Patent Publication Number: US-11382837-B2

Title: Medicinal dosage device

Description:
This application claims priority to provisional application having Ser. No. 62/940,546, which was filed on Nov. 26, 2019, all of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Non-opiate analgesic medications are a mainstay of pain management therapy, and utilization of drug combinations is a common practice. One of the most common drug combinations used for pain management in the pediatric and adult populations may comprise acetaminophen (Tylenol) and ibuprofen (Motrin). These drugs are often prescribed to be administered every six hours, alternating with one another by a three hour offset. 
     While very effective for pain management, this dosing schedule may present patients and caregivers with potential pitfalls. Firstly, giving medications every three hours in alternating sequence can be overwhelming and difficult to track. Further, if there are errors made in the alternating sequence of medications, there is potential for adverse effects. 
     SUMMARY 
     This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key factors or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. 
     In one implementation a medicinal dosage device may comprise a base having dosing indicators operably connected to the base. The dosing indicators may comprise about four arms spaced at about ninety degree intervals, which may indicate a three hour block of time. The dosing indicators may be selectably movable relative to the base to indicate medicinal dosage times. 
     To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the following description and annexed drawings set forth certain illustrative aspects and implementations. These are indicative of but a few of the various ways in which one or more aspects may be employed. Other aspects, advantages and novel features of the disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the annexed drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       What is disclosed herein may take physical form in certain parts and arrangement of parts, and will be described in detail in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a top plan view of one implementation. 
         FIG. 2  is a top plan view of  FIG. 1  with the dosing indicators in a different position. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The claimed subject matter is now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are generally used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the claimed subject matter. It may be evident, however, that the claimed subject matter may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate describing the claimed subject matter. 
       FIGS. 1 and 2  illustrate a nonlimiting implementation for a medicinal dosage device  100 . In one implementation a medicinal dosage device  100  may comprise a base  102 . The base  102  may comprise a first surface  104  and a second surface  106  oppositely disposed from the first surface  104 . The base  102  may further comprise dosing indicators  108  operably connected to the base  102 . The dosing indicators  108  may be frictionally connected to the base  102 . The dosing indicators  108  may also be selectably connected to the base  102 . A fastener  118  may be utilized to operably connect the dosing indicators  108  to the base  102 . Nonlimiting examples of fasteners  118  may include without limitation, a split pin, rivets, brads, paper rivets, grommets, or any other fastener chosen with sound engineering judgment. In one implementation, the dosing indicators  108  may take the shape of arrows, clock hands, arms, or other shape chosen in accordance with sound engineering judgment. 
     With reference to the FIGURES, the first surface  104  may comprise indicia  130 . One nonlimiting example of indicia  130  may be letters  132  and/or numbers  134  that may comprise time indicia, such as a clock face  136 . In another example, the indicia  130  may comprise pictorial representations or words of the medications being dosed at the predetermined time intervals. In yet another example, the indicia  130  may comprise labels, which may indicate the medication name and/or the medicinal dosage amount. The indicia may also be time indicia in another nonlimiting example. In yet another example, the clock face  136  may have a starting position  138  and an ending position  140 . The ending position  140  may be proximate to the starting position  138 . The time span between the starting position  138  and the ending position  140  may be any time span chosen with sound engineering judgment, such as twelve hours, but is not limited thereto. It is also contemplated to be within the scope of the invention that indicia  130  may be disposed on the dosing indicators  108 . 
     The dosing indicators  108  may comprise a plurality of arms. In one implementation, the dosing indicators  108  may comprise at least four arms, including without limitation a first arm  110 , a second arm  112 , a third arm  114 , and a fourth arm  116 . The first arm  110 , the second arm  112 , the third arm  114 , and the fourth arm  116  may move together as a unit relative to the base  102 . The four arms  110 ,  112 ,  114 ,  116  may be spaced at about ninety degree intervals. In one implementation, the dosing indicators  108  may be movable as a unit relative to the base  102  so as to maintain a fixed special relationship of about ninety degree intervals between each dosing indicator  108 . In one implementation, each ninety degree interval may represent a predetermined amount of time. For example, each ninety degree interval may represent about three hours. The dosing indicators  108  may be selectably movable relative to the base  102  to indicate medicinal dosage times. The medicinal dosage times may be for at least two different medications, which may be acetaminophen and ibuprofen for example. In one implementation, the first arm  110  and the third arm  114  may comprise times to take the first medication and the second arm  112  and the fourth arm  116  comprise times to take the second medication. By way of nonlimiting example, a dosing schedule may be scheduled as follows: acetaminophen at 12:00; ibuprofen at 3:00; acetaminophen at 6:00; ibuprofen at 9:00 etc. In such an example acetaminophen may be represented by the first arm  110  and the third arm  114 . The ibuprofen may be represented by the second arm  112  and the fourth arm  116 . As shown in the FIGURES, the time span shown between the first arm  110 , the second arm  112 , the third arm  114 , and the fourth arm  114  may represent twelve hours on a clock face. 
     This overlapping schedule allows for maximization of pharmacokinetic effectiveness by maintaining more stable blood levels of the analgesic combination, and thereby avoiding periods of high and low blood concentrations, which may occur when the drug administrations are not offset. 
     This device may serve as a novel mechanism for management of dosing schedules of acetaminophen and ibuprofen for maximally effective and safer analgesia. Attempts have been made to manage this dosing schedule for patients and care takers, usually in the form of a log. While a log is effective for keeping a history of drugs given, it does not give the user an adjustable plan to follow for future doses. 
     The dosing indicators  108  may take the form of arrows of the clock that may be fixed at three hour intervals and may be labelled or otherwise indicate in an alternating fashion with “ibuprofen” and “acetaminophen.” In one implementation, the dosing indicators  108  may distinguish the representation of different medications in any way chosen with sound engineering judgment, including without limitation, by color, shape, size or image. When rotated, the arrows and their labels maintain fixed intervals. There is enough friction in the mechanism that the arrows may not move unintentionally. The clock is to be set with an appropriately labelled arrow pointing to the time of the first dose given or to be given. The user then simply administers medications at the appropriate times based on the predetermined settings of the subsequent arrows. This will maintain that ibuprofen and acetaminophen will be given in an alternating fashion every three hours, as described above. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates one nonlimiting implementation where the first dose to be given is ibuprofen at 1:00. The arrows can be adjusted for changes in dosing times. If a dose is given an hour late, the arrows can be advanced one hour, for example as indicated in  FIG. 2 , to maintain safe and effective dosing because the hands are maintained in fixed intervals and labels relative to one another. For example, in the case above, if the first dose of acetaminophen is given an hour late, at 5:00, the arrows can be rotated as shown in  FIG. 2 , and the subsequent doses can be administered according to the arrows. 
     In other implementations, the medicinal dosage device  100  may be utilized to remind the user about timing of doses of other pairs of medications that need to be alternated every three hours. Use of other text labels or translations thereof, and/or pictures/graphics to describe the correct medication(s) and dosage(s) may also be part of an example implementation. In other example implementations, the medicinal dosage device  100  may use different shapes, sizes, colors, border material, and other features of the dosing indicators  108 , such as the clock hands, to distinguish their meaning or to improve rotational function and fixation. As previously stated, the dosing indicators  108 , may be any number of indicators. In other implementations, additional or fewer hands spaced at the same or different angles to indicate timing of dosages of a single medication, dual/alternating medications, or additional medications may be utilized. In another implementation, the base  102  may use a twenty-four hour clock face  136  instead of a twelve hour clock face  136 . In another implementation, additional layers of independently movable/fixable hands may be utilized to indicate dosage timing of multiple medications being taken independently of one another. Additional and/or fewer hands which may be added and removed as independent units on the base and may take the form of a reversible attachment. In yet another implementation, the base may comprise the second surface  106  oppositely disposed from the first surface  104  having the indicia  130  for the medicinal dosage. The second surface  106  may comprise a space to include patient information such as height, weight etc., dosing information, drug logs, and other information. 
     The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean serving as an example, instance or illustration. Any aspect or design described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as advantageous over other aspects or designs. Rather, use of the word exemplary is intended to present concepts in a concrete fashion. As used in this application, the term “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” rather than an exclusive “or.” That is, unless specified otherwise, or clear from context, “X employs A or B” is intended to mean any of the natural inclusive permutations. That is, if X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both A and B, then “X employs A or B” is satisfied under any of the foregoing instances. Further, at least one of A and B and/or the like generally means A or B or both A and B. In addition, the articles “a” and “an” as used in this application and the appended claims may generally be construed to mean “one or more” unless specified otherwise or clear from context to be directed to a singular form. 
     Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims. Of course, those skilled in the art will recognize many modifications may be made to this configuration without departing from the scope or spirit of the claimed subject matter. 
     Also, although the disclosure has been shown and described with respect to one or more implementations, equivalent alterations and modifications will occur to others skilled in the art based upon a reading and understanding of this specification and the annexed drawings. The disclosure includes all such modifications and alterations and is limited only by the scope of the following claims. In particular regard to the various functions performed by the above described components (e.g., elements, resources, etc.), the terms used to describe such components are intended to correspond, unless otherwise indicated, to any component which performs the specified function of the described component (e.g., that is functionally equivalent), even though not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure which performs the function in the herein illustrated exemplary implementations of the disclosure. 
     In addition, while a particular feature of the disclosure may have been disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of the other implementations as may be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms “includes,” “having,” “has,” “with,” or variants thereof are used in either the detailed description or the claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising.” 
     The implementations have been described, hereinabove. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the above methods and apparatuses may incorporate changes and modifications without departing from the general scope of this invention. It is intended to include all such modifications and alterations in so far as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.