FORM - 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 OF 1970)
AND
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(See section 10; rule 13)


DISPENSER FOR SOLID PRODUCTS
HITECH PLAST LIMITED
an Indian Company of C/130, Solaris 1, Opp. L &T Gate No.6, Powai, Mumbai 400 072,
Maharashtra, India
THE FOLLOWING SPECIFICATION PARTICULARLY DESCRIBES THE INVENTION AND THE MANNER IN WHICH IT IS TO BE PERFORMED.


Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a dispenser for solid products.
Background of the Invention
Many types of dispensers are available that are suitable for storing and dispensing products like tablets, granules, capsules, pills, pellets, lozenges, pastilles, confectionary and edible articles. The available dispensers are generally made up of two or three pieces. The materials used to manufacture such types of dispensers are metals, polymers, glass etc. Several attempts have been made in the past to design the dispenser. A simple dispenser is made up of two separate parts i.e. container and lid and the product can be dispensed by simply removing the lid with screwing movement. The disadvantage of a such dispenser is that consumer has to utilize both the hands in order to open and close the dispenser. Other types of dispensers with some modifications are also available such as dispensers for storing and dispensing pharmaceutical, food and confectionery products which are adapted in such a way that they are capable of being held, opened and closed by the user with the use of only one hand. Such a dispenser generally comprises a container having a bottom, side walls and a lid connected pivotally to the container. The lid is formed integrally with the upper part of the container and can be pivoted upwardly so that the product can be taken out from the dispensing opening. Now a days, such types of dispensers with some modification in the design of the lid and the container are popular for dispensing one product or plurality of products at a time. These dispensers have advantages like they dispense the product quickly and conveniently, can be stored in the user's pocket, purse etc. and the handling is easy.
Many of these dispensers are workable for the purpose intended. However, most of them are complicated and expensive. The few that are simple enough to be practical from a commercial standpoint, generally have serious deficiencies in terms of failing to perform their intended function.

The various types of materials used in manufacturing of dispenser include polymeric material such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyethylene terephthalate and the like.
Polypropylene or polypropene (PP) is a thermoplastic polymer, used in a wide variety of applications, including packaging, textiles, stationery, plastic parts and reusable containers of various types, laboratory equipment, loudspeakers, automotive components, and polymer banknotes. The melt processing of polypropylene can be achieved via extrusion and molding. The most common shaping technique is injection molding. The related techniques are blow molding and injection-stretch blow molding , which involve both extrusion and molding. The large number of end use applications for polypropylene is often possible because of the ability to tailor grades with specific molecular properties and additives during its manufacture. Most commercial polypropylene is isotactic and has an intermediate level of crystallmity between that of low density polyethylene (LDPE) and high density polyethylene (HDPE) and its Young's modulus is also intermediate. Through the incorporation of rubber particles, polypropylene can be made both tough and flexible, even at low temperatures. This allows polypropylene to be used as a replacement for engineering plastics. Polypropylene is rugged, often somewhat stiffer than some other plastics, reasonably economical, and can be made translucent when uncolored. Polypropylene has a very good resistance to fatigue and because of this property, most of the plastic living hinges, that join two rigid plastic parts together, allow plastic parts to get bent along the line of the hinge, e.g. flip-top bottles.
Details of Prior-Art
US Patent No.3991908 discloses a pill dispensing cap assembly adapted for mounting on the neck of a pill container. The cap assembly includes a plurality of different components, including a rotor member to pick up a pill from the container and transfer it to a dispensing end.

In US Patent No. 4653668, there is disclosed a container for storing and disposing small objects, such as capsules or pills containing medicament, one at a time. The container comprises a receptacle containing, within itself, a delivery mechanism including a funnel-shaped exit port for capsules and a capsule or pill delivery tube at the end of said funnel-shaped exit designed to accommodate not more than one pill or capsule.
US Patent No.4538731 discloses a small flip-top container which can be opened and shut using one hand, is closed at one end by a stopper having a skirt which grips the inside of the container resiliency and a rectangular end wall with an aperture which extends for a certain distance from one of the minor sides. The aperture is closeable by a flap which is hinged integrally to the end wall at the inner end of the aperture.
US Patent No.4905867 discloses a dispenser for pharmaceuticals and edible articles comprising a container with side walls and a removal opening , a lid pivotally connected to the container for closing the removal opening and a bottom of the container displaceable in the direction towards the removal opening.
US Patent No.6267265 discloses one at a time pill dispenser which comprises a cavity, said cavity having an exposed end and shaped to form conical surface their in. The conical shape of the dispenser cavity allows pills to be engaged therein and dispensed there from, one at a time.
A one at a time pill dispenser in which pills are dispensed by actuation of a plunger mechanism that operates by engagement to a helical cut or thread in a tube is disclosed in US Patent No. 7204391.
US Patent No.5071033 discloses a dispenser having a cylindrical case and a spring biased plunger therein for urging a stack of tablet within the case upwardly. A closure cap is pivotally mounted on the case and includes a lifting

arm that extends into the case to fit underneath the top tablet in the stack to pivot it upwardly and outwardly while preventing movement of the next tablet out of the case until the cap is reclosed.
US Patent application No. 2007/0186924 discloses a pack comprising a container defining a containment volume containing pastiiies or the like, a lid closing off the said containment volume and dispensing means for the said pastilles or the like.
US Patent No.7124909 discloses a container including a receptacle with a closed bottom, an interior space, and an open top encircled by a top receptacle edge, a lid for closing the top of the receptacle where the lid is pivotably attached at a portion of the top receptacle edge.
US Patent No. 3872996 discloses a dispensing container comprising a flat parallelepipedic body having an open end into which a generally rectangular plug or cover is inserted. The cover is moulded of plastics integrally with an elongate closing flap the free end of which protrudes beyond the perimeter of the cover for actuation by the thumb of a hand sizing the container.
While the prior art teaches effective means for dispensing the products, there are a number of inherent drawbacks in the disclosed designs.
One of the drawbacks is that most of these designs are too complicated for mass-production. In fact, there is an unmet demand for a low cost, easy to manufacture product dispenser, which requires little or no assembly. Thus, it is highly desirable to devise a product dispenser with a limited number of components to reduce the manufacturing and assembly costs.
Accordingly, it is desirable to produce an easy to use product dispenser, which dispenses one pill at a time with limited manual manipulation and/or rotation of the user's hands.

Objects of the Invention
It is an object of the present invention to provide a dispenser for solid confectionary products, pharmaceuticals and edible articles.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a dispenser with a simple manufacturing design.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a dispenser which is simple, effective and easy to operate.
It is still further object of the present invention to provide a dispenser which is easy to manufacture and cost effective.
Definitions:
The term "solid products" in the context of the present invention includes tablets, capsules, pills, pellets, lozenges, pastilles, granules asd powders.
Summary of the Invention
In accordance with the present invention there is provided a dispenser for solid products such as tablets, capsules, pills, pellets, lozenges, pastilles, confectionary and edible articles.
In accordance with the present invention there is provided a product dispenser comprising:
i) a container defined by planar walls and a partially open mouth on one of
the walls;
ii) a one piece lid assembly defined by
a plug member adapted to snap fit inside the mouth ,
a first arm extending from said plug member along the wall of the container
in which the partial mouth is defined,
a second arm extending from said first arm biasly abutting a side wall of
said container adjacent to the wall bearing the mouth,
a displacing third arm extending from the first arm* and

a hump defined on the second arm to facilitate resilient snap fitting of said plug in said mouth on the actuation of the displacing arm; and iii) pivoting means extending from said lid for attaching said lid pivotably to the opposite side walls of said container.
Typically, the lid assembly is adapted to be tightly fitted on said container.
Typically, the plug member, the first arm, the second arm and the displacing third arm integral form the lid assembly.
Typically, the container is made from a material selected from a group consisting of metals, woods and polymers.
Typically, the lid assembly is made from a material selected from a group consisting of metals and polymers.
Typically, the lid assembly is made from a polymer material selected from a group consisting of polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride and polyester.
Typically, the shape of the container is selected from a group consisting of spherical, cuboidal and cylindrical.
Typically, the lid assembly has a shape adapted to the shape and the dimensions of the container.
Typically, the dimensions of the partially open mouth of said container are slightly larger than the dimensions of the product to be dispensed.
Typically, the container and the lid assembly are made by injection molding method.

Brief description of the accompanying drawings
The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dispenser in a non-operative position and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a dispenser in an operative position.
Detailed Description:
In accordance with the present invention there is provided a dispenser for solid products such as tablets, capsules, pills, pellet, lozenges, pastilles, confectionary and edible articles, generally indicated by reference numeral 100.
Further characteristic features of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description referring to the accompanying drawings, which should not be construed to limit the scope of the present invention.
As shown in figures 1 and 2, the dispenser according to the present invention for solid pharmaceuticals, confectionary products, edible articles and the like comprises a container 10 having a partially open mouth 14.
The mouth is closed by a one piece lid assembly 12.
Typically, the container 10 and the lid assembly 12 are made by injection mofding method.
Typically, the container 10 can be made from a material selected from a group of materials consisting of metals and polymers.
Typically the container 10 has different shapes such as spherical, cuboidal and cylindrical.

Typically, the one piece lid assembly 12 consists of a plug member 16, a first arm 18, a second arm 22 with a hump 26, and a displacing third arm 24.
Typically, the lid assembly 12 is made from a material selected from a group consisting of metals and polymers.
Typically, the lid assembly 12 is made from a polymer material selected from a group consisting of polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene , polyvinyl chloride and polyester.
Typically, the lid assembly 12 is tightly fitted on the container 10.
Typically, the plug member 16, the first arm 18, the second arm 22 and the displacing third arm 24 are integral parts of the lid assembly 12.
Typically, the lid assembly 12 has a shape adapted to the shape and the dimensions of the container 10.
The plug member 16 is adapted to snap fit inside the mouth 14 of the container 10. The lid assembly 12 is provided with a first arm 18 extending from the plug member 16 along the wall of the container 10 in which the partial mouth 14 is defined.
A second arm 20, extending from the first arm 18 is biasly abutting a wall of the container 10.
A displacing third arm 24 extending from the first arm and a hump 26 defined on the second arm 20 is provided to facilitate resilient snap fitting of the plug member 16 in the mouth 14 of the container 10.
A pivoting means 28 extending from the lid 12 is provided to attach the lid pivotably to the opposite walls of the container 10.

The hump 26 defined on the second arm 22 is adapted to deform when the displacing third arm 24 is depressed and thus lift the plug member 16 snap fitted inside the mouth 14.
In order to dispense the product from the dispenser in accordance with the present invention, the dimensions of the partially open mouth of the container are slightly greater than the dimensions of the product to be dispensed.
The container is operated as follows:
The container 10 is filled with the solid product to be dispensed, having dimensions less than the dimensions of the partially open mouth 14 of the container 10. The precaution that needs to be taken while filling the container is that the container should not be completely filled and there should be some space in the container for free movement of the solid products in order to dispense the product easily.
In the non operative condition, the plug member 16 of the lid assembly 12 is in a position such that it is snap fitted inside the mouth 14 of the container 10 and hence the opening for dispensing the product is in closed position. In order to dispense the product, the displacing third arm 24 is depressed which results in deformation of the hump 26 along the wall of the container 10 and lifting up of the plug member 16. The product is dispensed by gravity, by turning over the dispenser. As soon as the product is dispensed, the pressure on the displacing third arm 24 is released and the hump 26 reverses to its original position. Thus there is snap fitting of the plug member 16 of the lid assembly 12 inside the partially open mouth 14 of the container 10 and thereby closing the mouth 14 of the container 10.
Technical Advance:
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a dispenser that does not involve rotative motions and requires limited manual manipulation.

Furthermore, it is simple and easy to operate portable type dispenser, adapted in such a way as to be capable of being held, opened and closed by the user with the use of only one hand. The solid products are retained and protected in a container and dispensed by simply depressing the displacing arm of the lid assembly.
While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the specific features of the preferred embodiment, it will be appreciated that many additional features can be added and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiment without departing from the principles of the invention. These and other changes in the preferred embodiment of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein, whereby it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the invention and not as a limitation .

We Claim:
1. A product dispenser comprising:
i) a container defined by planar walls and a partially open mouth on one of
the walls;
ii) a one piece lid assembly defined by
a plug member adapted to snap fit inside the mouth,
a first arm extending from said plug member along the wall of the container
in which the partial mouth is defined,
a second arm extending from said first arm biasly abutting a wall of said
container adjacent to the wall bearing the mouth,
a displacing third arm extending from the first arm, and
a hump defined on the second arm to facilitate resilient snap fitting of said
plug in said mouth on the actuation of the displacing arm; and
iii) pivoting means extending from said lid for attaching said lid pivotably
to the opposite walls of said container.
2. The dispenser as claimed in claim 1, wherein said lid assembly is adapted to be tightly fitted on said container.
3. The dispenser as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plug member, the first arm, the second arm and the displacing third arm integral form the lid assembly.
4. The dispenser as claimed in claim 1, wherein the container is made from a material selected from a group consisting of metals, woods and polymers.
5. The dispenser as claimed in claim 1 wherein said lid assembly is made from a material selected from a group consisting of metals and polymers.
6. The dispenser as claimed in claim 1 wherein said lid assembly is made
from a polymer material selected from a group consisting of polyethylene,
polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride and polyester .

7. The dispenser as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shape of the container is selected from a group consisting of spherical, cuboidal and cylindrical.
8. The dispenser as claimed in claim 1, wherein said lid assembly has a shape adapted to the shape and the dimensions of the container.
9. The dispenser as claimed in claim 1, wherein the dimensions of partially open mouth of said container are slightly larger than the dimensions of the product to be dispensed.
10. The dispenser as substantially herein described with reference to accompanying drawings.