Pill Sorting Device With Delivery Channel Ridge
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pill sorting devices are difficult to use, especially for individuals with poor sight or arthritis, due to small compartments and challenging pill handling, which complicates loading pills into organizing boxes.
Innovation Solution
A pill sorting device with a cavity, side walls, and a delivery channel that includes a ridge to prevent pills from falling out, along with optional features like a magnifying device and a delivery chute, designed to assist in aligning and sorting pills into separate compartments, such as a weekly pill box.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional pill organizing boxes with small compartments are used, then the device complexity is reduced, but the ease of operation deteriorates for individuals with poor sight or arthritis
Solution Approach 1:
A delivery channel acts as an intermediary component between the cavity and the pill organizing box compartment. This channel provides a guided pathway that facilitates pill transfer while maintaining simplicity of the overall device structure. The channel includes a ridge that prevents pills from falling out without requiring complex mechanisms.
2Measurement precision
If small compartments are used in pill organizing boxes, then the device complexity is reduced, but the measurement precision of pill placement deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The delivery channel serves as a precision-guided intermediary that ensures accurate pill placement into small compartments. The channel's structured pathway with a ridge prevents pills from falling out, providing precise control over pill placement without requiring complex positioning mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The delivery channel is segmented into distinct functional zones: a cavity for holding pills, a channel with ridges for controlled movement, and a delivery opening for precise placement. This segmentation allows each part to perform its specific function optimally, improving placement accuracy.
3Ease of operation
If traditional pill handling methods are used, then the device complexity is reduced, but the ease of operation deteriorates for individuals with dexterity impairments
Solution Approach 1:
The cavity and delivery channel structure enables self-service pill handling. Pills are held in the cavity and can be easily accessed and transferred through the channel without requiring complex sorting mechanisms. The ridge structure prevents pills from falling out unintentionally, allowing users with dexterity impairments to handle pills confidently.
Data Source
AI summary
Pill sorting devices are described herein that include a cavity formed from a bottom, a front, a first side wall, and a second side wall, a channel formed at the intersection of the first side wall and the second side wall, and a delivery channel within the front and first side wall or the within the front and the second side wall, wherein the delivery channel is offset from the channel. The pill sorting, counting, and dispensing device can be useful for people with arthritis or poor sight, or could be used commercially in pharmacies or industrially. Methods of making and using the pill sorting, counting, and dispensing devices are also described.