking device comprises a base and a tablet splitting edge in the base. Means are provided for holding a tablet such that a portion of the tablet extends over the tablet splitting edge. The tablet holding means comprises an elongated opening tapering in depth and width. A moment of force sufficient to break the tablet can be created about the tablet splitting edge by applying a force substantially normal to a portion of the tablet extending over the tablet splitting edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 1982
    Date of Patent: September 25, 1984
    Assignee: Hoefchst-Roussel Pharmaceuticals Incorporated
    Inventors: Joseph J. Urban, Norman L. Henderson
  • Patent number: 4366930
    Abstract: A table pulverizer for crushing solid tablets into powder is disclosed. The tablet pulverizer is hand-operated and includes a tubular body portion having a screen located therein for receiving the solid tablets thereon. An elongated axially movable crusher member extends into the body portion and is axially and rotatably movable to crush the solid tablets into powder form. A bottom container that is mounted on the tubular body portion at the lower end thereof receives the powder as it is filtered through the screen, the container being removable from the body portion for dispensing of the powder as required.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 1981
    Date of Patent: January 4, 1983
    Inventor: Albert V. Trombetti, Jr.
  • Patent number: 4341356
    Abstract: A device is disclosed for use in pulverizing materials comprising a base, a hole in the base, a holder shaped to fit within the hole, and a pulverizer shaped to fit within the holder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 1980
    Date of Patent: July 27, 1982
    Assignee: Hiott & Bridges, Inc.
    Inventors: Edward R. Hiott, Sara E. Scheckel
  • Patent number: 4209136
    Abstract: A device for the crushing of medicinal tablets, comprising a base with a cavity for holding and enveloping at least the lower part of a beaker for containing one or more tablets which are to be crushed, a shaft with a handle at one end thereof and a crushing head at the other, a cap movable along said shaft and provided with a ramming surface at its surface facing the crushing head, said ramming surface cooperating with a similar ramming surface on said crushing head in order to effect, by a knocking action, the removal of any crushed tablet or powder present on the crushing head, said knocking action being effected by retaining both the cap and the handle, and then allowing the cap to fall against said crushing head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 1978
    Date of Patent: June 24, 1980
    Inventors: Folke D. Linden, Jan A. Norberg
  • Patent number: 4121775
    Abstract: A pulverizer generally includes a bowl for receiving an object to be pulverized and a pestle movable into the bowl for pulverizing the object. This system has been improved by providing a container which has a depression similar in shape to the shape of the bowl which is received in the bowl and the object is pulverized in the depression of the container to prevent the pulverized material from contaminating the bowl. The container has a flap for covering the depression to hold the pulverized material in the depression. The flap is folded over the depression and locked by a suitable locking mechanism. The pestle has a generally convex but truncated downwardly facing surface which generally conforms to the upper surface of the bowl over the major portion of the exterior, and the bottom surface of the pestle is spaced from the bottom surface of the bowl when the pestle is mated in the bowl.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 1977
    Date of Patent: October 24, 1978
    Inventors: Harry G. Roseberg, Bernard Levine
  • Patent number: 4003523
    Abstract: A portable pill grinder comprising ceramic mortar and pestle units respectively having concave and convex pill crushing and grinding surfaces. Lower and upper clamping handles respectively support the mortar and pestle units and are pivotally connected together at adjacent end portions. The mortar and lower handle have cooperating grooves and upstanding flanges which prevent relative rotation therebetween. The pestle is supported for rotation about a short lug on the upper handle and has a laterally projecting handle for rotating the same. A stop is provided between the clamping handles to prevent crushing the mortar and pestle units. In use, the clamping handles are grasped in one hand, pressure is applied tending to crush one or more pills disposed in the mortar and engaged by the pestle, and the pestle handle is simultaneously swung back and forth with the other hand to effect a grinding action on the pills.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 1975
    Date of Patent: January 18, 1977
    Inventor: Harry S. Doolittle