Pill Sorting Container With Slide Plate Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pill sorting containers face challenges in hygienic placement and efficient sorting of pills, often requiring difficult extraction of incorrectly placed pills.
Innovation Solution
A pill sorting apparatus with a slide plate and retaining plate system that allows for precise alignment of openings with receptacles, enabling easy sorting and storage of pills in designated compartments, and lids designed for easy engagement and disengagement to facilitate accessibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional pill sorting containers are used with multiple compartments, then pill sorting capability is improved, but hygiene during placement deteriorates and time consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The slide plate is pre-configured with openings that align with specific receptacles before pill placement. This preliminary alignment ensures that pills are automatically directed to the correct compartment without requiring manual manipulation, thereby maintaining hygiene and reducing placement time while preserving sorting capability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional pill sorting containers are used, then pill sorting capability is improved, but time consumption for placement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The slide plate openings are pre-aligned with the receptacles, creating an automatic guidance system. Pills naturally follow the aligned openings into the correct compartments without requiring manual sorting actions, significantly reducing placement time while maintaining effective sorting capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The alignment mechanism between slide plate openings and receptacles enables the system to automatically guide pills to the correct compartments. This self-service feature eliminates the need for manual sorting efforts, reducing time consumption while preserving the sorting function.
3Reliability
If conventional pill sorting containers are used, then pill storage is achieved, but extraction of incorrectly placed pills becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The slide plate is designed with openings that precisely align with corresponding receptacles, creating a guided placement system. This preliminary alignment ensures that pills are automatically directed to the correct compartments, minimizing incorrect placement and simplifying extraction when errors occur, while maintaining storage accuracy.
4Manufacturing precision
If a slide plate mechanism is added to align openings with receptacles, then placement accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The slide plate is segmented with multiple openings that can be independently aligned with corresponding receptacles. This segmentation allows for precise placement accuracy in each compartment while keeping the overall structure modular and manageable, reducing the complexity burden of achieving high precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The slide plate mechanism provides dynamic alignment capability, allowing the openings to be positioned relative to the receptacles as needed. This dynamic adjustment enables placement accuracy without requiring complex fixed structures, as the slide plate can adapt its position to match the receptacle arrangement.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for sorting pills has a body defining a plurality of receptacles. A slide plate is positioned on the body. The slide plate defines a first plurality of openings. The slide plate is slidable relative to the body about and between a first position and a second position. In the first position, the first plurality of openings are offset from respective receptacles of the plurality of receptacles so that the slide plate blocks the plurality of receptacles. In the second position, the first plurality of openings are aligned with respective receptacles of the plurality of receptacles so that pills can pass through the first plurality of openings and into the receptacles. A retaining plate retains the slide plate against the body. The retaining plate defines a slot, and the slide plate has a tab that extends through the slot and permits articulation of the slide plate.