EP3202682A1

EP3202682A1 - Blister pack for sanitizing products for sanitary fixtures and the like

Info

Publication number: EP3202682A1
Application number: EP17154566.8A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Gianni Alderuccio; Raoul Bianchi; Gianpaolo Baiguerra; Luciano Mario NOVITA'
Original assignee: Bolton Manitoba SpA
Current assignee: Bolton Manitoba SpA
Priority date: 2016-02-04
Filing date: 2017-02-03
Publication date: 2017-08-09
Anticipated expiration: 2037-02-03
Also published as: ITUB20160218A1; SI3202682T1; PL3202682T3; HRP20191695T1; ES2746352T3; EP3202682B1

Abstract

A blister pack (1) for sanitizing products for sanitary fixtures and the like comprises a protrusion (2, 12) adapted to define a cavity (3) that protrudes from a flat region (5) of the blister pack and which is closed by a film (21), the protrusion (2) being adapted to exert a thrust action against a sanitizing product (4) accommodated inside the cavity (3) when the blister pack (1) is gripped by a user; the film (21) comprises a proximal portion (22) which is heat-sealed to the flat region (5) and a distal portion (23) which is not heat-sealed to the flat region (5).

Description

The present invention relates to a blister pack for sanitizing products for sanitary fixtures and the like. More specifically, the invention relates to a blister pack that is adapted to be used to accommodate a sanitizing product, such as sanitizing tablets for sanitary fixtures and the like.
As is known, in order to sanitize the inside of a sanitary fixture, sanitizing tablets are usually used which are adapted to be applied to the internal wall of a sanitary fixture. Application of such tablets occurs by way of a blister pack that accommodates the tablet inside it and which is provided with lateral wings that make it possible, once folded back so as to overlap the area accommodating the tablet, to exert a pressure on the lateral accommodation area of the tablet in order to obtain the expulsion of the tablet when it is placed in contact with the internal wall of the sanitary fixture. In this manner, the sanitizing tablet is expelled from the blister pack and remains attached to the internal wall of the sanitary fixture by virtue of its adhesive properties.
The conventional types of blister pack however exhibit some drawbacks, which are primarily due to the fact that the presence of and the necessity for lateral wings that can be folded back at the region behind the area accommodating the tablet means that the blister pack has large dimensions, and therefore the packs in which it is sold must also similarly have consequent dimensions.
Furthermore, a blister pack provided with lateral wings must also have special recesses in the wings in order to allow the insertion of the user's fingers in order to perform the folding back of the wings and to exert the consequent pressing action on the central cavity accommodating the tablet in order to obtain its expulsion from such cavity.
An additional problem that afflicts conventional devices relates to holding the sanitizing product inside the blister pack during the application operations thereof to the surface of the sanitary fixture.
In fact, in order to close the blister pack in a manner that preserves the sanitizing product contained therein, which usually as mentioned is presented for example in the form of a tablet or a cake, a film is used, heat-sealed to the blister pack, which can then be removed during application. However, the removal of the heat-sealed film generates instability in the system, such that, as a consequence of this operation, the sanitizing product is no longer firmly contained in its receptacle.
In particular, during the removal of the film, conventional types of blister pack are subjected to an elastic or elasto-plastic deformation such that the sanitizing product, even if initially it is snugly jammed into the blister pack, undergoes a shift that results in its being no longer integral with the blister pack proper. By turning the blister pack upside down or in any case moving it, the sanitizing product can thus fall out of the blister pack in which it is contained before the user has had enough time to place the blister pack against the wall of the sanitary fixture.
This occurs because the blister pack is necessarily made to undergo a deformation, such deformation constituting an essential characteristic that makes it possible for the product to be applied. However, such deformation also occurs, inconveniently, at the moment of removal of the film that closes the blister pack.
The aim of the present invention is to provide a blister pack for sanitizing products for sanitary fixtures and the like, in which the application of the sanitizing product onto the sanitary fixture with its extraction from the blister pack only at the right moment is facilitated with respect to conventional types of blister pack.
Within this aim, an object of the present invention is to provide a blister pack for sanitizing products for sanitary fixtures and the like, which makes it possible to apply the product contained in it to a sanitary fixture in a convenient and practical manner.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a blister pack for sanitizing products for sanitary fixtures and the like, wherein the expulsion of the sanitizing product from the blister pack occurs even in the absence of the wings usually present in conventional types of blister pack and while at the same time minimizing the risk that the product contained inside the blister pack is inadvertently expelled or falls out of the blister pack before it has been arranged in the correct position for the product to be applied.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a blister pack for sanitizing products that is highly reliable, easily and practically implemented, and low cost.
This aim and these and other objects which will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by a blister pack for sanitizing products for sanitary fixtures and the like, which comprises a protrusion adapted to define a cavity that is closed by a film and which protrudes from a flat region of the blister pack, said protrusion being adapted to exert a thrust action against a sanitizing product accommodated inside said cavity, characterized in that said film comprises a proximal portion which is heat-sealed to said flat region and a distal portion which is not heat-sealed to said flat region.
Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the detailed description of two preferred, but not exclusive, embodiments of the blister pack according to the present invention, which are illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the blister pack according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a plan view from above of the blister pack according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the blister pack according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 4 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the blister pack according to the present invention;
Figure 5 is a perspective view of the blister pack according to the second embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 6 is a plan view from above of the blister pack according to the second embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the blister pack according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

With reference to the figures, in which identical reference numerals generally designate identical elements, a blister pack according to the invention, generally designated by the reference numeral 1, comprises a protrusion 2 that defines internally a cavity 3 for accommodating a sanitizing product 4, for example a sanitizing tablet, for sanitary fixtures and the like.
The protrusion 2 is surrounded by a substantially flat region 5 which is for example rectangular, circular or another shape.
The sanitizing product 4 is contained in its entirety inside the cavity 3 of the protrusion 2.
The cavity 3 is closed by a film 21, which is heat-sealed to the blister pack only for a portion thereof.
In particular, on the film 21 there is a proximal portion 22, which is proximate to the cavity 3 or substantially adjacent thereto, and which is heat-sealed to the surface of the flat region 5, and a distal portion 23 which, by contrast, remains free from the flat region 5.
The heat-sealing of the proximal portion 22 of the film 21 on the flat region 5 is of the removable type, so that the user can grasp an end of the film 21 and remove it from the blister pack 1 in order to open the cavity 2 and enable the application of the sanitizing product 4.
Considering a radial direction from the center of the cavity 3 toward the outside of the flat region 5, the distal portion 23 of the film 21 extends preferably for a length equal to the length of the proximal portion 22 of the film 21 along the same directrix.
Preferably, furthermore, the area that is not heat-sealed which corresponds to the distal portion 23 extends further than the heat-sealed area that corresponds to the proximal portion 22 of the film 21.
Figures 1 to 3 refer to a first embodiment of a blister pack according to the invention, in which the protrusion 2 is provided with a grip element 12, protruding above therefrom, which acts as a handle for the user of the device.
Operation of the device according to the invention is the following. The user wishing to apply the sanitizing product 4 to a sanitary fixture grasps an end of the film 21 that is not heat-sealed to the flat region 5, i.e. an end of the distal portion 23 of the film 21, and lifts it in the opposite direction with respect to the protrusion 2 and to the cavity 3, in order to then apply sufficient force to detach the proximal portion 22 of the film 21 from the flat region 5.
Since the heat-sealing of the film 21 on the flat region 5 does not affect the peripheral portions of the blister pack, but instead affects the portions that are adjacent or in any case close to the cavity 3, and since the cavity 3 is defined by the walls of the protrusion 2, which confer rigidity on the blister pack at the region 5 affected by the heat-sealing of the film 21, together with the fact that the lever arm applied for the removal of the film 21 is defined starting from the farthest position from the heat-sealed area of the film, the separation operation of the film occurs by applying a reduced force concentrated at the points of greatest rigidity of the blister pack, thus minimizing the torsional forces that act on the blister pack and which would result in a considerable deformation thereof with the possibility of premature separation of the sanitizing product 4 from the walls or from the roof of the cavity 3.
The material used for the blister pack can therefore be a conventional plastic material, such as PE, PET or PVC, with a thickness not exceeding 0.5 mm and preferably not exceeding 0.4 mm.
In a preferred embodiment, the thickness of the material is approximately 0.2 mm.
Once the film 21 is completely removed, the user, gripping the blister pack at the grip element 12, places it on the surface of the sanitary fixture on which the user wishes to apply the product and, by exerting a lateral pressure on the grip element 12 proper and a pressure in the direction of the surface of the sanitary fixture, induces the separation of the sanitizing product from the blister pack and its attachment to the surface of the sanitary fixture.
The dimensions of the grip element must be such as to ensure an adequate comfort of use for the user, who has to grasp the blister pack with the fingers in a practical and safe manner, in order to exert the force necessary to apply the sanitizing product onto the sanitary fixture. At the same time, the dimensions of the grip element 12 must not be excessively extended, so as not to generate unnecessary encumbrances and to limit the quantity of plastic material necessary for the provision of the blister pack. It has been found that the height extension of the grip element 12 must be greater than 10 mm, preferably greater than 12 mm and smaller than 20 mm. In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 to 4, the optimal height extension of the grip element 12 is substantially equal to 13 mm.
Figure 4 illustrates a second embodiment of the blister pack according to the invention, in which, differently from the first embodiment, the protrusion 2 is defined in a region 9 that is recessed with respect to the flat region 5.
The flat region 5 and the recessed region 9 are separated in height by a raised perimetric rim 10, so that the recessed region 9 defines a kind of rib around the protrusion 2 or the cavity 3.
In this embodiment, the film 21 is heat-sealed onto the surface of the recessed region 9 and extends preferably outside the recessed region 9, at the flat region 5, entirely or partially covering it.
The distal portion 23 of the film 21 is thus not actually resting on the surface of the flat region 5, which can make it easier for the user to take hold of the edge of the film for the removal of the film proper.
The proximal portion 22 of the film 21 can further substantially coincide with the surface of the recessed region 9.
Operation of the blister pack in this second embodiment is clearly entirely similar to what is described above with reference to Figures 1 to 3.
Figures 5 to 8 define an additional variation of embodiment of the present invention, in which the protrusion 2 is crossed by a rib 6 that passes through it centrally. The rib 6 defines, inside the cavity 3, a raised portion 7 that protrudes inside of the cavity 3 .
In this embodiment, the cavity 3 substantially coincides with the region that can be gripped by the user in order to expel the sanitizing product.
In this case, the sanitizing product 4 accommodated inside the cavity 3 is therefore in contact with the raised portion 7. A function of such raised portion is to expel the sanitizing product 4 from the blister pack 1 when the user laterally grips the protrusion 2 and presses the two ends of the protrusion, adjacent to the rib 6, 2a and 2b, so as to bring them closer to each other by taking advantage of the rib 6, so that the raised portion 7 exerts a thrust action against the sanitizing product 4, expelling it from the cavity 3 formed by the protrusion 2.
Preferably, the raised portion 7 extends toward the upper surface of the sanitizing product 4, affecting only a portion of the region that can be gripped by the user.
In order to comfortably grip the protrusion 2, the latter can be provided with recesses 8, which are arranged at the two ends 2a and 2b of the protrusion 2.
The recesses 8 make it possible to partially accommodate the user's fingers and therefore exert an action of bringing the ends 2a and 2b toward each other so as to substantially close the central rib 6 with the portions 2a and 2b coming into contact centrally. In this manner, the raised portion 7 exerts a thrust action against the sanitizing product 4, expelling it.
The presence of the recessed region 9, adjacent to the flat region 5, enables a better expulsion of the product.
In this case, the operation is similar to the one described previously, except for the different handle which makes it possible to exert a thrust to expel the product toward the surface of the sanitary fixture with the sole action of bringing the ends 2a and 2b closer.
In practice it has been found that the blister pack according to the present invention fully achieves the set aim and objects, since it makes it possible to expel the sanitizing product without resorting to lateral wings which, by being folded back, would exert a thrust action against the sanitizing product.
On the contrary, according to the invention, the thrust action is exerted by the rib of the protrusion and by the corresponding raised portion defined inside the cavity accommodating the sanitizing product, and it is facilitated by the presence of the recessed region.
The invention, thus conceived, is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims.
Moreover, all the details may be substituted by other, technically equivalent elements.
For example, although Figure 4 shows a recessed region 9 that separates the flat region 5 from the protrusion 2, the person skilled in the art will understand without effort that the recessed region 9 can be substituted by a rib provided in the flat region 5 and extending in the opposite direction to the protrusion 2, with the possibility of heat-sealing the film 21 only at such rib.
In practice the materials employed, as well as the contingent dimensions and shapes, may be any according to requirements and to the state of the art.
The disclosures in Italian Patent Application No. 102016000011289 ( UB2016A000218 ) from which this application claims priority are incorporated herein by reference.
Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.

Claims

A blister pack (1) for sanitizing products for sanitary fixtures and the like, which comprises a protrusion (2) adapted to define a cavity (3) that is closed by a film (21) and which protrudes from a flat region (5) of the blister pack, said protrusion (2) being adapted to exert a thrust action against a sanitizing product (4) accommodated inside said cavity (3), characterized in that said film (21) comprises a proximal portion (22) which is heat-sealed to said flat region (5) and a distal portion (23) which is not heat-sealed to said flat region (5).
The blister pack (1) for sanitizing products for sanitary fixtures and the like according to claim 1, characterized in that said proximal portion (22) extends around the entire cavity (3) of said blister pack (1).
The blister pack (1) for sanitizing products for sanitary fixtures and the like according to claim 2, characterized in that, in at least one point, said distal portion (23) extends, in a radial direction with respect to the center of said cavity (3), for a length that is at least equal to the length of the corresponding heat-sealed segment of said proximal portion (22).
The blister pack (1) for sanitizing products for sanitary fixtures and the like according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said film (21) covers substantially the entire flat region (5).
The blister pack (1) for sanitizing products for sanitary fixtures and the like according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said protrusion (2) is defined in a region (9) that is recessed with respect to said flat region (5) and in that said proximal portion (22) of said film (21) substantially coincides with said recessed region (9).
The blister pack (1) for sanitizing products for sanitary fixtures and the like according to claim 5, characterized in that a raised perimetric rim (10) is defined between said protrusion (2) and said flat region (5).
The blister pack (1) for sanitizing products for sanitary fixtures and the like according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a grip element (12) that protrudes upward from said protrusion (2).
The blister pack (1) for sanitizing products for sanitary fixtures and the like according to claim 7, characterized in that the height extension of said grip element (12) is greater than 10 mm, preferably greater than 12 mm.
The blister pack (1) for sanitizing products for sanitary fixtures and the like according to one or more of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that said protrusion (2) is affected by a rib (6) that passes through it centrally, said rib (6) defining inside said cavity (3) a raised portion (7) that is adapted to apply a thrust action against said sanitizing product (4) accommodated inside said blister pack.
The blister pack (1) for sanitizing products for sanitary fixtures and the like according to claim 9, characterized in that said cavity (3) coincides with the region that can be gripped by the user for the expulsion of said sanitizing product (4), said raised portion (7) extending toward the upper surface of said sanitizing product (4), affecting only a portion of said region that can be gripped by the user.
The blister pack (1) for sanitizing products for sanitary fixtures and the like according to claim 10, characterized in that said rib (6) extends centrally along the entire extension of said protrusion (2) and in that said protrusion (2) is provided, laterally to said rib (6), with recesses (8) for the insertion of the fingers of the user.
The blister pack (1) for sanitizing products for sanitary fixtures and the like according to claim 11, characterized in that said rib (6) divides said protrusion (2) into a first and a second portion (2a, 2b), which are adapted to be moved mutually closer in order to apply a thrust action for the expulsion of said sanitizing product (4) that is fully accommodated inside said protrusion (2).
The blister pack (1) for sanitizing products for sanitary fixtures and the like according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the thickness of the material of the blister pack does not exceed 0.4 mm and preferably is comprised in the neighborhood of 0.2 mm.