Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61J—CONTAINERS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR MEDICAL OR PHARMACEUTICAL PURPOSES; DEVICES OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR BRINGING PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTS INTO PARTICULAR PHYSICAL OR ADMINISTERING FORMS; DEVICES FOR ADMINISTERING FOOD OR MEDICINES ORALLY; BABY COMFORTERS; DEVICES FOR RECEIVING SPITTLE
  • A61J7/00—Devices for administering medicines orally, e.g. spoons; Pill counting devices; Arrangements for time indication or reminder for taking medicine
  • A61J7/04—Arrangements for time indication or reminder for taking medicine, e.g. programmed dispensers
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D83/00—Containers or packages with special means for dispensing contents
  • B65D83/04—Containers or packages with special means for dispensing contents for dispensing annular, disc-shaped, or spherical or like small articles, e.g. tablets or pills
  • B65D83/0445—Containers or packages with special means for dispensing contents for dispensing annular, disc-shaped, or spherical or like small articles, e.g. tablets or pills all the articles being stored in individual compartments
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61J—CONTAINERS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR MEDICAL OR PHARMACEUTICAL PURPOSES; DEVICES OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR BRINGING PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTS INTO PARTICULAR PHYSICAL OR ADMINISTERING FORMS; DEVICES FOR ADMINISTERING FOOD OR MEDICINES ORALLY; BABY COMFORTERS; DEVICES FOR RECEIVING SPITTLE
  • A61J1/00—Containers specially adapted for medical or pharmaceutical purposes
  • A61J1/03—Containers specially adapted for medical or pharmaceutical purposes for pills or tablets
  • A61J1/035—Blister-type containers

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a method of dispensing medicinal tablets, capsules and the like.
• a rectangular dispensing container for medicinal tablets is known where the container is subdivided into a row of four upwardly open compartments identified by preprinted indicia such as morning, lunch, dinner, night and so on.
• a slideable transparent lid may be slid across the top of the container along the row of compartments so as to obstruct the compartments after filling same with tablets.
• the compartments are emptied of tablets one by one by sliding the lid more or less off the container depending on the compartment to be emptied.
• This known dispensing container and the method of dispensing tablets therewith can be difficult to operate correctly by a weak or handicapped patient thereby running the risk of spilling tablets because of sliding the lid off too far and exposing more than the relevant compartment or, far worse, delivering a double, triple or even quadruple dose of tablets at one time.
• the object of the present invention is to provide a method for achieving the desirable effects described above without the disadvantages of the above known method, and according to the invention this is obtained by the method comprising the steps of:
• the holding means such with relation to the container that the at least one sheet is fixed in place thereby such that the aperture of the at least one compartment is substantially covered by the at least one sheet for enclosing the tablets in the compartment
• the sheet may be provided with information indicia such as printing, handwriting, braille markings and the like prior to and/or after being arranged across the aperture or apertures.
• information indicia such as printing, handwriting, braille markings and the like prior to and/or after being arranged across the aperture or apertures.
• the indicia comprise identification of the aperture or apertures such as dispensing time, contents and the like and/or identification of the calendar day, weekday and the like and/or identification of the person to which the tablets are to be dispensed and/or name of dispensing institution and the like.
• the holding means may comprise defining portions for defining access regions in the holding means at least partly corresponding to the apertures of the compartments, the access regions giving access to the sheet for perforating and/or tearing and/or removal of at least a portion of the sheet.
• the sheet may provided with a tab adjacent the portion of the sheet to be torn or removed, the method furthermore comprising the step of gripping and pulling the tab for tearing and/or removing said portion of the sheet prior to dispensing the tablets from the relevant compartment.
• the sheet is provided with weakening lines such as perforations, scorings and the like for predetermining the lines along which the sheet may be torn, perforated and/or removed
• the holding means is attached to the container by an attachment means allowing relative movement of the holding means relative to the container for allowing introduction of the tablets in the compartments such as a hinge means
• the holding means and the container are provided with cooperating fixing means for fixing the holding means with relation to the container.
• the holding means is totally detachable from the container, and the holding means and the container are provided with cooperating coupling means for fixedly coupling the holding means to the container.
• said sheet is a separate sheet, the method further comprising the step of fixing the sheet in relation to the container and holding means by mutually engaging the cooperating fixing means or coupling, and preferably, the sheet is fixedly attached to the holding means prior to mutually engaging the fixing or coupling means.
• the coupling means or the fixing means are provided with means to indicate unauthorized access to the tablet compartments by detaching the holding means from the container after the tablets have been inserted in the compartments and the coupling or fixing means have been mutually engaged.
• the present invention also relates to a combination for dispensing medicinal tablets, pills, capsules and the like, and according ot the invention the combination comprises a container having two or more tablet receiving and dispensing com- partments each having an aperture, at least one relatively thin, flexible sheet of tearable or perforatable material such as paper, cardboard, tin foil, aluminum foil, plastic film and the like and a holding means for holding the at least one sheet on or adjacent the container such that the apertures of the compartments are substantially covered by the at least one sheet.
• a container having two or more tablet receiving and dispensing com- partments each having an aperture, at least one relatively thin, flexible sheet of tearable or perforatable material such as paper, cardboard, tin foil, aluminum foil, plastic film and the like and a holding means for holding the at least one sheet on or adjacent the container such that the apertures of the compartments are substantially covered by the at least one sheet.
• the invention relates to a combination for dispensing medicinal tablets, pills, capsules and the like, the combination according to the invention comprising:
• a container comprising a body having two or more tablet receiving and dispensing compartments each having an aperture and a holding means connected to the body by flexible connecting means allowing relative movement of the holding means relative to the body, and - at least one relatively thin, flexible sheet of tearable or perforatable material such as paper, cardboard, tin foil, aluminum foil, plastic film and the like,
• the holding means being adapted for holding the at least one sheet on or adjacent the container such that the apertures of the compartments are substantially covered by the at least one sheet.
• the invention relates to a container for dispensing medicinal tablets, pills, capsules and the like, the container according to the invention comprising a body having two or more tablet receiving and dispensing compartments each having an aperture and a lid means connected to the body by flexible connecting means allowing relative movement of the lid means relative to the body, the lid means comprising at least one at least partly removable region comprising thinner material or defined by weakening lines, the connecting means being adapted to allow the lid means to be fixed relative to the container such that the at least one partly removable region at least partly covers an aperture of a compartment of the container body.
• the present invention relates to a combination for dispensing medicinal tablets, pills, capsules and the like, the combination axccording to the invention comprising:
• the body comprising at least one at least partly removable region defined by weakening lines, the removable regions being disposed such that each removable region upon being removed exposes an insert in the body for removal of the insert.
• the invention relates to a sheet of flexible, relatively thin material such as paper, cardboard, tin foil, aluminum foil, plastic film and the like, a holding means, a container, a body and an insert, all for use in a method according to the invention and/or in a combination and/or in a container according to the invention.
• Fig. 1 shows an isometric schematic view of a combination according to the invention with a sheet according to the invention ready to be arranged between a container according to the invention and a holding means according to the invention hingedly attached to the container,
• Fig. 2 shows a schematic top view of the embodiment in Fig. 1 without the sheet
• Fig. 3 shows an elevational schematic view of the container according to the invention shown i Fig. 1 ,
• Figs 4 and 5 show a schematic cross-section through and an end view, respectively, of the container and lid in Fig. 1 in the close relationship thereof,
• Fig. 6 shows an exploded schematic and diagrammatic view of a second embodi- ment of a combination according to the invention
• Fig. 7 shows a schematic and diagrammatic perspective view of a third embodiment of a combination according to the invention in the condition ready for use
• Fig. 8 shows an elevational schematic and diagrammatic view of a fourth embodiment of a combination according to the invention
• Fig. 9 shows an elevational schematic and diagrammatic view of a first embodiment of a container according to the invention illustrating the use thereof
• Fig. 10 shows an elevational schematic and diagrammatic view of a second second embodiment of a container according to the invention
• Fig. 11 shows a partial cross-sectional schematic and diagrammatic view of the embodiment of Fig. 10,
• Fig. 12 shows an alternative cross-sectional schematic and diagrammatic view of the embodiment of Fig. 10,
• Fig. 13 shows a schematic and diagrammatic view of a fifth embodiment of a combination according to the invention
• Fig. 14 shows cross-sectional views of the embodiment of Fig. 13 illustrating a way of removing the tablets from the compartments
• Figs. 15-16 show schematic and diagrammatic views of a container according to the container in open and closed condition, respectively.
• a container having a body 1 is provided with compartments 2 separated by lands 3.
• Locking apertures 4 are provided along an edge of the body 1.
• a lid or holding means 5 is hingedly attached to the container body 1 at the opposite edge thereof by means of a hinge web 7 and comprises arms 6 having angled projections 8 opposite the hinge web 7 and a transparent window 9 in one of the arms 6 at one end of the lid or holding means 5.
• the arms 6 are furthermore provided with hook means 11 for engaging in the locking apertures 4 for locking the lid in the closed position thereof relative to the container body 1 when the lid is swung about the hinge web 7 into the closed position shown in figs 4 and 5.
• a sheet 12 of flexible paper, cardboard, tin foil, aluminum foil, plastic film or the like is provided with weakening lines 13 such as perforations defining tear-off portions 14 of the sheet provided with gripping tabs 15 for being gripped by a user's fingers for tearing off the tear-off portions 14.
• Guiding and positioning apertures 16 are provided in the sheet for collaboration with guiding and positioning pins 17 (fig. 2) provided on two lands 3 of the body 1 , apertures 18 for receiving pins 17 being pro- vided at corresponding positions in two of the arms 6 of the lid 5.
• Locking grooves 19 extending longitudinally of the arms 6 are provided in the lid 5 for cooperation with corresponding locking ridges 20 provided longitudinally of the lands 3 of the body 1 so as to lock the sheet 12 in place.
• medicinal tablets either of one type or of different types are distributed in the four compartments 2 according to the course of medical treatment chosen for a patient for dispensing for example morning, lunch, dinner and night, respectively.
• a nurse for example, writes the relevant points in time on the respective tear-off portions of the sheet 12 and for example the name of the patient on the portion 14a of the sheet.
• the sheet is arranged on the body 1 of the container such that the positioning pins 17 are inserted in the positioning apertures 16 of the sheet 12 so as to correctly position the sheet relative to the body 1 with the tear-off portions 14 covering the apertures of the compartments 2 and the portion 14a of the sheet abutting a support surface 10 of the body 1.
• the lid or holding means 5 is thereafter swung about the hinge web 7 such that the hooks 11 engage in the locking apertures 4, thereby sandwiching the sheet 12 between the arms 6 and the lands 3 with the gripping tabs 15 projecting beyond the rim of the body 1.
• the combination according to the invention is now ready for dispensing tablets to the patient according to the time indications marked on the tear-off portions 14.
• the name of the patient, for example, indicated on the portion 14a of the sheet may be viewed through the viewing window 9 of the lid 5 such that a correct correlation between the dispensing container and the patient may be carried out reliably.
• the gripping tab 15 corresponding to the tear-off portion marked "lunch” is gripped by the patient or a helper and by pulling up on the tab 15 the corresponding tear-off portion 14 will be torn up and perhaps off thereby exposing the tablets in the corresponding compartment for removal and ingestion by the patient.
• the abutment of the arms 6 against the sheet in the regions between the weakening lines 13 and the locking of the sheet 12 between the locking grooves 19 and locking ridges 20 ensures reliable tearing off of the portions 14 along said weakening lines 13.
• the angle projections 8 ensure that the edge region of the sheet 12 containing the gripping tabs 15 is bent downwards such that the tabs 15 do not project from the rim but rather are arranged parallel to the lateral walls of the compartments 2 (Fig. 4) so that accidental ripping off of the tear-off portions 14 is prevented.
• the design and the engagement of the hooks 11 in the apertures 4 may be such that the container may be opened again without damage thereto so that the container may be used several times with new sheets 12.
• the design and engagement of the hooks may alternatively be such that opening of the lid 5 after the container has been prepared for dispensing tablets will break off the hooks or in some other known way indicate that the lid 5 has been opened thereby preventing or indicating unauthorized access to the compartments.
• the latter construction will thus be suited for use a single time and thus constitutes a disposable dispensing container having the additional advantage of not requiring cleaning before repeated use.
• Any suitable conventional tamper-evident or tamper-proof means may naturally be employed in connection with this embodiment of the invention.
• the hooks 11 may alternatively be designed as a resilient double hook with two branches as in a Y-configuration each ending in a barb-like projection.
• the hook 11 may be inserted in the apertures 4 by the branches flexing towards each other whereafter the branches separate because of the resiliency and therefore a hook 11 cannot be pulled out of the corresponding aperture without breaking off the barblike projections and indicating that the lid has been opened after having been closed.
• the material of the container 1 and the lid may be any suitable material such as polypropylene, cardboard, sheet metal, and the hinge 7 may be designed in any suitable manner. It will be clear to those skilled in the art that many variations of shape, holding means, number and arrangement of compartments etc. are possible without departing from the scope of the invention. Thus, two or more rows of compartments may be arranged in the body 1 , the gripping tabs and tear-off lines being correspondingly suitably adapted.
• FIG. 6 showing an exploded schematic view of a second embodiment of a combination according to the invention
• the container body 1 having four compartments 2 and lands 3 therebetween and encircling the compart- ments 2 is provided with locking apertures 4 for collaborating with hook means 11 of a lid or holding means 5 comprising on or frame elements 6a for clamping a sheet 12 against the lands 3.
• the sheet 12 is provided with weakening lines 13 defining rectangular tear-off portions 14 having indicia 14b written or printed thereon.
• the sheet is further provided with guiding and positioning apertures 16 through which the hooks 11 are inserted for fixing the sheet relative to the lid 5 and the container body 1 when assembling the combination after having inserted tablets in the various compartments 2 corresponding to the medicinal course and thus the indicia 14b.
• Access to the tablets in the various compartments 2 is achieved by pressing the tear-off portion downwards into the compartment 2 such that the weakening lines tear apart whereby the tear-off portion 14 of the sheet 12 may be either removed or pushed aside giving access to the tablets in the compartment in question.
• the body 1 of the container has a circular cylindrical shape the compartments (not shown) therein being quadrants of a circle corresponding to the tear-off portions 14 of the sheet 12 defined by weakening lines 13 and held in place by arms 6 of lid 5 locked into place in a manner very similar to the embodiment shown in fig. 6.
• gripping tabs 15 of the sheet 12 project outside the rim of the body 1.
• the body of the container is rectangular having turned-in longitudinal edges 20 forming longitudinal grooves 21 for receiving the edge of a holding means 5 sandwiching the sheet 12 having tear-out portions 14 defined by weakening lines 13 against lands (not shown) of the body 1.
• tablets are distributed in the three compartments corresponding to the three tear-out portions 14 separated by lands (not shown) of the container body.
• the sheet 12 is arranged on the body 1 or on the holding means 5 by means of any suitable positioning means whereafter the lid or holding means 5 is inserted in the grooves 21 such that the sheet 12 is sandwiched therebetween and the lands 3.
• the holding means 5 and the sheet may be formed integrally or by bonding such that the tear-out portions 14 constitute weakened portions of the lid 5, for example by bonding a sheet 12 of tearable material to the frame-like holding means.
• FIGs. 13 and 14 showing a fifth embodiment of a combination accordinging to the invention comprising a container with a rectangular body 1 defining three comparments 2, a U-shaped upper rim 22 defining a U-shaped groove 23 for receiving a lid 5 whereupon a sheet having tear-off portions 14 defined by weakening lines 13 is attached either integrally or by bonding or by simply pressing the sheet against the lid.
• a sheet having tear-off portions 14 defined by weakening lines 13 is attached either integrally or by bonding or by simply pressing the sheet against the lid.
• the tear-out portions 14 may either be re- moved by pressing downwards with a finger or as shown in Fig. 14, in case the body is made of a flexible material such as rubber or the like, by pressing on the bottom of the body below a compartment 2 such that the pills are pressed out through the corresponding tear-out portion 14.
• an integral container comprises a body 1 having four compartments 2 and an integrally formed lid 5 hinged at 7 to the body 1 and having tear-out portions 14 defined by weakening lines 13.
• the lid is closed by swinging it about the hinge and a tag 30 at- tached to the body is inserted in a correspondingly shaped slit 31 in the lid 5.
• Removal of a tablet for dispensing same is carried out by engaging the apertures 35 in each tear-out portion and pulling up on the portion whereby it is removed.
• the entire container with lid and tear-out portion as well as projection 30 may be made of cardboard.
• a container for dispensing tablets comprising five circular cylindrical segments each having at a first axial end a reduced diameter section 41 with external thread and at the opposite second axial end having an in- creased inner diameter section 42 with an inner thread for engaging the external thread of an adjacent segment 40.
• a circular sheet 42 of material is arranged in the second axial end section 42 of a first segment 41 filled with tablets whereafter the first axial end section 41 of the next segment 40 is threaded into the second end section of the first segment thereby trapping and fixing the circular sheet 43 in place across the aperture between the first and next segment.
• the segments 40 are marked “1" to "5" and the first end section of segment "5" is threaded into an end cap 44 having an internal thread identical with inner thread 42 of the segments. Thereafter the relevant tablet or tablets are inserted in the seg- ment "5", the corresponding circular sheet 43 is inserted in the internally threaded end of said segment and thereafter the externally threaded end of segment "4" is screwed into the internally threaded end og segment "5" thereby trapping and fixing the sheet 43 in place against an annular shoulder (not shown) formed at the transition between the threaded larger inner diameter section and the normal diameter section of the segment "5". The tablets are thus contained in segment "5" between the end cap 44 and the sheet 43. This process is repeated for the rest of the segments, the sheet 43 of the segment "1” being held in place by a second externally threaded end cap 44 which also may replace the sheet 43 for this segment.
• the dispensing container is now ready for dispensing tablet according to indicia marked on the various segments either pre-printed or by hand.
• the first portion of tablets from segment “1” is removed by unscrewing the end cap 44 and removing the corresponding sheet 43 from the section 42 of that segment thereby allowing removal of the tablets in that segment.
• the segment "1" is unscrewed and so on until all segments are empty.
• Tamper-evidence may be established by providing the boundaries between the segments and between the end caps and the segments with a known tamper-evident means such as frangible tape etc.
• a container for dispensing tablets comprising a circular cylindrical body 50 with one end open and the opposite end closed and having circumferential weakening lines such as perforations, scorings and the like allowing the body 50 to be broken apart into segments marked "1" to "4" and an end cap 52.
• Circular cylindrical inserts 54 comprising two oppositely open compartments 56 and 57 separated by a partition 55 and having an axial length substantially equal to the axial distance between the weakening lines 51 are inserted in the body 50 are inserted in the body through the open end thereof, tablets being introduced in the compartments 56 prior to insertion of the corresponding insert 54.
• the open end of the body may be closed by a cap or any other closure means.
• the body 50 When dispensing the tablets, the body 50 is broken apart along the weakening lines thereby allowing an insert 54 to be removed exposing the tablets in the next insert for dispensing and ingestion thereof.
• the inserts may have radially resilient barbs or hooks 58 at the leading edge thereof for engaging corresponding internal locking recesses or an internal sharp-edged locking groove 59 adjacent the weakening lines 51 when the insert is in its correct place in the body 50, the barbs or hooks not allowing removal of the insert except by breaking the body apart along the weakening lines thereby releasing the engagement between the barbs 58 and the locking groove 59.
• Fig. 12 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the body and inserts, the same reference numerals indicating analogous elements.
• This embodiment of the container according to the invention is particularly well- suited for pre-packaged tablets, the body being of cardboard or frangible plastic material.

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• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Medical Informatics (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Animal Behavior & Ethology (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Public Health (AREA)
• Veterinary Medicine (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Medical Preparation Storing Or Oral Administration Devices (AREA)
• Packages (AREA)

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• 1998
  • 1998-11-19 AU AU13335/99A patent/AU1333599A/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1998-11-19 WO PCT/DK1998/000504 patent/WO1999025307A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 1998-11-19 EP EP98956824A patent/EP1032351A1/de not_active Withdrawn

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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