DK2767409T3 - Process for making multiple leaflets - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to the production of multi-part notices. It applies especially to multi-part pharmaceutical notices which are to be inserted in medicament boxes.

The evolution of regulatory requirements in respect of the packaging of medicaments has resulted in an increase in the size of pharmaceutical notices.

Moreover, some countries require each medicament box to contain two notices, one for the patient and the other for the doctor.

In order to meet this requirement, it is known to print the two notices on two separate sheets, to fold the sheets, to place the sheets one on top of the other and to hold the sheets together by a temporary assembly device, for example spots of glue or a band.

However, this technique has a risk of errors in terms of the two notices that are effectively present in each box. Moreover, assembling two separate notices at high speed is difficult to carry out.

According to its abstract, document WO-A-2011/141870 describes a medicine information insert comprising a plurality of sheets, preferably made of paper, each sheet having at least one graphical representation relating to a medicine.

The object of the invention is to provide a method which allows multi-part notices to be produced simply and reliably, which notices, in the pharmaceutical field, are ready to be inserted in medicament boxes.

To that end, the invention relates to a method according to claim 1.

The method may have one or more of the features corresponding to dependent claims 2 to 5.

There is also described a multi-part notice, especially a pharmaceutical notice, which can be produced simply and reliably by means of the above method.

The notice comprises: - at least two notices which are so folded that they have substantially the same dimensions in the folded state; - the notices being so arranged that their contours substantially coincide; - a first of the notices being folded in the manner of a booklet, with two free edges substantially superposed, the or each other notice being contained within said first notice; and - at least one temporary assembly device for the notices.

According to other features of the notice: - the assembly device comprises at least one member for holding the notices flat, which member straddles the two substantially superposed free edges of said first notice; - the assembly device is formed by a single holding member; - the or each holding member comprises a tearable or removable adhesive strip; - said second notice is itself composed of at least two basic notices connected by a predetermined tear line.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described below, without implying any limitation in terms of the accompanying drawings, in which: - Figure 1 shows schematically a sheet on which two pharmaceutical notices are printed; - Figure 2 shows schematically an end view of that sheet, after a first folding step; - Figure 3 shows schematically a second folding step; - Figure 4 shows schematically the sheet after the second step; - Figure 5 shows schematically a third folding step; - Figure 6 shows schematically the sheet after the third folding step; - Figure 7 is a schematic top view showing the cutting step; - Figure 8 shows schematically the sheet after the cutting step; - Figure 9 shows schematically the step of temporarily assembling the two notices; and - Figure 10 shows schematically the completed assembly.

In the drawings, the proportions are not respected in order to facilitate comprehension thereof.

Figure 1 shows a sheet of paper 1 of length L and width 11, adapted to constitute a double pharmaceutical notice. This double notice is to form two separate notices which, after temporary assembly, will be inserted together in a medicament box. The steps of producing the assembled double notice, which are described below, are performed by a conventional folding and cutting machine, and the insertion of the assembly into a medicament box is performed by a medicament packaging machine which is likewise conventional.

The sheet 1 is subdivided in its width into two parts 2 and 3, which are not equal in this example, of respective widths I2 and I3.

By way of example, the dimensions may be L = 56 cm, I2 = 24 cm and I3 = 12 cm (that is to say, for the sheet 1, a width I = 36 cm). A geometric line 4 which separates the two parts 2 and 3 of the sheet has been shown in Figure 1.

On each part 2, 3 there is printed a pharmaceutical notice, N2, N3, respectively. The large notice N2 is, for example, for the doctor and the small notice N3 for the patient.

In a first folding step which is shown schematically by arrows F1 in Figure 1, the sheet 1 is folded along one or more fold lines perpendicular to the line 4. In this example, folding is carried out in the manner of an accordion along two fold lines 5 and 6 which divide the length L into three substantially equal parts.

After this first step, the sheet 1 has, in an end view according to arrow II in Figure 1, the Z-shape shown in Figure 2 and, in a top view according to arrow III in Figure 2, the rectangular shape shown in Figure 3, of dimensions 11 and L/3.

In a second folding step shown schematically by arrows F2 in Figure 3, the sheet is subjected to a second fold along one or more fold lines parallel to the line 4. In this example, folding is carried out in the manner of an accordion along line 4 and along a line 7 which subdivides the part 2 into two halves.

After this second step, the sheet has, in an end view according to arrow IV in Figure 3, the Z-shape shown in Figure 4 and, in a top view according to arrow V in Figure 4, the rectangular shape shown in Figure 5, of dimensions 1/3 and L/3.

Of course, although not shown in Figure 4 in order to clarify the drawing, each part of the Z is composed of several thicknesses of paper, here three thicknesses.

In a third folding step shown schematically by an arrow F3 in Figure 5, the sheet is finally folded in a V-shape about a fold line 8 which is parallel to the lines 4 and 7 and situated substantially mid way between them.

After this third step, the sheet has, in an end view according to arrow VI in Figure 4, the booklet shape shown in Figure 6 and, in a top view according to arrow VII in Figure 6, the rectangular shape shown in Figure 7, of dimensions L/3 and 11/6.

In this configuration folded into a booklet, there are three Vs nested in one another, all three of which are open towards the right in Figure 6, each arm of each V in reality having three thicknesses: - an outer V V1 which is composed of the notice N3 and one end of which, at the top and on the right in Figure 6, forms the line 4, while its other end, on the bottom right, 9 is free and formed by the right-hand longitudinal edge (in Figure 1) of the original sheet 1; - an intermediate V V2, the top right end of which is connected to the line 4; and - an inner V V3, the bottom right end 10 of which is connected to the bottom right end of the intermediate V V2 and the top right end 11 of which is free.

The outer V V1 carries the notice N3, while the assembly of the intermediate and the inner Vs V2 and V3 carries the notice N2.

The line 4 is offset slightly to the right relative to the lines 9,10 and 11.

In a following cutting step, the two notices are separated by a cut which is made substantially along the line 4, as shown by the dot-and-dash line 12 in Figure 7. The resulting configuration is shown in Figure 8, which is a view analogous to that of Figure 6. The notice N2 is wholly contained within the notice N3 and separated therefrom.

Finally, an adhesive strip or sticker 13 is arranged to straddle the two free edges 4 and 9 of the assembly of Figure 8, which has previously been kept substantially flat, and is stuck on the two outer faces of the outer V V1 as shown schematically in Figure 10 by an arrow F4.

The strip 13 must allow the closed booklet to be held firmly closed and substantially flat, but it must also be possible to open the booklet easily in order to consult the two notices. In that sense, the strip 13 is considered to be a temporary assembly member for the two notices.

There may be used for that purpose a strip with multiple perforations, which can easily be torn in the middle, or alternatively a strip with low adhesive power, that is to say a removable strip, of the "Post-It®" type or the like.

As will be appreciated, a single strip 13 is sufficient, but it is of course possible to use more than one strip if desired.

The resulting assembly is easy to obtain in a repetitive manner and at high speed on automatic machines. It ensures that it contains both the intended notices N2 and N3, without any risk of error. Moreover, the assembly is easy to introduce automatically into medicament boxes moving past at high speed.

In a variant, one of the two notices, the notice N2 in this example, can itself be composed of two or more notices which are connected by predetermined tear lines. There has thus been shown in Figure 1, as a broken line, a predetermined tear line 14 at half the distance of the width I2, for defining two smaller notices Ν2ί and N22.

Also in a variant, the method makes it possible, with a single cut, to obtain more than two separate notices, one of which forms a booklet containing the others.

To that end, by modifying the folding in a manner which will be obvious to the person skilled in the art, it is possible, after the first folding step, to obtain a configuration which is shown by a dot-and-dash line in Figure 6, in which an additional flap 15 comes from the line 11, which becomes a fold line. By offsetting the line 11 slightly to the right in order to bring it into line with the line 4, it will be appreciated that the cut illustrated in Figure 7 creates an additional separate notice inside the booklet.

In a further variant, by modifying the folding and cutting steps in a manner which will readily be apparent to the person skilled in the art, it is possible to obtain, starting from a single sheet, two folded and superposed notices with contours which, when seen from above, substantially coincide, the notices being assembled temporarily by two temporary holding devices arranged to straddle two opposite edges of the stack of notices. Those members may in particular be formed by two strips 13 as described above.

In this variant, although it is necessary to use at least two holding members, the advantages of ease and reliability of production and insertion into medicament boxes are retained.

Claims (5)

A process for making a multi-copy package leaflet, in particular a medicinal package leaflet, characterized in that it comprises the following steps: - a single sheet of paper (N2, N3) is printed on both sides of at least one dividing line (4); - the sheet is folded into a configuration wherein the package leaflets are arranged so that the contours thereof are substantially coincident and where at least one dividing line (4) is substantially on a lateral fold line of the folded sheet; - a cut is made along the lateral fold line (4) so as to separate the package leaflets; and - the package leaflets are held flat together by means of a device (13) for temporary assembly of the package leaflets with one another. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that a first (N3) of the package leaflets after the cutting step is folded as a booklet with two free edges (4, 9) which are substantially on top of one another, in that it or each other insert (N2) is contained in the first insert, and in that the assembly device (13) comprises at least one holding member disposed on both sides of the two free edges of the first insert, which are substantially on top of each other. Method according to claim 2, characterized in that the assembly device (13) consists of a single holding element. Method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the holding element or each holding element (13) comprises an adhesive tape which can be torn or removable. Method according to Claim 1, characterized in that the folded inserts after the cutting step are laid on top of one another and in that the assembly device comprises at least two elements for holding the inserts, arranged on both sides of two opposite edges of the stack of inserts.