Promotional carrier for promoting pharmaceutical prescription products

• US 7,996,260 B1
• Filed: 04/28/2004
• Issued: 08/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Trialcard Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Trialcard Incorporated
• Inventors: Tyndell, Brandon, Cunningham, David W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Weiss; John G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pouncil; Darnell
• Application Number:
  US10/833,366
• Time in Patent Office: 2,659 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14, 705/14.1, 283/16
• US Class Current: 705/14.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/10 relating to drugs or medications, e.g. for ensuring correct administration to patients

Abstract

A prescription pharmaceutical promotional carrier is provided that is effective to promote a series of prescription drugs. The carrier includes first and second portions with the second portion being referred to as a payment vehicle and the first portion being utilized to identify the series of prescription drugs being promoted. In use, a preferred embodiment provides a series of stickers secured to the first portion of the carrier. Each sticker identifies or represents a prescription pharmaceutical product. A doctor may possess one or more of the carriers and may prescribe a prescription drug being promoted by the carrier. If so, the doctor can transfer a sticker identifying the prescription drug to the payment vehicle and separate the payment vehicle from the carrier. The separated payment vehicle is then given to the patient along with a prescription for the identified prescription drug and the patient presents the payment vehicle to a pharmacy where at least a portion of the costs of the prescription drug is paid by a party that sponsored the carrier.

Claims

1. A method of promoting one or more prescription pharmaceutical products comprising:

a. securing one or more transferable stickers to a carrier where each sticker identifies at least one prescription pharmaceutical product;

b. providing a payment vehicle for paying at least a portion of the cost of one of the prescription pharmaceutical products identified by the stickers and wherein the payment vehicle forms a part of the carrier;

c. electronically associating in a database all of the prescription pharmaceutical products identified by the stickers with a number on the payment vehicle, wherein the database is associated with a central computing station;

d. after the payment vehicle is presented to the pharmacy, receiving electronically communicated information at the database indicating the number associated with the payment vehicle and the prescription pharmaceutical product identified by one of the stickers that has been transferred onto the payment vehicle;

e. comparing the number electronically received at the database with the prescription pharmaceutical product identified by the sticker on the payment vehicle;

f. electronically communicating to the pharmacy through the central computing station that the payment vehicle is valid and can be used to pay for at least a portion of the cost of the prescription pharmaceutical product identified by the sticker transferred onto the payment vehicle.

2. The method of promoting prescription pharmaceutical products of claim 1 including updating the database indicating the use of the payment vehicle and identifying the sticker or stickers carried by the payment vehicle or the prescription pharmaceutical product identified thereby such that the database reflects information that identifies which prescription pharmaceutical product or products were filled pursuant to the payment vehicle presented to the pharmacy.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising distributing the promotional carrier to physician or other medical care provider and comprising receiving a request to activate the carrier after the promotional carrier is distributed to the physician or other medical care provider.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the stickers each include a product identifier and the payment vehicle includes a payment vehicle identifier and the method includes comparing at least one product identifier with the payment vehicle identifier in the database.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein after the product identifier is compared to the payment vehicle identifier, the method includes authorizing a pharmacy to confer a benefit provided by the payment vehicle.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein after the pharmacy confers the benefit provided by the payment vehicle, the method includes updating the database to indicate that the benefit conferred by the payment vehicle has been received and the payment vehicle is no longer valid.

3. A method of promoting one or more prescription pharmaceutical products, comprising:

d. identifying one or more prescription pharmaceutical products on a promotional carrier;

e. providing at least one payment vehicle that forms a part of the carrier;

f. uniquely identifying the payment vehicle with a payment vehicle identifier and electronically storing the identifier in a remote database associated with a central computing station;

d. for each carrier, electronically linking in the database the payment vehicle identifier with the identified prescription products of the carrier such that the database reflects which prescription products are associated with each payment vehicle;

e. receiving electronically communicated information at the database through the central computing station indicating that a pharmacy has received one of the payment vehicles and identifying the payment vehicle identifier associated with the payment vehicle and one of the identified prescription products;

f. comparing the payment vehicle identifier to the identified prescription product in the database;

g. wherein the payment vehicle is used to pay for at least a portion of the cost of the identified prescription product.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the carrier includes product identifiers that identify the prescription products being promoted by the carrier and wherein the product identifiers assume a space on the carrier separate from the payment vehicle and wherein the product identifiers are transferable to the payment vehicle.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the product identifiers include a series of stickers with each sticker having a face that includes the identity of at least one prescription pharmaceutical product.

6. The method of claim 5 including distributing the promotional carrier to a physician or other medical care provider.

7. The method of claim 3 wherein the payment vehicle is presented to a pharmacy and the pharmacy communicates with the database or with an administrator that has access to the database such that after the payment vehicle is utilized the database is updated to reflect the use.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising receiving a request to activate the promotional carrier after the promotional carrier is distributed to the physician or other medical care provider.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising comparing at least one of the product identifiers with the payment vehicle identifier in the database.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein after at least one of the product identifiers is compared to the payment vehicle identifier, the method includes authorizing a pharmacy to confer a benefit provided by the payment vehicle.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein after the pharmacy confers the benefit provided by the payment vehicle, the method includes updating the database to indicate that the benefit conferred by the payment vehicle has been received and the payment vehicle is no longer valid.