US2713845A - Indicators for medicine bottles and the like - Google Patents

Description

United States Patent f INDICATORS FOR MEDICINE BOTTLES AND THE LIKE This invention relates to containers or receptacles such as medicine bottles which are provided with adjustable means adapted to be manually set to indicate the time at which the next dose of medicine should be taken, and it has for one of its objects the provision of an improved device of this character of simple and relatively inexpensive construction which will be more satisfactory in use than those which have been previously proposed. a

While various devices of this general character have been heretofore devised, the construction of those with which I am familiar has been such that settings of the indicator might be and not infrequently were inadvertently changed as a result of accidentally dropping the container or through a careless handling thereof by children or adults, whereby the purpose of the indicator was defeated; and it is a prime object of the invention to provide a container having a dose time indicator so constructed and arranged that it is virtually impossible for a setting thereof to be altered unintentionally.

One form of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing constituting a part of this specification, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a receptacle provided with a time indicator constructed and arranged in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view on the plane indicated by the line 3-3 in Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 4 is an inverted perspective View of the container cap or closure member.

The receptacle 5 may be formed of any suitable material but it is preferred to mold it from one of the transparent or translucent plastic compositions now popular, such composition and the wall thickness of the receptacle being such as to provide a substantially rigid structure. The perimetric wall of the receptacle may be rabbeted at the open upper end thereof, as at 6, and at a short distance from this end the said wall is provided with a series of circumferentially spaced outwardly projecting elements 7, which elements comprise spheroidal heads slightly spaced from the wall and integrally connected therewith by reduced necks 8.

As here shown, there are twelve of these elements, equidistantly spaced around the container perimeter, and these are differentiated from one another by means of a series of numerals 9, ranging from 1 to 12, provided on the container wall below and in co-operative relation to the respective elements 7 and constituting horal indicia corresponding thereto.

A cap or closure member 10 is provided for the receptacle 5, here shown as comprising a disk element having a lower portion 11 of reduced diameter which is adapted to snugly slidably fit into the rabbet 6 at the open end of the receptacle. At one place on its circumference the cap is provided with an outwardly ex- 2,713,845 Patented July 26, 1955 tending projection 12 for engagement by a thumb or finger to aid in the removal of the cap from the receptacle, and at another point the cap has an integral flexible tongue 13 depending from it. The cap preferably is formed of a pliable plastic material, and the said tongue is provided, at a position corresponding to the plane of the series of projecting elements 7 when the cap is in place on the container, with a spheroidal recess or socket 14 having a constricted throat 15 opening to the inner face of the tongue. Below the socket the tongue preferably is tapered to provide a pointer tab 16 adapted to coact with the various characters 9, as shown in Fig. 1.

As will be readily understood, the cap 10 may be circumferentially adjusted relative to the receptacle 5 when placing the cap in closing position thereon, whereby to aline the tongue 13 and its pointer 16 with any desired numeral of the series 9 on the container, whereupon manual pressure on the outer face of the tongue will cause the socket 14 to snap over and embrace the spheroidal head of the element 7 corresponding to such numeral. During this action the yieldability of the tongue material permits distension of the restricted throat 15 of the socket 14 whereby to pass the head of the element 7, and when the head is seated in the socket the resilience of the material again constricts the throat around the neck 8 of the element. The tongue is thus locked in the desired position so effectively that it is practically impossible for the setting of the indicator to be inadvertently destroyed by careless handling or drop-' ping of the receptacle, while at the same time the fastening elements 7 and 14 may be readily intentionally disengaged to permit removal of the closure member 10 from the container and/ or changing of the indicator by merely working the thumb nail beneath the tab 16 and pulling the tongue 13 away from the container. Even if the closure member 10 be inadvertently or otherwise withdrawn from the receptacle opening, it is virtually certain that the indicator setting will not be disturbed, unless the snap fastener elements 7 and 14 are intentionally separated.

If the receptacle is to be used for liquid medicines its wall may be provided with a vertical series of numerals indicating the number of teaspoonfuls, tablespoonfuls, ounces, etc. remaining in the container. These indications, however, may be omitted if the receptacle is to be employed solely for pills, tablets, capsules, etc.

Obviously, the separable snap fastener elements 7 and 14 may be reversed as regards their disposition on the receptacle and cap tongue respectively, i. e., the container wall may be provided with a circumferential series of sockets and a single headed element 7 provided on the cap tongue 13, without departing from the invention 7 or losing the advantages inherent therein.

What is claimed is:

1. An indicating device of the character described, comprising a receptacle having an end opening and a perimetric wall which is provided adjacent such opening with a series of differentiated perimetrically spaced separable snap fastener elements; and a cap member closing said receptacle opening and arcuately adjustable relative thereto, said cap member having a tongue extending along said receptacle wall and provided with a complemental snap fastener element which, through said arcuate adjustment of the cap member, may be volitionally alined with any one of the receptacle-carried fastener elements and then interlockingly but separably engaged therewith to prevent unintentional displacement of the cap and tongue.

2. An indicating device of the character described, comprising a receptacle having an end opening and a perimetric wall which is provided with a series of differentiated perimetrically spaced headed fastener elements projecting therefrom; and a cap member closing said receptacle opening and arcuately adjustable relative thereto, said cap member having a tongue extending along said receptacle wall and provided Witha resilient socket which, through said arcuate adjustment of the cap member, may be volitionally alined with any one of said series of headed fastener elements and then separably but interlockingly engaged therewith toprevent unintentional displacement of the cap and tongue.

3. An indicating device of the character described, comprising a receptacle of substantially rigid plastic composition material having an end opening and a perimetric wall which is provided adjacent such opening with a series of differentiated perimetrically spaced spheroidally-headed fastener elements projecting therefrom; and a cap member of yieldable plastic composition mate rial closing said receptacle opening and arcuately adjustable relative thereto, said cap member having a flexible tongue extending longitudinally along said receptacle wall and provided with a resilient spheroidal socket which, through said arcuate adjustment of the cap member, may be volitionally alined with any one of said spheroidally-headed receptacle-carried elements and then interlockingly but separably engaged therewith to prevent unintentional displacement of the cap and tongue.

Houck Apr. 6,1937 Guion Feb. 26,1952

Images