Medicine Container Cap with Pivotable Lid and Dosing Chamber
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pill dispensing containers are cumbersome and inefficient, requiring complex mechanisms or manipulation to dispense a single pill, and often necessitate replacing the original cap, which can be difficult and inconvenient.
Innovation Solution
A combination medicine container and dispenser that allows for easy dispensing of a single medicament through either elastic deformation or rotary motion, using a bottle and cap design with a divider and indexing system to facilitate simple and efficient pill retrieval without the need for cap replacement or complex manipulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a replacement cap with a transparent hollow storage compartment is used to dispense a single pill, then single pill dispensing is enabled, but the original cap must be replaced which is difficult and cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the original cap with a pill dispensing mechanism by integrating a pivotable lid and dosing chamber directly into the cap structure. This merging eliminates the need to replace the original cap while enabling single pill dispensing functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The cap is designed to serve multiple functions: it acts as both the original closure and a pill dispensing device. The cap includes a dosing chamber for holding pills, a pivotable lid for controlled access, and a dispensing opening for releasing single pills, making it a multi-functional component.
2Ease of operation
If the container is turned upside down and shaken to dispense a pill through the cap opening, then pill dispensing is achieved, but complex manipulation is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a pivotable lid that can rotate between a closed position and an open position. This dynamic mechanism allows the user to simply pivot the lid to access the dosing chamber or dispense a pill, eliminating the need for complex shaking or inverting maneuvers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a pivotable lid as an intermediary mechanism between the user and the pill dispensing process. This lid acts as a mediator that simplifies the interaction by providing a straightforward pivot motion to control pill access and dispensing.
3Measurement precision
If a complex guiding member and positioning disc mechanism is used to dispense pills in unit dose manner, then precise pill dispensing is achieved, but the device becomes complicated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the cap into distinct functional zones: a dosing chamber for storing pills, a pivotable lid for access control, and a dispensing opening for pill release. This segmentation allows each component to perform its function simply without requiring complex coordinating mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The cap structure itself provides the dispensing function through its inherent geometry and the pivotable lid mechanism. The dosing chamber and dispensing opening are positioned and sized to naturally guide single pill dispensing without requiring additional guiding members or positioning discs.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the original cap is replaced with a replacement cap structure, then single pill dispensing capability is added, but the overall device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the original cap with the pill dispensing functionality by integrating the dosing chamber, pivotable lid, and dispensing opening directly into the cap structure. This combination adds versatility while maintaining structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The cap is designed as a multi-functional component that serves both as a closure and a pill dispensing device. This universality adds the capability for single pill dispensing without requiring separate dedicated components, thereby avoiding increased overall 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
The solution provides a straightforward and user-friendly method for dispensing a single pill, enhancing ease of use and reducing complexity compared to existing systems, while maintaining a similar form factor to standard prescription containers.
Implementation Method 1
Pressure against the bottle adjacent sides of the divider deforms the divider to move the divider cutout from over the ledge to over the lower area, thereby providing communication between the lower area and the upper area.
Data Source
AI summary
Combination medicine containers and dispensers are shaped similar to or generally the same as standard prescription medicament containers but are configured to dispense one medicament at a time through easy manipulation of integral dispensing means. Each combination medicine container and dispenser has a bottle, a cap, and an integral dispensing mechanism that cooperate with one or more structures of the bottle and/or cap to dispense one medicament at a time from the container. In one form, the combination medicine container and dispenser is designed to allow a user to dispense a single medicament through properly applied pressure. In another form, rotation of one or more components provides dispensing of a single medicament.