Container and method for facilitating disposal of unused pharmaceutical product
First Claim
1. A method of managing pharmaceutical product use, comprising the steps of:
- opening a pharmaceutical product container comprising a first melting temperature, wherein said pharmaceutical product container comprises a container body and an access member, wherein said opening step comprises moving said access member to an open position to provide access to a chamber within said container body, wherein a plurality of individual pharmaceutical product components are stored within said chamber, wherein each said pharmaceutical product component is an individual dose, and wherein a heat-activated encapsulation component is also disposed within said chamber and has a second melting temperature that is lower than said first melting temperature of said pharmaceutical product container;
removing a first said pharmaceutical product component from said chamber of said pharmaceutical product container after said opening step;
closing said pharmaceutical product container after said removing step, wherein said closing step comprises moving said access member to a closed position to close off said chamber;
heating said pharmaceutical product container after said closing step, wherein said heating step comprises heating said heat-activated encapsulation component to a temperature that is above said second melting temperature of said heat-activated encapsulation component but that is lower than said first melting temperature of said pharmaceutical product container; and
encapsulating said pharmaceutical product components remaining within said chamber of said pharmaceutical product container after said closing step and in response to said heating step.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Containers and methods for disposing unused pharmaceutical product are disclosed. Each container (100, 200, 300) may include a container body (104, 204, 304) with an internal chamber (116, 216, 316) for storing pharmaceutical product, along with a cover (124, 224, 324) for selectively limiting access to the chamber (116, 216, 316). An encapsulation component (128, 228, 328) may be selectively disposable within the chamber (116, 216, 316), and may be operable to encapsulate the pharmaceutical product within the container (100, 200, 300). For instance, the encapsulation component (128, 228, 328) may melt and/or flow into contact with the pharmaceutical product and thereafter solidify to encapsulate the pharmaceutical product. The encapsulation component (128, 228, 328) may melt and thereafter solidify between the cover (124, 224, 324) and shell (104, 204, 304) to limit removal of the cover (124, 224, 324) from the shell (104, 204, 304).
34 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of managing pharmaceutical product use, comprising the steps of:
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opening a pharmaceutical product container comprising a first melting temperature, wherein said pharmaceutical product container comprises a container body and an access member, wherein said opening step comprises moving said access member to an open position to provide access to a chamber within said container body, wherein a plurality of individual pharmaceutical product components are stored within said chamber, wherein each said pharmaceutical product component is an individual dose, and wherein a heat-activated encapsulation component is also disposed within said chamber and has a second melting temperature that is lower than said first melting temperature of said pharmaceutical product container; removing a first said pharmaceutical product component from said chamber of said pharmaceutical product container after said opening step; closing said pharmaceutical product container after said removing step, wherein said closing step comprises moving said access member to a closed position to close off said chamber; heating said pharmaceutical product container after said closing step, wherein said heating step comprises heating said heat-activated encapsulation component to a temperature that is above said second melting temperature of said heat-activated encapsulation component but that is lower than said first melting temperature of said pharmaceutical product container; and encapsulating said pharmaceutical product components remaining within said chamber of said pharmaceutical product container after said closing step and in response to said heating step. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method of managing pharmaceutical product use, comprising the steps of:
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opening a pharmaceutical product container comprising pharmaceutical product, wherein each said pharmaceutical product is selected from the group consisting of a pill, a capsule, a caplet, a tablet, and a patch; removing a first of said pharmaceutical product from said pharmaceutical product container after said opening step; closing said pharmaceutical product container after said removing step; heating said pharmaceutical product container after said closing step; and encapsulating said pharmaceutical product remaining within said pharmaceutical product container after said closing step and in response to said heating step. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification