Granted Patent B2

US 10,940,989 · App. 15/396,983 · Granted Mar 9, 2021

Inventors: Jordan French (Evansville, IN); Jason A. Rowe (Evansville, IN)

Assignee: Berry Plastics Corporation

B65D83/0427A61J1/00A61J1/03

Abstract

Claims (25)

1. A pill dispenser comprising

a container formed to include an interior pill-storage chamber therein, the container including a body defining a portion of the interior pill-storage chamber and a neck coupled to the body to define a remaining portion of the interior pill-storage chamber,

a container closure coupled to the container, and

a neck insert coupled to the neck of the container and arranged to extend downwardly away from the container closure into the interior pill-storage chamber,

wherein the neck insert is configured to dispense a single pill from the interior pill-storage chamber through a pill-dispensing outlet formed in the neck insert into a pill-transfer chamber formed between the container closure and the neck insert to maximize control and minimize spilling of pills stored in the interior pill-storage chamber in response to rotating the pill dispenser to a partly inverted position and returning the pill dispenser to a right-side up position,

wherein the neck insert includes a horizontal platform formed to include the pill-dispensing outlet and a pill-receiver dish, and a ramp arranged to extend between and interconnect the horizontal platform and the pill-receiver dish so that rotation of the container toward the single pill-dispensing outlet to the partially inverted position causes a pill to pass into the pill-transfer chamber and returning the pill-storage chamber to the right-side up position via rotation of the container via an opposite rotation of the container causes the pill to travel in a pill-transfer region from the single pill-dispensing outlet toward and be received in the pill-receiver dish,

wherein the pill-dispensing outlet is the only opening formed in the neck insert,

wherein the horizontal platform and the ramp are flat, and the pill-receiver dish is concave,

wherein the pill-dispensing outlet is located radially offset from a central vertical axis of the insert so that the central vertical axis intersects the ramp.

2. The pill dispenser of claim 1 , wherein the neck insert includes a retaining lip located between the neck and the container closure and the pill-receiver dish coupled to the retaining lip and arranged to extend from the retaining lip into the interior pill-storage chamber away from the container closure.

3. The pill dispenser of claim 2 , wherein the pill-receiver dish is arranged to open upwardly away from the container to face toward an underside of the container closure.

4. The pill dispenser of claim 1 , wherein the container further includes exterior threading coupled to the neck to locate the neck between the exterior threading and the neck insert.

5. The pill dispenser of claim 4 , wherein the container closure includes a rim arranged to extend around and surround the neck, a cap coupled to the rim and arrange to overlie the neck, and interior threading located between the rim and the neck and arranged to engage the exterior threading of the container to couple the container closure to the container.

6. The pill dispenser of claim 1 , wherein the container further includes exterior threading coupled to the neck to locate the neck between the exterior threading and the neck insert, the container closure includes a rim arranged to extend around and surround the neck, a cap coupled to the rim and arrange to overlie the neck, and interior threading located between the rim and the neck and arranged to engage the exterior threading of the container to couple the container closure to the container, and the cap engages the neck insert to trap a portion of the neck insert between the cap and the neck of the container.

7. The pill dispenser of claim 6 , wherein the neck insert includes a retaining lip providing the portion of the neck insert trapped between the cap and the neck and a pill-receiver dish coupled to the retaining lip and arranged to extend from the retaining lip into the interior pill-storage chamber away from the container closure.

8. The pill dispenser of claim 7 , wherein the cap has an underside arranged to face toward the neck insert and the underside has a concave surface arranged to extend upwardly away from the neck insert.

9. The pill dispenser of claim 1 , wherein the neck insert includes a retaining lip located between the neck and the container closure, an insert side wall coupled to the retaining lip and arranged to extend downwardly way from the retaining lip and into the interior pill-storage chamber, and a ceiling coupled to the insert side wall and located in spaced-apart relation to the retaining lip so as to be located in the interior pill-storage chamber.

10. The pill dispenser of claim 9 , wherein the pill-receiver dish is coupled to the ceiling and to the insert side wall and arranged to lie in spaced-apart relation to the retaining lip so as to be located in the interior pill-storage chamber.

11. The pill dispenser of claim 10 , wherein the ceiling is located between the pill-receiver dish and the retaining lip.

12. The pill dispenser of claim 11 , wherein the pill-dispensing outlet is formed in the ceiling.

13. The pill dispenser of claim 10 , wherein the pill-receiver dish has a concave shape providing an upper curved surface arranged to face toward the container closure and arranged to extend away from the container closure.

14. The pill dispenser of claim 10 , wherein the ceiling includes a horizontal platform formed to include the pill-dispensing outlet and a ramp arranged to extend between and interconnect the pill-receiver dish.

15. The pill dispenser of claim 14 , wherein the ramp extends downwardly from the horizontal platform to the pill-receiver dish.

16. The pill dispenser of claim 9 , wherein the pill-dispensing outlet is formed in the ceiling.

17. The pill dispenser of claim 16 , wherein the pill-dispensing outlet has an oval shape.

Assignments (34)

Continuity (2)