Device for pharmacy prescription shelf use to store medications and information related to the medications

Abstract

The present invention is a device or system for providing printed medication-specific informational and promotional materials to patients or customers in conjunction with filling a prescription medication. The device or system of the present invention is designed to make efficient use of a pharmacy prescription shelf. A container tray is formed with forward recesses to hold medication supply containers. The forward recesses are preferably molded to specifically receive medication supply containers. The tray is also formed with a rearward recess to hold an upright sleeve containing informational material comprising information related to the medication in the supply container. The tray and sleeve construction permits the pharmacist to readily identify and access the medication supply container and simultaneously view and access the informational materials.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention generally relates to devices and systems configured to hold goods, articles, or materials, and particularly devices and systems in which goods, articles, or materials are displayed or arranged to facilitate use or storage. More specifically, the present invention relates to containers for two or more diverse articles or materials, wherein at least one of the contents is a sheet bearing indicia, a card, or a pamphlet. The present invention also relates to tray-type containers for supporting diverse cooperatively useful articles in two or more specifically contoured cells. [0003] 2. Background of the Invention [0004] Generally, when a pharmacist or pharmacy staff member fills a prescription, the prescribed medication is manually dispensed from a supply container, such as a bottle or box. A pharmacist or a pharmacy staff member removes the supply container from a pharmacy shelf, dispenses the medi...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008] It is an object of the present invention to provide a device or system for storing information sheets and promotional material in conjunction with storing a particular medication, where the pharmacist and pharmacy staff can conveniently retrieve them while filling a prescription. This unique combination resolves the objection pharmacists have to storing informational materials on the pharmacy shelf, thereby displacing product, since the material is combined with product storage. It is also an object of the present invention to provide an information storage device or system as aforesaid that makes efficient use of existing space on the pharmacy shelf.

[0010] A container tray according to the present invention is disposed on a pharmacy prescription shelf, preferably adjacent to the shelf edge. The container tray is formed with forward recesses to hold medication supply containers. The forward recesses are preferably molded to specifically receive medication supply containers of a specific shape and size. Significantly, the container tray is also formed with a rearward recess to hold an upright sleeve or box containing removable brochures or other printed information about the medication in the medication supply container. The sleeve may also hold removable brochures related to promotions by the pharmaceutical company that produced the medication in the medication supply container. The tray and sleeve construction permits the pharmacist to identify and access the medication in the supply container and simultaneously view and access the pamphlets.

[0011] The pharmacist who fills the prescription first removes the supply container from the tray, dispenses the medication into a prescription bottle or container, replaces the medication storage container in the tray, removes a brochure from the sleeve, and simultaneously gives both the prescription bottle and the information sheet or brochure to the patient or customer, for example, in a bag. As an advantage, the system of the present invention reduces the problem of lost, misplaced, or discarded information sheets, which is a perennial problem in the restricted space behind the pharmacy prescription counter, and helps the pharmacist and pharmacy staff to remember to distribute information with the prescription.

Problems solved by technology

However, the pharmacist and the pharmacy staff are mostly too busy to provide the required prescription information, particularly by speaking directly to the patients or customers.

However, there are two problems the pharmacist has with these additional materials: 1) There is no room behind most pharmacy counters to store informational materials, and no system for doing so, and 2) being pressed for time in having to fill numerous prescriptions, the pharmacist and pharmacy staff are often unable to spend the time necessary to locate the appropriate printed information sheets, pamphlets, or brochures if stored somewhere else.

Again, there is no room for storage of such materials behind the pharmacy counter, and the pharmacist and pharmacy staff are unable to spend the time necessary to locate the appropriate promotional material if stored elsewhere since the pharmacist and pharmacy staff are, as previously stated, pressed for time in having to fill numerous prescriptions.

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