MULTIPLE MEDICATION PACKAGE

Abstract

A convenient package containing multiple prescription medications in pill form is provided herein. The package has the medication arranged in a convenient format for ease of patient use. In one embodiment, the package comprises a lower tray having receptacles for the two medications arranged in a predetermined divided pattern. In another embodiment, for each medication, the prescribed number of pills per day may be grouped together and the total medication divided into a period of use (e.g., days). The lower tray is generally covered by a thin film that may be broken through by the patient when access to a particular pill is desired. The package may be perforated to allow used portions to be separated from the unused portion and discarded. The package allows for a single prescription to be written covering at least two separate medications laid out in a single package.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/745,885, entitled “MULTIPLE MEDICATION PACKAGE,” filed Apr. 28, 2006, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. This application also claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/747,949, entitled “MULTIPLE MEDICATION PACKAGE,” filed May 23, 2006, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to packaging for medication. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention relate to the packaging of multiple prescribed medications for treating a given medical condition.

2. Description of the Related Art

Treatment for certain medical conditions, for example, urinary tract infections or sinus infections, typically include a prescription for an antibiotic or other bactericide to treat the bacteria causing the infection. In addition, an analgesic, or painkiller, is often prescribed to help comfort the patient from the pain that typically accompanies the infection. However, due to the nature of the infection, the sensation of pain is often a preferred way to determine whether or not the infection is satisfactorily healing. Accordingly, the prescription for the analgesic is generally for a period of time less than the treatment period for the antibiotic or bactericide. As such, a doctor must write two separate prescriptions, and the patient must fill both prescriptions and take medication from two separate packages, typically having differing treatment dosages over differing periods of time. This process may be burdensome to the patient and increases the likelihood of patient confusion, misplacement of at least one of the medications, or disincentive for the patient to follow the prescribed course of medication.

Therefore, a need exists for a medication packaging that facilitates ease of prescribing and taking medication for the treatment of medical conditions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention provide a convenient package containing multiple prescription medications in pill form. In one embodiment, a medication package comprises a base having a plurality of receptacles for storing medication in pill form, a cover affixed to the base for sealing the receptacles, a first portion having a first medication, arranged by a first dosage over a first period of time, and a second portion having a second medication, arranged by a second dosage over a second period of time.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a medication package comprises a base having a plurality of receptacles for storing medication in pill form, arranged in a first portion having a first medication, and a second portion having a second medication, a cover affixed to the base for sealing the receptacles, the first portion having rows, whereby each row represents a first period of time, and the second portion having rows, whereby each row represents a second period of time, wherein the first portion and second portion are separated by a perforated seam, and wherein the rows of the first portion and second portion are individually separated by a perforated seam.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

So the manner in which the above recited features of the present invention can be understood in detail, a more particular description of embodiments of the present invention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to embodiments, several of which are illustrated in the appended drawing. It is to be noted, however, the appended drawing illustrates only typical embodiments of embodiments encompassed within the scope of the present invention, and, therefore, are not to be considered limiting, for the present invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments, wherein:

FIG. 1 depicts a medication package in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

The headings used herein are for organizational purposes only and are not meant to be used to limit the scope of the description or the claims. As used throughout this application, the word “may” is used in a permissive sense (i.e., meaning having the potential to), rather than the mandatory sense (i.e., meaning must). Similarly, the words “include”, “including”, and “includes” mean including but not limited to.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present invention provide a convenient package containing at least a prescription medication in pill form. The package generally provides medication arranged in a convenient format for ease of patient use. In one embodiment, the package advantageously allows for a single prescription to be written covering two separate medications laid out in a single package. In additional embodiments, the package conveniently allows dispensing of the medication to the patient without having to worry about multiple packages.

FIG. 1 depicts a medication package 100 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The medication package 100 typically comprises a base, or tray (not shown) and a cover 101. The tray includes pockets or receptacles 110 for positioning and holding individual pills of the prescribed medication. The tray is fabricated from a flexible material to allow an end-user to deform the tray by pressing on the bottom of the receptacle 110 to break through the cover 101 and remove the pill from the package 100. In one embodiment, the tray comprises a polymer blend.

The cover 101 is affixed to a top surface of the tray to seal the medication contained therein. The cover 101 is typically made of a material suitable for allowing a pill to breakthrough the cover 101 when pressure is applied from beneath by the end-user to remove the pill. For example, in one embodiment, the cover 101 may be a thin foil, plastic, or paper material, or any combination thereof. The cover 101 may optionally be coated on the side facing the tray to facilitate maintaining a sterile environment for the pill or medication contained within the package 100. The cover 101 may optionally be coated on the side facing the user to facilitate printing information on the outside or upper surface of the cover 101, such as the medication name, dosage information, and/or any other desired text.

In one embodiment, depicted in FIG. 1, the package 100 includes a first portion 102 and a second portion 104. The first portion 102 contains a first medication (e.g., MEDICATION A), and the second portion 104 contains a second medication (e.g., MEDICATION B). The first and second medications may be any medications suitable for embodiments of the present invention.

Within each portion 102, 104, the medications may be further split by dosage over a period of time. For example, in the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1, the medication is within each portion 102, 104, is arranged in rows 106 by day (e.g., day 1, day 2, . . . , day 10). Embodiments of the present invention provide the medication within each portion may be arranged in other manner depending upon the dosage and the period of time for which the patient must take the medication.

The package 100 may further be perforated, illustratively depicted in FIG. 1 as dashed line 108, to separate the portions 102, 104 of the package 100. Optionally, a perforation may further be provided between the rows 106 to allow the end-user to remove and discard used portions of the packaging to conveniently reduce its size.

In one embodiment, the medication package 100 may contain medications for treating infections. For example, the medication provided in the first portion 102 may be an antibiotic or bactericide and the medication provided in the second portion 104 may be an analgesic. In one embodiment, the antibiotic or bactericide is nitrofurantoin, typically prescribed to treat urinary tract infections. For example, nitrofurantoin may be provided in a 100 mg dose to be taken twice a day for 10 days. In one embodiment, the analgesic is phenazopyridine.

In one embodiment, phenazopyridine is provided in a 200 mg dose to be taken three times a day for three days. In this embodiment, the nitrofurantoin treats a urinary tract infection while the analgesic phenazopyridine provides comfort to the patient for the first three days. The analgesic ends prior to the bactericide or antibiotic to allow the patient to sense any pain or discomfort in the infected area in order to assist in determining whether the infection is being effectively treated. As is understood by embodiments of the present invention, other dosages, combinations of medications, and treatment periods may be utilized as well, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Embodiments of the present invention provide additional benefits where a single dosage pill contains multiple components to treat multiple symptoms. For example, in several embodiments, a first medication is provided to treat a first set of symptoms and a second medication may be provided to treat a second set of symptoms.

In one embodiment, the first medication may be a combination of an antitussive, a decongestant, and an expectorant. In one embodiment, the antitussive may be dextromethorphan (dextromethorphan hydrobromide). In one embodiment, the decongestant may be phenylephrine (phenylephrine hydrochloride). In one embodiment, the expectorant may be guaifenesin. In one embodiment, the antitussive, decongestant, and expectorant pill may be provided in a 595 mg dose comprising approximately 25 mg dextromethorphan hydrobromide, approximately 20 mg phenylephrine hydrochloride, and approximately 550 mg guaifenesin to be taken twice a day for ten days.

In such an embodiment, the second medication may be a combination of acetaminophen and phenyltoloxamine. Acetaminophen is an analgesic, or pain reliever, and phenyltoloxamine is an antihistamine. In one embodiment, combined acetaminophen and phenyltoloxamine may be provided in 800 mg doses, to be taken three times a day for three days. In this embodiment, the first medication provides relief from sinus congestion and coughing, and further prevents sneezing, itchy/watery eyes and nose; and other symptoms of allergies. The second medication provides comfort to the patient, via pain relief, for the first three days. The analgesic ends prior to the medication to allow the patient to sense any pain or discomfort in order to assist in determining whether the infection or other root cause of the symptoms is healing.

In many embodiments of the present invention, the medications are typically provided via two separate prescriptions. Thus, utilizing embodiments of the present invention, a doctor may write a single prescription to dispense both medications to a patient with one prescription. Furthermore, the patient only has to fill one prescription and keep track of one medication package, as the medication is presented to the patient in a convenient-to-use package.

While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof. Specifically, embodiments of the present invention are further scalable to allow for additional clients and servers, as particular applications may require.

Claims

1. A medication package comprising:

a base having a plurality of receptacles for storing medication in pill form;

a cover affixed to the base for sealing the receptacles;

a first portion having a first medication, arranged by a first dosage over a first period of time; and

a second portion having a second medication, arranged by a second dosage over a second period of time.

2. The medication package of claim 1, wherein the first portion and second portion are separated by a perforated seam.

3. The medication package of claim 1, wherein the first portion and second portion are further arranged by rows; and

wherein each row of the first portion and second portion represents a different day.

4. The medication package of claim 3, wherein each row of the first portion is separated by a perforated seam; and

wherein each row of the second portion is separated by a perforated seam.

5. The medication package of claim 1, wherein the first medication is an antibiotic; and

wherein the second medication is an analgesic.

6. The medication package of claim 5, wherein the antibiotic is nitrofurantoin; and

wherein the analgesic is phenazopyridine.

7. The medication package of claim 6, wherein nitrofurantoin is provided in 100 mg doses to be taken twice a day for ten days; and

wherein phenazopyridine is provided in 200 mg doses to be taken three times a day for three days.

8. The medication package of claim 1, wherein the first medication is a combination of an antitussive, a decongestant, and an expectorant; and

wherein the second medication is a combination of an analgesic and an antihistamine.

9. The medication package of claim 8, wherein the first medication is a combination of dextromethorphan, phenylephrine, and guaifenesin; and

wherein the second medication is a combination of acetaminophen and phenyltoloxamine.

10. The medication package of claim 9, wherein the first medication is provided in about 595 mg doses comprising about 25 mg dextromethorphan, about 20 mg phenylephrine, and about 550 mg guaifenesin, to be taken twice a day for ten days; and

wherein the second medication is provided in about 800 mg doses, to be taken three times a day for three days.

11. A medication package comprising:

a base having a plurality of receptacles for storing medication in pill form, arranged in a first portion having a first medication, and a second portion having a second medication;

a cover affixed to the base for sealing the receptacles;

the first portion having rows, whereby each row represents a first period of time; and

the second portion having rows, whereby each row represents a second period of time;

wherein the first portion and second portion are separated by a perforated seam; and

wherein the rows of the first portion and second portion are individually separated by a perforated seam.

12. The medication package of claim 11, wherein the first medication is nitrofurantoin; and

wherein the second medication is phenazopyridine.

13. The medication package of claim 12, wherein nitrofurantoin is provided in 100 mg doses to be taken twice a day for ten days; and

wherein phenazopyridine is provided in 200 mg doses to be taken three times a day for three days.

14. The medication package of claim 11, wherein the first medication is a combination of dextromethorphan, phenylephrine, and guaifenesin; and

wherein the second medication is a combination of acetaminophen and phenyltoloxamine.

15. The medication package of claim 14, wherein the first medication is provided in about 595 mg doses comprising about 25 mg dextromethorphan, about 20 mg phenylephrine, and about 550 mg guaifenesin, to be taken twice a day for ten days; and

wherein the second medication is provided in about 800 mg doses, to be taken three times a day for three days.

16. A medication package comprising:

a base having a plurality of receptacles for storing medication in pill form;

a cover affixed to the base for sealing the receptacles;

wherein the base comprises a first portion having an antibiotic medication arranged by a first dosage over a first period of time; and

wherein the base comprises a second portion having an analgesic medication arranged by a first dosage over a second period of time.

17. The medication package of claim 16, wherein the antibiotic is nitrofurantoin provided in 100 mg doses to be taken twice a day for ten days; and

wherein the analgesic is phenazopyridine provided in 200 mg doses to be taken three times a day for three days.

18. A medication package comprising:

a base having a plurality of receptacles for storing medication in pill form;

a cover affixed to the base for sealing the receptacles;

wherein the base comprises a first portion having a medication combination of an antitussive, a decongestant, and an expectorant arranged by a first dosage over a first period of time; and

wherein the base comprises a second portion having a medication combination of an analgesic and an antihistamine arranged by a first dosage over a second period of time.

19. The medication package of claim 18, wherein the medication combination of an antitussive, a decongestant, and an expectorant is a combination of dextromethorphan, phenylephrine, and guaifenesin, provided in about 595 mg doses comprising about 25 mg dextromethorphan, about 20 mg phenylephrine, and about 550 mg guaifenesin, to be taken twice a day for ten days; and

wherein the medication combination of an analgesic and an antihistamine is a combination of acetaminophen and phenyltoloxamine, provided in about 800 mg doses, to be taken three times a day for three days.