LABEL SHEET FOR EXTENDED TAB LABEL

Abstract

A label sheet for making a pharmaceutical label for placement on a medicinal container, the label sheet includes a front printing face having an adhesive backing, a first portion for adhesion to the container and a second and third portion that form an information tab projecting radially from the container. A backing sheet liner covers the adhesive backing. The front printing face may have a score formed therein defining a first portion and a second portion of the front printing face. Optionally, the score may define a border between the first portion and the second portion, whereby the second portion projects from the container when the first portion is attached to the container. The backing sheet liner may have a liner score line formed therein corresponding to the score in the front face for removing the releasable backing liner from the first portion.

Claims

1. A medicinal container having a label, said container comprising: a container having a removable lid; a label having a front printing face and a rear face having an adhesive backing; said front printing face having a first portion, a second portion and a third portion, said first portion affixed by said adhesive around less than an entire perimeter of said container, wherein said second portion and said third portion project from the container when said first portion is attached to said container; and wherein said third portion is folded back onto said second portion so that said second and third portions are adhered together with said adhesive, whereby said second and third portion of said printing face form an information tab projecting radially from said container.

2. The medicinal container and said label according to claim 1, wherein said front face includes a score line formed between said first portion and said second portion.

3. The medicinal container and said label according to claim 1, wherein said front face includes a perforated line formed between said first portion and said second portion, so that said second portion may be removed from said first portion.

4. The medicinal container and said label according to claim 1, wherein said medicinal container includes a second label attached thereto.

5. The medicinal container and said label according to claim 1, wherein said information tab has information appearing on both sides thereof.

6. The medicinal container and said label sheet according to claim 1, wherein said information tab includes warnings and interaction information for dispensed medicine contained within said medicinal container.

7. A medicinal container having at least two labels, said container comprising: a container having a removable lid; a first label attached to an outer portion of said container, said first label including information printed on a front face thereof; a second label having a front printing face and a rear face having an adhesive backing; said front printing face of said second label having a first portion, a second portion and a third portion, said first portion affixed by said adhesive around less than an entire perimeter of said container, wherein said second portion and said third portion project from the container when said first portion is attached to said container; and wherein said third portion is folded back onto said second portion so that said second and third portions are adhered together with said adhesive, whereby said second and third portion of said printing face form an information tab projecting radially from said container.

8. The medicinal container according to claim 7, wherein said front face of said second label includes a score line formed between said first portion and said second portion.

9. The medicinal container according to claim 7, wherein said information tab has information appearing on both sides thereof.

10. The medicinal container according to claim 7, wherein said first label includes information relating to medicine contained in said container, and wherein said second label includes information relating to a specific person.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cylindrical medicine container having the prescription label of the present invention attached thereto.

[0029] FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along lines 2-2 from FIG. 1.

[0030] FIG. 3 is an alternate embodiment shown in a sectional view similar to FIG. 2 that would be taken along lines 2-2 from FIG. 1.

[0031] FIG. 4 is a second alternate embodiment shown in a sectional view similar to FIG. 2 that would be taken along lines 2-2 from FIG. 1.

[0032] FIG. 5 is a third alternate embodiment shown in a sectional view similar to FIG. 2 that would be taken along lines 2-2 from FIG. 1.

[0033] FIG. 6a is a view of the front side of the label of the present invention, corresponding to FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0034] FIG. 6b is a magnified view of the label portion 6C shown in FIG. 6a, further including written patient information, instructions, and refill information.

[0035] FIG. 6c is a magnified view of the label portion 6C shown in FIG. 6a, further including written medication information.

[0036] FIG. 6d is a magnified view of the label portion 6d shown in FIG. 6a, further including written instructions and precautionary information.

[0037] FIG. 7 is a rear view of the label of FIG. 6, with the top side on the bottom of the view, corresponding to FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0038] FIG. 8 is a rear view of the label of the first alternate embodiment of the present invention, corresponding to FIG. 3.

[0039] FIG. 9 is a rear view of the label of the third alternate embodiment of the present invention, corresponding to FIG. 5.

[0040] FIG. 10 is a fourth alternate embodiment shown in a sectional view similar to FIG. 2 that would be taken along lines 2-2 from FIG. 1.

[0041] FIG. 11 is a rear view of the label of the fourth alternate embodiment of the present invention, corresponding to FIG. 10.

[0042] FIG. 12 is a fifth alternate embodiment shown in a sectional view similar to FIG. 2 that would be taken along lines 2-2 from FIG. 1.

[0043] FIG. 13 is a rear view of the label of the fifth alternate embodiment of the present invention, corresponding to FIG. 12.

[0044] FIG. 14 is a front view of a laser dual-web form label combination sheet.

[0045] FIG. 15 is a partial sectional view of FIG. 14.

[0046] FIG. 16 is a rear view of the label of the sixth alternate embodiment of the present invention, corresponding to FIG. 17.

[0047] FIG. 17 is a sixth alternate embodiment shown in a sectional view similar to FIG. 2 that would be taken along lines 2-2 from FIG. 1.

[0048] FIG. 18 is a seventh alternate embodiment shown in a sectional view similar to FIG. 2 that would be taken along lines 2-2 from FIG. 1.

[0049] FIG. 19 is a rear view of the label of the seventh alternate embodiment of the present invention corresponding to FIG. 18.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0050] Referring to FIG. 1 is a cylindrical medicinal container 10 with the label of the present invention. Container 11 is a vial for containing medication such as pills and tablets dispensed by a pharmacist or other dispenser of such medicines. Container 11 includes a removable closure in the form of a cap 12 which is attached in ways known in the art.

[0051] A prescription label 13 is attached to container 11 and contains printed thereon typical information about the patient and medicine. Label 13 is wrapped around container 11, preferably along the length of label 13. A typical label in the prior art is 3/inches wide and 2 inches high. The label of the present invention is 8 inches wide and 2 inches high, providing additional label area to display printed information. The additional label area is created by an informational tab 14, that projects radially from the container 11.

[0052] Label 13 has a first portion 15, a second portion 16 and a third portion 17. In the preferred embodiment, portion 15 is three and one quarter inches (3) wide and two (2) inches in height. Portion 16 is two inches nine sixteenth's (2 9/16) inches wide by two (2) inches in height. Portion 17 is two inches nine sixteenth's (2 9/16) inches wide by two (2) inches in height.

[0053] A typical prescription label as presently known in the art, is printed on a laser dual-web form label combination sheet 18 that joins two materials together, the label portion and the paper portion 19. When joined together form an 8 inch by 11 or 8 by 14 inch sheet. At the top of this sheet, as shown in FIG. 14 is the label 13. This blank label 13 includes a face sheet 21, an adhesive 22 and a backing sheet liner 23.

[0054] Typically the material of face sheet 21 is for example 50 pound bond paper material. Backing sheet liner 23 is of 50 pound silicon lined or other material backing sheet liner. Adhesive 22 is between face sheet 21 and silicon liner 23. Adhesive 22 remains attached to the back of face sheet 21. The present label sheet as described is eight and three eighths (8) inches wide with a one sixteenth ( 1/16) inch margin on both sides. In the present invention, vertical scoring lines 24 and 25 are front scored on the front of face sheet 21. Referring to FIG. 14, area 26 is a three sixteenth ( 3/16) inch overlap of pressure sensitive and bond materials joined by a glue line, known in the art.

[0055] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, it can be seen that the circumferential width of first portion 15 is slightly less than the entire circumference of container 11 and thus a gap 27 is created between first end 28 of first portion 15 and second end 29 of first portion 15. Gap 27 defines at least a circumferential portion of container 11 without a portion of label 13 attached thereto. Depending on the size of container 11, the circumference of each container may vary. Thus gap 27 will vary based on the size of the container. It is preferable that the first portion 15 of continuous label 13 not overlap itself, so that first end 28 is not overlapped by second end 29, which would either obliterate a portion of the face of first portion 15 or otherwise make it inoperable.

[0056] Between first portion 15 and second portion 16 is a vertical score 24 substantially parallel to second end 29. It is preferred that score 24 and second end 29 are the same line. Likewise second portion 16 includes a second portion first end 30, which may be the same as second end 29 and a second portion second end 31.

[0057] A second vertical score line 25 is between second end 31 and third portion first end 32. Third portion second end 33 is at the end of third portion 17. Label 13 has a first end 34 and a terminal end or second end 35.

[0058] A preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, where, first portion 15 is adhesively attached along a circumferential portion of container 11. Score line 24, allows for a fold of label 13 such that second portion 16 extends radially from container 11. Third portion 17 folds back at score line 25 onto second portion 16. Third portion 17 can be adhesively attached to second portion 16. In this embodiment, and referring to FIG. 7, the back liner 23 of first portion 15 will have been removed to expose adhesive 22, such that portion 15 will adhere to container 11. The back liner 23 portion of second portion 16 will remain in place, providing stiffness to second portion 16 and to tab 14. In addition, when back liner 23 remains on second portion 16, at score 24, an accurate line and fold is created between first portion 15 and second portion 16, so that the only portion of label 13 in the vicinity of score 24 that adheres to container 11 is first portion 15. This allows for easy application of label 13 to container 11 by the pharmacist or applicator, such that attention need not be directed to where the fold at score 24 will occur on label 13, since in the vicinity of score 24 no part of second portion 16 will adhere to container 11 when said back liner 23 remains attached to second portion 16.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 7 back liner 23 portion of third portion 17 extends a portion of said third portion 17 from first end 32 to an intermediate distance 36 between the ends of third portion 17. The remaining portion of back liner 23 attached to third portion 17 provides stiffness to this said third portion 17 and to Tab 14. This exposes a portion of adhesive 22 on the back of third portion 17. This adhesive portion attaches third portion 17 to the back liner 23 of second portion 16 as shown in FIG. 2. This creates information tab 14 appearing to have information on both sides of said tab 14. This arrangement displays information on both sides of tab 14 even though the printing of said information is printed on only the face sheet 21, the front side of label 13. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 6, the information displayed in the panel of first portion 15 is displayed circumferentially on container 11, the information displayed in the panel of second portion 16 is displayed on a first side of tab 14, and the information displayed in the panel of third portion 17 is displayed on a second side of tab 14 (best seen in FIG. 2).

[0060] The embodiment shown in FIG. 4 is similar to the embodiment described and shown in FIG. 2, however the adhesive 22 of third portion 17 is attached to container 11 preferably within gap 27. The back view of label 13 for this embodiment is also as shown in FIG. 7.

[0061] The embodiment shown in FIG. 3 corresponds to the back view of label 13 shown in FIG. 8. In this embodiment, back liner 23 remains intact on second portion 16 and third portion 17. This provides stiffness to information tab 14. In this embodiment, writing only appears on one side of information tab 14. Depending on the manufacture of the label portion 20 of dual web form 18, score 25 may be omitted. In this embodiment, second portion 16 and third portion 17 may be considered to merge as a single second portion 16.

[0062] The embodiment shown in FIG. 5 corresponds to the back view of label 13 shown in FIG. 9. In this embodiment, back liner 23 has been removed from the entire portion of label 13. Score lines 24 and 25 remain intact on label 13. A Third portion 17 is folded back onto second portion 16 forming information tab 14. An element of stiffness is achieved by the attachment of second portion 16 to third portion 17. As shown in FIG. 5, and discussed above, information appears on both sides of tab 14 though printing has been on only one side of label 13.

[0063] In use, after the pharmacist or technician enters the prescribed medication for the patient into the pharmacist's system, a label 13, on a label sheet such as dual web form 18 or by other label means outside the scope of this invention, is generated by a printer. The label 13 is printed on one side, on the front of face sheet 21. During printing the back liner 23 with a silicone covering remains on label 13 by adhesive 22. After printing, label 13 is applied to container 11. First, a portion of removable back liner 23, corresponding to first portion 15, is peeled off label 13, exposing adhesive 22 corresponding to first portion 15. In this preferred embodiment, during the manufacture of the label portion of form 18, back liner 23 is rear cut at vertical score line 24 and at an intermediate distance 36, additional back cuts are horizontally at top and bottom between 24 and 36 to first allow the removal of liner 23 from the rear of first portion 15, while leaving back liner 23 on second portion 16 and third portion 17. During the manufacture of said form 18 a rear score is made at score 25 to enable third portion 17 to fold easily back onto second portion 16. Though outside the scope of this invention, as known in the art, additional front cuts would be made around edge borders of label 13.

[0064] First portion 15 is applied circumferentially around an on to container 11 so that first portion 15 adheres to container 11. Since back liner 23 remains on second portion 16, no part of second portion 16 in the vicinity of score 24 will adhere to container 11, thus creating a substantially straight and even fold line between portion 15 and portion 16. Portion 16 will extend radially from container 11 and portion 17 will fold at score 25 back onto portion 16. Prior to folding portion 17 onto portion 16, the liner 23 will be removed at intermediate distance 36 to the end 35 of label 13 so that the exposed adhesive 22 of portion 17 will adhere to back liner 23 of portion 16.

[0065] The alternative embodiments in FIGS. 11 and 10 and FIGS. 13 and 12, show alternate ways of folding third portion 17 back on second portion 16. FIG. 13 shows second portion 16 with back liner 23 in place as heretofore described. FIG. 11 shows third portion 17 with back liner 23 in place. In this embodiment, in order to allow the fold at score 24 to be even and to have first portion 15 fold even on said score 24, third portion 17 is folded onto second portion 16 prior to completing the application of first portion 15 to container 11.

[0066] FIG. 18 shows another alternate embodiment where no parts of the entire label 13 connect to one another. Further, there are two informational tabs 14 and 14 prime, each extending radially from the container 11. As seen in FIG. 19 the arrangement of the back liner 23 is, that back liner appears once one first portion 15 and third portion 17 and second portion 16 would have the liner 23 removed exposing adhesive 22. In this embodiment portion 15 and portion 17 can be equal in size though it is not necessary.

[0067] FIGS. 16 and 17 show alternative embodiment having a sliver 50 which is a relatively thin vertical portion of back liner 23 in the vicinity of score 24. Sliver 50 will act as a stop guide when applying first portion 15 to container 11, when the back liner 23 is removed from second portion 16. Sliver 50 would be back-cut 2 vertically 2 horizontally, in liner 23 during manufacture of the label sheet 18.

[0068] In the alternative embodiments described herein, similar steps are taken to attach first portion 15 to container 11, and third portion 17 to second portion 16, where applicable.

[0069] Referring to FIG. 6, standard information would be included on first label portion 15 as generally known in the prior art. FIG. 6 also includes additional information not previously known, namely a pair of clocks, clock 37 and clock 38 shown in an icon-type format to indicate times of day when the medicine should be taken. Additionally clocks can also be used to show additional times during the day to take the medication.

[0070] Clocks 37 and 38 include an exterior circle 39, an indication within said circle 39 to indicate am or pm. Also within each circle will be a specific number 40 to show the hour the medicine is to be taken, where said number 40 appears within the circle 39 at a relative corresponding location to the location of that time on a clock. The clocks in FIG. 6 are 12 hour clocks.

[0071] It is intended as shown in FIG. 6 that second portion 16 contains information from the manufacturer's database about the dispensed medicine. This information appearing on the information tab 14 would be provided by the manufacturer and would be automatically printed on label 13 based on the pharmacist's identification of the medicine when the pharmacist enters said identification into the pharmacist's computer system. The information on tab 14 is provided directly by the manufacturer or other information source so that the consumer (patient) can verify the information on label 13 to identify and compare said information with the medicine actually contained within container 11.

[0072] This information will include photographs or images of the dispensed medicine tablet for a visual comparison by the patient as well as the pharmacist and those working with the pharmacist. Typically, this photograph would be a first side view 41 and a second side view 42 of the image of the medicine. Other information may include, the NDCF numerical code 43, the product description (legal name) 44, the brand name of the medicine 45, the logo on the medicine 46, the color of the prescribed medicine 47, the shape of the prescribed medicine 48, and the brand name and the dosage amount or quantity of each tablet 49.

[0073] Additional information may include instructions from the manufacturer regarding how the consumer should consume the prescribed medicine which information would be included in one or more blocks contained on label 13.

[0074] The information on label 13 may be provided directly by the manufacturer so that the consumer (patient) can visually verify the physical attributes of the medicine received to the manufacturer's physical description of the attributes of the prescribed medicine by comparing the information on the container label with the actual prescribed medicine.

[0075] In another embodiment of the present invention, a first label may be placed on the medicinal container from the pharmaceutical manufacturer, and the first label includes primarily information about the medication, including the name of the medication, the dosage, any appropriate warnings, instructions for use, and any other information that is related to the medication itself. The first label is typically a traditional pre-printed label, which is completely adhered to the medicinal container, but which may or may not encompass the entire circumference of the bottle. In this configuration, a portion of the medicinal container is left uncovered, so that a second label having a tab in accordance with the present invention may be attached thereto, along with the first label. The second label may include any appropriate information, and preferably includes patient-specific information, including the patient's name, doctor's name, additional instructions and warnings, prescription fill date, expiration date, a description and/or picture of the medication, the prescription number, the pharmacy where the prescription was filled, and any other suitable or appropriate information. The second label includes a first portion that adheres to the medicinal container, and the first portion encompasses significantly less than the entire circumference of the bottle, in order to provide space for the first label. The first and second labels preferably do not overlap. The second and third portions of the second label are folded back onto one another to form an information tab, as discussed in detail with respect to other embodiments described herein. In a preferred embodiment, the distal end of the third portion is positioned adjacent a border or boundary between the first portion and the second portion of the second label, when the information tab has been formed. In this way, the second and third portions of the second label have generally the same size and shape, and fit together in back-to-back fashion, as discussed hereinabove. Information may be printed on the first portion, the second portion, and/or the third portion, as desired. As described above, the second label in this embodiment may include scores and/or fold lines between the portions, as desired, and the backing on the second labels may also include such scores and/or fold lines.

[0076] Although the extended tab labels and medicinal containers of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to particular embodiments and dimensions, the embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and do not limit the invention. It is to be appreciated that those skilled in the art can change or modify the embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. It is to be understood that the inventive concept is not to be considered limited to the constructions and dimensions disclosed herein.

[0077] The terms used in the present application are merely used to describe particular embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present invention. An expression used in the singular encompasses the expression of the plural, unless it has a clearly different meaning in the context. In the present application, it is to be understood that the terms such as including or having, etc., are intended to indicate the existence of the features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof disclosed in the specification, and are not intended to preclude the possibility that one or more other features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof may exist or may be added.