The present invention relates to a package for containing items, such as doses of medicine, that can be dispensed therefrom, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a carded booklet style package that includes a blister card and that has child-resistant, senior-friendly dispensing properties.
Paperboard carded packages including a blister card are disclosed, for example, by U.S. Pat. No. 4,125,190 issued to Davie, Jr. et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,339,960 issued to Price, U.S. Pat. No. 5,954,202 issued to Mellon, U.S. Pat. No. 6,394,275 B1 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,659,280 B2 issued to Paliotta et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 6,951,282 B2 issued to Jones and by U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0289328 A1 of Hession. Also see U.S. Pat. No. 6,047,829 issued to Johnstone et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,024,222 issued to Friberg et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,675,972 B2 issued to Patterson, U.S. Pat. No. 6,964,338 B2 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,974,031 B2 issued to Kancsar et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,000,768 B2 issued Morita et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 7,201,274 B2 issued to Paliotta et al. and U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2004/0188311 A1 of Paliotta et al. and 2004/0108240 A1 issued to Ragot.
Although the above referenced carded packages disclosed by the above referenced patents and published applications may be satisfactory for their intended purpose, there is a need for a carded package of novel construction that provides a desired amount of child-resistance, yet from which tablets can be readily dispensed by an intended end-user, such as a senior citizen. Further, there is a needed for a novel and cost efficient method of assembling a carded package.
According to the present invention, a child-resistant carded package for storing and dispensing tablets and like items is provided. The carded package assembly has a integral pair of opposed flaps. One flap carries the tablets or like items, and the other provides a booklet-style cover foldable between a position covering the tablets or like items and a position exposing the tablets or like items.
The carded package assembly is made from a first card bonded to a separate second card with a blister card captured therebetween. The blister card has a plurality of separate upstanding blister compartments in which the tablets or like items are separately contained. The first card has a flap forming part of the booklet-style cover and a flap including at least three panels folded together with each of the at least three panels including cut out openings or perforations defining punch outs. The second card has a flap forming part of the booklet-style cover and a flap having cut out openings. The blister card is sandwiched between the at least three panel flap of the first card and the flap of the second card having openings. In this configuration, the blister compartments project through the openings of the second card, and the cut out openings and punch outs of the first card are located behind the blister compartments and define paths through which the tablets or like items are required to be dispensed from the package.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of assembling a child-resistant carded package is provided. The method includes bonding a first card to a separate second card with a blister card captured therebetween to form a carded package assembly having a pair of opposed flaps with one of the flaps supporting the blister card and the other of the flaps being a booklet-style cover foldable between a position concealing the blister compartments of the blister card and a position exposing the blister compartments of the blister card. Before the above referenced bonding step, the first card is provided in blank form, and a part of the blank is folded into a convolute configuration forming a flap at least three panels thick. Thereafter, the at least three panels are secured together. In this condition, the first card includes a flap for forming part of the booklet-style cover and the at least three panel thick flap. Each of the at least three folded panels includes cut out openings or perforations defining punch outs.
The present invention should become apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
A carded package 10 according to the present invention is illustrated in
As best illustrated in
The carded package 10 includes and is assembled from a first card 20, a separate second card 22, and a blister card 24. According to one preferred contemplated embodiment of the present invention, the package 10 is constructed solely of these three components. See
The blister card 24 carries a plurality of separate items, such as tablets 12, in separate blister compartments 26 so that the items can be dispensed individually, or in sets, from the blister card 24. The blister card 24 can be made of plastic, paperboard, paper, foil or the like. For example, the card 24 can include a transparent plastic layer 28 defining the compartments 26 and a rupturable paper and/or foil backing layer 30 laminated to a rear side of the layer 28 to seal the items in the compartments 26.
The first and second cards, 20 and 22, are each preferably formed of a paperboard material, for example a SBS (solid bleached sulfate) paperboard stock material. Of course, materials other than paperboard and materials within a range of thicknesses can be used. However, preferably the material used for the cards, 20 and 22, should enable the cards to be provided in a relatively flat blank form on which panels, fold lines, openings, and perforations can be readily formed and/or defined. In addition, preferably one side of the blanks of the cards, 20 and 22, should be capable of being coated with a continuous or discontinuous layer of a heat and/or pressure activated adhesive. Further, the opposite side of the blanks of the cards, 20 and 22, should preferably be glossy or otherwise of a desired texture and/or appearance for forming the visible external surfaces of the package 10.
As best illustrated in
As best illustrated in
After the fold illustrated in
The second card 22 in blank form can be provided having a pair of primary panels 52 and 54 connected via a relatively narrow panel 56 which ultimately forms part of the sidewall, or edge binding, 18 of the package 10. Fold lines 58 and 60 define the boundaries of these panels. Preferably, the underside 62 of the second card 22 as illustrated in
As best illustrated in
As best shown in
The panel 36 of the first card 20 includes perforations 68 with define a series of small panels, or punch outs, 70. As best shown in
The panels 34 and 38 are located on an opposite side of panel 36 relative to the blister card 24. These panels, 34 and 38, each include a series of openings 72 that are aligned with each other and at least somewhat behind the blister compartments 26. Thus, for a tablet 12 to be dispensed from the package 10, it must pass through the rupturable backing layer 30 of the blister card 24, the punch out sections 70 of panel 36, and the openings 72 of panels 34 and 38. The punch outs 70 and openings 72 define the path through which of the tablets 12 are required to take to be dispensed from the package 10.
As best illustrated in
Another aspect of the package 10 is that the blister card 24 is relatively centered on the flap 14 such it is framed within a relatively wide margin 74 where panel 36 of the first card 20 directly engages and is adhesively bonded to the panel 54 of the second card 22. In the margin 74, the flap 14 is four layers thick. Thus, the margin section 74 of the package 10 is not readily torn by a child and cannot be readily bitten or chewed through to access the tablets 12. Further, the four layers are adhesively bonded together and do not provide any section of the package 10 that can readily be pried apart by a child. These features along with the amount of force required to dispense a tablet 12 enable the package 10 to provide desired levels of child resistance.
When the package 10 is initially distributed to the end user, it can include a peel-away tamper indicating sheet 76 or the like. See
Turning to the method of assembling the package 10, the first card 20 is preferably provided in blank form, for instance as illustrated in
After the at least three layer structure is formed, the blister card 24 can be aligned between the first and second cards, 20 and 22, and pressure and/or heat can be applied to the cards, 20 and 22, to adhesively bond the first and second cards, 20 and 22, together with the blister card 24 captured therebetween. The arrangement of the punch outs 70 and openings 66 and 72 can be provided as discussed above. A tamper-indicating release sheet 76 can be applied over the openings 72 that would otherwise be exposed on an underside of the package 10, and the flaps, 14 and 16, of the package can be positioned and/or secured in the closed book condition (see
Various modifications to the package and its method of assembly can be used. For instance, the number of panels can be increased, and the shape, size and/or pattern of the perforations and openings can be changed. Further, different types of adhesives and other means can be used to bond the panels of the carded package together.
While preferred packages and methods of assembly have been described in detail, various modifications, alterations, and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the package and method according to the present invention as defined in the appended claims.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
4125190 | Davie, Jr. et al. | Nov 1978 | A |
5339960 | Price | Aug 1994 | A |
5927500 | Godfrey et al. | Jul 1999 | A |
5954202 | Mellon | Sep 1999 | A |
6024222 | Friberg et al. | Feb 2000 | A |
6047829 | Johnstone et al. | Apr 2000 | A |
6161699 | Gartland | Dec 2000 | A |
6394275 | Paliotta et al. | May 2002 | B1 |
6659280 | Paliotta et al. | Dec 2003 | B2 |
6675972 | Patterson | Jan 2004 | B2 |
6951282 | Jones | Oct 2005 | B2 |
6964338 | Kancsar et al. | Nov 2005 | B2 |
6974031 | Kancsar et al. | Dec 2005 | B2 |
7000768 | Morita et al. | Feb 2006 | B2 |
7201274 | Paliotta et al. | Apr 2007 | B2 |
20040108240 | Ragot | Jun 2004 | A1 |
20040188311 | Paliotta et al. | Sep 2004 | A1 |
20060289328 | Hession | Dec 2006 | A1 |
20070056876 | Jones | Mar 2007 | A1 |
20070235368 | Knutson et al. | Oct 2007 | A1 |
20070246396 | Brollier | Oct 2007 | A1 |
20080110791 | Specker | May 2008 | A1 |
20090107873 | Cotton et al. | Apr 2009 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20090178949 A1 | Jul 2009 | US |