US2031892A - Medicine glass cover - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 25, 1936. I JOHNSON 2,031,892

MEDIC INE GLASS COVER Filed May 3, 1935 ylnuualllll irilll INVENTOR EDWARD JOHNSON BY ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES Patented Feb. 25, 1936 PATENT OFFICE MEDICINE GLASS COVER- Edward Johnson, Montclair, N. J., assignmto Meinecke & Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application May 3, 1935, SerlalNO. 19,650

4 Claims.

My invention relates to a new and improved medicine glass cover and more particularly to means connected with the cover for indicating not only the patients name, but the kind of medicine and the time of taking the medicine for each patient.

f The invention is an improvement upon that described and claimed in my Patent No. 1,920,396.

While the invention shown and covered in that patent has met with very substantial commercial success, it did not fully meet all the requirements of hospitals, which are more fully hereinafter referred to.. 7

It is now the practice in most hospit; f the medicinal prescriptions for the various patients to be made up in what is known as a hospital drug room and these prescriptions are then kept in a medicine closet on each floor of the hospital.

At the various times when patients are to be given their medicines, the desired dose is poured into a medicine tumbler, or when the medicine is in the iorm of pills or capsules, it may be placed in the depressed part of the cover, as shown in this application and in my prior patent. The tumblers are then placed on a tray with a number of other tumblers for difierent patients. According to the methods now used in most hospitals, in order to identify each patients tumbler, a card with the patients name and room or ward number and instructions for taking the medicine written thereon is placed either under the tumbler or on top of it.

If the card is placed on the top of the tumbler,

" the cards are liable to fall off while the tray is being carried from one room to another or from one patients bed to another. Sometimes these cards, that have fallen ofi, are placed on the wrong tumblers and sometimes with serious results. If the cards are placed under the tumblers, the names cannot be read and, furthermore, occasionally the liquid spills over the tumbler so that the card becomes soiled, making it necessary to write up a new card.

Most hospitals have now adopted a plan of having color charts to indicate the type of medicine or the proper or approximate time for giving such medicine to each patient. For instance, a red card may indicate medicines to relieve pain and induce sleep, and such medicine is to be given at once. A blue card may indicate medicine to be administered twice a day. A green card may indicate medicine to be given four times a. day. A yellow card may indicate medicines to be given before meals. It is understood that each color may indicate a different time orhour when the medicine has to be given, or, in some cases, may indicate a special kind of medicine. In some hospitals as many as nine or ten colors are used. These colors cannot be considered standard because most hospitals establish their own particular set of color charts, depending upon the size of the hospital and the character of the patients admitted.

when preparing medicines, a small colored identification card is used with the name of the patient or room number and this small colored identification card must correspond with the ofiicial color chart adopted by the hospital so that nurses can tell at a glance just. when and how often the medicine is to be given.

The object of the present invention is to provide a safe method for having the cards with the name of the patient or room number and instructions for taking the medicine retained on the tumblers to which they belong and at the same time keep the written matter on the card plainly in. view.

A further object of the invention is to permit the cards containing the matter above mentioned to be made of different colored paper or cardboard, which colors correspond with the colors on a. chart kept in the hospital room.

My invention consists essentially of a cover which fits over the top edge of a medicine tumbler and is securely held thereon by a dependent flange or side of the cover which surrmmds' the greater part of the cover and also surrounds the greater part of the tumbler. The said cover has means, preferably formed integral therewith, for holding the colored card with the patients name, etc., which belongs to the respective tumbler.

Inaddition, the cover has a depression or depressions in the top thereof for holding medicinal pills, whenever medicine is to be given to the patient in that form, or in conjunction with the liquid contents of the tumbler.

The device is usually made of metal, but it will be understood that any suitable material can be used.

The invention is illustrated in the following tum havlng a card secured thereon, the dotted lines showing the outline of theportion of the device covered by the card.

The device consists preferably of a sheet of metal 6 having a depression I stamped in the center thereof. The top of-the member 6 is extended for a distance of approximately one quarter of the circumference of the tumbler, as shown at 8. On the extended portion 8 a pair of clips 9 are eitherstamped out of or secured to the top 'of the member 8 to permit the insertion of a card Ill of any desired color, as in Fig. 4. The cover has a depending flange I l shown more clearly'in Figs. 2 and 3, which flts over the top of the tumbler and holds the cover in place. a

While the card holding members 9 are'shown in the drawingas being stamped out and rising up from the member 8, in the form of a clip, it will be understood that other card holding means could be formed on the .cover. The card holding means could also be formed by bending the front part bf the extending member 8 back upon itself to permit the insertion and holding of a card. While I have shown the extension 8 as being formed integral with the medicine tumbler cover, it will be understood that it could be made, if desired, of a separate piece of metal to be secured orattached to th medicine cover itself.

I claim:

1. A medicine glass cover comprising a plate having a central depression adapted to seat within a glass and forming'a receptacle for medicines,

a depending flange extending around a portion of the periphery thereof and cooperating with the walls of said central depression to form a groove adapted to receive the upper edge of the glass, .an extension of said plate between the ends of said depending flange projecting beyond the sides of the glass, and clips carried by said extension adaptedto receive the edge of a card to hold the card in position over the plate whereby the insignia on said card are visible and whereby said c'ard serves as a cover for said depression.

2. A medicine-glasscorer comprising a metal plate having a central'depression adapted to seat within a glass andform'ing a receptacle for medicines, a depending. :flange extending around a portion of the periphery thereof and cooperating with the walls of said central depression to form a groove adapted toreceive the upper edge of the glass, an extension ofsaid platebetween the ends of said depending .fl'ange pro'jecting beyond the sides of the glass, and clips stamped out of said extension adapted remove the edge of-a card to hold the card in pa ition oger the plate whereby the insignia on 's ai ard are visible and whereby said card serves as vcover for said deprssion. f

3. A'medicinegla' c'o i pmprising aplate having a centraldepressionadapted to seat within a glass and forming arec'eptacle for medicines, 9. depending flange'extendingaround a portion of the periphery thereof and cooperating V with the walls of said centraidepression to form a groove adapted to receive the. upper edge vof theglass and card-holding means formed integrally with said cover between the ends-10f said depending.

flange, said means' projecting above the top surface of said cover; to engage. the edge of the card so as to hold the card-in place over the cover. withcover so as tofengage'and hold a card inv position over the cover without concealing the insignia'on EDWARD JOHNSON.

' said card.

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