Dispenser for Small Articles Having Article Orientation Means

This invention relates to dispensers for delivering a succession of groups of articles such as pills or tablets. Each group may consist of a single article or a number of articles.

It is common practice to provide a container with an adjustable closure adapted to be manipulated manually to uncover an opening to allow articles within the container to be dispensed. However in such a simple dispenser the articles are apt to come out with a rush and if a user requires just one article e.g. a sweetening saccharin or like tablet it is a nuisance to be confronted with six or seven at one time.

It has also been proposed to provide a dispenser adapted to dispense articles one group at a time but such dispensers have always been rather complicated.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved dispenser for delivering a succession of groups of articles each group consisting of a predetermined number of articles.

To dispense objects one group at a time for example to dispense substantially flat tablets one at a time we believe calls for the following conditions:

1. The tablets must be orientated to line up with an elongate dispensing opening.

2. Individual tablets must be separated from the pack or bulk of tablets and must be either carried to the dispensing opening or the opening must be moved to the tablets in turn.

3. Some form of shield must prevent more than one tablet being dispensed at a time. This can be achieved by producing a compartment or pocket around the tablet immediately adjacent to the dispensing opening. Once the tablet has been dispensed the compartment remains empty until the dispenser is operated again.

4. The tablets need some form of agitation to prevent clogging.

According to the present invention there is provided a dispenser for dispensing articles one group at a time from a supply of substantially identical articles wherein the dispenser comprises a container and a cap to close an open end of the container, means within the container and connected to the cap for segregating and orienting the articles as they are moved towards the cap, an opening in the cap through which articles can be dispensed, at least one pocket in the side wall of the container at the open end of the container and a protective ramp adjacent to the opening.

The invention also includes a dispenser for dispensing articles one group at a time from a supply of such articles which are all of the same size and shape wherein the dispenser comprises a container defined by a side wall and a closed end for holding a random supply of articles and having an open mouth remote from the closed end, a cap to close the open mouth of the container, an opening in the cap through which articles can be dispensed one group at a time when the dispenser is in an inverted position, a segregating member arranged within the container extending from the open mouth towards the closed end and dimensioned to provide a gap between the member and the container side wall into which a number of articles can pass and a pocket in the side wall of the container at the mouth thereof to receive a group of articles from the gap, whereby relative rotation between the cap and the container causes a group of articles to be dispensed from the pocket when the pocket moves into registration with the opening, guard means being provided to prevent a further group of articles moving into the pocket until the pocket no longer registers with the opening.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood reference is now directed by way of example to the accompanying drawings in which

FIG. 1 is a sectional perspective view of a dispenser in accordance with the invention shown in inverted position in which articles can be dispensed,

FIGS. 2 and 3 are detail sectional views

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 1 of a slightly modified form of dispenser in accordance with the invention,

FIGS. 5 and 6 are views similar to FIGS. 2 and 3,

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the container, and

FIG. 8 is a side view of the container.

Referring to FIG. 1 the dispenser comprises a tubular container 1 and a cap 2 to close the open mouth of the container 1. The container has an annular external bead 3 and the cap has an annular internal bead 4 in the skirt of the cap so that the cap 2 can snap in to the closed position on the container 1. When in position the cap 2 can be turned relatively to the container 1 but cannot easily be pulled off axially. The cap 2 has a segregating member in the form of a central spigot 5 which has a cylindrical part 6 and a frustoconical part 7. An annular gap 8 is provided between the side wall of the container and the spigot 5. The cap 2 has an opening 9 through which articles can be dispensed and the edge of the side wall of the container 1 at the open end has a number of cut outs forming pockets 10 each of a size and shape to receive a single article. The spigot 5 has a ramp 11 positioned above the opening 9 when the dispenser is in the position shown in FIG. 1. When the dispenser is in an upright position with the cap at the top the bulk of the articles will be in the lower part of the container. When it is desired to dispense an article the position of the dispenser is reversed so that some of the articles fall down into the gap 8 and become correctly oriented for dispensing. A single article will enter each pocket 10 with the exception of the pocket immediately above the opening 9 which remains empty because it is protected by the ramp 11 which prevents an article entering that pocket. Next the cap 2 is turned relatively to the container 1 so that when the opening 9 is moved into registration with a full pocket an article will be dispensed from that pocket. Although we have referred above to moving the cap 2 relatively to the container 1 the same effect is produced if the container be moved relatively to the cap.

If it be desired to dispense a group of two, three or more articles at a time the pockets will be made sufficiently large to receive two, three or more articles as the case may be.

FIG. 2 shows an article in one of the pockets 10 which in this embodiment are made just large enough to accommodate one article. FIG. 3 shows an article about to be dispensed from the pocket 10 through the opening 9 and also shows how the projection of the ramp 11 prevents another article dropping into a pocket from which an article has just been or is about to be dispensed.

It will be noted that the spigot 5 includes the cylindrical part 6 with a relatively large gap 8 between the spigot and the container wall. Below the part 6, with the dispenser in the position shown in FIG. 1, the spigot 5 is flared outwardly at the frustoconical part 7 towards the container wall so that the gap 8 between the spigot and the container wall narrows. This arrangement assists in correct orientation of the articles to be dispensed in that the articles move from a random arrangement in the upper part of the container away from the mouth to an orderly arrangement in the narrower part of the gap 8.

In some embodiments of the invention it may be necessary to make the dispenser in three parts i.e. a container body, a container bottom and a cap. In that case when the dispenser is assembled and the bottom is secured to the container body the dispenser comprises only two parts. However the embodiment described above may be actually manufactured in two parts, a container body complete and a cap and that is an important feature of the invention.

The embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 is similar to the embodiment described in connection with FIGS. 1, 2 and 5. The same references have been used and no further description is needed.