WO2001044062A1 - Emballage pour comprimes - Google Patents

Emballage pour comprimes Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO2001044062A1
WO2001044062A1 PCT/GB2000/004788 GB0004788W WO0144062A1 WO 2001044062 A1 WO2001044062 A1 WO 2001044062A1 GB 0004788 W GB0004788 W GB 0004788W WO 0144062 A1 WO0144062 A1 WO 0144062A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
tablet
reservoir
liquid
tablets
closure member
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/GB2000/004788
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Richard David North
Peter Thomas Bowdler
Original Assignee
Richard David North
Peter Thomas Bowdler
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Richard David North, Peter Thomas Bowdler filed Critical Richard David North
Priority to AU18730/01A priority Critical patent/AU1873001A/en
Publication of WO2001044062A1 publication Critical patent/WO2001044062A1/fr

Links

Classifications

    • 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
    • B65D23/00—Details of bottles or jars not otherwise provided for
    • B65D23/12—Means for the attachment of smaller articles
    • 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
    • B65D21/00—Nestable, stackable or joinable containers; Containers of variable capacity
    • B65D21/02—Containers specially shaped, or provided with fittings or attachments, to facilitate nesting, stacking, or joining together
    • B65D21/0237—Rigid or semi-rigid containers provided with a recess on their external surface for accommodating a smaller container

Definitions

  • This invention relates to a tablet package.
  • tablette in other than tablet form
  • tablette could be utilised by solids in other than tablet form
  • the word “tablet” should therefore be construed to include small amounts of solid material in other suitable forms, such as powder or granules.
  • the "tablet” could be a nutritional supplement, or a sweet or other item of confectionery for example.
  • medicants and the like which are in conventional "tablet” form, and the following description will therefore relate primarily to such utility.
  • medicants such as headache relieving drugs are sold in solid form, usually in the form of a tablet.
  • Some types of of tablet are soluble and are intended to be dissolved in water before consumption; others are substantially insoluble in water and are intended to be consumed in solid form.
  • a substantially insoluble tablet it is recommended that the tablet be placed in the mouth and then a quantity of water be drunk to carry the tablets into the stomach.
  • a tablet should ideally be maintained dry and clean before use, and a known package incorporates individual sealing means for the tablet in the form of a "blister pack" comprising a wrapping of aluminium foil and/or plastic or the like. To open the wrapping and expose the tablet, it is known to press the tablet towards the aluminium foil until theAoil breaks.
  • Medicants in tablet form are often sold in boxes containing a certain number of tablets, individually sealed in a wrapping such as that described above. Users of such medicants will often maintain a store of tablets at their home or other suitable location, for use as and when required.
  • GB Patent 1,211,168 discloses a tablet package comprising a reservoir for water and a chamber for the tablet.
  • the chamber for the tablet is located within the closure member or cap of the reservoir.
  • the packages are typically “single dose", and there are no means to store some of the liquid, or some of the undissolved tablet, for later use.
  • a tablet package including a reservoir for a predetermined quantity of liquid, the liquid being retained within the reservoir by a first closure member, the package including a predetermined quantity of tablets located in at least one recess in the wall of the reservoir, the tablet(s) being retained within the recess by a second closure member separate from the first closure member.
  • Both of the closure members are (at least partially) removable, to permit the (separate) removal of the tablet(s) and the liquid.
  • This arrangement has the advantage that it is not necessary to remove the first closure member in order to consume the tablet, which removal might not be required or desired, e.g. if the tablet is a confectionary item or other tablet not requiring to be consumed with the liquid. Accordingly, it is a feature of the invention that the tablet can be exposed and consumed separately from the liquid, or together with the liquid, as desired. With confectionery items and the like the consumption of liquid is optional, whilst with medicants the package shares the advantages of the prior art arrangements in that a liquid is provided with which the tablet can be consumed.
  • Another advantage of the present invention is that the number of tablets provided can be increased, e.g. if the tablet is a medicant several doses can be provided, and the volume of liquid in the reservoir can be increased accordingly.
  • separating the tablets from the first closure member enables a greater number of tablets to be located within the package, i.e. the number of tablets which can be located is not limited by the size of the first closure member, but by the (much greater) size of the reservoir.
  • the user can consume the required quantity of tablets, and the required quantity of liquid, and leave some tablets and liquid for later use.
  • the separation of the tablet recess from the first closure member enables the producer of the tablet package to separate the process step of insertion of the tablets from the step of filling of the reservoir.
  • the tablet(s) can be inserted into the recess(es) before or after the liquid is added to the reservoir.
  • the recess (es) can be closed by the second closure member(s) before the liquid is added; in the latter embodiments the reservoir can be closed by the first closure member before the tablet(s) are inserted into the recess (es). Accordingly, the production process can be made much simpler, with less care needing to be taken to ensure that the tablet(s) and liquid are not inadvertently brought into contact.
  • the insertion of the tablet(s) into the recess (es) can comprise two process steps, i.e. the insertion of the tablet(s) and the securement of the second closure member (with the addition of the liquid and the first closure member being separate process steps). With the prior art arrangements additional process steps are required.
  • the predetermined quantity of tablets may be one or more. If the tablet is a medicant, the quantity will usually be determined to be a sufficient number, and/or the tablet (s) can be of sufficient effective strength, for a chosen number of doses for an adult for example, and the volume of liquid in the reservoir can be predetermined so as to seek to match the chosen number of doses. If the chosen number of doses is one, the package can be particularly suited to be purchased for the immediate relief of a headache or other ailment. As such, the package could be sold at fuel filling stations or other convenient sites and so serve users who have need of medication but who are travelling or are otherwise away from their store of medicant. Since the liquid (e.g.
  • the tablet package is also contained within the package, the user does not need to locate a suitable source for this, and the likelihood of the user taking the tablet(s) without liquid is reduced or avoided. Even if the tablet package is chosen to contain several doses, it will be well suited for storage in a car or other location away from a source of suitable liquid.
  • the package can be suited to several doses, for example one week's supply of a nutritional supplement such as a vitamin tablet or the like, so that seven recesses are provided, each with one or more tablets comprising a single day's dose, the predetermined quantity of liquid being sufficient for the chosen number of doses.
  • a nutritional supplement such as a vitamin tablet or the like
  • the predetermined quantity of liquid being sufficient for the chosen number of doses.
  • the tablet is a confectionery item
  • the package preferably including many tablets (e.g. sweets or the like). Since confectionery items can often be consumed without liquid, the predetermined quantity of liquid (perhaps comprising a soft drink) can be independent of the quantity of tablets.
  • the package can therefore include a predetermined number of sweets and a predetermined quantity of the soft drink, it being intended that the sweets and soft drink can be consumed separately or together, as desired by the user.
  • the benefits of not having to remove the first closure member in order to consume one or more of the sweets will be readily apparent, and include for example a reduced likelihood that some of the liquid will be spilled.
  • the second closure member desirably comprises a seal which can maintain the tablet in a dry and fresh condition within the recess.
  • the seal may comprise foil for example which is adhered to the reservoir around the recess, but which can be broken or removed when the tablet is to be consumed.
  • the reservoir is largely a conventional bottle or the like, and the first closure member is usefully a conventional threaded bottle cap.
  • the tablet package 10 comprises a reservoir 12 for liquid 14, and two recesses 16 formed in the wall thereof, each recess 16 containing a tablet 18.
  • the liquid 14 is water
  • the tablets 18 are of medicant such as a pain relieving drug.
  • each recess 16 contains one tablet 18, though in other embodiments a single recess can contain two (or more) tablets 18 so that if the tablet package is designed to contain two (or more) tablets in total, only a single recess is required.
  • the tablet package may be marketed as one week's supply of a nutritional supplement or the like, with perhaps seven recesses, each recess containing one or more tablets corresponding to a single day's "dose".
  • the tablet is a confectionery item, many recesses can be provided so that the tablet package carries approximately the same number of items as would be carried in other (traditional) packages of such items.
  • the recesses 18 are located on opposed sides of the tapering portion of the reservoir 12, but this is clearly not mandatory, and the recesses could be located in any suitable position upon the reservoir.
  • the recesses may be arranged in several "rings", or in a helix, around the reservoir.
  • the tablets 18 are maintained separate from the water 14 by the "wall" 20 and "floor” 22 of the recess; in this embodiment the reservoir 12 is of moulded plastic material, and the recesses 16 are formed as part of the moulding, so that the wall 20 and floor 22 of each recess comprise a layer of the plastic material. Accordingly, the wall 20 and floor 22 provide a permanent continuous partition between the recess and the reservoir.
  • Each tablet 18 is retained within its recess 16 prior to use by a foil sheet 24, which is adhered to the wall of the reservoir around the recess 16 so as to seal the recess 16 against the ingress of dirt and moisture. Accordingly, the environment within the recess 16 is maintained clean and dry whilst the foil sheet 24 remains in place.
  • the foil sheet When it is desired to consume a tablet 18, the foil sheet is removed, as by pulling upon its integral tab 26, so exposing the tablet 18 within the recess 16. The tablet 18 can thereafter be removed from its recess 16 for consumption.
  • the foil sheet may be replaced by a sheet of plastics material, perhaps transparent plastics material, as desired.
  • a strip of foil or plastics material may be provided, the strip acting as the closure member for many or all of the recesses. In this way, the strip may be removed incrementally from the reservoir, so opening more of the recesses and permitting the tablets therein to be consumed sequentially at a rate determined by the user.
  • the tablets 18 are intended to be consumed as solid (i.e. they do not need to be dissolved in water prior to consumption), and may instead be introduced directly into the user's mouth following removal from the recess 16. However, as above indicated, with medicant tablets 18 it is desired that they be consumed together with a liquid, i.e a liquid is required to carry the tablets from the user's mouth and into the stomach, reducing the likelihood of the tablets becoming lodged in the throat, for example.
  • the tablet package of the present invention is not primarily directed to use with soluble tablets, it could be used with such tablets if desired.
  • the user could deposit the tablets 18 onto his or her hand, and then introduce them into the liquid following removal of the reservoir's closure member.
  • the tablet package could be similar to that shown in the drawing, with instructions that the user place the tablets into the reservoir and allow them to dissolve before consumption.
  • the volume of liquid in the reservoir is preferably chosen to permit the consumption of the tablets, e.g. comprising perhaps one or two mouthfulls of liquid.
  • the volume of liquid within the reservoir should be correspondingly increased, so that a supplemental source of liquid is ideally not required.
  • the presence of liquid within the reservoir avoids the need for a supplemental source of liquid which might not be available in the room in which the tablet package is located.
  • the liquid within the reservoir cooperates with or complements the nutritional supplement in some way.
  • many people take iron tablets as a nutritional supplement, and vitamin C is known to enhance the absorption of iron into the body; it could therefore be arranged that if the tablets are iron tablets, the liquid is a fruit juice or other liquid containing vitamin C. This would avoid the user having to obtain a separate source of vitamin C, and since the user would have a ready source of vitamin C every time an iron tablet was taken, he or she would likely obtain greater benefit from the iron tablets.
  • the liquid in the reservoir can be totally unrelated to the confectionery item, since neither the confectionery item nor the liquid need have any health benefits in such embodiments.
  • the liquid would nevertheless be in some way related to the tablet, for example the tablets could be fruit sweets and the liquid could be a correspondingly flavoured fruit drink.
  • the liquid could be milk, and the "tablet" a biscuit or cookie for example.
  • the first closure member 30 in this embodiment is a screw- cap of conventional form which may be removed from and replaced upon the reservoir many times. Though not shown in this figure, the screw cap would typically have a tamper- evident seal of known construction. When sold, the tablet package 10 would preferably be located within a plastics cover, preventing the inadvertent or unauthorised removal or damage to one of the foil sheets 24, and the inadvertent or unauthorised removal of the cap 30.
  • the invention is likely to find particular utility with medicants such as pain relieving tablets, it is nevertheless expected to be suitable for the other applications described, including for example the supply of glucose or other energy-giving tablets for sportsmen and women, for example those undertaking marathon races.
  • the invention will be particularly useful in locations where the supply of suitable liquid with which to take the (medicant) tablet(s) (such as clean or fresh water) cannot be guaranteed.
  • the tablet package permits users whose hands are dirty or unhygienic because of their occupation (for example a car mechanic) to take a medicant without needing to touch the tablet (i.e. a tablet can be tipped from the recess directly into the user's mouth).
  • a tablet can be tipped from the recess directly into the user's mouth.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Medical Preparation Storing Or Oral Administration Devices (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne un emballage pour comprimés. Cet emballage comprend un réservoir (12) destiné à contenir une quantité prédéterminée de liquide (14), ce liquide (14) étant retenu, à l'intérieur du réservoir (12), par un premier élément de fermeture (30). Il contient aussi une quantité prédéterminée de comprimés (18) placés dans au moins un retrait (16) de la paroi du réservoir (12), le ou les comprimés (18) étant retenus dans le retrait (16) au moyen d'un second élément de fermeture (24) distinct du premier élément de fermeture (30).
PCT/GB2000/004788 1999-12-14 2000-12-14 Emballage pour comprimes WO2001044062A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU18730/01A AU1873001A (en) 1999-12-14 2000-12-14 Tablet package

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GBGB9929498.5A GB9929498D0 (en) 1999-12-14 1999-12-14 Tablet package
GB9929498.5 1999-12-14

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2001044062A1 true WO2001044062A1 (fr) 2001-06-21

Family

ID=10866263

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/GB2000/004788 WO2001044062A1 (fr) 1999-12-14 2000-12-14 Emballage pour comprimes

Country Status (3)

Country Link
AU (1) AU1873001A (fr)
GB (1) GB9929498D0 (fr)
WO (1) WO2001044062A1 (fr)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2007016535A1 (fr) * 2005-08-01 2007-02-08 Cadbury Adams Usa Llc Récipient associant une boisson et un produit consommable secondaire
WO2012100348A1 (fr) * 2011-01-26 2012-08-02 Gillingwater James D Réceptacle à relier à un produit ayant une paroi incurvée
CN104443685A (zh) * 2013-09-12 2015-03-25 梁亮 容器壁

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CA983437A (en) * 1971-05-31 1976-02-10 Andre G. Labrecque Structured container
WO1996000177A1 (fr) * 1994-06-27 1996-01-04 Zvonimir Bello Recipient de conservation et de consommation pour produits alimentaires divers, tant solides que liquides

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CA983437A (en) * 1971-05-31 1976-02-10 Andre G. Labrecque Structured container
WO1996000177A1 (fr) * 1994-06-27 1996-01-04 Zvonimir Bello Recipient de conservation et de consommation pour produits alimentaires divers, tant solides que liquides

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2007016535A1 (fr) * 2005-08-01 2007-02-08 Cadbury Adams Usa Llc Récipient associant une boisson et un produit consommable secondaire
WO2012100348A1 (fr) * 2011-01-26 2012-08-02 Gillingwater James D Réceptacle à relier à un produit ayant une paroi incurvée
US9144933B2 (en) 2011-01-26 2015-09-29 James D. Gillingwater Receptacle for attaching to a product having a curved wall
CN104443685A (zh) * 2013-09-12 2015-03-25 梁亮 容器壁

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
AU1873001A (en) 2001-06-25
GB9929498D0 (en) 2000-02-09

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