Abstract:
A container for medication is provided that has an inner sleeve nested within an outer sleeve. The inner sleeve is retained within the outer sleeve by a ring that engages a lip that is located near a top opening of the outer sleeve. Two labels may be attached to the outer sleeve and inner sleeve, respectively. This effective doubles the surface area for printed information compared to conventional containers of a corresponding size.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to and us a non-provisional of U.S. Patent Application 62/350,961 (filed Jun. 16, 2016), the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The subject matter disclosed herein relates to the display of information on containers for holding prescription medication. Patients and/or pharmacists generally prefer to use small, unobtrusive containers for their prescription medication. However, governments or other regulatory agencies often require an extensive amount of information to be printed on the labels that are adhered to the containers. In some situations the requirements include not only specific information be printed but further require the information be printed within minimum font sizes. To satisfy these regulations, some pharmacists may provide the prescription medication in containers that are oversized simply so they will be able to use a large label. This causes the patient numerous difficulties. An improved container for prescription medications is therefore desirable. Unfortunately, no container has proven entirely satisfactory. 
         [0003]    The discussion above is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. 
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    A container for medication is provided that has an inner sleeve nested within an outer sleeve. The inner sleeve is retained within the outer sleeve by a ring that engages a lip that is located near a top opening of the outer sleeve. Two labels may be attached to the outer sleeve and inner sleeve, respectively. This effective doubles the surface area for printed information compared to conventional containers of a corresponding size. An advantage that may be realized in the practice of some disclosed embodiments of the prescription sleeve is that additional surface area is provided for attachment of labels. This permits more information to be attached to the prescription sleeve while maintaining relatively small size to the prescription sleeve. 
         [0005]    In a first embodiment, a prescription sleeve is provided. The prescription sleeve comprises an outer sleeve comprising a monolithic outer cylindrical container with a first closed bottom, a first open top and a first arcuate vertical wall connecting the first closed bottom to the first open top, the first arcuate vertical wall defining a first cavity with a first diameter and providing a first outer surface for receiving a first label, the first open top being circumscribed by a lip that defines a second diameter that is less than the first diameter; an inner sleeve nested within the first cavity, the inner sleeve comprising a monolithic inner cylindrical container with a second closed bottom, a second open top and a second arcuate vertical wall connecting the second closed bottom and the second open top, the second arcuate vertical wall defining a second cavity with a third diameter and providing a second outer surface for receiving a second label, the second closed bottom being at least partially circumscribed by a ring that defines a fourth diameter that is greater than the second diameter such that the ring engages the lip to retain the ring within the first cavity; wherein the inner sleeve slides within the outer sleeve such that the second arcuate vertical wall can be extended outside of the first open top. 
         [0006]    In a second embodiment, a prescription sleeve is provided. The prescription sleeve comprises an outer sleeve comprising a monolithic outer cylindrical container with a first closed bottom, a first open top and a first arcuate vertical wall connecting the first closed bottom to the first open top, the first arcuate vertical wall defining a first cavity with a first diameter and providing a first outer surface having a first label, the first open top being circumscribed by a lip that defines a second diameter that is less than the first diameter; an inner sleeve nested within the first cavity, the inner sleeve comprising a monolithic inner cylindrical container with a second closed bottom, a second open top and a second arcuate vertical wall connecting the second closed bottom and the second open top, the second arcuate vertical wall defining a second cavity with a third diameter and providing a second outer surface having a second label, the second closed bottom is fully circumscribed by a ring that defines a fourth diameter that is greater than the second diameter such that the ring engages the lip to retain the ring within the first cavity; a turn stop formed by an interior ledge formed on the first closed bottom on the outer sleeve and a protrusion formed on the second closed bottom on the inner sleeve, wherein rotation of the inner sleeve within the outer sleeve is (1) prevented when the interior ledge engages the protrusion and (2) permitted when the interior ledge does not engage the protrusion; and wherein the inner sleeve slides within the outer sleeve such that the second arcuate vertical wall can be extended outside of the first open top. 
         [0007]    This brief description of the invention is intended only to provide a brief overview of subject matter disclosed herein according to one or more illustrative embodiments, and does not serve as a guide to interpreting the claims or to define or limit the scope of the invention, which is defined only by the appended claims. This brief description is provided to introduce an illustrative selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This brief description is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. The claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any or all disadvantages noted in the background. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    So that the manner in which the features of the invention can be understood, a detailed description of the invention may be had by reference to certain embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the drawings illustrate only certain embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the scope of the invention encompasses other equally effective embodiments. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis generally being placed upon illustrating the features of certain embodiments of the invention. In the drawings, like numerals are used to indicate like parts throughout the various views. Thus, for further understanding of the invention, reference can be made to the following detailed description, read in connection with the drawings in which: 
           [0009]      FIG. 1A  is a top perspective view of a prescription sleeve in a collapsed state; 
           [0010]      FIG. 1B  is an exploded perspective view of the prescription sleeve; 
           [0011]      FIG. 1C  is an to perspective view of a prescription sleeve in an extended state; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2A  is a top view of the prescription sleeve; 
           [0013]      FIG. 2B  is a cross section view of the prescription sleeve taken along line A-A of  FIG. 2A ; 
           [0014]      FIG. 3A  is a top perspective, phantom view of an outer sleeve of the prescription sleeve; 
           [0015]      FIG. 3B  is a top view of the outer sleeve of the prescription sleeve; 
           [0016]      FIG. 3C  is a cross section view of the outer sleeve taken along line B-B of  FIG. 3B ; 
           [0017]      FIG. 4A  is a bottom perspective view of an inner sleeve of the prescription sleeve; 
           [0018]      FIG. 4B  is a bottom view of the inner sleeve; 
           [0019]      FIG. 4C  is a cross section view of the inner sleeve taken along line C-C of  FIG. 4B ; 
           [0020]      FIG. 5A  is a bottom view of the inner sleeve showing a turn stop while  FIG. 5B  is a top view of the outer sleeve showing the turn stop; 
           [0021]      FIG. 6A  is a bottom view of another embodiment of an inner sleeve showing a turn stop while  FIG. 6B  is a top view of the outer sleeve showing the turn stop; and 
           [0022]      FIG. 7  is a top perspective view of another embodiment of an inner sleeve showing another turn stop. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0023]      FIG. 1A  depicts a prescription sleeve  100 . As shown in  FIG. 1B , the prescription sleeve  100  comprises an inner sleeve  102  that is nested within an outer sleeve  104 . The inner sleeve and outer sleeve can be formed by conventional methods from polymeric materials. Such methods include, for example, injection molding. In the embodiment of  FIG. 1A  and  FIG. 1B  both the inner sleeve  102  and the outer sleeve  104  are cylindrical. The outer sleeve  104  presents a surface  105  on its outside where a first label may be adhered. The inner sleeve  102  likewise presents a surface  103  where a second label may be adhered. In use, certain information (e.g. name of patient, name of drug, dosage instructions, etc.) can be printed on the first label whereas other information (e.g. side effects, etc.) can be printed on the second label. If the patient wants to access the other information on the second label, the patient only needs to pull on the top or the lid of the inner sleeve  102  to extend the inner sleeve  102  outside of the outer sleeve  104  and thereby read the second label. The bottles (sleeves) do not completely separate, but slide apart far enough so that both labels are completely visible. Such a configuration provides more than double the surface area for attachment of labels compared to a traditional container which only has a single surface while still using a total volume defined by the outer sleeve  104 .  FIG. 1C  depicts a top perspective view of a prescription sleeve in use. The inner sleeve  102  has a first label  106  while the outer sleeve  104  has a second label  107 . The prescription sleeve also has a lid  108  that attaches to the inner sleeve  102 . 
         [0024]      FIG. 2A  is a top view of the prescription sleeve  100  depicting a line A-A.  FIG. 2B  is a cross section view of the prescription sleeve  100  taken along the line A-A. The inner sleeve  102  has a ring  200  along the exterior of its bottom side that engages a lip  204  (on the outer sleeve  104 ) such that the inner sleeve  102  does not accidently fall out of the outer sleeve  104 . In the embodiment of  FIG. 2A , the ring  200  is monolithic with respect to the inner sleeve  102 . The ring  200  on the inner sleeve  102  is slightly wider than the lip  204  on the outer sleeve  104  to prevent the inner sleeve  102  from accidently sliding out of the outer sleeve  104 . In some embodiments, the inner sleeve  102  and/or the outer sleeve  104  is formed of a semi-flexible material, such as a plastic, that permits the ring  200  to be slightly compressed and pass by the lip  204 . In one embodiment, the lip  204  on the outer sleeve  104  is angled to be slightly wider at the bottom of the lip  204  than at top of the lip  204 . This promotes one way travel because the inner sleeve  102  can pass down into outer sleeve  104 , but resists passing up. Alternatively or additionally, the ring  200  can likewise be slightly wider at the top of the ring  200  than at the bottom of the ring  200 . Other possible shapes for the ring  200  and the lip  204  include rounded (fillet) or half rounded at the top or bottom half of the ring. 
         [0025]    The inner sleeve  102  and the outer sleeve  104  jointly provide a turn stop  206  (described in further detail elsewhere in this specification). The turn stop  206  rotationally locks the inner sleeve  102  in the outer sleeve  104  such that the user can fasten and remove a screw-top lid (e.g. a childproof lid) on the inner sleeve  102  by preventing the inner sleeve  102  from inappropriately rotating. 
         [0026]      FIG. 3A ,  FIG. 3B  and  FIG. 3C  depict the outer sleeve  104  in further detail.  FIG. 3A  is a top perspective view of the outer sleeve  104  with the interior features shown in phantom for clarity of illustration.  FIG. 3B  is a top view of the outer sleeve  104  depicting a line B-B.  FIG. 3C  is a cross section view of the outer sleeve  104  taken along the line B-B. The outer sleeve  104  comprises an opening  300  at its top end  306  that is circumscribed by the lip  204 . The lip  204  defines a narrow diameter  302  which is less than the diameter  304  of the outer sleeve  104 . The outer sleeve  104  further comprises a closed bottom  308  at its bottom end  310 . The bottom end  310  further comprises at least one interior ledge  312  that is part of the turn stop  206 . In the example depicted in the figures, two such interior ledges are shown, however another option is to have more than two, or just one. The interior ledge  312  is disposed on the closed bottom  308  and partially circumscribes the circumference of the closed bottom  308  such that at least one space  314  is present. The space  314  receives a corresponding protrusion (e.g. protrusion  412 ) on the inner sleeve  102 . 
         [0027]      FIG. 4A ,  FIG. 4B  and  FIG. 4C  depict the inner sleeve  102  in further detail.  FIG. 4A  is a bottom perspective view of the inner sleeve  102 .  FIG. 4B  is a top view of the inner sleeve  102  depicting a line C-C.  FIG. 4C  is a cross section view of the inner sleeve  102  taken along the line C-C. The inner sleeve  102  comprises an opening  400  at its top end  406 . The inner sleeve  102  further comprises a closed bottom  408  at its bottom end  410 . The ring  200  is on an external surface of the inner sleeve  102  and defines a wide diameter  402  which is greater than the diameter  404  of the inner sleeve  102 . To provide sufficient volume to hold medication within the inner sleeve  102  the diameter  404  is substantially similar to the diameter  304  of the outer sleeve  104 . In one embodiment, the diameter  404  is at least 70% of the diameter  304 . In another embodiment, the diameter  404  is at least 80% of the diameter  304 . The bottom end  410  further comprises at least one protrusion  412  that is part of the turn stop  206 . In the example depicted in the figures, two such protrusions are shown. The protrusion  412  is disposed on the closed bottom  408  and partially circumscribes the circumference of the closed bottom  408  such that at least one space  414  is present. The space  414  receives a corresponding interior ledge (e.g. interior ledge  312 ) on the outer sleeve  104 . The lid receptacle  416  is disposed on the external vertical side of the inner sleeve  102  for attaching a lid (not shown). In the embodiment depicted in the figures, the lid receptacle  416  is a plurality of grooved hooks for attaching a child-proof lid. In another embodiment, the lid receptacle is a threaded surface for receiving a screw-top lid. 
         [0028]      FIG. 5A  and  FIG. 5B  depict the turn stop  206  in further detail. In  FIG. 5A  the protrusion  412  partially circumscribes the circumference of the closed bottom  408  such that vertical edges of the protrusion  412  form an angle  500 . In the embodiment of  FIG. 5A  there are two protrusions  412  and the angle  500  is about 90°. In  FIG. 5B  the interior ledge  312  partially circumscribes the circumference of the closed bottom  308  such that vertical edges of the interior ledge  312  form an angle  502 . In the embodiment of  FIG. 5B  the angle  502  is about 86°. In one embodiment, the angle  500  and  502  are different such that the sum of all of the angles is less than 360°. Such a configuration provides a small gap that helps the protrusion  412  fit within the space  314 . In one embodiment, the sum of all of the angles is greater than 340° but less than 360°. In another embodiment, the sum of all of the angles is greater than 350° but less than 360°. For example, when two protrusions  412  with 90° angles and two interior ledges  312  with 86° degree angles are present, the sum of all of the angles is 352°. In one embodiment, the sum of all of the angles is less than 360°. Almost any total amount of angles between 0 and 360 degrees is possible. 
         [0029]      FIG. 6A  and  FIG. 6B  depicts an alternative turn stop with an inner sleeve  602  and an outer sleeve  604 . In the embodiment depicted, a recessed groove  605  is present on the outer sleeve  604  that receives a raised ridge  603 . In another embodiment (not shown), the recessed groove  605  is on the inner sleeve  602  and the raised ridge  603  is on the outer sleeve  604 . The example depicted illustrates a single elongated recessed groove  605  and a single raised ridge  603  but other configures would be apparent to those skilled in the art after benefiting from reading this disclosure. Such alternative configurations include, but are not limited to, a plurality of raised ridges and recessed grooves, and ridges/grooves with various shapes (e.g. dimples, various shapes, etc.). 
         [0030]      FIG. 7  depicts another turn stop. In  FIG. 7 , an inner sleeve  702  with an interior ledge  712  on a vertical surface  703 . The inner sleeve  702  is configured to mate with a corresponding outer sleeve that is similar to the outer sleeve  104 . The interior ledge  712  mates with a space on the corresponding outer sleeve where the space is similar to the space  314  of the outer sleeve  104 . In the embodiment of  FIG. 7 , a single interior ledge  712  is shown. In other embodiments, more than one interior ledge is present. 
         [0031]    This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal language of the claims.