Pill Container with Time-Indexed Markings for Organized Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pill dispensers are cumbersome and prone to misplacement of prescription pills due to the large number of compartments and time-consuming distribution process, making it difficult to manage pills taken at different times effectively.
Innovation Solution
A pill container system with multiple compartments marked for different times of the day, featuring interlocking mechanisms and fool-proof alignment to ensure correct pill administration, allowing for a stackable assembly that simplifies the distribution and storage of pills according to their administration schedules.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a dispenser is designed with multiple compartments for different pills and times, then pill storage capacity is improved, but device complexity and volume increase
Solution Approach 1:
The dispenser is segmented into multiple compartments arranged in rows and columns, with each compartment designated for specific pills and times. This segmentation allows systematic organization of pills while maintaining a manageable overall structure through modular compartment design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent organizes compartments in a two-dimensional grid (rows and columns) rather than a single linear sequence. Rows represent different days while columns represent different times of day, creating a multi-dimensional storage space that increases capacity without proportionally increasing complexity.
2Reliability
If each compartment is designed to store different pills for each day, then pill organization is improved, but time is consumed in distributing pills into compartments
Solution Approach 1:
The dispenser is pre-configured with compartments labeled for specific days, times, and pill types before use. This preliminary organization of storage spaces eliminates the need for users to plan and arrange pills manually, as the structure itself provides the organizational framework in advance.
Solution Approach 2:
The dispenser's compartment structure automatically guides pill placement through its pre-defined organization system. The labeled compartments serve as self-explanatory guides that enable users to quickly identify where each pill should go without requiring complex decision-making or time-consuming arrangement processes.
3Quantity of substance
If the number of compartments is increased to cover a prescribed period, then pill storage completeness is improved, but dispenser volume increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes a two-dimensional compartment arrangement (rows for days, columns for times) to maximize storage density. This dimensional organization allows the dispenser to accommodate pills for an entire prescribed period in a compact grid format, significantly reducing the volume required compared to linear or single-dimensional storage approaches.
Solution Approach 2:
The dispenser's compartment structure is designed to be universally applicable across different prescription durations. The same grid layout can accommodate varying numbers of days and times, making the dispenser adaptable to different treatment periods without requiring proportional increases in overall volume.
4Ease of operation
If compartments are arranged in rows and columns for different times, then pill accessibility is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a two-dimensional compartment layout where rows represent days and columns represent times of day. This dimensional arrangement provides intuitive visual cues for pill accessibility, allowing users to quickly locate needed pills by simply identifying the intersection of the current day and time, thereby simplifying operation despite the multi-compartment structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The dispenser incorporates visual markers such as colored bands or highlights on the compartment structure to indicate different days or times. These visual cues enhance ease of operation by providing immediate visual guidance, reducing the cognitive load required to navigate the compartment arrangement and thereby offsetting the perceived complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A pill container includes: a container body defining a pill-storing space for storing pills therein and having a plurality of sides, top and bottom walls and a plurality of first side walls interconnecting the top and bottom walls, and disposed respectively at corresponding ones of the sides, each of the first side walls being formed with an access opening for access into the pill-storing space; a plurality of first doors connected to the first side walls for closing and opening the access openings in the first side walls, respectively; and a plurality of different first marks, each of which is provided on a respective one of the first side walls or a respective one of the first doors. The first marks respectively represent different times of a day for taking the pills.