SEALING SHEET FOR USE TO CLOSE A CONTAINER-DEFINING SHEET

Abstract

Disclosed is an improved sealing sheet for use to close a container-defining sheet having a top surface comprising a given number of spaced apart cavities embossed therein, each of the cavities being upwardly opened and thus defining a container that is surrounded by a flange that is part of the top surface of the container-defining sheet. This improved sealing sheet has a top layer with tearing lines punched therein in such a manner and position as to extend from one side of each cover piece that may be splitted from the sealing sheet to cover one of the cavities in line with opposite sides of a bottom piece left on the corresponding cover piece. Such facilitates peeling of the bottom piece and of the corresponding part of the cover piece from the corresponding container to have access to the element(s) stored in it while preventing glue to be left on the flanges that surround the top opening of the container since such flanges are then still covered by non splitted parts of the sealing sheet.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an improved set of individual pill containers according to a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one of the containers of the set after this container has been detached and its sealing sheet has been opened;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the container shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the container shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, showing the sealing sheet in a closed position;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing how the bottom layer of the sealing sheet may be peeled off while leaving bottom pieces attached to the bottom surface of the top layer of the sealing sheet to close each of the containers;

FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of the sealing sheet illustrated in the previous Figures;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the sealing sheet illustrated in the previous Figures;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the top layer of the sealing sheet illustrated in the previous Figures, in a semi-folded position to see the tearing lines made on it.

FIG. 9 is a schematic side elevational view of a machine for use to punch the tearing lines in the sealing sheet illustrated in the previous drawings;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the teeth projecting from the second rolls of the machine shown in FIG. 9, which teeth are used to punch all the tearing lines of the bottom layer of the sealing sheet and part only of the tearing lines of the top layer of the same sealing sheet;

FIGS. 11A and 11B are cross-sectional views taken along lines A-A and B-B of the sealing sheet shown in FIG. 10; and

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the tearing lines punched by the teeth projecting from the first rolls of the machine shown in FIG. 9 on the upper surface of the top layer, and the tearing lines punched by the teeth projecting from the second rolls of the same machine on the lower surface of the top layer and the bottom layer of the sealing sheet.

Claims

1. In a sealing sheet for use to close a container-defining sheet having a top surface comprising a given number of spaced apart cavities embossed therein, each of said cavities being upwardly opened and thus defining a container that is surrounded by a flange that is part of the top surface of said container-defining sheet, said sealing sheet comprising: a top layer having an upper surface and a lower surface, said lower surface being covered with a pressure sensitive adhesive glue; anda bottom layer having an upper surface detachably fixed to the lower surface of the top layer by means of said adhesive glue, said bottom layer being peelable from the lower surface of the top layer to allow fixation of the sealing sheet onto the top surface of the container-defining sheet in order to close the containers defined in the same, said bottom layer having tearing lines punched into it in such a manner and position as to leave parts of said bottom layer glued onto the bottom surface of the top layer in the form of a number of bottom pieces equal to the given number of cavities made in the container-defining sheet when said sealing sheet is peeled off, each of said bottom pieces being shaped, sized and positioned so as to extend over a corresponding cavity of the container-defining sheet when the sealing sheet is properly applied to and glued on the flanges of the top surface of the container-defining sheet, said bottom pieces thus preventing any element stored in the containers from coming into contact with the adhesive glue, the improvement wherein the top layer of the sealing sheet has tearing lines punched therein in such a manner and position as to extend from one side of each of the cover pieces that may be splitted from the sealing sheet, in line with opposite sides of the bottom piece of the corresponding cover piece, in order to facilitate peeling of said bottom piece and of the corresponding part of the cover piece from the corresponding container to have access to the element(s) stored in it.

2. The improved sealing sheet of claim 1, wherein the container-defining sheet comprises recesses embossed therein so as to extend adjacent to the one side of each of the cover pieces from which extend the tearing lines allowing peeling of the corresponding bottom piece from the corresponding container, said recesses being U-shaped so as to give easy access to a finger and thus facilitate such a peeling;the tearing lines of the bottom layer of said sealing sheet are devised so as to provide each of the bottom pieces with a small pulling tab projecting from one edge of bottom piece, in such a manner that once the sealing sheet is glued on top of the container defining-sheet, said pulling tab extending at a short a distance away from the cavity of the corresponding container towards the adjacent recess embossed therein, such facilitating again peeling of said bottom piece from said container; andthe top layer has additional tearing lines punched therein in such a manner as to extend toward the pulling tab along the edge of the bottom piece from where said pulling tab projects, said additional tearing lines extending transversally from the tearing line that are in lines with the opposite side of the bottom piece along the edge of it, up to the pulling tab.

3. The improved sealing sheet of claim 2, wherein each of the flanges that are parts of the top surface of the container-defining sheet and are not directly adjacent to one side of said container-defining sheet, are provided with a centrally positioned tearing line so as to make it possible to separate each of the containers from the adjacent containers and thus from the container-defining sheet whenever desired;the top layer of the sealing sheet also have other tearing lines punched therein in such a manner and position as to be in line with the tearing lines of the container-defining sheet and thus to allow said top layer, once glued onto the flanges of the container-defining sheet, to be splitted into a number of cover pieces equal to the number of containers, such making it possible to detach each of said containers from the container defining sheet while keeping it closed.

4. Tile in-proved sealing sheet of claim 3, wherein: the tearing lines of the bottom layer of said sealing sheet are devised so as to provide each of said bottom pieces with an extension opposite to the edge from which projects the pulling tab.

5. The improved sealing sheet of claim 4, wherein the containers defined by the cavities of the container-defining sheet are positioned to form rows and columns; andthe cover pieces splittable from the sealing sheet are similarly positioned so as to correspond to said rows and columns.

6. The improved sealing sheet of claim 5, wherein the sealing sheet and the top surface of the container-defining sheet are provided with positioning means to ensure proper positioning of both of them with respect to each other during installation and thus exact superimposition of the bottom pieces of the sealing sheet on top of the corresponding cavities, and exact superimposition of the tearing lines of the top layer of the sealing sheet with the tearing lines of container-defining sheet.

7. The improved sealing sheet of claim 6, wherein said positioning means consists of at least two spaced apart holes sized to fit onto pins projecting from a support.

8. The improved sealing sheet of claim 7, wherein the top surface of said sealing sheet comprises information printed on it in such a manner a's to be positioned on top of each cover piece and thus to correspond to what is located in the corresponding container.

9. The improved sealing sheet of claim 8, wherein: said sealing sheet is made of paper; andsaid container defining sheet is made of plastic material.

10. The improved sealing sheet of claim 9, wherein the upper surface of the bottom layer of the sealing sheet is covered with silicone.

11. The improved sealing sheet of claim 10, wherein: the container-defining sheet is intended to store individual pills and comprises twenty-eight containers, said containers being positioned to define seven rows and four columns; andthe sealing sheet is devised to form a corresponding number of cover pieces that are each printed with relevant information as to the content of the corresponding containers and the date and hour the pills contained therein must be taken.

12. In a set of individual pill containers comprising: a container-defining sheet made of plastic material, said container-defining sheet having a top surface comprising a given number of spaced apart cavities embossed therein, each of said cavities being upwardly opened and thus defining a container, each of said containers being surrounded by a flange, each of the flanges that are not directly adjacent to one side of the container-defining sheet being provided with a centrally positioned tearing line so to make it possible to detach each of the containers from the adjacent containers and thus from the container-defining sheet whenever desired, anda sealing sheet made of paper and positioned on top of the top surface of the containing-defining sheet in order to close each of said containers, said sealing sheet being shaped and sized to cover at least all its containers and their surrounding flanges, said sealing sheet being detachably attached to the container-defining sheet by means of a pressure sensitive adhesive glue and being provided with tearing lines positioned to be in superposition on top of the tearing lines of the container-defining sheet to make it possible to tear said sealing sheet into a number of cover pieces corresponding to the number of said containers and thus to detach each of said containers without having to open the same; said sealing sheet comprising:a top layer made of paper and having an upper surface and a lower surface, said lower surface being covered with the pressure sensitive adhesive glue; anda bottom layer detachably fixed to the lower surface of the top layer by means of said adhesive glue, said bottom layer being peelable from the lower surface of the top layer to allow fixation of the sealing sheet onto the top surface of the container-defining sheet in order to close the containers of the same, said bottom layer having tearing lines punched into it in such a manner and position as to leave parts of said bottom layer glued onto the bottom surface of the top layer in the form of a number of bottom pieces equal to the given number of cavities made in the container-defining sheet when the sealing sheet is peeled off, each of the said bottom pieces being shaped, sized and positioned so as to extend over a corresponding cavity of the container-defining sheet when the sealing sheet is properly applied to and glued on the flanges on the top surface of said container-defining sheet, such bottom pieces preventing any element stored in the containers from becoming into contact with the adhesive glue;

13. The improved set of individual pill containers of claim 12, wherein the container-defining sheet comprises recesses embossed therein so as to extend adjacent to the one side of each of the cover pieces from which extend the tearing lines allowing peeling of the corresponding bottom piece from the corresponding container, said recesses being U-shaped so as to give easy access to a finger and thus facilitate such a peeling;the tearing lines of the bottom layer of said sealing sheet are devised so as to provide each of the bottom pieces with a small pulling tab projecting from one edge of bottom piece, in such a manner that, once the sealing sheet is glued on top of the container defining-sheet, said pulling tab extending at a short a distance away from the cavity of the corresponding container towards the adjacent recess embossed therein, such facilitating again peeling of said bottom piece from said container; andthe top layer has additional tearing lines punched therein in such a manner as to extend toward the pulling tab along punched therein the edge of the bottom piece from where said pulling tab projects, said additional tearing lines extending transversally from the tearing line that are in lines with the opposite side of the bottom piece along the edge of it, towards and up to the pulling tab.

14. The improved sealing sheet of claim 13, wherein: the tearing lines of the bottom layer of said sealing sheet are devised so as to provide each of said bottom pieces with an extension opposite to the edge from which projects the pulling tab.

15. The improved set of individual pill containers of claim 14, wherein: the containers defined by the cavities of the container-defining sheet are positioned to form rows and columns; andthe cover pieces splittable from the sealing sheet are similarly positioned so as to correspond to said rows and columns; andthe top surface of said sealing sheet comprises information printed on it in such a manner as to be positioned on top of each cover piece and thus to correspond to what is located in the corresponding container.

16. The improved set of individual pill containers of claim 15 wherein: the container-defining sheet comprises twenty-eight containers, said containers being positioned to define seven rows and four columns; andthe sealing sheet is devised to form a corresponding number of cover pieces that are each printed with relevant information as to the content of the corresponding containers and the date and hour the pills contained therein must be taken.

17. The improved set of individual pill containers of claim 16, wherein: said sealing sheet is made of paper; andsaid container defining sheet is made of plastic material.