Seirogan, a plant-based, distinctively odorous gastrointestinal medicine used as a standby remedy for over one hundred years in Japan. A portable pill case was designed as a concept model for its series product, Seirogan Toi-A.
The structure of the former portable case was such that it dispensed medication when the user opened the cover and tilted the case, but sometimes pills came out more than should be taken, or they rolled out of the user’s hand. With this in mind, the body of the newly designed pill case is shaped like a donut and dispenses pills into the central hole. The user first places the case upon their palm and then turns the upper component 60 degrees counter-clockwise to reveal a slot. The slot was designed to face the user so the latter might easily see pills before dispensing. Then, gently tilted toward the user, the pill case releases one to two pills onto the user’s palm, from which the pills may be taken after the case is lifted.
The result was a reassuring design wherein more than one dose does not come out or the pills will not tumble out of the hand because of the protective barrier provided by the case itself.