JP2001240119A - Composite package for contact lens - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a packaging shape for packaging a line of blister cases containing hydrophilic contact lenses in a sterilized water solution, separable into respective constituting component units. SOLUTION: Lenses are stored by a simple and inexpensive method by using one composite package storing line of blister cases and also delivering them, while cover sheets of the blister cases can be easily unsealed. The packaging shape, more simple and compact, for accurately finding the quantities of lenses, namely the quantities of the blister cases, can be provided.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a composite package for interconnecting a plurality of containers such as blister cases adapted to contain hydrophilic contact lenses in a sterile aqueous solution, and for packaging the whole. In more detail, it serves as a cover sheet for a blister case that seals and stores contact lenses, or as a wrapping paper so that the whole can be handled as a single unit, provided on each connected container as a separate container Can be cut so as to be separated into each container along the weakened line, and the surface of each separated segment serves to display information related to the contact lens stored in the container, and further, each blister The present invention relates to a composite package having a role of providing a grip portion capable of easily peeling off a sheet for sealingly covering a case.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Heretofore, as a container for storing and shipping individual hydrophilic contact lenses, a glass bottle with a stopper or a screw vial containing a sterilized saline solution soaked with the lens has been used. The glass bottle was sealed with a metal closure using an appropriate silicone stopper so that the stopper could not be easily removed during the distribution process. When the patient attempts to remove the contact lens from the vial, it is necessary to first peel off the metal closure, then remove the silicone stopper and use appropriate forceps or flush the contents. The removal will remove the contact lens from the bottle. This is an extremely complicated operation, and a metal closure may cut a finger. Even in the case of screw vials, it is difficult to turn the lid because the container is small, and similarly when removing contact lenses, you must use tweezers or the like, or drain out the contents. Such as accidentally flushing the lens or not being able to easily remove it while sticking to the bottle bottom
It was hard to use. Further, from the point of view of the selling company, there is a problem that the cost of producing the contact lens as a product is affected since the sealing method and the manufacturing cost of the container itself are required.

In recent years, a type in which hydrophilic contact lenses are disposable every day or about two weeks has been introduced to the market, and a method of storing such lenses in the form of a blister case as a storage container for such lenses has been developed. This method has made it possible to store and ship the lens in a simple and inexpensive way, while allowing the patient to easily remove the lens.

[0004] Many applications for the invention relating to such a blister case have been filed, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-64365, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-322911, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-54824, and the like. JP-A-9-2391
No. 7, JP-A-9-24971, JP-A 9-1
69357 is known. Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-64365 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-322911 relate to a molded blister case covered with a flexible sheet material that can be peeled off from a case to take out a lens. A recess for receiving the lens and sterile saline, and a flange extending outwardly from the periphery of the recess for sealing with a cover material. A flexible cover sheet is affixed to the surface of the flange and seals the recesses in a leak-tight manner with common liquid sealing means (eg, heat or ultrasound). This recess has a part of its side wall inclined,
Forming a slope extending upward from the bottom toward the flange, peeling off the cover sheet from the flange,
The lens can be easily removed by sliding the lens upward from the bottom along the inclined slope.

[0005] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-54824 discloses a method for interconnecting a large number of containers such as a plastic substrate of a blister case with a multi-layer laminated material forming a cover sheet to form individual containers. It can be cut in the middle of each container along the line of weakness formed by the micropores provided in the, and by applying a printing pattern over the entire surface of the sheet covering a number of containers, from the connection row The present invention relates to printing of a specific pattern for the purpose of preventing diversion in separation of an image. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-169357 relates to a sheet in which a cover sheet of a blister case is formed from a transparent laminated plastic material so that the product can be visually confirmed from the outside or sterilized by ultraviolet rays or the like. .

On the other hand, JP-A-9-23917 and JP-A-9-24971 relate to a composite packaging container which can be said to be a second package for accommodating a row of blister cases. The present invention relates to a packaging form in which a row of packages is contained in a container or a carton which is shaped like a box, and is supplied to the consumer in an amount sufficient to be used in a relatively short period of time.

As described above, the invention relating to the blister case or the cover sheet makes it possible to store and ship lenses in a simple and inexpensive manner.
On the other hand, the patient can easily take out the lens. The daily disposable lens is usually 1
Daily, essentially 8 to 18 hours of wearing, and discarded after a day's wearing, regular replacement lenses are placed in a separate storage container with appropriate care after one day of wearing and discarded after a certain period of time. You. Therefore, by providing a package or package of lenses for a long period of time, such as days, weeks, or months, it is possible to give patients a measure of wearing and replenishing them over a period of time. Yes, in the prior art, this has been achieved in the form of providing a second packaging container for packing together the connected rows of blister cases described above. In addition, the conventional blister case is subjected to autoclave sterilization after sealing the lens, and in order to prevent the display from being disturbed due to heating, after sterilization, information on the lens to be stored is attached to the surface of each case for each case. Then, a predetermined quantity is packaged together, stored in a box-shaped container or carton, and supplied as one pack.

However, after the lens supplied by the blister case is taken out of the case, it is not housed in the case again, and the role of the case itself ends at the same time as the taking out of the lens stored therein. There were problems with the shape of the entire package in use and its disposal. In order to remove the contact lens, it is common to remove the sheet so that the cover sheet is not in close contact and peel it off from the case, and open the blister case. There is a problem that the sheet is small, thin and flexible, but difficult to grasp.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a more compact and simpler packaging form for supplying a plurality of blister cases, so that a patient can accurately know the remaining amount of lenses, that is, the number of blister cases. It is intended to provide such a composite package.

[0010] Another object of the present invention is to provide a packaging form having a role of providing a grip portion so that a cover sheet for sealing each blister case can be easily peeled off.

[0011]

To achieve the above object, a composite package of a blister case of a contact lens according to the present invention has the following features. That is, in a composite package for storing a row of packaging containers for storing hydrophilic contact lenses in a sterile aqueous solution, the one row of blister cases comprises a plurality of molded plastic substrates each having a recess for holding a contact lens. A flexible cover sheet that arranges the substrates having a flange extending outwardly around the recess in a row so that the flanges are in contact with each other, and is superimposed on the periphery of the flexible cover sheet to wrap the entirety. A sheet can be separated into a number of plastic substrate segments, forming a unitary package while sealingly extending the recesses, respectively;
Information on the contact lenses to be stored is displayed on the surface of each separated sheet.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a packaging container for accommodating a hydrophilic contact lens includes a molded plastic substrate having a depression for holding a contact lens. A package that is sterilized by being sealed with a flexible cover sheet so as to be detachable around the package, wherein the package is a composite package that stores a plurality of the packaging containers as a single unit, and the composite package is composed of individual packages. The present invention relates to a composite package which can be separated into segments of a container, and wherein information on a contact lens to be stored is displayed on the surface of each separated segment. Further, after a part of the cover sheet is in close contact with a part of the composite package and separated into individual segments, the cover sheet can be easily separated by grasping the close contact part, so that the accommodated contact lens can be easily separated. The present invention relates to a composite package characterized in that it can be accessed.

According to the present invention, which is characterized by the above structure, the composite package has a structure in which a row of blister cases each containing a hydrophilic contact lens are connected to each other to wrap the entire blister case. With the rows as a unit, a comfortable ease of removal of the lens and complete storage before use is achieved after a defined number of lenses have been delivered to the patient.

Each blister case is formed of a molded plastic substrate having a hemispherical cavity, and is generally formed of a polyolefin-based thermoplastic resin such as polypropylene by injection molding or thermocompression molding. A circumferentially extending flange is provided around the recess for housing the lens, preferably the recess is in the center of the flange. In the conventional blister case, the positions of the depressions are shifted toward one end of the flange. It is arranged so that the connected rows are stacked one on top of the other in a second packaging container or carton, so that each successive stacked row is rotated in the opposite way, with the previously laid row rotated The recesses are arranged with the recesses facing upwards, and the rows laid on top of the recesses face down, so that the recesses in the upper and lower rows are located on flanges that do not have recesses in each other so that they can fit together in the minimum space. It is shifted. In addition, rows in which the flat flange portions are connected in a triangular shape are arranged such that the blister cases are arranged in opposite directions to each other, and the depressions are nested and supported one another. In the present invention, when the blister cases to be connected in one row are wrapped, in order to improve the strength unevenness of the packaging material in the convex portion due to the concave portion and the concave portion due to the portion without the concave portion, the central portion of the flange is provided. It is desirable to form a depression. Furthermore, in order to prevent each blister case from being easily separated by external influences during transportation or handling, a peripheral wall of about the same height as the recess is formed on the outer periphery of each flange, and the connection of each blister case is performed. It is better to form a planar contact including the end face of the peripheral wall than a single line contact only at the outer periphery of the flange.

The blister case is covered with a single flexible cover sheet composed of a laminate of aluminum foil with polypropylene or other suitable plastic film, or silicon oxide forming a barrier material with a plastic layer. Heat sealed around the recess formed in each substrate to provide a sealed environment for each lens held in the recess. These blister cases are made into a composite package that is stored as a single row, and a package corresponding to a line connecting the flanges of each case so that the blister cases can be separated into individual blister case segments that constitute the composite package. A weakening line is formed at the position of. In the conventional composite package, a predetermined number of blister cases are housed, and the necessary blister cases are taken out of the package and the lenses are taken out after peeling off the cover sheet, but in the present invention, as described above, The package itself also functions as a cover sheet, dividing the package into separate blister cases. With such a package, the volume of the entire package is always minimized, the number of remaining lenses can be easily checked, and regular replenishment of lenses is established. In addition, the labor of pasting the information on the lenses to be stored one by one in the blister case as a seal can be directly attached or printed in a package unit, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost. On the surface of this package, information such as the standard and lot about the lens to be stored is described, even if it is separated from the composite package and each blister case,
It is printed so that it can be understood. The cover sheet seals the periphery of the recess by an adhesive method such as heat or ultrasonic waves, but other parts such as the outer peripheral wall of the flange and the top of the recess are not bonded to the plastic substrate,
After being separated from the composite package, the lens can be easily taken out by pinching and peeling off the cover sheet of the non-adhesive portion.

In the above, an example has been shown in which the package for wrapping each blister case also functions as a cover sheet. The case where the package and the cover sheet are separately configured will be described below. Also in this case, it is possible to provide a weakening line in the package, divide the composite package into blister cases, and take out each blister case. Also, depending on where in the package the weakening line is formed, for example, if the flange of each case is formed along the connecting line, the volume of the entire package after removing the blister case is always minimized. That is, as described above, the number of remaining lenses can be easily confirmed, and regular replenishment of lenses can be established. On the other hand, when a part of the package is adhered to a part of the cover sheet of the blister case and the blister case is separated and taken out from the composite package, the structure may be taken out together with a part of the package. In this case, since the adhesive portion between the cover sheet and the package has the thickness and the appropriate hardness as compared with the conventional cover sheet alone, the cover sheet is peeled off from the blister case by gripping the portion. Operation becomes easy.

The packaging unit of the composite package of the present invention can include a practical number of lenses for use by a patient, for example,
If it is a lens that can be disposable in one month, it can be packaged for three to four months, and the number of lenses provided can be considered depending on how the lens is used. If you pack up for 30 months, you have to put together 30 blister cases,
It is not realistic to adopt a structure in which the package is detached from the composite package each time it is used, and the packaging unit of the composite package in the present invention is preferably limited to packaging 10 or less, more preferably 4 or less blister cases.

[0018]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a composite package according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a composite package 10 in which three blister cases are wrapped together in an interconnected row. As shown in more detail in FIGS. 2 and 3, each blister case 20 has a planar, essentially square flange 22 having a peripheral wall 21 depending thereabout,
A recess 23 is included at a substantially central portion of the flange 22. Each blister case 20 is arranged in a line while contacting the peripheral end portion 14 of the flange 22 and the end surface 13 of the peripheral wall portion, and the whole is covered with the cover sheet 9 to form one unit. The cover sheet 9 shown in FIG. 1 doubles as a seal for the blister case and as a sheet for the composite package. An essentially hemispherical recess 23, typically having a curvature greater than the curvature of the contact lens 24 contained therein, is sealed with sterile saline for immersing the contact lens, and the location of its attachment. By being located at the center of the flange 22, the strength balance of the bottom 12 of the cover sheet 9 when the composite package 10 is formed is improved. Of course,
Although there is no problem in handling even if it is not necessarily located at the center, the cover sheet 9 is distributed as a composite package by using the cover sheet 9 as a package sheet without putting it in a sturdy outer box as in the conventional case. In this case, it is desirable to locate the sensor at the center in consideration of an unexpected impact during transportation. Also, from the stability when the blister case is left standing, the height of the peripheral wall portion 21 hanging down from the planar flange 22 is set substantially equal to the height of the recess 23 for accommodating the contact lens.

As required by the patient, the blister case as shown in FIG. 2 is separated from the composite package 10 as shown in FIG. 1 along the weakening line 8 provided on the cover sheet 9 covering the whole. Can be separated into individual blister cases 20 each containing one contact lens without affecting the original appearance of the lens. As will be described in more detail below, a soft cover sheet 9 having a weakening line 8 and printed with the standard of the contact lens to be accommodated in each blister case is wrapped around the plastic substrate 30 of many blister cases and spreads out. In this case, a row consisting of three substrates is wrapped.

The soft cover sheet 9 is adhered to an appropriate area of the surface of the flange 22 of the plastic substrate 30 facing the cover sheet by a sealing means such as heat or ultrasonic waves, and is immersed in sterile physiological saline. The indentations 23 containing the contact lenses are sealed and each contact lens is stored in the indentation. Still other bonding positions may be located at desired positions on the peripheral wall 21 other than the surface of the flange 22, so that the overall shape of the composite package can be made more stable. Further, in order to take out the contact lens contained in the depression 23, the cut portion (for example, the bottom portion 12 of the sheet) of the cover sheet 9 is grasped with a finger and the sheet is peeled off, or the peripheral wall portion 21 is bent. In this case, the joint portion 25 with the flange 22 may be formed so as to be easily broken and cut, and the peripheral wall portion 21 may be grasped and peeled off.

The plastic substrate 30 of the blister case shown in FIG. 3 is made of, for example, polyethylene, by general injection molding or hot compression molding so as to be inexpensive and easy to handle.
It is composed of a thermoplastic material appropriately selected from polypropylene, ethylene vinyl acetate, propylene copolymer, polystyrene, nylon and the like. Accordingly, the cover sheet 9 is formed by laminating an aluminum foil having a material similar to that of the plastic substrate 30 such as polyethylene or polypropylene on its surface so as to provide good adhesion to the flange 22 by the heat seal or the adhesive as described above. Alternatively, other materials composed of silicon oxide forming a barrier material having a plastic layer can be used. The cover sheet 9 has a display of a company name, a name of a lens, a standard, a lot, or a description, an advertisement, a decoration, and the like on the surface thereof, and these print information is separated into each blister case. May be printed directly on the cover sheet, or a seal printed with them may be attached on the cover sheet.

In the present invention, the weakening line 8 is formed so that a portion of the cover sheet 9 can be separated from the composite package 10 together with the plastic substrate 30 adhered thereto (each forming a separate blister case). Have been. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 4, a cover sheet may be externally provided by making a round contact with the composite package 10 around the composite package 10 using a knife 32 aligned with and cooperating with the cylindrical drum 31. A weak hole may be formed by opening a minute hole in a straight line,
A composite package may be wrapped with a sheet having a weakening line from the beginning.

Next, unlike the above-described embodiment in which the cover sheet is also used as the package sheet, an example in which the cover sheet and the package sheet are made of different parts will be described below. The blister case 36 shown in FIG. 5 is configured as a composite package 40 shown in FIG. 6 after heat-welding the cover sheet 35 to seal the lens accommodating portion 37 and passing through a sterilization process. From this composite package 40, the weakening line 41
Can be separated into segments for each blister case. The composite package 40 is made of normal cardboard, and the surface 42 displays information such as the standard of the stored lens. Since each blister case has been sterilized, it is not necessary to consider the effects of heat during the sealing and sterilization process on the display printed on the package, and the entire package can be printed in a simple manner. . This display may be displayed, for example, through a window 52 formed on the side surface 51 of the composite package 50 shown in FIG. 7 in a state described on the side surface 38 of the blister case 36, or may be displayed at any part. One or more notations are made for each segment from which.

FIG. 8 shows that the blister case 55 has a flange peripheral end portion 56 that is not connected to another blister case. After the contact lens is accommodated in the recess 57, the peripheral portion 58 of the recess 57 is formed by the cover sheet 60. A portion 5 that is hermetically sealed and further extends beyond the peripheral end portion 56
9 is provided. In this state, sterilization such as autoclaving is performed to form a blister case 61 (a). As shown in FIG. 9, for example, three blister cases 61 (a) are formed by inverting the blister case 61 (a) and using the extended portion 59 of the cover sheet and the end portion 63 of the thick paper 62 as a sheet for the composite package as an adhesive portion. Fig. 1
The composite package 65 as shown in FIG.

FIG. 10 is a view showing a process of packing three blister cases 61 (a) together with the cardboard 62.
The composite package 65 eventually takes the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped. To remove the blister case from this package, insert a toe into a crescent-shaped hole 66 previously formed in the cardboard 62 as shown in the upper part of FIG. 10, and cut it along the weakening line 67 formed in the cardboard 62 in advance. , In the state shown in FIG. The difference between the blister case 61 (a) shown in the lower diagram of FIG. 11 and FIG. 8 is that a part (63) of the cardboard of the composite package that adheres to the end 59 of the cover sheet 60 of the blister case 61 (b) remains. It is that you are. By gripping this part when opening the blister case, it becomes easier to open than when gripping a part of the conventional cover sheet.

While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited by the foregoing embodiments. In addition, it is understood that the present invention can be variously modified, modified, improved, and the like based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention, in addition to the above specific description. Should.

[0028]

As described above, according to the composite package for storing a row of packaging containers for storing hydrophilic contact lenses in a sterile aqueous solution according to the present invention, the lenses can be stored in a simple and inexpensive manner. , While allowing the patient to easily open the blister case. In addition, it is possible to provide a packaging form in which the supply of the blister case is more compact and simpler packaging, and the number of lenses, that is, the number of blister cases, can be accurately known.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a composite package according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a blister case separated from a row of a composite package.

FIG. 3 is a view showing the plastic substrate of FIG. 2 from which a cover sheet is peeled so that a lens contained in a depression of a blister case can be taken out.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a drum to which a drilling blade is attached to form a weakening line.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a blister case according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a composite package according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a composite package according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a blister case according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a view showing an assembling process when forming a composite package according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a composite package according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a blister case according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 8 Weak Line 9 Cover Sheet 10 Composite Package 20 Blister Case 22 Flange 23 Indentation 24 Contact Lens 31 Cylindrical Drum 52 Display Window 61 (a), (b) Blister Case 62 Composite Package Sheet (Cardboard)

Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification FI FI Theme Court II (Reference) B65D 77/22 B65D 77/22 85/38 85/38 B

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A composite package for storing a row of packaging containers containing hydrophilic contact lenses in a sterile aqueous solution, wherein said one row of packaging containers is formed by a plurality of molded containers each having a recess for holding a contact lens. A plastic substrate having a flange extending outwardly around the recess, such that the flange is in contact with the substrate.
A flexible cover sheet arranged side by side in a row and superimposed around the flexible cover sheet to package the entirety, wherein the cover sheet seals and extends each of the recesses and forms a package as one unit, A composite package which can be separated into a number of segments of a plastic substrate, wherein information on a contact lens to be stored is displayed on each of the separated cover sheet surfaces. 2. A composite package for storing a row of packaging containers containing hydrophilic contact lenses in a sterile aqueous solution, wherein the packaging container is a molded plastic substrate having a recess for holding the contact lenses. A packaging container sterilized by sealing with a flexible cover sheet so as to be detachable around the recess, and then storing the packaging containers in a row as a composite package; A composite package characterized in that information on a contact lens to be stored is displayed on the surface of each of the separated segments. 3. A part of the cover sheet is in close contact with a part of the composite package, and by gripping the contact part, the cover sheet can be easily separated so as to access the accommodated contact lens. The composite package according to claim 2, wherein