Container with fill gauge
AssigneeExpress Scripts Strategic Development, Inc.
InventorsStanley Joe Johnson, Christopher M. Myers
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A container to hold contents therein is described with a gauge to indicate the level of contents in the container. The container can be a prescription container to store capsules, tablets, pills and the like. A label is affixed outside the container and is substantially opaque such that the interior is not visible through the label. The label including a vertical, transparent viewing window to see past the label, through the container wall to view the contents therein. The label includes indicia and indicators adjacent the window to indicate a time remaining for the supply of contents in the container or other characteristics of the contents. The time remaining can be calculated by the container volume and characteristics of the contents.
Claims17
A prescription container, comprising:
- a bottom;
- a wall extending upwardly from the bottom, the wall being substantially transparent and forming an open top, the wall and the bottom forming an open interior configured to receive a supply of dry contents, the open top being configured to receive a closure thereon;
- a label affixed to the wall and being substantially opaque such that the interior is not visible through the label, the label including a viewing window that is vertically oriented and transparent;
- and
- indicia on the label adjacent the viewing window to indicate a level of the dry contents in the interior after the dry contents are received in the interior, wherein positions of the indicia on the label adjacent the viewing window are based on a volume of the interior and one or more characteristics of the dry contents in the interior, the one or more characteristics including at least one of a size of an individual unit of the dry contents, a stacking characteristic of the dry contents, a shape of the dry contents, or a combination thereof, wherein at least one of the indicia is a renew reminder positioned on the label in a location associated with a time period remaining before a refill of the dry contents is needed for a patient consuming the dry contents, the location of the renew reminder based on one or more of whether the patient has one or more remaining refills on a prescription for the dry contents, a first projected time period needed to deliver the refill of the dry contents to the patient, a second projected time period needed to renew the prescription for the dry contents, a first history of the patient timely refilling the prescription for the dry contents, a second history of a prescriber of the prescription timely renewing the prescription, or a supply constraint on obtaining the refill of the dry contents.
A plurality of prescription containers, a first prescription container of the plurality of prescription containers comprising:
- a first bottom;
- a first wall upwardly extending from the first bottom and forming a first open top, the first wall and the first bottom partially enclosing a first interior configured to receive a first supply of pills, the first open top configured to receive a first closure thereon;
- and
- a first label affixed to the first wall and including indicia indicating different levels of the pills in the first interior after the pills are received in the first interior, wherein positions of the indicia on the first label are based on at least one of a volume of the first interior, a number of prescribed dosages of the pills remaining in the first interior, a size of an individual pill of the pills, a stacking characteristic of the pills, a shape of the individual pill, whether a patient has one or more remaining refills on a prescription for the pills, a first projected time period needed to deliver the refill of the pills to the patient, a second projected time period needed to renew the prescription for the pills, or a supply constraint on obtaining the refill of the pills.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.