Cylindrical Pill Dispenser with Rotatable Actuator and Visual Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pill dispensers are not effectively designed to allow users, especially elderly or disabled individuals, to easily detect missed or incorrect doses, and they require more dexterity and force to operate.
Innovation Solution
A pill dispenser with a cylindrical shape featuring an outer body with windows for displaying pills, a rotatable actuator with a slot for dispensing pills, and a calendar sleeve for tracking doses, allowing easy alignment of channels for dispensing and storing pills, along with indicators for tracking remaining doses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional pill dispenser designs are used, then pill storage and dispensing functionality is provided, but users require high dexterity and force to operate, and missed doses are difficult to detect
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs color-coded indicators (e.g., green checkmarks for taken doses, red X's for missed doses, yellow warnings for upcoming doses) to provide immediate visual feedback to users. This color-change system allows users with limited dexterity to easily distinguish between different dosing states without requiring fine motor skills or complex operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex mechanical operations with simpler mechanisms. The rotatable actuator with aligned channels provides a single rotational motion to dispense pills, eliminating the need for multiple manual steps. The visual indicator system substitutes for complex mechanical tracking mechanisms, providing reliable dose detection through optical rather than mechanical means.
2Reliability
If complex dispensing mechanisms are used to track doses, then dose tracking capability is improved, but the device requires more dexterity and force to operate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical tracking systems with visual indicators. The calendar sleeve with date windows and checkmark/X markings provides automatic visual tracking of dosing history without requiring complex mechanical operations. Users simply rotate the actuator to dispense a pill, and the visual indicators automatically update to reflect the new dosing state.
Solution Approach 2:
The dispenser automatically tracks and displays dosing information through its visual indicator system. The calendar sleeve and indicator windows self-update as pills are dispensed, eliminating the need for users to manually track doses through complex operations. The system serves itself by automatically recording and displaying dosing status.
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple channels and components are added to improve dispensing accuracy, then pill dispensing precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the dispensing mechanism into segmented channels within the core, with each channel corresponding to a specific dosing time or day. The calendar sleeve is segmented into date windows, and the actuator is segmented with specific slots for different pills. This segmentation provides precise dispensing control while maintaining organizational simplicity through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a nested structure where the core with channels is nested within the outer body, the calendar sleeve is nested between the core and outer body, and the actuator is nested within the outer body. This nesting arrangement allows multiple functional components to coexist in a compact configuration, providing precise dispensing capability without proportionally increasing overall device complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Facilitates patient compliance by allowing easy detection of missed doses and reducing the dexterity and force required for operation, making it suitable for users with hand mobility issues.
Implementation Method 1
The groove includes a recess to receive a nub disposed on a corresponding side of the actuator cover. The actuator cover includes a locking rod that is inserted into an aperture within the actuator.
Data Source
AI summary
A pill dispenser includes an outer body for displaying one or more pills within the dispenser. A core is disposed within the outer body, and the core includes a channel extending along a length of the outer body to store the one or more pills within the channel. The pill dispenser further includes an actuator with a slot, and the actuator is joined to the outer body at a first end and rotatable about the core from a storage position to a dispensing position with the slot aligned with the channel. An actuator cover is joined to the actuator and includes an opening configured to align with the slot when the actuator is in the storage position.