Indicator for pill bottle

• US 6,789,497 B1
• Filed: 04/08/2003
• Issued: 09/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Edwin H. Aiken
• Original Assignee: Edwin H. Aiken
• Inventors: Aiken, Edwin H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fulton, Christopher W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SMITH, RICHARD A
• Application Number:
  US10/408,821
• Time in Patent Office: 525 Days
• Field of Search: 116/308, 116/309, 116/311, 116/312, 116/313, 116/314, 116/315, 116/316, 116/317, 116/318, 116/319, 116/320, 206/459.1, 215/230
• US Class Current: 116/308
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 11/23 the advertising or display material forming part of rotating members, e.g. in the form of perforations, prints, or transparencies on a drum or disc

Abstract

The present invention discloses an indicator or numbering device for keeping track of the number of vitamins/medicine pills that one has taken. The present invention comprises a circular cover disk having a circular base plate disposed therein which plate is attached to the top of a medicine bottle, along with an indicator disposed between the cover disk and the base plate whereby the cover disk has an aperture therein which permits viewing of the days of the week which are stamped onto the top of the circular base plate. The indicator operates rotatably between the cover disk and the base plate to indicate the number of medications taken on a given day. The present invention may utilize a two-sided, adhesive strip for attachment of the circular base plate to the top of a medicine bottle.

Claims

1. An apparatus for indicating the number of medications taken from a medicine container, comprising:

a) a medicine container having a top thereon, said top having a substantially planar surface for attachment of the apparatus thereto;

b) a cover disk having a top and bottom surface, a downwardly extending edge disposed circumferentially around said cover disk, said edge having a top, bottom and inner surface, said cover disk having a first and second aperture therein, wherein said first and second aperture are generally disposed on opposite sides of said cover disk and said first and second apertures pass completely through said cover disk from said top surface to said bottom surface of said cover disk, further comprising first indicia disposed on said top surface of said cover disk adjacent said second aperture, said first indicia comprising numerals 0, 1, 2 and 3 corresponding to the number of medications take during one day, further comprising a plurality of equally spaced apart lugs being downwardly disposed around said bottom of said edge of said cover disk, further comprising a downwardly extending stem being centrally disposed on said bottom of said cover disk, wherein said distal end of said stem has a recess disposed proximate to said distal end, further comprising at least four indentions disposed in a spaced apart manner on said inner surface of said edge;

c) an indicator rotatably disposed adjacent said bottom of said cover disk, said indicator having a top and bottom surface, said indicator being a substantially semi-circular shaped disk having a vertically disposed aperture therein, wherein said aperture is disposed substantially intermediate of the edge corresponding to the would be diameter of said semi-circular shape, wherein said aperture of said indicator receives said downwardly extending stem of said cover disk therein, wherein said indicator is rotatably disposed on said stem, further comprising a shaft being disposed on said top surface of said indicator, said shaft passing upwardly through said second aperture of said cover disk to indicate the number of medications taken, further comprising a curved arm formed along said periphery of said indicator, said current arm having an outwardly extending protrusion on the end of said curved arm, wherein said protrusion rests in one of said four indentions as said indicator rotates about said stem, wherein said four depressions correspond to said first indicia, wherein said protrusion rests in said indention corresponding to the number of medications taken as indicated by said first indicia being located adjacent to said shaft, wherein said adjacency of said first indicia and said shaft are visible on said top of said cover disk;

d) a base plate having a top and bottom surface, said top of said base place being disposed adjacent to said bottom of said indicator, said base plate being disk-shaped, wherein second indicia are spaced apart equally around the edge of said top surface of said disk, said second indicia indicating the days to the week, said days being indicated in order of occurrence, wherein said base plate has a centrally disposed aperture therein, wherein said aperture rotatably receives said stem of said cover disk, said base plate being rotatable on said stem, wherein said second indicia align with and are visible through said first aperture in said cover disk to permit a user to see the day of the week, wherein said bottom surface of said base plate has a groove therein, said groove being disposed so as to encompass said centrally disposed aperture and to contain said recess on said end of said stem, wherein a plurality of lug receiving depressions are equally spaced apart around the periphery of said top edge of said base plate, wherein said depressions correspond to and receive said lugs disposed on said bottom of said edge of said cover disk to permit a user to change the indicated day of week by rotating said cover disk around said base plate;

c) a spring clip, wherein said clip is U-shaped having a pair of flexible, parallel arms, wherein said clip is disposed in said groove, wherein said arms of said clip are slidingly disposed in said recess of said stem so that said cover disk, said indicator and said base plate are removably secured together to permit a user to change the indicated day of week by lifting the cover disk and rotating the cover disk around the base plate and then releasing the cover disk when the appropriate day of week is visible through the first aperture of the cover disk; and

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f) an adhesive member for attaching said bottom of said base plate to said top of said medicine container.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said top of said edge of said cover disk is knurled to permit a user to grasp the cover disk.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said clip is effectively flexible to allow said cover disk to be lifted and rotated to permit the lugs on the bottom of the edge of the cover disk to freely rotate above the depressions in the edge of the base plate.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said indicator has a cut out therein, said cut out being disposed between said curved arm and said indicator, said cut out being of effective size so that said curved arm can be movably fixed in said indentions on said cover disk to permit a user to indicate the number of medications taken per day.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein said arms of said spring clip are spaced apart a distance equal to the diameter of said recess of said stem and less than the diameter of said stem so that said stem is movably fixed within said arms to permit the cover disk, the indicator and the base plate to be rotatably held together.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said indentations number four to permit the apparatus to indicate up to three medications taken per day.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said indentions number six to permit the apparatus to indicate up to five medications taken per day.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said first indicia number 0 to 5 to permit the apparatus to indicate up to five medications taken per day.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said lugs and said depressions are seven in number to correspond to the seven days of the week.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said clip flexes about 0.05 to 0.06 inches to allow said cover disk to be lifted and rotated to permit the lugs on the bottom of the edge of the cover disk to freely rotate above the depressions in the edge of the base plate.

11. An apparatus for indicating the number of medications taken from a medicine container, comprising:

a) a medicine container having a top thereon, said top having a substantially planar surface for attachment of the apparatus thereto;

b) a cover disk having a top and bottom surface, a downwardly extending edge disposed circumferentially around said cover disk, said edge having a top, a bottom and inner surface, said cover disk having a first and second aperture therein, wherein said first and second aperture are generally disposed on opposite sides of said cover disk and said first and second apertures pass completely through said cover disk from said top surface to said bottom surface of said cover disk, further comprising first indicia disposed on said top surface of said cover disk adjacent said second aperture, said first indicia comprising numerals 0, 1, 2 and 3 corresponding to the number of medications take during one day;

c) for a second member rotatably disposed underneath said cover disk whereby the number of medications taken per day is indicated through the second aperture on the cover disk;

d) a third member rotatably disposed underneath said second member whereby the day of the week is indicated through the first aperture of the cover disk;

e) means for securing together said cover disk, said second member and said third member whereby the apparatus is movably fixed together; and

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f) means for attaching the apparatus to the top of the medicine container whereby the apparatus is removably fixed to the medicine container.