Special receptacle or package – For ampule – capsule – pellet – or granule – Structure for 'press-out' of content unit
Reexamination Certificate
2002-03-04
2004-03-23
Fidei, David T. (Department: 3728)
Special receptacle or package
For ampule, capsule, pellet, or granule
Structure for 'press-out' of content unit
C206S532000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06708825
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to child-proof packages for pharmaceutical products in the form of solid, pulverized or liquid to pasty doses as e.g. tablets, capsules, ampoules or dragées, featuring a blister pack with at least one blister which is closed off by a push-through type foil lid, the blister serving the purpose of accommodating the pharmaceutical product(s). The packaging is such that, for the purpose of removing the pharmaceutical product, the push-through type foil lid of the blister pack lies against a wall part which protects the foil lid and with respect to which the blister can optionally be displaced by sliding from a closed position to an open position so that, when in the open position, the blister with the pharmaceutical product lie in line with openings in the wall part and the pharmaceutical product can be pushed through the openings.
2. Background Art
The danger of uncontrolled consumption of medicaments is undisputed; in particular, small children are especially exposed to this potential danger in the form of medicaments that have been left lying around.
The most common form of packaging for tablets and similar pharmaceutical products is that of blister packs. Widely known in particular is the so called push-through pack which is such that the tablet is pressed out of a cup in the base part of the pack (the so-called “blister”) and through a foil lid. Another known form of blister pack is such that a foil lid is removed by peeling. Other blister packs feature a notch as an aid to tearing.
The present day possibilities for increasing child safety in connection with blister packs mainly involve increasing the difficulty of opening by means of measures that require greater strength, e.g. thicker push-through films, greater force of adhesion of peeling films, or higher force of friction in the case of tearing notches.
Forms of packaging which can be opened only by applying greater force are indeed more child proof, but can present problems for senior citizens.
Known from International patent application WO-A-96/03329 is a child-proof form of packaging in which the lid film of the blister pack is covered by a rear wall part. Integrated into this rear wall part are tearing strips that can be removed along a line of weakness. In order to be able to push the tablet out of the blister through the lid film, the tearing strips have to be removed first.
A child-proof packaging of the kind mentioned at the start of this specification has been disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,150,793 which issued on Sep. 29, 1992 to PCI/Delvco Inc.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a form of packaging of the kind mentioned at the start of this specification such that a combination capability is necessary to open it or a simultaneous or complex sequence of movements must be carried out.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a child-proof package for pharmaceutical product(s), comprising a blister pack with at least one blister which is closed off by a push-through type foil lid, the blister serving the purpose of accommodating the pharmaceutical product(s), the packaging being such that, for the purpose of removing the pharmaceutical product(s), the push-through type foil lid of the blister pack lies against a covering wall part with respect to which the blister pack can be displaced by sliding from a closed position to an open position so that, when in the open position, the blister with the pharmaceutical product(s) lies in line with openings in the covering wall part and the pharmaceutical product, can be pushed through the openings, wherein the blister pack is arranged between a rear wall part and a front part and the covering wall part with the openings is an inner wall part lying between the rear wall part and the foil lid, whereby the blisters can be displaced by sliding from the closed position to the open position into opening slits and the openings in the inner wall part are covered over by a tear-off strip which is arranged in the rear wall part and can be separated from it along a line of weakness thus forming a longitudinal slit.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a child-proof package for tablets and similar pharmaceutical products, comprising a blister pack with at least one blister which is closed off by a push-through type foil lid, the blister serving the purpose of accommodating the pharmaceutical product(s), the packaging being such that, for the purpose of removing the pharmaceutical product(s), the push-through type foil lid of the blister pack lies against a covering wall part with respect to which the blister pack can be displaced by sliding from a closed position, where the foil lid lies adjacent to a solid region of the covering wall part, to an open position in which the blister with the pharmaceutical product(s) lies in line with a tear-off strip in the covering wall part, such that when the tear-off strip is removed to create an opening in the covering wall part, the pharmaceutical product(s) can be pushed through the foil lid and the opening in the covering wall part.
Thus, the blister pack is preferably arranged between a rear wall part, and a front part, and the covering wall part with the openings is an inner wall part lying between the rear wall part and the foil lid, whereby the blisters can be displaced by sliding from the closed position to the open position into opening slits and the openings in the inner wall part are covered over by a tear-off strip which is arranged in the rear wall part and can be separated from it along a line of weakness thus forming a longitudinal slit.
The packaging according to the above-mentioned aspects of the invention thus combines tear-off strips and a blister pack that can be displaced by sliding in the packaging as preferred elements that serve the purposes of child safety, and results in a packaging arrangement providing greater child safety than conventional forms of packaging.
Opening the packaging according to the above-mentioned aspects of the invention requires combination skill that recognizes that, in order to push the pharmaceutical product(s) out, the blister pack has to be moved to a particular position and also that it is necessary to remove a tear-off strip from a wall part of the packaging.
The wall parts of the packaging may consist of cardboard or a plastic material, e.g. PVC (polyvinyl chloride). The wall parts may be single-layer or multi-layer parts, where the latter parts may contain a combination of cardboard and plastic materials.
The opening slits may be arranged perpendicular to the tear-off strips. In this case the displacement of the blister pack is perpendicular to the direction of the tear-off strip. In an embodiment where the package contains an inner wall part, the opening slits may also run parallel to and over the tear-off strips. In this case the displacement of the blister pack is in the longitudinal direction of the tear-off strips.
The front part and the inner wall part are preferably joined by means of e.g. gluing or hot sealing at their peripheries at least in part and such that the blister pack lying in between can be displaced by sliding in the longitudinal direction of the opening slit. The rear wall part and the inner wall part are preferably at least in part or all-over joined by means of e.g. gluing or hot sealing in the region surrounding the tear-off strip, so that children are not able to tear off the rear wall from the inner wall when the tear-off strip is torn off.
An additional layer can be attached to the front part on its side facing the blister pack. The additional layer can be provided at least in part, i.e. in the region of the opening slits, or all-over. Further an additional layer can be attached to the rear wall part on its side facing the blister pack. The additional layer can be provided at least in part, i.e. in the region surrounding the tear-off strips, or all-over. The additional layers are e.g. made
Filion Daniel
Prud'homme Jean Andre
Alcan International Limited
Fidei David T.
LandOfFree
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