Drug card

A drug card having a tamper proof serrated pull tab on the back. The pull tab is partially removed from the back of the drug card to provide access to a plurality of individually sealed doses of medicine. A single dose of medicine is removed from the plurality of individually sealed doses of medicine, after which the remaining individually sealed doses of medicine are placed back in the card and the card resealed. The integrity of the drug card is thereby maintained while presenting a brand name of the product to the consumer at all times.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a drug display card containing a plurality of interconnected individual doses of medicine.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In drug stores, convenience stores, grocery stores or other retailers, selling small quantities of nonprescription drugs, a display device is used to sell small quantities of a pain reliever, for example. Usually, if more than one dose of a medicine is being sold by the display device, a single dose at a time of medicine is dispensed from the card. The dispensing is done by a permanent deformation of the display device which cannot be resealed.

It has not previously been possible to open a tamper resistant package to access more than one dose of individually sealed medication by removing all the doses of medication from the display device and returning a portion of the doses or unused doses back to the display device. After the returning of the unused doses, it would be desirable to again have a sealed display device.

Accordingly, there is a need for accessing more than one dose of medication at a time from a display device and returning the unused individually sealed doses back into the display device for subsequent retrieval.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present invention to remove a plurality of individually sealed doses of medication from a tamper resistant package, separate one of the doses of medication from the plurality of doses of medication and return the unused individually sealed doses back into the drug card, which is then resealed.

This object is obtained by the use of a drug card having a tamper proof serrated pull tab on the back. The pull tab is partially removed from the back of the drug card to provide access to a plurality of individually sealed doses of medicine. A single dose of medicine is removed from the plurality of individually sealed doses of medicine, after which the remaining individually sealed doses of medicine are placed back in the card and the card resealed. The integrity of the drug card is thereby maintained while presenting a brand name of the product to the consumer at all times while maintaining all drug facts intact.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a drug card having a front display of a plurality of individual doses of medicine and providing a tamper proof serrated pull tab on the back of the drug card for removal of a plurality of interconnected, individual doses of a medicine.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a drug card having a front display of a plurality of individual doses of medicine and providing a tamper proof serrated pull tab on the back of the drug card for removal of a plurality of interconnected, individual doses of a medicine with a single dose of medicine being separated from the plurality of doses of medicine and the remaining doses of medicine being returned to the card and the pull tab on the back of the card being resealed.

It is still yet another object of the present invention to provide a drug card having a front display of a plurality of individual doses of medicine and providing a tamper proof serrated pull tab on the back of the drug card for removal of a plurality of interconnected, individual doses of a medicine with a single dose of medicine being separated from the plurality of doses of medicine and the remaining doses of medicine being returned to the card and the pull tab on the back of the card being resealed with the plurality of individual doses of medicine being interconnected and separable by perforations for removal of the one dose of medicine while maintaining the remaining doses of medicine an integral unit returnable to the drug card.

These and other objects of the invention, as well as many of the intended advantages thereof, will become more readily apparent when reference is made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In describing a preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.

With reference to the drawings in general, and toFIGS. 1 through 3, in particular, a drug card embodying the teachings of the subject invention is generally designated as10. With reference to its orientation inFIG. 1, the drug card10includes a front surface12having a hang opening14. The front surface12also includes, in this example, four openings16a,16b,16cand16dthrough which individual doses18a,18b,18cand18dof medicine protrude. Each dose in this example includes two tablets.

As shown inFIG. 2, the rear surface20of the drug card10includes a pull tab22defined by a continuous perforation line24. The pull tab22is anchored to the rear surface by fold line44.

The upper tab26of the pull tab is initially separated from the rear surface20of the drug card10. Continued pulling of tub26separates tab22from the rear surface20until reaching fold line44. Access to the doses of medicine is thereby achieved.

As shown inFIG. 3, the front surface12and the rear surface20are formed of two separate layers of cardboard which are secured together. InFIG. 3, the pull tab22is moved from the position, shown in solid lines, overlying the interconnected individual doses of medicine, in the direction of arrow30to the position shown in dotted lines so as to gain access to the rear of the drug card10and to the plurality of interconnected individual doses of medicine.

As shown inFIG. 4, the four individual doses of medicine18a,18b,18cand18dare interconnected to form a single integrated unit32of four individual doses of medicine. The doses of medicine are connected by longitudinal perforation line34and lateral perforation line36so as to be able to easily separate the four individual doses of medicine.

As shown inFIG. 3, the individual doses of medicine, each consisting of two tablets, are sealed by a rear layer of removable metallic foil38overlying a layer of plastic40having projecting blisters containing the two tablets. The two tablets project vertically from front surface12of the drug card10.

As shown inFIG. 4, the interconnected unit32of a plurality of doses of medicine has been removed from the drug card by the pulling of the tab26of the pull tab22so as to separate the pull tab from the rear surface20of the drug card. A glob of adhesive glue42helps secure the pull tab22in place, aligned with the rear surface20of the drug card10. The separation along the serrated perforation line24allows partial removal of the pull tab22from the rear surface20so as to bend the pull tab along fold line44. The pull tab22remains connected to the rear surface20of the drug card10.

As shown inFIG. 5, a single dose of medicine18a is removed from the plurality of interconnected doses of medicine forming the integral unit32. In this example, the three remaining interconnected individual doses of medicine are returned to the display device so that the doses of medicine project through the openings16b,16c,16din the front surface12of the drug card10. It is noted that the corners46,48of the doses of medicine18c,18dare forced to friction fit between the front surface12and the rear surface20of the drug card to assist in securing their position in the drug card.

Thereafter, the pull tab22is moved to lie in the plane of the rear surface20so that the pull tab26overlies and is pressed into engagement with the adhesive42. The adhesive secures the pull tab in the plane of the rear surface20. The front surface12of the drug card would now have three individual doses, in this example, of medicine exposed through the front surface12of the drug card10.

The medicine product is thereby continued to be displayed through the front surface12of the drug card even though one dose of medicine18ahas been removed from the plurality of interconnected doses of medicine. Further, the identifiers50of the front surface12of the drug card10lying in between and around the individual doses of medicine would advise the purchaser of the contents of the drug card10, even though a portion of the originally supplied medicine had been removed.