Special receptacle or package – For ampule – capsule – pellet – or granule – Compartmented
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-31
2001-01-16
Bui, Luan K. (Department: 3728)
Special receptacle or package
For ampule, capsule, pellet, or granule
Compartmented
C206S472000, C220S326000, C220S839000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06173838
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a compact or container for containing a blister card having a multiplicity of individual doses of a medication. More particularly, this invention relates to a compact or container of the foregoing character that has child-resistant opening characteristics.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many medications are now packaged in blister cards, each of which has a multiplicity of individually removable pills, tablets, capsules or other discrete forms of the medication. For the convenience of the user, it is desirable to package the blister card in an outer container, and the configuration of a typical blister card indicates that the outer container should have the characteristics of a compact of the type used in packaging face powder and other cosmetic products, that is, a container with clam shell-like opening and closing characteristics, and it is also important, in the packaging of many types of medications, that the outer container have child-resistant opening characteristics. U.S. Pat. No. 5,740,938 (Hofmann et al.) describes a package with the foregoing characteristics.
An important functional requirement of medication compacts of the type described that is not met by the aforesaid '948 patent, however, is that the compact be able to securely engage the blister card contained therein to prevent disengagement of the entire blister card upon opening of the compact for the purpose of removing only a single dose of the medication contained therein.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A medication compact according to the present invention is formed in a single piece from a suitable thermoplastic material, such as polypropylene, in sheetlike form. The compact has upper and lower cup-shaped compartments that are foldable with respect to one another between a closed position, in which a blister card contained in the compact is entirely encased, and an open position, in which access is provided to the blister card to permit a user to remove a dose of a medication packaged thereon. Child-resistant opening characteristics are provided to the package by providing an opposed pair of flexible locking tabs at opposed ends of the compact that must be simultaneously deflected from their locking positions before the upper and lower compartments can be moved from their closed positions to their open positions, and preferably these locking tabs are spaced far enough from one another that an adult, but not a child, can simultaneously engage them with only one hand. A further child-resistant locking feature is provided in the form of a flexible latch at the front of the compact, along an axis that extends transversely of the axes along which the locking tabs lie. This latch must be deflected from its latching position when the locking tabs are deflected from their locking positions, thus requiring the use of both hands of the user in the opening of the compact, to thereby impose a major obstacle to the opening of the compact by children that will not also serve as even a minor obstacle to the opening of the package by adults with unimpaired hand function.
Permanent retention of the blister card by a compact according to the present invention is obtained by providing the compact with three spaced apart fold lines, or hinges, extending centrally of the compact along axes extending parallel to the flexible latch at the front of the compact. One or more locking posts are provided in a space between the central fold line and an outer fold line, and one or more locking post receiving recesses are provided in a space between the central fold line and the other outer fold line. A free edge of the blister card is inserted to overlie the locking posts and the locking post receiving recesses while the compact is fully open, and then the portions of the compact on opposite sides of the central fold line are folded about the central fold line to bring the locking posts into locking engagement with the locking post receiving openings, through aligned openings in the blister card, thereby permanently securing the blister card within the compact. Thereafter, opening and closing of the compact occurs by folding the portions of the compact outside the outer fold lines with respect to one another about one or both of the outer fold lines.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved compact for packaging a blister card with a multiplicity of discretely packaged items thereon. More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a compact of the foregoing character in which the discretely packaged items are individual doses of a medication and which has child-resistant opening characteristics. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a compact of the foregoing character that permanently engages the blister card to prevent its disengagement when the compact is open.
For a further understanding of the present invention and the objects thereof, attention is directed to the drawing and the following brief description thereof, to the detailed description of the preferred embodiment and to the appended claims.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3552595 (1971-01-01), Gerner et al.
patent: 3954179 (1976-05-01), Warmath
patent: 4998623 (1991-03-01), Doull
patent: 5265728 (1993-11-01), Allendorf et al.
patent: 5272832 (1993-12-01), Marshall et al.
patent: 5346069 (1994-09-01), Intini
patent: 5348158 (1994-09-01), Honan et al.
patent: 5531322 (1996-07-01), Iwaki et al.
patent: 5740938 (1998-04-01), Hofman et al.
patent: 6021901 (2000-02-01), Wolfe
Bui Luan K.
Owens Illinois Closure Inc.
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