Device for storing and dispensing in single units objects in the form of sheets or thin strips

Abstract

The invention concerns a device, such as a box, for storing and dispensing in single-units objects in the form of sheets, wafers, thin strips or platelets, with planar geometry in particular square, rectangular, polygonal, circular, elliptical, enabling said objects to be dispensed individually in single units, comprising: a) storage means such as a container with a lid, containing the objects to be dispensed, stored stacked on one another on a storage surface, said storage means including a surface for guiding the objects to be dispensed and a dispensing opening enabling the objects to be dispensed individually in single units; b) dispensing means bade of a flexible, deformable, mobile driving element, having one of its ends in contact with the object to be driven, along at least one transverse tangential contact line, and whereof the longitudinal cross-section is S- or nearly U-shaped.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The invention relates to a device for storing and dispensing in single units singularized objects ranging from rigid to flexible, objects in the form of sheets, small plates, thin strips or bands, and the container for singularized objects equipped with such a dispensing device.[0002]Numerous objects in the form of sheets, small plates, thin strips or bands are used as consumables. In particular, such objects are test “strips” in the form of rigid strips or bands used, for example, in the medical field for diagnostic or monitoring purposes. Other relatively flexible objects to be dispensed, having a square or rectangular shape, can also be in the form of a thin sheet, either alone or along with their protective packaging, e.g., bandages, transdermal patches or food products such as chewing gum or the like.[0003]For obvious reasons, hygiene in particular, but also to prevent any degradation and to thus improve the shelf life of the objects, the latter are ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0040]In order to promote the guide function, the guide surfaces are preferably made of rigid materials which enable easy sliding of the objects being dispensed. The guide surfaces for the objects being dispensed can also be treated, e.g., by graining, so that the coefficient of friction measured between the lower surface of the object being dispensed and the inner face of the container also makes it possible for the last object being dispensed to slide over the inside surface of the container.

[0093]All of these desiccant means are installed separately or simultaneously, in order to increase the effectiveness of their dehydrating action by mass effect.

Problems solved by technology

Such a device increases the risk of contamination.

When grasping on to a sheet or, for example, a test strip, the user's fingers come into contact with this strip or with the immediately adjacent strip, at the risk of degrading or contaminating the active surfaces of these sheets or strips by external pollution.

This dispensing device has numerous technical drawbacks, one of which, for example, is the fact that it seems incapable of dispensing objects in the form of very thin and / or flexible sheets; because, in this case, several sheets can be pushed out of the container simultaneously.

Furthermore, this device is also complex and relatively costly to produce because it requires the use of a device for extracting the leaves by means of a sliding system, which is equipped with a sliding blade of small thickness, pressing on the leaf to be dispensed, with a spring system for holding the leaves in a position bearing against one another, and with a lid having complex kinematics.

Finally, if several leaves are extracted simultaneously, without being able to control the number thereof, there is some risk of damaging them when they are reintegrated into the container, making the dispensing system even more random.

None of the devices derived from or similar to those of the prior art provide satisfactory results, because these devices do not make it possible to control the number of sheet objects extracted from the container when they are of a very fine thickness.

Furthermore, such devices do not make it possible to guarantee the absence of pollution or soiling of sheets extracted unexpectedly and then reintroduced into the container, because, due to their excess number they are unused, thereby deteriorating the quality of the stored sheets.

Thus, the prior art reveals that the flexible movable drive element can either be made of several types of materials, or consist of a complex mechanical system.

But, these object-dispensing devices appear to be complex in design, expensive to produce, and difficult to handle when the sheets being extracted are of a small thickness and flexible.

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