Patent Application
20220127054
The invention relates to a child-resistant packaging, in particular a medicinal product packaging, comprising at least one blister card, wherein the blister card comprises two films, of which one film is configured as a carrier film with at least one blister cavity for receiving packing product, in particular for receiving a pharmaceutical active substance formulation such as a tablet and forms a top side of the blister card, and the other film is configured as a push-through cover film, wherein the cover film at least in sections is connected extensively to the carrier film leaving open the at least one blister cavity, and at least in sections forms an underside of the blister card opposite the top side and the cover film closes the at least one blister cavity filled with packing product.
Many varied embodiments of packagings which are considered to be child-resistant and/or senior-friendly are already known from the prior art.
According to DIN EN 14375 in the current version of September 2016, in Europe non-reclosable packagings for pharmaceutical products are considered to be “child-resistant” if at least 85% of a test group of infants aged from 42 to 51 months are not able to gain access to more than eight of at least ten presented dose units, i.e. for example, tablets, capsules or dragées within ten minutes. The packing is considered to be senior-friendly if at least 90% of a test group of adults gains access to at least one of the dose units in the one-minute test.
The relevant provisions in the USA, which are specified there in the “Poisons Prevention Packaging Act” (PPPA) are however comparatively substantially stricter. There children must not create any access to a dose which can cause serious damage in a “child-resistant” packaging. In extreme cases, this can already be possible by removing only one tablet or one dose unit.
For example, DE 20 2004 003 781 U1 discloses a child-resistant rectangular packaging comprising two interconnected films, wherein an extensive closure area encloses a receiving space for filling material. For opening and removing the filling material, for example, a tablet, the receiving space is opened along a marked weakening line or by removing an edge portion of the films.
Likewise DE 10 2004 062 864 A1 discloses a film container with two interconnected films as well as with receiving chambers for a filling material, wherein at least one of the films is provided with markings for tearing open the films. The marking is exposed after a bending of the films whereupon the filling material can be removed from the film container by tearing open the films.
A disadvantage of these known designs of tear-open packagings is at least that the manufacture of films with tear-open sections which are usually designed as metal films is expensive. Furthermore, with such tear-open packagings it cannot be eliminated that infants can also remove several dose units at the same time which is why such tear-open packagings are not considered to be “child-resistant” at least in the USA.
In addition so-called wallet packagings are already known from the prior art. Thus, for example, the documents DE 20 2006 007 553 U1, DE 44 29 503 C2 and EP 2 055 649 A1 disclose packagings in which blister packs as blister strips or blister cards serve as primary packaging for the packing material and these are interconnected with a secondary packaging, for example, made of folded card. For child-proof protection, for example, tablets as packing material are in this case therefore located in a manner known per se in cavities of a blister strip or a blister card heat-sealed inside a folded box or a folded carton. For this purpose the blister cards can, for example, be adhesively bonded, sealed, riveted or fixed with labels onto the outer secondary packaging or alternatively inserted removably in cartons of the secondary packaging. For child proofing, depending on the design, the outer secondary packagings, mostly in the form of folded boxes, are designed so that access to the internal blister cards is made difficult.
The document GB 2 352 231 A also discloses a wallet packaging in which the entire blister card filled with tablets can be removed from the secondary packaging. For this purpose the blister card is removed from a lateral slot of the secondary packaging.
Even with such wallet packagings it is not excluded that infants can also remove several dose units from the internal blister cards after opening the outer folded box packaging. In addition, the manufacture of such multilayer packagings with different packaging materials is expensive.
Blister packs for medicinal products such as tablets, capsules and dragées have been known for a long time and must be visually attractive and application-safe. The term blister pack is usually understood as a visible packaging, i.e. a product packaging which allows the customer or purchaser to see the packed goods.
Blister packs are widely used for the packaging of pharmaceutical active substance formulations such as, for example, tablets. Such packagings are also called push-through pack and are usually produced in strip- or card form. A blister card or a blister strip usually comprises two films, of which one carrier film is usually made of transparent plastic.
Individual indentations, so-called blister cavities are formed in the carrier film into which the packing product, mostly individual dose units of tablets, capsules or dragées are inserted and which are sealed with a cover film, for example, made of aluminium. For example, deep-drawn plastic trays with an aluminium cover film sealed on the back are used for packaging tablets.
Such blister packs offer several advantages over glass or plastic bottles. They are more hygienic, depending on the film materials used, undesirable influences such as high air humidity or dirt can be eliminated with such blister packs and it is also easier to identify the remaining number of dose units in the packaging. Special blisters also allow the dose schedule to be depicted on the packaging. For example, the packaging of many contraceptive pills is printed with days of the week. By this means it is not only possible to monitor what has been taken but different tablets can also be reliably assigned to the days of the menstrual cycle.
In addition to the primary task of packaging, blister packs which are “child-resistant” must also be designed to be senior-friendly however, wherein the requirements of these two groups of users are contrary to one another. This is because child-resistant packagings for protecting infants on the other hand present an insurmountable obstacle for seniors.
For example, so-called “peel-push blisters” are used in which blister packs are additionally provided with removable (peelable) safety films in a “child-resistant” manner. In this case, firstly the removable films must be removed from the cover films as push-through protection before the corresponding dose can be pushed from the packaging through the cover film. However it is frequently difficult for older people to be able to grip and remove such removable safety films.
Furthermore, in hitherto known blister packs it is frequently a disadvantage that blind people cannot distinguish by means of the blister card which medicament is involved. However, this problem not only arises for blind or visually impaired people. In most cases, on a blister card the product and company name of the medicinal product is printed on the sealing layer, i.e. on the cover film which is usually an aluminium film. As soon as several dose units have been removed from the blister card by pushing through the cover film, in most cases the imprint with the name of the medicinal product can no longer be identified or only identified with difficulty, with the result that the risk of undesired confusions is increased.
A further disadvantage of conventional blister packs is that the dose units are usually pushed out from the blister pack by pushing through into the hand of the patient or onto a base such as, for example, a table top. In this case however, one or more dose units removed, for example, tablets, can undesirably fall to the floor which is particularly problematical for older persons. In addition, removal by hand is mostly not possible in a hygienic manner. This is particularly the case for persons who have to take tablets at specific time intervals even during their work time and cannot wash their hands for this in each case. As an example, mention is made here of building workers or craftsmen who must possibly remove and grasp tablets from a conventional medicinal product packaging with contaminated hands.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide child-resistant packaging, in particular a child-resistant medicinal product packaging which at the same time is also senior-friendly and avoids the described disadvantages of the prior art.
This object is achieved in a child-resistant packaging according to the preamble of claim 1 with the features of the characterizing part of claim 1. The dependent claims relate to further advantageous embodiments of the invention.
In a child-resistant packaging according to the invention, in particular in a medicinal product packaging according to the invention, comprising at least one blister card, wherein the blister card comprises two films, of which one film is configured as a carrier film with at least one blister cavity for receiving packing product, in particular for receiving a pharmaceutical active substance formulation such as a tablet and forms a top side of the blister card, and the other film is configured as a push-through cover film, wherein the cover film at least in sections is connected extensively to the carrier film leaving open the at least one blister cavity, and at least in sections forms an underside of the blister card opposite the top side and the cover film closes the at least one blister cavity filled with packing product, at least one backing card is fastened in a movable manner at two opposite side edges or at two opposite peripheral portions of the blister card and this backing card in a securing position is configured to rest at least in sections in a planar manner on the underside of the blister card and in so doing to secure the enclosed packing product against unintentional removal and against pushing through of the cover film, wherein the backing card can be transferred reversibly from the securing position into a removal position by means of an external force application by mirror-inverted compression of two mutually opposite and spaced apart packaging portions, wherein during the removal position fixed by external application of force, the at least one backing card is spaced apart from the underside of the blister card forming a packaging interior having at least one packing product removal opening wherein in the removal position the packing product can be released by pushing through the cover film into the packaging interior and removed from the packaging interior through the at least one packing product removal opening.
The carrier film of the blister card has one or more fold edges and/or perforations as weakening lines in order to be able to be folded, folded or curved along these defined edges or weakening lines. It is thereby ensured that largely independently of the choice of material of the packaging, the movement transition between the securing position in which no external application of force is made to the spaced apart packaging portions and the removal position fixed during an external application of force is a reversible to-and-fro movement. Depending on the arrangement, one or more fold edges in the carrier film of the blister card can also ensure that the packaging has a sufficient stability or buckling resistance as a result of the fold edges.
It is advantageous with such a packaging that for children, access to the packing product, in particular to a packed pharmaceutical active substance formulation, is blocked since the packaging is designed so that infants cannot embrace with one hand the mutually opposite packaging portions which must be compressed in a mirror-inverted manner with one hand to transfer the packaging from the securing position into the removal position. To this end, the two mutually opposite packaging portions which must be compressed are advantageously to far from one another for an infant to be able to accomplish this with one hand. The packaging is designed so that it is only sufficiently stiff in the removal position fixed by mirror-symmetric compression during the application of an external force so that in this removal position the packing product or a tablet can be removed from a blister cavity by pushing through the cover film of the blister card. Thus, in any case a simultaneous two-handed actuation of the packaging is required. The packaging must be brought into the removal position by compression and fixed therein in order that at the same time, one or more packing product units can be pushed through into the packaging interior from the corresponding blister cavities with the other free hand.
Therefore two hand grips must be executed simultaneously which is almost impossible for infants in the test age from 42 to 51 months specified according to DIN EN 14375 as a result of their motor capabilities and the size of their child hands. By suitably selecting the distances between the pressure points on the opposite packaging portions which must be compressed with one hand for reversible fixing of the removal position in order to be able to push through the packing product from the blister card simultaneously with the second hand, depending on the individual requirement, certain age groups of infants can be reliably deterred from any possible access to the packaging content or to the packing product. In the design of the packaging according to the invention, care must therefore be taken to ensure that the distances between the pressure points on the opposing packaging portions in order to compress these are sufficiently far from one another so that children's hands cannot compress these with one hand.
Particularly flexibly by means of a suitable choice of these dimensions, i.e. the distances between the pressure points on the opposite packaging portions of the packaging according to the invention and by means of a suitable selection of blister cover films known per se by means of which the push-through force for pushing through or for removal of the packing product can be varied, the packaging according to the invention can also be adapted particularly flexibly to safety conditions valid in each case. Thus, for example, it is possible for a child-resistant packaging to design the packaging according to the invention according to the current requirements of the PPPA in the USA so that infants cannot open this packaging using only their hands without the assistance of external tool. At the same time however, in tests with prototypes of the packaging according to the invention it has been shown that seniors in care homes as subjects had no problems with gripping the packaging with one hand and compressing it so that this was fixed in its removal position and the seniors could remove individual tablets from the blister cards of the packaging in a manner known per se using the other hand. Subsequently the term a blister card selected here should also be understood as synonymous with the likewise usual designation of a blister strip as blister pack for individual packing product units such as, for example, tablets.
Depending on the choice of material and layer structure of the blister cover films, it is possible for example to vary the push-through force for pushing through or for removing the packing product in a range between about 20 N and 120 N. These push-through forces were determined in tests with a so-called pharma pin having a diameter of 10.5 mm. Depending on the product to be packaged or depending on the potential hazard of the pharmaceutical active substances in the packing product, at least two parameters are thus available for the particularly flexible and individual design of a safety-confirming packaging according to the invention.
All the materials known from the prior art can be used as blister films. The carrier film and the cover film can be constructed of one or of several layers. The cover film is connected to the carrier film, for example, by adhesive bonding, heat-sealing or sealing. For example, plastics such as polyamide (PA), polyester (UP), polycarbonate (PC), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polyvinylchloride (PVC) or corresponding copolymers can be used as typical materials for the carrier film. For example, composite materials such as one or more plastic films with paper or cardboard layers can be used as carrier film. For example, metal films such as aluminium films or aluminium composite films produced from aluminium and a plastic, for example, can be used as cover film. Likewise composite films vapour-coated with aluminium or laminated paper films can be used as cover films.
The at least one backing card which rests on the underside of the at least one or the plurality of blister cards filled with packing product as child-resistant removal protection in the securing position of the packaging can optionally be constructed of one or several layers. Expediently the backing card can be constructed of the same materials from which the at least one blister card is produced. It is also possible within the scope of the invention that the backing card is made from a different material than the materials used to construct the blister cards.
In a simple embodiment, a single-layer or single-ply reinforcement layer for example made of a transparent plastic with appropriate stiffness can be used as backing card. Within the scope of the invention, the backing card can also be configured as a multilayer reinforcing plate.
In a further preferred embodiment the backing card can also be a further blister card which is arranged in a mirror-inverted manner with respect to the first blister card and is fastened movably to the blister card and in which the push-through cover films are in each case oriented facing one another towards an interior packaging interior. Thus, robust carrier films which protect the packing product towards the outside are arranged on the outside of the packaging on the outer surfaces thereof.
Within the scope of the invention, depending on the design of the packaging the concept of a backing card should thus be understood as an extensive reinforcement layer or reinforcement plate approximately the same size as one or more blister cards which can have a single-ply or multiply structure. A backing card can, for example, be formed from a carrier film which is also provided with the blister card or can optionally also be a blister card with the corresponding blister cavities for receiving packing product.
The backing card serves as a backing means or as protective means for protecting the cover film of the blister card and should prevent the cover film of the blister card being pushed through or damaged in the securing position of the packaging. The backing card thus acts as a cover card for covering or for protection for the opposite cover film on the underside of the associated blister card. In contrast to the previously mentioned known removable (peelable) security films which are adhesively bonded for protection of cover films directly to these and which must be removed from these cover films again, the backing card however forms its own portion of the packaging separate from the cover film of the opposite blister card associated therewith to be protected. In the securing position for protection of the cover film arranged opposite the backing card certainly rests on this but does not adhere to this. The backing card can be moved, shifted, pivoted, folded and/or swivelled into a position spaced apart from the cover film by appropriate compression in the removal position of the packaging, depending on the design of the packaging. Advantageously no pulling or release of the backing card from the cover film is required for this. The interior packaging space which is enclosed by the one or the plurality of blister cards as well as by one or by a plurality of backing cards affords the advantage that packing product such as a tablet, for example, which in the fixed removal position was pushed out of the corresponding blister cavity by pushing through the cover film initially enters into the packaging interior of the packaging and can be removed from the packaging interior through a removal opening.
It is thus advantageously avoided that a tablet must be pressed from a conventional blister pack onto an external base such as a table and can be lost in so doing. Furthermore, by appropriate design of the packing product removal opening, this can be configured to that, for example, a tablet can be poured directly from the packaging interior into the mouth of the patient without this needing to be grasped by hand for this purpose.
According to the invention, the backing card can be reversibly transferred from the securing position into a removal position by means of application of an external force by mirror-inverted compression of two mutually opposite and spaced apart packaging portions. By this it should be understood that the packaging is designed so that at least one backing card by itself alone or however in combination with at least one corresponding blister card or with further backing cards can be transferred from the securing position into the removal position by compression by means of one hand of the user who would like to open the packaging. This movement should be understood as reversible as a to-and-fro movement between the securing position—without external application of force on the spaced-apart packaging portions—and the removal position,—during the application of external force on the spaced-apart packaging portions. The corresponding two mutually opposite and spaced-apart packaging portions can be marked in colour for example according to the design and application of the packaging and/or can have a structural or haptic design such as, for example, an embossing, fluting or pimpling.
Depending on the embodiment and design of the packaging, it can be necessary that after pushing through a dose unit of the packing product into the packaging interior, wherein the packaging is fixed in its removal position by compressing, the packaging must then be gripped again to empty the packaging interior. This can be the case, for example, when side tabs on the narrow sides must be compressed to transfer the packaging from its securing position into its removal position. For emptying the packaging interior, it can however then be provided that on a narrow side the side tabs must be opened which can make it necessary to grip the packaging again. This further additional handling step can further improve the manipulation security of the packaging against unintentional actuation by infants.
As a result of the movable fastening of the at least one backing card on two opposite side edges or on two opposite peripheral portions of the blister card, these packaging portions are movably coupled to one another.
The packaging according to the invention is in no way limited to the accommodation of packing product with pharmaceutical active substances, i.e. to medicinal product packaging. Likewise arbitrary units of packing product can be stored in a packaging according to the invention, which, for example, are so small that as a result of their size they are hazardous for infants and can be swallowed by infants. Merely as an example for this, in addition to food supplement preparations, chewing gums or chewing dragées such as nicotine chewing gums, mention is made of small electronic components, replacement parts, tool inserts, disposable metering instruments, disposable needles and the like which can also be stored securely in packagings according to the invention. Thus, it can be advantageous if, for example, replacement parts for E cigarettes or for LED lights which are very small and can be swallowed by infants, are stored in a packaging according to the invention in a child-resistant manner.
Subsequently in the description the assignment of specific terms with regard to a location, a position or an orientation such as, for example, “horizontal”, “vertical”, “in the horizontal direction”, “in the vertical direction”, “above”, “below”, “inside”, “outside”, “front”, “thereunder”, “thereover” etc. is merely selected for simplification and these details possibly relate to the representation in the drawings but not necessarily to a usage or storage position of the packaging according to the invention. In order to clarify that in the intended use of the packagings according to the invention, the cover films of the blister cards to be protected are each oriented inwards towards the packaging interior, the undersides of the blister cards covered with the cover films at least in sections each correspond to the inner sides of the blister cards in relation to the packaging interior of the packaging.
It can be particularly expedient if in a packaging according to the invention, the at least one backing card comprises a carrier film or is formed from a carrier film.
As already mentioned previously, the backing card serves in each case as mechanical protection of the blister card in order to protect the packing product or the tablets from unintentional removal as a result of pushing through the cover film. For this purpose, in a particularly simple and cost-effective embodiment of the invention at least one backing card made of a carrier film or comprising a carrier film can be fastened movably to the blister card. In a securing position this backing card comprising a carrier film is configured to rest in a planar manner on the underside of the blister card at least in sections and thereby secure the enclosed packing product against an unintentional removal and against pushing through the cover film.
Particularly advantageously in a packaging according to the invention, the at least one blister card as well as the at least one backing card can each be configured in the form of rectangles, wherein the backing card is fastened in each case on two opposite side edges or on two opposite peripheral portions of the long sides of the blister card.
In this variant of the invention the blister cavities for receiving packing product units can be arranged accordingly in rows or in matrix fashion according to the size of the rectangular blister card. The at least one backing card is expediently also configured in rectangular form and has substantially the same dimensions as the corresponding blister card the protection of which the backing card is provided. The two cards are fastened movably against one another along their opposite long sides. Depending on the embodiment, the two cards can be fastened to one another directly on their long side edges or along peripheral portions along their long side edges. Removal of packing product already pushed out from the blister cavities from the packaging interior between the blister card and the corresponding backing card is accomplished in the removal position of the packaging at its narrow sides.
In an advantageous further development of the invention, in a packaging the at least one backing card can be movably fastened by means of connecting tabs, preferably by means of a plurality of serially arranged connecting webs at two opposite peripheral portions of the blister card.
In this embodiment the packaging interior is delimited laterally by the movable connecting tabs or connecting webs. These connecting tabs or connecting webs are arranged so that they allow a reversible translation movement or relative movement in the longitudinal direction of the blister card and the corresponding backing card between the securing position and the removal position of the packaging.
Particularly advantageous in a packaging according to the invention at least one inscription tab can be fastened to the blister card and/or the backing card.
As a result of the at least one inscription tab on the packaging, the imprint, for example, the product and/or company name of the packing product or the medicinal product is clearly legible at any time. The inscription can, for example, also be accomplished in Braille script so that blind people or visually impaired people can directly identify on the packaging and independently of the degree of dose units or packing product units already removed which packed product or medicament it is. The inscription tab can be attached on one side or both sides of the packaging.
For example, details of the removal intervals of the packed dose units can be printed directly on one or more inscription tabs which are connected directly to the blister card and/or backing card.
It is also provided within the scope of the invention that one or more inscription tabs are provided to be printable or embossable in order to be able to design the packaging with individual information on removal intervals.
It can be advantageous if in a packaging according to the invention, the at least one inscription tab is fastened at a side edge or at a peripheral portion of the blister card and projects over the blister card.
In one embodiment the one or the plurality of inscription tabs is/are not only particularly easy to read but they can also be designed so that as a result of these inscription tabs the compression of the packaging, i.e. the transfer from the securing position into the removal position of the packaging is made difficult for child hands. This can be achieved, for example, by roughened and/or jagged portions on the outer edges of the inscription tabs which are unpleasant for infants to grasp with small children's hands and which consequently prevent compression precisely at these packaging portions.
A packaging according to the invention can be designed to be particularly application-safe if the side of the packaging interior opposite a packing product removal opening can be closed with a closure tab.
In this embodiment, the packing product or a tablet can be removed from the packaging interior exclusively through a packing product removal opening. An unintentional removal or falling out of the packing product from the packaging interior can thus be successfully prevented.
In a further advantageous embodiment of the packaging according to the invention, the at least one packing product removal opening of the packaging interior can be closed with a closure tab. In this version of the packaging the closure tab of the packing product removal opening must be additionally opened in order to remove the packing product already present in the packaging interior from the packaging with the result that the degree of retention of the packing product is further increased.
It can be particularly expedient in a packaging according to the invention if the at least one backing card is a further blister card with a carrier film with at least one blister cavity for receiving packing product, in particular for receiving a pharmaceutical active substance formulation such as a tablet, as well as a cover film, wherein the at least one further blister card is arranged so that its carrier film forms an outer surface of the packaging and its cover film is oriented towards the packaging interior.
This packaging design affords the advantage that at least one further blister card is used as backing card for protecting the at least one “first” blister card. Thus, two blister cards are arranged in a mirror-inverted manner with respect to one another and in the securing position mutually protect their cover films resting on one another from unintentional pushing out of the packing product from the blister cavities. This design is particularly economical since the further blister card in its function as backing card can be constructed of the same material or the same materials as the at least one “first” blister card. Depending on the configuration of the packaging according to the invention, it is possible that no preferable arrangement or position of the at least one “first” blister card and the one or plurality of further blister cards which serve as backing cards can be identified on the backing cards. In this preferred embodiment the interconnected blister cards can, for example, be configured identically and/or arranged symmetrically relative to a packaging axis and/or a packaging plane. Such a packaging in which two or more blister cards are provided offers a further advantage since the largest possible number of dose units of the packing product can be packed in the blister cards in a small packaging space.
Particularly expediently in a packaging according to the invention in the securing position, the blister cavities filled with packing product of two blister cards resting on one another can be arranged congruently above one another. In this embodiment, the blister cavities of two corresponding blister cards which in the securing position of the packaging rest with their cover films on one another lie congruently above one another. In this embodiment of the packaging, a particularly safe storage of the packing product can be achieved which is protected against unintentional pushing through of the cover films.
Alternatively to this, it can also be provided within the scope of the invention that in the securing position the blister cavities filled with packing product of two blister cards resting on one another can each be arranged offset with respect to one another. Also in this embodiment of the packaging, the packing product can be reliably protected against unintentional pushing through of the cover films.
In a particularly pleasing embodiment of the packaging according to the invention, the packaging can be configured to be cushion-shaped, wherein the two outer surfaces of the packaging are either formed by a first blister card and a further blister card with packing product filled in blister cavities or alternatively by one blister card and by an opposite backing card without packing product, which are interconnected at two opposite side edges of the blister card, wherein the side edges form the long sides of the packaging and mirror-inverted overlapping closure tabs are fastened on the mutually opposite narrow sides of the blister cards in each case.
The mirror-inverted overlapping closure tabs on the narrow sides of the packaging can advantageously serve as first and second mutually opposite and spaced apart packaging portions which must be compressed in a mirror-inverted manner for fixing the cushion-like packaging in its removal position. In the securing position the packaging is substantially flat and the two outer surfaces or outer sides lie with their inner sides on one another. As a result of compression on the narrow sides of the packagings this arches in a cushion shape and in the removal position forms a packaging interior which has an approximately oval cross-section. Expediently the closure tabs on the narrow sides of the packaging are trimmed accordingly in an oval rounded manner.
A further pleasing packaging variant according to the invention can be configured as a straight prism with an even number of outer surfaces, wherein the outer surfaces are formed by one or more blister cards with packing product filled in blister cavities or alternatively by at least one blister card and by one or more backing cards without packing product which are connected at their opposite side edges arranged next to one another and form the long sides of the packaging.
For example, four, six or eight blister cards or alternatively also backing cards without packing product can be combined in a strip-like manner as outer surfaces of a straight prism. The blister cards and/or backing cards are in this case connected at their long side edges with the respectively adjacent blister cards and/or backing cards. In order to increase the mobility of the blister cards and/or backing cards arranged next to one another in a strip-like manner, the long side edges thereof can be implemented as fold edges and/or have perforations for weakening the material of the carrier films.
Depending on the requirement for the packaging, individual, several or all the outer surfaces of the packaging prims can be configured as blister cards and have the same or different numbers of blister cavities. For example, in a hexagonal prism every other outer surface can be configured as a strip-shaped blister card with blister cavities wherein alternately the outer sides provided in each case between two blister cards are implemented as backing cards without blister cavities.
Particularly advantageously in a packaging according to the invention, a distance between mutually opposite packaging portions in the securing position can be greater than the distance between the same mutually opposite packaging portions in the removal position. As has already been noted, by suitable dimensioning of the packaging dimensions, it can be ensured that the distance between mutually opposite packaging portions in the securing position which must be compressed to transfer the packaging, for example, by moving, shifting, folding and/or pivoting into the removal position, is sufficiently large so that these two packaging portions cannot be gripped by an infant's hand.
Since in this embodiment the distance between the same mutually opposite packaging portions in the removal position is smaller than in the securing position, seniors or blind people or visually impaired persons can easily recognize in which of the two reversible positions the packaging is located. Advantageously the user friendliness of the packaging is thus further increased.
For example, it can be expedient for a child-resistant packaging if the distance between mutually opposite packaging portions in the securing position is at least 8 cm, preferably at least 10 cm. These securing distances in the securing position between mutually opposite packaging portions which must be compressed to transfer the packaging into the removal position seem to be sufficiently large for infant hands according to the present knowledge of the applicant. Seniors however should be able to grasp these securing distances with the span width of one hand.
Further details, features and advantages of the invention are obtained from the following explanation of exemplary embodiments of the packagings according to the invention for medicinal products shown schematically in the drawings. In the drawings:
The now-following general description of the figures relates generally to all the figures shown. In the following the same reference numbers are used in each case for the same or comparable elements of the packaging for the different embodiments.
Depending on the design and application of the packaging, the packaging portions 5 and 6 can be marked directly and characterized as actuating portions. Alternatively to this, these packaging portions 5 and 6 can also only be characterized in separately enclosed usage instructions for using the packaging, with the result that the child-resistant design of such a packaging is further increased. Naturally the packaging portions 5 and 6 can be characterized both directly on the packaging and also in usage instructions.
The cushion-shaped packaging 1 comprises in each case a blister card 10 with a top side 11 and an underside 12. As already noted initially, the designations of a top side 11 and an underside 12 of the blister card 10 opposite the top side 11 selected hereinafter merely serve to simplify and refine the assignment of the relevant sides. The blister card 10 is arranged in relation to the packaging 1 so that the top side 11 thereof forms an outer side 11 of the blister card 10 or an outer surface 2 of the packaging 1. Conversely the underside 12 of the blister card 10 forms an inner side of the packaging 1.
The blister card 10 shown in
A cover film 30, for example, made of aluminium is attached to the underside 12 of the blister card 10, wherein the cover film 30 has an exemplary film thickness 31 of about 20 μm (micron). The cover film 30 is connected at least in sections extensively to the carrier film 20 leaving the blister cavities 25 free. For example, the cover film 30 is connected to the carrier film 20 by sealing or by adhesive bonding. The push-through direction 35 of the cover film 30 is characterized by an arrow 35, in order to remove the tablets 41 located therein through the cover film 30 from the blister card 10 by pushing in the direction of the arrow 35 from above or from outside onto the blister cavities 25 of the carrier film 20. The cover film 30 is destroyed in so doing.
In order to prevent the packing product 40 or the tablets 41 from being able to be removed from the blister card 10 unintentionally or unauthorized, for example, by infants, according to the invention on two opposite side edges 15, 16 of the blister card 10 a backing card 50 for protecting the cover film 30 of the blister card 10 is fastened movably thereon. In the embodiments shown in
Within the scope of the invention it is also provided that for example, the backing card 50 is made from a section of the carrier film 20 of the blister card 10 and thus the carrier films of the blister card 10 and the backing card 50 are integrally connected to one another. That portion of the carrier films which forms the backing card 50 for protecting the cover film 30 of the blister card 10 can, for example, be folded over at a side edge 15 of the blister card 10 to form a fold edge 22 and can be adhesively bonded or heat-sealed to the carrier film 20 thereof on the opposite side edge 16 of the blister card 10.
In this further blister card 56 blister cavities 57 for receiving tablets 41 are also arranged in two parallel rows next to one another. The blister card 56 comprises a carrier film 55 which is here connected integrally to the carrier film 20 of the blister card 10. Along the first long side edge 15 of the packaging 1, the carrier films 20 and 55 are folded over at a lateral distance from the cover films 30 and 58 to form fold edges 22. In the area of the opposite second long side edge 16, the two carrier films 20 and 55 are heat-sealed together to form an inscription tab 120. The carrier films 20 and 55 here for example are made of a translucent, transparent plastic. The cover films 30 and 58 are made, for example, of an aluminium composite film. As a result of the mirror-inverted arrangement of the two blister cards 10 and 56—the sensitive cover films 30 and 58 lie oriented towards one another protected inside the packaging—the further blister card 56 with the carrier film 55 lying on the outer side thus serves as a cover card for protecting the sensitive cover film 30 on the underside 12 of the blister card 10 and for protecting its own cover film 58. The carrier film 20 has fold edges 22 and/or perforations 23 or weakening lines 23 in order to be able to be folded, folded or bent along these defined edges or weakening lines.
The opened closure tabs 60 here form an approximately oval removal opening 110 for the packing product 40. Practically tablets 41 can thus be emptied from the packaging interior 100 in a contact-free manner into the mouth of the user.
The two
The packagings 1 shown here each comprise blister cards 10 or backing cards 50 which have substantially rectangular contours. However, the invention is not restricted to rectangular or strip-shaped blister cards 10 or backing cards 50 but naturally, for example, square, circular or elliptical blister cards 10 or backing cards 50 can also be used for a packaging 1 according to the invention.
The further
In the removal position 80 of the packaging 1 as illustrated in
Depending on the design, the removal opening 110 stamped into the carrier film 20 can also differ from a circular shape and for example, be formed in the form of a rectangle, a square, an ellipse or a polygonal curved line. Likewise, the proportion of the removal opening 110 which in the heat-sealed position of the finished packaging 1 comes to lie in the region of the inscription tab 120 and therefore is not available as free cross-section for actual removal of the packing product can vary. For example, the removal opening 110 can be entirely arranged on that section of the carrier film 20 of the blister card 10 which does not form the inscription tab 120 but is actually available as a free removal cross-section with the packaging interior 100.
Likewise, it can be expedient to position the removal opening 110 so that only a specific section of the removal opening 110, for example, only a quarter or a third of the area of the stamped removal opening 110, comes to lie in the region of the inscription tab 120 but the remaining free cross-section is available for actual removal of the packing product 40 from the packaging interior 100.
A single packing product 40, for example, a tablet 41 can only be removed individually from the removal opening 110 and thereby enters into the deep-drawn section of the carrier film 55 in the region of the inscription tab 120 which acts like a chute or slide for the individual packing product 40. The edge of the deep-drawn recess of the lower carrier film 55 here acts as a dam for the packing product 40 and prevents the unintentional loss of the removed packing product 40 during removal before this is grasped by the user.
The two outer wings or sections of the inscription tab 120 can be removed after tearing open the perforations 23 along the long side edge 16 by then further tearing open along weakening lines 23 which, for example run obliquely in the direction of the free long edge of the inscription tab 120. In
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19156838.5 | Feb 2019 | EP | regional |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2020/053624 | 2/12/2020 | WO | 00 |
