The technical field of the present invention relates to a method of providing product information to the user. Product information comprises, in addition to the identifying base label, folded or ilat printed literature either as a removable leaflet affixed to the exterior of the package, or being placed within the package. The present invention relates to a novel way of affixing such printed literature on the medicinal and pharmaceutical product containers, although it can also be employed advantageously on containers for other products. It, particularly, relates to simplified means of affixing the printed literature on the containers.
Safety concerns and government regulations, especially concerning the packaging of chemical or pharmaceutical, have led to an increasing need to provide relatively large amounts of information, such as instructions on how the product should be used, what the product is, and safety precautions which should be followed in the use of the product. Particularly, in the case of Pharmaceuticals, it is required that the container of a particular product is properly labeled and the printed literature is easily accessible to the doctor, pharmacist or user. Conventionally, in the prior art, sheet (s) of printed literature are procured from printer, and are furnished in several ways, such as inserts, outserts, or additional leaflets. These can either be supplied within the cartons along with the product or pasted on the container using adhesives.
The oldest and most common method involves merely placing the relevant literature, within a box (referred to as "inserts") along with the container carrying the chemical or pharmaceutical. The placement of inserts within the box is expensive and a cumbersome operation to perform. Also, the additional step of placing the information inside the container leaves open greater possibility that the contents may be tampered with. Yet another shortcoming existing is the inability to gain access to the printed literature quickly and easily.
Another approach for supplying such information is through folded literature that is releasably attached to the face of the container (referred to as "outserts"). They typically accompany the product, and are affixed directly to the container along with the base label, in which the pharmaceutical product is provided. A major shortcoming of this approach is that the printed information may become detached from the container during subsequent handling. Another shortcoming is that the space available on the sheet (s) meant for printed literature is usually small to accommodate the huge amount of required information data, which compel to use smaller fonts/As a result, many times important information is misinterpreted or conveniently ignored because it is difficultly retrievable.

Yet another type is the use of printed literature affixed on the top of the cap using permanent adhesives such as hot melt adhesive or pressure sensitive adhesive. However when used on cylindrical or rectangular packages, the literature wraps around a corner and tends to pull out the adhesive bond causing tearing of the printed literature. Another disadvantage of using adhesives is that the informational materials are inconvenient to remove, and further it may tend to leave gum-residue on the container. Most of the times, adhesives have been applied in a manner which results in the formation of bubbles, striations and other imperfections in the adhesive layer that are visually discernable and aesthetically unappealing. In addition to above, application of adhesive is not only a costly affair but also require specialized techniques and apparatus.
Various attempts have been made to overcome such disadvantages; including those disclosed in Pat. Nos. U.S. Pat. No. 4,621,837, U.S. Pat. No. 4,323,608, U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,563, U.S. Pat. No. 4.744,591, U.S. Pat. No. 4,711,686, U.S. Pat. No. 4,744,161, U.S. Pat. No. 5,031,938 and U.S. Pat. No. 5.458,374. They include the examples of loose flat literature, or folded literature supplied in the form of the booklet having stapled binding, or literatures supplied with base labels with removably adhered backing strip. However, many of these assemblies are complex and expensive to manufacture.
Thus there is needed a method of providing product information in a form which, although free of adhesive, securely attaches to the product container. It is also needed that the printed literature is easily and quickly accessible. The printed literature should be provided in a manner that enables utilization of adequate space for sufficiently large printing that is easily readable. Altogether, there is needed a folded sheet(s) of printed literature, which remains affixed to the container until the customer (doctor, pharmacist, consumer) desires its removal. Finally, all of the above criteria must be accomplished in a manufacturing technique that ensures quality, keeps the integrity of the package and is cost-effective.
The present invention thus relates to product information and more particularly to printed literature with perforated transparent stickers, and method of forming, applying and using them.
In another aspect, there is provided, a simplified method of affixing the printed literature on the sides of the container over the cap.
In another aspect, there is provided, a printed literature comprising: (a) sheet(s) of printed literature, and

(b) at least two transparent stickers as a means for easy affixing.
In another aspect, there is provided, a container affixed with a printed literature comprising:
(a) sheet(s) for printed literature, and
(b) the two transparent stickers as a means for easy affixing,
wherein the printed literature is affixed on the sides of the container over the cap.
In another aspect, there is provided, a method of affixing a printed literature to a container, comprising the steps of:
(a) procuring the flat sheet (s) of printed literature from the printer,
(b) folding the sheet (s) of printed literature in the desired manner,
(c) attaching transparent stickers with an adhesive thereon, on either sides of the printed
literature, and
(d) affixing the folded sheet (s) of printed literature to the sides of the container over the cap.
The printed literature described in any of the above aspects may be in the form of, but not limited to. multiple folded leaflet, booklet, coupon or pamphlet. The literature may be printed on either or on both the sides of the- sheet(s). The loss of space due to the adhesive application may be highly resuced.
The above said container additionally comprises of a base label carrying supplemental product information.
The details of one or more embodiments are set forth in the description below. Other features, objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description, along with the accompanying drawings and claims.
The present invention is not limited to particular process steps and materials disclosed herein, but are extended to equivalents thereof as would be recognized by those ordinarily skilled in the relevant arts. It should also be understood that terminology employed herein is used for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting.
It is sometimes desirable, or even necessary, for information relating to the pharmaceutical product, for example prescribing requirements, precautions and other patient information, to be removable so that it can be more easily and conveniently read by the user (doctor, pharmacist,

nurses etc) of that product. However, when the product information is provided as a separate booklet or packet included in the product container itself, such booklet since not physically attached to the actual product or product container, can become disassociated from the product or product container during transportation or handling and be lost.
The present invention allows the easy removal of printed literature from the container. The sheet(s) of printed literature remain securely attached to the drug container through out the time for which product is shelved. However, whenever required, they can be easily and immediately stripped from the container through perforated transparent stickers present on either side of the sheet (s) of printed literature. The use of such provision of supplying product information is advantageous, since it provides a simplified and convenient way of fixing of literatures to the container, to which the user can have easy and quick access. Further, since these literatures are adhesive free and the sheets (s) are folded during the affixing step using simple machines, thus complexity of processing steps can be avoided. The printed literature of the present invention can easily be manufactured and applied using conventional cost- effective techniques, known for such purposes.
The printed literature comprises of the sheet (s) of printed literature and the means for easy affixing. In particular, the means for affixing comprises of perforated transparent stickers on cither sides of the printed literature, through which the label remains affixed to the container until the user desires its removal.
In one of the embodiments, the printed literature and container assembly is as disclosed in figure 1-4.
l-'ig. 1 shows the Hat sheet of printed literature, whereas Fig. 2 shows the vertical folding and fig. 3 slmws horizontal folding of the sheet(s) of printed literature. Fig. 4 is a view of the printed literature affixed to the bottle with the closure. The printed literature comprises of two transparent stickers having perforations. The printed literature as shown above may be easily affixed, removed and optionally resealed after use. However, in case of resealable stickers, the length of the stickers as well as the positioning of the perforations may be adjusted accordingly.
The sheet (s) of printed literature may comprise of one or multiple sheets, which can be supplied as folded leallets or can form a booklet, if desired. The sheets can be printed either or on both the sides, as per the requirement.

Transparent stickers are thin strips having adhesive applied to one of its sides for being secured to printed literature at one end and to the container at the other end. Transparent stickers can be constructed from any suitable thin flexible material known in prior art for such purposes. In particular, the stickers are perforated. The printed literature may comprise two or more transparent stickers for proper affixing to the container.
The packaging container may be of varied nature, particularly circular sectioned and in the shape of a jar. It can be made up of plastic, metal or glass.
The closure of the container may be of varied shape, size and made up of materials known in the art. However, it is commonly made up of plastic or metallic material. It can be of either twist-on, or screw, or snap-on cap type.
In addition to the printed literature affixed to the sides of the container over the cap, there is an additional base label, which is permanently glued to the container. The base label may carry an "identification" of the product (for example, information such as trademark or manufacturer) and/or certain "statutory information" (for example, lot number and expiration date).
While several advantageous embodiments have been chosen to illustrate the invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made herein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

WE CLAIM:
1. A printed literature comprising:
(a) sheet (s) of printed literature, and
(b) at least two transparent stickers as a means for easy affixing.

2. The printed literature according to claim 1, wherein the literature is affixed on the sides of
the container over the cap.
3. The printed literature according to claim 1, wherein the sheet (s) of printed literature may be
supplied in the form of simple folded sheet, as folded leaflets or in the form of a booklet.
4. The printed literature according to claim 1, wherein the sheet (s) of printed literature is
printed on either or on both the sides.
5. The printed literature according to claim 1, wherein the transparent stickers have adhesive
applied to one of its sides.
6. The printed literature according to claim 5, wherein the transparent stickers are perforated.
7. A method of affixing a printed literature to a container, comprising the steps of:

(a) procuring the flat sheet (s) of printed literature from the printer,
(b) folding the sheet (s) of printed literature in the desired manner,
(c) attaching transparent stickers with an adhesive thereon, on either sides of the printed
literature, and
(d) affixing the folded sheet (s) of printed literature to the sides of the container over the cap.
8. A printed literature and a method of affixing it to the container as described and illustrated
in the figures herein.