Special receptacle or package – For ampule – capsule – pellet – or granule – Structure for 'press-out' of content unit
Patent
1998-03-12
1999-09-21
Fidei, David T.
Special receptacle or package
For ampule, capsule, pellet, or granule
Structure for 'press-out' of content unit
206532, B65D 8304
Patent
active
059542047
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to article holding and dispensing containers and a method of opening these article holding and dispensing containers and, more particularly, to a medication or tablet holding and dispensing package which permits visual examination of each discrete article or tablet contained therein and a method for opening this package.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Blister-type medication dispensers have achieved great acceptance in the field of pharmaceutical packaging. Various types of blister-type pill dispensers are illustrated in Design Patent No. 237 864 and U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,054,503, 3,380,578, 3,503,493, 3,933,245, 4,158,411, 4,371,080, 4,429,792, 4,574,954 and 4,850,489.
A common method of removing the medication from the prior art blister packages requires the use of a downward pressure applied to an upper surface of the blister thereby forcing the medication against a rupturable substrate which results in the rupturing of the substrate and the egress of the medication from the blister package. This method of removing the medication from the blister package is unsatisfactory when the medicament is highly friable. The forcing of the contact of the medicament with the rupturable substrate may result in the medicament crumbling and the loss of quantities of medication during its removal from the blister pack. Therefore, there is a need to provide a blister pack for frangible medication which can be opened without using the frangible medication as the primary means for rupturing the rupturable substrate making up the blister package and thereby avoiding the crumbling of the friable medication.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a container for receiving and storing individual articles of medication, such as tablets or pills, which allows for the removal of the medication therefrom without using the medication as the principal means in breaking a rupturable substrate of the container.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method of opening a blister package containing a medication in which the medication is not used as the primary means of rupturing a rupturable substrate making up the blister package.
These and other objects are accomplished by providing a blister package made up of a rupturable substrate, a blister layer formed over the rupturable substrate and a medicament contained between the rupturable substrate and the blister layer. The blister layer is formed from a substantially rigid material and has a first blister contained therein which is sized to completely contain therein the medicament. A second blister is formed in the blister layer and is of annular configuration and surrounds and is joined to the first blister at a depression formed in the blister layer between the first and second blisters. The depression comprises means for engaging with and rupturing the rupturable substrate so that the medicament can be removed from the blister pack.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a blister pack according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a plan view of a blister package according to a second embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the blister package of FIG. 1 taken along lines 3--3 thereof;
FIG. 4 illustrates the first step in opening the blister package of the present invention;
FIG. 5 illustrates the blister layer initially rupturing the rupturable substrate; and
FIG. 6 illustrates the blister layer rupturing the rupturable substrate to an extent that the medication can be removed from the blister.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a first embodiment of the blister package of the present invention is shown generally at 10. As shown in FIG. 3, the blister pack of the present invention is generally made up of a blister layer 11, a rupturable substrate 12 and a medicament 15 in the form of a tablet
REFERENCES:
patent: D237864 (1975-12-01), Meierhoefer
patent: 3054503 (1962-09-01), Hartman et al.
patent: 3380578 (1968-04-01), Sparks
patent: 3503493 (1970-03-01), Nagy
patent: 3933245 (1976-01-01), Mullen
patent: 4158411 (1979-06-01), Hall et al.
patent: 4371080 (1983-02-01), Haines
patent: 4429792 (1984-02-01), Machbitz
patent: 4574954 (1986-03-01), Reid
patent: 4850489 (1989-07-01), Weithmann et al.
Fidei David T.
Phatmacia & Upjohn Company
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