Indicator

Indicators and methods of indicating are disclosed. Intended primarily for use with medicine containers, the devices typically indicate the number of doses of medication ingested or remaining to be taken by a patient during a particular period. These devices additionally provide tactile assistance to patients in appropriately repositioning the indicator arms and, when used correctly, may reduce the possibility of patient overdose by restricting improper attempts to advance the indicator arm.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to an indicator and more particularly to a mechanism 
permitting a patient to determine the number of doses of medicine taken or 
remaining to be ingested in a designated interval. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Physicians often prescribe medications requiring periodic ingestion by a 
patient. Products sold to patients over-the-counter, or without a 
practitioner's prescription, similarly typically mandate regular intake 
for optimal performance. Complying with these requirements necessitates 
that each patient recollect that doses of the medication previously were 
taken, as failure to do so may result in ingestion of more or less than 
the specified dosage during a particular period. 
Many patients, however, are unable to remember or determine the amount of 
medication already taken over a given duration. This is especially true of 
certain elderly patients, who may experience short-term memory loss or, 
because their infirmities require ingestion of substantial numbers of 
different medications, confuse the dosage previously taken of each. 
Empirical evidence suggests that elderly glaucoma patients in particular 
are plagued by these problems. Combined with their decreased abilities to 
view the medication containers themselves, these glaucoma patients often 
have no means of determining whether they have taken the mandated doses. 
The concept of using indicators or "medicine minders" has existed for many 
years. U.S. Pat. No. 710,708 to McShane, for example, describes at lines 
8-13 a medicine bottle having 
a scale of the full, half and quarter hours from 12 to 11.45 o'clock, 
together with an indicator to indicate the time of taking the medicine 
therein contained. 
A side of the specially-molded bottle contains a "flat-topped ridge" on 
which a time scale is printed and having grooves to receive the "gripping 
claws" of an indicator. The patient is instructed to move the indicator 
after each dose of medication is taken, positioning its index at the point 
on the scale corresponding to the time for taking the next dosage. The 
bottle does not indicate the number of doses either taken or remaining to 
be taken in a particular interval, however, thus neither preventing nor 
inhibiting overdoses. It further fails to assist glaucoma and other 
patients with poor (or no) vision in appropriately positioning the 
indicator after ingesting each dose. 
More recently, U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,353 to Besthorne issued describing a 
medicine reminder device in which a housing having a clock face is 
attached, using an elastic band, to the cylindrical body of a medicine 
container. Mounted to the clock face are hour and minute hands. After 
taking medicine from the container, the patient resets the hands to 
indicate the time of the next dose. As with the medicine bottle of the 
McShane patent, however, the reminder device of the Besthorne patent 
provides no indication of the doses taken or to be taken. Likewise, it 
furnishes patients no tactile or other non-visual assistance in 
appropriately repositioning the hands of the clock. 
U.S. Pat. No. 4,511,050 to Nicol provides yet another type of dose 
indicator. Embodied in a two-piece cap, the indicator includes on one 
piece an embossed arrow or pointer and on the other graduated indicia. The 
cap is useful solely with threaded containers, however, and fails to 
indicate to the patient that the maximum doses have been taken during any 
given period. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention provides a device responsive to many of these and 
other drawbacks of existing indicators. Unlike those discussed above, the 
present invention not only provides tactile assistance to patients in 
appropriately repositioning its indicator arm, but also is useful with a 
wide variety of medicine or other containers. When used correctly, 
moreover, the indicator of the present invention reduces the possibility 
of patient overdose by restricting further (improper) movement of the 
indicator arm. 
In one embodiment of the present invention, the dose indicator is a molded 
plastic disc to which an indicator arm is connected. Affixed to the 
underside of the disc is a pressure-sensitive adhesive, allowing the disc 
to be attached to at least one surface of virtually all existing 
commercial medicine containers. When used with cylindrical bottles or 
containers having substantial curvatures, for example, such a disc may be 
attached to the (generally flat) upper surface of the cap of the 
container. For other containers, alternatively, the discs may be affixed 
to their front or rear faces or sides. 
Embossed on the upper surface of the disc are indicia, typically numbers 
corresponding to doses of medicine intended for consumption by the 
patient. An annulus in the moveable indicator arm is designed to engage 
each embossed area, providing a positive (tactile) fit for the arm for 
each incremental dose. Additionally protruding above the upper surface are 
two pins or other projections which limit travel or placement of the 
indicator arm. One pin, whose location may be fixed for all discs, 
prevents the patient from attempting to place the arm outside its intended 
range of travel. The location of the other pin may vary, however, 
depending on the number of doses of medication the patient is prescribed 
in a particular interval (e.g. per twenty-four hours). Designed to be 
inserted (usually by the pharmacist) into one of a series of recesses in 
the disc and effectively locked into place, this pin prevents the 
indicator arm from travelling beyond an indicium corresponding to the 
maximum dose the patient is prescribed in the designated interval. As a 
result, it inhibits overdosing when the device is used properly by 
preventing the patient from advancing the arm after the final prescribed 
dose is taken. 
Other embodiments of the invention may comprise separate caps or collars 
for placement about irregularly-shaped objects such as medicine droppers. 
Such devices may be adapted to provide more regular surfaces onto which 
discs may be affixed. Alternatively, other structures, including arches, 
may be utilized consistent with the present invention. 
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an indicator 
furnishing tactile assistance to patients with poor or no vision (or 
operating in darkness). 
It is another object of the present invention to provide an indicator that, 
when used correctly, may reduce the possibility of patient overdose. 
It is also an object of the present invention to provide an indicator 
adapted to be affixed to surfaces of numerous containers. 
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a disc having a 
moveable indicator arm that may engage a raised area of the disc to 
provide a positive, secure fit. 
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide mechanisms 
limiting the range of movement of the indicator arm. 
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide at least one 
such mechanism whose location depends on the number of doses or medicine 
to be taken by a patient during a particular interval. 
Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will 
become apparent with reference to the remainder of the written portion and 
the drawings of this application.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
FIGS. 1-2 illustrate indicator 10 of the present invention. As shown in 
FIGS. 1-2, indicator 10 has upper surface 12 including a series of raised, 
or embossed, nodes 14 in which indicia 18 appear. Also included as part of 
indicator 10 are pin 22 and recesses 26 into which pin 30 may be inserted, 
as well as retainer button 34. Formed as part of retainer button 34 is 
protrusion or shaft 38, which projects above upper surface 12 for receipt 
by bore 42 of arm 46. 
Indicator 10 additionally comprises lower surface 50 to which pressure 
sensitive or other adhesive 54 is applied. If necessary or desired, 
removable backing 58 may be included to cover adhesive 54 prior to use of 
indicator 10. As a result, indicator 10 need not be specially made to fit 
particular bottles or containers, but rather may be adhered to virtually 
any surface of them. Similarly, most bottles or containers with which 
indicator 10 may be used need not be altered or specially made. 
Disc-shaped embodiments of indicator 10 consistent with FIGS. 1-2, 
moreover, may be molded of plastic or other suitable material, providing 
an inexpensive, disposable alternative to the medicine minders discussed 
above. 
As illustrated in FIG. 1, removing backing 58 exposes adhesive 54. With 
adhesive 54 uncovered, indicator 10 may be affixed to a particular 
container CO. When formed as a disc, the diameter of indicator 10 is 
usually approximately identical to that of a cylindrical cap CA used with 
common pill or medicine containers. Consequently, indicator 10 can be 
attached readily to the top T of cap CA merely by aligning lower surface 
50 with top T and manually exerting force on upper surface 12. 
Alternatively, indicator 10 may be attached to a face or side S of 
container CO (as shown in phantom lines in FIG. 1) or at any other 
appropriate location. Because positioning of indicator 10 is not dependent 
on the shape or structure of container CO, it may be affixed to the 
container at any time and by any of the manufacturer, pharmacist, 
physician, or patient. 
Typically (although not necessarily) after lower surface 50 is attached to 
container CO, pin 30 and arm 46 are connected to complete indicator 10. 
Placement of pin 30 is made to restrict travel of arm 46 commensurate with 
the patient's instructions respecting the medication in container CO. As 
illustrated in FIG. 2, pin 30 may be positioned in any of recesses 26A-D, 
each recess 26 corresponding to a node 14. The exemplary indicator 10 of 
FIG. 1 has pin 30 inserted into recess 26D, precluding arm from moving 
beyond the node 14 bearing the number "5" as indicia 18. If the patient's 
prescription requires five doses of medication per day, for example, pin 
30 would likely be inserted into recess 26D. In this manner, indicator 10 
inhibits the patient from taking a sixth dose by preventing further 
advancement of arm 46. 
Pin 30 is shown in FIG. 1 as having a spherical lower portion 62 which may 
be forced into a recess 26, effectively making the pin 30 irremovable by a 
patient. Those skilled in the art will recognize, however, that pin 30 may 
be fixed in place when indicator 10 is formed or assume different shapes 
or that other mechanisms of limiting travel of arm 46 may be employed. By 
contrast, pin 22 often has a fixed position, preventing the patient from 
pivoting or rotating arm 46 outside its intended range of motion. Like pin 
30, it too may be shaped, positioned, or otherwise structured in different 
ways. 
Arm 46 includes first and second ends 66 and 70, respectively. Formed at 
first end 66 is annulus 74, designed to engage each of nodes 14 as 
appropriate and provide a positive, tactile fit that prevents arm 46 from 
moving unless manually manipulated. Second end 70 of arm 46, which 
includes bore 42, may be bifurcated as shown in FIGS. 1-2. In use, arm 46 
may be friction fitted onto shaft 38, with bore 42 receiving the shaft. 
Shaft 38, therefore, serves as an axle about which arm 46 may pivot 
between pins 22 and 30. 
Although detailed in FIGS. 1-2 as raised areas, nodes 14 need not be so 
formed, and instead may be either recessed or flush with upper surface 12. 
Nodes 14 similarly need not be shaped as circles or stubby cylinders, but 
rather may assume other shapes as desired. In these circumstances arm 46 
may either omit annulus 74 or have such an annulus shaped other than as 
shown in FIGS. 1-2. Alternatively, first end 66 of arm 46 may terminate in 
a pointer or other means for designating one of indicia 18 at any given 
time or be sufficiently elongated to cover an indicia 18. Likewise, 
notwithstanding that numerals from "1" to "5" are illustrated as indicia 
18 in FIGS. 1-2, other symbols may be used instead. Moreover, if nodes 14 
are somehow distinguishable from upper surface 12 (as, for example, by 
being raised or recessed), indicia 18 may in some cases be omitted. 
In a typical scenario envisioned by the applicant, a patient receives from 
his or her physician a prescription requiring "X" doses of a certain 
medicine per day. When filling the prescription, the patient's pharmacist 
will affix indicator 10 to the container CO enclosing the medicine. If, 
for example, "X" is three (thus requiring the patient to take three doses 
of the medicine per day), the pharmacist inserts pin 30 into recess 26B 
corresponding to the node 14 bearing the numeral "3" as indicia 18. The 
movement of arm 46, therefore, will be limited to nodes 14 bearing the 
numerals "1," "2," and "3" as indicia 18. 
Prior to ingesting the initial dose of medicine from container CO, the 
patient moves arm 46 (if necessary) to ensure that annulus 74 engages node 
14A, highlighting the numeral "1" appearing on that node. The patient then 
ingests the initial dose and immediately rotates arm 46 so that annulus 74 
engages node 14B (highlighting the numeral "2"). In this position 
indicator 10 thus exhibits that the first dose has been taken and that the 
second dose is next to be ingested. After taking the second dose, the 
patient moves arm 46 so that annulus 74 engages node 14C (encircling the 
numeral "3"). After ingesting the third dose, however, the patient cannot 
advance arm 46, as such movement is precluded by pin 30. Indicator 10 thus 
informs the patient that no further doses are required for the day, 
reducing the possibility of accidental overdose. 
FIGS. 3-4 illustrate an alternative indicator 78 that may be used with 
dropper D or other containers having irregular surfaces. As shown in FIG. 
3, indicator 78 includes a removable collar 82 that may be fitted about 
dropper D. Connected to collar 82 is arch 86, onto which indicia 90 may be 
printed or otherwise included. Fitted about arch 86 is arm or slide 94, 
which may be moved by the patient in a manner similar to the patient's 
movement of arm 46. Like indicator 10, arch 86 of indicator 78 may include 
a series of recesses 98 into which pins or other stops may be placed to 
restrict advancement of slide 94. Because collar 82 effectively limits 
movement of slide 94, it may function equivalently to pin 22 of indicator 
10. In yet another embodiment for use with dropper D, the dropper may be 
fitted with a separate cap onto which indicator 10 is affixed. 
The foregoing is provided for purposes of illustrating, explaining, and 
describing embodiments of the present invention. Modifications and 
adaptations to these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the 
art and may be made without departing from the scope or spirit of the 
invention. In particular, although the devices and method disclosed herein 
are primarily intended for use with medicine containers, their usage is 
not so limited, and they may be employed whenever indications such as they 
provide are desired.