U.S. patent application number 11/874318 was filed with the patent office on 2008-04-24 for medication dispensing package.
Invention is credited to Gail Halko.
Application Number | 20080093253 11/874318 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39316907 |
Filed Date | 2008-04-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080093253 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Halko; Gail |
April 24, 2008 |
Medication Dispensing Package
Abstract
A medication dispensing package comprises a plurality of
capsules arranged for receiving respective medication tablets
therein. A backing sheet is foldable into a rectangular housing of
generally rectangular cross section in which a pair of main
portions supporting the capsules thereon are joined by a spine
portion to support the main portions parallel and spaced apart from
one another by a height of two capsules. A rupturable sheeted
material spans openings in the backing sheet to provide access to
the medication tablets. The capsules on the opposed main portions
of the backing sheet abut one another when the backing sheet is
folded in a rectangular housing to provide additional support to
maintain the opposed folded panels of the backing sheet in a
parallel and spaced relationship and thus much larger doses of
medication can be achieved in a single package.
Inventors: |
Halko; Gail; (Winnipeg,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
ADE & COMPANY INC.
2157 Henderson Highway
WINNIPEG
MB
R2G1P9
US
|
Family ID: |
39316907 |
Appl. No.: |
11/874318 |
Filed: |
October 18, 2007 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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60862464 |
Oct 23, 2006 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
206/531 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61J 7/04 20130101; B65D
75/38 20130101; B65D 75/367 20130101; A61J 1/035 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/531 |
International
Class: |
B65D 83/04 20060101
B65D083/04 |
Claims
1. A medication dispensing package comprising: a plurality of
capsules arranged for receiving respective medication tablets
therein, each capsule having an opening, an opposing enclosed end,
and a peripheral rim flange extending about the opening in a plane
of the opening, a height of the capsule being defined between the
plane of the opening and the opposing enclosed end of the capsule;
a backing sheet having two opposed free edges extending in a
longitudinal direction between opposed ends of the sheet; a
plurality of fold lines spanning across the backing sheet in the
longitudinal direction between the opposed ends of the sheet and
arranged such that the backing sheet is foldable into a housing of
generally rectangular cross section in which the opposed free edges
are adjacent one another and the housing defines a pair of
rectangular main portions supported by at least one spine portion
joined between the main portions along one side of the main
portions to support the main portions parallel and spaced apart
from one another by a spacing substantially corresponding to the
height of two capsules; a plurality of apertures formed in the
backing sheet so as to be located in the main portions of the
housing, each aperture being arranged to receive one of the
capsules therein such that the peripheral rim flange of the capsule
lies flush against the backing sheet about a periphery of the
aperture and the capsule extends inwardly towards the opposing main
portion of the housing; at least some of the apertures in each main
portion being aligned with respective apertures in the other main
portion such that the enclosed ends of at least some of the
capsules abut one another when the backing sheet is folded into the
housing; a rupturable sheeted material arranged to be secured to
span the openings of the capsules; an adhesive arranged to secure
the capsules to the backing sheet; and a latch arranged to
selectively secure the free edges of the backing sheet to one
another when the backing sheet is folded into the housing.
2. The package according to claim 1 wherein the opposed free edges
of the backing sheet are arranged to overlap one another along the
full length thereof when the backing sheet is folded into the
housing of generally rectangular cross section.
3. The package according to claim 1 wherein the latch is arranged
to secure the free edges of the backing sheet to one another
substantially along a full length of the free edges in the
longitudinal direction when the backing sheet is arranged to be
folded into the housing of generally rectangular cross section.
4. The package according to claim 1 wherein the fold lines are
arranged such that said at least one spine portion comprises two
spine portions joined between the pair of main portions at opposing
sides of the main portions.
5. The package according to claim 1 wherein there are provided four
fold lines separating the backing sheet into five panels, each
panel spanning in the longitudinal direction between the opposed
ends of the backing sheet in which two of the panels comprise spine
panels forming a spine portion of the housing, the spine portions
having a lateral dimension which is substantially equal to a height
of two capsules.
6. The package according to claim 5 wherein one of the panels of
the backing sheet comprises a main panel fully defining one of the
main portions of the housing and two of the panels comprise
auxiliary panels locating the free edges of the backing sheet along
one edge thereof respectively such that the two auxiliary panels
together define the other main portion of the housing of the
rectangular cross section when the free edges are joined.
7. The package according to claim 6 wherein the two auxiliary
panels have substantially identical dimensions.
8. The package according to claim 6 wherein each of the auxiliary
panels have some of the apertures formed therein so as to be
arranged to receive respective ones of the capsules therein.
9. The package according to claim 8 wherein each of the auxiliary
panels has approximately half the number of apertures formed
therein as the main panel.
10. The package according to claim 1 wherein there is provided a
cover sheet having fold lines therein arranged similarly to the
backing sheet and which is integrally formed with the backing sheet
along one of the opposing ends of the sheet, the apertures being
formed in the cover sheet being substantially aligned with the
apertures in the backing sheet when the cover sheet and the backing
sheet are folded adjacent one another.
11. The package according to claim 1 wherein the latch comprises
mating hook and loop fasteners.
12. The package according to claim 1 wherein all of the apertures
are spaced apart from one end of the packing sheet to define an
open area on the sheet so as to be arranged to receive label
information thereon.
13. The package according to claim 1 wherein each of the capsules
is arranged to receive a plurality of medication tablets therein.
Description
[0001] This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(e)
of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/862,464, filed Oct. 23,
2006.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to a package for storing
medicine in pill form within respective unit dose capsules for
subsequent dispensing of the medicine from the capsules in
individual doses.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Persons with certain medical condition require large doses
of medication which are commonly packaged in individual doses. The
doses may comprise several pills or tablets which are required to
be taken at intervals several times a day. In such large dosage
requirements, it is common for pills to be packaged within
individual capsules each representing a dose of plural pills or
tablets to be taken in which a plurality of the capsules are common
supported on a backing sheet and are each enclosed by a suitable
sheet of rupturable material. Common designs of backing sheets
supporting capsules thereon however have limited capacity and
cannot support the volume of tablets required for persons for
example who require multiple pills four times daily. When using a
common design of supporting capsules on a single backing sheet,
simply increasing the number of capsules would result in the sheet
being too unstable and awkward to handle. It is common to strap two
smaller backing sheets together when a larger capacity of capsules
is required, however in this instance the two backing sheets held
together are still lacking sufficient structure for ease of
handling and storage. Furthermore the capsules in this instance are
not protected.
[0004] Various attempts have been made to improve the structure of
medication packaging as shown in the following patents: U.S. Pat.
No. 6,981,592 to Siegel; U.S. Pat. No. 6,371,297 to Cha; U.S. Pat.
No. 5,788,974 to D'Amico; U.S. Pat. No. 5,542,236 to Miller; U.S.
Pat. No. 5,323,908 to Boettger; U.S. Pat. No. 5,251,757 to Relyea
et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,109,987 to Romick; U.S. Pat. No. 4,911,304
to Bunin; U.S. Pat. No. 5,791,478 to Kalvelage et al.; U.S. Pat.
No. 5,050,739 to Hannan et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,340,141 to
Fischer.
[0005] In general, the structure of prior art medication packages
either limits the overall capacity or becomes unstable and
inadequate to fully support all of the capsules when the capacity
is increased.
[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 5,050,739 belonging to Hannan and U.S. Pat.
No. 4,340,141 to Fischer in particular disclose medication packages
comprising a folded backing sheet supporting a plurality of
capsules on separate panels of the sheet. The capsules are taught
to be sufficiently spaced apart from one another and offset in
relation to capsules on opposing panels so that the capsules are
nested within one another when the sheet is folded. The nesting
arrangement of the capsules improves the compactness of the
resulting package however when requiring sufficient capsules to
receive plural pills of tablets therein for plural doses throughout
a day the resulting required structure would be far too large to be
supported in a stable configuration.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a
medication dispensing package comprising:
[0008] a plurality of capsules arranged for receiving respective
medication tablets therein, each capsule having an opening, an
opposing enclosed end, and a peripheral rim flange extending about
the opening in a plane of the opening, a height of the capsule
being defined between the plane of the opening and the opposing
enclosed end of the capsule;
[0009] a backing sheet having two opposed free edges extending in a
longitudinal direction between opposed ends of the sheet;
[0010] a plurality of fold lines spanning across the backing sheet
in the longitudinal direction between the opposed ends of the sheet
and arranged such that the backing sheet is foldable into a housing
of generally rectangular cross section in which the opposed free
edges are adjacent one another and the housing defines a pair of
rectangular main portions supported by at least one spine portion
joined between the main portions along one side of the main
portions to support the main portions parallel and spaced apart
from one another by a spacing substantially corresponding to the
height of two capsules;
[0011] a plurality of apertures formed in the backing sheet so as
to be located in the main portions of the housing, each aperture
being arranged to receive one of the capsules therein such that the
peripheral rim flange of the capsule lies flush against the backing
sheet about a periphery of the aperture and the capsule extends
inwardly towards the opposing main portion of the housing;
[0012] at least some of the apertures in each main portion being
aligned with respective apertures in the other main portion such
that the enclosed ends of at least some of the capsules abut one
another when the backing sheet is folded into the housing;
[0013] a rupturable sheeted material arranged to be secured to span
the openings of the capsules;
[0014] an adhesive arranged to secure the capsules to the backing
sheet; and
[0015] a latch arranged to selectively secure the free edges of the
backing sheet to one another when the backing sheet is folded into
the housing.
[0016] By providing a spine portion which supports two opposing
sheets receiving capsules therein at a spacing from one another
which corresponds approximately to the height of two capsules, when
the backing sheet is folded the capsules engage or abut one another
to provide some additional support to maintain the opposed folded
panels of the backing sheet in a parallel and spaced relationship.
Furthermore by latching the free edges of the panel together in
combination with a spine having a dimension corresponding to the
height of two capsules, the capsules are stored in the most compact
and efficient manner of close spacing while being fully supported
about the periphery thereof by the backing sheet. The rectangular
cross section of the folded housing further increases the stability
of the package when the free edges of the backing sheet are latched
to one another.
[0017] As a result of the structure of the medication package
described herein, much larger doses of medication can be achieved
in a single package, thus overcoming some of the deficiencies in
the prior art packages noted above. The medication package
according to the present invention is thus well geared for patients
requiring relatively high volumes of drug ingestion as the high
volume of drugs can be supported in a common package rather than in
separate packages as required when using medication packages having
characteristics as described in the above noted prior art.
[0018] The opposed free edges of the backing sheet are preferably
arranged to overlap one another along the full length thereof when
the backing sheet is folded into the housing of generally
rectangular cross section.
[0019] The latch may be arranged to secure the free edges of the
backing sheet to one another substantially along a full length of
the free edges in the longitudinal direction when the backing sheet
is arranged to be folded into the housing of generally rectangular
cross section.
[0020] The fold lines are preferably arranged such that said at
least one spine portion comprises two spine portions joined between
the pair of main portions at opposing sides of the main
portions.
[0021] There may be provided four fold lines separating the backing
sheet into five panels, each panel spanning in the longitudinal
direction between the opposed ends of the backing sheet in which
two of the panels comprise spine panels forming a spine portion of
the housing and in which the spine portions have a lateral
dimension which is substantially equal to a height of two
capsules.
[0022] Preferably one of the panels of the backing sheet comprises
a main panel fully defining one of the main portions of the housing
and two of the panels comprise auxiliary panels locating the free
edges of the backing sheet along one edge thereof respectively such
that the two auxiliary panels together define the other main
portion of the housing of the rectangular cross section when the
free edges are joined.
[0023] The two auxiliary panels may have substantially identical
dimensions. In this instance, preferably each of the auxiliary
panels have some of the apertures formed therein so as to be
arranged to receive respective ones of the capsules therein. Each
of the auxiliary panels may thus have approximately half the number
of apertures formed therein as the main panel.
[0024] There may also be provided a cover sheet having fold lines
therein arranged similarly to the backing sheet and which is
integrally formed with the backing sheet along one of the opposing
ends of the sheet. In this instance, apertures are preferably
formed in the cover sheet which are substantially aligned with the
apertures in the backing sheet when the cover sheet and the backing
sheet are folded adjacent one another.
[0025] The latch may comprise mating hook and loop fasteners.
[0026] All of the apertures may be spaced apart from one end of the
packing sheet to define an open area on the sheet so as to be
arranged to receive label information thereon.
[0027] Each of the capsules is preferably sized to be arranged to
receive a plurality of medication tablets therein.
[0028] One embodiment of the invention will now be described in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0029] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a schematic representation
of the assembled medication package.
[0030] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the assembled backing sheet
and cover sheet in an unfolded position.
[0031] FIG. 3 is a plan view of a flat blank of material forming
the backing sheet and cover sheet.
[0032] FIG. 4 is a plan view of a plurality of sheets of capsules
for insertion into the backing sheet.
[0033] FIG. 5 is an end view along the line 5-5 of one of the
sheets of capsules according to FIG. 4.
[0034] FIG. 6 is a plan view of a rupturable sheet with adhesive
thereon for cold sealing the cover sheet and the backing sheet to
one another.
[0035] FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the various layers of the
medication package shown separated from one another.
[0036] FIG. 8 is an end view of the assembled backing sheet folded
into the housing of rectangular cross section.
[0037] In the drawings like characters of reference indicate
corresponding parts in the different figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0038] Referring to the accompanying Figures there is illustrated a
medication dispensing package generally indicated by reference
numeral 10. The package 10 is particularly suited for dispensing
unit doses of medication in pill, tablet or capsule form. The
packages are particularly suited for patients requiring multiple
pills at each dose at multiple times a day. The packaging is
arranged for ease of assembly by a pharmacy or vendor of medication
who packages the medication according to the recipient's
prescription in unit doses each comprised of a plurality of
individual pills or tablets and the like.
[0039] The package generally comprises a backing sheet 12 formed of
a cardboard like material which is generally rectangular in shape.
The sheet extends in a longitudinal direction between two ends 14
of the sheet which are joined at opposing sides by two free edges
16 of the sheet which extend in the longitudinal direction. Four
folds 18 are formed in the sheet to extend parallel to one another
and the free edges 16 so as to similarly extend in the longitudinal
direction between the two ends 14. The backing sheet 12 is thus
divided into five separate panels each extending the full length of
the backing sheet between the opposed ends 14 in the longitudinal
direction. The panels include a main panel 20 which is rectangular
and which has the largest width in a lateral direction oriented
perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the folds 18. The
main panel 20 is generally centered between the opposing free edges
16.
[0040] The panels further include two spine panels 22 joined along
opposing sides of the main panel 20. The two spine panels 22 each
span the full height of the backing sheet between the opposed ends
14 and have a lateral dimension which is much smaller than the main
panel 20 but which are identical to one another.
[0041] Two auxiliary panels 24 are joined to the outer edges of the
spine panels 22 respectively to span laterally each between a
respective one of the spine panels and a respective one of the free
edges 16 of the backing sheets. The auxiliary panels 24 also span
in the longitudinal direction between the two ends 14 of the sheet.
A lateral dimension of the auxiliary panels 24 is arranged to be
approximately half of the lateral dimension of the main panel so
that when the free edges 16 of the backing sheet are joined to one
another the two auxiliary panels 24 are abutted side by side and
together form approximately the same dimension as the main panel
20.
[0042] The four folds 18 permit the backing sheet to be folded into
a housing of generally rectangular cross section along the full
length of the sheet in the longitudinal direction between the two
ends 14 of the sheet which form a rectangular perimeter about the
open ends of the housing. With the free edges 16 of the backing
sheet joined with one another the backing sheet forms an elongate
tubular member with the four folds 18 defining four substantially
perpendicular corners of the rectangular cross section of the
housing.
[0043] When folded into the rectangular shape of the housing, the
backing sheet defines two main portions 26 of similar rectangular
dimensions which are spaced apart from one another along both sides
of the housing by two spine portions 28. One of the main portions
26 comprises one of the main panels 20 of the backing sheet while
the opposing main portion comprises the two auxiliary panels 24
joined together by a seam formed by the abutted free edges 16 of
the backing sheet which is centered between the two spine portions
28 of the housing. Accordingly each of the spine portions comprises
one of the spine panels 22 of the backing sheet to maintain the two
main portions 26 of the housing parallel and spaced apart from one
another by the lateral width of the spine panels 22.
[0044] A plurality of apertures 30 are formed in each of the two
main portions of the housing. Each main portion includes an array
of apertures which is four apertures wide in the lateral direction
and seven apertures tall in the longitudinal direction. In the main
portion formed by the main panel 20, all of the apertures are
commonly located in the main panel. In the main portion of the
housing formed by the two auxiliary panels 24 an array of two
apertures wide in the lateral direction and seven apertures tall in
the longitudinal direction are located within each of the auxiliary
panels with the apertures in the two auxiliary panels being
substantially symmetrical with respect to the seam joining the two
auxiliary panels. The apertures in one of the main portions are
arranged to be aligned both in the longitudinal direction and the
lateral direction with regard to the apertures in the opposing main
portion.
[0045] When the backing sheet is unfolded to lie flat, the aperture
are thus arranged to form seven rows which extend laterally and
which are separated from one another in a longitudinal direction.
Each row in the lateral direction comprises eight apertures so that
two apertures are associated with each of four respective dosage
times including morning, noon, evening and overnight for example.
The apertures in all of the panels are spaced apart in the
longitudinal direction from one of the ends 14 of the backing sheet
to provide a blank space at one end of each panel for labelling
information to be applied.
[0046] A capsule 32 is provided for mounting within each of the
apertures in the backing sheet to locate pills or tablets and the
like therein. The capsules 32 are mounted in integral sheets, each
being associated with a respective one of the panels of the backing
sheet. Accordingly one sheet comprises an array of capsules which
are four across in the lateral direction and seven long in the
longitudinal direction for mating with the apertures in the main
panel while two additional sheets have similar arrays to correspond
with the auxiliary panels respectively.
[0047] Each capsule 32 comprises a pocket having an opening 34 and
an opposing enclosed end 36. Walls 38 span between the closed end
36 and the rim of the opening 34 to define the height of the
capsule. A rim flange 40 extends about the periphery of the opening
34 to lie in the plane of the opening. The rim flanges 40 of all of
the capsules of a given sheet are integrally joined with one
another to form the continuous sheet so that all of the capsule
openings 34 lie in a common plane.
[0048] The capsule has suitable dimensions for being received
within the apertures 30 respectively so that the capsules are
inserted through the apertures until the rim flanges 40 abut flush
against backing sheet at the outer side of the backing sheet when
folded into a housing. In this arrangement each capsule extends
through the aperture into the respective housing towards the
opposing main portion of the housing when the backing sheet is
folded. The lateral dimension of each of the spine panels 22 is
approximately equal to the height two capsules 32. By arranging the
apertures in the two main portions to be aligned with one another,
when folded into the structure of the housing, the enclosed ends 36
of the capsules supported in one of the main portions abut or rest
against the enclosed ends of the capsules in the other main
portion. The abutment of the capsules provides some structural
support, while the lateral dimension of the spines corresponding to
the height of two capsules properly positions the capsules relative
to one another. This configuration provides suitable structure to
maintain the two main portions of the housing at a fixed spacing
relative to one another, thereby protecting the capsules from being
collapsed against one another.
[0049] The package also includes a cover sheet 42 which is arranged
similarly to the backing sheet in that the cover sheet also extends
in a longitudinal direction between opposed ends 44. Four
longitudinally extending folds 36 divide the cover sheet into a
main panel 48 bounded along opposing sides by two spine panels 50
which in turn support two auxiliary panels 52 thereon. The
dimensions and arrangement of the panels of the cover sheet are
identical to the backing sheet so that the cover sheet and backing
sheet can be integrally formed with one another of a continuous
sheet of material in which the backing sheet and cover sheet are
formed in end to end abutment.
[0050] A latch mechanism is provided by forming an additional lip
54 on the cover sheet to extend the full length of one of the free
edges thereof in the longitudinal direction between opposed ends of
the cover sheet. The lip 54 projects laterally outward from the
sheet sufficiently to overlap the opposing free edge of the cover
sheet when the sheets are folded into the housing. Mating fasteners
56 are provided along the lip 54 of the cover sheet and along the
opposing free edge of the cover sheet for mating with one another
when folded into the housing structure. By forming an additional
lip 54 along one free edge of the cover sheet, the opposing free
edges of the backing sheet and cover sheet assembled together are
effectively overlapped with one another when joined along the full
length of the housing. The mating fasteners 56 in the illustrated
embodiment comprise mating hook and loop fasteners secured to the
lip and opposing free edge of the cover sheet at spaced positions
in the longitudinal direction for substantially securing the
opposing free edges of the backing sheet and cover sheet together
at the central seam of the housing along the full length of the
housing in the longitudinal direction.
[0051] The material forming the cover sheet and the backing sheet
preferably comprises a thick cardboard like material which is
sufficiently stiff to maintain its shape when supporting a
plurality of tablets within the capsules 32 on the backing sheet.
The cardboard material may be partially split or scored at one end
of the backing sheet where the cover sheet is joined to separate
the cover sheet and backing sheet sufficiently that they may be
folded relative to one another during assembly. The folds 18 of the
backing sheet or the folds 46 of the cover sheet may include
partial cut-outs 58, or other suitable lines of weakness to allow
the sheets to be more readily foldable at the fold lines.
[0052] The package 10 further includes a rupturable sheeted
material 60 having dimensions near that of the backing sheet. The
material 60 comprises a foil type material having adhesive thereon
and which is arranged to ruptured when pills or tablets are pushed
through the sheet in a manner which is consistent with many prior
art medication packages. The rupturable sheeted material 60 is
arranged to span the openings of all of the capsules and has
adhesive applied thereto in a pattern which matches the pattern of
apertures as illustrated in FIG. 6. Accordingly when applied across
the openings of the capsules, the interior portions of the sheeted
material 60 which enclose each opening does not have adhesive
thereon. Adhesive is applied in a similar pattern to both sides of
the rupturable sheeted material 60 and is arranged to be a cold
seal type of adhesive of sufficient strength to bond the cover
sheet to the backing sheet with the flanges of the capsules and the
foil layer of the rupturable sheeted material being secured
therebetween.
[0053] In use, the backing sheet and cover sheet are delivered to a
user as a single blank of material with the sheets of capsules and
the rupturable sheeted material 60 being separate therefrom. The
capsules are filled with the appropriate medication and inserted
through the respective apertures in the backing sheet. The
rupturable sheeted material 60 with adhesive thereon is then
applied across the openings of the capsules to span and enclose the
openings. The cover sheet may then be folded over towards the
backing sheet to trap the flanges of capsules and the foil layer of
the rupturable sheeted material between the cover sheet and the
backing sheet. The cold seal adhesive secures the cover sheet and
backing sheet together and maintains the rupturable sheeted
material in position to enclose the openings of all of the
capsules.
[0054] By subsequently rupturing a portion of the rupturable
sheeted material 60 across one of the openings of the capsules, the
dosage within that respective capsule can be released while the
other capsules remain enclosed. When assembling the package with
the medication therein, labels associated with the medication are
placed at the open space at one end of the housing at the interior
side thereof. Once assembled, the backing sheet and associated
layers adjoined thereto are folded into the rectangular cross
sectional shape of the housing structure in which the free edges
are joined together by the latch formed of the lip 54 and mating
fasteners extending the full length of the housing in the
longitudinal direction. The mating fasteners of the latch are
arranged to be selectively releasable as desired for unfolding and
refolding a sheet from and back to the housing structure as
desired. Once assembled, the joined free edges of the backing sheet
and cover sheet provide a stiff structural housing fully
surrounding the capsules while the opposing panels of the housing
structure are supported relative to one another by the spine
portions which are uninterrupted by capsules or apertures and by
the capsules themselves which abut one another within the interior
of the housing.
[0055] Since various modifications can be made in my invention as
herein above described, and many apparently widely different
embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope of the claims
without department from such spirit and scope, it is intended that
all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be
interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.
* * * * *