Special receptacle or package – For ampule – capsule – pellet – or granule – With rupture means for access
Patent
1984-06-05
1986-02-04
Dixson, Jr., William T.
Special receptacle or package
For ampule, capsule, pellet, or granule
With rupture means for access
206531, 206539, 206484, 206634, 206820, B65D 326, B65D 1728
Patent
active
045679860
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to unit portion packs for pills, tablets, capsules or other solid product items.
The current form-fill-seal unit pack systems for various products, including pills, are generally strips or pouches made from metal foil, paper or tearable plastics films such that access to the contents is by tearing the pack. These packs can be opened very easily by children and therefore present a potential hazard to them.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a unit portion pack which although it does not allow indiscriminate access to its contents can still be opened relatively easily by an adult.
According to the present invention there is provided a unit portion pack for pills or like solid product items, the pack being formed of first and second webs defining therebetween a plurality of mutually spaced cavity-forming regions around the periphery of each of which the webs are bonded together, and a plurality of the said pills or like solid product items which are received in the cavity-forming regions individually and which are substantially smaller in at least one plan dimension than the corresponding plan dimension of the cavity-forming region, at least one of the webs being flexible whereby the product items may be manipulated to undergo movement within the cavity-forming regions at least in the direction of the said plan dimension, at least the first web being a laminate comprising a rupturable layer and a tear resistant layer which is formed with score or slit lines adapted to provide dispensing openings for the product items, the score or slit lines crossing the cavity-forming regions at a spacing from the peripheries of said regions but being located or locatable by a said movement of the product items within the cavity-forming regions to lie on or outboard of the peripheries of the product items.
Each product item is dispensed by rupturing the rupturable layer along the score or slit lines to provide a dispensing opening for that product item, and then by moving the product item through the dispensing opening so formed. The ease of difficulty of these steps can be chosen by the design of the pack.
The rupturable layer is arranged to be torn with assistance from or the cooperation of the product item. This may require locations of the product item relative to the appropriate score or slit line so that it can act as a tool and thereby provide assistance in the parting of the rupturable layer where required. If the product item is not correctly located in relation to the score or slit line it is difficult or impossible to form the dispensing opening.
In a preferred embodiment, each cavity-forming region and the product received therein are shaped and dimensioned such that adjacent area substantially triangular in cross section can be or is defined at the periphery of the cavity-forming region, said area being defined by spaced facing surfaces of said first and second webs and the periphery of said solid product item, and wherein the score or slit line is arranged to cross said area. In this arrangement the product item acts somewhat as a wedge to keep the facing surfaces of the two webs spaced. Thus, simply squeezing the two facing surfaces together will rupture the rupturable layer to form the dispensing opening.
Use of the product item in this manner enables the dispensing opening to be formed reliably and with a minimum of pressure. However, particularly the product item needs to be located in relation to the score or slit line before the dispensing opening can be formed, it is not a procedure which childred find easy to perform. Thus, it is thought that the present invention provides a good compromise between the conflicting requirements for a pack which is child resistant and is yet convenient to use.
The rupturable layer of the laminate material may be metal foil, such as aluminium foil, paper, or tearable plastics material film such as 25 uniaxially oriented low density polyethylene film.
The tear resistant material may be a plastics material film such as polyester
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Dixson, Jr. William T.
Ehrhardt Brenda J.
Metal Box plc
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