Abstrict A pill crusher pouch, dimensioned to be received between a platen
and anvil of a pill crusher wherein the anvil is integrally fixed
to a base and wherein the platen is coupled to said base through
a moveable handle, is constructed a seamless tube of flexible material
having an open top and a closed bottom, wherein the closed bottom
is formed a cup like seal that provides the pouch with a comerless
interior that facilitates easy pouring of pulverized material from
the interior of the pouch.
Claims I claim:
1. A pill crusher pouch, comprising: a single sheet of flexible
sheet material folded upon itself and sealed along a longitudinal
edge portion thereof to form an open pouch having a front panel
and a back panel; and said front panel and said back panel being
sealed together along a cup like seal line disposed at a base portion
of said front panel and said back panel to provide said open pouch
with a closed bottom and an open top; and said cup like seal line
providing said open pouch with a cornerless smooth rounded interior
bottom to facilitate easy pouring of pulverized pill residue from
the interior of said open pouch.
2. The pill crusher pouch according to claim 1 wherein said single
sheet of flexible material is transparent.
3. The pill crusher pouch according to claim 2 wherein said single
sheet of flexible material is composed of polyethylene.
4. The pill crusher pouch according to claim 1 wherein said pouch
is dimensioned to be received between a platen and anvil of a pill
crusher; and wherein said anvil is integrally fixed to a base and
wherein said platen is coupled to said base by moveable handle means
having a handle.
5. The pill crusher pouch according to claim 4 further comprising
means for moving forcibly said platen against said anvil when said
moveable handle means is moved from a first position to a second
position, said means for moving including a compression link fixed
at a first pivot to said base and at a second pivot to said handle,
wherein said second pivot functions as a fulcrum during handle movement.
6. The pill crusher pouch according to claim 1 wherein said single
sheet of material includes marking indicia to provide an indication
of maximum pill capacity for pill crushing purposes.
7. A pill crusher pouch, comprising a front rectangular panel of
sheet material; a back rectangular panel of sheet material; a right
side seal for securing a right side portion of said front panel
of sheet material to a right side portion of said rear panel of
sheet material; a left side seal for securing a let side portion
of said front panel of sheet material to a left side portion of
said real panel of sheet material; and a cup-like seal for securing
a bottom portion of said front panel of sheet material to a bottom
portion of said rear panel of sheet material, said cup-like seal
providing the pouch with a cornerless interior to facilitate easy
pouring of pulverized material from the interior of the pouch.
8. The pill crusher pouch according to claim 7 wherein at least
one of the rectangular sheets of material is a transparent sheet
of material.
9. The pill crusher pouch according to claim 8 wherein the other
one of the rectangular sheets of material is a transparent sheet
of material.
10. The pill crusher pouch according to claim 7 wherein said pouch
is dimensioned to be received between a platen and anvil of a pill
crusher; and wherein said anvil is integrally fixed to a base and
wherein said platen is coupled to said base by moveable handle means
having a handle.
11. The pill crusher pouch according to claim 10 further comprising
means for moving forcibly said platen against said anvil when said
moveable handle means is moved from a first position to a second
position, said means for moving including a compression link fixed
at a first pivot to said base and at a second pivot to said handle,
wherein said second pivot functions as a fulcrum during handle movement.
12. The pill crusher pouch according to claim 7 wherein a least
one of said front rectangular panel of sheet material and said back
rectangular panel of sheet material includes marking indicia to
provide an indication of maximum pill capacity for pill crushing
purposes.
13. The pill crusher pouch according to claim 12 wherein a least
the other one of said front rectangular panel of sheet material
and said back rectangular panel of sheet material includes marking
indicia to provide an indication of maximum pill capacity for pill
crushing purposes.
Description RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS
This application is related to U.S. Design patent application Ser.
No.: 29/192265 entitled "Pill Crusher Pouch," filed concurrently
herewith, now U.S. Pat. No. Des. 497543.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to patient care devices
and, more particularly, to pouches for pill crushing devices.
Modern medicines come in a variety of forms and commonly the form
is that of a pill. This can be defined generally as a small, usually
soluble medicated mass that is shaped to facilitate swallowing.
Typically, it contains a filler and an excipient substance that
facilitates working it into the desired pillular form. One skilled
in the art of patient medication may distinguish between a "pill"
and a "tablet" but, as the term is used herein, "pill"
is intended to include both. Typically, pills come in a variety
of sizes and shapes, and, because of the manufacturing process,
often have a hard outer shell.
In some cases, to accomplish efficient patient medication, it is
advisable to crush the pill rather than having the patient consume
it whole. For example, if a patient has difficulty in swallowing,
it can be helpful to pulverize the pill and combine the fragments
with a carrier, such as a fruit juice. Because of this recognized
need, various pill-crushing devises are known.
Since pill-crushing devices are used in a patient care setting,
it is important that they be reliable, quiet in operation and readily
usable by care giving personnel, and most importantly that they
provide a vehicle for assuring that the patient receives the full
dosage of a prescribed medication.
While many pill-crushing devices, such as the pill-crushing device
described in U.S. Pat. No. 5915637 have mete with commerical
success, the pill crusher pouch has been less than satisfactory.
In this regard, there is a need for a new and improved pill crusher
pouch that allows substantially the whole of a crushed pill to be
easily extracted and consumed by a patient.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
Disclosed herein is a pill crusher that relies on pressure not
impact force to crush pills. A removable or replaceable pouch dispenser
is disposed on board for the storage of a plurality of pouches,
which are dimensioned for receiving one or a plurality of pills.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention each pill pouch
is dimensioned to fit in a mouth defined by an anvil and a platen
of the pill crusher. The pouch is comprised of a single sheet of
transparent flexible sheet material having a right side edge, a
left side edge, a top edge and a bottom edge. The sheet of material
is folded laterally to bring the right side edge and the left side
edge into alignment to form a common side edge. The common side
edge is heat sealed to close and form an open container having a
front panel and a back panel. Another heat seal is applied to a
bottom portion of the container which seals a bottom portion of
the front panel and a bottom portion of the back panel together
and further creates a smooth rounded or curved base line within
the container that substantially prevents any crushed pill residue
from being trapped at the bottom comers of the container and therefore
waste.
The preferred embodiment of the invention affords several advantages.
By eliminating the sharp pouch corners the pouch allows substantially
the full dose of the crushed pill to be extracted from the pouch
and to be consumed by the user. Further by dimension, a plurality
of the pouches can be stored in a replaceable pouch dispenser that
slides conveniently into a conventional pill crusher that relies
on pressure, not impact forces, to accomplish pill crushing.
Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become
apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction
with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the
principles of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pill crusher of the present invention;
FIG. 1A is an illustrative view of a compression linkage of the
pill crusher of FIG. 1;
FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of the pill crusher of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the pill crusher of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the pill crusher of FIG. 1
showing the housing removed and the handle in a pill crushing position;
FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the pill crusher of FIG. 1
showing the housing removed and the handle in a pill receiving position;
FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of a pill crusher pouch which
is constructed in accordance with the present invention and which
is adapted for use with the pill crusher of FIG. 1;
FIG. 7 is a front elevational view of a prior art pill crusher
pouch for use with the pill crusher of FIG. 1;
FIG. 8 is a front elevational view of another pill crusher pouch
which is constructed in accordance with the present invention and
which is adapted for use with the pill crusher of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 9 is a front elevational view of still yet another pill crusher
pouch which is constructed in accordance with the present invention
and which is adapted for use with the pill crusher of FIG. 1.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without
departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described
embodiment is to be considered in all respects only as illustrative
and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated
by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description.
All changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency
of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.
Before describing the new and improved pill crusher pouch construction,
it may be beneficial to first describe a prior art pill crusher
pouch and its associated pill crusher 10. In this regard, a prior
art pouch 50 is illustrated in FIG. 7.
The pouch 50 is formed from a single sheet of transparent flexible
sheet material such as polyethylene. The sheet is formed into a
tube like configuration to provide pouch sides, such as the side
51 and the side 53. A heat seal is applied to a bottom portion
55 of the material to seal it front and back portions together and
to form a seal line indicated generally at 57 to provide a leak
tight container. The aforementioned panels are unsealed at their
tops and an opening 58 is, thus presented. Indicia such as the indicia
59 are stamped or printed on the pouch 50 and the indicia can be
helpful in orienting the pouch within the pill crusher 10 (FIG.
4). As can be readily seen in FIG. 7 when the heat seal is applied
to the bottom portion 55 of the material, the seal line 57 forms
sharp 90-degree angles at the right side edge 51 and the left side
edge 53 of the pouch 50. These sharp 90-degree angles therefore
create interior comers that trap and prevent finely pulverized pill
material from escaping from the interior of the pouch 50.
Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to FIG. 1 thereof,
there is illustrated the pill crusher 10 which is utilized with
a new and improved pill crusher pouch 60 which is constructed according
to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The pill crusher
10 includes an elongated, generally rectangular base 21 from which
an integrally formed anvil 25 projects upwardly. A forward anchor
block 36 is integrally formed at the upper surface of the base 21
and a platen 27 is pivotally connected thereto by a pin or pivot
C, for rotational movement of the platen 27 against the anvil 25.
A handle 29 is pivotally connected to the platen 27 at an upper
end thereof, by a pin or pivot D.
A rear anchor block 23 integrally formed with the base 21 is
located rearward of the forward anchor block 36. A compression linkage
33 is pivotally connected to the block 23 by a pin or pivot B and,
in addition, the linkage 33 is pivotally connected to the handle
29 by a pin or pivot A
A strengthening rib 31 integrally formed with the base 21 the
forward anchor block 36 and the rear anchor block 23 helps to
limit distortion of the base 21 during operation of the pill crusher
10. A housing 37 covers a substantial portion of the base 21 and
is attached thereto, in a conventional manner, at the upper surface
thereof. The cover 37 is opened rearwardly to afford access to a
storage and dispensing area 38 for a plurality of pouches, exemplary
of which is the pouch 60 shown in FIG. 6.
A shock-absorbing bumper 39 is affixed to the top of the rear anchor
block 23 for cushioning downward movement of the handle 29 during
operation of the pill crusher 10. In this regard, the bumper 39
helps to ensure quiet operation of the pill crusher. The handle
29 has a resilient rubber-like grip 32 to facilitate easy handling
thereof. A plurality of legs 38 support the base 21 and support
it above a table or counter surface for ease of operation.
Some other components of the pill crusher 10 will now be considered
in greater detail. It is apparent to one skilled in the art that
the device utilizes a compound lever to move the platen 27 and,
as a result, great forces are brought to bear against the anvil
25. To enable the anvil 25 to withstand such forces, ribs 25a, 25b
and 25c are integrally formed with the anvil 25 to strengthen it.
The platen 27 also sustains great loads and it is strengthened by
wings 27a and 27b, each of which flanks a plate 27b. It will be
noted, with reference to FIG. 1 that the combined width of the
plate 27b and the pair of wings 27a and 27c provides a platen which
fits between the anvil ribs 25a and 25c to ensure a substantially
enclosed mouth 41 for the pill crushing process.
Since the crushing process is efficiently accomplished when the
platen 27 is driven directly forward, wings 29a and 29b, integrally
formed in the handle 29 cooperate with the platen wings 27a and
27c to constrain lateral movement of the platen 27.
Considering now the compression linkage 33 with reference to FIG.
1A, the linkage is generally channel shaped, having a bottom wall
33c and integrally connected side walls 33a and 33b. The side walls
have openings 33d formed in the forward portions thereof for receipt
therethrough of the pivot A. Similarly, openings 33h, formed in
the rearward portions of the side walls 33a and 33b are adapted
for receipt of the pivot B. A cutaway opening 33e is formed in the
forward portion of the linkage 33 and another cutaway opening 33f
is formed in the rearward portion of the linkage 33. The openings
33e and 33f permit clearance of the linkage 33 between the platen
27 and the rear anchor block 23 respectively, during pill crusher
10 operation.
The operation of the pill crusher 10 will now be considered in
greater detail in respect of a pill crushing process. During the
pill crushing operation, the pins C and B act as fixed pivots, kept
as they are within the respective front and rear anchor blocks 36
and 23 respectively, while the pivot A acts as a fulcrum pivot
and the pivot D acts as a floating pivot. After a pouch 60 containing
one or more pills, is placed in the mouth 41 the handle 29 is moved
in a direction indicated by the letter X (FIG. 5). As the handle
moves downwardly, a triangle formed by the legs AB, AD, and DB tends
to collapse. Simultaneously, the compression linkage 33 begins to
move in the direction indicated by the letter Y as the pivots D,
A and B tend to move into alignment. Of course, true alignment is
never achieved since the force which would be thereby realized would
be excessive and would destroy the pill crusher 10 by fractured
separation of the anvil 25 from the base 21. In order to prevent
such an event, the anchor pivot B is fixed at a location short of
an alignment position. In this manner, an efficient, powerful crushing
action is achieved while destruction of the device 10 is avoided.
As the DAB triangle collapses, the action pivot D moves forwardly
and the platen 27 rotates about the pivot C, as shown by the arrow
Z (FIG. 5), to move against the anvil 25 thereby crushing any pill
therebetween. It will be noted, with reference to FIG. 5 that the
opening of the mouth 41 is greater at the top of the pill crusher
10 than it is nearer the pivot C. As a result, greater crushing
forces come to bear the closer the pill is placed to the pivot C.
As discussed more fully below, this characteristic can give the
user of the pill crusher 10 flexibility in accomplishing the amount
of pill crushing or pulverization desired.
Considering further the pouch 60 as shown in FIG. 6 the pouch
60 is formed from a tubular sheet 62 of transparent flexible material
such as polyethylene. In order to form the tubular sheet 62 into
a closed container, a cup shaped heat seal, indicated generally
at 65 is applied to a bottom portion 63 of the tubular sheet 62.
By applying the cup shaped heat seal 65 to the bottom portion 63
of the tubular sheet 62 the interior of the pouch 60 is provided
with a rounded or circular like cornerless bottom indicated generally
at 67. This is an important feature of the preferred embodiment
of the present invention as the rounded bottom is absent any sharp
pointed comers that could otherwise easily trap and hold the finely
pulverized or crushed pill material created when a pill is crushed
within the pouch. In short then, with the rounded bottom, the user
is able to extract from the interior of the pouch the whole of the
pill that was crushed thereby assuring a full needed dosage can
be easily extracted from the pouch 60 and taken by the patient.
The configuration of the pouch 60 is particularly adapted for use
with the pill crusher 10 having a width that conforms to the width
of the mouth 41 of the pill crusher 10.
In operation, a pouch is removed from the pouch dispenser 38 and
one or more pills are placed therein. It is recommended that the
pouch 60 be not filled beyond the indicia 69 shown as a dotted
line on the tubular sheet 62. Often, the pouch 60 will hold a plurality
of pills, typically as many as five depending on the size thereof.
The pouch 60 containing the pills can then be inserted into the
mouth 41 and, depending upon the degree of crushing desired, the
position of the pouch can vary within the mouth 41 wherein greater
crushing forces are available the nearer the pouch 60 is to the
pivot C. An advantage of the present invention is that the user
can repeat the crushing operation, with the pouch 60 at a suitable
level within the mouth 41 until the desired amount of pulverization
is realized. In this regard, the transparent panels of the pouch
60 help the user determine whether additional crushing is needed.
As additional evidence of the flexibility of the pill crusher 10
the pouch 60 can be introduced from the top of the mouth 41 or it
may be inserted between the anvil 25 and the platen 27 from a side,
at the convenience of the user. After this choice is made, the user
lifts the handle 29 to open the mouth 41 and inserts the loaded
pouch 60. The handle 29 is then moved downwardly in the direction
of the arrow X (FIG. 5) to pulverize the pills. It is sometimes
helpful to move the pouch 60 up and down within the mouth 41 while
during the crushing process in order to achieve a suitable degree
of pulverization.
Advantageously, the use of the pouch 60 ensures that all of the
medication intended for the patient is available and none of it
is lost in transfer from a crucible into another container since
the user can simply pour the pulverized pill particles from the
pouch 60 into a suitable container. Still further, the on board
dispenser 38 provides a clean and orderly place for pouch storage,
readily at hand, for use during the pill crushing processing.
Thus, a clean and efficient technique of crushing pills is provided.
In addition, because the dispenser is of an open design, the supply
of pouches 50 can readily monitored and replenished as required.
The pill crusher 10 is composed, substantially, of non-corrosive
metal. In a preferred embodiment, the pins or pivots A, B, C and
D are of rolled steel composition, having a diameter of about 1/4
inch to about 1/2 inch, with about 1/4 inch being preferred.
It will be apparent from the above description of the pill crusher
10 that it affords several distinct advantages when compared to
the prior art. In the first place, efficient and effective pill
crushing can be readily achieved with little exertion on the part
of the user. Attendant with this is the fact that the crushing operation
is essentially noiseless so that the health provider can use the
device 10 even in proximity to a sleeping patient, without fear
of waking the patient. In addition, the use of the pouch 60 insures
that trace medications are not left in the device 50 to contaminate
medications subsequently introduced into the device. Thus, a measure
of patient safety is realized.
With regard to the pouch 60 it is apparent that it represents
an advance in the art. It is low in cost to produce and thus is
disposable economically after one time use. This factor, in addition
to the capability for segregating the medicines of individual patients,
helps to reduce, if not eliminate, problems of medicinal cross contamination.
Additionally, the pouch 60 can hold a plurality of pills so that
the patient can receive a beneficial mix of medicines simultaneously.
The pouch 60 is relatively long and narrow and it permits pill pulverizing
to occur at a remote site with subsequent transportation to the
patient without great concern of contamination of the pouch contents.
Because it is transparent, the pouch 60 enables the user to determine
readily when a desired level of pill pulverization has occurred.
Finally, the pouch 60 can be sealed conventionally, by heat sealing
for example, so that the process of pill pulverization can be accomplished
at a convenient time for the care giver, with medicine administration
occurring as needed, at a later time.
From the foregoing it will be appreciated that the pill crusher
provided by the invention provides an efficient, relatively noiseless
and safe technique for pulverizing pills in a patient care environment.
The assembly is mechanically simple and reliable. It is compact
and requires only a modest amount of counter space. In addition,
the onboard dispenser provides convenient access to pouches, as
the need arises.
Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to FIG. 8
there is illustrated another pouch 70 which is constructed in accordance
with the present invention. The pouch 70 it is formed from a single
sheet 72 of transparent flexible sheet material, such as polyethylene,
that has been cut into a generally rectangular shape. In order to
form the pouch 70 the rectangular sheet 72 is folded, along an
imaginary longitudinal line that divides the sheet into two equal
halve, aligning its right side edge with its left side edge. A single
heat seal 72A is applied over the aligned right side edge and left
side edge of the folded sheet to form a generally tubular container
having an open top and an open bottom. A curved cup like heat seal
indicated generally at 77 is then applied to a bottom portion 73
of the container to provide it with a closed leak tight bottom.
The configuration of the pouch 70 is particularly adapted for use
with the pill crusher 10 having a width that conforms to the width
of the mouth 41 of the pill crusher 10.
Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to FIG. 9 thereof,
there is illustrated another pill crusher pouch 80 which is constructed
in accordance with the present invention. The pill crusher pouch
80 is formed from a pair of rectangularly shaped sheets, a front
panel sheet indicated generally at 81 and a real panel sheet indicated
generally at 82. The front panel sheet 81 and the real panel sheet
82 are each formed of a transparent flexible sheet material such
as polyethylene.
In order to form the pouch 80 the two sheets 81 and 82 are first
laid out in alignment on top of one another with their respective
right side edges, left side edges, top edges and bottom edges in
alignment. Next a left side heat seal 81A is applied to the left
side edge portions of the sheets along their entire longitudinal
dimension. Then a right side heat seal 82A is applied to the right
side edge portions of the sheets along their entire longitudinal
dimension. In this manner a container is formed having an open bottom
and an open top. A curved cup like heat seal indicated generally
at 87 is then applied to a bottom portion 83 of the container to
provide it with a closed leak tight bottom. The aforementioned panels
are unsealed at their tops and an opening 58 is, thus presented.
Indicia such as the indicia 89 are stamped or printed on the pouch
80 and the indicia can be helpful in orienting the pouch within
the pill crusher 10 (FIG. 4). The configuration of the pouch 80
is particularly adapted for use with the pill crusher 10 having
a width that conforms to the width of the mouth 41 of the pill crusher
10.
It will be evident that there are additional embodiments and applications,
which are not disclosed in the detailed description but which clearly
fall within the scope of the present invention. The specification
is, therefore, intended not to be limiting, and the scope of the
invention is to be limited only by the following claims. |