Technology Licensing View

Researchers at the University of South Florida have designed a bottle opener to make opening pill and other types of bottles safe, easy and effective with the use of one hand.

According to Time Magazine, "doctors believe that osteoarthritis affects more than 20 million Americans. By 2020, that number is expected to reach 40 million." These numbers do not account for the millions of Americans who live with hand disabilities caused by strokes, accidents, or birth defects. These disabilities make tasks that require fine motor skill with the hands, like opening a medicine (pill) bottle, extremely difficult.

Almost all currently available devices for assisting in opening pill bottles provide a means of opening only specific types of closures like `turn top` and `flip top` bottle caps, with no known devices available to open a `pinch top` bottle cap. Thus, one easy to use system that is capable of opening a wide variety of pill bottle closures, is highly desirable.

University of South Florida scientists have designed a pill bottle opener comprised of a dome-shaped upper section, which is the primary opening mechanism for bottles, a detachable adapter for pinch tab style bottles, a non-slip base with a built-in magnifying glass, and a multi purpose pick for piercing foil seals, removing cotton or assisting with pop-off bottles. This tool will assist individuals with decreased hand motor skills in being more self sufficient.

ADVANTAGES:

• Easy to use
• Open wide range of bottle lids
• Easy and cheap to manufacture
• Easily labeled with company product names and logo