Abstract:
A medication dispensing applicator which utilizes indicia inscribed on different parts of the applicator to inform a user which nostril or other body location was last utilized in dispensing of the medication and when the medication was dispensed. This information is to inform the user when and where the medication was last dispensed so the user can readily determine what is the correct time for a further dispensing of medication and as to which location the medication is to be dispensed as locations are to be alternated.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1) Field of the Invention 
     The field of this invention relates to medication dispensers and more particularly to a liquid medication applicator that is to be used to dispense liquid medication within the nasal passages or between any two spaced apart locations of a human or other animal body. 
     2) Description of the Prior Art 
     Nasal medication applicators have long been known. A common form of such an applicator utilizes a vessel within which contains a quantity of liquid medication. Medications include prescription drugs, natural medicines and vitamin solutions. The vessel is closed by a cap. Mounted on the cap is an injector nozzle with this injector nozzle having a wing structure which includes a pair of wing members that are diametrically located opposite the injector nozzle which is basically of cylindrical construction. The user is to grasp the vessel and place a finger on each wing member and move the injector nozzle toward the vessel. This will cause a precise quantity of the liquid medication to be dispensed through a dispensing opening formed within the injector nozzle. When the applicator is not being used, a cover can be removably attached to the injector nozzle closing the dispensing opening relative to the ambient. It is the function of the cover to prevent contamination of the dispensing opening by foreign matter from the ambient. The cover is to be removed from the injector nozzle prior to utilizing of the applicator. 
     Some medications are best dispensed within the human body by utilizing the nasal passages. A precise quantity of the medication is to be dispensed by an applicator into either the right nostril or the left nostril of the nose of the user. It is common for this medication to be dispensed once a day. When it is preferable to minimize the possible damage to the nasal passages, the right nostril is utilized one day and the left nostril is utilized the second day with the right nostril then being reutilized the third day, and so forth. However, when the user picks up the applicator to dispense the medication, the user invariably cannot remember which nostril was last used. Also, the user might have trouble remembering whether the applicator was last used the day before and that possibly that day could have been missed. There is a need to incorporate in conjunction with the nasal medication dispensing applicator a day reminder system and a nostril reminder system so that when the user picks up the applicator to use it that user can quickly ascertain when the applicator was last used and with which nostril the applicator was last used. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A nasal medication dispensing applicator which has a cap which closes the access opening of a vessel within which is a reservoir that contains a quantity of a liquid medication. Mounted on the cap is an injector nozzle that is freely pivotally movable on the cap and also is movable lineally toward and away from the cap. The injector nozzle includes a wing structure that is formed into a pair of wing members. A cover is connectable with the injector nozzle. Nostril last sprayed indicia is inscribed on the cap with one wing member having a left indicating nostril indicia and the opposite wing member having a right indicating nostril indicia. If the left indicating nostril indicia is aligned with the nostril last sprayed, the user is informed that the left nostril of the user&#39;s nose was last sprayed with the applicator. If the right indicating nostril indicia is aligned with the nostril last sprayed indicia, then the user knows that the right nostril was the last sprayed. A cover is movably attachable to the injector nozzle with a cover including indicia representing the days of the week. When a particular day of the week is aligned with the nostril last sprayed, the user is informed which day of the week the applicator was last used. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the nasal medication dispensing applicator of the present invention showing the applicator in the non-usage position indicating that the left nostril was last sprayed on Thursday of the week; 
     FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the nasal medication dispensing applicator of the present invention showing the cover of the applicator disengaged from the injector nozzle permitting the applicator to then be used; 
     FIG. 3 is a view, partly in cross-section, of the cap of the nasal medication dispensing applicator of the present invention; and 
     FIG. 4 is an isometric view similar to FIG. 2 where the nostril last sprayed is shown to be the right nostril with the day of the week of the application being noted as Friday. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring particularly to the drawings, there is shown the nasal medication applicator  10  of this invention. The dispensing applicator  10  of this invention includes a vessel  12  which contains a reservoir within which is located a quantity of a liquid medication  14 . A tube  16  extends within the reservoir and is submerged within the liquid medication  14 . The tube  16  connects with a pump  18  which is fixedly mounted within a cap  20 . The cap  30  includes a main section  22  which is basically of cylindrical configuration with this main section  22  to be threadably mounted onto the vessel  12 . The cap  20  also includes a smaller diameter top section  24  which includes an internal through opening  26 . The pump  18  is mounted within the opening  26 . The pump  18  includes a dispensing tube  28  with this dispensing tube  28  being mounted within a sleeve  30  of an injector nozzle  32 . The injector nozzle  32  includes a cylindrically shaped base section  34  which is basically hollow forming internal compartment  36 . The top section  24  is to be locatable in a close fitting manner within the internal compartment  36 . The base section  34  is to be lineally movable from the position shown in FIG. 3 toward the main section  22 . A spring, which is not shown, is to be included between the base section  34  and the top section  24  exerting a continuous bias tending to locate the applicator  10  shown in the position in FIG.  3 . When the base section  34  has been moved lineally relative to the main section  22 , once this movement has been completed and the force of the movement is released, the base section  34  will then automatically move back to the position shown in FIG.  3 . 
     Downward movement of the base section  34  toward the main section  22  will cause a small amount of medication  14  to be conducted up the tube  16  through the dispensing tube  28  into the dispensing passage  38 . The dispensing passage  38  is formed within elongated nozzle section  40  of the injector nozzle  32 . The upper end of the dispensing passage  38  terminates in a dispensing opening  42 . From the dispensing opening  42 , a precise quantity of the medicine is to be dispensed into the ambient by the movement of the base section  34  in a direction toward the main section  22  or toward the vessel  12 . 
     When the applicator  10  is not being used, a cover  44 , generally transparent, is located about the nozzle section  40 . The base portion  46  of the cover  44  is located in abutting contact with the wing structure  48  of the injector nozzle  32 . Actually, the cover  44  will be snugly held in the position shown in FIGS. 1,  3  and  4 , but the cover  44  can be easily removed from the injector nozzle  32  as is shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings. 
     The wing structure  48  includes wing members  50  and  52 . The wing structure  48  is basically planer with the wing members  50  and  52  extending outwardly from the nozzle section  40  with wing member  50  being located diametrically opposite wing member  52 . The user is to place one finger, such as a forefinger, on top of wing member  50  with the middle finger being located on top of wing member  52 . The user&#39;s thumb is to be located underneath the vessel  12 . By manually pushing against the wing structure  48  by the fingers will cause the injector nozzle  32  to be moved relative to the top section  24  resulting in a precise quantity of the medicine  14  to be dispensed through the dispensing passage  38  and then ejected in mist form from the dispensing opening  42 . 
     Inscribed on the main section is first indicia  54 . The first indicia  54  can include the words such as “nostril last sprayed” and an arrow  56  with this arrow  56  pointing upward toward the top section  24 . On the upper surface of wing member  50  is located the letter “L” and an arrow  58 . In a similar manner, on the upper surface of wing member  52  is located the letter “R” and an arrow  60 . Both arrows  58  and  60  point directly toward the nozzle section  40  and are in alignment with each other. Actually, arrow  58  is located diametrically opposite the arrow  60 . 
     On the base portion  46  of the cover  44  there is inscribed second indicia  62  in the form of the days of the week. Actually, the indicia  62  is divided into seven equal sized areas and within each area is located an indicia such as “M” for Monday, “T” for Tuesday, “W” for Wednesday, “TH” for Thursday, “F” for Friday, “SA” for Saturday and “SU” for Sunday. 
     The operation of the applicator  10  of this invention is as follows: When the user picks up the applicator  10 , the user notes which wing member  50  or  52  is in alignment with the arrow  56 . If it happens to be as shown in FIG. 1, the wing member  50  is in alignment with the arrow  56  which indicates to the user that the left nostril, because the letter “L” is inscribed on the upper surface of the wing member  50 , was last sprayed, usually the day before. The user also notices arrow  58  which clearly points to indicia  62  and specifically the “TH” of indicia  62  to inform the user that the applicator  10  was last used on Thursday. The user then removes cover  44  and places his or her fingers on the wing structure  48 , as previously described, and causes the applicator to dispense a quantity of the liquid medication from the dispensing opening  42 . Prior to this, the user should have placed the nozzle section  40  within the right nostril of the user since the left nostril was indicated as being used at the last application. 
     After the dispensing of the precise quantity of medication  14 , the nozzle section  40  is removed from the right nostril and then the user pivots the wing structure  48  so that the wing member  52  and the letter “R” aligns with arrow  56 , as is clearly shown in FIG. 4 of the drawings. The user then replaces the cover  44  over the nozzle section  40  until the base  46  again abuts against the wing structure  48 . Actually, there will probably be some form of a slight detent arrangement between the cover  44  and the nozzle section  40  so that the cover  44  will “snappingly engage” when the nozzle section  40  is in the installed position against the wing structure  48 . The user then pivots the cover  44  until the letter “F” aligns with arrow  52 . This now means that the right nostril was just sprayed and it was sprayed on Friday. The applicator  10  is then put away in its appropriate storage location. Now when the user picks up the applicator  10  again to be reused, which should be the next succeeding day, the user can readily determine from the applicator that the nostril layer sprayed was the right nostril and it was sprayed on Friday. Reuse of the applicator is to occur as previously mentioned, and after usage the wing structure is then pivoted Bo now the letter “L” of wing member  50  aligns with arrow  56 , and when the cover  44  is replaced on the nozzle section  40 , the letters “SA” (not shown) for Saturday, is to be aligned with arrow  58 . It is to be understood that this operating arrangement is to be continued for each succeeding day and after each application. 
     Although the present invention has been described in relation to a left nostril and a right nostril and application of a medication within one nostril one day and the other nostril the next day, it is considered to be within the scope of this invention that other applications might be possible. For example, the second indicia may not reference the day of the week but instead could comprise only two segments including in the AM and PM or include a plurality of segments denoting such as four times a day. Possibly, also the first indicia could comprise reference to AM and PM and the second indicia could reference the days of the week. Possibly, there are multiple numbers of alternatives in which the first indicia and second indicia could be utilized as a reminder system for the taking of medication by a human or other animal which falls within the scope of this invention which is not even apparent to the applicant at this time. Medication is meant to include prescription drugs, non-prescription drugs, creams, sprays or injections. 
     It is considered to be within the scope of this invention that this invention could be used in any application that requires a pair of separate application locations. Also, the application could be used to inject a substance under the skin, could be to apply a cream, could be to apply a spray, et cetera.