Special receptacle or package – With moisture absorbent
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-15
2001-08-28
Silbaugh, Jan H. (Department: 1732)
Special receptacle or package
With moisture absorbent
C206S538000, C206S461000, C428S035700, C428S035800, C428S036500
Reexamination Certificate
active
06279736
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to the use of an absorbing agent applied to the interior of the barrier pack. In one embodiment, the present invention relates to a barrier pack having an absorbing agent that contains a desiccant.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Medication in solid form such as tablets, pills, capsules or the like are sometimes dispensed to patients in dispensers having individually sealed compartments or blisters designed to hold a single dose of medication. Such packages permit the handling of only a single dose of medicine at a time, insure patient compliance, and minimize the risk of contamination of the tablet, pill or capsule.
These “blister packs” typically have first and second cardboard layers with a plurality of oversize aligned cutout through each layer. Typically, a cover portion of plastic having a plurality of blisters is placed against and laminated to the first cardboard layer with the blisters extending through the cutouts in that layer, and pills or capsules are placed within the blisters. A layer of foil is typically laminated to the second cardboard layer, and a peel-off backing is then removed from the foil to expose an adhesive surface upon the foil. The adhesive surface is typically then used to bond the first and second cardboard layers into a sandwich, thereby entrapping the pills within the blisters and creating the sealed unit dose pill package. A heated glue or melting techniques may also be used to seal the package.
Since these packages contain opening manipulations which would thwart opening by small children, they are also particularly useful in the field of child resistant strip packaging. The “blister packs” are typically used both by pharmaceutical companies which manufacture the drugs and package them in blister packs, and by smaller health care facilities which use the blister packs for packaging individual doses. These “blister packs” are also manufactured by companies in the business of providing unfilled blister packs for filling by third parties.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a barrier pack. In one embodiment, the barrier pack comprises a cover portion bonded to a base portion to form a sealed unit package wherein: (a) the cover portion comprises at least one cavity capable of containing and dispensing a product; (b) the base portion is in relation to the cover portion such that the cavity extends outwardly from the base portion, the base portion comprising an absorbing agent material applied to an interior of the base portion and coextensively aligned with the corresponding cavity of the cover portion.
In another embodiment, the barrier pack comprising a cover portion bonded to a base portion to form a sealed unit package wherein: (a) the cover portion comprises at least one cavity capable of containing and dispensing a product; the cover portion comprising an absorbing agent material applied to an interior portion of the cavity.
The sealable portions of the cover portion are sealed, directly, or indirectly onto the sealable portions of the base portion. The cavities of the cover portion are extended outwardly over the product support portions of the base portion thereby forming at least one space for inserting a product. In one embodiment, the product may be a medicament or pharmaceutical in the form of tablets, capsules, pills or the like.
In another embodiment, the base portion can be peelable or removable from the cover portion to thereby release the product within the space from the barrier pack. In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the base portion may be composed of peelable aluminum material and the cover portion may be composed of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). In another embodiment, the cover portion may also be substantially transparent making the product visible to the user. In a further embodiment, the sealable portions of the cover portion of the present invention may be heat sealable or adhesively sealed, directly or indirectly, onto the sealable portion of the base portion. In still another embodiment, the cavities of the cover portion may be composed of a material that is sufficiently flexible to allow for an inverted state when a sufficient force is exerted on the cavity that results in a sufficient counter-force on the coextensive portion of the base portion to thereby allow access to the product to a user.
In one embodiment, the absorbing agent containing layer of the present invention contains a desiccant. In another embodiment, the absorbing agent containing layer contains a material selected from the group consisting of activated carbon, carbon black, ketcham black and diamond powder. In a further embodiment, the absorbing agent containing layer contains a material selected from the group consisting of absorption microspheres, BaTiO
3
, SrTiO
3
, SiO
2
, Al
2
O
3
, ZnO, TiO
2
, MnO, CuO, Sb
2
O
3
, silica, calcium oxide and ion exchange resins. In yet another embodiment, the absorbing agent containing layer contains two or more types of absorbing agents. The suitable absorbing agent for the present invention is chosen so as to achieve absorption of the desired vapor or gas for the desired end use (e.g. absorption of moisture, oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen or other undesired gases or vapors).
In still another embodiment, the present invention relates to a method of manufacturing the barrier pack. The method comprises the step of: (a) producing a cover portion comprising at least one cavity; (b) applying an absorbing agent material to an interior of the cavity; (c) placing the product within the cavity of the cover; and (d) sealing a sealable portion of the cover portion to a sealable portion of the base portion and allowing the cavities of the cover layer to be extended outwardly over the product to thereby form a sealed unit package for the product.
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Capitol Specialty Plastics, Inc.
Dreier & Baritz LLP
McDowell Suzanne E.
Silbaugh Jan H.
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