Pill dispensing container

July 18, 1944.

H. L. APFELBAUM

PILL DISPENSING CONTAINER

Filed Nov. 9, 1942

2,353,629

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Fig. J

U , _Λ INVENTOR.

Huna Z. Apfelbaum

BY

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ATTORNEY

Patented July 18, 1944

2,353,629

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

2,353,629

PILL DISPENSING CONTAINER

Huna L. Apfelbaum, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to Victor Metal Products Corporation, Brooklyn, N. Y.. a corporation of New York

Application November 9, 1942, Serial No. 465,015

Claims. (CI. 206—42)

This invention relates to containers or vials for holding and dispensing pills, tablets and the like.

The invention contemplates the provision of a generally elongated container, such as a vial or pill box, having an axially slidable cap or cover 5 provided with a side discharge opening which may be brought manually into registration with a corresponding side opening in the container part to permit the discharge of a single pill at a time, the cap normally closing the open- 10 ing and preventing entrance of contaminating matter into the container.

The invention further contemplates the provision of a dispensing pill container adapted to be held in one hand of the user and readily op- ^lyerated by a finger of said hand, the entire container being made preferably of but two parts each adapted to be readily and economically molded of suitable plastic material.

The invention further contemplates the pro- ²⁰vision of simple and efficient means for slidably holding the cap part to the container part and for limiting the relative movement thereof, which means also permits the ready assembly of the two parts after the container has been ²⁵filled with the pills to be dispensed.

The various objects of the invention will be clear from the description which follows and from the drawing, in which,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the container ?,o in its open or pill-discharging position, showing a pill dropping out therefrom.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary combined rear view and vertical section of the container in the normal or closed position thereof. 35

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of the same taken on the line 3—-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary combined side view and vertical section taken on the line 4—4 of Fig. 3. 40

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary front view of the upper portion of the container part showing the reduced extension of the guide slot.

In the practical embodiment of the invention shown by way of example, both the cap 10 and 45 the container part 11 are preferably, though not necessarily molded of suitable plastic material, it being understood however, that other suitable material such as metal, paper or the like in sheet or tubular form may be used instead if desired 50 and if available.

The container part 11 is closed at its lower end and open at its upper end edge 12, the cap 10 being slidably fitted into said open end to telescope with slight frictional resistance into and out of 55 the container part. Extending downwardly from the edge 12 and through the wall of the container part is the discharge opening (3, preferably rounded at its bottom edge. Spaced circumferentially at about 90° from the opening is the guide slot 14 which is parallel to the axes of the cap and the container part. As shown best in Fig. 5, the slot !4 has spaced parallel edges 15, (6 terminating at their upper ends at a point slightly below the top edge (2. Extending downwardly from said top edge and into the slot 14 is the reduced slot portion 17, narrower at its bottom part than the slot 14 and preferably widened at the upper edge to provide a downwardly converging taper. A pair of spaced shoulders 18, (9 are thereby formed at the top of the slot (4 to engage the finger piece 20 projecting from the cap through the slot (4, said shoulders limiting the upward movement of said finger piece in the slot.

The finger piece is preferably molded integrally with the cap and engages the bottom of the slot 14 when the cap is in its normal position shown in Fig. 2. In this position, the top surface 2 ( of the cap is preferably, though not necessarily coplanar or flush with the edge 12. It will be noted that the preferably cylindrical wall of the container part is comparatively thin and therefore slightly flexible. I utilize the flexibility of the wall to assemble the· parts. Such flexibility of the upper part of the wall is increased by the freeing of that portion of the wall-between the opening 13 and the slots 14, 17, from the remainder of the wall, by means of said opening and slots. Consequently, the thus freed wall' parts yield enough to permit the Anger piece to be forced downwardly through the normally narrower slot 17 into the wider slot 14, the sides of the slot spreading apart under the longitudinal pressure of the finger piece by reason of their taper resulting in a cam action, said slot sides springing together after the release of the spreading pressure thereon to confine the finger piece in the slot 14 and to hold the cap in place against separation: from the container part.

It will be understood that prior to the assembly of the cap to the container part as above described, said part is filled with the pills to be dispensed or other contents. The top of the cap is closed by the wall 22, but the bottom is open and communicates with the interior of the container part, the depending wall 23 of the cap preferably being long enough to cover the slot 14 and to extend past the bottom of the dis

2,353,629 charge opening 13 when the cap is collapsed or telescoped into the container part and the finger piece is at the bottom of the slot 14 (Fig, 2). The wall 22 normally therefore, not only excludes foreign matter from the interior of the container part, but also provides an adequate bearing on the inner surface of the container part to prevent any material rocking action of the cap during its opening movement on upward force exerted on the finger piece.

To expose the discharge opening 13 when the cap is partly projected or extended beyond the container part, said cap is formed with the opening 24 in the wail 23 in axial alignment with the opening 13, and extending upwardly from the bottom edge of said wall a distance substantially the same as the height of the opening !3. By reason of the opening 24 the resiliency of the lower edge portion of the cap is increased so that by squeezing inwardly the edges of the opening 24 to contract the edge part of the cap, the finger piece may be forced upwardly out of the slot. This may be done if it becomes desirable to refill the container part.

While both openings may be of any suitable shape, I prefer to round the. upper edge of the opening 24 and the lower edge of the opening 13. The cap and container part may also have any desired cross-sectional shape, circular, polygonal or otherwise, since they merely slide relatively and do not rotate.

The container is easily held in one hand of the user and operated by the thumb or a finger of that hand to open it. On tilting the container to the position of Fig. 1, the pills drop down to the then registering openings J 3 and 24 and a pill drops therethrough out of the container, after which the container is righted and the cap closed or collapsed by pushing it in or by operating the finger piece as may be found convenient.

It will be understood that various changes may be made from the structure shown and described without departing from the spirit of the invention or from the scope of the appended claims.