PACKAGING FOR TWO DIFFERENT BLISTERS

Abstract

The invention relates to a packaging, comprising a hollow body (5) extending along a longitudinal axis (A) and a blister carrier (6) slidably arranged therein for accommodating a blister (20). The blister carrier (6) is designed in such a way and blisters are or can be fastened to the blister carrier (6) in such a way that the blister carrier (6) can accommodate at least two different blisters (20), which differ in regard to the quantity and/or arrangement of the pockets. The blister carrier (6) has a carrier section (14) that is frame-shaped.

Description

The invention relates to a packaging according to the preamble of claim 1. The packaging is principally composed of a hollow body and of a blister carrier that is arranged to slide in the hollow body so as to be able to be pulled out of the packaging. The slide-open packaging is suitable particularly as a childproof package, ensuring that it can be opened only when force is applied in a specific manner by the user. Children should not be able to open the packaging, or they should not be able to easily open it.

A comparable packaging of the type in question has been disclosed in WO 2006/068602 A1, for example. The packaging disclosed in the latter has a hollow body which extends along a longitudinal axis and in which a blister carrier or another insert is arranged so as to be able to slide to a limited extent. The childproof feature (or blocked position) can be canceled by pressing a button-like tab, which is arranged on a top face of the hollow body and is predefined by a circular cutting line. In the blister carrier, portions are arranged between which a blister can in each case be received in a sandwich arrangement. For this purpose, the portion assigned to the pockets of the blister has corresponding cutouts; on the opposite side, push-through areas for the packaged material are blocked by push-through segments that are predefined by means of perforation lines. It has been found in practice that the packaging is relatively expensive and has only a limited range of use. In particular, a separate punching and perforating tool for the cutouts and push-through areas is needed for each blister type.

The object is therefore to avoid the disadvantages of what has been disclosed and, in particular, to create a packaging that is suitable for packaging blisters and that can be used widely and in a variety of ways. Moreover, the packaging is to be distinguished by being easy and inexpensive to produce.

These objects are achieved by a packaging having the features of claim 1. By virtue of the fact that the blister carrier is designed in such a way, and blisters are fastened or can be fastened to the blister carrier in such a way, that the blister carrier can receive at least two different blisters, which differ in terms of the number and/or arrangement or size of the pockets, the field of use of the packaging can be increased or expanded considerably. Depending on the intended use, the user can equip the same type of packaging with different blisters which, however, preferably have the same outer contour. The user therefore simply has to change the blister when refilling the packaging. It is no longer necessary to adapt the packaging to a suitable blister. Special anchoring means, for example tongues integrally formed on the blister, are not needed. The term “blister” is understood hereinbelow as a packaging unit which contains a base sheet, provided with at least one pocket for receiving material, and a flat, pressure-sensitive cover foil that covers the pockets. To remove the packaged material, the latter is pushed through the cover foil, which is made of aluminum for example. Simple blisters are known, for example, as “blister strips”. Such blisters have been known and in common use for a long time. The packaging is particularly suitable for commercially available blisters. For certain products, the blisters can have the same external dimensions (length x width), although the number of pockets can vary, depending on the intended use, for holding different amounts of packaged material. For such blisters, the same blank can now therefore be used for the blister carrier.

The hollow body extending along a longitudinal axis can have a sleeve-shaped or tubular structure, the cross-sectional shape of the hollow body being largely immaterial. For example, the sleeve could have a triangular or polygonal cross-sectional shape. However, it can be advantageous if the hollow body has a bottom, side walls each laterally adjoining the bottom, and a top lying opposite the bottom, wherein the bottom, the side walls and the top form a sleeve with an approximately rectangular cross section. Such a hollow body in the shape of a parallelepiped is relatively easy to produce.

For easy handling, it can be advantageous if the blister carrier has a base portion and a holding part. On the holding part, the blister can be fixed or fixable in an area in which no push-through areas or pockets are present. In this way, although the blister can be held firmly in the packaging, the holder does not cover the foil of the blister in the area of the pockets. The product can therefore be pushed out independently of the number, arrangement and shape of the pockets. The holding part can be hinged on the base portion in such a way that, after the blister carrier has been pulled out, the holding part and if appropriate the blister can fold open about the longitudinal axis to provide a removal position. In the removal position, the base portion can form the continuation of the bottom of the hollow body.

It can also be advantageous if an axially extending first hinge fold is arranged between base portion and holding part and, in a starting position (i.e. the position in which the blister carrier is inserted fully in the hollow body), preferably lies approximately flat on one of the side walls.

The first hinge fold can be adjoined by a second hinge fold which, in the starting position, can preferably lie approximately flat on the top. The two hinge folds can be delimited from each other by a fold line.

The blister carrier can have a gluing portion or sealing portion to which an edge of the blister is fixed or can be fixed (e.g. is adhesively bonded or can be adhesively bonded). This gluing portion can, for example, adjoin the second hinge fold and can be delimited from the latter by a fold line. A gluing surface or sealing surface can be arranged in the overlap area between gluing portion and blister. Adhesives, for example hot-melt adhesives, are suitable in particular for this type of fastening. With the aid of such a gluing portion, the blisters can be fastened particularly easily to the blister carrier. However, the fastening technology known to a person skilled in the art under the term “sealing” (e.g. heat-sealing, ultrasound sealing) is also possible. The blister and/or the blister carrier can be provided for this purpose with a sealing layer, which can be activated when exposed to heat or ultrasound oscillations, such that welding or surface adhesion takes place.

In an alternative embodiment, the blister carrier can have a carrier portion that is frame-shaped. A carrier portion of this kind can have a frame recess, which is adapted to the pockets of the blister in such a way that all of the pockets can be inserted in this recess or between the frame of the carrier portion.

It is conceivable in theory for a blister to be fastened, in particular adhesively bonded, to a single frame-shaped carrier portion. However, it could also be advantageous if the blister carrier has two carrier portions, wherein the blister is or can be inserted in a sandwich arrangement between the carrier portions. At least one of the carrier portions, preferably each carrier portion, can be frame-shaped.

The blister carrier can contain at least two separable segments, preferably a multiplicity of separable segments. The segments are arranged in groups and are delimited from one another by perforation lines. One of these segments, or in some cases several of these segments, can overlap a push-through area. The last-mentioned segments thus form blocking segments which are separable from the blister portion and which each cover a push-through area for packaged material of the blister. By way of such a push-through area in the cover foil, it is possible for packaged material, such as tablets, capsules or pills, to be removed from the blister by pressing in the pocket.

By virtue of the multiplicity of segments separable from one another, but interconnected via perforation lines, blisters with different pocket arrangements can be easily packaged, and at the same time removal can always be ensured. For example, if a six-pocket blister is replaced by a twenty-pocket blister, the same packaging can still be used. This grouped arrangement of segments, which are each delimited from one another only by perforation lines, could also be advantageous for conventional blister packages. The multiplicity of relatively small push-through segments bordering one another ensures that, regardless of the number, size and/or arrangement of the pockets, it is possible for tablets or other packaged material to be easily removed from the package by applying pressure.

It can be advantageous if the separable segments form a grid. It can be particularly advantageous if the perforation lines assigned to the separable segments form a honeycomb structure on the blister portion. In the case of a honeycomb structure, the individual segments can have the shape of a hexagon. By virtue of the honeycomb structure, packaged material can, relatively speaking, be pressed particularly easily out of the blister and through the blister portion. The honeycomb structure can be made up of regular hexagons. The radius of the outer circle of an individual hexagonal segment can be between 5 and 20 mm, for example. Of course, other segment sizes are possible depending on the size of the packaged material.

It can be particularly advantageous if the size of the separable segments is adapted to the packaged material intended to be received in the pockets. The radius of the inscribed circle of a hexagonal segment can, for example, correspond approximately to the radius of a disk-shaped tablet.

The arrangement according to the invention is particularly suitable for packagings that are child-proof. To make the packaging childproof, safety means can be provided which ensure that the blister carrier cannot be pulled out of the sleeve of the hollow body from a blocked starting position, and the starting position (or blocked position) can be released only when force is applied to the packaging in a specific way.

It can also be advantageous if, in order to limit the sliding movement when withdrawing the blister carrier from the hollow body, blocking means in operative connection with one another are arranged on the blister carrier and on the sleeve. The blocking means assigned to the blister carrier can have a blocking tongue.

Safety means of this kind for childproofing, and the aforementioned blocking means for preventing the blister carrier from being pulled completely out of the hollow body, have been disclosed in WO 2006/068602 A1, for example. However, other safety means and blocking means could of course also be used.

In order to close a front opening, the blister carrier can have a wall portion on which is hinged a tongue portion. In order to close the packaging, the tongue portion can be placed on the second hinge fold, if appropriate on the holding part, and also if appropriate on the blister. The tongue portion can be designed in at least two layers.

A further aspect of the invention concerns a blank made of cardboard or of cardboard laminate for a blister carrier, in particular for the packaging described above. For the aforementioned sealing, the cardboard or the cardboard laminate can be provided at least in some areas with a sealing layer. The sleeve and the blister carrier can each be composed of a single blank of cardboard or cardboard laminate.

Further individual features and advantages of the invention will become clear from the following description of the illustrative embodiments and from the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a packaging according to the invention in a starting position,

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the packaging from FIG. 1, but with a blister carrier pulled out,

FIG. 3 shows a packaging with an alternative blister carrier,

FIG. 4 shows a blank for the blister carrier according to FIG. 2,

FIG. 5 shows a blank for an alternative blister carrier,

FIG. 6 shows another blank for a blister carrier,

FIG. 7 shows a detail of a blank for the blister carrier of the packaging from FIG. 2,

FIG. 8 shows an alternative variant of the blank from FIG. 7, and

FIG. 9 shows a detail of a blank for a blister carrier according to another illustrative embodiment.

In FIG. 1, reference number 1 designates a packaging in the shape of a parallelepiped. The packaging is composed of a hollow body, designated by reference number 5, and of a blister carrier 6 pushed into the hollow body. The hollow body 5 extends along a longitudinal axis A and, as can be seen, has a rectangular cross section. The hollow body 5 has a bottom, side walls 4 each laterally adjoining the bottom, and a top 3 lying opposite the bottom. The hollow body 5 is open in the area of a front end, and this opening is closed by a wall portion 17 which is assigned to the blister carrier and which thus forms a side of the parallelepiped.

The hollow body 5 and the blister carrier 6 are each preferably produced from a single blank of cardboard or of cardboard laminate. The blister carrier 6 is arranged in the hollow body 5 so as to be able to slide therein to a limited extent in the direction of the longitudinal axis A. The corresponding direction of sliding is indicated by the arrow A. Before the blister carrier in the pushed-in position in FIG. 1 can be pulled out from this starting position, the user first has to depress a button 19 in direction F in order to release a blocked position. Regarding the structure and mode of action of a child safety feature of this kind, reference is made for example to WO 2006/068602 A1 (but see also FIGS. 4-6 below).

FIG. 2 shows an open packaging 1 in which the blister carrier has been pulled out of the hollow body 3. The blister carrier 6 has a base portion 8 and, connected to the latter, a planar holding part 9 on which the blister, designated by 20, is fixed or can be fixed. The respective push-through areas of the blister 20 that are assigned to the pockets are indicated by dotted lines. The base portion 8 lies flat on the bottom 2 of the hollow body in the starting position and can slide along the bottom when being pulled out. In the position shown in FIG. 2, the base portion forms a continuation of the bottom 2. To ensure that the blister carrier 6 cannot be pulled completely out of the hollow body 5, blocking means (not shown here) are provided. In the present case, for example, blocking means of the kind described in WO 2006/068602 A1 are used.

The holding part 9 is hinged on the base portion 8 via a first hinge fold 11 and a second hinge fold 12. In the starting position, the axially extending hinge fold 11 lies approximately flat on one of the side walls 4. In the starting position, the second hinge fold 12 lies approximately flat on the top 12. In the view according to FIG. 2, the blister carrier is partially folded open. The pivoting-open movement is indicated by an arrow s. To close the packaging, the blister carrier 6 has to be pushed back into the hollow body 5 in the direction −A. The blister carrier 6 has a carrier portion that is frame-shaped, as a result of which the push-through areas lie free. For the frame design, it does not matter how many pockets a blister has or how exactly these pockets are arranged. Instead of the blister indicated in FIG. 2 with eight pockets, blisters of the same size with a different number of pockets could also be used. The frame must be dimensioned in such a way that the push-through areas assigned to the pockets or to the packaged material are not covered by the frame.

FIG. 3 shows a packaging 1 with an alternative blister carrier 6. The blister carrier has a blister portion 16, and a blister (not shown here) is or can be fastened to the rear face thereof preferably with the aid of adhesive. The blister carrier 6 contains a multiplicity of separable segments 10, which are delimited from one another only by perforation lines 15. By means of the multiplicity of interconnected segments 10 delimited from one another in each case by a predetermined tear line (e.g. perforation line), it is ensured that, regardless of the number, size and type of arrangement of the pockets, a packaged material from the blister can be guided through the blister portion and thus removed. The perforation lines 15 form a grid with rectangular segments 10 on the blister portion 16. However, it would of course also be conceivable in theory to combine the blister portion 16 with a frame-shaped carrier portion (cf. FIG. 2) in order to hold the blister in a sandwich arrangement therein.

FIG. 4 shows a blank 22 for a blister carrier similar to the one shown in FIG. 3. In FIG. 4, and in the subsequent views of blanks, fold lines are indicated by dot-and-dash lines. These fold lines can be grooved or notched lines. However, in contrast to the illustrative embodiment according to FIG. 3, the separable segments 10 and the perforation lines 15 on the blister portion 16 form a honeycomb structure. The multiplicity of relatively small, hexagonal push-through segments 10 bordering one another ensures that, regardless of the number, size and/or arrangement of the pockets, it is possible for tablets or other packaged material to be easily removed from the package by applying pressure. The webs (or segments) 10 of identical configuration and lying adjacent to one another are interconnected in each case via hexagon edges that predefine perforation lines. The radius of the outer circle of an individual hexagonal segment can be approximately 10 mm, for example, which ensures particularly good handling for most tablet sizes in the pharmaceutical industry. Other sizes of segments may also prove advantageous depending on the size of the packaged material.

It will also be seen from FIG. 4 that the bottom 8 is adjoined at one end by a wall portion 17, which is in turn adjoined by a tongue portion 18 composed of two layers. Reference number 23 designates a safety flap for making the packaging childproof. Reference number designates a blocking tongue which, in order to prevent complete withdrawal of the blister carrier from the hollow body, cooperates with a wall tongue assigned to the hollow body.

As can be seen from FIG. 5, a blister could also be applied directly to the base portion 8. In this case, separable segments 10 in a honeycomb arrangement and predefined by perforation lines 15 would have to be provided in the base portion.

FIG. 6 shows a further variant of a blister carrier, in which the blister carrier could also be folded open to the front. The blister carrier 16 is hinged on the front end of the base portion (instead of at the side as in FIG. 4).

FIG. 7 shows a blank 22 for the blister carrier from FIG. 2. Except for a different design of the holding part 9, the blister carrier is designed in the same way as the blank in FIG. 4. The blister carrier 6 has a frame-shaped carrier portion 14.

FIG. 8 shows a variant of a carrier part 9 of frame-shaped configuration, in which two frame-shaped carrier portions 14 and 14′ are provided. The carrier portions 14, 14′ are delimited from each other by a fold line and can be folded together and thus receive a blister in a sandwich arrangement.

FIG. 9 shows an alternative blank 22 for a blister carrier. The blister carrier 6 has a gluing portion 13, to which the blister 20 is adhesively bonded at the edge. The blister 20 is to be positioned in such a way that the push-through areas (not shown here) assigned to the pockets or to the packaged material are not covered by the blister carrier. In the overlap area between blister 20 and gluing portion 13, a gluing surface is indicated by hatching. Of course, it would also be possible instead to provide a sealing surface onto which the blister is sealed.

Claims

1. A packaging (1) with a hollow body (5) extending along a longitudinal axis (A), and with a blister carrier (6) which is arranged in the hollow body (5) so as to be able to slide therein, preferably to a limited extent, in the direction of the longitudinal axis (A) and which receives at least one blister (20), characterized in that the blister carrier (6) is designed in such a way, and the blister (20) is fastened or can be fastened to the blister carrier (6) in such a way, that the blister carrier (6) can receive at least two different blisters (20), which differ in terms of the number, size and/or arrangement of their pockets.

2. The packaging as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the hollow body (5) has a bottom (2), side walls (4) each laterally adjoining the bottom, and a top (3) lying opposite the bottom (2), wherein the bottom (2), the side walls (4) and the top (3) form a sleeve with a preferably approximately rectangular cross section.

3. The packaging as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the blister carrier (6) has a base portion (8), and a holding part (9) to which the blister (20) is fixed or can be fixed via an area having no pockets, wherein the holding part (9) is preferably hinged on the base portion (8) in such a way that, after the blister carrier has been pulled out, the holding part (9) and if appropriate the blister (20) can fold open about the longitudinal axis (A) to provide a removal position.

4. The packaging as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that an axially extending first hinge fold (11) is arranged between base portion (8) and holding part (9) and, in a starting position, preferably lies approximately flat on one of the side walls (4).

5. The packaging as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the first hinge fold (11) is adjoined by a second hinge fold (12) which, in the starting position, preferably lies approximately flat on the top (12).

6. The packaging as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the blister carrier (6) has a gluing portion or sealing portion (13) to which an edge of the blister (20) is fixed or can be fixed in such a way that the push-through areas are not covered by the blister carrier.

7. The packaging as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the blister carrier (6) has a carrier portion (14) that is frame-shaped, such that the push-through areas are not covered.

8. The packaging as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the blister carrier (6) has two carrier portions (14, 14′), wherein a blister is inserted or can be inserted in a sandwich arrangement between the carrier portions (14, 14′), wherein at least one of the carrier portions (14), preferably each carrier portion (14, 14′), is frame-shaped.

9. The packaging as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the blister carrier (6) contains at least two separable segments (10), preferably a multiplicity of separable segments (10), wherein the segments (10) are arranged at least in groups and are delimited from one another by perforation lines (15).

10. The packaging as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that the separable segments (10) form a grid.

11. The packaging as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that the perforation lines (15) assigned to the separable segments (10) form a honeycomb structure on the blister portion (16).

12. The packaging as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that, in order to close a front opening, the blister carrier (6) has a wall portion (17), on which a tongue portion (18) is hinged that can be placed on the second hinge fold (12), if appropriate on the holding part (9), and also if appropriate on the blister (20).

13. The packaging as claimed in claim 12, characterized in that the tongue portion (18) is designed in at least two layers.

14. A blank for a blister carrier (16), in particular of a packaging (1) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the blister carrier (6) is designed in such a way, and blisters are fastened or can be fastened to the blister carrier (6) in such a way, that the blister carrier (6) can receive at least two different blisters (20), which differ in terms of the number and/or arrangement of the pockets.