PILL BOTTLE DISPENSER FOR DISPENSING ONE OR TWO PILLS
A cap assembly for a pill bottle to allow dispensing only one or two pills at a time. The cap assembly has an inner cap with a rounded triangular opening and an outer cap with a rounded triangular opening and allows for a pill to be dispensed when both openings are aligned. The inner cap has a mechanism for engaging the bottle and the outer cap has a mechanism for engaging the inner cap. The cap assembly reduces the dispensing area for a pill and prevents spillage. The invention may also have a third cap to provide a child-resistance cap assembly. Alternately, the cap assembly may comprise a removable insert with a triangular opening that fits into a mouth of the pill bottle.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/545,888, filed on Jun. 26, 2015, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/756,555, filed on Sep. 17, 2015, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates generally to improved bottle cap design to facilitate the dispensing of pills from a pill bottle. More particularly, the improved bottle cap design permits the dispensing of one or two pills at a time from any pill bottle.
BACKGROUNDIn ill bottles such as bottles containing tablets and capsules, the contents are normally dispensed by removing the cap and tilting the bottle to one side. For persons with limited dexterity or movement disorders like Parkinson's Disease, it can be a challenge to dispense for two pills from a bottle.
Pill bottles with various safety cap designs are well known. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,267,265. Most of these are either difficult to operate, for example, child resistant caps requiring certain force to open the cap or once opened they allow unrestricted access to the pills inside the bottle. This results in unnecessary access to entire contents of the bottle as well as unintentional spillage of pills.
The use of a choke to narrow the opening of a bottle is well known with powdered products such as spices. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,437,593 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,449,638. However, the requirements for dispensing pharmaceutical products require additional safety features.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved, easy-to-use cap design that limits the number of pills a user can access each time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention is an improved pharmaceutical bottle cap that permits only one or two pills to be dispensed each time from a pill bottle. The bottle cap has a two-cap or three-cap assembly with a V-shaped notch making a reduced rounded triangular pill dispensing opening that minimizes accidental spillage of pills when the user needs only one or two pills each time. Pills are accessed by rotating the individual assembled caps to align with the openings in the cap assembly. A simple twist of the outer caps exposes the openings. The three-cap assembly provides a child resistant design. The improved cap design may be integral to the bottle cap or provided as a removable insert that goes into the mouth or neck of any pill bottle underneath a conventional cap. The improved bottle cap design can be easily incorporated into existing or custom pill bottles.
The term “pill” as used herein refers to pills, tablets, capsules, caplets and other such solid medicine forms. The term “bottle” as used herein refers to bottles and any such other container with a cap that holds pills.
In an embodiment, a cap assembly is disclosed for a pill bottle including an inner cap comprising a first top panel with an extended shoulder, a first opening contained in the first top panel, and a first skirt extending downward from the first top panel, the first skirt having an inner surface with a mechanism for engaging a neck of the bottle; and an outer cap over said inner cap, said outer cap engaged by the extended shoulder of the inner cap, said outer cap comprising a second top panel, a second opening contained in the second top panel, and a second skirt extending downward from the second top panel, the second skirt having an inner surface with a mechanism for engaging the inner cap and an outer surface with one or more ridges for providing a non-slip grip; wherein by twisting the outer cap until the second opening aligns with the first opening and on tilting the bottle, one or two pills are dispensed at a time through the aligned openings.
In an embodiment, the first and second openings for dispensing are shaped as rounded triangles.
In an embodiment, the first and second openings create a reduced pill dispensing area.
In an embodiment, the outer surface of the first top panel may have one or more raised areas for sealing moisture in the bottle.
In an embodiment, the mechanism for engaging the bottle neck comprises a plurality of snap locks to attach to one or more neck rings of the bottle.
In an embodiment, the mechanism for engaging the bottle neck comprises a plurality of snap locks to attach to one or more lugs of the bottle neck.
In an embodiment, the mechanism for engaging the inner cap comprises a plurality of snap locks.
In an embodiment, the first opening is contained in the first skirt and the second opening is contained in the second skirt.
In an embodiment, a child-proof cap assembly is provided for a pill bottle having an inner cap comprising a first top panel, a first opening contained in the first top panel, and a first skirt extending downward from the first top panel, the first skirt having an inner surface with a mechanism for engaging a neck of the bottle; a middle cap over said inner cap comprising a second top panel with an extended shoulder, a second opening contained in the second top panel, and a second skirt extending downward from the second top panel, the second skirt having an inner surface with a mechanism for engaging the inner cap and an outer surface with one or more ridges for providing a non-slip grip; and an outer cap over said middle cap, said outer cap engaged by the extended shoulder of the middle cap, said outer cap comprising a third top panel, a third opening contained in the third top panel, and a third skirt extending downward from the third top panel, the third skirt having an inner surface with a mechanism for engaging the middle cap and an outer surface with one or more ridges for providing a non-slip grip; wherein by twisting the outer cap until the third opening aligns with the second opening and then twisting the middle cap until the first opening aligns with the aligned second and third openings and titling the bottle, one or two pills are dispensed at a time through the aligned openings.
With reference to
The design of the cap assembly with the reduced dispensing opening allows only one or two pills to be dispensed each time when the bottle is tilted to the side by a user. The size of the opening accommodates only one pill at a time. In another embodiment, the size of the opening accommodates only two pills. For example, opening 115 may be ½ inch by ¾ inch and opening 125 may be 17/32 inch by 13/16 inch. This minimizes any accidental or unintentional spillage of pills. Pills are accessed by the user by simply rotating the individual assembled caps 110 and 120 to align the openings 115 and 125 in the two-cap assembly. A simple twist of the outer cap recloses the openings. The two caps in the cap assembly 100 can be scaled up or down to adapt to any size or any shape pill bottle. To further reduce pill spillage, the user can intentionally misalign one of the cap openings thereby reducing the open area for pill dispensing.
The size of openings 115 and 125 can be adjusted based on the product and type of dispensing desired. For example, for small tablets, the openings should be small enough to allow only one or two tablets to be dispensed. For larger pills, the openings must be larger. The openings can also be adjusted to dispense just a single pill, depending the nature of the product.
With reference to
With reference to
Thus the two-cap assembly provides a user with a reduced opening for dispensing that minimizes accidental spillage of pills. The actual opening may be set to only be big enough for one pill. Or it may be adjusted to a smaller opening to deliver only one or two pills, regardless of the pill size, by intentionally not fully aligning the cap openings. In the normal closed or locked position, the opening 125 in the outer cap is fully out of alignment with the opening 115 in the inner cap. The inner cap is designed to be firmly tightened or snapped into place using either the threaded or four snap or six snap cap lock design depending on the bottle style. The inner cap may be configured so that it does not need to be removed once properly in place. The outer cap 120 may have finger grip ridges on the outside of the cap edge to provide a non-slip grip so that the reduced pill opening on the inner cap comes into alignment for quick and easy pill dispensing. A gentle twist of the outer cap recloses the pill bottle. The cap assembly may be disposable and discarded when the pill bottle is empty. The cap assembly of the invention may be installed by pharmacists when completing a prescription or installed by a user on any existing pill bottle.
In another embodiment shown in
The normal child-resistant closed position is realized when all three cap openings are misaligned so that no open pill dispensing area exists between each cap. To dispense a pill, the openings in each of the three caps must be aligned. The middle cap may have finger grip ridges on the outside of the cap edge to provide a non-slip grip to allow it to rotate and lock the inner cap into place. The middle cap 120 may have a mechanism for engagement, e.g., snap cap locks, that are designed with sufficient clearance between the middle cap and the inner cap to allow the middle and inner caps to freely rotate in the opposite counter clockwise direction, which provides child protection. The outer cap 130 snaps into place over the middle cap 120 in such a way that a gentle lifting and twisting motion allows the rotation of the outer cap in either direction while the middle cap is held in place by the opposite hand. The third cap 130 also may have a non-slip grip edge for easy grip and rotation.
To open the child-proof cap embodiment, the user can gently rotate the outer cap in either direction while holding the easy grip middle cap edge until the two openings 135 and 125 are in alignment. Then the middle cap is lifted in either direction until the inner cap opening 115 comes into alignment. Pills are dispensed through the aligned openings in all three caps by tilting the bottle and gently tapping a finger on the outside of the pill bottle until the pill has been dispensed. To reclose the cap, the inner cap 110 remains in place. The middle cap may be rotated in either direction while gently lifting until the opening in the inner cap is fully closed. Then the outer cap 130 may be rotated in either direction while holding the middle cap grip edge to close the opening between the middle and the outer caps.
The openings in the two-cap assembly or the three-cap assembly may be in the top panel of the caps or in the side skirt of the caps.
An alternative embodiment of the insert is
The insert 700 is removable. For example, the insert can be removed by inserting a handle end of any silverware and gently lifting the insert out of the mouth of the bottle.
The insert is disposable and can be made in any standard or custom pill bottle size.
The pill bottle insert 700 may be inserted by any user at home, by any distributor at a sales counter or by a pharmacist after filling the prescription but before installing the bottle cap. The insert may be adapted to fit into any snap cap bottle.
The cap assembly 100 or the insert 700 is preferably molded out of any suitable plastic such as thermoplastics like polypropylene and polyethylene.
Claims
1. A cap assembly for a medicine bottle containing tablets or capsules comprising:
- an inner cap comprising a first top panel with an extended shoulder, a first single opening contained in the first top panel, and a first skirt extending downward from the first top panel, the first skirt having an inner surface with a first mechanism for engaging a neck of the bottle; and
- an outer cap over said inner cap, said outer cap engaged by the extended shoulder of the inner cap, said outer cap comprising a second top panel, a second single opening contained in the second top panel, and a second skirt extending downward from the second top panel, the second skirt having an inner surface with a second mechanism for engaging the inner cap and an outer surface with one or more ridges for providing a non-slip grip;
- wherein by twisting the outer cap until the second opening aligns with the first opening and on tilting the bottle, one or two tablets or capsules are dispensed at a time through the aligned openings when the medicine bottle is tilted.
2. A cap assembly of claim 1 wherein the first and second openings for dispensing are shaped as rounded triangles.
3. canceled.
4. A cap assembly of claim 1, wherein the outer surface of the first top panel has one or more raised areas for sealing moisture in the bottle.
5. A cap assembly of claim 1, wherein the first mechanism for engaging the bottle neck comprises a plurality of snap locks to attach to one or more neck rings of the bottle.
6. A cap assembly of claim 1, wherein the first mechanism for engaging the bottle neck comprises a plurality of snap locks to attach to one or more lugs of the bottle neck.
7. A cap assembly of claim 1, wherein the second mechanism for engaging the inner cap comprises a plurality of snap locks.
8. (canceled)
9. A child-proof cap assembly for a pill bottle comprising:
- an inner cap comprising a first top panel, a first opening contained in the first top panel, and a first skirt extending downward from the first top panel, the first skirt having an inner surface with a mechanism for engaging a neck of the bottle;
- a middle cap over said inner cap comprising a second top panel with an extended shoulder, a second opening contained in the second top panel, and a second skirt extending downward from the second top panel, the second skirt having an inner surface with a mechanism for engaging the inner cap and an outer surface with one or more ridges for providing a non-slip grip; and
- an outer cap over said middle cap, said outer cap engaged by the extended shoulder of the middle cap, said outer cap comprising a third top panel, a third opening contained in the third top panel, and a third skirt extending downward from the third top panel, the third skirt having an inner surface with a mechanism for engaging the middle cap and an outer surface with one or more ridges for providing a non-slip grip;
- wherein by twisting the outer cap until the third opening aligns with the second opening and then twisting the middle cap until the first opening aligns with the aligned second and third openings and titling the bottle, one or two pills are dispensed at a time through the aligned openings.
10. A cap assembly of claim 9 wherein the first, second and third openings for dispensing are shaped as rounded triangles.
11. A cap assembly of claim 9 wherein the first, second and third openings create a reduced pill dispensing area.
12. A removable circular insert for a medicine bottle comprising:
- a cylindrical sleeve having a floor and an open top with a flange on the top edge, and having a triangular opening in the floor, wherein the insert fits into a mouth of the bottle and partially covers the mouth of the bottle, wherein the flange extends over a top lip of the mouth of the bottle and rests on the lip, such that a conventional cap for the bottle fits normally into place over the sleeve, and wherein the opening reduces the area for dispensing a tablet or capsule in the bottle, such that only one or two tablets or capsules are dispensed when the bottle is tilted for the purpose of dispensing tablets or capsules.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 27, 2016
Publication Date: Dec 28, 2017
Inventor: Prenith Lenear BARTLEY (Winchester, VA)
Application Number: 15/194,513