Medications Storage and Time Keeping Apparatus

Abstract

A combination of an organizer for medications and an alarm clock is disclosed. A rigid housing is divided into at least seven peripheral compartments, each of which is open at one side thereof and has a pivoting door. Each door and compartment may further include a manually-actuable mechanical door snap for holding the door in the closed position. At least seven such peripheral compartment doors are included having an indicia thereon for indicating a day of the week. One of the compartments may be designated as a spoon compartment, adapted to receive a spoon for allowing a user to physically manage medications contained in at least one of the other compartments. Likewise, one other of the compartments may be designated as a tweezers compartment. An alarm clock is fixed proximate the center of the housing, the alarm clock for reminding the user once each day to take the medication in the compartment corresponding to the present day of the week.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60/860,906, filed on Nov. 24, 2006, and incorporated herein by reference.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to organizers, and more particularly to a medication organizer combined with a time keeping apparatus.

DISCUSSION OF RELATED ART

It is well known that taking medication on a timely, prescribed basis is vital to the effectiveness of the medication. If doses are missed, certain ailments can actually become more acute. If doses are added, the medication itself may become dangerous to a patient's health. As such, having a means by which to remember to take medications, vitamins, or the like is important, particularly to those who have trouble remembering to take their medication, or if they have already taken their medication, on a particular day. Elderly and the infirm often need some type of reminding device.

Being properly reminded to take one's medication, however, is only valuable if it is also evident what medications are to be taken. Disparate prescriptions, vitamins, and the like often are delivered to the patient in separate jars, and thus the patient must remember which medications to take, and which medications have already been taken, for a particular day.

Medication organizers exist that have elaborate timing and scheduling means, and that lock or unlock particular compartments of a medicine organizer. However, such devices are overly complicated, making them difficult to use, particularly by the elderly or infirm. Further, such devices are relatively expensive to manufacture, and provide no means for easily physically managing what are sometimes relatively small tablets or pills.

Therefore, there is a need for a device that provides a simple-to-use, easy-to-read alarm clock type of mechanism combined with a medication organizer that is itself simple to both read and use. Further, such a needed device would provide means for physically managing small pills and tablets. The present invention accomplishes these objectives.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present device is a combination of an organizer for medications and an alarm clock. A rigid housing is divided into at least seven peripheral compartments, each of which is open at one side thereof and has a pivoting door. Each door and compartment may further include a manually-actuable mechanical door snap for holding the door in the closed position. At least seven such peripheral compartment doors are included having an indicia thereon for indicating a day of the week.

The combination further includes an alarm clock fixed proximate the center of the housing. Such an alarm clock has a readable face oriented towards a top side of the housing, and a clock control means accessible from a bottom side of the housing through a bottom aperture. A bottom aperture door is adapted to selectively cover the bottom aperture. Such an alarm clock can be set to remind the user to take the medication in the compartment corresponding to the present day of the week.

One of the compartments may be designated as a spoon compartment, adapted to receive a spoon for allowing a user to physically manage medications contained in at least one of the other compartments. Likewise, one other of the compartments may be designated as a tweezers compartment, adapted to receive a tweezers for allowing a user to physically manage medications contained in at least one of the other compartments.

The present invention provides a simple-to-use, easy-to-read alarm clock type of mechanism combined with a medication organizer that is itself simple to both read and use. Further, the present device provides means for physically managing small pills and tablets. Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the invention, illustrated with two compartment doors in an open position;

FIG. 3 is a left-side elevational view of a spoon of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a left-side elevational view of a tweezers of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of one compartment of the invention, illustrated with its compartment door in the open position;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the tweezers;

FIG. 7 is a rear elevational view of the invention, illustrated with a rear aperture door in an open position to expose a clock control means; and

FIG. 8 is a rear elevational view of the invention, illustrated with the rear aperture door in a closed position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a combination 10 of an organizer for medications and an alarm clock. The medications (not shown) are preferably pills, tablets, or the like.

A rigid housing 46, made preferably from plastic, is divided into at least seven peripheral compartments 22, each of which is open at one side thereof (FIG. 6). Each compartment 22 has a pivoting door 24 that is adapted to selectively cover the one open side 23. Such a pivoting door 24 is preferably formed into the housing 22 with a living spring, or the like, on one edge thereof. As such, the pivoting door 24 may be selectively set to cover the one open side 23, or set into an open position (FIGS. 2 and 6). Each door 24 and compartment 22 may further include a manually-actuable mechanical door snap 54 for holding the door 24 in the closed position, over the one open side 23 of the compartment 22. The cover 24 is preferably transparent or translucent, so as to allow a user to see inside of each compartment 22. The housing 46 may be opaque, transparent, or translucent, such as in the case wherein the housing 46 is made from acrylic, for example.

At least seven such peripheral compartment doors 24 are included having an indicia 26 thereon for indicating a day of the week. Further, each compartment door 24 may further include an indicia 26 of a specific and unique color, to further aid in identifying a desired compartment 22.

The combination 10 further includes an alarm clock 28 (FIGS. 1 and 2) fixed proximate the center of the housing 46. Such an alarm clock 28 has a readable face 29 oriented towards a top side 49 of the housing 46, and a clock control means 31 accessible from a bottom side 47 of the housing through a bottom aperture 48. A bottom aperture door 52 is adapted to selectively cover the bottom aperture 48 (FIGS. 7 and 8). Preferably the alarm clock 28 is of the type wherein the clock control means 31 includes a battery 65 contained within a battery compartment 64, a time adjustment knob 56, an alarm time adjustment knob 60, and an alarm activation switch 62. The alarm clock 28 is powered by the battery 65 to drive the readable face 29 to track the correct time once the time adjustment knob 56 is used to set the correct time. If the alarm activation switch 62 is in an “alarm set” mode, once the current time reaches the alarm time, as set by the alarm time adjustment knob 60, the alarm clock will produce an audible and/or visual alarm. Such an alarm reminds the user once each day to take the medication in the compartment 22 corresponding to the present day of the week, as indicated by the indicia 26 on each compartment 22 containing medication.

One of the compartments 22 may be designated as a spoon compartment 38, adapted to receive a spoon 32 (FIG. 3) that has a deep area 34 for allowing a user to physically manage medications contained in at least one of the other compartments 22. Likewise, one other of the compartments 22 may be designated as a tweezers compartment 42, adapted to receive a tweezers 36 (FIGS. 4 and 5) for allowing a user to physically manage medications contained in at least one of the other compartments 22.

While a particular form of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be apparent that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, tools other than the spoon 32 or the tweezers 36 may be added to the combination 10. Further, additional compartments 22 corresponding to AM and PM for each day of the week may further be added, for example. Accordingly, it is not intended that the invention be limited, except as by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A combination organizer for medications and alarm clock, comprising:

a rigid housing divided into at least seven peripheral compartments each open at one side thereof, each compartment having a pivoting door adapted to selectively cover the open side, at least seven such peripheral compartment doors including an indicia thereon for indicating a day of the week; and

an alarm clock fixed proximate the center of the housing; the alarm clock having a readable face oriented towards a front side of the housing and a clock control means accessible from a bottom side of the housing through a bottom aperture, a bottom aperture door adapted to selectively cover the bottom aperture.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein at least one of the peripheral compartments is adapted to receive a spoon, whereby a user may use the spoon to physically manage medications contained in at least one of the other peripheral compartments.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein at least one of the peripheral compartments is adapted to receive a tweezers, whereby a user may use the tweezers to physically manage medications contained in at least one of the other peripheral compartments.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein the clock control means includes a battery contained within a battery compartment, a time adjustment knob, an alarm time adjustment knob, and an alarm activation switch.

5. The combination of claim 1 wherein the bottom aperture door and each compartment door each include a manually-actuable mechanical door snap for holding the door in place over the open side of one of the compartments.

6. The combination of claim 1 wherein each compartment door has a unique color applied thereto, the color contrasting with the indicia.