Counting cap for medicine bottles

A medicine bottle and cap, the cap containing a window through which one of several index marks, preferably serial numbers, is visible. The index marks are on a member nesting inside the cap and equipped with spring fingers set at an angle on a skirt. During opening of the bottle, this marked member is prevented from rotating as the cap is unscrewed, thus indexing the index marks. During closing, frictional forces cause all parts to rotate together.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The taking of medicine is so regular and so uneventful that many people 
have difficulty a short time later remembering whether they have, or have 
not, taken a particular dose. This problem has been recognized for some 
time, and a variety of mechanical arrangements have been proposed to allow 
the patient to check, so as to be relieved of worry or to prevent under 
medication or over medication. The present invention is in the field of 
devices which display a serial index mark, advancing it each time the 
bottle is opened. 
2. Description of Prior Art 
A considerable number of pill-timing schemes have been used to solve the 
problem of reminding a patient to take a dose of medicine or reminding him 
he has already taken that dose. The most used ones involve some scheme of 
compartmentalization of the necessary medication, such that the pills are 
placed in compartments labeled as to day, to dose number or time of day, 
or serially numbered. These devices are reasonably satisfactory if a 
responsible person is available and has the time and patience to fill the 
compartments properly. These conditions, responsibility, availability, and 
time are the main drawback to the usual pill-timing devices. Some of them 
will, however, dispense several pills or pills of several types. 
In dispensing pills of a single type, a number of window-containing bottle 
caps have been invented. Through the window a moveable element marked with 
index is visible. In only a few devices does the indicating element index 
in position relative to the window each time the cap is loosened, removed, 
replaced, and re-tightened. Thus, by looking at the index mark displayed 
through the window, one can see where in the repetitive sequence of doses 
one is. The majority of window caps do not have positive stops as they are 
indexed manually, enabling the user to index two numbers at once. Further, 
the caps which do index depend on the direction of rotating force on the 
cap, rather than using positive stops on the bottle as in my invention. 
Some existing devices have posts or spindles which penetrate the pill 
container, at least theoretically allowing liquids or foreign matter to 
contaminate the pill supply. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention requires a multiple-start thread on the bottle, with 
positive stop surfaces integral with the thread. One stop surface is at 
the cap end of the thread. This surface stops rotary motion of an 
inwardly-projecting lug on the external member of the cap. The other stop 
surface is positioned so as to stop rotation of the cap only after it has 
moved more than the space between thread-starts. The number of 
thread-starts corresponds to the number of daily doses, or is seven if one 
dose per day is to be taken. 
An indicator element nests within the outer cap. The indicator element has 
a flat top, on which the desired indicia are typically marked. On its 
periphery is a short cylindrical shell, with the skirt of this shell 
formed into flexible helical finger-springs. The number of finger springs 
is normally but not necessarily equal to the number of thread starts. 
Inside the indicator element is a combination seal and spring disc such as 
is conventional in the common child-proof cap. 
In operation, the indicator element follows the motion of the outer cap by 
friction between them, except when the outer cap is being unscrewed. Then 
the tip of the finger springs abuts the stop surface at the thread-start 
when the outer cap is still engaged with the thread on the bottle. Further 
rotation of the outer cap in the unscrewing direction overcomes friction, 
and indexes the indicator element to a new position within the cap. 
The object of this invention is to provide a simpler, cheaper version of 
counting cap. Being a throwaway item, medicine bottles must be cheap else 
they will not be used. The overall object is to make available a reminder 
type counting cap so forgetful people, and those responsible for them, can 
more easily keep track of medicine doses and be assured the proper dose is 
being administered.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
The mechanical features of the invention are all shown in FIG. 1. Two major 
parts are shown, the cap and the bottle or container. The cap is made up 
in part of outer cap 1 having a window, 2 and a number of lugs, 3 on its 
skirt corresponding to one lug per thread start of threads Item 5. 
The bottle 4 is generally cylindrical at its upper end where the cap 
engages it. A number of threads 5 are on the outer periphery of the 
cylindrical portion. The threads are multiple-start threads. Each has a 
first abutment surface 6 and a second abutment surface 7. As shown in FIG. 
1, if desired a childproofing notch 14 can be incorporated adjacent to 
first abutment surface 6 to require the user to push as well as turn to 
initiate the opening of the assembly. 
Item 8 indicator element carries index marks 9 positioned so as to be 
visible through the window, and spring fingers 10 which are part of, or 
attached to, the skirt of Item 8. The spring fingers 10 have a length, 
angle of placement, and flexibility such that their ends ride in a flexed 
condition on a non-helical portion 13 of threads 5 as the cap is turned in 
the direction of removal (normally counterclockwise viewed from the cap 
end). When the spring fingers reach the thread start the opening which 
receives lugs 3--their flexing relaxes and the end moves so as to engage 
second abutment surface 7, preventing farther rotary motion of Item 8 and 
indexing index marks 9 in window 2. 
Item 11 is a conventional combination seal and disc spring. It is of a 
relaxed height greater than the space the closed cap allows between the 
end of the bottle, Item 12, and a region near the center of Item 8. 
Consequently Item 11 exerts sealing force at the bottle end 12, reacted 
against indicator element Item 8 and outer cap 1. Being of one piece of 
material, it keeps the contents of the bottle sealed and clean. 
FIGS. 2 through 5 show the successive steps in opening and closing. In FIG. 
2 the end of spring finger 10 is shown near the midpoint of the flat 
(non-helical) portion 13 of thread 5. Obviously the end can be anywhere on 
the flat portion. As long as it lies between adjacent abutment surfaces 7, 
there will be lost rotary motion until the spring finger engages abutment 
surface 7 followed by indexing motion until the cap with its lugs 3 
rotates through the motion allowed to it by abutment surfaces 6 and 7 and 
engages abutment surface 7. In the preferred embodiment the latter--the 
indexing motion between indicator element 8 and outer cap 1--equals the 
rotary distance between thread starts which equals the spacing of lugs 3. 
The provision for lost motion is to allow some failure of friction to 
cause indicator element 8 to keep in registration with outer cap 1 during 
closing of the cap. As shown in FIGS. 2-6 for illustrative purposes, the 
lost motion is about half the motion. This does not prevent the relative 
motion between outer cap and indicator element from indexing (i.e., 
advancing the serial indication seen through the window in the cap), it 
merely affects the number of index marks 9 needed on indicator element 8 
and the number of open-close cycles to return to the initial index mark. 
The index marks are preferably serial indications such as 1,2,3, etc. 
In FIGS. 2 through 6 the parts are shown as they would be if unwrapped from 
a bottle; that is they are shown flat rather than curved into and out of 
the paper. FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 show the opening cycle starting with the 
bottle fully closed in FIG. 2. The cap can be removed and replaced freely 
when parts are as shown in FIG. 4. FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 show the positions of 
the parts while the bottle is being closed. No allowance for frictional 
slip is incorporated in FIGS. 5 and 6. 
In some embodiments with some materials of construction it may be necessary 
or desirable to have a more positive control of the motion so as to reduce 
dependence on friction. This is the purpose of ratchet member strip 15 in 
FIG. 1. It is preferably constructed as shown, with sloping teeth to 
resist motion in one direction more than in the other. Such a strip may 
obviously be put on the top or side surface of indicator element 8, on the 
inner surfaces of outer cap 1, or both. 
Applicant visualizes the number of thread starts necessary for a pharmacy 
to stock being 3 and 4 for 3 or 4 doses per day, and 7 for a week of daily 
doses. These should be sufficient to cover the needs of all forgetful 
users. The principle and apparatus can be applied to a wide variety of 
numbers-per-cycle merely by changing the number of thread-starts or the 
lost motion. 
The invention having been described in its preferred embodiment, it is 
clear that modifications are within the ability of those skilled in the 
art without exercise of the inventive faculty. Accordingly the scope of 
the invention is defined in the scope of the following claims.