Closure cap including timer and cooperating switch member and associated methods
AssigneeDiduminder Corporation
InventorsJames Alan Osberg, Chin Chang Franchi, Daryl Osberg
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
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.
Claims29
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.
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.
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.
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.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.