Closure Cap With Segmented Time-Date Dials And Locking Tabs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing closure caps for prescription vials have limitations in tracking dosage durations beyond a day or week, are difficult to read, prone to inadvertent setting changes, and are costly, making them inefficient for user compliance and pharmacological use.
Innovation Solution
A closure cap with rotatable time and date dials, featuring uniquely shaped turning tabs and a lock position, allowing users to set reminders for any hour, day, or date, and preventing accidental changes, while being designed for various vial types including child-resistant ones.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If known integrated devices are used to track dosage, then the device can indicate time information, but the time duration is limited to hours or next day only
Solution Approach 1:
The time tracking function is divided into multiple independent dials, each responsible for a specific time unit (hours, days, weeks). This segmentation allows the device to track extended durations without requiring a single complex mechanism, resolving the contradiction between extended duration and device complexity.
2Area of stationary object
If small viewing cut-out is used for displaying indicia, then the device size is reduced, but reading the text becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The indicia are strategically positioned at different locations around the dial perimeter rather than confined to a small central area. This allows larger text to be displayed while maintaining a compact overall device size, as users can view different parts of the dial at different angles.
3Ease of operation
If rotational movement is used to set reminder device, then the setting mechanism is simple, but inadvertent changes occur when removing closure cap
Solution Approach 1:
The turning tab is designed with an asymmetric shape and orientation that is distinct from the closure cap removal motion. The tab extends in a specific direction and requires a different rotational axis or force application point than removing the cap, thereby preventing inadvertent changes while maintaining ease of intentional setting.
4Duration of action of moving object
If multiple dials are added to track longer durations, then the time tracking capability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple dials are merged into a single integrated assembly that rotates together as one unit. This combining approach maintains the enhanced time tracking capability of multiple dials while reducing operational complexity, as users interact with a single unified mechanism rather than multiple separate controls.
Data Source
AI summary
A closure cap for a product container such as a prescription medicine vial, that has a number time and date dials for reminding a user when to take the next dose. The cap's time and date dials are rotatable together or individually with the use of uniquely shaped turning tabs. The dials allow for a user to set the reminder to indicate any hour of the day, any day of the week, and any date of the month. The cap may also have a next and last dose setting. The cap may also have a locking mechanism to prevent inadvertent changes to the set time.