Pharmaceutical Container

Abstract

A pharmaceutical container including a bottle having a bottom wall and side walls. A ridge proximate to the bottom wall projects from an interior surface of at least one of the side walls, to facilitate nested stacking of a plurality of bottles. One or more of the side walls includes a cover locking receptacle proximate to the top end of the side wall. The pharmaceutical container also includes a cover including a sliding lid contained in a cover housing. The cover housing has a top wall, which includes an opening, and cover side walls. A bottle locking lug projects from the exterior surface of at least one of the cover side walls. This bottle locking lug is adapted to engage the cover locking receptacle of the bottle.

1 . A pharmaceutical container comprising:
 a tapered rectangular bottle comprising a bottom wall and side walls including a first side wall and a second side wall, each of the side walls having a top end and a bottom end, wherein the bottom end is connected to the bottom wall, said bottle including a first cover locking receptacle proximate to the top end of the first side wall, and a second cover locking receptacle proximate to the top end of the second side wall, wherein a ridge proximate to the bottom wall projects from an interior surface of at least one of the side walls; and   a cover having a sliding lid contained in a cover housing, said cover housing having a top wall and four cover side walls including a first cover side wall and a second cover side wall, said top wall including an opening, wherein a first bottle locking lug projects from an exterior surface of the first cover side wall, said first bottle locking lug adapted to engage the first cover locking receptacle of the bottle, and wherein a second bottle locking lug projects from an exterior surface of a second cover side wall, said second bottle locking lug adapted to engage the second cover locking receptacle,   wherein a first lid retainer and a second lid retainer, and a first locking lug and a second lid locking lug, project from interior surfaces of two cover side walls of the four cover side walls, said first and second lid retainers engaging the sliding lid such that the sliding lid is slidably mounted in the cover housing,   wherein the sliding lid is adapted to slide between an open position and a closed position, and   wherein the sliding lid includes four side edges including a first side edge and a second side edge, said first side edge including a first groove adapted to engage the first lid locking lug, and said second side edge including a second groove adapted to engage the second lid locking lug.   
     
     
         2 . The pharmaceutical container of  claim 1 , wherein the sliding lid includes a third groove adapted to engage the first lid locking lug, and a fourth groove adapted to engage the second lid locking lug. 
     
     
         3 . The pharmaceutical container of  claim 1 , wherein a third lid retainer and a fourth lid retainer project from interior surfaces of the two cover side walls of the four cover side walls, said third and fourth lid retainers engaging the sliding lid such that the sliding lid is slidably mounted in the cover housing. 
     
     
         4 . The pharmaceutical container of  claim 1 , wherein the sliding lid covers the opening of the top wall of the cover housing when the sliding lid is in the closed position. 
     
     
         5 . The pharmaceutical container of  claim 1 , wherein a plurality of ridges proximate to the bottom wall project from the interior surface of at least one of the side walls of the bottle. 
     
     
         6 . The pharmaceutical container of  claim 1 , wherein a label having two end portions and an intermediate bridge portion is affixed to the bottle, such that each of the two end portions is affixed to one of the side walls, and the intermediate bridge portion is affixed to the top wall of the cover housing. 
     
     
         7 . The pharmaceutical container of  claim 1 , said side walls of the bottle including a third side wall and a fourth side wall, wherein said bottle includes a third cover locking receptacle proximate to the top end of the third side wall, and a fourth cover locking receptacle proximate to the top end of the fourth side wall. 
     
     
         8 . The pharmaceutical container of  claim 7 , said four cover side walls including a third cover side wall and a fourth cover side wall, wherein a third bottle locking lug projects from an exterior surface of the third cover side wall, said third bottle locking lug adapted to engage the third cover locking receptacle of the bottle, and wherein a fourth bottle locking lug projects from an exterior surface of the fourth cover side wall, said fourth bottle locking lug adapted to engage the fourth cover locking receptacle of the bottle. 
     
     
         9 . The pharmaceutical container of  claim 1 , wherein the sliding lid comprises a recess adapted to engage the thumb of a user. 
     
     
         10 . The pharmaceutical container of  claim 1 , further comprising a living hinge connecting the cover to the bottle. 
     
     
         11 . An array of pharmaceutical containers comprising:
 a plurality of tapered rectangular bottles, each bottle comprising a bottom wall and side walls including a first side wall and a second side wall, each of the side walls having a top end and a bottom end, wherein the bottom end is connected to the bottom wall, said bottle including a first cover locking receptacle proximate to the top end of the first side wall, and a second cover locking receptacle proximate to the top end of the second side wall, wherein a ridge proximate to the bottom wall projects from an interior surface of at least one of the side walls; and   a plurality of covers, each cover having a sliding lid contained in a cover housing, said cover housing having a top wall and four cover side walls including a first cover side wall and a second cover side wall, said top wall including an opening, wherein a first bottle locking lug projects from an exterior surface of the first cover side wall, said first bottle locking lug adapted to engage the first cover locking receptacle of the bottle, and wherein a second bottle locking lug projects from an exterior surface of a second cover side wall, said second bottle locking lug adapted to engage the second cover locking receptacle,   wherein a first lid retainer and a second lid retainer, and a first locking lug and a second lid locking lug, project from interior surfaces of two cover side walls of the four cover side walls, said first and second lid retainers engaging the sliding lid such that the sliding lid is slidably mounted in the cover housing,   wherein the sliding lid is adapted to slide between an open position and a closed position, and   wherein the sliding lid includes four side edges including a first side edge and a second side edge, said first side edge including a first groove adapted to engage the first lid locking lug, and said second side edge including a second groove adapted to engage the second lid locking lug; and   wherein the plurality of bottles are nested, such that the bottom wall of a first bottle of the plurality of bottles contacts a top edge of the ridge proximate to the bottom wall of a second bottle of the plurality of bottles.   
     
     
         12 . The array of  claim 11 , wherein the sliding lid of each cover of the plurality of covers includes a third groove adapted to engage the first lid locking lug, and a fourth groove adapted to engage the second lid locking lug. 
     
     
         13 . The array of  claim 11 , wherein a third lid retainer and a fourth lid retainer project from interior surfaces of the two cover side walls of the four cover side walls, said third and fourth lid retainers engaging the sliding lid such that the sliding lid is slidably mounted in the cover housing of each cover of the plurality of covers. 
     
     
         14 . The array of  claim 11 , wherein, for each cover of the plurality of covers, the sliding lid covers the opening of the top wall of the cover housing when the sliding lid is in the closed position. 
     
     
         15 . The array of  claim 11 , wherein a plurality of ridges proximate to the bottom wall project from the interior surface of at least one of the side walls of each bottle of the plurality of bottles. 
     
     
         16 . The array of  claim 11 , further comprising a plurality of labels, each label having two end portions and an intermediate bridge portion, wherein each label is adapted to be affixed to a bottle of the plurality of bottles, such that each of the two end portions is affixed to one of the side walls, and the intermediate bridge portion is affixed to the top wall of the cover housing. 
     
     
         17 . The array of  claim 16 , said side walls of each bottle of the plurality of bottles including a third side wall and a fourth side wall, wherein the bottle includes a third cover locking receptacle proximate to the top end of the third side wall, and a fourth cover locking receptacle proximate to the top end of the fourth side wall. 
     
     
         18 . The array of  claim 17 , said four cover side walls of each bottle of the plurality of bottles including a third cover side wall and a fourth cover side wall, wherein a third bottle locking lug projects from an exterior surface of the third cover side wall, said third bottle locking lug adapted to engage the third cover locking receptacle of the bottle, and wherein a fourth bottle locking lug projects from an exterior surface of the fourth cover side wall, said fourth bottle locking lug adapted to engage the fourth cover locking receptacle of the bottle. 
     
     
         19 . The array of  claim 11 , wherein the sliding lid of each cover of the plurality of covers comprises a recess adapted to engage the thumb of a user. 
     
     
         20 . The array of  claim 11 , wherein each pharmaceutical container includes a living hinge, said living hinge connecting a cover of the plurality of covers to a bottle of the plurality of bottles.