Medicine bottle cap having dosage means

• US 4,753,189 A
• Filed: 10/06/1986
• Issued: 06/28/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gary J. Mastman, Sheldon Wiley
• Original Assignee: Gary J. Mastman, Sheldon Wiley
• Inventors: Mastman, Gary J., Wiley, Sheldon, Santo, Brian S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cochlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Will, Thomas B.
• Application Number:
  US06/915,938
• Time in Patent Office: 631 Days
• Field of Search: 116/308, 116/311, 116/312, 116/315, 206/534, 215/222
• US Class Current: 116/308
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/04 Arrangements for time indication or reminder for taking medicine, e.g. programmed dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 41/06 with bayonet cams , i.e. removed by first pushing axially to disengage the cams and then rotating

Abstract

A medicine bottle unit having a closure for indicating dosage and other information which changes automatically as the closure is rotated on the bottle of the unit. The closure includes an outer cap and an inner member within the cap. The cap and inner member have cooperable indicia thereon. The inner member moves with the cap as the cap is rotated in one direction on the bottle. However, the cap moves relative to the bottle and the inner member when the cap is rotated in the opposite direction on the bottle, thus assuring a change in the information represented by the indicia on the cap and the indicator on the inner member, or by indicia on the inner member visible through a hole in the cap. Several embodiments of medicine bottle unit are disclosed.

Claims

1. A medicine bottle unit comprising:

a bottle having an open top; and

a closure for the open top thereof, the closure including a hollow cap and an inner member within the cap, said cap being rotatable in opposite directions relative to the bottle to open and close the bottle, said cap and said inner member having relatively shiftable indicia thereon, the inner member having first means for holding it in a fixed position on the bottle as the cap is rotated in one direction relative to the bottle, the inner member having second means permitting it to be movable with the cap as the cap rotates relative to the bottle in the opposite direction, the bottle having a first boss and the cap having a second boss cooperating with the first boss to releasably hold the cap on the bottle, said bosses being movable out of engagement with each other as the cap rotates relative to the bottle permit removal of the cap and inner member from the bottle, said first means engaging the boss of the bottle to prevent rotation of the inner member relative to the bottle as said cap is rotated in said one direction relative to the bottle.

2. A medicine bottle unit as set forth in claim 1, wherein the inner member has an outer periphery, said second means including a projection extending laterally of said outer periphery, the cap having a skirt with an axially extending peripheral groove on the inner surface of the cap for removably receiving the projecting on the inner member, said groove and projection cooperating with each other to prevent rotation of the inner member relative to the cap when the cap is rotated in said one direction on the bottle and to allow movement of the inner member relative to the cap when the cap is rotated in the opposite direction on the bottle.

3. A medicine bottle unit as set forth in claim 2, wherein the projection is wedge-shaped, the groove having a shape complemental to the projection.

4. A medicine bottle unit as set forth in claim 3, wherein the inner member has an outer peripheral wall, said wall having the projection thereon and being yieldable to allow the projection of the inner member to move out of the groove of the cap as the cap and inner member move relative to each other.

5. A medicine bottle unit as set forth in claim 1, wherein the cap has a top, said top having an lower surface, said inner member having an upper surface adjacent to the lower surface of the top, one of the surfaces having a plurality of saw-tooth groove, the other surface having a projection removably received within any one of the grooves, said projection defining said second means.

6. A medicine bottle unit as set forth in claim 1, wherein the runner member has an annular, transversely U-shaped part, the outer margin of the part being in sealing relationship to said bottle when the closure is on the bottle.

7. A medicine bottle unit as set forth in claim 1, wherein the inner member has an outer periphery, there being a number of spaced projections extending laterally of said outer periphery and defining said second means, the cap having a number of spaced inner peripheral grooves for removably receiving the adjacent projections on the inner member, said grooves and projections cooperating to prevent rotation of the cap relative to the inner member when the cap is rotated in said one direction on the bottle and to allow relative movement of the cap and inner member when the cap rotates in the opposite direction on the bottle.

8. A medicine bottle unit as set forth in claim 7, wherein each projection is wedge-shaped, the groove having a shape complemental to the projections.

9. A medicine bottle unit as set forth in claim 8, wherein the inner member has an outer peripheral wall, said wall having said projection thereon being yieldable to allow the projections of the inner member to move out of the grooves of the cap as the cap and inner member move relative to each other.

10. A medicine bottle unit comprising:

a bottle having an upper margin, an open top and a closure for the top, said closure including a hollow cap and an inner member within the cap, the bottle having a number of circumferentially spaced first bosses on the upper margin thereof, said cap having an inner peripheral surface with a number of circumferentially spaced second bosses thereon, each second boss being movable into engagement with and beneath a respective one of said first bosses to releasably interconnect the cap and the bottle as the cap is moved in a first direction relative to the bottle, the cap having a number of circumferentially spaced grooves in the inner peripheral surface thereof, said inner member having an outer peripheral surface, there being a number of lateral projections on said outer peripheral surface of the inner member, the projection being removably receivable within the grooves of the cap, said grooves and projections defining a clutch permitting rotation of the cap relative to the inner member when the cap rotates in said first direction relative to the bottle and permitting rotation of the cap and inner member together when the cap is rotated in the opposite direction relative to the bottle, said inner member having means engageable with at least one of said first bosses of the bottle for preventing rotation of the inner member relative to the bottle when the cap is rotated in said first direction, said cap having a hole in the top thereof, said inner member having a mounting part rotatably receivable in the hole, there being relatively shiftable indicia on the cap and inner member.

11. A medicine bottle unit as set forth in claim 10, wherein the hole through the cap is centrally located therein.

12. A medicine bottle as set forth in claim 10, wherein the hole is off-center relative to the axis of the cap.

13. A medicine bottle as set forth in claim 11, wherein the inner member having a rivet like central part coupled to the cap and providing a bearing permitting rotation of the inner member relative to the cap.

14. A medicine bottle unit as set forth in claim 10, wherein the grooves extend axially of the central axis of the cap.

15. A medicine bottle as set forth in claim 10, wherein the grooves and projections are transversely wedged-shaped.

16. A medicine bottle unit as set forth in claim 13, wherein the inner member has an outer, axially extending wall, the projections being on the outer surface of said outer wall, said outer wall being yieldably coupled to the remaining part of the inner member to allow the projections to move out of the grooves as the cap and inner member move relative to each other.

17. A medicine bottle unit as set forth in claim 10, wherein the preventing means comprises a plurality of circumferentially spaced legs on the outer periphery of the inner member, at least one of said legs engaging at least one of said first bosses on said bottle to prevent rotation of the inner member on the bottle when said cap is rotated in said first direction relative to the bottle.

18. A medicine bottle unit as set forth in claim 17, wherein each first projection has an axially extending surface near the open top of the bottle, each leg having an axially extending edge engageable with the bearing surface of the adjacent first boss.

19. A medicine bottle unit as set forth in claim 17, wherein each leg extends inwardly at an acute angle from the outer periphery of the inner member.

20. A medicine bottle unit as set forth in claim 17, wherein the inner end of each leg is transversely V-shaped.