Abstract:
A color-coded bottle cap cover used to identify the contents and/or ownership of a bottle comprises a peripheral band and an upper lip, such that the bottle cap cover is visible on both the top and side surfaces of the bottle cap.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to a cover that attaches to the cap of a bottle and is color-coded to identify the contents of the bottle and/or the person to whom the bottle belongs. 
         [0002]    Since bottles tend to be manufactured in a limited variety of shapes and sizes, there is always the potential for confusing one bottle with another. Such confusion may relate to the owner of the bottle, its contents, or both. The chances of mix-ups increase when a number of people share common facilities at work, school, recreation centers, healthcare facilities, or in the home. 
         [0003]    The potential for confusion among similar-looking bottles is particularly problematic with respect to medications, since mistaken use of the wrong medication can have serious adverse health effects. Mistaken appropriation of another person&#39;s medicine bottle may also deprive the other person of desperately needed medication. This problem is exacerbated by the nearly uniform cylindrical appearance of standard prescription medication bottles. 
         [0004]    In the home, prescription medications for the entire family are often stored in a central location, such as a medicine cabinet, so that their use can be monitored and controlled. While this is a desirable arrangement for purposes of safety and security, it further compounds the problem of misidentification of prescription bottles. When there are a number of prescription bottles on the same shelf, only the bottle caps are readily visible. Therefore, the most effective way of distinguishing different medications and/or the corresponding patient is to add some type of indicator to the bottle cap itself. For ease and certainty of identification, an indicator which employs color-coding is advantageous. 
         [0005]    The prior art presents various approaches to color-coded bottle identification. In Humphrey et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,883,180, the prescription bottle cap and label are both identically color-coded to specify the number of times per day the medicine is to be taken. While the Humphrey invention is useful in terms of reminding the patient of the proper drug dosage, it provides no method for distinguishing different types of medications or identifying the corresponding patient. The color-coding system taught by Humphrey also requires that the pharmacist be supplied with special colored bottle caps and labels, which results in additional expense and inconvenience. Moreover, prescription bottle caps supplied by the pharmaceutical companies often contain indicia identifying the drug manufacturer and/or the product&#39;s trade name, so that removing the original cap and replacing it with a color-coded one will in many cases actually make the bottle less readily identifiable. 
         [0006]    The alternative to replacing the original prescription bottle cap with a color-coded cap is to affix a color-coded identifier to the original bottle cap. Such an approach is disclosed in Woods, Pub. No. US2004/0216340. In Woods, the cap cover is formed of a die-cut pattern which is folded to provide a peripheral band to surround the vertical edge of the cap and extend horizontally across the top of the cap. The exposed surface of the Woods cap cover contains coloring and printed indicia providing product identification. 
         [0007]    The Woods design has two major flaws. First, the Woods cap cover has a top panel which extends from one edge of the peripheral band and is folded over the top of the cap, thereby obscuring the pharmaceutical company&#39;s indicia printed or embossed there. Second, the Woods cap cover is secured to the cap simply by the frictional engagement between the inner surfaces of the band and the outer surface of the cap&#39;s vertical sides. Such frictional force may be sufficient to hold the cap cover in place when the cap is not being twisted. But even a snuggly fitting die-cut cap cover, without texturing or adhesive on its inner surfaces, will rotate when twisted and will therefore interfere with the removal and replacement of the bottle cap. 
         [0008]    In Michaels, Pub. No. US2004/0205989, a bottle labeling system using color-coded elastic bands is disclosed. The color-coded elastic bands are used to identify the day of the week in order to keep track of the freshness of baby formula or pumped breast milk. While Michaels specifies that the elastic bands are placed around the bottle itself, smaller diameter elastic bands could feasibly be applied to bottle caps as well. 
         [0009]    The use of Michaels-type colored elastic bands as identifiers on prescription bottle caps has two significant disadvantages which renders them not particularly suited for this purpose. First, the elastic band covers only the cap&#39;s vertical edge. In a cluttered medical cabinet, the vertical edge of the bottle cap is often obscured by surrounding bottles. Therefore, it is highly advantageous to have a colored identifier that is also visible on the top of the cap, which is something that a simple elastic band cannot provide. Second, the elasticity of natural and synthetic elastomers is known to degrade through oxidation over time. Such degradation leads to brittleness and cracking, and it is accelerated by heat, humidity and fluorescent lighting—all of which are prevalent in a bathroom environment where medicines are typically stored. The effects of elastomer degradation are also compounded by the twisting of the elastic band each time the cap to which it&#39;s attached is screwed on or off. 
         [0010]    Color-coded flexible plastic disks that can be slipped around a bottle&#39;s neck are disclosed in Eberl et al., Pub. No. US2005/0235532, and Cope et al., Pub. No. US2006/0283059. But both of these designs depend upon a tapered bottle neck to hold the disk in place, and neither would remain attached to a cylindrical bottle or bottle cap. 
         [0011]    Consequently, the prior art does not teach a color-coded bottle cap cover in which the colored identification is visible on the top of the cap but does not obscure the indicia already present there. The prior art also fails to disclose a bottle cap cover that will not interfere with screwing the cap on and off and/or will not significantly degrade under the twisting force associated with cap removal and replacement. The present invention, on the other hand, provides a color-coded cap cover which fulfills these criteria and is particularly suited to the task of distinguishing different prescription medicine bottles. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0012]    An object of the present invention is to provide a color-coded bottle identifier that is visible on both the top and sides of the bottle cap but does not require replacement of the original bottle cap. 
         [0013]    Another object of the present invention is to provide a color-coded bottle cap cover that is visible on both the top and sides of the bottle cap but does not cover or obscure any portion of the indicia printed or embossed on the top of the bottle cap. 
         [0014]    A further object of the present invention is to provide a color-coded bottle cap cover that does not rotate as the bottle cap is twisted when the cap is being removed or replaced. 
         [0015]    Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a color-coded bottle cap cover that can withstand repeated twisting during removal and replacement of the bottle cap. 
         [0016]    Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a color-coded bottle cap cover that is inexpensive, simple, convenient and easy to use. 
         [0017]    Still another object of the present invention is to provide a color-coded bottle cap cover that is particularly suited to the task of distinguishing different prescription medicine bottles in terms of the specific medication contained in the bottle, the category of the medication (e.g., cardiac, erectile dysfunction, anti-depressant, etc.), and/or the patient to when the medication is prescribed. 
         [0018]    These and other beneficial objects are achieved by a bottle cap cover that is designed to be attached to a bottle cap having a substantially flat disk-shaped top surface and a substantially vertical side surface. The side surface is a cylindrical flange depending downward from the circumference of the top surface. The bottle cap cover comprises a peripheral band and an upper lip. 
         [0019]    The peripheral band of the cap cover is a cylindrical structure conforming to the shape of the cap&#39;s side surface but having a slightly larger diameter, such that the peripheral band slides snuggly over the cap&#39;s side surface. The width of the peripheral band is preferably not greater than the width of the cap&#39;s side surface and not less than half the width of the cap&#39;s side surface. 
         [0020]    The upper lip of the cap cover is a flat annular flange extending radially inward from the top circumference of the peripheral band, such that when the entire width of the peripheral band extends over the cap&#39;s side surface, the upper lip engages the entire circumference of the cap&#39;s top surface. The width of the upper lip is preferably not less than 10% and not more than 20% of the diameter of the cap&#39;s top surface. 
         [0021]    In order to prevent the cap cover from rotating over the cap when the cap is twisted, the present invention includes three alternate embodiments, which may be applied singly or in combination. Option A is to make the width of the peripheral band approximately half the width of the cap&#39;s side surface, so that the bottom half of the cap&#39;s side surface can be gripped when twisting the cap. Option B is to provide texturing on the inner surface of the peripheral band. Such texturing can consist of vertical serrations and/or ridges which tractionally engage the outer surface of the cap&#39;s side surface. Option C is to include a self-adhesive layer on all or portions of the inner surface of the peripheral band and/or on the under surface of the upper lip. 
         [0022]    Regarding the fabrication of the cap cover, there are two alternate preferred embodiments of the present invention. In Alternate 1, the cap cover is made of integrally molded plastic. In Alternate 2, the cap cover is formed from a self-adhesive pattern, which optimally is fabricated from a flexible plastic, such as 3 to 6 mils vinyl, with a self-adhesive backing. The self-adhesive pattern comprises a peripheral strip, a plurality of trapezoidal teeth and a connective tab. The peripheral strip is a rectangular strip from which upwardly project the trapezoidal teeth, all of which are identical trapezoids. The peripheral strip has a length equal to the circumference of the cap&#39;s side surface, and the peripheral strip joins on its distal end with the connective tab. The peripheral strip, the trapezoidal teeth and the connective tab have a self-adhesive backing. 
         [0023]    In forming in cap cover pursuant to Alternate 2, the peripheral strip is wrapped around the cap&#39;s side surface, to which its self-adhesive backing adheres, and its proximal and distal ends are joined together by the connective tab. The trapezoidal teeth are then bent perpendicularly inward so as to extend horizontally over and upon the cap&#39;s top surface, to which the self-adhesive backing of the trapezoidal teeth adheres. The trapezoidal teeth are configured so that, when they are all bent perpendicularly over the cap&#39;s top surface, their oblique sides conjoin to form a continuous flat annular flange extending perpendicularly inward from the top circumference of the peripheral strip. As a result of this procedure, the peripheral strip forms the peripheral band of the cap cover, and the conjoined trapezoidal teeth form the upper lip. 
         [0024]    In the color-coding of the cap cover, single solid colors as well as multi-colored patterns can be used. The color coding of the cap cover can be utilized in many ways to provide identification relating to the contents of the bottle or the person(s) to whom the bottle belongs or to whose use it has been assigned. For example, the color coding can identify the specific contents of the bottle, or the generic type of contents, or an expiration date of the contents, or the individual who is to use of consume the contents. For instance, each member of a family might be assigned a color or a multi-colored pattern, so that the color of the cap cover would identify the medicine, vitamins, etc. of each family member. In another exemplary scenario, a single individual might designate different colors and/or multi-colored patterns to identify his or her various medications. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0025]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the Alternate 1 embodiment of the present invention affixed to a prescription medicine bottle. 
           [0026]      FIG. 2  is a plan view of the Alternate 2 embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0027]    Referring to  FIG. 1 , a bottle cap cover according to the present invention  10  is designed to be attached to a bottle cap  11  having a substantially flat disk-shaped top surface  12  and a substantially vertical side surface  13 . The side surface  13  is a cylindrical flange depending downward from the circumference of the top surface  12 . The bottle cap cover  10  comprises a peripheral band  14  and an upper lip  15 . 
         [0028]    The peripheral band  14  of the cap cover  10  is a cylindrical structure conforming to the shape of the cap&#39;s side surface  13  but having a slightly larger diameter, such that the peripheral band  14  slides snuggly over the cap&#39;s side surface  13 . The width of the peripheral band  14  is preferably not greater than the width of the cap&#39;s side surface  13  and not less than half the width of the cap&#39;s side surface  13 . 
         [0029]    The upper lip  15  of the cap cover is a flat annular flange extending radially inward from the top circumference of the peripheral band  14 , such that when the entire width of the peripheral band  14  extends over the cap&#39;s side surface  13 , the upper lip  15  engages the entire circumference of the cap&#39;s top surface  12 . The width of the upper lip  15  is preferably not less than 10% and not more than 20% of the diameter of the cap&#39;s top surface  12 . 
         [0030]    In order to prevent the cap cover  10  from rotating over the cap  11  when the cap  11  is twisted, the present invention  10  includes three alternate embodiments, which may be applied singly or in combination. Option A is to make the width of the peripheral band  14  approximately half the width of the cap&#39;s side surface  13 , so that the bottom half of the cap&#39;s side surface  13  can be gripped when twisting the cap  11 . Option B is to provide texturing on the inner surface of the peripheral band  14 . Such texturing can consist of vertical serrations and/or ridges which tractionally engage the outer surface of the cap&#39;s side surface  13 . Option C is to include a self-adhesive layer on all or portions of the inner surface of the peripheral band  14  and/or on the under surface of the upper lip  15 . 
         [0031]    Regarding the fabrication of the cap cover  10 , there are two alternate preferred embodiments of the present invention  10 . In Alternate 1, as shown in  FIG. 1 , the cap cover  10  is made of integrally molded plastic. In Alternate 2, as depicted in  FIG. 2 , the cap cover  10  is formed from a self-adhesive pattern  16 , which optimally is fabricated from a flexible plastic, such as 3 to 6 mils vinyl, with a self-adhesive backing. The self-adhesive pattern  16  comprises the peripheral strip  17 , a plurality of trapezoidal teeth  18  and a connective tab  19 . The peripheral strip  17  is a rectangular strip from which upwardly project the trapezoidal teeth  18 , all of which are identical trapezoids. The peripheral strip  17  has a length equal to the circumference of the cap&#39;s side surface  13 , and the peripheral strip  17  joins on its distal end with the connective tab  19 . The peripheral strip  17 , the trapezoidal teeth  18  and the connective tab  19  have a self-adhesive backing  20 . 
         [0032]    In forming in cap cover  10  pursuant to Alternate 2, the peripheral strip  17  is wrapped around the cap&#39;s side surface  12 , to which its self-adhesive backing  20  adheres, and its proximal and distal ends are joined together by the connective tab  19 . The trapezoidal teeth  18  are then bent perpendicularly inward so as to extend horizontally over and upon the cap&#39;s top surface  12 , to which the self-adhesive backing  20  of the trapezoidal teeth  18  adheres. The trapezoidal teeth  18  are configured so that, when they are all bent perpendicularly over the cap&#39;s top surface  12 , their oblique sides  21  conjoin to form a continuous flat annular flange extending perpendicularly inward from the top circumference of the peripheral strip  17 . As a result of this procedure, the peripheral strip  17  forms the peripheral band  14  of the cap cover  10 , and the conjoined trapezoidal teeth  18  form the upper lip  15 . 
         [0033]    In order for the trapezoidal teeth  18  to conjoin to form the continuous flange of the upper lip  15 , the trapezoidal teeth  18  must have a specific geometry. The base angles θ  22  of each of the trapezoidal teeth  18  must have a tangent equal to N, which is the number of trapezoidal teeth  18 , divided by π (3.1416), in accordance with the formula: θ=arctan N/π. 
         [0034]    In  FIG. 2 , for example, there are 8 trapezoidal teeth  18 , so the base angles θ  22  must all be equal to the arctangent of 8÷π, which is 68.56°. 
         [0035]    While the present invention has been described in terms of several preferred embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various other embodiments of the present invention are feasible, all of which are intended to be encompassed by the claims appended hereto.