Adjustable indicators for container assemblies
View Patent ↗Adjustable indicators for containers and methods for using and making the same are provided. In one embodiment, a method for changing the portion of indicia on a dial within a closure of a bottle cap that is visible to a user through a passageway in the bottle cap may include rotating the dial with respect to the closure by a first amount in a particular direction about a particular axis by forcing the dial towards a base for physically interacting with the base, and rotating the dial with respect to the closure by a second amount in the particular direction about the particular axis by forcing a button towards the dial for physically interacting with the dial. Additional embodiments are also provided.
1. A cap for a bottle, the cap comprising:
a closure operative to be coupled to the bottle for closing the bottle, the closure comprising:
a closure body; and
a closure passageway provided through the closure body;
a base comprising a base body coupled to the closure body for defining a base space between the base body and the closure body;
a button comprising a button body positioned at least partially within the base space between the base body and the closure body;
a dial comprising a dial body and a plurality of dial notches positioned at least partially within the base space between the button body and the closure body; and
a biasing mechanism positioned at least partially within the base space, wherein:
application of external force on an external force interface portion of the button is operative to move a dial interaction feature of the button in a compression direction against a first dial notch of the plurality of dial notches of the dial;
movement of the dial interaction feature of the button in the compression direction against the first dial notch of the dial is operative to compress the biasing mechanism and to rotate the dial body by a first amount in a first direction about a particular axis;
rotation of the dial body is operative to change the portion of the dial body that is aligned with the closure passageway;
at least partial termination of external force on the external force interface portion of the button is operative to decompress the biasing mechanism;
decompression of the biasing mechanism is operative to move a second dial notch of the plurality of dial notches in a decompression direction against a dial interaction feature of the base; and
movement of the second dial notch of the dial in the decompression direction against the dial interaction feature of the base is operative to rotate the dial body by a second amount in the first direction about the particular axis.
2. The cap of claim 1 , wherein:
the closure further comprises a bottle retention feature operative to couple the closure to the bottle for closing the bottle;
the bottle is operative to apply external force on the external force interface portion of the button when the bottle is coupled to the closure; and
the bottle is operative to terminate external force on the external force interface portion of the button when the bottle is decoupled from the closure.
3. The cap of claim 1 , wherein at least one surface of the dial body comprises the plurality of dial notches.
4. The cap of claim 1 , wherein the biasing mechanism is positioned between a portion of the closure body and a portion of the dial body.
5. The cap of claim 1 , wherein the biasing mechanism is positioned between a portion of the closure body and a portion of the button body.
6. The cap of claim 1 , wherein:
rotation of the dial body about the particular axis is operative to change the portion of a side wall of the dial body that is aligned with the closure passageway; and
the portion of the side wall is parallel to the particular axis.
7. The cap of claim 1 , wherein:
rotation of the dial body about the particular axis is operative to change the portion of a top wall of the dial body that is aligned with the closure passageway; and
the portion of the top wall is perpendicular to the particular axis.
8. The cap of claim 1 , wherein the compression direction is parallel to the particular axis.
9. The cap of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of dial notches extends about the particular axis.
10. The cap of claim 1 , wherein each dial notch of the plurality of dial notches comprises:
a first segment that extends in the compression direction between a lower portion of the first segment and an upper portion of the first segment; and
a second segment that extends between the upper portion of the first segment of that dial notch and the lower portion of the first segment of another dial notch that is adjacent to that dial notch.
11. The cap of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of first segments and the plurality of second segments of the plurality of dial notches together form a continuous path about the particular axis.
12. The cap of claim 10 , wherein:
the first segment of at least one dial notch of the plurality of dial notches extends parallel to the particular axis; and
the second segment of the at least one dial notch of the plurality of dial notches extends about at least a portion of the particular axis.
13. The cap of claim 1 , where an opening through the base body enables application of the external force on the external force interface portion of the button.
14. The cap of claim 1 , wherein the first dial notch and the second dial notch are the same dial notch of the plurality of dial notches.
15. The cap of claim 1 , wherein the first dial notch and the second dial notch are different dial notches of the plurality of dial notches.
16. The cap of claim 1 , wherein:
the dial interaction feature of the button comprises an inclined segment with an inclination that matches an inclination of an inclined segment of the first dial notch; and
the dial interaction feature of the base comprises an inclined segment with an inclination that matches an inclination of an inclined segment of the second dial notch.
17. A cap for a bottle, the cap comprising:
a closure operative to be coupled to the bottle for closing the bottle, the closure comprising:
a closure body; and
a closure passageway provided through the closure body;
a base comprising a base body coupled to the closure body for defining a base space between the base body and the closure body;
a button comprising a button body positioned at least partially within the base space between the base body and the closure body;
a dial comprising a dial body and a plurality of dial notches positioned at least partially within the base space between the button body and the closure body; and
a biasing mechanism positioned at least partially within the base space, wherein:
at least partial termination of external force on an external force interface portion of the button is operative to decompress the biasing mechanism;
decompression of the biasing mechanism is operative to move a first dial notch of the plurality of dial notches in a decompression direction against a dial interaction feature of the base;
movement of the first dial notch of the dial in the decompression direction against the dial interaction feature of the base is operative to rotate the dial body by a first amount in a first direction about a particular axis; and
rotation of the dial body is operative to change the portion of the dial body that is aligned with the closure passageway.
18. The cap of claim 17 , wherein:
application of external force on the external force interface portion of the button is operative to move a dial interaction feature of the button in a compression direction against a second dial notch of the plurality of dial notches of the dial; and
movement of the dial interaction feature of the button in the compression direction against the second dial notch of the dial is operative to compress the biasing mechanism and to rotate the dial body by a second amount in the first direction about the particular axis.