Indicating device

• US 6,926,002 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2004
• Issued: 08/09/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trudell Medical International (Trudell Medical Limited)
• Original Assignee: Trudell Medical International (Trudell Medical Limited)
• Inventors: Foley, Martin P., Grychowski, Jerry R., Scarrott, Peter Mycola, Schmidt, James Nick
• Primary Examiner(s): MITCHELL, TEENA KAY
• Application Number:
  US10/876,005
• Publication Number:
  US 20040226555A1
• Time in Patent Office: 411 Days
• Field of Search: 128/200.14, 128/200.23, 128/203.12, 128/203.15, 128/203.21, 128/205.23, 222/23, 222/25, 222/32, 222/36, 222/18, 222/38, 604/58, 116/307, 116/311, 116/312, 116/316, 116/317, 116/318
• US Class Current: 128/200.14
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/002 with air flow regulating means
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0065 Inhalators with dosage or measuring devices A61M15/0028 takes precedence; dosage devices incorporated in aerosol cans B65D83/52
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0068 Indicating or counting the number of dispensed doses or of remaining doses
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0073 on a ring
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/0075 on a disc
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 15/009 using medicine packages with incorporated spraying means, e.g. aerosol cans pocket atomiser of the injector type A61M11/08
• CPC Class Codes: G06M 1/041 for drum-type indicating means
• CPC Class Codes: G06M 1/283 with drums

Abstract

An indicating device for indicating the number of dosages of a substance that have been dispensed from or remain in a container includes a first indicator member incrementally moveable to a plurality of positions and a second indicator member operably connected to the first indicator member. The second indicator member is moveable in response to a predetermined number of movements of the first indicator member. One of the first and second indicator members includes numerical indicia and the other thereof includes color indicia.

Claims

1. An indicating device suitable for indicating the number of dosages of a substance that have been dispensed from or remain in a container, said indicating device comprising:

a first indicator member incrementally moveable to a plurality of positions; and

a second indicator member moveable in response to a predetermined number of movements of said first indicator member, wherein one of said first and second indicator members comprises numerical indicia and the other of said first and second indicator members comprises color indicia comprising at least a first color and a second color different than said first color, wherein said other of said first and second indicator members is moveable between at least first and second indicating positions, wherein said first color is visible to a user when said other of said first and second indicator members is in said first indicating position, wherein said second color is visible to a user when said other of said first and second indicator members is in said second indicating position and wherein said first and second colors are not visible to the user when said other of said first and second indicator members are in said second and first indicating positions respectively.

2. The indicating device of claim 1 wherein said first indicator member is rotatable about a first axis and second indicator is rotatable about a second axis, wherein said first axis and said second axis are substantially parallel.

3. The indicating device of claim 2 wherein said first axis and said second axis are substantially co-axial.

4. The indicating device of claim 2 wherein said first axis and said second axis are spaced apart.

5. The indicating device of claim 1 wherein said first indicator member comprises numerical indicia and said second indicator member comprises color indicia.

6. The indicating device of claim 1 wherein one of said numerical and color indicia comprises dosage indicia and wherein the other of said numerical and color indicia comprises usage indicia.

7. The indicating device of claim 1 further comprising a housing, wherein said first and second indicator members are rotatably mounted in said housing.

8. The indicating device of claim 7 further comprising an actuator adapted to be engaged by the container, wherein said actuator is moveable relative to said housing and is operably connected to said first indicator member to move said first indicator member between said plurality of positions.

9. The indicating device of claim 8 wherein said actuator comprises a base member and wherein said housing comprises a cap member moveably connected to said base member.

10. The indicating device of claim 7 wherein said housing is adapted to be secured to a bottom of the container.

11. An indicating device suitable for indicating the number of dosages of a substance that have been dispensed from or remain in a container, said indicating device comprising:

a first indicator member incrementally moveable to a plurality of positions; and

a second indicator member moveable in response to a predetermined number of movements of said first indicator member, wherein one of said first and second indicator members comprises numerical indicia and the other of said first and second indicator members comprises color indicia, wherein said first indicator member comprises an engagement member, wherein said engagement member engages said second indicator member upon said predetermined number of movements of said first indicator member.

12. The indicating device of claim 11 wherein said second indicator member comprises at least one tooth, wherein said engagement member engages said at least one tooth upon said predetermined number of movements of said first indicator member.

13. The indicating device of claim 12 wherein said second indicator member comprises a plurality of teeth.

14. The indicating device of claim 13 wherein said first indicator member is moveable through a plurality of cycles of predetermined movements, wherein said engagement member successively engages said plurality of teeth of second indicator member upon completion of each of said plurality of cycles and thereby moves said second indicator member an incremental amount.

15. The indicating device of claim 11 wherein said first and second indicator members are mounted in a housing adapted to be secured to a bottom of the container.

16. An indicating device suitable for indicating the number of dosages of a substance that have been dispensed from or remain in a container, said indicating device comprising:

a first indicator member incrementally moveable to a plurality of positions; and

a second indicator member moveable in response to a predetermined number of movements of said first indicator member, wherein one of said first and second indicator members comprises numerical indicia and the other of said first and second indicator members comprises color indicia; and

a housing, wherein said first and second indicator members are rotatably mounted in said housing, wherein said housing comprises a base member and a cap member moveably connected to said base member.

17. The indicating device of claim 16 wherein said first and second indicator members are rotatably mounted to said cap member.

18. A device for dispensing dosages of a substance from a container, the device comprising:

a dispenser housing having a longitudinally extending cavity and a well located at a bottom of said cavity, said housing having an exhaust port communicating with said well;

said container comprising a valve stem extending longitudinally therefrom and moveable between a closed position and an open position, said container containing a plurality of said dosages of said substance, said valve stem dispensing one of said plurality of said dosages when said valve stem is moved to the open position, said container disposed in said cavity of said dispenser housing and said valve stem received within said well, said container reciprocally moveable within said dispenser housing along said longitudinal extend of said cavity such that said valve stem is moved between said closed and said open positions by engagement with said well; and

an indicating device comprising;

an indicator housing;

first and second indicator members mounted in said indicator housing, wherein said first indicator member is incrementally moveable to a plurality of positions, and wherein said second indicator member is moveable in response to a predetermined number of movements of said first indicator member, wherein one of said first and second indicator members comprises numerical indicia and the other of said first and second indicator members comprises color indicia; and

an actuator coupled to and moveable with said container relative to said indicator housing, said actuator operably connected to said first indicator member to move said first indicator member between said plurality of positions.

19. The device of claim 18 wherein said actuator comprises a base member connected to a bottom of said container, wherein said valve stem extends from a top of said container, and wherein said indicator housing comprises a cap member moveably connected to said base member.

20. The device of claim 19 wherein said first and second indicator members are rotatably mounted to said cap member.

21. The device of claim 18 wherein said first indicator member is rotatable about a first axis and second indicator is rotatable about a second axis, wherein said first axis and said second axis are substantially parallel.

22. The device of claim 21 wherein said first axis and said second axis are substantially co-axial.

23. The device of claim 21 wherein said first axis and said second axis are spaced apart.

24. The device of claim 18 wherein said first indicator member comprises numerical indicia and said second indicator member comprises color indicia.

25. The device of claim 18 wherein said first indicator member comprises an engagement member, wherein said engagement member engages said second indicator member upon said predetermined number of movements of said first indicator member.

26. The device of claim 25 wherein said second indicator member comprises at least one tooth, wherein said engagement member engages said at least one tooth upon said predetermined number of movements of said first indicator member.

27. The device of claim 26 wherein said second indicator member comprises a plurality of teeth.

28. The device of claim 27 wherein said first indicator member is moveable through a plurality of cycles of predetermined movements, wherein said engagement member successively engages said plurality of teeth of second indicator member upon completion of each of said plurality of cycles and thereby moves said second indicator member an incremental amount.

29. The device of claim 18 wherein one of said numerical and color indicia comprises dosage indicia and wherein the other of said numerical and color indicia comprises usage indicia.