Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Jan., 1899-Accepted, 25th Feb., 1899
I, HUGH DONALD FITZPATRICK, of 100, Wellington Street, Glasgow, Registered
Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
The invention relates to labels for medicine bottles, glasses, packages or recep-
tacles, and the object of the invention is to provide means to enable a nurse to
administer medicine to a patient without danger of mistake as to time, or of
confusion as to the proper medicine to be given when more than one are being
administered. A further object is to provide means to enable a nurse to keep
an accurate record so that the attending physician can ascertain at a glance how
many doses, at what time, and from what bottles, glasses or packages, medicine
has been given to the patient during his absence.
The invention consists generally in a medicine label whereon the direction
for using may be written, and a series of figures or characters provided on the
face of the label and representing hours or fraction of hours, and suitable spaces
or blanks opposite said figures or characters wherein marks may be placed, repre-
senting the time that medicine has been administered from the bottle, glass,
package or receptacle bearing that label.
Further the invention consisfs in various constructions and combinations, all
as hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.
In the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification.
Fig. 1 is a perspective of a bottle with a medicine label embodying my inven-
tion secured thereto.
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the label.
Fig. 3 is a similar view of a modified form of label.
In the drawings, 2 is a bottle containing medicine to be administered and
whereon the label 3 is pasted or otherwise secured. This label, as shown, may
be rectangular in form, made, preferably, of thin paper and bearing on its face
a series of lines 4 whereon directions for using the contents of the bottle may be
written. Blanks may also be provided for the name of the physician, the drug-
gist and the number of the prescription, as is usual on labels of this kind. At
the top of the label separated from the blank whereon the directions are written,
by a double-ruled line, is a rectangular space 5 preferably extending across the
face of the label and divided longitudinally by parallel lines 6 and 7. Short
vertical lines 8 preferably divide the spaces formed by the lines 6 and 7 into
end spaces 9 and 10 and a middle space 11. Within said spaces 11 I place
numerals from 1 to 12 alternating with dashes and representing respectively
the hours and half hours. At the ends of the upper and lower spaces formed by

page_text: the lines 6 and 7, I place the letters A.M. and P.M., the letters A.M. being
above the line 6 and the spaces 9 and 10 formed above and below the lines G
and 7 by the short vertical lines 8. The two outer lines 8 at the end of the label
are preferably extended down over the face of the label forming at each end
blank spaces 12 wherein may be written directions to the nurse for keeping a
record of the label. prefer to keep the record in the following manner:
The nurse having administered a dose of medicine from the bottle at, say, one
o'clock A.M. makes a small mark in the space 9 above the figure 1 and opposite
the letters A.M., thus representing that the medicine was given at one o'clock in
the morning. If another dose is given at two o'clock a mark is made in the
next blank space and so on, each blank space representing the hour the medicine
is given and the number of marks in each space representing the number of
doses administered. If the medicine is given at P.M. the mark is made below
the figure opposite the letters P.M. In this way the nurse or physician can
ascertain at a glance at what time, and how many doses of medicine have been
taken from a certain bottle.
I prefer to have the marks made in the small squares or spaces in pencil so that
when filled the marks may be easily erased and the label used again. In Fig. 3,
however, I have shown a slight modification of the label which consists in pro-
viding a row of perforations 13 near the top of the label so that, when the blanks
become filled with marks, the top of the label may be torn off and a fresh slip
pasted in its place.
Instead of printing directions for using the label in the blank spaces provided
at the ends of the same, I may in manufacturing the label, leave these spaces
blank wherein suitable advertising matter may be placed.
Obviously the ruling on the face of the label may be modified considerably and
the figures representing hours and the blanks opposite them may be arranged
in other positions such as vertically or diagonally instead of horizontally on the
face of the label and I, therefore, do not wish to confine myself to the arrange-
ments shown and described herein.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
-
1. A medicine label bearing on its face a series of figures or characters repre-
senting hours, and suitable blanks or spaces provided on the face of said label
near said figures or characters, substantially as described.
2. A medicine label whereon the directions for use may be written, and a series
of figures or characters representing hours provided on the face of the label, and
suitable blanks or spaces also provided on the label opposite said figures or
characters, substantially as described.
3. A medicine label bearing on its face a series of figures or characters repre-
senting hours and fractions thereof, blank spaces provided above and below said
figures or characters on said label and wherein marks may be made to indicate
how many and at what time doses have been administered from the receptacle
bearing the label.
4. A medicine label bearing on its face a series of figures or characters repre-
senting hours and fractions thereof, blank spaces provided above and below said
figures or characters wherein marks may be made to indicate how many and at
what times doses have been administered from the receptacle bearing the label
and by a reference to the latest mark thereon the time for administering the
next dose, and perforations provided in said label whereby the part bearing said
figures or characters and said blanks may be separated from the rest of the label,
substantially as described.
5. A medicine label having lines 6 and 7 drawn across its face and lines 8
intersecting said lines 6 and 7 and forming a row of blanks or spaces above and
below said lines 6 and 7, figures or characters placed between said lines 6 and 7

page_text: and representing hours and fractions thereof, the letters A.M. and P.M. pro-
vided above and below, respectively, said lines 6 and 7 and opposite the ends of
the rows of blanks or spaces, substantially as described.
Dated this 23rd day of January 1999
H. D. FITZPATRICK,
100, Wellington Street, Glasgow,