Patent Grant
9725206
This application is the U.S. National Stage of International Patent Application No. PCT/EP2014/063956 filed on Jul. 1, 2014, which claims priority to and the benefit of Netherlands Patent Application 2011090 filed on Jul. 4, 2013, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.
The invention relates to a package comprising a housing and a slide which is slidably accommodated in the housing in a sliding direction, which slide comprises a bottom wall, side walls connected to the bottom wall as well as at least one flange-shaped upper edge spaced from the bottom wall, which is connected to the side walls, which housing is provided with at least one recess, in which at least one projection connected to the slide can be positioned for at least locking the slide in position in the housing, which projection can be moved out of the recess against spring force, after which the slide can be moved in the sliding direction in the housing.
The invention also relates to a slide and to a housing suitable for such a package.
Such a package, which is known from U.S. Pat. No. 7,854,325 B2, is suitable for use as a childproof, senior-friendly package. To open the package, a user must move the projection out of the recess against spring force by pressing on the housing and subsequently pull the slide out of the housing in the sliding direction. Such combined movements are virtually impossible to carry out for a relatively young child, so that it is prevented from gaining access to products present in the slide, such as medicines, for example. For an older user, on the other hand, said movements are relatively easy to carry out, so that the older user can move the slide out of the housing in order to gain access to products present in the slide.
With the package known from U.S. Pat. No. 7,854,325 B2, a bottom side of the housing is provided with a number of guides which are provided with recesses at ends thereof. The slide is provided with projections on the bottom wall, which projections are positioned in the recesses and which are movable in the guides.
The slide is provided with separate spring elements, by means of which the projections are pressed into the recesses.
The space required for the projections, recesses and guides undesirably adds to the height of the package. In addition, producing a slide which is provided with projections as well as with spring elements and producing a housing provided with relatively complex guides is relatively costly.
The object of the invention is to provide a package which is childproof and senior-friendly and which is relatively easy to produce.
This object is achieved with the package according to the invention in that the flange-shaped upper edge comprises two parts that extend parallel to the sliding direction, wherein each part is provided with at least one hook-shaped element, whilst the housing comprises two side walls, wherein each side wall is provided with at least one recess, wherein a recess and a hook-shaped element located at a first side wall are staggered, seen in the sliding direction, relative to a recess and a hook-shaped element located at a second side wall, wherein the hook-shaped elements of the flange-shaped upper edge can be moved out of the recesses against the spring force of the flange-shaped upper edge.
Because the part of the flange-shaped upper edge that extends parallel to the sliding direction is provided with the hook-shaped element and can also be moved out of the recess against the spring force of the flange-shaped upper edge, separate projections and spring elements are not needed. As a result, the slide is relatively easy to produce. The hook-shaped element can be moved into engagement with the recess located in the side wall of the housing under the spring force of the flange-shaped upper edge. Said recess can be formed in the housing in a simple manner, for example by punching. Once the hook-shaped element has been moved out of the recess against spring force, the slide can be moved in the sliding direction, with the hook-shaped element simply sliding along the inner side of the housing.
When the slide is pulled at, without the hook-shaped elements being pressed out of the recesses, the hook-shaped elements will prevent the slide from being moved out of the housing.
The provision of a hook-shaped element that can be positioned in a recess on either side of the package makes it difficult for a child to open the package, because both hook-shaped elements must be removed from the respective recesses simultaneously before the slide can be moved in the sliding direction.
Moreover, because the hook-shaped elements are staggered, it will be virtually impossible for a young child of about 4 years old to place its fingers so that both staggered hook-shaped elements are removed simultaneously, against spring force, from the likewise staggered recesses.
According to European and US legislation, a package may be called childproof if it meets the EN/ISO 8317 standard and the US 16 CRF 1700.20 standard, respectively. Both standards prescribe extensive testing both with seniors (50-70 years old) and with children aged about 4 years. The tests are carried out by certified (ISO 17025) test agencies. It has been found that the package according to the invention is able to meet the prevailing standards.
It is noted that from JP 09058748A there is known a package comprising a housing provided with opposing recesses and a slide with opposing projections. When the slide is being moved out of the housing, the projections slip into the recesses, so that the slide is prevented from falling out of the housing in a simple manner. The projections need not be depressed for moving the slide partially out of the housing. With the package according to the present invention, the hook-shaped elements must first be depressed before the slide can be moved partially out of the housing.
One embodiment of the package according to the invention is characterised in that a diagonal line between the staggered recesses in the two side walls includes an angle of at most 60 degrees with the side wall.
The smaller the angle between the diagonal line and the side wall provided with the recess, the more difficult it will be to open the package. With a package of a particular width, the diagonal distance between the staggered recesses and the hook-shaped elements positioned therein will be larger in the case of a smaller angle than in the case of a larger angle. If the angle is too small, it will be difficult for adults, and certainly also for seniors, to open the package. Consequently, the angle is preferably larger than 20 degrees.
Another embodiment of the package according to the invention is characterised in that the staggered recesses in the two side walls are spaced a distance of at least 60 mm apart, seen in a direction parallel to the side wall.
The greater the distance, the more difficult it will be to open the package. If the distance is too great, it will be difficult for adults, and certainly also for seniors, to open the package. Consequently, the distance is preferably less than 120 mm.
Another embodiment of the package according to the invention is characterised in that the hook-shaped element has a barb-like configuration.
The barb-like configuration makes it impossible to depress the hook-shaped element whilst the slide is being pulled at. This makes it impossible to pull at the slide and subsequently depress the hook-shaped elements one by one and remove them from the recesses. The barb-like configuration forces the user to depress both hook-shaped elements simultaneously.
Another embodiment of the package according to the invention is characterised in that the recess provided in the first side wall is staggered relative to two recesses provided in the second side wall, whilst the slide is provided with three hook-shaped elements that can be moved out of the three recesses simultaneously against the spring force of the flange-shaped upper edge.
The fact that three hook-shaped elements must be depressed simultaneously makes it even more difficult to open the package.
Products such as medicines can be easily stored in the slide. The medicines, such as tablets, for example, may be packed in a blister pack, for example, a number of which blister packs are present in the slide.
Another embodiment of the package according to the invention is characterised in that the hook-shaped element lies in the same plane as the part of the flange-shaped upper edge that extends parallel to the sliding direction.
Such a hook-shaped element is easy to form in the flange-shaped upper edge, for example by punching. The hook-shaped element will in that case have the same relatively small thickness as the flange-shaped upper edge. In this way the recess present in the housing can likewise have a relatively small dimension in the thickness direction of the hook-shaped element. As a result, the strength of the housing will remain practically unchanged in spite of the presence of the recess therein.
Another embodiment of the package according to the invention is characterised in that the side wall of the housing is provided with at least two spaced-apart recesses.
In a first position, in which the slide is fully accommodated within the housing, the hook-shaped element is positioned in a first recess. In a second position, in which the slide is partially moved out of the housing, the hook-shaped element is positioned in a second recess. In this way the slide is prevented from being moved completely out of the housing in a simple manner, so that moving back the slide into the housing will be relatively easy. In addition, this makes it impossible for a user to move the slide into another housing, which might involve the risk that the information stated on the housing would no longer correspond to the medicines present in the slide.
Another embodiment of the package according to the invention is characterised in that the at least one recess is partially located in an upper wall of the housing.
The hook-shaped element only engages the side wall. Because the recess also extends over the upper wall, a user can simply place his finger against the hook-shaped element and move it away from the side wall against spring force, out of engagement with the side wall.
Another embodiment of the package according to the invention is characterised in that the housing comprises an upper wall which is provided with an opening at a front side, seen in the sliding direction, via which opening access can be gained to a part of the flange-shaped upper edge that extends transversely to the sliding direction.
Through the opening, a user can easily take hold of the part of the flange-shaped upper edge that extends transversely to the sliding direction after the hook-shaped element has been moved out of engagement with the recess in order to pull the slide out of the housing in the sliding direction.
Another embodiment of the package according to the invention is characterised in that the housing is provided with a closable flap.
The flap makes it extra difficult to gain access to the slide. The flap must first be opened before the slide can be moved out of the housing. In the closed position of the flap, the flap protects the slide and the products present therein from the ingress of dust and the like.
Another embodiment of the package according to the invention is characterised in that the housing is closed at a rear side, seen in the sliding direction.
The closed rear side makes it extra difficult to gain access to the slide.
Another embodiment of the package according to the invention is characterised in that the slide is made of plastic material, using a thermoforming process.
This is a relatively inexpensive manner of producing the slide. When a thermoforming process is used, the flange-shaped upper edge must be punched to the desired dimensions after the forming of the slide. During this usual punching operation, the hook-shaped element is simultaneously formed on the flange-shaped upper edge by means of a punching operation. As a result, additional operations for providing the slide with the hook-shaped elements are not needed.
Another embodiment of the package according to the invention is characterised in that the housing is made of cardboard.
Such a cardboard housing is usually punched from a blank. During this usual punching operation, the recess in the side wall, and possibly the upper wall, is simultaneously formed by punching. As a result, additional operations for providing the housing with the recess are not needed.
The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to the drawings, in which:
Like parts are indicated by the same numerals in the figures.
On a side remote from the rear wall 7, the upper wall 8 of the housing 2 is provided with a semicircular opening 13.
The housing 2 is provided with two pairs of recesses 14, 15, which extend through the side of the side walls 4, 5 that faces the upper wall 8 and the sides of the upper wall 8 that face the side walls 4, 5. The part of the recesses 14, 15 that is provided in the side walls 4, 5 is rectangular in shape. The part of the recesses 14, 15 that is provided in the upper wall 8 is arcuate in shape. The recesses 14 are located relatively close to the rear wall 7, whilst the recesses 15 are located relatively close to the flap 10. The recesses 14, 15 of the first side wall 5 are staggered relative to the recesses 14, 15 of the second side wall 6 in the sliding direction indicated by the arrow P1.
The slide 3 comprises a bottom wall 17 and side walls 18, 19, 20, 21 extending along the circumference of the bottom wall 17, which each include an angle slightly greater than 90 degrees with the bottom wall 17. The slide 3 further comprises a flange-shaped, endless upper edge 22, spaced from the bottom wall 17, which is connected to the side walls 18, 19, 20, 21. The upper edge 22 comprises two parts 23, 24 extending parallel to the sliding direction indicated by the arrow P1, as well as two parts 25, 26 extending transversely to the sliding direction indicated by the arrow P1. The part 25 is wider than the part 26.
The parts 23, 24 each comprise a hook-shaped element 27, spaced from the wider part 25. The hook-shaped elements 27 are staggered in the sliding direction indicated by the arrow P1, similarly to the recesses 14, 15 of the housing 2. In a direction transversely to the bottom wall 17, the hook-shaped element 27 has the same thickness as the upper edge 22.
As is clearly shown in
The slide 3 is preferably made of a plastic material, such as PVC, ABS, PE, PET, PS and PP, to be deformed by means of a thermoforming process. After thermoforming of the slide 3 has taken place, the hook-shaped elements 27 are punched into the upper edge 22, with the desired dimensions of the parts 23, 24, 25, 26 being obtained by said the punching operation. The bottom wall 17, the side walls 18, 19, 20, 21 and the upper edge 22 are relatively thin, so that the parts 23, 24 of the upper edge 22 that are provided with the hook-shaped elements 27 can be moved toward each other against the spring force of the material of the slide 3.
The dimensions of the cardboard housing 2 can vary from, for example, a width of 21 to 151 mm, a height of 51 to 101 mm and a length of 51 to 301 mm. The wall thickness of the housing 2 can vary from 400 to 1000 micron, for example.
The dimensions of the slide 2 can vary from, for example, a width of 20 to 150 mm, a height of 50 to 100 mm and a length of 50 to 300 mm. The wall thickness of the slide 3 can vary from 200 to 1000 micron, for example.
Blister packs present in the slide 3 preferably have dimensions smaller than those of the bottom wall 17 of the slide 3. The draft angle of more than 90 degrees between the bottom wall 17 and the side walls 18-20 that is required for the thermoforming of the slide 3 has the advantage in this regard that the side walls 18, 20 are spaced further apart near the upper edge 22 than near the bottom wall 17. As a result, the side walls 18, 20 can be slightly moved toward each other near the upper side upon elastic deformation of the upper edge 22, without making contact with products present in the slide 3.
The operation of the package 1 is as follows.
In the closed position of the package 1 that is shown in
When a user wishes to take products from the slide 3, the flap portion 12 is first pivoted about the pivot line 9 (see
If a relatively young child undesirably attempts to open the package 1, it will presumably be able to open the flap 10. The child will then pull at the wider part 25 of the upper edge 22, which is freely accessible through the opening 13 of the housing 2. However, because the wall portions 28 of the hook-shaped elements 27 abut against the edge 30 of the side walls 4, 5 (see
The slide 203 of the package 201 is provided with a flexible strip 204, which is provided with a circular attachment part 205 at both ends. The flexible strip 205 is attached to the bottom wall 17 of the slide 203 via the circular attachment part 205, for example by being glued or ultrasonically bonded thereto. Another circular attachment part 205 of the flexible strip 204 is attached to a blister pack 206. Such blister packs 206, for example for tablets, are known per se; they are provided with a number of elevations 207, each of which contains a tablet. A cover layer (not shown) is present on a side remote from the elevation 207, which cover layer keeps the tablets in the elevations 207. The package 201 comprises a number of flexible strips 204 corresponding to the number of blister packs 206. The first flexible strip 204 connects a first blister pack 206 to the slide 203. The next flexible strip 204 connects the first blister pack 206 to a second blister pack 206, etc. The flexible strips 204 make it possible to stack the blister packs 206 one on top of the other, with the flexible strip 204 being partially positioned between two blister packs 206 disposed one on top of the other (see
According to another possibility, a single elongated flexible strip extends from the slide 203 over all the blister packs 206 present in the slide 203.
Because the blister packs 206 are connected to each other and to the slide 203, a user will be able to remove a product, such as a tablet, from the blister pack 206, but he will not be able to remove an entire blister pack 206 from the package 201. This makes it impossible to store the blister pack 206 outside from the package 201.
The flexible strip 204 enables a user to place the blister pack 206 in practically any desired position with respect to the slide 203, making it easier to remove a tablet from the blister pack.
A diagonal line 302 is drawn between the staggered recesses. Said line is not present on the actual package 301 but is only shown by way of illustration of the invention. The diagonal line 302 between the staggered recesses 14 in the two side walls 5, 6 includes an angle A at most 60 degrees and at least 20 degrees with the side wall 5, 6. The staggered recesses 14 are spaced apart by a distance L of at least 60 mm and at most 120 mm in a direction parallel to the side walls 5, 6. When such dimensions are used, the width B of the package 301 will range between 35 mm and 120 mm, and the length of the diagonal line will range between 70 mm and 140 mm.
The angles between diagonal lines between the recess 14 in the first side wall 5 on the one hand and the recesses 14 in the side wall 6 on the other hand are less critical in this embodiment than in an embodiment in which only two recesses 14 and two hook-shaped elements 27 are used. To move the slide 3 out of the housing 2, an adult can depress the hook-shaped element 27 in the recess 14 in the first side wall 5 with his thumb 31 and simultaneously depress the hook-shaped element 27 near the closable flap 10 with his index finger 32 and the hook-shaped element 27 near the rear wall 7 with his middle finger 334. Such an operation is virtually impossible to carry out for a child of about four years old in view of its limited motor skills and the size of its hand.
According to another possibility, the upper edge only extends over part of the side walls.
It is also possible to use different materials for the slide and the housing, such as plastics suitable for thermoforming or injection-moulding, cardboard, especially tear-resistant cardboard, or a metal such as aluminium.
It is also possible to provide the slide with two pairs of hook-shaped elements and to provide the housing with a single pair of recesses near the front side of the housing in order to define a closed position and a partially open position.
It is also possible to provide the slide with a single pair of hook-shaped elements and to provide the housing with a single pair of recesses so as to define only a closed position in the package.
According to another possibility, the recesses are hidden from view by wall portions extending over the recesses. Said wall portions must be flexible so that the hook-shaped elements can be pressed out of the recesses located behind the wall portions as a result of pressure being exerted on said wall portions.
The hook-shaped element may also extend from the flanged-shaped upper edge over part of the side wall. The recess must be correspondingly configured in that case. In this way a larger hook-shaped element is obtained.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011090 | Jul 2013 | NL | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2014/063956 | 7/1/2014 | WO | 00 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2015/000896 | 1/8/2015 | WO | A |
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|---|---|---|
| 0053593 | Jun 1982 | EP |
| 0882457 | Dec 1998 | EP |
| S56125816 | Sep 1981 | JP |
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| 2013151806 | Oct 2013 | WO |
| 2015000896 | Jan 2015 | WO |
| Entry |
|---|
| ISR for PCT/EP2014/063956 mailed on Sep. 24, 2014. |
| Written Opinion for PCT/EP2014/063956 mailed on Sep. 24, 2014. |
| IPRP for corresponding PCT/EP2014/063956 dated Jan. 5, 2016. |
| EPO Communication under Rule 71(3) EPC dated Nov. 16, 2016 from European Patent Application No. EPO 14736717.1 (41 pages). |
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20160152373 A1 | Jun 2016 | US |
