Sorter component, pill dispenser assembly, kit of parts, adapter, and method

Abstract

A pill dispenser sorter 100 for a pill dispenser assembly 10 suitable for retrofit attachment to an existing pill bottle container and locatable at least partially within the neck opening of the pill

Description

Field The present disclosure relates to a sorter component, in particular to a sorter component for a pill dispenser assembly. The present disclosure further relates to a pill dispenser assembly, a kit of parts, an adapter for a pill dispenser assembly, and a method of sorting pills. Background to the invention Products, such as pharmaceuticals and dietary supplements, are administered to patients (i.e., an intended recipient of the product). In a number of instances, it is necessary for the patient to administer themselves the correct dose of product. Conventionally, a pill (a “unit of product”), such as a pharmaceutical drug or dietary supplement, may be provided in a packaging such as a container. For example, a pill may be a pharmaceutical drug provided in pill form in a standard medicine bottle. A person may be required to take a specific number of pills per unit time. Devices have been developed to assist a patient in taking a dose by dispensing pills. There are a number of problems with existing devices. One problem is that the patient may experience difficultly in accessing a dose. In such cases, the patient may be required to shake or turn over, perhaps repeatedly, the container and device to access the dose. This difficultly, and resulting delay, may discourage or prevent the patient from accessing and administering the correct dose. One scenario in which it is particularly important to ensure that a patient is administering the correct dose is in clinical trial. In clinical trial, a patient may be monitored for adherence. Adherence is the rate at which a patient follows a prescribed regimen for administering a product such as a drug. Adherence needs to be high for the drug to be able to have its desired effect. Unfortunately, adherence by patients is highly variable. It is estimated that 50 - 70% of drugs are not taken correctly. This is having knock on effects on the outcome of treatments, clinical trials, and increasing costs in the healthcare sector. A further problem relates to compatibility of said devices with a container used to package the pills. Pharmaceutical companies typically use standard container sizes, with the particular container size being chosen based on drug stability when stored in the container (with the amount of air in the container affecting the pills). Pharmaceutical companies may therefore be unwilling to adopt a different container size to accommodate a dispensing device, or indeed may be preventing from adopting a different container size due to drug stability testing conducted during a regulatory approval process. As a result, a desired dispenser device may be incompatible for use with a particular container size. It is one aim of the present invention, amongst others, to provide an improved sorter component, pill dispenser assembly, kit of parts, adapter and / or method and / or address one or more of the problems discussed above, or discussed elsewhere, or to at least provide an alternative solution. Summary of the invention A first aspect provides a sorter component for a pill dispenser assembly, the sorter component comprising: a slide member arrangement comprising a slide member comprising a surface extending to a product outlet, thereby to guide a pill toward the product outlet by the pill sliding on the surface, wherein the sorter component is configured to be at least partially located in a container for containing one or more pills. In one example, the slide member arrangement comprises a plurality of slide members, each slide member comprising a surface extending to a respective product outlet, thereby to guide a pill toward the respective product outlet by the pill sliding on the surface. In one example, the slide members are arranged to at least partially spiral around one another. In one example, the slide member arrangement comprises two slide members. In one example, the surface comprises at least a region of convex curvature. In one example, the region of convex curvature is provided proximal to the product outlet. In one example, the width of the surface of the slide member increases in a direction away from the product outlet. In one example, the sorter component further comprises an aperture arranged to receive an agitator member therethrough. In one example, the sorter component further comprises an adapter comprising an outer surface arranged to be insertable in a neck of a container for containing one or more pills. In one example, the adapter is sized to be providable in a container having a 38mm neck diameter. In one example, the sorter component is retrofit to the opening of an existing container. A second aspect provides a pill dispenser assembly comprising a sorter component according to the first aspect. A third aspect provides a kit of parts comprising: a container for containing one or more pills; and the sorter component according to the first aspect or a pill dispenser assembly according to the second aspect. In one example, the sorter component is providable at least partially within the neck of the container. In one example, the slide member arrangement is providable to project into the container beyond the neck of the container. A fourth aspect provides an adapter for a pill dispenser assembly, the adapter comprising: an inner surface arranged to be provided in a facing manner with a surface of the pill dispenser assembly; and an outer surface arranged to be insertable in a neck of a container for containing one or more pills. In one example, the adapter has a 38mm outer diameter. A fifth aspect provides a method of sorting pills comprising: locating the sorter component according to the first aspect or pill dispenser assembly according to the second aspect at least partially in a container for containing one or more pills; and using the slide member arrangement to guide a pill to the product outlet. It will of course be appreciated that features described in relation to one aspect of the present invention may be incorporated into other aspects of the present invention. For example, the method of the fifth aspect of the invention may incorporate any of the features described with reference to the sorter component, pill dispenser assembly and / or kit of any other aspect of the invention and vice versa. Other preferred and advantageous features of the invention will be apparent from the following description. Brief description of the figures For a better understanding of the invention, and to show how embodiments of the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example only, to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which: Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a pill dispenser assembly fitted to a container; Fig. 2 shows a first exploded view of the pill dispenser assembly of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of the pill dispenser assembly of Fig. 1 in isolation and absent a housing; Fig. 4 shows cross sections through the pill dispenser assembly of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 shows an adapter provided on a pill dispenser assembly; Fig. 6 shows a schematic kit of parts; and Fig. 7 shows general methodology principles. Detailed description of the invention According to the present invention there is provided a sorter component, pill dispenser assembly, kit of parts and method as set forth in the appended claims. Other features of the invention will be apparent from the dependent claims, and the description which follows. The description which follows describes a number of embodiments. The embodiments are only embodiments of the invention where the system and method is as defined in the claims that follow. The reader will appreciate that features of the embodiments which do not fall within the scope of the invention may nevertheless be incorporated in embodiments of the invention which do fall within the scope of the invention. For this reason, the description of the embodiments which are absent these features are retained in order to provide useful background information to the reader. A pill dispenser assembly 10 and sorter component 100 are described herein. It will be appreciated that benefits of the invention may be derived by providing the sorter component 100 in isolation. For example, the sorter component may be suitable for retrofit in an existing pill dispenser mechanism or pill dispenser assembly, thereby to provide an improved pill dispenser mechanism or assembly. Nevertheless, the sorter component 100 is particularly advantageous when provided as part of a pill dispenser assembly 10, or as a kit comprising the sorter component 100, as herein described. Advantageously, the pill dispenser assembly 10 and sorter component 100 have a small form-factor. In this way, the pill dispenser assembly 10 and sorter component 100 can be adapted for, or used in conjunction with, various container or bottle sizes desired by the end user. Furthermore, the sorter component 100 or pill dispenser assembly 10 are described as being retro-fitted to the opening of an existing container. That is, a container (e.g., a pill bottle) may be provided, and a sorter component 100 or pill dispenser assembly 10 may be retro-fitted to the container to sort, or sort and dispense, pills therefrom. This is particularly advantageous as the assembly 10 or sorter component 100 can be provided to sort, or sort and dispense, pills from generic containers, for example during clinical trial or for particular patients. Nevertheless, in other examples, it is possible to manufacture containers comprising components of the pill dispenser assembly 10 or the sorter component 100. Referring to Figure 1, the pill dispenser assembly 10 is shown attached to a container 1 for containing one or more pills. The container 1 comprises a chamber or main containing region in which pills are contained, and a neck which is a narrower region proximal to the opening of the container 1. A screw thread is provided on the outer surface of the neck of the container 1. The pill dispenser assembly 10 engages with the opening of the container 1 by engaging the screw thread at the neck of the container 1 using a corresponding screw thread at the pill dispenser assembly 10. The pill dispenser assembly 10 comprises a housing assembly 12. The housing assembly 12 comprises openings 14 through which pill can be dispensed to the user (e.g., a patient or intended recipient of the dose). A cap (not shown) may further be provided over the upper portion of the housing assembly 12, to cover the openings 14. The cap may be connected to the housing assembly 12 by a screw thread provided on the cap engaging a corresponding screw thread provided at the upper region of the housing assembly 12. In use, during a dispensing process, the container 1 and pill dispenser assembly 10 engaged therewith are inverted (relative to the orientation shown in Figure 1, with vertical axis indicated at 2) such that the container 1 is disposed vertically above the pill dispenser assembly 10. During the dispensing process, pills travel from the container 1, down into and through the pill dispenser assembly 10, and are dispensed to the user via the openings 14. The dispensing process is thus gravity-assisted. Referring to Figure 2, the pill dispenser assembly 10 is shown in exploded upper perspective view. In Figure 2, the pill dispenser assembly 10 is in the inverted orientation, which is the orientation required for the dispensing process. The pill dispenser assembly 10 comprises the sorter component 100, a first housing assembly part 12a, a second housing assembly part 12b, and a pill dispenser mechanism 20. In Figure 2, the sorter component 100 and pill dispenser mechanism 20 are shown split in two halves to reveal their internal construction. In the assembled pill dispenser assembly 10, the first housing assembly part 12a provides the outer housing of the pill dispenser assembly 10 (e.g., the part of the housing assembly 12 visible in Figure 1). The second housing assembly part 12b is providable at least partly within the first housing assembly part 12a. The second housing assembly part 12b is provided around the pill dispenser mechanism 20. The pill dispenser assembly 10 is housed in the first housing assembly part 12a. The first housing assembly part 12a and second housing assembly part 12b are connected by use of screws (not shown) extending into bores 32 provided in shoulder portions of the pill dispenser mechanism 20. The second housing assembly part 12b engages with the opening of the container 1 by screw thread 14. The sorter component 100 is locatable at least partially in the container 1. In this example, the sorter component 100 extends into the opening of the container, and into the neck, of the container 1. In this way, the sorter component 100 may provide improved interaction with pills contained within the container, thereby ensuring reliability of the dispensing process. That is, in an example, the sorter component 100 extends only into the neck of the container 1, and no further into the container 1 (i.e., does not extend into the chamber thereof). In this way, jamming or clogging of pills between the sorter component 100 and walls of the container 1 is prevented, as no gap or space is created between the sorter component 100 and walls (or the “shoulder") of the container 1 where pills may become jammed. Reliable operation of the sorter component 100 is thereby ensured. In other examples, it is possible for the sorter component 100 to extend further into the container 1, for example into the chamber thereof. The sorter component 100 is configured to sort pills received from the container 1 into supply lines. The sorter component 100 is configured to sort pills received from the container 1 into two supply lines. Pills are supplied to the pill dispenser mechanism 20 from the sorter component 100. Pills are supplied to one or more chambers 22, 24 of the pill dispenser mechanism 20 via one or more inlets 26, 28. It will be appreciated that the sorter component 100 functions to receive pills from the container 1 and sort the pills into supply lines for provision to a pill dispenser mechanism 20, to be dispensed to a patient. In this example, the pill dispenser mechanism 20 comprises two chambers 22, 24 each having an inlet 26, 28. However, it will be appreciated that some benefits of the invention may be obtainable with other configurations of pill dispenser mechanism 20 (e.g., a mechanism having only a single chamber). The pill dispenser mechanism 20 may control the passage of pills through the mechanism during a dispensing process. Referring to Figure 3, the sorter component 100 is shown provided as part of a pill dispenser assembly 10. Housing assembly parts 12a, 12b are absent. The sorter component 100 comprises a slide member arrangement 110. The slide member arrangement 110 comprises a slide member 112 comprising a surface 114 extending to a product outlet 116. The slide member 112 is arranged to guide a pill toward the product outlet 116 by the pill sliding on the surface 114. In the example shown in Figure 3, the slide member arrangement 110 comprises a plurality of slide members 112a, 112b. Each slide member 112a, 112b comprises a surface 114a, 114b extending to a respective product outlet 116a, 116b. The slide members 112a, 112b are each arranged to guide a pill toward the respective product outlet 116a, 116b by the pill sliding on the surface 114a, 114b. Specifically, in the example shown in Figure 3, the slide member arrangement 110 comprises two slide members 112a, 112b. In this way, the sorter component 100 is configured to sort pill received from the container 1 into two supply lines. Furthermore, in this way, the sorter component 100 can sort pills into two supply lines to be supplied to two chambers 22, 24 of the pill dispenser mechanism 20. The product outlets 116a, 116b are outlets of the sorter component 100. The product outlets 116a, 116b may align with (e.g., by being coaxial with, or contiguous with) the inlets 26, 28. In this way, pills which are guided toward the product outlets 116a, 116b may be passed, or transferred, from the sorter component 100 to the pill dispenser mechanism 20 by entering the chambers 22, 24 via inlets 26, 28. The slide members 112a, 112b each extend to an edge of the respective product outlet 116a, 116b. By providing a slide member arrangement 110, pills are transported by sliding to the product outlets 116a, 116b. Highly advantageously, sliding movement of the pills improves reliability of the dispensing process, by ensuring that the pill orientation is such that they may be passed reliably and consistently from the sorter component 100 to the pill dispenser mechanism 20. Jamming or clogging of the product outlet 116a, 116b is mitigated. The requirement for the pill dispenser assembly 10 and container 1 needing to be shaken, or dispensing reattempted, is reduced or eliminated, thereby reducing difficulty and delay in accessing the correct dose. The slide members 112a, 112b are arranged to at least partially spiral around one another. The slide members 112a, 112b extend downwardly and spiral around one another. In examples, the slide members 112a, 112b may be said to spiral or twist about a common axis (which may be a vertical axis). The slide members 112a, 112b may have a substantially double helix shape, or have the form of a portion or part of a double helix shape. Advantageously, by the slide members 112a, 112b at least partially spiralling around one another, a compact sorter component 100 can be constructed. This improves compatibility with containers having small neck sizes, for example those used in the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry. Furthermore, multiple supply lines can be provided, whilst still providing a sorter component 100 having a compact size or small form factor. This is highly advantageous in ensuring the sorter component 100 can be used in conjunction with many different container sizes. The slide member arrangement 110 comprises at least a region of convex curvature. Two regions of convex curvature are indicated in Figure 3 at 150a and 150b. The region, or regions, of convex curvature are regions of the slide surface 114a, 114b. That is, the, or each, slide surface 114a, 114b has at least a region of convex curvature. Such a region of convex curvature may be referred to as a convex slide surface region 150. By this construction, the gradient of the surface 114a, 114b increases toward the product outlet 116a, 116b or chamber inlet 26, 28. Such a construction has the highly advantageous effect of orienting pills sliding along the surface 114a, 114b into or towards a vertical orientation. In this way, the pills can be passed in or close to a vertical orientation to the product outlet 116a, 116b or chamber inlet 26, 28. Clogging or jamming of the product outlets 116a, 116b or inlets 26, 28 is thereby mitigated. Furthermore, pills in a vertical orientation may be in an improved orientation for control or manipulation by the pill dispenser mechanism 20. Additionally, such a construction may improve organisation of the pills into supply lines. The region of convex curvature 150a, 150b is provided proximal to the product outlet 116a, 116b. In this way, the pills can be passed in or close to a vertical orientation to the product outlet 116a, 116b or chamber inlet 26, 28. Clogging or jamming of the product outlets 116a, 116b or inlets 26, 28 is thereby mitigated. Furthermore, pills in a vertical orientation may be in an improved orientation for control or manipulation by the pill dispenser mechanism 20. It will be appreciated that the entire slide surface 114a, 114b may have convex curvature. This may improve orientation of the pills into the vertical orientation. Alternatively, a region of the slide surface 114a, 114b away from the product outlet 116a, 116b (e.g., in a region arranged to initially receive pills from the container 1 to which the pill dispenser assembly 10 is attached) may not have a convex curvature. Such a region may be planar, or indeed may have a concave curvature. A planar region or concave region of the slide surface 114a, 114b may improve the manner in which the sorter component 100 receives pills from the container 1, for example by improving ease with which the sorter component 100 initially receives pills from the container 1. The width of the surface 114a, 114b of the slide members 112a, 112b increases in a direction away from the product outlet 116a, 116b. The widths are indicated at 132a, 132b. The width of the surface 114a, 114b is defined as the distance between lateral edges of the surface 114a, 114b. In this way, a greater surface area of the slide surface 114a, 114b is provided in the region arranged to initially receive pills from the container 1, which may be a region of the surface 114a, 114b which extends into the container 1. Improved interaction of the sorter component 100 with the pills contained in the container 1 is thereby provided, which ensures pills are consistently provided to the sorter component 100 and reduces the need for shaking of the container 1 and pill dispenser assembly 10 to encourage pills into the sorter component 100 to be dispensed to the patient. The width of the surface 114a, 114b of the slide members 112a, 112b may taper toward the product outlet 116a, 116b. That is, from the initially wider end of the slide surface 114a, 114b the width may reduce toward the product outlet 116a, 116b. The width may be at a minimum at the product outlet 116a, 116b. The width may be sufficient for only a single pill to pass along the slide surface 114a, 114b and to the product outlet 116a, 116b. Sorting of the pills into supply lines is thereby improved, and risk of jamming of the product outlet 116a, 116b is thereby reduced. Referring to Figures 4(a) and 4(b), cross sections through the pill dispenser assembly 10 are shown. The sorter component 100 comprises an aperture 140. The aperture 140 is a central aperture between the product outlets 116a, 116b. The aperture 140 is arranged to receive an agitator member 180 therethrough. The agitator member 180 is shown in Figure 5. In this example, the agitator member 180 is provided in the pill dispenser mechanism 20 of the pill dispenser assembly 10. However, in other examples, the agitator member 180 may be a part of the sorter component 100. The agitator member 180 is rotatable. In this example, the agitator member 180 has an elongate finger-shaped form. The agitator member 180 extends through the sorter component 100 between the slide members 112a, 112b. The agitator member 180 is configured to be at least partially located in the container 1, along with the sorter component 100. Rotation of the agitator member 180 agitates the pills, and pushes or disrupts the pills to lie on the surfaces 114a, 114b of the slide members 112a, 112b. In this way, improved operation of the sorter component 100 is realised, as it may be ensured that pills are consistently and reliably provided on the slide members 112a, 112b of the sorter component 100. The sorter component 100, and more generally the pill dispenser assembly 10, may be formed in two halves as illustrated in Figures 4(a) and 4(b). Highly advantageously, in this way, high volume manufacturing is facilitated. The pill dispenser assembly 10 and / or the sorter component 100 may be formed by machining (e.g., CNC machining) or injection moulding. In particular, the pill dispenser mechanism 100 (or parts thereof, including the chambers 24, 26) and sorter component 100 may be formed integrally using machining or injection moulding. Referring to Figure 5, an adapter 200 is shown. The adapter 200 is for a pill dispenser assembly 10. In this example, the adapter 200 is provided on the pill dispenser assembly 10, by being formed integrally therewith. The adapter 200 is provided around or about the sorter component 100. The adapter 200 comprises an inner surface 210. The inner surface 210 is arranged to be provided in a facing manner with a surface of the pill dispenser assembly 10, specifically in a facing manner with an outer surface of the sorter component 100. The adapter 200 comprises an outer surface 220. The outer surface 220 is arranged to be insertable in a neck of a container for containing one or more pills (e.g., container 1 described above). The adapter 200 is in the form of an annular wall. In this example, the adapter 200 is sized to fit a container having a 38mm neck diameter, which may have a neck aperture dimension less than 38mm. In absence of the adapter 200, the pill dispenser assembly 10 (in particular, the sorter component 100) may be adapted, or sized, to fit in a container having a 33mm neck diameter. With the provision of the adapter 200, the pill dispenser assembly 10 may be adapted, or sized, to fit in a container having a 38mm neck diameter. When provided in a container having a 38mm neck diameter, the adapter 200 fills the void between the sorter component 100 and the neck of the container 1. Containers having 33mm and 38mm neck diameter will be well known to those skilled in the art, as they are common, and well used, in the industry, and are preferred by pharmaceutical manufacturers. Advantageously, by provision of the adapter 200, the same construction of sorter component 100 or pill dispenser assembly 10 may be employed, but adapted for use with containers of different neck diameter by provision of the adapter 200. In this way, the pill dispenser assembly 10 may be adapted for use with different container sizes, and thus pharmaceutical companies may be able to employ the sorter component 100 or pill dispenser assembly 10 without changing container size (which as above may present a problem due to drug stability testing during a regulatory approval process). Referring to Figure 6, a kit of parts is schematically shown. The kit comprises a sorter component 100, or a pill dispenser assembly 10, and a container 1 for containing one or more pills. Referring to Figure 7, a method of sorting pills is shown. Step S710 comprises locating the sorter component 100 or pill dispenser assembly 10 at least partially in a container for containing one or more pills. Step S720 comprises using the slide member arrangement to guide a pill to the product outlet. It will be appreciated that the method of sorting pills may incorporate any or all of the features of, or operations of, the sorter component 100 or pill dispenser assembly 10, as desired or as appropriate. Definitions Although a preferred embodiment has been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications might be made without departing from the scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims and as described above. At least some of the example embodiments described herein may be constructed, partially or wholly, using dedicated special-purpose hardware. Terms such as ‘component’, ‘module’ or ‘unit’ used herein may include, but are not limited to, a hardware device, such as circuitry in the form of discrete or integrated components, a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), which performs certain tasks or provides the associated functionality. In some embodiments, the described elements may be configured to reside on a tangible, persistent, addressable storage medium and may be configured to execute on one or more processors. These functional elements may in some embodiments include, by way of example, components, such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components and task components, processes, functions, attributes, procedures, subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuitry, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables. Although the example embodiments have been described with reference to the components, modules and units discussed herein, such functional elements may be combined into fewer elements or separated into additional elements. Various combinations of optional features have been described herein, and it will be appreciated that described features may be combined in any suitable combination. In particular, the features of any one example embodiment may be combined with features of any other embodiment, as appropriate, except where such combinations are mutually exclusive. Throughout this specification, the term “comprising” or “comprises” means including the component(s) specified but not to the exclusion of the presence of others. Attention is directed to all papers and documents which are filed concurrently with or previous to this specification in connection with this application and which are open to public inspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated herein by reference. All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and / or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and / or steps are mutually exclusive. 5 Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings) may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features. 10 The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment(s). The invention extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.

Claims

1. A sorter component for a pill dispenser assembly, the sorter component comprising:a slide member arrangement comprising a slide member comprising a surface extending to a product outlet, thereby to guide a pill toward the product outlet by the pill sliding on the surface,wherein the sorter component is configured to be at least partially located in a container for containing one or more pills.

2. The sorter component according to claim 1, wherein the slide member arrangement comprises a plurality of slide members, each slide member comprising a surface extending to a respective product outlet, thereby to guide a pill toward the respective product outlet by the pill sliding on the surface.

3. The sorter component according to claim 2, wherein the slide members are arranged to at least partially spiral around one another.

4. The sorter component according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the slide member arrangement comprises two slide members.

5. The sorter component according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the surface comprises at least a region of convex curvature.

6. The sorter component according to claim 5, wherein the region of convex curvature is provided proximal to the product outlet.

7. The sorter component according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the widthof the surface of the slide member increases in a direction away from the product outlet.

8. The sorter component according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising an aperture arranged to receive an agitator member therethrough.

9. The sorter component according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising an adapter comprising an outer surface arranged to be insertable in a neck, of a container for containing one or more pills, optionally wherein the adapter is sized to be providable in a container having a 38mm neck diameter.

10. The sorter component according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the sorter component is retrofit to the opening of an existing container.

11. A pill dispenser assembly comprising a sorter component according to any one of the preceding claims.

12. A kit of parts comprising:a container for containing one or more pills; andthe sorter component according to any one of claims 1 to 10 or a pill dispenser assembly according to claim 11.

13. The kit of parts according to claim 12, wherein the sorter component is providable at least partially within the neck of the container, optionally wherein the slide member arrangement is providable to project into the container beyond the neck of the container.

14. An adapter for a pill dispenser assembly, the adapter comprising:an inner surface arranged to be provided in a facing manner with a surface of the pill dispenser assembly; andan outer surface arranged to be insertable in a neck of a container for containing one or more pills, optionally wherein the adapter has a 38mm outer diameter.

15. A method of sorting pills comprising:locating the sorter component or pill dispenser assembly according to any one of the preceding claims at least partially in a container for containing one or more pills; andusing the slide member arrangement to guide a pill to the product outlet.15

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