Grip attachment for a bottle

Abstract

A gripping accessory (10) is disclosed that facilitates handling of a vial (12). The vial includes a container having a cylindrical wall portion (16) that extends parallel to a longitudinal axis. The container is closed at one end by a base wall (18) and has an opposite open end. The container receives a closure (20) on the open end to close the container. The gripping accessory includes a sleeve portion (22) having a sleeve wall portion (24) that defines a cylindrical inner surface configured to be removably attached to the wall portion of the container. The gripping accessory further includes a lever member connected to the sleeve portion to facilitate gripping of the sleeve portion.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of invention patent application No. 201980014999.6, filed on February 14, 2019, entitled "Grip accessory for bottles". Technical Field

[0002] This disclosure relates to a grip attachment that is attached to a medicine bottle to facilitate handling the bottle during use. Background Technology

[0003] Medications are often delivered in various types of bottles. These bottles include containers that are closed at one end by a removable cap. The containers may be made of glass, plastic, metal, or other materials. The cap includes a mechanism for secure attachment to the container, which may include snap-fit ​​structures, threaded connections, etc. The attachment of the cap to the container is made secure enough to prevent accidental removal. In some cases, the cap is attached to the container as a child-protective safety device.

[0004] People may find it difficult to remove and / or reattach the cap to the medication container. This is especially true for child-safe systems, where manipulating the cap relative to the container can be challenging when removing and / or reattaching it. This is particularly true for individuals with reduced physical strength or dexterity due to age or medical conditions. Summary of the Invention

[0005] A gripping attachment is provided that facilitates the application and removal of a cap relative to a medication container. The gripping attachment includes a sleeve portion having a cylindrical wall defining a cylindrical inner surface configured to removably attach to the cylindrical wall of the vial to prevent relative rotation between them. The gripping attachment also includes a lever member mounted to the sleeve portion and facilitating the handling of the medication container and cap. The gripping attachment improves cap attachment and removal and helps hold the container steady when dispensing and dispensing a dose with precision and limited spillage. Attached Figure Description

[0006] The features and advantages of this disclosure will become more apparent to those skilled in the art after considering the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0007] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of one embodiment of an exemplary grip accessory mounted on a medicine bottle.

[0008] Figure 2 This is a perspective view of an alternative grip attachment that is attached to a medicine bottle and has vertical ribs.

[0009] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A bottom view of the attachment being held.

[0010] Figure 4 This is a side view of one embodiment of a medicine bottle with an outwardly extending, protruding grip attachment.

[0011] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 The main view of the holding attachment.

[0012] Figure 6 yes Figure 4 A top view of the grip attachment.

[0013] Figure 7 This is a side view of the grip attachment, which is attached to the medicine bottle and includes the handle.

[0014] Figure 8 It is being maintained by the user. Figure 7 A perspective view of the holding attachment.

[0015] Figure 9 This is a side view of a grip attachment with an alternative handle configuration.

[0016] Figure 10 This is a side view of the grip attachment including the groove in the base.

[0017] Figure 11 This is a perspective view of a grip attachment that includes an enlarged base with a cavity for receiving a syringe.

[0018] Figure 12 This is a perspective view of the connecting component that attaches the syringe to the drug container.

[0019] Figure 13 This is a perspective view of the grip attachment, which includes an enlarged upper section and a notch for holding the syringe.

[0020] Figure 14 This is a side view showing a grip attachment including an enlarged base that includes a suction cup.

[0021] Figure 15 This is a perspective view of a grip accessory with a slider for selecting the day of the week identifier.

[0022] Figure 16 This is a top view of the strip used as a grip attachment for medicine bottles.

[0023] Figure 17 yes Figure 15 The stripes in the image are applied to the medicine bottle to serve as a perspective view of the grip attachment. Detailed Implementation

[0024] To facilitate an understanding of the principles of this disclosure, reference will now be made to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, and they will be described using specific language. However, it should be understood that this is not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

[0025] The gripping accessory of the present invention includes a sleeve portion received on a drug container. The sleeve portion includes a cylindrical wall portion configured to fit snugly and attach to the drug container. The gripping accessory also includes a lever member that helps to hold the container in place to prevent relative rotation when a cap is applied to or removed from the container.

[0026] As used herein, the term "cylindrical" refers to a shape that fits snugly against the longitudinal wall of a typical medicine container. Such containers typically have a uniform cross-section over most of their length, and this cross-section can have any geometry, including circular, elliptical, rectangular (including square), hexagonal, etc. The sleeve portion of the grip attachment may be pre-formed to match the cross-section of the medicine container. Alternatively, the sleeve portion of the grip attachment may comprise a compliant material that conforms to the wall of the medicine container when applied to it. On one hand, the sleeve portion may comprise a flexible material stretched over the vial. Ideally, the sleeve portion should have a pleasant, elastic, rubber-like feel (tactilely friendly) and function for grip purposes.

[0027] A gripping attachment is provided to facilitate holding the medication container during use. See also Figure 1 It shows a gripping attachment 10 mounted to a medicine bottle 12. The medicine bottle 12 includes a container 14 having a cylindrical container wall 16, which extends at one end through a base wall 18. Figure 3 The container 14 is closed at one end and open at the other. The container 14 includes external threads (not shown) near the open end and receives a cover 20 with internal threads to close the container 14. The threaded cover 20 may be configured for normal operation, or the threaded cover may be a child-proof type requiring special effort, such as axial pressing, to release the threaded connection. Alternatively, the cover may be installed to the container via other closure systems, such as by press-fit or snap-fit.

[0028] The grip attachment 10 includes a sleeve portion 22 having a cylindrical wall portion 24 when attached to a medicine bottle. The cylindrical wall portion 24 of the sleeve defines an inner surface configured to fit closely to and securely attach to the outer wall surface 26 of the container 14. The grip attachment 10 is provided with a lever member that helps to hold the container 14 when the cap is applied to or removed from the container, and at other times.

[0029] In one exemplary embodiment, the lever member 28 is configured as a surface on the sleeve portion comprising a high-friction material 30, which may even be provided with a slightly "sticky" feel. Suitable materials for this purpose include, for example, neoprene, SCUBA foam rubber, open-cell or closed-cell polyurethane, and other combinations of polyurethanes having a hardness of about 30 to about 70. The material may be available in a wide variety of colors and may optionally be covered with a fabric material.

[0030] Medicine bottles typically include a label that provides important information about the nature and dosage requirements of the contained medication. Therefore, the grip accessory is strategically positioned with an observation section to allow viewing of this label. This observation section may include transparent material or an opening formed by a lack of material in that portion of the sleeve used for the grip accessory. Thus, the observation section provides visibility of the underlying medication label. Additionally, the observation section allows the user to see how much medication remains in the medicine container.

[0031] See Figure 1 The gripping attachment 10 includes one or more narrow vertical openings 34, which in... Figure 1 The contents are visible through the medicine bottle 12. They provide visibility over substantially the entire height of the medicine container surrounded by the grip attachment. Additionally, the grip attachment 10 includes a relatively large viewing section 36 that allows observation of at least a portion of the medicine label 32. The size of the viewing section 36 is configured to allow viewing of key portions of the medicine label 32 and to allow access to all information provided on the medicine label.

[0032] The gripping attachment 10 is configured to easily attach to the container 14 of the medicine bottle 12. The sleeve portion 22 includes an inner surface 38. Figure 3 In use, the inner surface 38 is positioned against the outer wall surface 26 of the container 14. The inner surface 38 is configured to provide sufficient frictional engagement with the outer wall surface 26 for the applications described herein. For this purpose, the inner surface 38 may be formed of or provided with a high-friction surface. In some embodiments, a separate coating is applied to the inner surface 38. However, the amount of frictional engagement between the inner surface 38 and the outer wall surface 26 is limited to allow attachment of the sleeve 22 without causing undue damage to the drug label present on the vial, and also allows removal from the container for application to other drug containers.

[0033] The engagement between the sleeve 22 and the outer surface 26 of the wall is enhanced by the fact that the user naturally presses the sleeve 22 against the outer surface 26 of the wall when holding the grip accessory during normal use. Therefore, the frictional engagement between the sleeve 22 and the container 14 is sufficient to prevent relative rotation between the grip accessory and the container when the user holds the grip accessory during attachment and / or removal of the cap. Simultaneously, the frictional engagement can be sufficiently reduced without directly gripping the sleeve portion 22, thereby allowing the sleeve portion 22 to be attached to or removed from the container 14 without excessive force or undue damage to the medication label.

[0034] The surface features of the grip attachment facilitate placing it on the medication container and provide a secure grip on its outer surface during use. These surface features also facilitate manipulation of the grip attachment when preparing to detach it from the medication container. In one exemplary embodiment, the grip attachment includes a bottom opening that exposes the bottom surface of the medication container. By way of example, Figure 2 and Figure 3 Alternative forms of the grip attachment are described. Figure 3 A bottom view of the grip attachment 40 is provided. The grip attachment 40 includes a bottom wall 42 defining a central perforation 44. Figure 3 In use, the container 14 is pushed downward into the sleeve portion 22 of the gripping attachment 40 until it comes to rest near the upper surface of the bottom wall 42. To remove the gripping attachment 40 from the container 14, the user grips the sleeve portion 22 and squeezes the bottom wall 18 to force the container 14 to move upward relative to the sleeve portion 22.

[0035] Lever component 28 may alternatively include a variety of other surface features that provide enhanced grip. As a further example, Figure 3 The image shows a grip attachment 40, which includes a sleeve portion 46 with spaced-apart vertical ribs 48. The size, shape, and spacing of the ribs 48 are configured to provide useful grip points when a user rotates the cover 20 relative to the container 14 to apply or remove the cover 20. The ribs 48 preferably provide comfort to the user. Therefore, the ribs 48 may be formed of a relatively soft material with rounded edges. Alternatively or additionally, the ribs 48 may extend horizontally or at an angle, or in a combination of different orientations. Surface feature structures may also include a textured surface structure.

[0036] exist Figure 4-6An example of a lever component 28 is shown, which includes a protrusion extending outward from the grip attachment. As described above, the grip attachment 50 includes a sleeve portion 52 attached to the container 14. The grip attachment 50 also includes a protrusion 54 extending outward from the sleeve portion 52 and preferably extending in a longitudinal direction relative to the container 14. In use, the user grips the sleeve portion 52 and the protrusion 54 while attaching or removing the cap from the container to hold the container 14 in a fixed rotational position.

[0037] exist Figure 7-8 Alternative exemplary embodiments are shown. The grip attachment 60 includes a sleeve portion 62 that attaches to the drug container 14 in use. The grip attachment 60 also includes a handle member 64 attached to the sleeve portion 62. The handle member 64 includes an upright portion 66 extending substantially parallel to the sleeve portion 62. In one embodiment, as... Figure 7 As shown, an upper connecting member 68 is attached to the upright portion 66 near the upper end of the sleeve portion 62. Therefore, the handle member 64 includes a portion extending from the sleeve wall portion in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the container, and a portion extending from the first portion in a direction parallel to the sleeve wall portion. Thus, the handle member 64 has a portion located near the open end of the container and a portion terminating at a position spaced apart from the sleeve wall portion.

[0038] In an alternative embodiment, the upright portion 66 may be attached to the sleeve portion 62 via a lower connecting member attached near the lower end of the sleeve portion 62. The handle may also be attached to the sleeve portion via both an upper connecting portion and a lower connecting portion. In the latter case, the handle member has a portion connecting to the upright portion near the opening end of the container and a portion connecting to the upright portion further below on the sleeve wall.

[0039] like Figure 8 As shown, the handle member 64 is ideally configured to accommodate one or more fingers of the user to facilitate gripping the sleeve portion 62 onto the container 14. This enhances the user's ability to resist rotation of the grip attachment 60 and the medication container 14 relative to the cap 20 during attachment or removal of the cap.

[0040] See Figure 9 This illustrates yet another embodiment of the grip attachment as intended herein. The grip attachment 70 includes a sleeve portion 72 that is mounted to a container 14. A thumb handle 74 is attached to the sleeve portion 72. The thumb handle 74 is similar to... Figure 7-8The handle component 64 is provided, but its size can accommodate the user's thumb. The thumb handle 74 can be separately provided on the sleeve portion 72. However, in an alternative embodiment, a finger grip 76 is also provided. The finger grip 76 includes a support rod 78 extending radially outward from the sleeve portion 72 and finger supports 80 attached to the support rod 78 and extending above and below the support rod 78. The user holds the medicine bottle 12 by placing their thumb in the thumb handle 74 and by placing their fingers on either side of the support rod 78 below the finger supports 80. As with other designs described herein, this configuration allows the user to grip the sleeve portion 72 onto the container 14 during attachment or removal of the cap 20 and resist rotation of the grip attachment 70 and the medicine container 14 relative to the cap 20.

[0041] like Figure 10 As shown, in yet another illustrative embodiment, the grip attachment 90 includes a sleeve portion 92 that is attached to the medicine container 14 during use. The grip attachment 90 includes a bottom wall 94 extending downward from the medicine bottle 12. A transverse groove 96 is formed on the bottom surface 98 across the bottom wall 94 in a diametrical direction. Thus, the user can grip the sleeve portion 92 by extending their fingers in the groove 98 to further stabilize the container 14 and resist rotation.

[0042] exist Figure 11 An alternative grip attachment 100 is shown, comprising a sleeve portion 102 and a base 104. Compared to the sleeve portion 102 and the container 14, the base 104 is radially enlarged, such that the grip attachment 100 includes a portion with a diameter similar to the outer surface of the drug container, and a further portion extending from that outer surface. This provides a larger bottom surface 106 for supporting the vial 12 and thus improves the stability of the vial 12 when placed on a supporting surface.

[0043] An optional feature is the provision of a surface structure within the grip accessory for accommodating a syringe, typically an oral delivery syringe. This surface structure can be configured to correspond to a drug administration regimen. Figure 11 As shown, for example, the base 104 may have one or more cavities 108 provided within the enlarged base 104. In one embodiment, the base 104 is provided with seven cavities corresponding to the days of the week. The cavities may be labeled to indicate each day of the week, and the syringe 110 may be placed on the corresponding day of the week when the syringe is to be used. For example, the syringe may be placed in the labeled cavity corresponding to the date on which the syringe will be used next.

[0044] Alternatively, the grip accessory can be used in conjunction with a separate syringe accessory. For example... Figure 12As shown, the connecting member 112 includes an annular portion 114 received on the neck 116 of the container 14. The connecting member 112 also includes an opening 118 for attaching the syringe to the container.

[0045] exist Figure 13 Another design for the grip attachment is shown. The grip attachment 120 includes an enlarged base 122 and an even larger upper portion 124. A recess 126 for receiving a syringe 128 is formed in the upper portion 124.

[0046] The gripping attachment can also be configured to enhance resistance to rotation of the gripping attachment relative to the support surface. On one hand, the gripping attachment can be provided with a high-friction material that contacts the support surface. On the other hand, the gripping attachment 130 ( Figure 14 It includes a sleeve portion 132 that houses the container 14. A suction cup 134 is provided at the bottom of the grip attachment 130 and can be used to engage the support surface.

[0047] Figure 15 Another method for tracking information using a grip accessory is illustrated. The grip device 140 includes a sleeve portion 142 that is form-fitted to a medicine bottle 12. A slider 144 is housed within a window 146 and is movable to several different radial positions. Indications 148, such as the days of the week, are provided within the window 146. The user moves the slider 144 to different positions within the window 146 to indicate the desired indication 148 listed in the window. For example, the slider can be moved to indicate the next day of the week when medication is to be administered.

[0048] Although daily dosing has been described, other dosing regimens may also be followed. These regimens may include, for example, multiple daily doses, once weekly doses, or dosing according to any other prescribed schedule.

[0049] Figure 16 An alternative method for installing the grip attachment is shown. The grip attachment 150 includes a strip 152 made of a material. For example, the strip 152 is formed of metal or plastic and is elastically biased to form a cylindrical shape, the dimensions of which are set to securely hold against the medication container. The strip 152 may have a non-attached state, in which the strip 152 is in the form of a cylinder that can be opened by bending the strip outward. Thus, only a limited distance needs to be opened to allow the bottle to be inserted into the enlarged strip, at which point the strip 152 is allowed to close by pressing inward toward the bottle.

[0050] In an alternative approach, such as Figure 16As shown, strip 152 can have a stable state in which the strip is substantially flat. However, the strip can also have a state in which the strip elastically deforms into a cylindrical shape. Strip 152 is applied to the vial by placing the flat strip against the vial and then pushing both ends inward to make strip 152 into a cylindrical shape surrounding the vial.

[0051] In any embodiment, the strip 152 is sized to securely fit around the vial and thus form a sleeve portion that functions in the same manner as other sleeve portions disclosed herein. Furthermore, the strip 152 may be provided with any of the various lever components described above. Using the strip makes it easier to apply a gripping attachment to the vial and also easier to remove the gripping attachment from the vial. It is also less likely to damage any labels present on the vial.

[0052] On the one hand, the ends of strip 152 are shaped to form an interlock when received around the bottle. For example, as Figure 16 As shown, the strip 152 has a first end 154 and a second end 158. The first end 154 has a protrusion 156 along one side of the strip, and the second end 158 has a protrusion 160 along the other side of the strip. Figure 17 As shown, the strip 152 is sized such that when it is installed onto the vial 12, the protrusion 156 is received adjacent to the protrusion 160.

[0053] The grip attachment may include markings to provide supplemental information related to the use of the medication and / or attachment. For example, the grip attachment may include a name such as “Shake before use” or “Keep refrigerated”. Alternatively, the markings may indicate how to properly remove the grip attachment, such as by “Removing by pressing up through the bottom opening”.

[0054] The gripping attachment can be formed from any material that provides the identified features. The gripping attachment is preferably reusable, and for this purpose, the sleeve portion is constructed to be easy to attach, remove, and reattach. The gripping attachment is preferably made of a durable material that is easy to clean.

[0055] Besides its use when applying or removing caps, the use of grip attachments offers numerous advantages. Grip attachments enhance a user's ability to access the contents of a medication container, such as dispensing or retrieving medication. The greater control over the container provided by grip attachments can also improve accuracy and reduce spills. In some embodiments, grip attachments reduce the likelihood of the vial tilting, thus reducing the possibility of damage to the vial and loss of its contents. Other advantages can also be obtained based on the increased stability of the vial during use and when placed on a supporting surface.

Claims

1. A gripping accessory device for facilitating the handling of a medicine bottle, the medicine bottle comprising a container having a cylindrical wall extending parallel to a longitudinal axis, the container being closed at one end by a base wall and having an opposing open end, the container receiving a cap at the open end to close the container, the gripping accessory device comprising: A sleeve portion having a sleeve wall defining a cylindrical inner surface configured to be removably attached to the wall of the container in a manner that prevents relative movement between the container and the sleeve portion, the sleeve portion including an enlarged base and an even larger upper portion; and A lever component, which is connected to the sleeve portion, to facilitate gripping the sleeve portion; The upper portion of the sleeve portion, which is even larger, includes a recess for receiving a syringe.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The enlarged base is used to place the gripping accessory device on the support surface.

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