Tablet cutter

Abstract

To provide a tablet cutter that hardly causes cracks or chips in spite of its simple structure.SOLUTION: A tablet cutter includes a tablet holding part for holding a tablet placed in a body part, a first body part, which is a body part on a side where the tablet holding part is provided, and a second body part supported by a support shaft so as to rotate relatively with respect to the first body part. The first body part and the second body part are provided with two blades fixed so as to hold the tablet placed on the tablet holding part from both sides and cut it at a predetermined position when the second body part is closed with the first body part. The tablet cutter includes an elastic member having a thickness equal to or larger than the height from a floor surface to the tip of one blade of the first body part in a state where external force is not applied along an extension direction of the one blade provided in the first body part. A container part for storing the tablet after being cut is molded integrally at the tip in the extension direction of the blade of the elastic member.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a tablet cutter that can be easily used on a desktop.

Background Art

[0002] When prescribing a drug, it may be possible to prescribe a small amount in an appropriate divided dose according to the condition, physical condition, body type, etc. In the case of such a drug, especially in the case of a solid tablet, it is necessary to divide the tablet into a predetermined size, for example, in half, and devices for cutting tablets are known (see, for example, Patent Documents 1, 2, etc.). Among such cutting instruments, a simple type of desktop tablet cutter that can be cut in half by a worker such as a pharmacist is inexpensive and easy to use. However, unlike a mechanically controlled tablet dividing device, since it is cut manually, the force applied to the tablet is unstable and it is known that cracking and chipping are likely to occur. Such inexpensive tablet cutters generally have an operation and structure in which a tablet placed on a plane is cut with a blade from above and pushed through. However, in order to stabilize the force applied to the tablet during cutting and concentrate the force in the center, it is effective to cut by sandwiching the tablet with blades arranged opposite to both sides of the tablet (see, for example, Patent Documents 3, 4, etc.).

[0003] However, since such a cutting method ideally cuts by narrowing the interval while supporting the tablet only with the opposing blade tips, it is difficult to fix the position of the tablet simply by arranging blades above and below a simple tablet cutter. In addition, reproducing such a function by the vertical movement of the blade causes complication of the mechanism of the tablet cutter itself, and there is also a problem that the advantage of being simple and inexpensive is reduced.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Patent Document 4

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The present invention is for solving such technical problems, and an object thereof is to provide a tablet cutter that has a simple structure and is less likely to cause cracks or chips.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the tablet cutter of the present invention includes a tablet holding part for holding a tablet placed on a main body part, a first main body part which is the main body part on the side where the tablet holding part is provided, and a second main body part supported by a support shaft so as to be relatively rotatable with respect to the first main body part. The tablet cutter has two blades fixed so that when the second main body part is closed with the first main body part, the tablet placed on the tablet holding part can be sandwiched from both sides and cut at a predetermined position. Along the extension direction of one of the blades provided on the first main body part, there is an elastic member having a thickness equal to or greater than the height from the floor surface of the first main body part to the tip of the one blade in a state where no external force is applied. A container part for accommodating the tablet after being cut is integrally formed at the tip of the elastic member in the extension direction of the blade.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to the tablet cutter of the present invention, it has a simple structure and is less likely to cause cracks or chips.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 4

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Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings described below, each direction will be described along the three-axis orthogonal coordinate system of XYZ as shown in the figure, but the configuration is not limited to such.

[0010] FIG. 1 shows a tablet cutter 100 that cuts tablets placed inside the main body by being opened and closed by an operator's hand on a table as a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0011] The tablet cutter 100 is a handy tablet cutter having a first main body 10 which is the main body on the side where the tablet T is placed, a second main body 20 which operates as an upper lid rotatably supported with respect to the first main body 10, and an elastic member 30 detachably attached to the first main body 10. Both sides of the end of the first main body 10 are provided with recesses 12, and when the convex portion 22 of the second main body 20 is fitted, such a fitting portion operates as a support shaft O1 when the first main body 10 and the second main body 20 rotate relative to each other.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 2, the first main body 10 has a lower blade 11 linearly extending so as to bisect the position where the tablet T is placed, a pair of recesses 12 provided at the end on the -X direction side, and on the +X direction side opposite to the recesses 12, it is formed so that the elastic member 30 fits therein, and is configured along the shape of a tablet cup portion 31 which is a container portion of the elastic member 30 described later, and a tablet holding portion 14 which is a wall surface formed so as to rise from the upper surface 10a which is the placement surface of the tablet T. The lower blade 11 is a metal blade fixedly adhered to the first main body 10, and is formed along the center line of the first main body 10 in the X direction.

[0013] The tablet case portion 13 is formed as a recess large enough to hold a plurality of tablets T at the end of the first main body 10 on the +X direction side. At the end of the tablet case portion 13 on the +X direction side, a depression 17 is provided at its upper part so as to fit with the elastic member 30 described later. When the depression 17 and the edge portion 31a provided at the end of the tablet cup portion 31 on the +X direction side are fitted, and the protruding end portion 36 provided at the end on the -X direction side, which is opposite to the edge portion 31a, is positioned so as to be sandwiched between the tablet holding portions 14, the elastic member 30 is attached to the first main body 10. In order to assist in positioning when mounting in this way, a plurality of small holes 15 provided for positioning are formed on the bottom surface of the tablet case portion 13, and in particular, four small holes 15 are formed at the four corners in this embodiment. Small holes 15 are also formed on the upper surface 10a, but these configurations are not essential, and any mechanism that can simply determine the positional relationship between the first main body portion 10 and the elastic member 30 is acceptable.

[0014] The tablet holding portion 14 is composed of two protruding strip portions provided symmetrically with respect to the lower blade 11 and having their intervals narrowing as they proceed in the -X direction side. The upper surface 10a of the first main body portion 10 is a gentle inclined surface that inclines downward toward the -X direction side in FIG. 2 when the first main body portion 10 is placed on a horizontal base. When the tablet T is placed on the upper surface 10a, the tablet T is pulled toward the -X direction side by gravity and comes to rest in a state of being caught by the tablet holding portion 14. In this way, the tablet holding portion 14 functions as a guide member for regulating the position of the tablet T, and as the intervals between them narrow, the tablet T comes to rest at a predetermined position of the tablet holding portion 14 according to its size and shape as shown in FIG. 1.

[0015] The second main body portion 20 has an upper blade 21 extending linearly at its central portion, and functions as an upper lid that rotates so as to cover the first main body portion 10 around the support shaft O1 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Also, as shown in the cross-section A-A in FIG. 4, in the closed state of the tablet cutter 100, the upper blade 21 and the lower blade 11 are provided to face each other in parallel with a gap of about 1 mm between them. Therefore, when the tablet T is placed between the upper blade 21 and the lower blade 11 as shown in FIG. 1 and the second main body portion 20 is rotated to close the first main body portion 10 and the second main body portion 20 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the tablet T will be cut by the upper blade 21 and the lower blade 11.

[0016] As shown in Fig. 5, the elastic member 30 is a member made of a styrene-based elastomer with elasticity, having a tablet cup portion 31 which is a container portion capable of accommodating the tablet T after cutting inside, and a flat plate-shaped substrate portion 32 extending from the upper end of any one side of the tablet cup portion 31. As the material of the elastic member 30, in addition, silicon rubber, fluororubber, polyurethane, etc. may be used, but it is not limited to the materials listed here, and other elastomers, rubbers, etc. may also be used. As the material constituting the elastic member 30, it is desirable that it is softer than the rigidity of the first main body portion 10 and is an elastic body, and any material satisfying such conditions may be appropriately used. Further, the elastic member 30 is an integrally molded member, and is used in a form that is detachably attached to the first main body portion 10 as shown in Fig. 2.

[0017] The tablet cup portion 31 is attached to the first main body portion 10 in a manner of fitting inside the tablet case portion 13. At this time, the protrusion portion 33 formed at the lower portion of the tablet cup portion 31 is fitted with the small holes 15 as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, so that positioning is performed between the tablet cup portion 31 and the tablet case portion 13. At this time, the diameter of the small hole 15 is larger than the size of the protrusion portion 33, and the positioning between the tablet cup portion 31 and the tablet case portion 13 can also be gently adjusted by the difference in the size of such diameters. As already described in Fig. 2, in the tablet cup portion 31, on the side opposite to the substrate portion 32, an edge portion 31a is provided so as to match the depression 17 of the first main body portion 10. By providing the edge portion 31a and the depression 17, when the operator tries to remove the elastic member 30 from the first main body portion 10, it is also possible to remove it by putting a finger on the edge portion 31a, which is preferable because it facilitates attachment and detachment. The substrate portion 32 is a floor material that is laid along the upper surface 10a constituting from the tablet case portion 13 to the tablet holding portion 14, and has a slit 34 with a width that allows the lower blade 11 to pass through. As shown in Fig. 7, when attached to the first main body portion 10, it is configured to surround the periphery of the lower blade 11 and to have a thickness that covers the upper end of the lower blade 11. That is, the substrate portion 32 has a thickness d2 of not less than the height d1 from the upper surface 10a of the first main body portion 10 to the tip of the lower blade 11 along the extension direction of the lower blade 11 provided on the first main body portion 10 in a state where no external force is applied. With such a configuration, the elastic member 30 supports the tablet T as a floor material when the tablet T is placed, and protects it like a sheath so that the tablet T and the lower blade 11 do not come into direct contact. Also, the -X direction side of the substrate portion 32 is in contact with the tablet holding portion 14, and in the range of the upper surface 10a where the tablet T may be placed, the elastic member 30 is laid out. Needless to say, the height of the tablet holding portion 14 is higher than the thickness d2 of the substrate portion 32, and the tablet holding portion 14 can contact the tablet T even when the substrate portion 32 is laid on the upper surface 10a. Also, a protruding end portion 36 is formed at the protruding end on the -X direction side of the substrate portion 32, and the operator attaches it so that the protruding end portion 36 is positioned between the tablet holding portions 14. With such a configuration, when the elastic member 30 is attached to the first main body portion 10, by using it for positioning together with the edge portion 31a, it can be easily attached without the positions of the lower blade 11 and the slit 34 shifting.

[0018] Now, on the back side of the substrate portion 32, that is, the surface on the side that contacts the upper surface 10a, a convex strip portion 35 that rises downward for positioning and a protruding portion 33 similar to the one below the tablet cup portion 31 are provided. The protruding portion 33 functions as a positioning portion for positioning by fitting into a small hole 15 provided on the first main body portion 10 side, similar to the one provided on the tablet cup portion 31. Also, a groove portion 16 is formed on the first main body portion 10 in a shape corresponding to the convex strip portion 35 and fitting with each other. By the small hole 15, the groove portion 16, the protruding portion 33, and the convex strip portion 35, the elastic member 30 is positioned when attached to the first main body portion 10, and the slit 34 is formed to protect the periphery of the lower blade 11. Thus, the elastic member 30 has a slit 34 through which the lower blade 11 can pass, a rib portion 35 as a positioning portion that fits into the first main body portion 10, and a protrusion 33.

[0019] The operation of cutting the tablet T using such a tablet cutter 100 will be described. FIG. 8 is an operation diagram for explaining the cutting operation in which the operator places the tablet T at a predetermined position of the elastic member 30 and cuts the tablet T. In particular, in this embodiment, the operation when the operator closes the first main body portion 10 and the second main body portion 20 manually to cut the tablet T at a predetermined position will be described. However, these operations may be performed manually or by driving the same operation using a drive source from the outside.

[0020] First, the operator lifts the second main body portion 20 in the Z direction, confirms that the first main body portion 10 and the second main body portion 20 are in an open state, and places the tablet T so that the center position of the tablet T is along the lower blade 11 or the slit 34 as much as possible. At this time, as described above, since the upper surface 10a is inclined downward with respect to the horizontal plane, the tablet T is basically restricted from moving downward along the tablet holding portion 14, and as is clear from referring to FIG. 1, the tablet T is caught at a position where the distance between the two wall surfaces of the tablet holding portion 14 is narrower than the width of the tablet T and thus stops. Since the tablet holding portion 14 is provided symmetrically with respect to the lower blade 11, when the tablet T is, for example, a general circular tablet or the like, the center position will be on the line of the lower blade 11 regardless of the size of the tablet T. In this way, the tablet holding portion 14 restricts the movement of the tablet T while holding it so that its center position matches the lower blade 11. Also, when cutting, a force will be applied to the tablet T by the upper blade 21 and the lower blade 11. At that time as well, since the tablet holding portion 14 restricts the downward movement, there is also an effect that the force applied to the tablet T is used for cutting without escaping.

[0021] Whether the position of the tablet T actually moves downward depends on, for example, the frictional force on the surface of the elastic member 30 and the shape of the tablet T. However, if the operator initially places the lower blade 11 and the center position of the tablet T to match to some extent, it is considered that the center position of the tablet T remains the same by the tablet holding portion 14 provided symmetrically with respect to the lower blade 11. Thus, the inclination amount of the upper surface 10a may be gentle, and it is not necessary to specifically limit it to the extent that it rolls downward due to gravity. In addition, since the tablet cutter 100 is basically used manually on a table, for example, when the shape of the tablet T is special such as a pentagon, or when it is desired to divide it into n equal parts, etc., it is also conceivable to cut at a deliberately different position. In that case, in addition to aligning the position of the lower blade 11 with the center position of the tablet T, the operator may place the tablet T at an arbitrary desired position.

[0022] After the tablet T has stopped at the desired position in this way, the operator rotates the second main body 20 so that the tablet cutter 100 operates to be in the same closed state as shown in FIG. 4. Since the upper blade 21 is fixed to the second main body 20, the upper blade 21 comes into contact with the tablet T along with such an operation. At this time, the tablet T is pushed downward by the upper blade 21 and operates to sink together with the elastic member 30. When the tablet T is pressed downward by the upper blade 21, the elastic member 30 is elastically deformed as shown in the enlarged view in FIG. 9. Thus, the lower blade 11 is exposed from the slit 34, and the tablet T is cut in a manner of being sandwiched between the upper blade 21 and the lower blade 11.

[0023] To explain this point in more detail, the cutting process of the tablet T when using the tablet cutter 200 will be described. In a conventional simple tablet cutter 200, for example, as shown in FIG. 10, generally, with respect to a horizontal placement surface 201, the cutting blade 202, which is the upper blade, cuts in a form that descends vertically or with a certain angle. In such a configuration, when the cutting blade 202 cuts the tablet T, since the placement surface 201 is stationary and the force applied from the cutting blade 202 is dispersed, a surface pressure is generated in the normal direction of the placement surface 201 between the placement surface 201 and the tablet T. It has been found that this becomes a force that crushes the tablet T and causes so-called "cracks" and "chips".

[0024] On the other hand, in order to solve such problems, it is important to insert the cutting blade 202 so as to sandwich it from both sides and cut the tablet T without the force applied from the cutting blade 202 being dispersed. In order to concentrate the force from the cutting blade 202 in this way, it is effective to make the contact surface with the tablet T linear by inserting the cutting blade 202 so as to sandwich the tablet T from both sides. However, it is difficult to adjust the pressure by manual pushing. When the upper and lower cutting blades 202 are pushed in a fixed state, a sudden cutting load is generated on the tablet T side from the cutting blade 202, and it has been found from the experiments of the inventors that this also causes "cracks" and "chips". In order to solve such problems, for example, in Patent Document 3 already mentioned, a configuration in which one or both of the opposing blades retreat within a movable range to release such a sudden pressure change in the cutting direction by the retreat of the opposing blades is also considered. However, it is not suitable to provide such a blade forward / backward mechanism in the tablet cutter 100 used on a simple desktop because of the large cost constraints. Also, although the same effect can be obtained by performing pressure control by an electronic control method such as a sequencer, it also means sacrificing the advantages such as the simplification of the control mechanism and the ease of manual operation, so a new method has been demanded.

[0025] In this embodiment, as already described with reference to FIG. 9, the elastic member 30 is elastically deformed by the pressure acting on the tablet T as the upper blade 21 is pushed in, and the lower blade 11 is exposed. As a result, the tablet T comes into contact with the upper blade 21 and the lower blade 11, and the rapid pressure change generated at that time is used for the deformation of the elastic member 30. Therefore, the pressure applied by the upper blade 21 and the lower blade 11 is correctly applied to the tablet T. Further, even when surface pressure is generated between the elastic member 30 that has been supporting and the tablet T, since the elastic member 30 is easily deformed, the tablet T will not be crushed by such surface pressure, and it is possible to suppress the causes of "cracking" and "chipping". With such a configuration, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of cracking and chipping while having a simple structure. In addition, since the elastic member 30 itself, which is the floor surface, is easily deformed, even if a force is applied in an oblique direction so as to split the tablet T by pushing in the upper blade 21, the shape of the elastic member 30 changes and the direction of the pressure changes. As a result, the force in the left - right direction is easily canceled out, and there is also an effect that only the force in the vertical direction is easily transmitted to the tablet T. With such a configuration, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of cracking and chipping while having a simple structure.

[0026] Now, when the tablet T is cut by the upper blade 21 and the lower blade 11, as shown in FIG. 11, the half - tablets T1, T2 of the tablet T will both be located in the gap between the substrate portion 32 and the second main body portion 20. At this time, when the operator tilts the tablet cutter 100 so that the tablet case portion 13 side is downward as shown in the bottom figure of FIG. 8, the half - tablets T1, T2 roll forward, that is, in the +X direction, on the substrate portion 32 of the elastic member 30 through the aforementioned gap, and move to the tablet cup portion 31 as shown in FIG. 12. In this way, when the tablet cutter 100 is in the closed state, it is desirable that the second main body portion 20 has a structure in which its inner side is recessed so that a space sufficient for the cut half - tablets T1, T2 to pass through can be formed between the ceiling portion of the second main body portion 20 and the elastic member 30 inside. Note that Fig. 11 shows the B-B cross section of the tablet cutter 100 shown in Fig. 3, and Fig. 12 shows the C-C cross section of the tablet cutter 100 shown in Fig. 3.

[0027] According to such a configuration, since the cut tablet T moves to the side of the tablet cup portion 31 by inclining the tablet cutter 100, the processing of the half tablets T1 and T2 after cutting becomes easy. Furthermore, as already described, the elastic member 30 is a member made of elastomer in which the tablet cup portion 31 and the substrate portion 32 are integrally molded and can be easily attached to and detached from the first main body portion 10. Therefore, not only can the cut half tablets T1 and T2 be removed and carried together, but the elastic member 30 itself can be easily cleaned, and when handling a plurality of types of tablets, it is also possible to reduce the risk of powder contamination and the like. In this way, since the entire path that the tablet T touches can be removed by covering from the cutting position of the tablet T to the tablet cup portion 31 that becomes the container portion with the integral elastic member 30, sufficient cleaning performance is also ensured.

[0028] Furthermore, in the structure in which the lower blade 11 is provided, for the convenience of cutting the tablet T by the lower blade 11, the operator inevitably has to manually place the tablet T around the lower blade 11, and there are concerns such as directly touching the lower blade 11. However, by laying the elastic member 30 provided with the substrate portion 32 having a thickness d2 so as to surround the periphery of the lower blade 11 as in the present embodiment, the operator can work without directly contacting the lower blade 11, which also contributes to safety.

[0029] In the present embodiment, the position of the first main body portion 10 and the container portion of the elastic member 30 is determined in such a manner that the tablet cup portion 31 fits into the tablet case portion 13. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. For example, even if only the tablet cup portion 31 is provided, the tablet cutter 100 itself can have a similar configuration. In addition, in this embodiment, although the tablet T has been described only for a general circular tablet, for example, even if the tablet has an elliptical, spherical, or other shape, as long as the operator properly places the tablet on the slit 34 and the center position of the tablet T coincides with the position of the lower blade 11, cutting can be performed without problems, and thus it is not limited to such a shape. In addition, in this embodiment, by using an ABS resin for the first main body 10 and the second main body 20 and a styrene-based elastomer with a hardness of 60 for the elastic member 30, a soft material is used so that the elastic member 30 side is likely to be greatly deformed. However, it is not limited to such a material, and as long as the elastic member 30 is a material softer than the material constituting the first main body 10, an appropriate elastic body may be used. Note that when the first main body 10 side is made of a soft material, the manual force applied by the operator is not easily transmitted to the tablet T. Therefore, it is desirable that the Young's modulus of the material forming the first main body 10 is greater than the Young's modulus of the elastic member 30.

[0030] <1> As described above, in the present invention, the tablet cutter 100 includes a tablet holding portion 14 that holds the tablet T placed on the first main body 10, the first main body 10 on the side where the tablet holding portion 14 is provided, and a second main body 20 supported by a support shaft O1 so as to be relatively rotatable with respect to the first main body 10. In addition, the first main body 10 and the second main body 20 are each provided with two lower blades 11 and upper blades 21 that are fixed so that when the second main body 20 is closed with the first main body 10, the tablet T held by the tablet holding portion 14 can be sandwiched from both sides and cut at a predetermined position. Along the extension direction of the lower blade 11 provided on the first main body 10, in a state where no external force is applied, it has an elastic member 30 having a thickness d2 equal to or greater than the height d1 from the upper surface 10a, which is the floor surface of the first main body 10, to the tip of the lower blade 11. At the tip of the elastic member 30 in the extension direction of the lower blade 11, a tablet cup portion 31 for accommodating the cut tablet T is integrally formed. According to such a configuration, although the structure is simple, cracks and chips are less likely to occur.

[0031] <2> In addition, in the tablet cutter 100 of the present invention, in addition to the configuration described in <1>, the elastic member 30 is detachably provided on the first main body portion 10. With such a configuration, although the structure is simple, it is difficult to cause cracks or chips, and in addition, cleanability can be ensured.

[0032] <3> In addition, in the tablet cutter 100 of the present invention, in addition to the configuration described in <1> or <2>, the elastic member 30 has a slit 34 through which the lower blade 11 can pass, a protrusion 33 as a positioning portion that fits into the first main body portion 10, and a rib portion 35. With such a configuration, when the elastic member 30 is attached to the first main body portion 10, misalignment or the like does not occur, and the lower blade 11 is positioned in accordance with the position of the slit 34. Therefore, when the first main body portion 10 and the second main body portion 20 are in a closed state, the lower blade 11 is correctly exposed and the tablet T can be cut.

[0033] <4> In addition, in the tablet cutter 100 of the present invention, in addition to the configuration described in any one of <1> to <3>, the elastic member 30 is composed of a tablet cup portion 31 and a substrate portion 32 connected to the tablet cup portion 31. The upper surface 10a provided with the lower blade 11 of the first main body portion 10 constitutes an inclined surface inclined with respect to the horizontal plane toward the tablet holding portion 14, and the substrate portion 32 of the elastic member 30 is attached along the inclined surface. The end of the substrate portion 32 on the side opposite to the tablet cup portion 31 abuts against the tablet holding portion 14. With such a configuration, since the entire path that the tablet T touches is removable by the integral elastic member 30 covering from the cutting position of the tablet T to the tablet cup portion 31 serving as the container portion, sufficient cleanability is ensured.

[0034] <5> In addition, in the tablet cutter 100 of the present invention, in addition to the configuration described in any one of <1> to <4>, the tablet holding portion 14 is provided symmetrically with respect to a line centered on the lower blade 11, and is formed by two wall portions in a V shape that narrow as they proceed downward from the upper surface 10a. With such a configuration, when the tablet T moves downward along the inclination of the upper surface 10a and comes to rest in contact with the tablet holding portion 14, the lower blade 11 and the center position of the tablet T coincide. Therefore, the tablet T can be bisected without being conscious of the cutting position.

[0035] <6> Further, in the tablet cutter 100 of the present invention, in addition to the configuration described in any one of <1> to <4>, when the first main body portion 10 and the second main body portion 20 are closed together, the upper blade 21 fixed to the second main body portion 20 pushes the tablet T, and the elastic member 30 bends so that the lower blade 11 is exposed from the elastic member 30. While supporting the tablet T so as to sandwich it between the lower blade 11 and the upper blade 21, the tablet T is cut. According to such a configuration, the operator can work without directly contacting the lower blade 11, which also contributes to safety.

[0036] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and appropriate modifications and the like can be made within the scope described in the claims. For example, in the present invention, the first main body portion 10 and the second main body portion 20 are configured to sandwich and cut the tablet T with the upper blade 21 and the lower blade 11 in such a manner that the second main body portion 20 covers from above. However, it is not necessarily configured to be closed in the vertical direction. For example, it may be configured to cut the tablet T by closing it in the left-right direction or the front-back direction while appropriately holding the tablet T by the tablet holding portion 14. Even in that case, one blade is formed on the first main body portion 10, the other blade is formed on the second main body portion 20, and the tablet T is cut by these two paired blades. Also, in the present embodiment, as the positioning portions, the edge portion 31a, the protruding end portion 36, the rib portion 35, the protruding portion 33, etc. are used. However, only a part of the positioning methods described here may be used, or these may be used in combination.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0037] 10... First main body portion 10a... Inclined surface 14…Tablet holding part 20…Second main body part 30…Elastic member 31…Container part 31a…Positioning part (edge part) 32…Substrate part 33…Positioning part (protrusion) 34…Slit 35…Positioning part (rib) 36…Positioning part (tip part) 100…Tablet cutter O1…Support shaft X…Extension direction

Claims

1. A tablet holding part for holding a tablet placed on the main body part, A tablet cutter having a first main body part which is the main body part on the side where the tablet holding part is provided, and a second main body part supported by a support shaft so as to be rotatable relative to the first main body part, The first main body part and the second main body part are provided with two blades fixed so that when the second main body part is closed with the first main body part, the tablet placed on the tablet holding part can be sandwiched from both sides and cut at a predetermined position, Along the extension direction of one of the blades provided on the first main body part, there is an elastic member having a thickness equal to or greater than the height from the floor surface of the first main body part to the tip of the one blade in a state where no external force is applied, A tablet cutter, characterized in that a container part for accommodating the tablet after being cut is integrally formed at the tip of the elastic member in the extension direction of the blade.

2. The tablet cutter according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member is detachably provided on the first main body part.

3. The tablet cutter according to claim 2, wherein the elastic member has a slit through which one of the blades can pass and a positioning part that fits into the first main body part.

4. The tablet cutter according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member is composed of the container part and a substrate part connected to the container part, The surface of the first main body part where one of the blades is provided forms an inclined surface inclined with respect to the horizontal plane toward the tablet holding part, The substrate part of the elastic member is attached along the inclined surface, and the end of the substrate part on the side opposite to the container part abuts against the tablet holding part.

5. The tablet cutter according to claim 4, wherein the tablet holding part is provided symmetrically with respect to a line centered on the one blade, and is two wall parts in a V-shape that narrow as they go downward of the inclined surface.

6. The tablet cutter according to any one of claims 1 to 5, In the process of closing the first main body part and the second main body part with each other, the other blade fixed to the second main body part pushes the tablet, and the elastic member bends so that the one blade is exposed from the elastic member, A tablet cutter that cuts the tablet while supporting the tablet so as to sandwich it between the one blade and the other blade.

Images