Blister dispenser

Abstract

A blister dispenser for unitary dosage forms such as tablets having a housing formed of side walls and a bottom and having a closeable lid with a plurality of cavities to hold the unitary dosage forms. The unitary dosage forms can be sealed into the cavities by a breakable film. The housing has a dispensing opening, and a unitary dosage form may dispensed by pressing the cavity to force the unitary dosage form through the film into the enclosed area defined by the housing and closed lid and then manipulating the housing to direct the unitary dosage form through the dispensing opening.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a blister dispenser for unitary dosage forms used, for example, to store and deliver medicaments, nutritional or food supplements or confections.

2. Description of Related Art

Modern packaging approaches, especially for over the counter medicines, nutritional and food supplements, and even candy have increasingly involved the use of a “blister pack.” Blister packs are plastic sheets with a series of blisters, cavities or wells molded into the sheet. The blisters, cavities or wells are open on one side and are designed to hold unitary dosage forms of the medicine, supplement or candy. In manufacturing, one or two unitary dosage forms are placed in each blister, cavity or well. The sheet is then covered by a layer of foil, plastic or paper to close the openings in the blisters, cavities or wells and thereby enclose a the unitary dosage forms in their respective blisters, cavities or wells. The unitary dosage form can then be extracted from the packaging by, for example, cutting through the cavity, peeling back the layer used to close the opening, or by pressing on the cavity to force the unitary dosage form through the foil, plastic or paper backing layer.

One difficulty with blister packs is that it can be frustrating for a consumer to extract the unitary dosage form from its cavity. Foil, plastic and paper backing materials must often be relatively thick to protect the unitary dosage form from adverse effects during shipping and storage, especially if the unitary dosage form is susceptible to humidity or if its shelf life becomes compromised by exposure to other environmental factors, such as sunlight. Pressing the unitary dosage form through such a considerable barrier can damage or break the unitary dosage form, or the unitary dosage form can be lost if it suddenly pops through the barrier.

One approach to easing the problems associated with ordinary blister packs is found in European Patent No. 759,403 to Ziegert, published Feb. 26, 1997. This patent discloses a device that can hold a blister pack for unitary dosage forms like medicaments. The device has a keyboard with multiple keys that align with each blister in a blister pack. When a key is pressed, the corresponding blister is pressed and the unitary dosage form in that blister is forced through the backing of the blister pack. The unitary dosage form falls out into a chamber behind the packaging and may be gathered at an opening in the side wall of the device.

Another approach is set forth in German Patent No. DE 19938298 to Kraus, published Feb. 22, 2001. This patent discloses a blister dispenser with a modified blister pack for medicaments. The blister dispenser contains a sensing mechanism, a controller and a communication unit such that a signal is generated if a medicament is not removed from the blister pack within a predetermined time interval.

Despite the advantages offered by these designs, some practical issues remain. Blister packs and must be specially adapted to be used with these dispenser mechanisms, and packs designed to work with one dispenser will not work with a different dispenser design. Each time the blister package is redesigned for marketing or aesthetic purposes, the dispenser runs the risk of becoming obsolete. In addition, the blister packs have to be fed into the dispensers in a certain direction or the blisters or wells will not properly align. Also, dispensers that are designed to be refilled with blister packs can be lost over time, particularly with medicaments, such as cough and cold medications, that are only subject to occasional use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The principal object of the invention therefore is to provide a disposable blister dispenser that itself can be used as a blister pack, which avoids the problem of aligning the cavities in the blister pack with the dispenser.

Another object of the invention is to provide a child resistant blister pack that offers protections against access by children beyond the protections found with conventional blister packs.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description that follows, and in part will be obvious from this description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

To achieve the foregoing objects and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, the invention provides a dispenser for a product in unit dosage form comprising a housing with a circumferential side wall and a bottom. The dispenser also comprises a lid supported by the housing. The housing and the lid cooperate to form an enclosed volume and the lid has at least one cavity for holding at least one unit dosage form of a product. The cavity has an opening oriented towards the interior of the housing, and the housing has an opening for dispensing the unit dosage form of the product.

To further achieve the objects of the invention, the housing may also comprise a gutter that allows the unit dosage form to be guided to the opening upon manipulation of the dispenser, and the gutter may contain a number of bends that require multiple manipulations of the dispenser for the unit dosage form to be dispensed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an open blister dispenser in accordance with the invention.

FIG. 2 shows the blister dispenser of FIG. 1 in a closed orientation.

FIG. 3 shows an alternative embodiment of the invention showing an open blister dispenser comprising a child-resistant gutter.

FIG. 4 shows the blister dispenser of FIG. 3 in a closed orientation.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made to the presently preferred embodiments of the invention.

The dispenser is designed a package for holding and storing unitary dosage forms of a product after manufacture and is designed so that during use, a unitary dosage form may be dispensed without exposing the other unitary dosage forms to environmental conditions that may adversely affect the unitary dosage form. The package may also be designed with child resistant features so that it is difficult for a child to obtain access to a single unitary dosage form and even more difficult for a child to obtain access to several of the unitary dosage forms in a short time.

The dispenser comprises a housing made up a circumferential side wall and a bottom. The circumferential side wall is preferably a plurality of side walls arranged in a regular geometric shape, and more preferably four side walls arranged to form a rectangle or square. The bottom closes off one end of the housing. The bottom is preferably flat, to allow for convenient stacking, transportation and storage of the dispenser, but other shapes may be used as well. The housing also contains a dispensing opening (in addition to the opening defined by the circumferential side wall and bottom that will be closed by the lid). This dispensing opening is designed to allow a consumer to remove a unit dosage form from the enclosed volume. The housing is also preferably a unitary body, which allows the container to be manufactured using known plastic and polymer processing techniques that do not require an extensive number of processing and assembly steps such as thermoforming, cold forming, or plastic-injection technology.

The dispenser and all the parts of the dispenser may be made of known materials such as thermoplastics and other conventional packaging materials. Generally, the paper, plastic or foil layer on the bottom of the lid is not made of the same material as the dispenser. Materials such as PP, COC, PVC, PE, PVDC, and ACLAR™ materials are preferred. Dispensers and films may be manufactured by thermoforming, cold forming, plastic-injection technology and other techniques well known in the art.

The dispenser also comprises a lid that cooperates with the housing to form an enclosed volume. The lid comprises at least one cavity for holding at least one unit dosage form of a product, although a plurality of cavities is preferred, and a regular arrangement of the plurality of cavities to form a regular array of cavities is also preferred.

Each cavity has an opening oriented towards the enclosed volume defined by the cooperating lid and housing interior, and that opening is sealed by a layer of paper, plastic, or foil (or combinations of materials) that is placed on the inner surface of the lid. This layer is preferably a breakable sealing layer, so that the unit dosage form may be extracted from the cavity without breaking the lid or the outer surface of the cavity. The unit dosage form should be extracted by first moving the unit dosage form from its cavity to the enclosed volume. The unit dosage form may then be removed from the enclosed volume through the dispensing opening.

The lid is preferably attached to the housing by a hinge attached to the circumferential side wall. The lid may then be manufactured in an open position, which allows for easy placement of the unit dosage forms into the individual cavities and straightforward application of the paper, plastic or foil layer over what will become the inner surface of the lid when it is closed over the housing. The lid and the housing may also be attached at other points to form the enclosed volume. The lid and the housing may be interlocking or may be attached by releasable crimping dots formed in the lid and the housing to allow the lid to be snapped closed. Preferably, the lid, hinge and housing form a unitary body for ease of manufacture.

When charged with unitary dosage forms and with the lid closed, the dispenser is adapted so that, preferably, the cavity may be pressed from the outside of the lid by the consumer to force the unit dosage form through the breakable sealing layer, thereby dispensing said unit dosage form into the enclosed volume. The dispenser may then be tilted by the user so that the unit dosage form falls through the dispensing opening for use by the consumer.

The dispenser may preferably further comprise a gutter or guide in the enclosed volume capable of guiding said unitary dosage form towards the dispensing opening when the dispenser is tilted one or more times. The gutter is preferably formed as an integral part of the housing, using the same manufacturing techniques used in forming the housing and the lid. In a highly preferred embodiment of the invention, the gutter comprises several twists and turns so that the dispenser must be tilted at least twice, and more preferably several times, in different directions for the unit dosage form to pass through the dispensing opening from the enclosed volume. Preferably, the gutter is designed so that a series of specific moves is required to guide a unitary dosage form from the enclosed volume to the dispensing opening The series should have a certain degree of difficulty so the dispenser offers child resistance both by the difficulty of getting the unit dosage form out of the cavity into the enclosed volume and by the difficulty in manipulating the dispenser to guide the unitary dosage form to the dispensing opening through the gutter.

The product can be a medicament, dietary supplement, food supplement, candy or any item normally dispensed as a single unit. A unit dosage form may be any commonly known form of medicament, supplement or candy, such as a powder, granules, chewable tablets, swallowable tablets, soft gel capsules, lozenges, or pills. While items that are not intended for human consumption may be products used with the invention, such as hardware, these products are not preferred for use with the invention because the relative expense of the container compared with ordinary containers for these products makes use of the invention economically unattractive.

The invention will be better understood by considering the embodiment set forth in the figures.

FIG. 1 shows a blister dispenser 10 with its lid 2 open. The blister dispenser 10 comprises a lid 2 and a bottom wall 3 and sidewalls 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d. Bottom wall 3 and sidewalls 4a, 4b, 4c, and 4d form a housing. Lid 2 is connected to sidewall 4b by hinge 7. Lid 2 has a plurality of cavities 1 for the reception of single portions of a product, although the cavities may be configured to accept one, two or a plurality of unit dosage forms, depending on the product to be dispensed. Cavities 1 can be closed by a sealing foil, for example an aluminum foil with a heat seal lacquer (not shown). Sidewall 4d comprises a dispensing opening 6 for dispensing a single portion of the product and forms a gutter 5 disposed towards opening 6 to guide the unit dosage form to dispensing opening 6 when the dispenser is tilted. When closed the lid 2 can be fixed to the other parts of the housing by the use of crimping dots 8 formed in the housing and counterpart crimping dots 9 formed in the lid 2. The dispenser 10 can be thermoformed or cold formed or formed by injection molding. Once the cavities 1 have been filled with unit dosage forms, they can be sealed with a sealing foil (not shown) in a second step.

FIG. 2 shows the blister dispenser 10 with lid 2 closed. Sidewall 4a, along with the other sidewalls (not shown), the bottom wall (not shown), and lid 2 form an enclosed volume with dispensing opening 6 as the means for the unitary dosage form to be extracted from the enclosed volume.

FIG. 3 shows an alternative embodiment of the invention with blister dispenser 20 having a child-resistant gutter 25 formed in its housing, and with its lid 22 is an open position. The blister dispenser 20 comprises a container with a lid 22 and a bottom wall 23 and sidewalls 24a, 24b, 24c, 24d. The lid 22 is connected to sidewall 24b with hinge 27. Lid 22 has cavities 21 for the reception of single portions of a product. Cavities 21 can be closed by a sealing foil (not shown). Sidewall 24d comprises a dispensing opening 26 for dispensing a unit dosage form of the product. Sidewalls 24a, 24c and 24d form a gutter 25 that directs a unit dosage form in the enclosed volume towards opening 26 upon manipulation of the dispenser. The lid 22 can be fixed to housing with the crimping dots 28 and their counterparts in the lid 29.

FIG. 4 shows the blister dispenser 20 with its lid 2 closed. To dispense a unit dosage form, a consumer may press on a cavity 21 thereby forcing a unit dosage form through the sealing foil into the enclosed area. The dispenser is then manipulated by tilting to direct the unit dosage form through the twists and turns of the gutter until the unit dosage form arrives at dispensing opening 26.

The purpose of the above description is to illustrate some embodiments of the present invention without implying a limitation. It will apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations may be made in the apparatus or procedure of the invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.

Claims

1. A dispenser for a product in unit dosage form comprising: wherein said housing supports said lid and wherein said lid and said housing cooperate to form an enclosed volume, and wherein said lid comprises at least one cavity formed therein for holding at least one unit dosage form of a product, said cavity having an opening oriented towards the enclosed volume; and wherein said housing comprises a dispensing opening for removing said unit dosage form of said product from said enclosed volume.

a. a housing comprising: i. a circumferential side wall; and ii. a bottom; and

b. a lid,

2. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein said opening in said cavity is closed by a breakable sealing layer.

3. The dispenser of claim 2, wherein said lid comprises a plurality of cavities.

4. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein said lid is pivotally connected to at least part of said circumferential side wall by a hinge.

5. The dispenser of claim 4, wherein said lid is further connected to said circumferential side wall by releasable crimping dots.

6. The dispenser of claim 4, wherein said housing is a unitary body

7. The dispenser of claim 6, wherein said housing and said lid comprise a unitary body.

8. The dispenser of claim 2, wherein said cavity is adapted to be pressed from the outside of the lid to force said unit dosage form through said breakable sealing layer, thereby dispensing said unit dosage form into said enclosed volume.

9. The dispenser of claim 8, wherein said cavity comprises a blister formed in said lid.

10. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein said dispenser is made by thermoforming, cold forming, or plastic-injection technology.

11. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein said housing further comprising a gutter adapted to guide said unitary dosage form towards said opening upon physical manipulation of said dispenser.

12. The dispenser of claim 11, wherein said gutter comprises at least one turn so that at least two physical manipulation steps are required to guide said unitary dosage form to said dispensing opening.

13. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein said unit dosage form comprises a powder, granule, chewable tablet, swallowable tablet, soft gel capsule, lozenge or pill.

14. The dispenser of claim 13, wherein said product is a medicament, dietary supplement, food supplement or confection.