Timing device
AssigneeChurch & Dwight Co., Inc.
InventorsSteven T. Adamy, Francis R. Cala
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A timing device for visually determining the passage of a preselected period of time including an inverted U-shaped tube having opposed ends with at least one of the opposed ends having a reservoir for storing a reactant or an indicator, transport means extending from the reservoir to the other of the opposed ends of the tube for transporting at least one of the reactant or the indicator until they contact each other, a reactant, and an indicator which when in contact with the reactant via the transport means emits an observable change in a property wherein the minimum length of the period of time corresponds to the time it takes for the reactant and indicator to contact each other.
Claims33
A timing device for visually determining the passage of a preselected period of time comprising:
- (a) an inverted U-shaped tube comprising a central portion and a pair of legs extending downwardly from the central portion, one of said legs having a greater length than the other of said legs, each of said legs having an end with a reservoir located in at least one of said ends and said ends being spaced apart from each other;
- (b) transport means within the inverted U-shaped tube extending from the reservoir to the other end of the tube;
- (c) a reactant present in said tube;
- and
- (d) an indicator present in said tube such that prior to the initiation of the preselected period of time the reactant and indicator are not in contact with each other, wherein when the reactant and indicator come in contact with each other as the result of one of said reactant and said indicator traveling along said transport means to the other of said reactant and said indicator, the indicator emits an observable change in a property wherein a minimum length of the preselected period of time corresponds to the time it takes for the reactant and indicator to contact each other and the indicator to emit said observable change in property.
A package having on an outer surface thereof a timing device for timing a preselected period of time corresponding to a product replacement period of time of a product contained with the package, said timing device comprising:
- (a) an inverted U-shaped tube comprising a central portion and a pair of legs extending downwardly from the central portion, one of said legs having a greater length than the other of said legs, each of said legs having an end with a reservoir located in at least one of said ends and said ends being spaced apart from each other;
- (b) transport means within the inverted U-shaped tube extending from the reservoir to the other end of the tube;
- (c) a reactant present in said tube;
- and
- (d) an indicator present in said tube such that prior to the initiation of the preselected period of time the reactant and indicator are not in contact with each other, wherein when the reactant and indicator come in contact with each other, as the result of one of said reactant and said indicator traveling along said transport means to the other of said reactant and said indicator, the indicator emits an observable change in a property wherein a minimum length of the preselected period of time corresponds to the time it takes for the reactant and indicator to contact each other and the indicator to emit said observable change in property.
A method of determining the passage of a preselected period of time corresponding to the useful life of a product comprising:
- (a) attaching to said product or to a package containing said product a timing device comprising;
- (1) an inverted U-shaped tube comprising a central portion and a pair of legs extending downwardly from the central portion, one of said legs having a greater length than the other of said legs, each of said legs having an end with a reservoir located in at least one of said ends and said ends being spaced apart from each other;
- and
- (2) transport means within the inverted U-shaped tube extending from the reservoir to the other end of the tube,
- (b) placing one of said reactant or indicator in the reservoir and the other of said reactant or indicator at the end remote from the reservoir;
- (c) transporting at least one of the reactant or indicator along the transport means for a sufficient distance so that the reactant and indicator contact each other, and
- (d) observing a change in property of said indicator as a result of said contact as an indication of the passage of said preselected period of time.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.