Medicine Bottle

The present invention relates to a medicine bottle and more particularly to a medicine bottle having an alarm to indicate the removal of the bottle cap from the medicine bottle.

It is known in the prior art to utilize some form of device to increase the difficulty of removing the cap from a medicine bottle. The need for such means is based on the fact that children can be injured or killed by the accidental ingestion of medicine. Moreover, even adults can be subject to the dangers of accidentally opening and using medicines which are not intended. Furthermore, in some instances, unauthorized access has been made to medicines on drugstore counters wherein poisons are substituted for safe medicine substances. In view of these problems, it is not unusual to find that medicine is sold in containers having both tamper-proof and child-proof features to the cap. For example, shrink-wrapped plastic can be applied over the exterior of the medicine bottle and its cap to secure them together and to indicate any premature opening. The threaded engagement between the cap and the medicine bottle can be designed so that the cap cannot be removed without first taking certain manually difficult manipulative steps before the cap can be freed from the bottle itself.

Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide an improved medicine container for sounding an audible alarm when the cap for said container is partially removed. It is another object of the present invention to use the manipulation of the cap relative to the medicine bottle to initiate the operation of an electrical audible alarm mounted on the cap.

According to another aspect of the present invention, we provide a medicine container comprising a bottle which defines an opening having a closure means removably secured over the opening. Within the closure means, an audible alarm generating means is mounted and means are provided connected to the bottle and to the closure means for activating the audible generating means to sound an alarm when the closure means is partially removed from the bottle.

According to still a further aspect of the present invention, the audible alarm generating means comprises a base, a miniature battery and miniature electronic sound generating device.

According to another aspect of the present invention, we provide a closure adapted for use on medicine container, the closure being a cap means having an internally threaded skirt, a base mounted inside of the cap, a miniature battery, an audible sound generating alarm device mounted on the base, and means for sensing when the closure is removed relative to a contaner so that the alarm device is activated.

It should be understood that other objects and advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing.

The single FIGURE of drawing is a schematic showing of one embodiment of the present invention wherein a medicine container for sounding an audible alarm due to cap removal is illustrated.

The drawing graphically depicts one embodiment of the container according to the present invention. The medicine container 1 for sounding an audible alarm when the cap 2 is partially removed is generally shown in the drawing. The container comprises a bottle 3 with an externally threaded neck 4 which defines an opening 5 for removal of the bottle's contents from area 6. The cap means 2 has a circular planar end 7, a skirt 8 with internal threads 9 for engagement with said externally threaded neck. 4. Also, the cap means 2 has an electrically conductive ring 10 mounted on the inside of the skirt 8. As seen in the single figure of drawings, this can be conveniently done on a ledge formed by an enlargement of the skirt. Two electrical contact means 11 and an audible alarm generating means 12 are movably mounted within the cap means on a base 13.

Furthermore, spring means 14 are provided for biasing the base 13 toward the bottle opening. As shown in the drawing, contact means 11 and the ring 10 are constructed and arranged so that when the cap 2 is secured on the bottle, as seen in the single figure, then the contact means and ring are vertically spaced apart as shown. However, when the cap 2 is untightened and sufficiently moved away from the secured position, each contact means 11 moves against the ring 10 under the downward force of spring means 14 to complete an electrical circuit to activate the audible alarm generating means 12.

It should be appreciated that the audible alarm generating means has a base 13, a miniature battery 15 and an electronic sound generating device 16 mounted on the base with sound openings 17 facing the bottle. The battery can be of any commercially available make and the sound generating device can be of any known type which is small yet generates a sufficiently audible alarm sound. It should be appreciated that the conductive ring 10 is a split ring so that it does not extend entirely around the inside of the skirt of the cap. Thus, ring 10 provides a conductor between the electrical contacts 11 to complete a circuit including the battery 15, sound generator 16, and conductors 18 and 19.

While a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications can be made within the scope of the invention which is defined in the appended claims. Accordingly, the foregoing embodiment is to be considered illustrative only, rather than restricting the invention, and those modifications which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be included herein.