Device for Storing and Carrying Medicine and Other Items

The present invention relates to a device for storing and carrying medicine and other items allowing for removable fastening of medicine and other items in original containers to the device, particularly by means of strips of male and female hook and eye cloth fastener or two-sided adhesive, and providing space for instructions as to use of medicine and other items so attached.

From the teachings of U.S. Pat. No. 3,693,807, a rotary-type display stand is known for display of articles upon racks which may be rotated about a vertical axis.

Additional rotary-type display stands with slight modifications are known from the teachings of U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,695,455, 3,855,943, and 3,917,072. Articles are usually attached to such display stands by use of perforated board, hooks and arms. This has the disadvantage that items to be attached to the display stand must be of a form attachable through such means or must be contained within a package of a form attachable through such means.

From the teachings of U.S. Pat. No. 3,917,072 a revolvable display rack is known which an be disassembled, folded and packed in a relatively flat package for transportation. This has the disadvantage of requiring removable of the articles attached to the rack and disassembly of the rack prior to transport.

From the teachings of U.S. Pat. No. 4,301,205, a device for fastening objects on a flat support member is known utilizing adhesive coating that does not loose its adhesiveness despite frequent removal of objects therefrom. This has the disadvantage that the adhesive coating adheres to all objects coming into contact therewith and not just those objects for which attachment is intended.

There is not storage device upon a rotatable base for the storage of medicine and other items known which is portable, provides for removable fastening of the original containers of medicine and other items and provides for display of dosage and dispensing or use instructions.

It is quite frequently the case among aged patients or those convalescing from serious illness that substantial number of different medicines with different requirements for dispensing are prescribed. Adherence to the proper dispensing requirements for each of these medicines is imperative to avoid deleterious side effects and to insure rapid recovery. Often elderly patients tend to place medicine in drawers, paper bags, cabinets and other locations scattered throughout their residence with the result that essential medicine may be forgotten or misplaced. Even if medicine is stored by the patient in a central location, it is often difficult for the patient to remember which medications must be taken at which particular times and it may be difficult to read the dispensing instructions which are inevitably typed in small print upon the containers of the medicine themselves. In addition, each time a patient is examined by a physician it is necessary for the physician to make an assessment as to which medicines are being administered in order to determine what additional medicine or what alterations in the present medication, if any, is necessary. Finally, storage of medicine in its original containers guarantees that the safety resulting from the safety caps provided with such containers is maintained. To the extent that these medicines can be stored in the original containers in an organized fashion in a storage device which displays the dispensing instructions for each such medicinal item and which may be easily transported, for refilling of prescriptions, for review by doctors or for travel, the dangers of accidental overdose, loss, improper dispensing, erroneous prescriptions and adverse side effects can be avoided.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for storing medicine and other items in the original containers which may be removed from a turntable and utilized for transport of such medicine and other items and which provides a means of removably fastening the containers for such medicine and other items to such storage device and for displaying upon such storage device the instructions for dosage and dispensing of the medicine or use of other items within the containers so attached.

In accordance with the invention, the object of organized storage in original containers with dispensing or use instructions is achieved by providing a device with vertical planar members upon the bottom of which members appear placards showing the dosage and dispensing or use instructions for medicine and other items attached to such members and upon which are placed some means of fastening the containers for medicines and other items. In particular the means contemplated for fastening containers to the vertical planar numbers include a plurality of strips of male or female hook and eye cloth fastener attached to each of the vertical planar members to which may be removable fastened strips of hook and eye cloth fastener of the opposite gender which are affixed to the original containers for medicine or alternatively a plurality of strips of two-sided adhesive attached to the vertical planar members. The object of ease in transport of the medicine and other items stored within the device is achieved by provision of a handle upon the device and a cover for the device and the removable nature of the base.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows an expanded perspective view of the entire storage devise with cover.

FIG. 2 shows a side view of the storage device with cover.

FIG. 3 shows a top view of the cover.

FIG. 4 shows a top view of the storage device without the cover.

FIG. 5 shows the wall of the storage device to which is attached a container of medicine.

FIG. 6 shows a wall of the storage device to which are attached two containers of medicine and the placard showing dispensing instructions.

FIG. 7 shows the turntable with outer rim.

The storage device is adapted to stand on the floor, table tops, counter tops and other flat horizontal surfaces and includes a turntable with outer rim comprised of a turntable base 12, a plurality of ball bearing connections 17, herein shown six in number, mounted in angularly spaced relation about the center of the bottom of a rotatable plate 15 with rim. The storage device base 7, herein shown circular in shape, is fully detachable from the plate 15 and is of such outer diameter as to fit snugly within the rim on the plate 15. A plurality of vertical planar members 5, herein shown four in number, are rigidly and permanently secured to the storage device base 7 and the storage device top 9, herein shown circular in shape. At the bottom of each side of each vertical planar member 5 is affixed removably or permanently a dispensing or use directions placard 23. To each vertical planar member 5 is affixed a plurality of strips of male or female hook and eye cloth fastener or two-sided adhesive. If strips of hook and eye cloth fastener are affixed to the vertical planar member 5, there is affixed to each container of medicine 21 a strip of hook and eye cloth fastener of the opposite gender from the cloth comprising the strip 19 placed upon the vertical planar member 5. Upon the storage device top 9 is attached rigidly and permanently a handle 11. A cover assembly is comprised of an open-ended cylinder 1, herein shown circular in shape, with a flat plate 3, herein shown circular in shape, rigidly and permanently attached thereto. To provide for the protrusion of the handle 11 an orifice 25 is provided in the flat plate 3. While the drawings show the invention with a generally circular shape, it is possible to modify the storage device base 7 and the storage device top 9 to create a shape having any number of sides. The cover assembly would then be modified such that the open-ended cylinder 1 would be a polygonal cylinder having an equal number of sides as the storage device base 7 and the storage device top 9 and the flat plate 3 would be polygonal in shape having the same number of sides as the storage device base 7 and the storage device top 9.