Patent Application
20130256176
The present invention relates generally to improved packaging for accommodating, storing, displaying and transporting articles, such as pharmaceuticals.
Packages, such as clamshells, are commonly used in industry to store, display, and ship products as well as exhibit information related to the products. Typically, when a user intends to access the products contained in the clamshell, the user needs to break the clamshell, which renders the clamshell non-reusable. Typically, the known clamshells are not capable of standing by themselves, which makes it difficult to organize the clamshells on a shelf In addition, it is desirable for the packaging, particularly in the area of pharmaceuticals, to discourage and/or provide evidence of tampering. That is, a package should ensure that, absent evidence (e.g., visual, tactile, etc.) of tampering, the product within the package has not been altered since it left the manufacturer. Similarly, it is desirable that the products contained within such packages not be accessible by anyone but the end user.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a novel package for articles, particularly pharmaceuticals, which discourages and/or provides evidence of tampering, improves display of the articles, permits the package to stand on its own or stand in a group package, e.g., align in a group on a tray, permits the package to be peggable during use, and permits the end user to selectively reuse the package for same or different articles.
As described herein, the exemplary embodiments of the present invention overcome one or more of the above and other disadvantages known in the art.
An exemplary aspect of the present invention relates to package for an article. The package includes a paperboard on which information related to the article is shown. The package further includes a receptacle detachably mountable to the paperboard. The mountable receptacle includes a clamshell, which includes a first portion having a first edge and a second portion having a second edge opposing the first edge. The mountable receptacle further includes at least one substantially flat extension connected at least to the second edge through a breakable mechanism. The flat extension is attached to a surface of the paperboard to attach the clamshell to the paperboard, such that the clamshell can be detached from the paperboard by breaking the breakable mechanism.
The package according to the present invention can be used to contain a variety of articles, which include, but are not limited to, pharmaceuticals (such as tablets, pills, capsule and the like), foods (such as candies, cookies, chewing gums and the like), office supplies (such as paper clips, binders, rolls of tapes and the like), hardware items (such as screws, bolts, nails, nuts and the like), personal belongs (such as jewelries, watches and the like).
For example, the package further includes one or more blister cards received within the clamshell. Each blister card includes a blister sheet having at least one blister formed concavely for loading the article. The blister can be a push-through-backing-material type blister, a peel-and-push type blister, a tear-notch type blister, or any other suitable blister.
For example, the at least one substantially flat extension includes a pair of wings disposed oppositely to one another. However, the substantially flat extension can be of any suitable shape (such as square, rectangular and the like) or desirable shape (such as a shape resembling a letter, number, symbol or image).
For example, the at least one substantially flat extension is spot-welded or face-sealed to the surface of the paperboard.
For example, the at least one blister has a first width extending perpendicularly from the blister sheet, and the rib includes at least one foot portion having a second width extending perpendicularly from the blister sheet, the second width being equal to or larger than the first width such that a plurality of the blister cards can be stacked within the clamshell without the blisters contacting with one another. In addition, the foot portion protects the article within the blister from forces applied on the article and distributes stress exerted by outside forces on the package.
For example, the blister sheet and the peripheral rib are substantially A-shaped, and the clamshell has a profile substantially matching the A-shaped blister sheet. The blister sheet and peripheral rib can be of any suitable or desirable shape or profile. For example, the blister sheet and the peripheral rib can be of any numeral or alphabetic shape, any shape resembling a symbol or image, or any arbitrary shape depending on design choices.
For example, the rib is disposed to at least partially surround the at least one blister. However, the rib may be absent or fully surround the blister as desired.
For example, the blister card further includes a rib disposed on the blister sheet at the same side of the at least one blister.
For example, the clamshell further includes a hinge for pivotably joining the first portion and the second portion of the clamshell. The clamshell can include other connecting means, such as tapes, staples and the like, to join the first portion and the second portion. Alternatively, the clamshell can include two physically separate portions, which can be snapped together by frictional engagement or through the geometry of the portions.
For example, the breakable mechanism includes, but is not limited to, a plurality of perforations, laser scoring, locally weakened material and the like.
Another exemplary aspect of the present invention relates to a method of producing a package for an article. The package includes a paperboard and a clamshell mounted to the paperboard. The method includes providing at least one substantially planar extension for the clamshell; connecting the at least one substantially planar extension to the clamshell through a breakable mechanism; and attaching the at least one substantially planar extension to a surface of the paperboard to attach the clamshell to the paperboard.
For example, the providing step includes providing a pair of extensions, for example, wing-shaped extension. For example, the connecting step includes connecting the pair of extensions to either side of the clamshell, respectively, through a plurality of perforations. The substantially flat extension can be of any suitable or desirable shape or profile.
For example, the attaching step includes at least partially spot-welding or heat-sealing the at least one substantially planar extension to the surface of the paperboard.
These and other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the invention, for which reference should be made to the appended claims. Moreover, the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and, unless otherwise indicated, the drawings are merely intended to illustrate the structures and procedures described herein.
The location of the blister with respect to the blister sheet can be varied, depending on the design considerations and the desire of skilled persons in the art. For example,
The shape and profile of the blister card 100 are not limited to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 3-4. For example, the shape and profile of the blister sheet 120 and the rib 140 can be rectangular, square, oval, round or follow any other letter, number or symbol.
The mountable receptacle 300 includes a clamshell 320 for receiving one or more blister cards 100. As best shown in
The first portion 322 includes a first edge 323, which is substantially planar, and a cover 325, which is recessed from the first edge 323. The second portion 324 includes a substantially planar second edge 327 and a container 329 substantially surrounded by the second edge 327. The cover 325 and the container 329 are dimensioned, such that when the first portion 322 is pivoted toward the second portion 324 to close the clamshell, the cover 325 is received within the container 329 and the first edge 323 is abutted against the second edge 327, thereby providing a positive enclosure of the content within the clamshell. The first edge 323 includes a textured tab 330, which extends beyond the second edge 327 to provide a mechanism to facilitate opening and closing the clamshell.
A plurality of blister cards 100 (for example, two or three) are stacked in the clamshell 320. As shown in
The extension 340 can be of any suitable or desirable shape or profile. In the shown embodiment, the mountable receptacle 300 includes a pair of wing-shaped extensions 350 disposed at either side of the clamshell 320, longitudinally opposite to one another. The wing-shaped extensions 350 are connected to at least the second edge 327 of the second portion 324 of the clamshell 320 through the breakable mechanism 342.
The mountable receptacle 300 can be mounted onto a surface 220 (shown in
The breakable mechanism 342 permits a legitimate end user to intentionally detach the clamshell 320 from the paperboard 200 without compromising the integrity of the clamshell, such that the clamshell 200 can be reused with its full function maintained. For example, the clamshell can be reused to contain articles different from the previous content of the clamshell. Furthermore, breakage of the breakable mechanism 342 provides a tamper-evident feature for the package.
In the shown embodiment, the breakable mechanism 342 includes a plurality of perforations 360. However, the breakable mechanism 342 can include a variety of implements without departing from the invention, such as, laser scoring, locally weakened material and the like. In addition, the breakable mechanism 342 can be selectively designed and formed to provide a theft deterrent feature. For example, the pattern of the perforations 360 can be designed to have more compact perforations from the top of the clamshell 320, which requires extra forces applied from the top of the clamshell to initiate the tear-off the clamshell. The laser scoring or the locally weakened material can also be selectively designed to require extra efforts to initiate the tear-off operation.
Once the mountable receptacle 300 is mounted to the paperboard 200 as shown in
In the shown embodiment, the clamshell 320 has a profile substantially matching the A-shaped blister cards 100, although the profile can be of any suitable shape. The clamshell can have a variety of shapes, including but not limited to, square, rectangular, triangle, round, oval and the like. In addition, the clamshell can be designed to follow the profile of any number, letter, symbol, animal or object. The dimension of the clamshell 320, particularly the lateral dimension of the clamshell, is selected to allow the clamshell or the package 1000 to stand by itself on a shelf, which offers the user more options to organize the package.
The paperboard 200 can have an opening 240, which provides a pegging mechanism for the package. For example, the opening 240 can be in the shape of a sombrero slot or a round hole. Alternatively, the opening can be filled with a removable paper material, or not be presented at all.
The package according to the present invention, including the A-shaped blister card and clamshell, facilitates marketing and enhances brand recognition of the article, such as pharmaceuticals.
The features of the present invention as applied to various specific embodiments thereof have been shown and described. It will also be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form and details of the devices illustrated and in their operation, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements and/or method steps which perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve the same results are within the scope of the invention. Moreover, it should be recognized that structures and/or elements and/or method steps shown and/or described in connection with any disclosed form or embodiment of the invention may be incorporated in any other disclosed or described or suggested form or embodiment as a general matter of design choice. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto.
