The present invention relates to a child access restricted/child safe packaged-product system. The invention further relates to child resistant closures for packaged-product.
Products such as medicaments are primarily but not exclusively packaged in blister packs comprising one or plurality of deformable protrusions formed in a flexible sheet with a closure for each of the protrusions. An area of concern with regard to blister packs has been the uncontrolled ease with which products can be dispensed. This becomes particularly important when blister packs are handled by children and/or physically challenged. Further, establishing the authenticity and genuineness of a packaged product before use is essential as counterfeited products when consumed can cause grave harm to the patients.
Various attempts to achieve the above objectives are reported in literature
U.S. Pat. No. 7,201,274 discloses a package having a simultaneous stop, alignment, and enhanced tamper-resistant feature, wherein the package has an outer sleeve and a slide card slidably disposed within the outer sleeve. A stop panel is disposed on an inside surface of the outer sleeve and has an extension panel extending away therefrom, wherein the extension panel enhances the tamper-resistant nature of the package. A guide panel extends along a longitudinal edge of the outer sleeve and has a length equal to or greater than a combined length of the stop panel and extension panel. The guide panel being folded over the extension panel to defined a channel between an edge of the guide panel and a score line separating first and second panels of the outer sleeve.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,325,689 discloses a pharmaceutical package assembly that includes a tether having a fold-over card mating feature, and a fold-over card configured to house one or more pharmaceutical blisters, wherein the fold-over card includes a tether mating feature. One exemplary method of coupling the fold-over card to a tether includes forming a tether receiving recess in the front side of the fold-over card, folding the front side of the fold-over card adjacent to the back side of the fold-over card so that the tether receiving recess reveals an exposed portion of the fold-over card front side, and coupling the tether to the revealed portion of the card front side. Another exemplary method of coupling a fold-over card to a tether having a front side and a back side includes forming a fold-over card receiving recess in the tether such that when the front side of the tether is folded adjacent to the back side of the tether, the fold-over card receiving recess reveals an exposed portion of the tether, and coupling the fold-over card to the revealed portion of the tether.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,188,728 discloses a child-resistant senior-friendly blister card packaging that is cheap and easy to manufacture. The packaging requires a push-peel-push method for opening, which is cognitively and physically challenging for children and mentally impaired adults. Yet, competent adults can easily open the package, especially after reading instructions. More specifically, opening the package requires the user to: 1) Push through a aperture to create a pull tab; 2) Pull on the pull tab to remove a panel; and 3) Push the blister to force the contents through the blister's seal. Advantageously, the present invention is designed such that information such as instructions and product information can be easily printed directly on the packaging. Moreover, users may also record information directly on the packaging. Thus, the present invention not only provides child-resistant and senior-friendly features, but also provides convenience for viewing and recording information.
The review of the prior art reveals
The main object of the invention is to provide a uniquely identifiable child access restricted/child-safe package system such that combination capability is necessary to access the product in the package.
Another object of the invention is to provide a package system with a child safe closure to a product package such that combination capability is necessary to access the package and thereby product in the package.
Another object of the invention is to provide a uniquely identifiable package for the child-safe package system.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a uniquely identifiable package such that combination capability is necessary to access the product from the package.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide means on the package for providing effective solution to anti-counterfeiting.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide unique identifying information on the product package and/or closure.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide at least two sets of identification information on the product package.
Another object of the invention is to detect and record access of the product package from the closure.
Thus one aspect of the invention provides a system comprising:
a closure means provided with engaging member/s/provision adapted to removably receive and engage package wherein combination of operations is necessary to access the product by disengaging the package from the said closure; package with a provision to removably receive the said engaging member/s; an optional sensing means is provided to sense the presence of the package in the said closure wherein the said sensing means is configured with power source and user interactive audio/visual/sensory means.
In another aspect of the invention the said sensing means is operably connected in the said provided closure in the form of a pressable switch configured with power source and audio/visual/sensory means, when the package is engaged with the said engaging member in the said closure the said pressable switch is pressed wherein upon removing the package from the said rest position at the time of consuming the product in the package, the said switch is depressed resulting in providing audio/visual/sensory indication to the user so as to remind him/her of repositioning the said package in the said closure to render child resistant state.
In another aspect of the invention the said package is provided with identification information to uniquely identify the package.
In another aspect of the invention the said package comprises of sheet with deformable protrusion/s formed; closure for the said sheet; combination of sheets with openings disposed such that combination capability is necessary to access the product from the said package.
Features and advantages of the invention will become apparent in the following detailed description and the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.
a Configuration of the variant of the package system (Sheet 2)
a Configuration of the variant of the embodiment (Sheet 4)
b Configuration of the variant of the embodiment (Sheet 5)
c Configuration of the variant of the embodiment (Sheet 6)
c Configuration of the variant of the embodiment (Sheet 8)
d Configuration of the variant of the embodiment (Sheet 9)
In one of the configurations the package is engaged with the closure means wherein the said package has to be disengage and removed from the said closure means to access the package. The closure means may encompass the said package or is in the form of a tray like structure adapted to fit/holding the package. The package may be required to be disengage and separated from the closure means to access the product.
In another configuration, the packages is encased and engaged in the closure means wherein the package has to be moved out of the said closure but is still in the engaged with the closure.
In another configuration the package comprises of an flexible edge portion adapted to removably engage in the provision provided in the closure wherein the package is not required to be separated from the said closure; further in one of the variants of this configurations, the package is permanently engaged with the closure and application of force is necessary to access the product from the package.
Yet another embodiment is depicted in
In another embodiment a sensing means in the form of embedded system is adapted to fit on the said package system. The said sensing means comprises of signal generating provision/s, data processing means, data logging and storing means configured with a communication means an optional communication switch, a power source, optional audio signal generating means, an oscillator (Real time clock) wherein the said signal generating means gets activated upon disengaging the said package from the closure. The activation of the signal generating provision may be done by various means such as electronic, mechanical, optical, visual. In a specific embodiment, visual display and the audio signal generating means is provided to alert the user of the time and date of the products to be consumed and also provides quantitative information about the number of products in the package. As the user disengages the package from the closure a signal from the said signal generating provision is sent to the said data processing means wherein the time & date of product dispensed is logged into the data logging provision of the said data processing means. Using the optional communication feature, the user may transfer the logged data to an external device by optionally embedded the communication switch.
In one of the variants of this embodiment said logged data in the said data processing is transferred/transmitted via communication means to an external device/s with the aid of RF-wherein the said logged data to be transferred is superimposed on the RF field, generated by the RF circuit. In yet another variant of this embodiment the said logged data in the said data processing means is transferred/transmitted via communication means to the said external device/s using an IR link wherein the said logged data to be transferred is in the form of coded pulses or frequency. In yet another variant of this embodiment the said logged data in the said data processing means is transferred/transmitted via communication means to the said companion device through wired and/or any direct contact methods such as I2C, SPI, serial or parallel communication but not limited to these. In yet another variant of this embodiment the data is transferred using wireless communication means such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Zeegbee, Wi-Max, GPRS, GSM, Wibree but not limited to it.
In one of the embodiment of the package system, a uniquely identifiable information and for combination of information is provided on the package. In another embodiment unique identifying information is provided on the product package and/or closure.
In yet another embodiment at least two sets of identification information is provided on the product package and/or closure wherein the identity of the product package is verified to authenticate the same by providing the package with at least two sets of identification information comprising a first set of identification information and a second set of identification information, wherein at least one identification feature of the first set of identification information is arranged on or incorporated within a different surface, side or plane of the package, with respect to at least one identification feature of the second set of identification information, thereby adapting the package to be identified, wherein said at least one identification feature of the first set of identification information and said at least one identification feature of the second set of identification information are arranged at a fixed relative spatial position with respect to each other, said fixed relative spatial position being used to derive a signature for identifying the package;
In one of the embodiments the identification information may comprise an identification layer in which, at least in part, a plurality of randomly distributed particles is present. The randomly distributed particles may comprise a material that displays one or more consistently measurable physical properties, such as magnetic field strength, capacitance or conductance wherein “randomly distributed particles” includes voids, bubbles, or magnetic domains with a continuous material, or regions of varying reflectivity, or electrical properties.
In another embodiment the product package is provided with an identification tag for identifying the package for authentication. The tag comprises at least two sets of identification information, said at least two sets of identification information comprising a first set of identification information and a second set of identification information each arranged within a different surface, side or plane of the identification tag, and identification features of said first set of identification information and identification features of said second set of identification information are arranged at a fixed relative spatial position with respect to each other, said fixed spatial relationship being used for identifying the object.
The identifiers may be present in a tag on the product package. One identifier may comprise a readable layer of randomly distributed material which is capable of encoding identification information, for example a conductive material, magnetized or magnetisable material, semiconductive particle and optically active particles. The second identifier suitably comprises optical information, for example a 1-D or 2-D bar code.
In yet another embodiment at least two sets of identification information is provided on the product package and/or package holding provision. In another variant of this embodiment unique identifying information is suitably included on the package in the form of oriented or orientable particles and may relate to for example, the manufacturer of the package or to an individual. Preferably the identification information comprises information derived from a magnetic field and/or an electric field and optionally optical or magneto-optical information.
In a preferred embodiment, the product package suitably comprises a substantially non-magnetic host material having pores, wherein at least some of the pores contain a substantially magnetic material which is codable to encode identification information for identifying the product package or a unit dose package. The product package may comprise a substantially electrically-insulating host material having pores, wherein at least some of the pores contain a substantially electrically-conducting material which is codable to encode identification information for identifying the unit dose package. Desirably, the electrically-conducting material is connectable to a voltage source.
In yet another embodiment the identification information is encoded and preferably is optical, electronic, magnetic or a combination thereof.
In yet another embodiment nano/micro particulate materials and/or material composites with measurable material metrics are used on the package for identification information.
In yet another embodiment a reader device comprising reader means is provided to identify and read the unique identification information on the said package.
In yet another embodiment the packaged-product system is provided with a means to detect disengagement of the package from the closure to monitor and/or record of package and/or product access from the package system. In another variant of this embodiment the package system is provided with a wired/wireless communication means capable of interacting with external/remote device/s.
Thus it is evident from the invention that the synergistic combination of a closure means provided with engaging provisions adapted to removably receive and engage package wherein combination of multiple operations is necessary to access the product by disengaging the package from the said closure provides restricted product access system.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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947/MUM/2008 | Apr 2008 | IN | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/IN2009/000249 | 4/23/2009 | WO | 00 | 10/28/2010 |