Abstract:
A device includes a cap attachable to a receptacle for co-acting therewithin enclosing medication and timing a predetermined interval for taking the medication defined by one timing schedule of a set of selectable timing schedules. An electronic timing circuit is constructed and arranged to provide an alarm signal designating a time for taking the medication at the expiration at a predetermined time interval defined by the timing schedule. The electronic timing circuit is housed in the cap and includes schedule processing circuitry that defines the set of selectable timing schedules, and a set of outputs for issuing electrical signals at the expiration of the predetermined time interval. The device has a top part that fits snuggly inside the cap and remains attached to the cap under normal circumstances.

Description:
This invention relates to timing, and more particularly to improved methods and apparatus for providing repetitive timed events. 
   BACKGROUND 
   For background, reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 6,084,504 of Rosche et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,016,230 of Monte Seifers et al., both entitled TIMING. 
   BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   One aspect of the invention is an improved device that is attachable to a receptacle for timing a predetermined interval according to a timing schedule of a set of timing schedules. The device has an electronic timing circuit that provides an alarm signal at the expiration of the predetermined time interval. The timing circuit includes a set of inputs and a set of outputs that are both connected to processing circuitry. The inputs correspond to the timing schedules, and the outputs issue the alarm signals. 
   Embodiments of this aspect of the invention include one or more of the following features. 
   The sensing mechanism is in mechanical communication with the inputs, and the sensing mechanism changes position in response to a nonfrictional normal force. A selector mechanism allows the timing schedules to be mechanically selected. 
   The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING 
       FIG. 1  is an exploded view of a cap corresponding substantially to that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,084,504 along a longitudinal axis extending through the cap; 
       FIGS. 2A and 2B  are perspective views of the inner closure of  FIG. 1 ; 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a cap according to the invention; 
       FIG. 4  is an exploded view of the top of the housing with the trigger, inner closure, seal, timing device and top part, exploded along a longitudinal axis extending through the cap of  FIG. 3 ; 
       FIGS. 5A and 5B  are perspective views of the top and bottom side of the trigger of  FIG. 4 ; 
       FIGS. 6A and 6B  are perspective views of the top and bottom side of the housing of  FIG. 4 ; 
       FIG. 7A  is a perspective view of a subassembly to the top of the housing including the trigger, inner closure and seal; 
       FIG. 7B  is a diametrical sectional view of the assembly of  FIG. 4 ; 
       FIG. 8  is a perspective bottom view of a subassembly of the housing and trigger of  FIG. 4 ; 
       FIGS. 9A and 9B  are perspective views of the bottom and top of the timing device with components of  FIG. 4 ; 
       FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the activation contact of  FIG. 9 ; and 
       FIG. 11  is a perspective view inside the housing with the trigger plate of  FIG. 7 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   Referring to  FIG. 1 , there is shown a child-resistant cap  200  for closing medicine containers. This cap  200  has three different plastic parts, the “OUTER PART  201 , ” the “INNER CLOSURE”  202  and a seal plate  203 . The “INNER CLOSURE”  202  has inside thread connection  204  to fit on the medicine container and is fitted in the “OUTER PART”  201 . The “INNER CLOSURE”  202  can rotate freely inside the “OUTER PART”  201 . Cap  200  may be closed by rotating cap  200  till the end of inside thread connection  204  of “INNER CLOSURE”  202  fully engages that at the end of the medicine container. To open cap  200 , rotate in opposite direction. When there is no axial pressure on existing cap  200 , cap  200  can rotate freely. To open cap  200 , press hard in axial direction together with rotating torque force. The required combination of pressing and rotating to open is difficult. 
   The inner closure  202  with inside thread connection  204  can rotate in outer part  201 . This inner closure  202  is locked in the outer part  201  and cannot exit but can rotate freely inside. Referring to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , at the top of the plastic inner closure  202  are mounted special ridges  205 . All these ridges  205  are at one side  206  sloped and at the other side  207  straight. Inside outer part  201  there are also opposite other ridges. These ridges are between the ridges of the thread part  205 . For closing the cap  200  the ridges of outer part  201  may be pressed to the straight surface  207  of ridges  205  at inner closure  202 . By rotating for opening cap  200  the ridges inside the outer part  201  will be pressed to the sloped surface  206  of ridges  205  of the inner closure  202 . Normally these ridges of outer part  201  will not grip the opposite sloped surface  206 . By pressing hard longitudinally to cap  200 , the ridges of outer part  201  can furnish enough friction to force ridges  205  of the inner closure to rotate inner closure  202  to open cap  200  of the medicine container normally. 
   Inside the threaded part a thin seal plate  203  closes the open top of the medicine container. 
     FIG. 3  shows cap  208  with timing structure according to the invention with the same inner closure  202  and seal plate  203 . 
   The ridges in outer part  201  of cap  200  normally can rotate a small angle in cap  208 . The opposite ridges  205  will grip ridges  210  of the trigger  211 , see  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 8 . This trigger  211  is in the topside  212  of the main housing  213  of  FIG. 6  and can rotate inside at the bottom  214  of the main housing  213 . The ridges  210  stitch through the open sleeves  215  of the bottom  214  of the main housing  213 . Visible at inner side  216  where the inner closure  202  is placed into the main housing  213  is the reference arrangement of  FIG. 8 , the same as with the cap  200 . 
   The main housing  213  has two inner parts. One is bottom opening  216 . A second is the top opening  212 . The bottom opening  216  is exactly the same as the opening of the existing outer part  201 . For the assembly, the inner closure  202  is pressed in the outer part  201  as well as the bottom opening  216  of main housing  213 . After pressed in the inner closure  202 , this structure can rotate freely in the main housing  213 . 
   The second top opening  212  is for placing the trigger  211  and the timing device  217 , including the reset button  218  and closing by the top part  219 , see  FIGS. 3 and 4 . 
   The trigger  211  may be placed at the bottom  214  of the main housing  213 . When this trigger  211  is placed in the main housing  213 , small sleeves  220  in the outer diameter of the trigger  211  will be guided over the ridges  221  inside the main housing  213 . For the proper orientation of the trigger  211  the sleeve  222  is placed around the position ridge  223  in the main housing  213 . The trigger  211  can make a free small rotation, driven by the inner closure  202  at the other side of the bottom  214 . 
   The inner closure  202  is free to rotate inside the main housing  213 . The trigger  211  always has some restriction in rotation. If the medicine container is closed with cap  208 , in the last part of the thread connection  204 , the trigger  211  is rotated in a closed position. When starting to open the cap  208 , the trigger  211  is rotated first in the open position and than the inner closure  202  is fixed in the main housing  213  to open the cap  208  completely. Thus, trigger  211  rotates only in the last part of the thread connection  204 , as well for closing as for opening cap  208 . The rotate restrictions  224  of the trigger  211  work together with two bumps  225  at the bottom  214  of the main housing. These bumps  225  fall in two free separate sleeves  226  in the trigger  211 . The open and close position of the trigger  211  are made by these two free position sleeves  226 . Between these sleeves there is a restriction connection  224 . When the bumps  225  pass these restriction connections  224 , these restrictions  224  will be bent in slightly. This gives automatically some restriction by rotation of the trigger  211 . 
     FIG. 11  shows the bump shape  225  in the free sleeve  226  positions. Two bumps positions  225  opposite each other provide for a good balance of the rotation of the trigger  211  in the main housing  213 . 
   The trigger  211  also has ramp  227  to make a switch connection to the timing device  217 . 
   In the center at the bottom  214  of the main housing  213  is a metal sheet contact  228 , see  FIG. 10  and  FIG. 11 . This metal sheet contact  228  activates the timing device  217  of cap  208  upon first opening. The metal sheet contact  228  has three angled bent contact lips  229  inside. It also has a straight bent lip  230 . By assembling the metal sheet contact  228  in the main housing  213 , a special shape  231  ( FIG. 6 ) at the bottom  214 , gives the position of this. Also two other small posts  232  are positioned underneath the two dimples  233  of the metal sheet contact. The position of the metal sheet contact  228  is in the off position. As soon as one opens the cap  208  for the first time, the trigger  211  with the ramp  227  will press the straight bent lip  230 , and the metal sheet contact  228  will rotate. The three bent contact lips  229  now make a connection to three separate contacts  234  underneath the timing device (see  FIG. 9 ). The timing device  217  is activated and placed in an open position. See  FIG. 11 . The two small posts  232  at the bottom  214  of the main housing  213  are now positioned in two small sleeves  235 , so that this sheet metal contact  228  is fixed and cannot rotate. The metal sheet contact  228  has three bent contact lips  229 . Two lips make the activation and one lip is for the on/off switch. When the cap will close the medical container, the trigger  211  will make a closed rotation, and a special lip  236  of the ramp  227  of the trigger  211  will bend the on/off contact downwards so that it will break the connection. By opening thereafter the cap  208 , the lip  236  gives the on/off contact freedom to make contact again. 
   To open the cap  208  from the medical container, press hard longitudinally together with a rotation force. This longitudinal pressure to cap  208  will press all the forces to the trigger  211 . This means that the trigger  211  is placed in a good longitudinal locked position n the main housing  213 . This positioning is done by the surface  237  underneath the axial ridges  221  inside the main housing  213 , together with the support ridges  238  of the top part  219 . 
   The top part has underneath around the outer edge several support ridges  238 . Some of these ridges  238  are for guiding and positioning in the main housing  213 , other ridges are for snapping the top part  219  underneath some ridges  221  in the main housing  213 . In combination ridges  238  will also lock the longitudinal position of the trigger  211  and fix the timing device  217 . 
   The timing device  217  is supported normally to some ridges  239  at the bottom  214  of the main housing  213 . There are also two position pins for positioning of the timing device  217  in the main housing  213 , one in the center  240  and one ridge  223  in the sidewall. Key path button  241  is in the top part  219  (see  FIG. 4 ). There is a small restriction so that the key path button  241  is fixed by the assembly process in the top part  219 . 
   This timing device  217  is on a small printed board  242 , and all components are mounted at one side of the board. The bottom side  243  is used for some switch possibilities  234 , for the on/off contacts and for the activation of the cap  208 . The board  242  is relatively small and compact. 
   The chip is programmable for signalling only once a day, twice, thrice or four times a day. Also other settings can be programmed in the chip. 
   The invention has a number of features. It maintains the time. Thus, if set to alert daily at 8 AM, it will alert daily at 8 AM unless reset regardless of whether on a given day the unit is opened early or after the alert has been active for some time. If it is opened early within 12 hours for a once daily setting or within six hours for a twice a day setting, it will assume the user is opening to take the medication early and will skip the next scheduled alert. But it maintains the time so the following alert if the unit isn&#39;t opened will occur as originally activated. 
   For example, the user starts the alert cycle for once daily at 8 AM. The next day the user opens the unit at 7 AM. At 8 AM that day there will be no alert. The following day if not opened again, the alert will begin at 8 AM. Alternatively, the user opens the unit at 10 AM after the alert has been signalled for two hours. The unit will stop the alerting. If not opened again, the alert will start at 8 AM. 
   Pushing the reset or start tab or button on top resets the start of alert cycle. This reset only works when the alert is not active. If it is time to take the medication and unit is actively alerting, the user must first open the cap off the vial to presumably take the medication then and end the alert, prior to resetting the alert schedule. 
   The pharmacist by rotating the top and then snapping down activates the unit. Alternatively, the cap may be constructed and arranged so that first placing the cap on the vial activates the unit. 
   The unit after half the scheduled interval between alerts ends the alert and does not begin alerting again until the next scheduled alert. 
   The unit, when off the vial, preferably alerts silently, such as flashing without beeping. It then typically flashes during alerts for the following 48 hours without beeping. Holding down the reset or start button for four seconds will toggle between beeping during the alert cycles when the cap is on the vial and only flashing during those alert cycles if the toggle mute has been activated by the four-second depression of the reset or start button, observing the LED go from steady ON to rapid flashing and then releasing the button or tab. The first four-second depression produces a flash only alert without beeping in a silent mode. The second four-second depression ends with a beep. 
   In an exemplary embodiment trigger  211  functions as an interface between the inner closure  202  and the timing device  217  with ribs  207  and slopes  206  at the top of inner closure  206 . It is within the principles of the invention to use other structures to produce relative rotation between the trigger and inner closure. 
   It is evident that those skilled in the art may now make numerous modifications of and departures from the specific apparatus and techniques herein disclosed without departing from the inventive concepts. Consequently, the invention is to be construed as embracing each and every novel concept and novel combination of concepts herein disclosed and limited only by the spirit and scope of the appended claims.