Pharmacy bottle system including label

• US 7,413,082 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2005
• Issued: 08/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CVS Pharmacy Incorporated (CVS Health Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Target Brands Inc. (Target Corporation)
• Inventors: Adler, Deborah B., Douglas, Patrick L., Grisik, Matthew S., Rosburg, Klaus
• Primary Examiner(s): Gehman; Bryon P
• Application Number:
  US11/042,849
• Publication Number:
  US 20060163103A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,302 Days
• Field of Search: 206/459.5, 206/534, 206/540, 403/06, 403/10, 116/308, 215/DIG.3, 283/81
• US Class Current: 206/534
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/00 Containers specially adapted for medical or pharmaceutical purposes capsules or the like for oral use A61J3/07; specially adapted for surgical or diagnostic appliances or instruments A61B50/30; containers for radioactive substances G21F5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2205/20 Colour codes
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2205/30 Printed labels
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2205/50 using icons or symbolic figures, e.g. by a graphical representation symbolising the type of pathology or the organ by an image
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 23/085 and glued or otherwise sealed to the bottle B65D23/0857, B65D23/0864, B65D23/0871 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2501/0081 Bottles of non-circular cross-section
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 3/02 Forms or constructions layered products B32B
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 3/10 by an adhesive layer

Abstract

A prescription pharmacy bottle comprises a container and a label. The container includes a generally planar front portion having a generally rectangular shape and a generally planar back portion spaced from the front portion. The back portion has a generally rectangular shape and generally faces away in an opposite direction from the front portion. The label is secured to the container bearing printed matter related to a medication and includes a front portion secured on the front portion of the container and a back portion secured on the back portion of the container.

Claims

1. A prescription pharmacy bottle comprising:

a container including;

a generally planar front portion having a generally rectangular shape;

a generally planar back portion spaced from the front portion, the back portion having a generally rectangular shape, and generally facing away in an opposite direction from the front portion;

a spine portion interposed between the front portion of the container and the back portion of the container; and

an opening disposed between the front portion of the container and the back portion of the container opposite to and spaced from the spine portion of the container, the opening adapted to removably receive a cap to cover the opening; and

a label secured to the container bearing printed matter related to a medication and including;

a front portion secured on the front portion of the container;

a back portion secured on the back portion of the container; and

a spine portion interposed between the front portion of the label and the back portion of the label and secured to the spine portion of the container;

wherein the front portion of the label and the back portion of the label include text that is oriented to be readable in a right-side-up orientation on the container when the cap is in a lower vertical position than the spine portion of the container via at least one of;

setting the cap on a support surface to cause the container to extend vertically upward away from the support surface; and

holding the container manually so that the spine portion of the container is vertically elevated relative to the cap.

2. The pharmacy bottle of claim 1 comprising:

a pair of side portions opposite to and spaced from each other, with each side portion extending between the front portion of the container and the back portion of the container and having a generally rectangular shape.

3. The pharmacy bottle of claim 1 comprising:

a pair of side portions opposite to and spaced from each other, with each side portion extending between the front portion of the container and the back portion of the container and having a generally trapezoidal shape to cause the front portion of the container and the back portion of the container to extend at an angle relative to a vertical plane,

wherein each side portion includes a top portion having a length less than a bottom portion so that an upper portion of the front portion of the container and an upper portion of the back portion of the container are oriented toward convergence with each other and so that a lower portion of the front portion of the container and a lower portion of the back portion of the container are oriented toward divergence from each other.

4. The pharmacy bottle of claim 1 wherein the front portion and the spine portion of the container are generally perpendicular to each other, and the back portion and the spine portion of the container are generally perpendicular to each other, to cause each of the front portion, the back portion, and the spine portion of the label to be readable from three different directions wherein the adjacent directions are generally perpendicular to each other.

5. The pharmacy bottle of claim 1 wherein the spine portion of the label comprises at least one of a patient identifier and a drug identifier.

6. The pharmacy bottle of claim 1 wherein, prior to securing of the label onto the container, the front portion of the label includes a first printed matter and the back portion of the label includes a second printed matter, wherein the first printed matter has a 180 degree opposite orientation of the second printed matter.

7. The pharmacy bottle of claim 1 and further comprising:

a colored ring configured for removably securing adjacent the opening of the container, wherein the colored ring is selected from a plurality of colored rings with each colored ring comprising a different color.

8. A prescription pharmacy bottle comprising:

a container including;

a generally planar front portion having a generally rectangular shape; and

a generally planar back portion spaced from the front portion, the back portion having a generally rectangular shape, and generally facing away in an opposite direction from the front portion;

a label secured to the container bearing printed matter related to a medication and including;

a front portion secured on the front portion of the container; and

a back portion secured on the back portion of the container; and

a slot defined between a back portion of the container and the back portion of the label, the slot sized and shaped for removably receiving at least one of an information card and a magnifying tool in the slot.

9. The pharmacy bottle of claim 8 wherein the container comprises

a pair of side portions opposite to and spaced from each other, with each side portion extending between the front portion of the container and the back portion of the container;

and

wherein the slot is defined by a space between a recess in the back portion of the container and a non-stick portion of the back portion of the label that extends over the recess, wherein the recess is generally rectangular-shaped and extends at least partially laterally across the back portion of the container with the recess having at least one outer edge adjacent one of the side portions of the container to form a first opening of the slot.

10. The pharmacy bottle of claim 9 wherein the slot is sized, shaped, and oriented to enable the information card or the magnifying tool to protrude at least partially out of the slot laterally relative to a longitudinal axis of the container, when either one of the information card and the magnifying tool is fully inserted within the slot.

11. The pharmacy bottle of claim 9 wherein the recess extends entirely across the back portion of the container, and the at least one outer edge of the recess comprises two outer edges of the recess with each outer edge adjacent one of the opposite side portions of the container to form the first opening of the slot adjacent one of the side portions and a second opening of the slot adjacent the other of the side portions of the container.

12. The pharmacy bottle of claim 11 wherein the recess is surrounded by at least one contact portion of the back portion of the container, the contact portion being adapted to receive adhesive portions of the back portion of the label.

13. The pharmacy bottle of claim 12 wherein the at least one contact portion of the back portion of the container comprises two contact portions disposed on opposite sides of the recess.

14. The pharmacy bottle of claim 8 wherein the back portion of the label is independent of the information card and includes warning information, and the warning information on the back portion of the label is viewable independent of whether the information card is inserted into the slot.

15. A prescription pharmacy bottle comprising:

a container including;

a generally planar front portion having a generally rectangular shape; and

a generally planar back portion spaced from the front portion, the back portion having a generally rectangular shape, and generally facing away in an opposite direction from the front portion; and

a pair of side portions opposite to and spaced from each other, with each side portion extending between the front portion of the container and the back portion of the container, each side portion having a generally trapezoidal shape; and

a label secured to the container bearing printed matter related to a medication and including;

a front portion secured on the front portion of the container;

a back portion secured on the back portion of the container; and

a slot defined between a back portion of the container and the back portion of the label, the slot sized and shaped for removably receiving, in a lateral orientation relative to a longitudinal axis of the container, at least one of an information card and a magnifying tool in the slot.

16. A prescription pharmacy bottle comprising:

a container including;

a generally planar front portion having a generally rectangular shape; and

a generally planar back portion spaced from the front portion, the back portion having a generally rectangular shape, and generally facing away in an opposite direction from the front portion;

a label secured to the container and bearing printed matter related to a medication, the label including;

a front portion secured on the front portion of the container; and

a back portion secured on the back portion of the container; and

a slot defined between a back portion of the container and the back portion of the label.

17. The prescription pharmacy bottle of claim 16 wherein the container comprises:

a spine portion interposed between the front portion of the container and the back portion of the container, and wherein the label comprises a spine portion interposed between the front portion of the label and the back portion of the label and secured to the spine portion of the container.

18. The prescription pharmacy bottle of claim 16 and further comprising a kit that includes the prescription pharmacy bottle and a magnifying tool sized and shaped for removably slidable insertion into the slot of the prescription pharmacy bottle and wherein the slot is sized and shaped for removably receiving the magnifying tool in the slot.

19. The prescription pharmacy bottle of claim 18 wherein the slot is sized, shaped, and oriented to enable the magnifying tool, when fully inserted into the slot, to protrude at least partially out of the slot laterally relative to a longitudinal axis of the container.

20. The prescription pharmacy bottle of claim 16 wherein the back portion of the container comprises a recess and the back portion of the label includes a non-stick portion sized and shaped to extend over the recess of the back portion of the container, wherein the slot is defined by a space between the recess in the back portion of the container and the non-stick portion of the back portion of the label.

21. The prescription pharmacy bottle of claim 20 wherein the recess of the back portion of the container is generally rectangular-shaped and extends at least partially laterally across the back portion of the container.

22. The pharmacy bottle of claim 21 wherein the container comprises:

a pair of side portions opposite to and spaced from each other, with each respective side portion extending between the front portion of the container and the back portion of the container, and

wherein the recess includes at least one outer edge adjacent one of the side portions of the container to form a first opening of the slot.

23. The prescription pharmacy bottle of claim 22 wherein each respective side portion defines a generally trapezoidal shape.