Tablet Dispenser

Abstract

A child resistant tablet product dispenser provides a container with a lid. The lid may be rotated along a first path in a first configuration which does not permit alignment of a window in the lid with a slot in the container. Upon activation of a latch mechanism, the lid can be moved vertically to permit rotation along a second path where the window and the slot align sufficiently to discharge product from the container.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a tablet dispenser and more precisely to a dispenser for use with tablets such as pool chemical tablets, pucks, discs or other tablet products, whereby the dispenser permits potentially hands-free dispensing of a tablet at a time.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In 2024 pool chemical companies are required in Europe to provide pool chemicals to customers in a way that the customer can utilize the pool chemicals without touching them with their hands. Pool chemical manufacturers have asked the applicant to provide tongs together with pails so that their customer can use the tongs to pick up the pool chemicals in a hands-free operation.

While using tongs is certainly one way of achieving the desired objective of hands-free operation, the applicant believes the improved dispenser/container designs can be developed for the market which can selectively dispense tablets in a hands-free manner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an object of many embodiments of the present invention to provide a hands-free tabletized product, puck or disc dispenser.

It is another object of many embodiments of the present invention to provide a container/dispenser for selectively dispensing tablets potentially without touching the tablets.

It is another object of many embodiments of the present invention to provide a child resistant dispenser for use with tabletized goods.

It is another object of many embodiments of the present invention to provide a tamper evident and preferably child resistant container for use with tabletized goods, discs or pucks as may be provided at point of sale and utilized to selectively dispense one unit at a time by a user in a hands-free manner.

Accordingly, a presently preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a tabletized product dispenser in the form of a preferably cylindrical container having a lid thereon. The lid preferably provides a tamper indicator which preferably obscures a window in the lid until removed as well as a child resistant feature whereby the lid may rotate relative to the container only up to a point without aligning any portion of the window with a slot in the container. When the window and the slot are aligned a tablet may be dispensed likely by turning the container upside down and jiggling the container so as to remove one tablet at a time in a hands-free manner.

In order to align the window with the slot, the lid is preferably rotated to a particular position and then an arm is displaced so that a first locking mechanism connected to the arm disengages a second locking mechanism on the lid thereby allowing the lid to be pushed upwardly relative to the container so that lugs on the lid rotate relative to a satellite ring arc of the container thereby then allowing the lid to rotate in such a configuration until the window of the lid aligns with a slot of the container permitting the dispensing of tabletized product from the tablet dispenser.

Twisting the lid in the opposite direction so as to prevent alignment of the window with the slot closes the dispenser and pushing downward reengages the child resistant mechanism while providing the container in a shut configuration.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The particular features and advantages of the invention as well as other objects will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a presently preferred embodiment of the present invention in an assembled configuration;

FIG. 2 shows a front perspective view of a portion of the embodiment of FIG. 1 showing the tamper indicator removed;

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view showing a child resistant latch mechanism in detail used with the embodiments of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view along line A-A in the configuration shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 4 in an unlocked configuration by pushing along the arrow in FIG. 3 to disengage the lock mechanism thereby permitting the lid to be upwardly directed relative to the container;

FIG. 6 shows a front perspective view of the lid pushed upwardly relative to the container which with being turned;

FIG. 7 shows a front perspective view of the lid turned to orient the window of the lid with a slot in the container;

FIG. 8 shows a front perspective view of tabletized material being removed from the container when downwardly directed;

FIG. 9 shows a front perspective view of the lock shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5;

FIG. 10 shows a front perspective view of the lid removed from the container; and

FIG. 11 shows a front perspective view of the top of the container with the lid removed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In accordance with a presently preferred embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 shows a tabletized product dispenser 10 having a lid 12 and a container 14. Products such as pool chemicals are often sold in three inch diameter tablets 52 which resemble the shape of a hockey puck. These tablets are a relatively short cylinder shape normally having a greater diameter than height. Many pool chemical companies may sell a plurality of these tablets 52 together such as a quantity of ten or more in a tablet dispenser 10. Once in production, other quantities of tablets 52 may be desirable to be provided in various other embodiments. When initially purchased at a retail location, tablets 52 will be disposed internal to the tablet dispenser 10 and are normally stacked in a cylindrical style arrangement within the container 14 as retained by the lid 12.

The lid 12 preferably has a tamper indicator 16 which is preferably provided initially so as to provide an indication the tabletized product dispenser may have potentially had product removed. In order to utilize the tablet dispenser 10, the tamper indicator 16 is removed from the lid 12 as is shown in FIG. 2 which then reveals a window 18 potentially up to the top 20 of the container 14. Various tamper indicator designs are known in the art.

The removal of the tamper indicator 16 also may reveal satellite ring arc 22 which for many embodiments extends substantially about the circumference of the container 14 which is preferably cylindrical in shape with the satellite ring arc 22 terminating proximate to an access slot 24 as sown in FIG. 7. A satellite ring arc 22 may be comprised of multiple segments and may have an angled upper surface 26 which cooperates with an angled surface 28 on one or more lugs 30,32 on the lid 12 so that the lid 12 may be pushed down on and over the satellite ring arc 22 during initial installation.

The lid 12 may be rotated about a rotation axis 34 as shown at a rotation 36 up to the position of FIG. 3 which preferably still prevents access to any of the tablets 52 inside the dispenser 10 but results in a first stop 38 on the lid 12 contacting a second stop 40 of the latch mechanism 42 to prevent further twisting for at least some embodiments. The lugs 30,32 may be below a second satellite ring 74 at this point. Second satellite ring 74 may have multiple segments. Other stops may be provided with other embodiments. At this point, the dispenser 10 is in a relatively child safe condition. In order to provide access to the slot 24 a user preferably must engage the latch mechanism 42 such as by pushing in the direction of the arrow 44. Even this configuration still preferably does not provide access to a tablet 52 but may allow for viewing of the tablet 52 as shown in FIG. 6 or otherwise.

With the first stop 38 spaced from the second stop 40 while pushing the arm 54, the lid 12 may be upwardly pushed so that the lugs 30,32 may continue upwards through gaps 62,64,66 possibly until they contact the satellite ring arc 22 and thus be able to continue to rotate about the rotation axis 34 when continued to be rotated in the direction 36. Between first satellite ring arc 22 and second satellite ring 74 is a channel 76 which the lugs 30,32 may rotate through.

The lid 12 may then be able to be continued to be rotated by rotation axis 34 such as in direction 36 to the position shown in FIG. 7 to at least partially align the window 18 with the slot 24. The dispenser 10 may then be turned upside down when in this position so that a tabletized product 52 may be removed from the tablet dispenser 10 preferably by shaking, jiggling or otherwise maneuvering the dispenser 10 in a hands-free manner to remove a tablet 52 at a time from the dispenser 10.

FIG. 9 provides additional detail of the latch mechanism 42 including detail of the second stop member 40 as well as the first locking mechanism 46. Arm 54 is preferably connected by shoulder 56 to the exterior surface 58 of the container 14 so as to provide an ability to deflect the first locking mechanism 46 by pushing on the second stop 40 or otherwise. The resiliency of the connection of the arm 54 to the shoulder 56 may assist in this cooperation.

FIGS. 10 and 11 show the lid 12 separate from the container 14 with the lugs 30,32 having the upwardly angled surfaces 60 which cooperate with the downwardly angled surfaces 26 of the satellite ring arc 22 so that the lid 12 can be pushed downwardly onto the container 14 during the initial assembly preferably with the tablets inserted in the container 14 first.

The lugs 30,32 and potentially others may align with gaps 62,64,66 etc. so that once the lugs 30,32 etc. are downwardly directed past the satellite ring arc 22, the lugs 30,32 may continue through gaps 62,64,66 lining up so that the dispenser 10 may be assembled as shown in FIG. 1 which would be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art. Stop 68 on the lid 12 may contact barrier 70 on the container 14 in a open configuration as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.

Reversing the opening procedure may occur by twisting in the opposite of direction 36 about rotation axis 34 to twist back to the position of FIG. 6 from a position of FIG. 8 and then the lid 12 can be pushed downwardly relative to the container 14 as shown in the position of FIG. 3 so as to re-arm the child resistant capability and continue to potentially rotate back to the position of FIG. 2 if that is not already in the position of FIG. 3 for a closed and child resistant configuration. Others may prefer to keep the child resistant feature disengaged for at least some embodiments.

Although many embodiments of the present embodiment are directed to be utilized with tabletized pool chemicals which often resemble hockey pucks, or discs having about a three inch diameter and approximately up to about one inch height, other dimensions of pucks, discs and/or tabletized materials (whether pool chemicals or other products) may be dispensed from the tablet dispenser 10 of presently preferred embodiments of the invention and others. By utilizing this construction, tablets such as those shown in FIG. 8 may potentially be dispensed individually as shown in FIG. 8 or otherwise in a hands-free manner so as to comply with upcoming European requirements potentially without the use on tongs.

Dispensers 10 may be made of various plastics and are preferably injection molded.

Numerous alterations of the structure herein disclosed will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. However, it is to be understood that the present disclosure relates to the preferred embodiment of the invention which is for purposes of illustration only and not to be construed as a limitation of the invention. All such modifications which do not depart from the spirit of the invention are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what is claimed herein is:

Claims

1. A tablet product dispenser comprising: a cylindrical container having a slot towards an upper end of the container;a lid operably coupled to the container at the upper end of the container, said lid having a window;a first configuration wherein said lid is rotatable about a first path relative to lid without permitting the window to align with the slot, at least in part by having a portion of the lid as prevented by a first stop on the lid contacting a second stop of a latch mechanism while in the first path rotating in a first direction, and the lid is restrained to move in the first path when in the first configuration; andwherein upon operation of the latch mechanism transitioning the dispenser to a second configuration, the second stop is displaced relative to the first stop thereby permitting movement of the lid relative to the container including the vertical displacement of the lid to rotate about a second path in the first direction, said second path spaced apart from the first path, wherein when rotated to a sufficient degree about the second path, the window of the lid aligns sufficiently with the slot permitting dispensing of product from the dispenser in a dispense configuration.

2. The tablet product dispenser of claim 1 wherein the first path is parallel to the second path.

3. The tablet product dispenser of claim 2 wherein the first path circumnavigates a portion of an exterior of the cylinder.

4. The tablet product dispenser of claim 3 wherein the first path is perpendicular to a vertical axis of the cylinder colinearly disposed with a rotation axis of the lid in the first path.

5. The tablet product dispenser of claim 1 wherein the container has at least portions of a first satellite ring assisting in restraining rotation of the lid to the first path in the first configuration.

6. The tablet product dispenser of claim 5 wherein the first satellite ring has at least one gap intermediate portions of the first satellite ring.

7. The tablet product dispenser of claim 6 wherein the lid has at least one lug directed inwardly towards the container, and when in the second configuration, the lug moves vertically through the gap permitting rotation of the lid relative to the container along the second path.

8. The tablet product dispenser of claim 7 wherein the lid has multiple lugs which pass through multiple to transition from the first path to the second path.

9. The tablet product dispenser of claim 5 wherein an upper surface of the first satellite ring is upwardly angled and a lower surface of the at least one lug is downwardly angled permitting the lid to be downwardly pushed onto the container into the first configuration.

10. The tablet product dispenser of claim 9 further comprising a second satellite ring assisting in restraining rotation to one of the first and second paths, and the second satellite ring has an angled upper surface permitting the lid to be downwardly pushed onto the container into the first configuration.

11. The tablet product dispenser of claim 10 wherein the at least one lug is located between the first and second satellite rings when rotating in the second path.

12. The tablet product dispenser of claim 10 wherein with the second stop disengaged from the first stop, further rotation along the first path is required before vertical movement can occur to move the lid to the second path.

13. The tablet product dispenser of claim 1 further comprising a tamper indicator covering the at least a portion of the window of the lid until removed.

14. The tablet product dispenser of claim 1 wherein the latch mechanism is connected to the container and the second stop extends radially outwardly relative to the container.

15. The tablet product dispenser of claim 14 wherein the latch mechanism has a shoulder extending from the container and the second stop is located between an arm and the shoulder, wherein movement of the arm directs the second stop radially inwardly thereby disengaging the second stop from the first stop.

16. The tablet product dispenser of claim 1 wherein when the window and slot are sufficient aligned in the second configuration, the container may be turned upside down and a product may be discharged from the tablet product dispenser in a hands-free manner.

17. The tablet product dispenser of claim 1 wherein the product is a plurality of tablets having a short cylindrical shape having a greater diameter than height.

18. The tablet product dispenser of claim 17 wherein the plurality of tablets are provided in a cylindrical arrangement within the container.

19. The tablet product dispenser of claim 1 wherein the slot in the container extends downwardly from an upper edge of the container.

20. The tablet product dispenser of claim 1 wherein the lid is rotated in a second direction opposite the first direction along the second path, and then vertically moved to the first path, and then continued in the second direction along the first path thereby rearming the lid relative to the container so that unless the latch mechanism sufficiently disengages the second stop, the tablet product dispenser remains in the first configuration.