GB2385841A

GB2385841A - A dispensing wallet incorporating a blister pack

Info

Publication number: GB2385841A
Application number: GB0204800A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Timothy James Llewellyn
Original assignee: Piae Ltd; Novartis AG; PIAE Ltd
Current assignee: Piae Ltd; Novartis AG; PIAE Ltd
Priority date: 2002-03-01
Filing date: 2002-03-01
Publication date: 2003-09-03
Anticipated expiration: 2022-03-01
Also published as: GB0204800D0; GB2385841B

Abstract

A dispensing wallet comprises a first section 2B flanked on each side by second and third sections 2A,2C which are respectively hingedly connected to the first section 2B. At least one of the first and second sections 2B, 2A has an array of openings 20, 22 therein which correspond to the rupturable openings of a blister pack 14,16 which is attached to the said first and/or second sections 2B, 2A. The second section 2A can then be folded over onto the first section 2B and the third section 2C is then folded over onto the stacked first and second sections 2B, 2A to form a closed wallet. The wallet is held in the closed position by two magnetic strips 10,12 with one strip 10 preferably being placed on the side edge remote from the hinged connection 6B on the inner face of the third section 2C and the other strip 12 preferably being placed on the outer face of the second section 2A along a side edge that is adjacent the hinged connection 4A with the first section 2B. The third section 2C preferably has a data carrier 24 such as a note pad attached to the inner face thereof.

Description

DISPENSING WALLETS The present invention relates to dispensing wallets for dispensing small articles such as pills, tablets or capsules.

Medications or vitamins in pill, tablet or capsule form are provided in bottles with screw tops or in rupturable blister packs. Bottles are fairly bulky, are often difficult to open and dispense from. Rupturable blister packs consist of a laminar base, provided with rows and columns of apertures. A layer of transparent plastics is supported on one side of the base with blisters or domes formed over the apertures to provide an array of chambers in which the pills, tablets or capsules can be accommodated. Once the chambers have been filled, a layer of aluminium foil is secured to the opposite side of the base to seal the apertures leading to the chambers. The pills, tablets or capsules can be released from the respective chambers by applying pressure to a respective dome or blister to urge the pill, capsule or tablet through the opening against the covering foil to rupture the foil at that point. While dispensing from such blister packs is relatively easy, they are vulnerable if carried loose to accidental rupture and damage.

It is an object of the invention to provide a dispensing wallet for such blister packs.

According to the present invention there is provided a dispensing wallet comprising a laminar base having a first section flanked on each of two opposite sides by second and third sections which are respectively hingedly connected to the first section, so that the second section can be folded over onto the first section and the third section can be folded

over onto the thus stacked second and first section, at least one of said first and second sections carrying a blister pack with an array of rupturable openings, said section carrying the blister pack having an array of openings aligned with said rupturable openings to provide access to said rupturable openings and magnetic closure means associated with said second and third sections, to hold said third section against the second section when the third section is folded over onto said stacked first and second sections.

A dispensing wallet embodying the present invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which: Figure 1 is plan view of the wallet in a fully open state; Figure 2 is a perspective view, from the front, of the wallet of Figure 1 partially closed; and Figure 3 is a perspective view, from the rear, of the wallet of Figure 1 partially closed.

As shown in Figure 1, the wallet comprises a generally rectangular laminar base 2 of card or other rigid material. The card is divided into three rectangular sections 2A, 2B and 2C of substantially equal size by two pairs of closely spaced fold lines 4A, 4B and 6A, 6B. The fold lines may be formed by scoring, weakening or prefolding the base and act as a hinges to allow the parts of the base on the opposite side of each line to more angularly relative to each other between 0 and 900. In a preferred embodiment, the fold lines may be produced by prefolding beyond the normal limit of flexure, for example, to provide a slight bias in maintaining the angle between adjacent parts of the base 2 at 90 . To close the

wallet, the section 2A is folded over on to the section 2B and the section 2C is folded over onto the section 2B. The bias in the fold lines then helps to maintain the wallet closed.

Fastening means for holding the wallet in its closed state is provided by a pair of magnetic strips 10 and 12 one of which is provided on the section 2C on one side of the base, adjacent the distal edge thereof and the other of which is provided on the section 2A on the opposite side of the base adjacent the internal edge thereof. When the wallet is folded, the two magnetic strips are brought into mating engagement with each other and hold the wallet in a closed state by their interacting magnetic forces. At least one. the magnetic strips should be permanently magnetised while the other may be of magnetisable material. Each may be in the form of an interrupted strip or a continuous strip. The strips should match one another in length and alignment to reduce the level of any stray magnetic fields around the strips so that they would not interfere with the magnetic strips on credit or other cards which may be placed in close proximity to the wallet. In particular, when the strips 10 and 12 are in mating engagement, a low reluctance path is provided between the or each north and south pole pair of one strip by the other strip.

In a specific example, the strip 10 is a self adhesive soft ferrite magnetic strip 90 mm x 8.5 mm x 0.75 mm thick. The strip 10 is a self-adhesive soft ferro strip (not a permanent magnet) 90 nun x 8.5 mm x 0.625 mm thick. The average weight needed to open the wallet was 61 gms.

The strips 10 and 12 should be spaced from the exposed edges of the wallet, when

the wallet is closed, by at least 20% of their width to reduce stray magnetic flux. The thickness of the strips should not be greater than the thickness of the base 2 for the same reason.

The magnetic attraction between the two magnetic strips 10 and 20 when the wallet is closed advantageously lies the ranges of from 0.03 Kg force to 0.09 Kg force (but preferably in the range of from 0. 05 to 0.07 Kg force) to allow for easy opening even to arthritic fingers but to provide sufficient closure force to resist the wallet opening when being accidentally dropped or otherwise mishandled.

Each section 2A and 2B carries a respective blister pack 14 and 16 secured thereto by adhesive or other means so that the foil layer of the blister pack is sandwiched between its base and the corresponding sections 2A, 2B. Each section 2A and 2B is provided with a respective array of openings 20 and 22 which match the array of openings in the blister packs 14 and 16 in both size and relative positions to allow access to the blisters thereon.

The array of openings 20 are vertically offset from the array of openings 22 by half the vertical pitch between the rows of openings. In this way the rows of blisters of the two packs 14 and 16 are nested between each other when the wallet is closed so that the thickness of the wallet when closed can be minimal.

The third section 2C of the wallet carries a pad 24 of paper which may be used to write notes. Instead, or in addition, the pad may carry information regarding the contents of the blister packs 14 and 16.

The pad may consist of a series of pages stapled together with the bottom most sheet adhesively secured to the section 2C. The pad may be formed as a diary or a reminder system.

This distal side of the section 2C may be provided with an arcuate extension 26 to provide a projection which can be gripped when the wallet is closed and used to open the wallet.

While the wallet may be disposable after the blister packs have been used up, it will be appreciated that other fastening means can be used to fasten the blister packs to the wallet which allow the used blister packs to be released and new ones imprisoned on the base 2 instead.

The section 2A may be perforated along a line 30 adjacent the magnetic strip 12 to allow that part of the base to be tom off along with the associated blister pack 14 when the blister pack 14 has been used up.

It will be appreciated that the magnetic strip may be in the form of interrupted magnetic strips, eg in the form of a row of magnetic circles or oval or may take other shapes.

Claims

1. A dispensing wallet comprising a laminar base having a first section flanked on each of two opposite sides by second and third sections which are respectively hingedly connected to the first section, so that the second section can be folded over onto the first section and the third section can be folded over onto the thus stacked second and first sections, at least one of said first and second sections carrying a blister pack with an array of rupturable openings, said section carrying the blister pack having an array of openings aligned with said rupturable openings to provide access to said rupturable openings and magnetic closure means associated with said second and third sections, to hold said third section against the second section when the third section is folded over onto said stacked first and second sections.

2. A dispensing wallet according to Claim 1, wherein both said first and second sections carry a similar blister pack, said blister packs, when the first and second sections are folded together, being located on facing surfaces and each said first and second sections have an array of openings corresponding to and aligned with the rupturable openings in the blister packs, the array of openings in the first section being offset from the array of openings in the second section so that when the first and second sections are folded together, the blisters of one blister pack nest between the blisters of the other blister pack.

3. A dispensing wallet according to Claim 1 or to Claim 2, including a data carrier secured to the third section to lie between the second and third sections when the third

section is folded over onto the second section.

4. A dispensing wallet according to Claim 3, wherein said data carrier comprises a note pad.

5. A dispensing wallet according to any preceding claim, wherein the or each blister pack is adhesively secured to a respective section.

6. A dispensing wallet according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the or each blister pack is removably secured to a respective section.

7. A dispensing wallet according to any preceding claim, wherein the hinged connections between the sections are such as to provide a bias to closure of the sections on one another.

8. A dispensing wallet according to any preceding claim, wherein the hinged connections between the sections are provided by score lines on the base.

9. A dispensing wallet according to any preceding claim, wherein the magnetic closure means comprises a first magnetic strip secured to the third section adjacent a side remote from the hinged connection with the first section and a second magnetic strip secured to the second section along a side adjacent the hinged connection with the first section, whereby when the third section is folded onto the second section, the first and second magnetic strips

magnetically engage each other.

10. A dispensing wallet according to Claim 9, wherein said magnetic strips, when engaging each other, are so aligned as to keep stray magnetic fields to a minimum.

11. A dispensing wallet according to Claim 9 or to Claim 10, wherein the thickness of each magnetic strip is not greater than the thickness of the section to which it is secured.

12. A dispensing wallet according to any one of Claims 9 to 11, wherein each magnetic strip is spaced by at least 20% of its width from the immediately adjacent side of the section on which it is mounted.

13. A dispensing wallet according to any preceding claim, wherein the force exerted by the magnetic closure in holding the wallet closed lies in the range of from 0.03 to 0.09 Kg force.

14. A dispensing wallet comprising a laminar base having a first section flanked on each of two opposite sides by second and third sections which are respectively hingedly connected to the first section, so that the second section can be folded over onto the first section and the third section can be folded over onto the thus stacked second and first sections, at least one of said first and second sections comprising at least in part a blister pack with an array of rupturable openings and magnetic closure means associated with said second and third sections, to hold said third section against the second section when the

third section is folded over onto said stacked first and second sections.

15. A dispensing wallet according to any preceding claim, substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to the accompanying drawings.