Adjustable Dosing Spoon for Mini-Tablet Dispensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dosing devices for mini-tablets only allow for the accurate dispensing of a predetermined number of mini-tablets, lacking the ability to adjust the number dispensed and potentially leading to miscounting due to the absence of means to set or verify the required number.
Innovation Solution
A multiple dose spoon device with a top housing, bottom housing, and movable sliders, featuring a handle with an open window and slider retention notches, allowing for the adjustment and verification of the number of mini-tablets to be dispensed by displaying the desired number through a window and using tablet blocking ribs to occlude or open nests, enabling precise measurement in 1-unit increments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If fixed tablet-nests are used in the dosing chamber, then accurate dispensing of a predetermined number of mini-tablets is achieved, but the ability to adjust the number of tablets to be dispensed is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a movable slider that dynamically changes the configuration of the dosing chamber. The slider can be positioned at different locations to selectively block access to different numbers of tablet nests, transforming a static fixed-nest system into a dynamic adjustable system. This allows the device to adapt between dispensing 1-24 tablets by moving the slider to different positions, resolving the contradiction between fixed accurate dispensing and adjustable versatility.
2Device complexity
If fixed tablet-nests are used without adjustment means, then device structure is simple, but the potential for miscounting increases due to inability to set or verify the required number
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a verification mechanism where the slider position provides visual feedback about the number of tablets that will be dispensed. The slider has markings or indicators that show the user which nests are blocked and which are accessible, allowing the user to verify the settings before dispensing. This feedback loop prevents miscounting while adding minimal complexity to the device structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The slider acts as an intermediary component between the user and the tablet nests. It provides a simple interface for adjusting the dose by moving the slider to the desired position, and simultaneously serves as a verification tool by showing which nests are blocked. This intermediary element bridges the gap between simple operation and accurate verification without significantly increasing device complexity.
3Quantity of substance
If multiple fixed tablet-nests are provided, then capacity to dispense multiple tablets is achieved, but flexibility for rapid dose adjustments is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The movable slider enables rapid adjustment between different dosing quantities by allowing quick repositioning between predefined locations. Each position corresponds to a specific number of accessible nests (1-24 tablets), providing both high capacity and rapid adaptability for dose adjustments without requiring complex mechanisms or multiple separate devices.
Data Source
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AI summary
A multiple dose spoon device for scooping, retaining, and delivering to a patient a specific number of mini-tablets from a container, e.g., bottle, or bulk pile, of mini-tablets. The device comprises a top housing, a bottom housing, and one or two sliders movably positioned between top housing and bottom housing, said: a) top housing having a plurality of nests, and also having a handle with an open window and slider retention notches, and b) one or two sliders with slider tabs, having a plurality of sequential whole number markings equivalent to the plurality of nests, and a plurality minus 1 of tablet blocking ribs, wherein slider movement is regulated by the slider retention notches, and wherein the plurality of nests and the plurality of whole number markings are a same number. Alternatively, the top housing does not have slider retention notches, and the one or two sliders have slider retention notches.