WO2013035008A1

WO2013035008A1 - Blister pack dispensing package

Info

Publication number: WO2013035008A1
Application number: PCT/IB2012/054373
Authority: WO
Inventors: John Michael Davis
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2011-09-05
Filing date: 2012-08-27
Publication date: 2013-03-14
Anticipated expiration: 2014-03-05
Also published as: ZA201401376B

Abstract

The invention concerns a blister pack dispensing package, typically for medicinal tablets. The package has a middle panel (50) providing a pocket (52) for accommodating a blister pack (54). The pocket has a front wall formed with an opening (46) through which one or more cavities of the accommodated blister pack are accessible and a rear wall including a sub- panel (34) which can be torn open to form an opening in the rear wall through which items stored in the blister pack cavities can be expressed from the package. First and second side panels (16, 18) are hinged to opposite side edges of the middle panel (50) for movement between closed positions in which they overly one another and the pocket and open positions in which the pocket is exposed to allow access to the blister pack through the opening in the front wall of the pocket. The side panels can be locked releasably in their closed positions.

Description

"BLISTER PACK DISPENSING PACKAGE"

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

THIS invention relates to a blister pack dispensing package.

Blister packs are commonly used for containing and dispensing individual medicinal tablets. A common blister pack has a series of discrete cavities or pockets provided by a thermoformed plastic web on a backing of paperboard, aluminium foil or plastic. A single tablet is accommodated in each of the discrete cavities between the web and the backing. The tablets are dispensed one at a time by applying sufficient pressure to the tablet, through the web, to cause the tablet to rupture through the backing and to be expressed from the pack.

Blister packs of the kind described above are normally marketed in a separate box of paperboard or cardboard (hereinafter referred to generically as "cardboard") which provides a measure of protection for the blister pack. In the case of medicinal tablets the box may also accommodate a package insert, otherwise referred as a patient information leaflet, which provides additional information about the medicine in question, recommended dosages and so on. Once the blister pack has been extracted from the box and manipulated to express a tablet, it is sometimes difficult to replace it in the box either because of the presence of the package insert or because of the presence of ruptured backing material which stands proud of the remainder of the pack. The end result may be that the blister pack is simply not replaced, or the package insert is removed from the box to provide more room for replacement. The first of these possibilities is problematic because the blister pack, out of the box, is more exposed to potential damage. The second of the possibilities can also be problematic because the person using the medicine may then be without important information conveyed by the package insert. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a blister pack dispensing package comprising:

- a middle panel providing a pocket for accommodating a blister pack, the pocket having a front wall formed with at least one opening through which one or more cavities of the accommodated blister pack are accessible and a rear wall including at least one sub-panel which can be torn open to form an opening in the rear wall through which one or more items stored in the blister pack cavities can be expressed from the package;

- first and second side panels hinged respectively relative to opposite side edges of the middle panel for movement between closed positions in which the side panels overly one another and the pocket and open positions in which the pocket is exposed to allow access to the cavities of the blister pack through the opening(s) in the front wall of the pocket; and

- means for releasably holding the side panels in their closed positions.

The dispensing package may be used for dispensing medicinal tablets, in which case it may further comprise a package insert attached to one of the side panels so as to be enclosed in the package when the side panels are in their closed positions. The package insert can be attached to an inner face of one of the side panels, typically that which is uppermost, so as to be located beneath that side panel when the side panels are in their closed positions.

Conveniently the package insert is enclosed in the package in a folded state, preferably a Z-folded state, and is unfoldable from that state in order for material printed on the package insert to be read.

In the preferred embodiment, the means for releasably holding the side panels in their closed positions comprises an opening in one side panel and a locking tab carried by the other side panel which is insertable releasably into the opening when the side panels are in their closed positions.

It is also preferred that the middle panel is a composite panel formed by panel sections which overly one another to define the pocket between them. In this configuration, an overlying one of the panel sections may carry a folded tab which is attached to the other, underlying panel section which forms the rear wall of the pocket. The pocket itself may have open sides through which the blister pack can be inserted into the pocket.

Advantageouslly the rear wall of the pocket is formed with a line of weakness or tear line forming the sub-panel, and the rear wall of the pocket includes a cut-out, adjacent to the line or weakness or tear line, through which a user can grip an edge of the sub-panel in order to tear the sub- panel open.

The preferred dispensing package is erected from a one-piece cardboard blank. The invention extends to the one-piece blank itself.

Another aspect of the invention provides a blister pack dispensing package comprising a dispensing package as summarised above and a blister pack accommodated in the pocket thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a face view of a one-piece cardboard blank from which a blister pack dispensing package according to the invention can be erected; Figure 2 shows an intermediate state of the blank during its erection to form the package of the invention;

Figure 3 shows a perspective view of the erected package in an open condition and with a blister pack and package insert in place;

Figure 4 shows a view similar to that of Figure 3, but with the package insert partially unfolded;

Figure 5 shows a view similar to that of Figure 4, but with the package insert fully unfolded;

Figure 6 shows a front perspective view of the package in a closed condition; and

Figure 7 shows a rear perspective view of the package, in the closed condition, during a dispensing operation.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT

Figure 1 shows a one-piece cardboard blank 10 which has a middle panel section 12, a middle panel section 14 and side panels 16 and 18. The blank is printed with a fold line 20 between the middle panel sections 12 and 14, closely spaced fold lines 22.1 and 22.2 between the side panel 16 and the middle panel section 12 and closely spaced fold lines 24.1 and 24.2 between the side panel 18 and the middle panel section 12. In addition, there is a semi-elliptical cut-out 26 in the side panel 16, a part-circular slit 28 in the side panel 18 forming a locking tab 30, a scored line of weakness or tear line 32 forming a sub-panel 34 in the middle panel section 12 and a semi-circular cut-out 36 in the sub-panel 34. Still further a rectangular extension 38 is attached to the side panel 18 at a fold line 40, a trapezoidal tab 42 is attached to the middle panel section 14 at a fold line 44 and rectangular cut-outs 46 are formed in the panel section 14. Figure 2 illustrates an intermediate step in the folding procedure employed to erect the blank 10 from its initial, planar state seen in Figure 1 to the erected state seen in Figures 5 and 6. In a first step in the erection procedure, the tab 42 is folded onto the panel section 14 at the fold line 44, the middle panel section 14 is folded over the middle panel section 12 at the fold line 20, and the tab 42 is fixed to the front surface of the panel section 12, i.e. the surface visible in Figure 2, by means of a suitable glue. At this stage, the panel sections 12 and 14 in combination form a composite middle panel 50 between the side panels 16 and 18. This composite middle panel defines an open-sided pocket 52 between the panel sections 12 and 14, with the panel section 14 forming a front wall of the pocket and the panel section 12 forming a rear wall of the pocket.

In the next steps in the erection procedure, the side panel 16 is folded, at the fold lines 22.1 and 22.2, to a closed position over the pocket 52, whereafter the side panel 18 is folded, at the fold lines 24.1 and 24.2, to a closed position over the side panel 16. The side panels 16 and 18 can be held in their closed positions by bending the locking tab 30 out of the general plane of the side panel 18 at the fold line 40, and inserting it into the cut-out 26, as shown in Figure 6. The side panels 16 and 18 can then be returned to their open positions, as seen in Figure 3, simply by moving the locking tab 30 out of the cut-out 26 and folding the side panels open about the fold lines 22.1 , 22.2 and 24.1, 24.2.

With the package 10 in the open condition seen in Figure 3, a blister pack

54 can be inserted into the pocket 52. In the illustrated case, the blister pack 54 is of a conventional construction with a thermoformed plastics web

55 defining individual tablet cavities and mounted on a rupturable backing 57. In the illustrated embodiment there are ten tablet cavities each accommodating a single tablet 56. The cavities are arranged in two rows of five cavities each. The blister pack is slid sideways into the pocket 52 as indicated by the arrow 58 in Figure 3. When properly inserted, the blister pack locates beneath the panel section 14 two rows of cavities aligned with and accessible through the cut-outs 46. As explained previously it is frequently necessary in the case of medicinal tablets to include a package insert or patient information leaflet in the package. In the illustrated embodiment, a package insert 60 is fixed to the inner face of the side panel 18 by means of a suitable glue. The package insert is accordingly accommodated within the package between the side panels 16 and 18 when the side panels are folded to their closed positions as described above. It will be understood that in this position the overlying side panel 18 will protect the package insert.

The package insert is provided by a printed sheet of paper 62 folded in the particular manner which will be evident from Figures 4 and 5, i.e. the paper sheet is folded concertina style into a slender strip which is then folded to a compact Z-shape. It will be understood that a person can unfold the sheet in order to read the patient information which it carries, and then refold it for compact storage in the package 10.

When a tablet 56 is to be dispensed, a finger is inserted into the cut-out 36 in the sub-panel 34, so that the sub-panel can be gripped. With appropriate traction applied, the sub-panel 34 can be torn away from the rest of the rear wall of the pocket 22, i.e. the panel section 12, as shown in Figure 7. Tearing is facilitated by the scored line of weakness or tear line 32 which enables the user to tear away the sub-panel completely or partially.

The backing 57 of the blister pack is exposed through the opening 80 formed in the panel section 12 by the tearing action just described. The user may now manipulate the blister in the conventional manner to express a tablet, i.e. by pressing on the tablet through the web 55 with sufficient force to cause the tablet to rupture or burst through the backing 57 where it can be grasped in the user's hand through the opening 80.

After the dispensing operation, the package 10 be closed again by refolding and releasably locking the side panels 16 and 18 in the manner described above. The compact, closed package can then be stored in a handbag or other storage location. It will be understood that the illustrated embodiment 10 provides a compact and secure dispensing package for a blister pack of medicinal tablets or other discrete items. In the case of medicinal tablets, the required package insert is stored compactly and permanently as part of the package. Persons familiar with the Z-folded configuration will also understand that it is a simple matter to unfold the insert to enable its printed contents to be read, typically by simply pulling diagonally on the corner 92, and to refold it to the compact storage state again thereafter.

Many variations are possible within the scope of the invention. Purely by way of example, there could be a single cut-out 46 and the shape of the cut-out(s) could vary depending on the shape of the blister pack and location of the tablets. The drawings show a ten-tablet blister pack but this is of course only one example. In other examples the blister pack could have more or less than ten tablets arranged in one or more rows or in other configurations altogether. The package insert could be provided in a form other than the folded Z-shape seen in the drawings and could, for example, be carried on the inner or outer surface of the panel 16 instead of the panel 18.

In the illustrated example the sub-panel 34 is gripped for tearing purposes through a cut-out 36 which is located in the sub-panel itself. Alternatively or in addition, a cut-out 90 could be provided for this purpose in the panel section 12, as shown in Figure 1.

Claims

1.

A blister pack dispensing package comprising:

- means for releasably holding the side panels in their closed positions.

2.

A dispensing package according to claim 1 for medicinal tablets and further comprising a package insert attached to one of the side panels so as to be enclosed in the package when the side panels are in their closed positions.

3.

A dispensing package according to claim 2 wherein the package insert is attached to an inner face of one of the side panels so as to be located beneath that side panel when the side panels are in their closed positions.

4.

A dispensing package according to claim 3 wherein the package insert is attached to an inner face of that side panel which is uppermost when the side panels are in their closed positions.

5.

A dispensing package according to claim 4 wherein the package insert is enclosed in the package in a folded state and is unfoldable from that state in order for material printed on the package insert to be read.

6.

A dispensing package according to claim 5 wherein the package insert is enclosed in the package in a Z-folded configuration.

7.

A dispensing package according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the means for releasably holding the side panels in their closed positions comprises an opening in one side panel and a locking tab carried by the other side panel which is insertable releasably into the opening when the side panels are in their closed positions.

8.

A dispensing package according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the middle panel is a composite panel formed by panel sections which overly one another to define the pocket between them.

9.

A dispensing package according to claim 8 wherein an overlying one of the panel sections carries a folded tab which is attached to the other, underlying panel section which forms the rear wall of the pocket.

10.

A dispensing package according to claim 8 or claim 9 wherein the pocket has open sides through which the blister pack can be inserted into the pocket.

1 1.

A dispensing package according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the rear wall of the pocket is formed with a line of weakness or tear line forming the sub-panel.

12.

A dispensing package according to claim 11 wherein the rear wall of the pocket includes a cut-out, adjacent to the line or weakness or tear line, through which a user can grip an edge of the sub-panel in order to tear the sub-panel open.

13.

A dispensing package according to any one of the preceding claims which is erected from a one-piece cardboard blank.

14.

A blister pack dispensing package comprising a dispensing package according to any one of the preceding claims and a blister pack accommodated in the pocket thereof.

15.

A one-piece cardboard blank which is erectable to form a dispensing package according to any one of claims 1 to 13.