Timed sequence indicators

1. A method of manufacturing a containment system for a plurality of products that are to be accessed in a predetermined timed sequence, comprising;

providing a substrate with a plurality of product compartments, each product compartment having a volume sufficient to receive a product;

providing products in each of the product compartments;

providing a plurality of gas sensitive indicators on the substrate, each gas sensitive indicator including an ultraviolet-activatable gas sensitive material that becomes reactive to ambient air upon activation using ultraviolet light, wherein after activation the gas sensitive material changes appearance at a predetermined time after exposure to ambient air, each gas sensitive indicator being associated with one of the product compartments;

sealing the gas sensitive indicators using ultraviolet-light-permeable gas seals that seal the gas sensitive material against atmospheric gases;

sealing the product compartments using removable gas seals that seal the product compartments against atmospheric gases, wherein opening the product compartment by disrupting the gas seal to access a product allows ambient air to enter the product compartment and from there to expose the associated gas sensitive indicator; and

activating the gas sensitive materials by exposing them to ultraviolet light through the ultraviolet-light-permeable gas seals.

2. The method of claim 1 , further including providing a plurality of atmospheric gas conduits, each leading from one of the product compartments to at least one associated gas sensitive indicator, wherein ambient air flows from the opened product compartments through the atmospheric gas conduits to expose the associated gas sensitive indicators.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein at least one of the atmospheric gas conduits has a different size or a different shape from at least one of the other atmospheric gas conduits to cause the predetermined time after exposure for at least two of gas sensitive indicators to be different.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined time after exposure is substantially consistent for all of the gas sensitive indicators.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least two of the gas sensitive indicators have at least one of a different gas sensitive material, a different coating or a different pattern of application to cause the predetermined time after exposure for at least two of gas sensitive indicators to be different.

6. The method of claim 1 , further including providing an oxygen scavenger between at least one of the product compartments and an associated gas sensitive indicator to reduce the rate at which the associated gas sensitive indicator is exposed to ambient air so as to extend the predetermined time.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of said gas sensitive indicators further includes a semi-permeable material coated on the gas sensitive material to adjust the predetermined time at which the gas sensitive material changes appearance after exposure to ambient air.

8. The method of claim 1 , further including providing a cover sheet with instructions to a user pertaining to how to use the containment system.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the gas sensitive indicators are symbols, characters, images, or messages that become visible at the predetermined time after exposure to ambient air.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the product is a pill, capsule or tablet.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the product compartments are arranged in a linear array or matrix array pattern.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the gas sensitive indicator associated with a particular product compartment is positioned in proximity to a next product compartment in the linear array or matrix array pattern.

13. A method of manufacturing an indicator system having time-based visual indicators, comprising;

providing a plurality of gas sensitive indicators on a substrate, each gas sensitive indicator including an ultraviolet-activatable gas sensitive material that becomes reactive to ambient air upon activation using ultraviolet light, wherein after activation the gas sensitive material changes appearance at a predetermined time after exposure to ambient air to provide a visual indicator;

sealing the gas sensitive indicators using user-removable, ultraviolet-light-permeable gas seals that seal the gas sensitive material against atmospheric gases, wherein disrupting a particular gas seal allows ambient air to expose the associated gas sensitive indicator; and

activating the gas sensitive materials by exposing them to ultraviolet light through the ultraviolet-light-permeable gas seals.

14. A method of manufacturing a containment system for a plurality of products that are to be accessed in a predetermined timed sequence, comprising;

providing one or more gas sensitive indicators on a substrate, each gas sensitive indicator including an ultraviolet-activatable gas sensitive material that becomes reactive to ambient air upon activation using ultraviolet light, wherein after activation the gas sensitive material changes appearance at a predetermined time after exposure to ambient air;

sealing the gas sensitive indicators using ultraviolet-light-permeable gas seals that seal the gas sensitive material against atmospheric gases;

sealing the product compartments using removable gas seals that seal the product compartments against atmospheric gases, wherein opening the product compartment by disrupting the gas seal to access a product allows ambient air to enter the product compartment and from there to expose the associated gas sensitive indicator; and

activating the gas sensitive materials by exposing them to ultraviolet light through the ultraviolet-light-permeable gas seals.