Pill container

Abstract

A pill container has a body with a plurality of separate compartments with each compartment having an opening to provide access into the separate compartments. A plurality of lids are attached to the body over the openings wherein each lid has an open position providing access to a selected one or more of the compartments. The lids also have a closed position preventing access to a selected one or more of the compartments. Each lid has a latching mechanism for maintaining the lids in the closed position. An unlocking mechanism is movable to a position to unlock a selected one or more of the lids so that the unlocked lids may be opened, while one or more of the remaining lids are maintained in the closed position.

Description

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/377,426, filed May 2, 2002.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The invention relates generally to pill containers and more particularly to pill containers having a lockable lid.

[0004] 2. Related Art

[0005] Containers for holding pills are well known to have separate compartments for keeping pills separate from one another. It is also known to have at least one lid for closing the compartments of the container to maintain the pills in the compartments. As shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,000,546 to Noble, it is further known to have a locking member to engage all the lids to lock all the lids in a closed position. The locking member in Noble is positioned either in a locked position, thus rendering all the lids of the pill container locked, or in an unlocked position thus rendering all of the lids unlocked and movable to an opened position. Thus, though a pill box having separate compartments with lids and a locking member to lock all the lids in a closed position is known, it is not known to have a pill box with lids that are selectively and separately lockable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The present invention provides for a pill container with a body having a plurality of separate compartments with each compartment having an opening to provide access into the separate compartments. A plurality of lids are attached to the body over the openings wherein each lid has an open position providing access to a selected one or more of the compartments. The lids also have a closed position preventing access to a selected one or more of the compartments. Each lid has a latching mechanism for maintaining the lids in the closed position. The pill container has an unlocking mechanism that is movable to a position to unlock a selected one or more of the lids so that the unlocked lids may be opened, while maintaining one or more of the remaining lids in the closed position.

[0007] One advantage of the invention is that the lids on a pill container may be selectively locked or unlocked providing access to only the desired compartments in the pill container.

[0008] Another advantage of the invention is that an unlocking mechanism has a locking feature to prevent inadvertent movement of the unlocking mechanism to an unintended position.

[0009] Another advantage of the invention is that the unlocking mechanism may be position to unlock one or more of the lids.

[0010] Another advantage of the invention is that the unlocking mechanism is easy to operate.

[0011] Another advantage of the invention is that the pill container can be made in a variety of shapes and sizes.

[0012] Another advantage of the invention is that the pill container is relatively low in cost and easy to manufacture.

[0013] Another advantage of the invention is that the unlocking mechanism remains attached to the pill container during use, thus eliminating the possibility of losing components of the pill container.

[0014] It should be understood that the above list of advantages of the invention represents only a partial list of advantages, and in no way is to be construed as a complete list of advantages for the current invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] These and other features and advantage of the present invention will become more readily appreciated when considered with the following detailed description and appended drawings, wherein:

[0016] FIG. 1 shows an exploded perspective view of a first currently preferred embodiment of a pill container embodying the current invention;

[0017] FIG. 2 shows an assembled perspective view of the pill container from FIG. 1;

[0018] FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a the pill container from FIG. 2 showing a lid of the container in an open position;

[0019] FIG. 4 shows a bottom view of the pill container looking in the direction of arrow 4 in FIG. 2;

[0020] FIG. 5 shows a view similar as in FIG. 4 showing the internal workings of a locking mechanism;

[0021] FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of the locking mechanism showing a force being applied in the direction of arrow F facilitating slideable movement of the locking mechanism;

[0022] FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional view taken along line 7-7 from FIG. 2 showing a lid in a locked position;

[0023] FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional view taken along the line 8-8 from FIG. 2 showing the unlocking device deflecting a lock arm of a lid;

[0024] FIG. 9 shows a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 8 showing a force being applied in the direction of arrow F causing the lid to open;

[0025] FIG. 10 shows a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 9 showing a force being applied in the direction of arrow F and F′ causing the lid to open and close, respectively;

[0026] FIG. 11 shows a perspective view of a second preferred embodiment of a pill container embodying the current invention;

[0027] FIG. 12 shows a bottom view of the pill container from FIG. 11;

[0028] FIG. 13 shows a perspective view of a third currently preferred embodiment of a pill container embodying the current invention; and

[0029] FIG. 14 shows a perspective view of a fourth currently preferred embodiment of a pill container embodying the current invention having at least one subdivided compartment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0030] A first currently preferred embodiment of a pill container 10 embodying the invention is best shown in FIGS. 1-3. The pill container 10 has a body 12 and a plurality of separate compartments 14 within the container 10 for storing pills. A plurality of lids 16 are attached to the body 12 so that each lid 16 has an opened and closed position to both permit and prevent access, respectively, to a selected one or more of the compartments 14. An unlocking mechanism 18 is movable to a position to allow a user to unlock a selected one or more of the lids 16 while maintaining one or more of the remaining lids 16 in the closed position. The unlocking mechanism 18 ensures that the user only has access to the desired compartment 14, thus preventing inadvertent removal of pills other than those intended to be removed from the container 10.

[0031] As best shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pill container 10 has seven separate compartments 14, preferably identified as a separate compartment for each day of the week. The pill container 10 has a body 12 with two sidewalls 20, 21 spaced and traversing generally parallel to one another with a pair of end walls 22, 23 attached at opposite ends of the sidewalls 20, 21. A bottom surface 24 is attached to the sidewalls 20, 21 and the end walls 22, 23. To form separate compartments 14, at least one and preferably six dividers 26 traverse between the sidewalls 20, 21. The dividers 26 are preferably attached to the sidewalls 20, 21 and the bottom surface 24, thus creating compartments 14 that are sealed-off from one another. However, it should be recognized that the dividers 26 need not create a seal between the separate compartments 14. Also, it should be recognized that any number of compartments 14 can be formed by incorporating the desired number dividers 26 within the body 12 of the container 10.

[0032] As best shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a track 28 is recessed into the bottom surface 24 of the container 10 and spans a substantial portion of the length of the bottom surface 24. The track has a plurality of notches 30 extending generally perpendicular to the track 28 and generally toward the unlocking mechanism 18 so that a separate notch 30 is preferably formed and centered below each lid 16. Additionally, a notch 30 is preferably formed below each of the dividers 26 so that a notch 30 is located between each adjacent pair of lids 16.

[0033] In addition to the track 28 in the bottom surface 24, another track 32 is formed in the sidewall 20. The track 32 in the sidewall 20 is substantially similar in length as the track 28 in the bottom surface 24. Within the track 32 in the sidewall 20, preferably a separate slot 34 is formed and centered relative to each compartment 14 to form an opening through the sidewall 20.

[0034] As best shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a plurality of recessed portions 36 are formed in the sidewall 20. The recessed portions 36 are preferably inclined to form a lead-in chamfer at a top surface 38 of the sidewall 20. The recessed portions 36 extend from the top surface 38 of the sidewall 20 downwardly to the slots 34.

[0035] FIG. 1 shows all the lids 16 in an open position. The lids 16 are preferably attached to the sidewall 21 providing for pivotal movement of the lids 16 between the open and closed positions. The lids 16 are shown attached here by a living hinge 40 between an end 41 of the lids 16 and the sidewall 21, though it should be recognized that any suitable form of hinge may be used. To facilitate ease in the manufacture of the pill container 10, the living hinge is preferably used where the sidewall 21 and the lids 16 are molded and formed together as one piece.

[0036] The lids 16 have another end 42 spaced from the hinge 40 with the end 42 preferably incorporating a tab 44 to facilitate opening of the lids 16. As shown in FIG. 2, the tabs 44 preferably extend beyond the sidewall 20 when the lids 16 are in a closed position. With the tabs 44 extending beyond the sidewall 20, and with the unlocking mechanism 18 positioned to unlock the lid 16, a user may lift upwardly on a bottom surface of the tab 44 to pivot the lid 16 about the hinge 40, thus bringing the lid 16 to its open position.

[0037] Adjacent the end 42 of the lids 16, a clear portion 46 is preferably incorporated so that the contents within the separate compartments 14 of the container 10 may be seen readily without having to open the lids 16. It should be recognized that the clear portions 46 may be located anywhere within the lids 16, or it may be eliminated altogether.

[0038] As best shown in FIGS. 7-9, a generally L-shaped latch 48 extends from each lid 16. Each latch 48 has an elastically resilient leg portion 50 that extends generally perpendicular from the lids 16 and terminates in a catch portion 52 extending generally perpendicular from the leg portion 50. The catch portion 52 of each latch 48 is sized to be received in the separate slots 34 in the sidewall 20 when the respective lid 16 is in a closed position. The catch portions 52 have a flat portion 54 and a chamfered or camming portion 56 to facilitate locking and opening of the lids 16, respectively. As best shown in FIG. 7, when a lid 16 is closed, the catch portion 52 extends into the slot 34 such that the flat portion 54 is received in the slot 34, thus preventing the lid 16 from being lifted upwardly by a force, thus rendering the lid 16 both closed and locked.

[0039] The unlocking mechanism 18 is slidably attached to the body 12 to facilitate unlocking at least one or more of the lids, while one or more of the remaining lids 16 remain in the closed and locked position. As best shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the unlocking mechanism 18 has a slide portion 58 and a detent portion 60. The slide portion 58 is generally L-shaped and has a first rail 62, as shown in FIG. 1, that is slidably received in the track 28 formed in the bottom surface 24 of the container body 12. A second rail 64, as shown in FIGS. 6, 8 and 9, of the slide portion 58 is slidably received in the track 32 formed in the sidewall 20 of the container body 12. The first and second rails 62, 64 act in combination to maintain the unlocking mechanism 18 slidably attached to the container body 12. The slide portion 58 has a channel 66 that is sized to slidably receive a portion of the detent portion 60 to maintain the detent portion 60 between the slide portion 58 and the container body 12. An opening 68 is formed in the slide portion 58 that is sized to receive another portion of the detent portion 60 for reciprocating movement therein.

[0040] The detent portion 60 is generally L-shaped having a first segment 70 shaped to slide within the channel 66 of the slide portion 58 and along the bottom surface 24 of the container body 12. The first segment 70 is shown having a necked down portion 72 having a catch 74 extending into the track 28 in the bottom surface 24. The catch 74 is slideable within the track 28 and is sized for locking engagement within the notches 30 in the track 28. A non-necked down portion 76 facilitates sliding movement of the detent portion 60 within the channel 66 of the slide portion 58.

[0041] A second segment 78 of the detent portion 60 has a button portion 80 shaped to be received in the opening 68 of the slide portion 58 to allow for reciprocating movement of the button portion 80 within the opening 68. The second segment 78 has a spring portion 82 preferably formed as one piece with the detent portion 60, though it should be recognized that any suitable spring device, such as a coil spring, a Bellville washer, or the like could be used in conjunction with the detent portion 60. The spring portion 82 is arcuate in shape wherein an end 84 of the spring portion 82 abuts and applies a force to the container body 12 such that the spring portion 82 biases the detent portion 60 away from the sidewall 20 of the container body 12, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. With the detent portion 60 biased outwardly and away from the sidewall 20 of the container body 12, the catch 74 on the detent portion 60 is predisposed to engage the first notch 30 within the track 28, thus locking the unlocking mechanism 18 to prevent the unlocking mechanism 18 from sliding relative to the container body 12.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 6, an external force F can be applied to the button portion 80 causing the spring portion 82 to elastically deflect, thus permitting the detent portion 60 to slide within the channel 66 of the slide portion 58. The sliding movement of the detent portion 60 removes the catch 74 from a respective notch 30 in the bottom surface 24, thus allowing the unlocking mechanism 18 to slide along the track 28 in the bottom surface 24. Once the unlocking mechanism 18 is located in the desired position, the applied force F can be released from the detent portion 60, thus permitting the spring portion 82 to return to its non-deflected position to bias the detent portion 60 outwardly, thus causing the catch 74 to engage the respective notch 30.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 7, the catch portion 52 on the latch 48 is engaged within the slot 34 in the sidewall 20 so that the flat portion 54 maintains the lid 16 in a locked position, thus preventing the lid 16 from being opened. To facilitate locking a lid 16, the unlocking mechanism 18 can preferably be positioned so that the catch 74 on the detent portion 60 is positioned within one of the notches 30 between a pair of lids 16. While the unlocking mechanism 18 is in this position, all the lids 16 remain in a locked position.

[0044] As best shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the unlocking mechanism 18 can be positioned to enable the user to move one lid 16 or more to the open position. While the unlocking mechanism 18 is in this position, one or more of the lids 16 are also maintained in the closed position. To facilitate opening the lid 16, the catch 74 on the detent portion 60 is positioned within one of the notches 30 generally centered relative to one of the lids 16. The second rail 64 on the slide portion 58 abuts the catch portion 52 on the latch 48, thus causing the latch 48 to deflect inwardly, as best shown in FIG. 8. The flat portion 54 of the catch portion 52 is removed from the slot 34, thus bringing the camming portion 56 into engagement with an edge of the recessed portion 36 where the recessed portion 36 meets the slot 34. The lid 16 remains secured against opening on its own, however, the lid 16 is now operable with application of an external force F to bring the lid 16 to an open position.

[0045] As best shown in FIG. 9, after the camming surface 56 of the catch portion 52 has cleared the edge of the recessed portion 36 in response to the force F, the latch 48 engages and slides along the recessed portion 36 in the sidewall 20. Initially, when the elastically resilient leg portion 50 of the latch 48 exits the slot 34, it deflects inwardly in response to the interference between the catch portion 52 and the recessed portion 36. As the catch portion travels upwardly toward the top surface 38 of the of the sidewall 20, the interference between the catch portion 52 and the recessed portion 36 is continually reduced, thus causing the leg portion 50 to elastically return to its original non-deflected shape. As best shown in FIG. 10, when the catch portion 52 reaches the top surface 38 of the sidewall, the elastically resilient leg portion is returned to the non-deflected shape.

[0046] As best shown in FIG. 10, to close a lid 16, an opposing force F′ can be applied to the lid 16, thus causing the catch portion 52 of the latch 48 to enter the lead-in chamfer while in its non-deflected shape. As the catch portion is caused to travel downwardly by the force F′, the catch portion 52 continues to slide along the recessed portion 36, again causing the leg portion 50 to deflect as the interference between the leg portion 50 and the recessed portion 36 increases. When the catch portion 52 reaches the slot 34 in the sidewall 20, the force resulting from the elastic deflection of the leg portion 50 under the closing force F′ causes the flat portion 54 of the catch portion 52 to enter the slot 34. Thus, the leg portion 50 is returned to its non-deflected shape, rendering the lid 16 closed and locked.

[0047] A second currently preferred embodiment of a pill container 110 embodying the invention is shown in FIGS. 11 and 12. The discussion is limited here to the areas where the first and second embodiments differ. To facilitate review and description of the pill container 110, the same reference numbers are applied to parts in pill container 110 as in pill container 10, with an exception to where differences result, then they are offset by 100.

[0048] The pill container 110 has sidewalls 120 that are generally cylindrical in shape. Therefore, instead of the unlocking mechanism 18 sliding in a linear path as in the first embodiment, the unlocking mechanism 18 is slidable about an arcuate path. The track 132 in the sidewall 120 is preferably continuous, thus permitting the unlocking mechanism 18 to move slidably about the circumference of the pill container 110. As shown in FIG. 12, a track 128 in the bottom surface 24 is arcuate, and shown here as a generally circular track. Otherwise, the pill container 110 of the second embodiment remains functionally similar to the pill container 10 from the first embodiment.

[0049] A third currently preferred embodiment of a pill container 210 embodying the invention is shown in FIG. 13. The third embodiment remains generally similar to the first embodiment, therefore, the discussion is limited here to the points where the first and third embodiments differ. To facilitate review and description of the pill container 210, the same reference numbers are applied to parts in pill container 210 as in pill container 10, with an exception to where differences result, then they are offset by 200.

[0050] The pill container 210 has a slender and somewhat more compact container body 12 than the container body 12 in the first embodiment. The sidewalls 20, 21 and the end walls 22, 23 have a reduced height from those in the first embodiment, thus providing the more slender profile to the pill container 210. Otherwise, the pill container 210 in the third embodiment remains similar to the pill container 10 in the first embodiment.

[0051] A fourth currently preferred embodiment of a pill container 310 embodying the invention is shown in FIG. 14. The fourth embodiment remains generally similar to the first embodiment, therefore, the discussion is limited here to the points where the first and fourth embodiments differ. To facilitate review and description of the pill container 310, the same reference numbers are applied to parts in pill container 310 as in pill container 10, with an exception to where differences result, then they are offset by 300.

[0052] The pill container 310 has at least one compartment 114 wherein the compartment 114 has at least one partition, shown here as having two partitions 86, to create three separate sub-compartments 88, 89, 90 within the larger compartment 114. Otherwise, the pill container 310 in the fourth embodiment remains similar to the pill container 10 in the first embodiment.

[0053] Obviously, many modifications and variations of the preferred embodiment of the preferred invention are possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiment described only discloses the currently preferred embodiments of the invention, and it should be understood that the pill containers as described need not be limited to the shapes, sizes, and configurations as shown in the Figures. The disclosed embodiments are intended to be illustrative rather than definitive thereof.

Claims

1. A lockable pill container, comprising:

a container body defining a plurality of separate compartments, each having an open top;

a lid member associated with each of the compartments, each lid member being sized and constructed to overlie the open top of the associated compartments;

a hinge connecting each lid member to the container body and supporting the lid members for hinged movement between open and closed positions;

a latch member carried on each lid member positioned to engage an associated catch formed on the container body when the lid members are moved to the clearest positions for releasably locking the lid members individually in the closed positions; and

an unlatching mechanism slidably supported on the container body and moveable there along into engagement with a selected one of the latch members to forcibly urge such latch member toward an unlatched condition to enable a user to open such lid member and gain access to a selected one of the compartments without necessarily opening all of the lid members of the pill container.