Closure cap including timer and cooperating switch member and associated methods

• US 6,707,763 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2002
• Issued: 03/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RXTC
• Original Assignee: Diduminder Corporation
• Inventors: Osberg, Daryl, Franchi, Chin Chang, Osberg, James Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Martin, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lindinger, Michael L.
• Application Number:
  US10/062,137
• Publication Number:
  US 20020126585A1
• Time in Patent Office: 774 Days
• Field of Search: 368/10, 368/12, 340/309.15, 221/2
• US Class Current: 368/10
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0436 resulting from removing a drug from, or opening, a container
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0472 of the count-down type, i.e. counting down a predetermined interval after each reset
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2251/00 Details relating to container closures lids or covers for box-like containers B65D43/00; see also B65D43/00
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 83/04 for dispensing annular, disc-shaped, or spherical or like small articles, e.g. tablets or pills

Abstract

A closure cap including a housing including a lower housing portion, an enlarged upper housing portion and defining a shoulder therebetween. The closure cap also includes a switch member being biased outwardly from the shoulder and movable between an outwardly extending position and a retracted position. A timer is carried by the housing and cooperates with the switch member for generating an indication relating to a length of time that the switch member has been in the retracted positioned and corresponding to a time since the closure cap was most recently secured onto the pill container. A child-proof adaptor ring may be removably carried by the housing.

Claims

1. A closure cap for a pill container comprising:

a housing comprising a lower housing portion and an enlarged upper housing portion connected thereto and defining a shoulder therebetween, the shoulder engaging adjacent upper portions of the pill container when the closure cap is secured thereon, the shoulder having an opening therein;

a switch member being biased outwardly from the opening in the shoulder and being movable between an outwardly extending position and a retracted position based upon contact with adjacent upper portions of the pill container as the closure cap is secured thereon; and

a timer carried by said housing and cooperating with said switch member for generating an indication relating to a length of time that the switch member has been in the retracted positioned and corresponding to a time since the closure cap was most recently secured onto the pill container.

2. A closure cap according to claim 1 wherein said timer comprises a display and circuitry connected thereto for displaying the length of time since the switch member was most recently moved to the retracted position.

3. A closure cap according to claim 2 wherein said display comprises a digital display.

4. A closure cap according to claim 2 further comprising a battery carried by said housing for powering said circuitry.

5. A closure cap according to claim 1 wherein said switch member comprises a cylindrical pin.

6. A closure cap according to claim 5 wherein said cylindrical pin has rounded-over end edges.

7. A closure cap according to claim 1 wherein the lower housing portion comprises a threaded outer surface portion.

8. A closure cap according to claim 1 wherein the upper housing portion comprises an outer gripping surface.

9. A closure cap according to claim 8 wherein the outer gripping surface comprises a plurality of vertically extending ridges.

10. A closure cap according to claim 1 further comprising a removable child-proof adaptor ring to be carried by said housing to adapt said housing to engage a child-proof locking mechanism of the pill container.

11. A closure cap according to claim 10 wherein said removable child-proof adaptor ring comprises:

an upper portion engaging adjacent outer surface portions of the upper housing portion; and

a lower portion connected to said upper portion and being in radially spaced apart relation from adjacent surface portions of the lower housing portion.

12. A closure cap according to claim 1 wherein said housing comprises plastic.

13. A closure cap for pill containers of a type including at least one of threads and a child-proof locking mechanism, the closure cap comprising:

a housing comprising a shoulder portion and a threaded outer surface portion to engage the threads of a pill container;

a switch member carried by said shoulder portion of housing and being movable between an outwardly extending position and a retracted position based upon contact with adjacent upper portions of the pill container as the closure cap is secured thereon;

a timer carried by said housing and cooperating with said switch member; and

a removable child-proof adaptor ring to be carried by said housing to adapt said housing to engage the child-proof locking mechanism of a pill container.

14. A closure cap according to claim 13 wherein said timer generates an indication relating to a length of time since the switch member was most recently moved to the retracted position and corresponding to a time since the closure cap was most recently secured onto the pill container.

15. A closure cap according to claim 14 wherein said timer comprises a display and circuitry connected thereto for displaying the length of time that the switch member was most recently moved to the retracted position.

16. A closure cap according to claim 13 wherein said housing comprises a lower housing portion and an enlarged upper housing portion connected thereto and defining a shoulder therebetween, the shoulder engaging adjacent upper portions of the pill container when the closure cap is secured thereon, the shoulder having an opening therein receiving the switch member.

17. A closure cap according to claim 16 wherein said removable child-proof adaptor ring comprises:

an upper portion engaging adjacent outer surface portions of the upper housing portion; and

a lower portion connected to said upper portion and being in radially spaced apart relation from adjacent surface portions of the lower housing portion.

18. A closure cap according to claim 13 wherein said switch member comprises a cylindrical pin.

19. A method for generating an indication relating to a length of time since a closure cap was most recently secured onto a pill container, the method comprising:

providing a housing comprising a lower housing portion and an enlarged upper housing portion connected thereto and defining a shoulder therebetween, the shoulder engaging adjacent upper portions of the pill container when the closure cap is secured thereon, the shoulder having an opening therein;

biasing a switch member outwardly from the opening in the shoulder and being movable between an outwardly extending position to a retracted position based upon contact with adjacent upper portions of the pill container as the closure cap is secured thereon; and

generating an indication relating to a length of time since the closure cap was most recently secured onto the pill container based upon a length of time since the switch member was most recently moved to the retracted position.

20. A method according to claim 19 wherein generating comprises displaying the length of time since the switch member was most recently moved to the retracted position.

21. A method according to claim 19 wherein generating comprises using a timer carried by the housing.

22. A method according to claim 19 wherein the switch member comprises a cylindrical pin.

23. A method according to claim 19 wherein the lower housing portion comprises a threaded outer surface portion.

24. A method according to claim 19 wherein the upper housing portion comprises an outer gripping surface.

25. A method for adapting a closure cap for use with a pill container comprising threads to use with a pill container comprising a child-proof locking mechanism, the closure cap comprising a timer and a housing carrying the timer, the housing comprising a shoulder portion and a threaded outer surface portion to engage threads of a pill container, the method comprising:

biasing a switch member from the shoulder portion of the housing and being movable between an outwardly extending position and a retracted position based upon contact with adjacent upper portions of the pill container as the closure cap is secured thereon, the switch member cooperating with the timer; and

engaging a removable child-proof adaptor ring onto the housing to adapt the housing to engage the child-proof locking mechanism of the pill container.

26. A method according to claim 25 further comprising generating an indication relating to a length of time since a closure cap was most recently secured onto a pill container based upon a length of time since the switch member was most recently moved to the retracted position.

27. A method according to claim 26 wherein generating comprises displaying the length of time since the switch member was most recently moved to the retracted position.

28. A method according to claim 25 wherein the housing comprises a lower housing portion and an enlarged upper housing portion connected thereto and defining a shoulder therebetween, the shoulder engaging adjacent upper portions of the pill container when the closure cap is secured thereon, the shoulder having an opening therein receiving the switch member.

29. A method according to claim 28 wherein the removable child-proof adaptor ring comprises:

an upper portion engaging adjacent outer surface portions of the upper housing portion; and

a lower portion connected to said upper portion and being in radially spaced apart relation from adjacent surface portions of the lower housing portion.