Abstract:
A cover of a container is provided. The cover displays the number of times a user has ever opened the container which contains medication to thereby inform the user of the user&#39;s history of medication use with a view to protecting the user from unnecessary repeat medication and suggesting the user to take medication.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present invention relates to covers of containers, and more particularly, to a medication container&#39;s cover for displaying the number of times a user has ever opened the medication container and thereby informing the user of the user&#39;s history of medication use so as to protect the user from unnecessary repeat medication and from taking wrong medication, and remind the user to take medication. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     In general, the mouth of a conventional medication container is usually too large to allow an exact number of pills to be drawn from the medication container or to prevent pills from sluicing out of the mouth of the medication container or spilling all over the ground. As a result, the medication container lacks ease of use, and the pills therein are likely to end up being contaminated. Considering that there is still room for improvement on the prior art, the inventor of the present invention develops a cover structure for preventing the aforesaid drawbacks of the prior art. The inventor filed a Taiwanese utility model application (Application No. 98202822, entitled Cover of Container) and a U.S. patent application (U.S. Ser. No. 12/292,221, entitled Container) for the cover structure she invented. Then, the Taiwanese utility model application was allowed, and the inventor was granted Taiwan Utility Model No. M359519. 
     Afterward, to improve on the patented utility model, the inventor further studied the prior art and interviewed medical professionals and patients to understand their needs. The interviews reveal that patients are susceptible to unnecessary repeat medication or, conversely, neglect to take medication as prescribed because they are seldom sure whether they have taken medication as prescribed. 
     Considering that there is still room for improvement on the prior art, the inventor improves the patented utility model and thereby puts forth the present invention with a view to meeting user needs. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides a cover of a container, and more particularly, a cover of a medication container, wherein the cover displays the number of times a user has ever opened the container to thereby inform the user of the user&#39;s history of medication use with a view to protecting the user from unnecessary repeat medication and reminding the user to take medication. 
     The present invention is devised by improving on Taiwan Utility Model No. M359519, entitled Cover of Container, and the corresponding U.S. patent application (U.S. Ser. No. 12/292,221, entitled Container) filed, previously and simultaneously, by the inventor of the present invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded view of a cover of a container according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 1A  is a perspective view of an outer ring and a symbol ring coupled to each other according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a movable lid according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is another perspective view of the movable lid according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the outer ring according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is another perspective view of the outer ring according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of the symbol ring according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of using a cover of a container according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 8  is a schematic view of dispensing pills by a cover of a container according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional view of a cover of a container taken along line A-A of  FIG. 7  according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional view of a cover of a container taken along line B-B of  FIG. 7  according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 11  is a cross-sectional view of a cover of a container taken along line C-C of  FIG. 7  according to the present invention; and 
         FIG. 12  is a cross-sectional view of a cover of a container taken along line D-D of  FIG. 7  according to the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , an exploded view of a cover of a container according to the present invention is shown, and the cover comprises the following constituent elements. 
     A movable lid  10  (see also  FIGS. 2 and 3 ) comprises: a table portion  101 ; a cylinder portion  102  extending from the bottom of the table portion  101 ; slits  102   a  provided at diametric positions of the cylinder portion  102  respectively; a flange  102   b  provided at the bottom of the cylinder portion  102 ; a bump  102   c  protrudingly provided at the flange  102   b ; a projection  103  protrudingly provided at the flange  102   b , wherein the bump  102   c  and the projection  103  are provided at diametric positions of the flange  102   b  respectively; an opening  102   d  provided on the front of the cylinder portion  102 ; a sign  110   a  protrudingly provided at the rim of the table portion  101  and vertically corresponding in position to the bump  102   c  of the cylinder portion  102 , wherein an upper circumferential serrate portion  101   b  and a protruding ring  101   c  are provided at the bottom of the table portion  101  and enclosed by the cylinder portion  102 . 
     An outer ring  20  (see also  FIGS. 4 and 5 ) assumes an annular shape and has an annular groove  20   a  provided at the top of the outer ring  20 . An annular track  20   d  is indently provided on the bottom side of the annular groove  20   a . A hook  20   b  is protrudingly provided on the inner wall of the annular groove  20   a . Two vertical channels  201  are indently provided at diametric positions on the inner annular side of the outer ring  20 . An insertion channel  201   a  transversely extends from the end of each of the vertical channels  201 . An annular dent portion  202  is indently provided at the lower portion of the inner annular side of the outer ring  20 . A sign  201   b  is protrudingly provided at the rim of the outer ring  20 . A notch  201   c  is provided at the rim of the outer ring  20 . The sign  201   b  and the notch  201   c  correspond in position to the vertical channels  201 . A protruding top flange  20   c  is provided at the upper portion of the inner annular side of the outer ring  20 . 
     A symbol ring  60  (see also  FIGS. 1 and 6 ) is provided. A plurality of signs and a plurality of bumps  602  are provided on the outer annular side of the symbol ring  60 . A plurality of barbs  601  are protrudingly provided on the inner annular side of the symbol ring  60 . The symbol ring  60  is configured to be positioned inside the annular groove  20   a  of the outer ring  20 . Referring to  FIGS. 1A ,  10 , abutting the hook  20   b  in the annular groove  20   a  and a corresponding one of the barbs  601  of the symbol ring  60  against each other and positioning the bumps  602  in the annular track  20   d  of the annular groove  20   a  enables unidirectional rotation of the symbol ring  60  but prevents the release thereof. 
     An inner lid  30  is provided. A lower circumferential serrate portion  301  is provided at the top of the inner lid  30 . An annular dent portion  302  is provided at the inner rim of the lower circumferential serrate portion  301 . A hollow core  303  is centrally provided in the inner lid  30 . Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 9 , the lower circumferential serrate portion  301  is configured to engage with the upper circumferential serrate portion  101   b  provided at the bottom of the table portion  101  of the movable lid  10 . The annular dent portion  302  is configured to engage with the protruding ring  101   c  provided at the bottom of the table portion  101  of the movable lid  10 . An annular flange  40  is provided at the lower rim of the inner lid  30  such that the bottom of the outer ring  20  engages with the annular flange  40  of the inner lid  30 . 
     The symbol ring  60  is configured to be positioned inside the annular groove  20   a  of the outer ring  20 , such that the bumps  602  of the symbol ring  60  are positioned inside the annular track  20   d  of the annular groove  20   a . Hence, the symbol ring  60  is rotatable within the annular groove  20   a  without being released therefrom. Afterward, the cylinder portion  102  of the movable lid  10  is inserted into the symbol ring  60 . During the inserting process, the slits  102   a  provided at diametric positions of the cylinder portion  102 , respectively, provide room for contraction of the cylinder portion  102  to thereby facilitate the insertion of the cylinder portion  102  into the symbol ring  60 . The flange  102   b , the bump  102   c , and the projection  103  provided at the bottom of the cylinder portion  102  together engage with the annular dent portion  202  indently provided at the lower portion of the inner annular side of the outer ring  20  to thereby prevent the movable lid  10  from separating from the outer ring  20  and yet permit axial rotation of the movable lid  10 . Afterward, the movable lid  10  and the outer ring  20  together rest on the inner lid  30  to thereby allow the lower circumferential serrate portion  301  and the annular dent portion  302  of the inner lid  30  to engage with the upper circumferential serrate portion  101   b  and the protruding ring  101   c  both provided at the bottom of the table portion  101  of the movable lid  10 , and in consequence the annular flange  40  provided at the lower rim of the inner lid  30  is engaged with and fixed in position to the bottom of the outer ring  20  to thereby form a cover  1000 . The cover  1000  thus formed is configured to couple with and hermetically seal the mouth of a container  50 . 
     The flange  102   b , the bump  102   c , and the projection  103  of the cylinder portion  102  of the movable lid  10  engage with the annular dent portion  202  indently provided at the lower portion of the inner annular side of the outer ring  20  to thereby prevent the movable lid  10  from separating from the container  50  and yet permit axial rotation of the movable lid  10 ; hence, the movable lid  10  is prevented from being pulled upward and thus is locked to the container  50 . The movable lid  10  can be lifted and unlocked from the container  50 , provided that the movable lid  10  is rotated until the bump  102   c  and the projection  103  of the cylinder portion  102  align with two said vertical channels  201  provided on the inner annular side of the outer ring  20 . To enable the bump  102   c  and the projection  103  to come into alignment with two said vertical channels  201 , a user may rotate the movable lid  10  until the sign  101   a  of the movable lid  10  aligns with the sign  201   b  of the outer ring  20 . 
     To couple the cover  1000  and the container  50  together, a user may bring the cover  1000  and the container  50  close to each other and press the cover  1000  so as for the upper circumferential serrate portion  101   b  of the movable lid  10  to engage with the lower circumferential serrate portion  301  of the inner lid  30 . Then, the user may rotate the cover  1000  so as for the inner lid  30  and the container  50  to be coupled together and hermetically sealed. 
     Referring to  FIG. 7 , which is a perspective view of using a cover of a container according to the present invention, to drawn pills from the container  50 , a user has to rotate the movable lid  10  until the sign  101   a  protrudingly provided at the rim of the table portion  101  of the movable lid  10  aligns with the sign  201   b  of the outer ring  20 . Referring to  FIG. 9 , the bump  102   c  and the projection  103  protrudingly provided at the bottom of the cylinder portion  102  of the movable lid  10  correspond in position to two said vertical channels  201  provided on the inner annular side of the outer ring  20 , respectively. Referring to  FIG. 10 , the movable lid  10  is lifted to a positioning level, allowing the bump  102   c  and the projection  103  to engage with the barbs  601  protrudingly provided on the inner annular side of the symbol ring  60 . Referring to  FIG. 12 , the flange  102   b  of the movable lid  10  abuts against the protruding top flange  20   c  provided at the upper portion of the inner annular side of the outer ring  20  and therefore is prevented from being released. Referring to  FIG. 11 , the movable lid  10  is slightly rotated so as for the projection  103  to drive the symbol ring  60  to rotate until the symbol ring  60  reaches a positioning position to thereby switch from one of the signs provided on the outer annular side of the symbol ring  60  to the next one of the signs (for example, switching from the sign  1  to the sign  2 ), and thus the next one of the signs is displayed through the notch  201   c  provided at the rim of the outer ring  20  to let the user know the number of times of use. As shown in the drawing, the bump  102   c  and the projection  103  protrudingly provided at the bottom of the cylinder portion  102  of the movable lid  10  are positioned within an insertion channel  201   a  transversely extending from the end of each of two said vertical channels  201 , thus preventing the movable lid  10  from lowering. Referring to  FIG. 8 , pills are removed from the container  50  through the opening  102   d  provided on the front of the cylinder portion  102 . 
     After the removal of a pill from the container  50 , the user might want to leave the movable lid  10  shut. To do so, the user has to follow the aforesaid pill-taking steps in reverse order, that is, reverse operation. Performing the reverse operation comprises abutting the hook  20   b  protrudingly provided on the inner wall of the annular groove  20   a  of the outer ring  20  against the barbs  601  of the symbol ring  60  so as to prevent reverse rotation of the symbol ring  60  and limit the rotation of the symbol ring  60  to unidirectional rotation. Hence, performing the reverse operation leaves the symbol ring  60  unmoved and yet keeps the original sign so as for the original sign to be displayed through the notch  201   c  of the outer ring  20  to let the user know the number of times of use. 
     To draw a pill from the container  50  again, the user has to follow the aforesaid pill-taking steps again, which comprises rotating the symbol ring  60 , switching from the current sign to the next sign (for example, switching from 2 to 3), and displaying the next sign through the notch  201   c  of the outer ring  20  to let the user know the number of times of use.