US20040189158A1

US20040189158A1 - Medicine cabinet/organizer

Info

Publication number: US20040189158A1
Application number: US10/401,401
Authority: US
Inventors: Carolyn Zahari
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-03-31
Filing date: 2003-03-31
Publication date: 2004-09-30

Abstract

The medication cabinet/dose organizer is a simple design created to assist in the taking of multiple medications or other such pills. By this design users will be able to see if a dose has been missed or not. The cabinet has the ability to stand alone on a counter, be hung on the wall, or be built into the wall. With the capability to hold medication in dosed form for up to a month and have enough room to hold medication supply bottles, gives the user one common place to keep all or most of their medications.

Description

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention is a new system of organizing medication and/or vitamins in homes and in assisted living situations. More specifically, this invention relates to people who take medicine and/or vitamins on a regular basis and has the ability to reduce missed doses by the simplicity of the design.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Medication, vitamins, and other such pills has created a complexity of how many to take, when to take, and “Did I” or “Didn't I” already take it. By missing doses or over able to check doses as needed can relieve the need to worry if it was taken or not. Which could reduce the amount of doctor visits and prescription refills to cure one sickness.

DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART

Most medication organizers are small units that are hard to retrieve medication from. Unless you have tweezers, it is almost impossible to get a dose without spilling other doses and can only hold medication for up to a week. These units are convenient for traveling, not for everyday living. Other units have the ability to hold large quantities of pills which makes it difficult to tell if the pills were taken or not. They do not protect against children getting into the medication or have a way to easily be hidden.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

This invention is to give the user an easier and simpler way to take medication, vitamins, and other such pills. It also allows for the storage of pills that are given in quantities larger than a months worth. Also with the simple design, this invention will be able to stand alone on a counter, hang on a wall, or be built into the wall.

This is accomplished by being able to individualize doses while keeping all pills together in one common place. Doses are kept in cups (drawing reference). These cups can hold many different pills at one time which enables the user to group timed doses. There is room for empty cups and extra cups to be kept in the cabinet.

The cabinet consist of five shelves with seven slots per shelf Each slot holds up to three cups equaling a months worth of medication that's taken three times a day. This enables the user, family members, and/or medical staff to arrange medication for the user for up to a month.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows the pill holder-top, side and bottom. [0007]
FIG. 2 is a side perspective of the cabinet with shelves inside and FIG. 2C which is an overhead view of the inside shelving. [0008]
FIG. 3 a front view of the cabinet with the doors for the cabinet and the valance for the top of the cabinet. [0009]
FIG. 4 shows how the shelving is placed inside the cabinet [0010]
FIG. 5 top overview of stand. FIG. 5A is side view of stand. FIG. 5B is bottom of cabinet showing pre-drilled hole.[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING

FIG. 1: This is a description of the cup that is going to be used to hold the pills. The cup will be able to slide into the slots of each shelf and be able to stay in place. These cups are reusable and the user will be able to use labels (which are included) to write on the cups or they can write directly on the cup. [0012]
FIG. 2: A side view of the cabinet showing the spacing. FIG. 2A: Shows a 2 inch gap from the top. This spacing is for storage of cups. FIG. 2B: Is the top layer to the shelf, there are two layers to help preserve freshness and prevent contamination. [0013]
The top layer is a solid piece of acrylic spaced above the actual shelf (FIG. 2C). FIG. 2C slides into grooves routed into the sides and back panels of the cabinet. The actual shelf (FIG. 2C) is for easy insertion and removal of cups. FIG. 2B shows a look at the shelf from the side and from overhead. The side view gives a look at the spacing which is not air tight but is user friendly. The overhead view shows the spacing on the shelf itself. Each slot is equal to each day of the week and has the depth to hold up to three cups equaling three doses per day. The spacing between cup slots enables the user to slide his/her hand into the cabinet easily without disturbing other doses. FIG. 2D: is six inches from the bottom shelf to the bottom of the cabinet, this space is for storage of extra pill bottles. [0014]
FIG. 3: Is a basic look at the inside of the cabinet without the shelves that are describe in FIG. 2 thru FIG. 2D. FIG. 3A: shows a two door style that open from the center and has a safety lock to help prevent unwanted users. FIG. 3B: is a decoration piece for the top of the cabinet and also allows for more storage space if the cabinet is hung on a wall or place on a counter top. The cabinet accommodates five shelving units, each unit consisting of a top acrylic piece (FIG. 2B) and the actual acrylic shelf (FIG. 2C) [0015]
FIG. 4: Is a brief description of the optional stand for the cabinet, this overhead view shows the stand as a separate piece that can be connected to the cabinet by a bolt that is put through a pre-drilled hole in the bottom of the cabinet and a pre-drilled hole in the bottom of the stand. FIG. 4A: is a side view of the stand and shows how the cabinet will line up on it by the spaced lines. FIG. 4B: is a description of the pre-drilled hole in the bottom of the cabinet. [0016]
Having described my invention broadly and in detail, my claims shall come basic.[0017]

Claims

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A medication supply cabinet and doses organizer is to assist users in taking timed doses of multiple medicines, vitamins, etc.

2. The use of plastic cups makes having to label doses simple. Included will be a sheet of stickers for clear labeling of cups and numbered stickers for to place in the back of the cabinet for labeling of slots.

3. With the spaced design of the cabinet it enables the user to easily access doses of medication and makes it easy to tell if there was a missed dose or not.

4. The size of the cabinet makes stored and dosed medications easily accessible by being in the same cabinet.

5. With the ability to arrange doses for up to a month, makes difficult medication schedules simpler. It enables family, medical staff, or others to supply users with the medications they need, also making it easier to check if medications were taken.