U.S. patent application number 11/660570 was filed with the patent office on 2007-12-20 for child-resistant medicament package.
This patent application is currently assigned to Perrigo Company. Invention is credited to Timothy Richard JR. Williams.
Application Number | 20070289893 11/660570 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35968176 |
Filed Date | 2007-12-20 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070289893 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Williams; Timothy Richard
JR. |
December 20, 2007 |
Child-Resistant Medicament Package
Abstract
An individual blister pack includes an unsealed area formed
along an edge, and a die cut slot is formed at an angle adjacent
edges of the blister pack and communicates with the unsealed area.
The die cut slot allows tearing of the corner of the blister pack,
which exposes an easily accessible corner pull tab to allow an
impenetrable polymeric film to be peeled away from the underlying
foil such that medicament can subsequently be pushed through the
foil for dispensing the medicament from the blister pack. The
package, therefore, provides a tear-peel-push sequence of operation
requiring the cognitive skills of an adult and yet allows an adult
an easy manner by which to obtain a finger hold on the impenetrable
film layer for peeling it from the blister pack.
Inventors: |
Williams; Timothy Richard JR.;
(Allegan, MI) |
Correspondence
Address: |
PRICE HENEVELD COOPER DEWITT & LITTON, LLP
695 KENMOOR, S.E.
P O BOX 2567
GRAND RAPIDS
MI
49501
US
|
Assignee: |
Perrigo Company
|
Family ID: |
35968176 |
Appl. No.: |
11/660570 |
Filed: |
August 18, 2005 |
PCT Filed: |
August 18, 2005 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/US05/29393 |
371 Date: |
February 16, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60603489 |
Aug 20, 2004 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/531 ;
206/534.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 2575/3245 20130101;
B65D 77/2056 20130101; B65D 75/327 20130101; B65D 77/204 20130101;
B65D 83/04 20130101; B65D 77/2052 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/531 ;
206/534.1 |
International
Class: |
B65D 83/04 20060101
B65D083/04 |
Claims
1. A child-resistant blister package comprising: a first polymeric
film defining a pocket for receiving a medicament therein; an
impenetrable polymeric film sealed to said first polymeric film for
sealing a medicament in said pocket; an unsealed area between said
first polymeric film and said impenetrable polymeric film, said
unsealed area extending along one edge of said blister pack; and a
die cut extending at an acute angle to adjacent edges of said
blister pack and having only one end intersecting and extending
into said unsealed area and an opposite end extending toward one
edge of said blister pack adjacent said edge on which said unsealed
area is located, wherein said package can be opened by tearing the
die cut to remove a corner of the blister pack to expose a tab
which can be gripped for peeling the impenetrable polymeric film
from said package to allow a medicament to be pushed through the
foil layer.
2. The package as defined in claim 1 wherein said die cut extends
through said first polymeric film and said impenetrable polymeric
film.
3. The package as defined in claim 2 wherein said die cut
terminates before reaching said one edge.
4. The package as defined in claim 3 wherein said die cut extends
from said unsealed area at an angle of about 45.degree. to said one
edge.
5. The package as defined in claim 4 wherein said unsealed area is
curvilinear.
6. The package as defined in claim 5 wherein said unsealed area is
a semicircle.
7. A child-resistant blister package comprising: a first polymeric
film defining a plurality of spaced-apart pockets for receiving
medicaments therein; a foil layer coupled to said first polymeric
film to enclose said pockets; a laminate including an impenetrable
polymeric film sealed to said first polymeric film for sealing
medicaments in said pockets; perforations formed through said first
film and said laminate to allow separation of individual blister
units; a plurality of unsealed areas between said first polymeric
film and said laminate and located between pairs of adjacent
blister units; and a die cut extending at an acute angle to
adjacent edges of each blister unit and having only one end
extending into said unsealed area and an opposite end extending
toward one edge of said blister unit adjacent said edge on which
said unsealed area is located, wherein said blister unit can be
opened by tearing the die cut at the unsealed area to remove a
corner of the blister unit to expose a tab which can be gripped for
peeling the impenetrable polymeric film from said unit to allow a
medicament to be pushed through the foil layer.
8. The package as defined in claim 7 wherein said die cut extends
through said first polymeric film and said laminate.
9. The package as defined in claim 8 wherein said die cut
terminates before reaching said one edge.
10. The package as defined in claim 9 wherein said die cut extends
from said unsealed area at an angle of about 45.degree. to said one
edge.
11. The package as defined in claim 10 wherein said unsealed areas
are curvilinear.
12. The package as defined in claim 11 wherein said unsealed areas
are circular.
13. A method of manufacturing a blister pack comprising the steps
of: heat sealing a polymeric film having a plurality of pockets
containing medicaments therein with a laminate comprising a foil
layer and an impenetrable film layer; while heat sealing said film
and laminate, forming unsealed areas between said film and
laminate; providing perforations between adjacent pockets for
separating individual blister units from said blister pack; and die
cutting a slot extending from each unsealed area toward and edge of
each blister unit at an acute angle to allow a corner of each
blister unit to be torn away.
14. The method of claim 13 wherein said forming step comprises
providing apertures in a heat sealing tool which prevents sealing
of said polymeric film and laminate in the areas of said
apertures.
15. A child-resistant tear-peel-push blister package comprising: a
first polymeric film defining a plurality of spaced-apart pockets
for receiving medicaments therein; a lidding including a foil layer
and an impenetrable polymeric film selectively heat sealed to said
first polymeric film for sealing medicaments in said pockets;
perforations formed through said first film and said laminate to
allow separation of individual blister units; a plurality of
unsealed areas between said first polymeric film and said lidding
and located between pairs of adjacent blister units; and a die cut
extending at an acute angle to adjacent edges of each blister unit
and having only one end extending into said unsealed area and an
opposite end extending toward one edge of said blister unit
adjacent said edge on which said unsealed area is located, wherein
said blister unit can be opened by tearing the die cut at the
unsealed area to remove a corner of the blister unit to expose a
tab which can be gripped for peeling the impenetrable polymeric
film from said unit to allow a medicament to be pushed through the
foil layer.
16. The package as defined in claim 15 wherein said die cut extends
through said first polymeric film and said laminate.
17. The package as defined in claim 16 wherein said die cut
terminates before reaching said one edge.
18. The package as defined in claim 17 wherein said die cut extends
from said unsealed area at an angle of about 45.degree. to said one
edge.
19. The package as defined in claim 18 wherein said unsealed areas
are curvilinear.
20. The package as defined in claim 19 wherein said unsealed areas
are circular.
21. The package as defined in claim 15 wherein said polymeric film
is a polyvinylchloride having a thickness of from about 7.5 to
about 30 mils.
22. The package as defined in claim 21 wherein said impenetrable
film is a biaxially oriented nylon film of from about 30 to about
60 gauge.
23. The package as defined in claim 22 wherein said foil layer is
and aluminum foil having a thickness of from about 0.00035 inches
to about 0.03 inches.
24. The package as defined in claim 22 wherein said lidding further
includes a paper layer on a side of said impenetrable layer
opposite said foil.
25. A child-resistant blister package comprising: a first polymeric
film defining a pocket for receiving a medicament therein; a foil
layer enclosing said pocket; a laminate including an impenetrable
polymeric film sealed to said first polymeric film for sealing a
medicament in said pocket; an unsealed area between said first
polymeric film and said laminate, said unsealed area extending
along one edge of said blister pack; and a die cut extending at an
acute angle to adjacent edges of said blister pack and having only
one end extending into said unsealed area and an opposite end
extending toward one edge of said blister pack adjacent said edge
on which said unsealed area is located, wherein said package can be
opened by tearing the die cut to remove a corner of the blister
pack to expose a tab which can be gripped for peeling the
impenetrable polymeric film from said package to allow a medicament
to be pushed through the foil layer.
26. The package as defined in claim 25 wherein said die cut extends
through said first polymeric film and said laminate.
27. The package as defined in claim 26 wherein said die cut
terminates before reaching said one edge.
28. The package as defined in claim 27 wherein said die cut extends
from said unsealed area at an angle of about 45.degree. to said one
edge.
29. The package as defined in claim 28 wherein said polymeric film
is a polyvinylchloride having a thickness of from about 7.5 to
about 30 mils.
30. The package as defined in claim 29 wherein said impenetrable
film is a biaxially oriented nylon film of from about 30 to about
60 gauge.
31. The package as defined in claim 30 wherein said foil layer is
and aluminum foil having a thickness of from about 0.00035 inches
to about 0.03 inches.
32. The package as defined in claim 31 wherein said laminate
further includes a paper layer on a side of said impenetrable layer
opposite said foil.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.
119(e) on U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/603,489 entitled
CHILD-RESISTANT MEDICAMENT PACKAGE, filed on Aug. 20, 2004, by
Timothy Richard Williams, Jr., the entire disclosure of which is
incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to a child-resistant
medicament package and particularly to an opening feature for a
blister-type package.
[0003] Blister packages have become popular for the child-resistant
packaging of medicaments, such as antihistamines and other
medicaments which are available over the counter and in common use
by adults but which must be taken according to instructions and are
required to be packaged in a child-resistant package. Existing
packages have been provided with a paper foil backing over which a
polymeric film is heat-sealed to encase the medicament in what is
generally referred to as a blister pack.
[0004] In order to access the medicament for use, a die cut is
usually formed in spaced relationship to an edge of the package and
aligned with the blister enclosing the medicament. The die cut slit
allows an adult to tear open the blister pack with some effort by
tearing through the edge material and then the blister itself for
gaining access to the medicament contained therein. Typically, a
child will not have the strength required to open such a
package.
[0005] Although this type of package has provided an effective,
popular child-resistant package for medicaments, they are somewhat
difficult to open by adults. U.S. Pat. No. 6,422,391 discloses a
blister pack which is easier for an adult to open and requires
significant cognitive skills which prevents a child from accessing
such a package. The '391 patent employs a tear-away tab on a
blister pack, which subsequently forms a notch with a pair of legs
which can be easily gripped for subsequent tearing through the
blister pack itself. This type of package is particularly useful
for blister packs which are not the push-through type packages
which constitute another popular form of blister pack
construction.
[0006] In push-through packages, an impenetrable polymeric layer
typically overlies a foil layer sealing a medicament-holding
blister formed on a base layer. The impenetrable polymeric layer is
first peeled away by a tab along an edge which then allows a
medicament to be pushed through the remaining foil sealing layer
for accessing the medicament. There exists numerous push-through
type packages of such peel-push construction, however, they
frequently require considerable dexterity for adults to initiate
the peeling of the impenetrable polymeric layer for subsequent
access to the medicament.
[0007] When tested, too often children are able to access peel-push
packages, which have an unsealed area located at one or more
corners or an edge of the individual blister unit. Also, too often
seniors have difficulty opening tear-notch or tear-slit packages,
which rely on the user having sufficient finger strength to tear
through the cavity to expose the product.
[0008] A child-resistant bend-peel package is also known in which
the blister sheet is scored at one corner. The customer is
instructed to bend the corner at the score line, which will break
the blister sheet layer but leave the backing layers attached to
the blister sheet. The broken corner, comprised of the broken
blister sheet which is still attached to all backing layers, can
then be used to pull all of the backing layers away from the
remaining blister sheet, thereby exposing the product.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] The tear-peel-push (TPP) package of the present invention
was designed with the intention of making it more difficult for
children to locate and utilize an unsealed portion of the package.
At the same time, the tearing strength requirement for seniors is
less than what is required for packages utilizing a typical
tear-notch feature.
[0010] The TPP blister pack of the present invention incorporates a
unique opening feature once an individual blister pack has been
segregated from an array of blister packs typically employed for
packaging several dosages of a given medicament. An unsealed area
between the polymeric film forming the blister pack and the backing
material is formed along an edge of a segregated blister pack. A
die cut slot is formed at an angle to the edges of the blister pack
and communicates with the unsealed area. The corner of the blister
pack is torn away utilizing the die cut slot which results in an
easily accessible corner pull tab which allows an impenetrable
polymeric film to be peeled away from the underlying foil such that
medicament can subsequently be pushed through the foil for
dispensing the medicament from the blister pack. In one embodiment
of the invention, the unsealed area is formed in a generally
circular pattern spanning adjacent blister packs in an array of
blister packs, while the die cut is formed at an angle of about
45.degree. between adjacent edges of the blister pack with one end
of the die cut intersecting the unsealed area and the other end
closely adjacent but not extending through the edge of the blister
pack.
[0011] The TPP package of this invention, therefore, provides a
tear-peel-push sequence of operation which requires the cognitive
skills of an adult and which provides an adult an easy manner by
which to obtain a finger hold on the impenetrable film layer for
peeling it from the blister pack.
[0012] These and other features, objects and advantages of the
present invention will become apparent upon reading the following
description thereof together with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the child-resistant blister
package, showing multiple individual blister units;
[0014] FIG. 2 is a top plan view of one of the individual blister
units shown in FIG. 1;
[0015] FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the individual blister unit
shown in FIG. 2;
[0016] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the individual blister unit of FIG.
3, showing one corner of the individual blister unit detached at
the single cut line;
[0017] FIG. 5 is a plan view of the individual blister unit of FIG.
4, showing the paper sheet and flexible polymeric material layers
peeled away exposing the foil layer;
[0018] FIG. 6 is a plan view of the individual blister unit of FIG.
5, showing the product rupturing the foil layer; and
[0019] FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the individual
blister unit, showing the material layers and a portion of the
unsealed area.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0020] Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 7, the child-resistant
package as a whole is indicated by the reference character 10.
Package 10 may contain a single but more typically multiple
individual blister units 11. Each unit 11 has a single or double
cavity 12 of any desired shape which conforms to the shape of the
product 18 contained within the package. The individual blister
units 11 can be separated by tearing the package along perforated
cut lines 13. Typically the product 18 is a medicament, such as a
tablet or caplet, requiring child-resistant packaging.
[0021] Referring to FIGS. 2-7, each individual blister unit 11
includes a single die cut line 14 and an unsealed area 15 which
intersect and provide an opening feature for individual blister
units 11. The single die cut line 14 penetrates the outer blister
sheet 19 (FIG. 7) and all backing layers 21, 23, and 25. Die cut 14
extends at an angle of about 45.degree. to the adjacent edges of
each blister unit 11 and has one end 13 which intersects the
unsealed area 15 and an opposite end 17 which terminates in spaced
relationship to an edge 19 of unit 11 adjacent the edge in which
the unsealed area 15 is formed. The unsealed area 15 comprises, as
best seen in FIG. 7, a gap between the lidding 26 and specifically
the peel-resistant adhesive 20 and the facing blister sheet 19,
leaving a gap of approximately 0.010 inches.
[0022] The unsealed area 15 is formed during the heat sealing of
lidding 26 to the blister sheet 19 by providing circular openings
in the lower sealing tool, which engages the blister sheet. The
circular openings are aligned with the blister pack 10 to place
unsealed areas 15 centered between individual blister units 11 and
toward one corner of each blister unit, as seen in FIG. 1. A heated
sealing plate engages the lidding 26 on a side of blister pack 10
opposite the lower sealing tool and the blister sheet 19. The
circular openings therefore prevent sealing pressure from being
applied to the blister pack in the circular areas 15 resulting in
the unsealed areas 15, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 7.
[0023] When the corner 30 of an individual blister pack 11 is torn
away at die cut 14, as seen in FIG. 4, a new corner 16 or tab is
presented within the unsealed area 15. This allows a thumb or
finger nail to be inserted in the gap between the lidding 26 and
blister sheet 19 for peeling the paper and polymeric film 25 and 23
away from blister sheet 19, as seen in FIG. 5, exposing the foil
seal layer 21 through which the medicament 18 can then be pushed,
as illustrated in FIG. 6. As seen in FIG. 5, the unsealed area 15
is exposed and a portion 21' of the foil 21 remains on the backside
of layer 23.
[0024] Backing sheet or lidding 26, as shown in FIG. 7, contains a
strong peel-resistant heat seal coating 20, a foil barrier sheet
21, a peelable adhesive 22, a strong flexible polymeric sheet
material (e.g. polyester such as polyethylene terephthalate, etc.)
23, a strong peel-resistant adhesive layer 24, and a paper sheet 25
which can have printing on the outer surface to convey information
to the consumer, such as package contents and opening instructions.
The blister sheet 19 can be a single or multiple layered material
consisting of various polymeric materials (e.g. polyvinyl chloride,
polyvinyl chloride and polyvinylidene chloride, etc) formed with
cavities 12 to contain medicaments between sheet 19 and lidding
26.
[0025] A strong peel-resistant heat seal coating is utilized for
layer 20, so that as the paper sheet 25 and strong flexible
polymeric material 23 are pulled back, the foil layer 21 will not
peel back to expose the cavity area 12.
[0026] Backing sheet or lidding 26 need not contain all three
layers of foil 21, strong (i.e. impenetrable) polymeric sheet 23,
and paper sheet 25. The strong polymeric material, however, is
necessary for the purposes of providing a safety backing to the
blister sheet 19 so that the product cannot be forced out of the
package without first peeling away material 23.
[0027] Referring to FIG. 7 and reference characters identified
below, in one embodiment, the following material types and
thicknesses were employed:
[0028] Reference No. 19--10 mil (0.010'') PVC
(polyvinylchloride)
Reference Nos. 20--25 (Alcoa ID=Safety Pak 226)
[0029] Reference No. 20--3.5# Heat Seal Coating (Alcoa
ID=C11158)
[0030] Reference No. 21--0.001'' Foil (Alcoa
ID=MALB102.5DR1235-0)
[0031] Reference No. 22--1.1# W/B Laminate Adhesive (Alcoa
ID=A11960)
[0032] Reference No. 23--60 GA. Biaxially oriented nylon film
(Alcoa ID=NYL60E)
[0033] Reference No. 24--2.0# Thermoset Adhesive (Alcoa
ID=C1360)
[0034] Reference No. 25--25# Calend. Bleach Paper (Alcoa
ID=25BLP)
[0035] The following ranges of materials may be employed in other
embodiments:
[0036] Reference No. 19--7.5-30 mils
[0037] Reference No. 20--2.5 to 4.5 pounds per ream
[0038] Reference No. 21--0.00035'' to 0.03''
[0039] Reference No. 22--0.75 to 1.25 pounds per ream
[0040] Reference No. 23--30 to 90 gauge
[0041] Reference No. 24--1.5 to 2.5 pounds per ream
[0042] Reference No. 25--20 to 30 pounds per ream
[0043] Although the unsealed areas 15 between adjacent units 11
were generally circular, any geometric shape to achieve a gap or
slot between layer 19 and lidding 26 for peeling away the
impenetrable layer 23 can be employed. It will become apparent to
those skilled in the art that this and various other modifications
to the preferred embodiment of the invention as described herein
can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the
invention as defined by the appended claims.
* * * * *