Abstract: In a portable dispenser for medicines such as pills, tablets, capsules, etc., and which includes a case housing a plurality of separate medicine receptacles or compartments corresponding to certain periods in each day in the course of a week, and which has a plurality of transparent cover strips or slats which may be moved to open or close the receptacles to provide access to or close the receptacles; the improvement which includes a lock mechanism for normally locking the cover strips in closed position relative to one or more medicine compartment but which may easily be operated to release the cover strips to allow them to be moved to open position to provide access to the medicine compartments. The lock mechanism also permits the cover strips once open to be easily returned to closed position to close the underlying medicine compartments.

Abstract: An improved portable dispenser for medicines, medical preparations or drugs such as in the form of pills, tablets, capsules, etc., has a disposable tray insert, including separate receptacles or compartments corresponding to four periods per day over the course of a week totaling twenty-eight receptacles. The dispenser includes a tray which is charged each week with the tray insert containing the prescribed week's dosage for the patient. The tray and its insert are made with interfitting parts so that the tray insert can only be placed in the tray with the medicine properly positioned according to the correct time at which it should be taken by the patient. The tray with its insert are received in a case having movable transparent cover strips slidable in the top of the case between positions closing the top of the tray insert compartments and open positions exposing the insert compartments to permit their contents to be dispensed.