Description:A TAMPER PROOF PACKAGING SYSTEM FOR AGROCHEMICALPRODUCTS

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to an Tamper Resistant packaging system, comprising a primary packaging (11) for accommodating a dose or several doses of agrochemical product, and a secondary packaging (13) designed as a paper/cardboard sleeve, in which the primary packaging (11) is accommodated, the primary packaging (11) being arranged in an insulating sleeve or blister (15), thereby providing a tamper proof, spill proof, drip-free, identifiable, cheap and reproducible solution.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Agrochemicals, refers to chemicals for preventing, eliminating or controlling the disease of forestry, worm, grass and other harmful organisms and purposefully regulate, control, influence plant and harmful organism metabolism, growth, development, the chemical synthesis of reproductive process. In the narrow sense in agricultural production, to ensure, promoting the growth of plant and crops, agrochemicals are applied for sterilization, killing harmful animal or weeds.

Ready-to-use agrochemicals are usually packed or filled in bottles containing reusable caps or seals. In many cases, the agrochemical products are provided in bottles which are then packaged in small cardboard boxes. One disadvantage of the conventional packaging is that such packaging are not sturdy enough. Thus, there remains chances of leakage or spillage or the agrochemical during mechanical impact during transportation or accidental fall of the bottles which can be harmful to humans or livestock. Another disadvantage of conventional packaging systems is that it is not possible to determine with certainty whether the bottle or the outer cardboard box has been opened and the agrochemical product has been replaced with a counterfeit.

It follows from the problems described above that the end user cannot be sure whether he has taken agrochemicals or whether the effectiveness has already been impaired due to product tampering. This is particularly relevant as in the current agricultural chemicals market, a lot of product tampering is observed, wherein original and authentic products of the manufacturer are replaced by duplicate, harmful products by unlawful elements in order to earn illegal profits.

The use of bottles containing reusable caps or closures or seals carries the risk that any third Party may remove the cap, tamper with the contents of the container and reseal the container using re-sealable closure without arousing the suspicion of the end user. This severely damages the interests of the farmers, besides harming the industry and reputation of the producer. More particularly, the products with low volumes can be easily replaced in the packaging system and can be counterfeited easily.

In particular, in high-quality pourable products, such as those sold in the agricultural sector, forgery is sometimes a considerable. Against this background, the present invention has the object to provide a packaging product with features, which significantly complicate counterfeiting and thus can guarantee the originality of the corresponding packaged products to a better extent. It is particularly desirable that the end users are able to check container for evidence of tampering before opening the container. This ensures that the product is an original product and not a counterfeit product which has been tampered with by third parties.

Therefore, there is a need in the art for an improved packaging product for agrochemicals, particularly, which is tamper proof/tamper evident, spill proof, identifiable, cheap and reproducible and provides means for measurement of the agrochemical. So, according to the above-mentioned problem, the present invention provides a multifunction agriculture packaging product which provides, sturdy, tamper proof/tamper evident, spill proof, drip-free, identifiable, cheap and reproducible solution for storage of agrochemicals products which further allows child-resistant packaging of the products.

OBJECTIVES OF THE INVENTION

A principal objective of the present invention is to provide a tamper proof/tamper evident packaging system for agrochemical product(s) with readily observable indications to the end user of any potential tampering.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a packaging system for agrochemical products having atleast one mechanical impact absorbing feature.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a packaging system for agrochemical products providing thermal insulation to the agrochemical products.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a packaging having atleast two tamper evident features which provide to an end user readily observable indications to distinguish between original product and tampered product.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a tamper evident packaging system with readily observable indications which meanwhile is easy to commercialise.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention relates to a packaging product for storage and transportation of agrochemicals comprising a primary packaging (11); a secondary packaging (13); an insulating sleeve (15).

In one aspect of the present invention the packaging product comprising primary packaging (11) for accommodating dose(s) of a agrochemical product(s), and a secondary packaging (13) designed as a paper/cardboard sleeve (13), in which the primary packaging (11) is accommodated, the said primary packaging (11) is arranged in an insulating sleeve (15), and the said insulating sleeve (15) is preferably being adapted in shape to the primary packaging (11) and the said primary packaging (11) lying flat on it, in particular flat on all sides.

In another aspect of the present invention the insulating sleeve (15) surrounds the primary packaging (11) on all sides.

In another aspect of the present invention the primary packaging (11) is designed as an ampoule, syringe, bottle, bag or vial.

In a further aspect of the present invention, the said primary packaging (11) is designed to store from 1ml to 20 ml of agrochemical product.

In a further aspect of the present invention, the insulating sleeve (15) and paper/cardboard sleeve (13) has a heat-reflecting coating (31), such as a metallic coating or a metal foil, on its inner or outside surface.

In a further aspect of the present invention, the insulating sleeve (15) is held in the secondary packaging (13) at a distance on all sides in order to form an insulating gap (29).

In another aspect of the present invention, the insulating gap (29) is filled with a gas selected from air, CO2, nitrogen, krypton, xenon or mixture thereof, or is evacuated.

In a further aspect of the present invention, the arrangement of keeping the insulting sleeve (15) at distance from the secondary packaging (13) is by spacer elements (27).

In a further aspect of the present invention, a control strip (35) is placed in the parting plane (33), between the two shells of the insulating sleeve (15).

In a further aspect of the present invention, the secondary packaging (13) is flexible or rigid contains print compliance information and unique designs and colour schemes for identifying the product.

In an aspect of the present invention, the material for primary packaging (11), secondary packaging (13) and insulating sleeve (15) is selected from the group of high-density polyethylene HDPE, or low-density poly ethylene LDPE, or a suitable plastic material, or other materials including paper, fibre, glass, metal, composite materials and/or combinations thereof.

The invention therefore aims to develop packaging for agrochemical products of the type mentioned in such a way that the effectiveness of the agrochemical is ensured for the end user. Furthermore, the invention aims at making counterfeits of agrochemical products of any kind identifiable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

The Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described fully herein with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limiting to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of the claims to those skilled in the art. The embodiments of the present invention are described in the following description and in accompanying drawings wherein:

Figures 1, 2 and 3 illustrate different views of packaging product i.e. front view and perspective view respectively.

Figures 4A and 4B illustrate the side view of the packaging product of the present invention.

Figure 5 illustrates the exploded view of the packaging product of the present invention showing the embodiments thereof.

Figure 6A and 6B illustrate the front and perspective views of the insulating sleeve.

Figure 7A and 7B illustrate the open view of the packaging product of the present invention viewed from one angle.

Figure 8A and 8B illustrate the open view of the packaging product of the present invention viewed from another angle.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

Reference Numeral Description
11 Primary Packaging
13 Secondary Packaging
15 Insulating Sleeve
21, 23 Half shells of Insulating Sleeve
25 Inner portion of the Insulating Sleeve
27 Spacer Elements
29 Insulating Gap
31 Heat Reflective Coating
33 Parting plane of the Insulation Sleeve
35 Control Strip
37 Cutting Projection/Breaking Bridges

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention as embodied by “A Tamper Proof Packaging system for Agrochemical Products” succinctly fulfils the above-mentioned need[s] in the art. The present invention has objective[s] arising as a result of the above-mentioned need[s], said objective[s] having been enumerated hereinabove.

The following description is directed to a tamper proof packaging system for agrochemical products as much as the objective(s) of the present invention are enumerated, it will be obvious to a person skilled in the art that, the enumerated objective(s) are not exhaustive of the present invention in its entirety, and are enclosed solely for the purpose of illustration. Further, the present invention encloses within its scope and purview, any structural alternative(s) and/or any functional equivalent(s) even though, such structural alternative(s) and/or any functional equivalent(s) are not mentioned explicitly herein or elsewhere, in the present disclosure. The present invention therefore encompasses also, any improvisation[s]/modification[s] applied to the structural alternative[s]/functional alternative[s] within its scope and purview. The present invention may be embodied in other specific form[s] without departing from the essential attributes thereof.

It will be understood that although the terms first, second, etc may be used herein to describe the various elements, these elements should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from the other. For example, a first element could be termed a second element and similarly, a second element could be termed a first element without departing from the scope of the present invention. As used herein, the terms “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”, “comprising”, “includes” and/or “including” when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and/or groups thereof. Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure belongs. It will be further understood that the terms used herein should be interpreted in the context of the specification and the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealised or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined.

Technical assignment of the present invention is to solve the deficiencies in the prior art and provide a tamper proof agrochemical package which is simple, spill proof, tamper proof/tamper evident, sturdy, identifiable, scalable. While this invention is susceptible of embodiments in many different forms, there will be described herein specific embodiments with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiments detailed herein.

The invention is therefore based on the concept of integrating primary packaging (11) inside a secondary packaging (13), so as to provide a tamper proof, sturdy, identifiable, cheap and reproducible packaging product for agrochemical formulations.

The primary packaging (11) is preferably designed as an ampoule, syringe, bottle, bag or vial. The primary packaging may be used to store from 0.5 ml to 100 ml of the agrochemical product. Preferably, the primary packaging is used to store from 0.5 ml to 20 ml of agrochemical product.

The secondary packaging (13) is the paper/cardboard sleeve that is intended for handling by the end user and contains the primary packaging (11) for accommodating one or more doses of the agrochemical product. The secondary packaging (13) is used to sell the product it contains, which is why it is also referred to as sales packaging. It can be designed with advertising in order to encourage the end customer to buy the respective content. In comparison to the primary packaging (11) such as glass bottles or blisters, the secondary packaging (13) has no direct contact with the actual product. Furthermore, the secondary packaging (13) must provide initial information for the consumer, such as the name of the agrochemical product, the active substance, the dosage form, the strength of the dosage form, the batch number, the expiry date and the like.

The paper/cardboard sleeve forming the secondary packaging (13) is preferably designed as a folding sleeve. The cardboard sleeve, in particular a folding cardboard sleeve, is preferably made of one or more layers of cardboard and has a maximum wall thickness of 1 mm, preferably a maximum of 0.5 mm.

The primary packaging (11) is provided in an insulating sleeve/blister (15) which is integrated to the secondary packaging (13). The insulating sleeve/blister (15) is produced by injection molding or blow molding or thermoforming. Injection molding or blow molding or thermoforming methods have been known for a long time and can therefore be used easily and safely. In particular, even complex shapes can be produced easily and inexpensively using these processes.

According to a preferred embodiment, the insulating sleeve/blister (15) is adapted in shape to the primary packaging (11) and preferably lies flat against it, in particular on all sides. This further allows a temperature stabilization of the primarily packaged product. The form-adapted design of the insulating sleeve (15) is achieved in a particularly simple manner by using a casting or injection molding or blow molding or thermoforming process.

In particular, the insulating sleeve/blister (15) can be molded onto the primary packaging (11). This is particularly advantageous when the primary packaging (11) is in the form of an ampoule, syringe, bottle, bag or vial. The insulation sleeve is then applied by using the ampoule, bottle, bag or vial as a carrier for the thermoforming process.

The use of a dimensionally stable packaging offers the further advantage that the insulating sleeve (15) can serve as additional protection for the primary packaging (11) against mechanical effects. Depending on its stiffness, the insulating sleeve (15) can also be used as a shock absorber and protect the primary packaging (11), which is made of glass, for example, if the packaging falls to the ground, for example. The rigidity of the insulating sleeve (15) can be optimally adapted to the product

The insulation sleeve/blister may be formed of two half pieces/shells (21, 23) or a plurality of pieces which together encase the primary packaging (11).

The insulating gap (29) is preferably delimited on the outside by the paper/cardboard sleeve (13) and on the inside by the insulating sleeve (15). In order to obtain particularly good thermal insulation of the pharmaceutical product, it is preferably provided that the insulation gap (29) is filled with a gas, such as air, CO2, Nitrogen, krypton, xenon or a mixture of these gases, or is evacuated.

The insulation gap (29) preferably has a thickness of <16 mm, in particular 5-10 mm. With a 10 mm thick insulation gap, the heat conduction of the air in the gap is approx. 2.6 W/m°K. With a gap width of less than 5 mm, the relevant insulating effect is no longer created via the air due to the two heat transfer coefficients of the surfaces adjoining the air gap.

The insulation performance of the insulation gap (29) can be further improved by the two surfaces delimiting the gap or only one of the surfaces being coated with a heat-reflecting coating.

A preferred embodiment therefore provides that the insulating sleeve (15) has a heat-reflecting coating, such as a metallic coating or a metal foil, on its inside/outside.

Alternatively, or additionally, it can be provided that the paper/cardboard sleeve (13) has a heat-reflecting coating, such as a metallic coating or a metal foil, on its inner surface.

The heat-reflecting coating is preferably a metallic, in particular gas-tight coating, preferably a coating with an emissivity of <0.5, preferably <0.2, particularly preferably <0.04, such as a coating made of aluminium.

A further increase in the insulation performance can be achieved by filling the insulation gap with additional layers of reflecting foils, or by removing the gas from the insulation gap (vacuum). Alternatively, the insulation gap (29) can be filled with a highly insulating material such as an aerogel.

According to a preferred embodiment, the insulation gap (29) is created in that spacer elements (27) are arranged in order to keep the insulation sleeve in the secondary packaging (13) at a distance from it on all sides.

The spacer elements (27) can be formed by separate parts that are distributed around the insulating sleeve (15) and arranged between the insulating sleeve (15) and the secondary packaging (13) with the contact surfaces of the spacer elements (27) on the insulation sleeve (15) and the cardboard sleeve (13) being minimized in order to reduce the heat transfer through thermal conduction.

In order to be able to detect unauthorized opening of the secondary (13) or primary packaging (11) for the purpose of introducing a counterfeit, a preferred further development provides for a control strip (35) in the insulation gap (29). Control strips (35) are a type of a hologram, which irreversibly deteriorates when the insulation sleeve is opened.

The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to exemplary embodiments shown schematically in the drawing.

In the figures 1 to 5, the primary packaging (11) in the form of vial, bottle, syringe, bag or ampoule is denoted by (11). The secondary packaging (13) in the form of paper/cardboard sleeve is denoted by (13). Within the secondary packaging (13), an insulating sleeve (15) is arranged. The insulating sleeve (15) can be exposed by way of application of force on the cutting projections (37). This provides the first tamper proof or tamper evident features. The insulating sleeve (15) encloses the primary packaging (11), which is designed, for example, as a glass ampoule or vial, syringe, bottle, or bag that accommodates an agrochemical product in its interior. The insulating sleeve (15) can, for example, consist of two half-shells (21), (23) which can be separated from one another along a separation plane in order to make the primary packaging (11) accessible. As can be seen in Figure 5, the inner portion of the insulating sleeve (25) is designed on the outer shape of the primary packaging (11) so that the primary packaging (11) rests flat on the inner portion of the insulating sleeve (25), in the present case along a cylindrical surface. The insulating sleeve (15) acts as a mechanical impact absorption means on storage and transportation of the product.

Figure 6A and 6B illustrate the perspective view of the Insulating Sleeve (15) of the present invention.

Figures 7A, 7B, 8A and 8B illustrate the open view of the packaging product of the present invention from difference angle.

Between the insulating sleeve (15) and the paper/cardboard sleeve (13), spacer elements (27) are arranged on all sides, which ensure that an insulating gap (29) is provided between the insulating sleeve (15) and the paper/cardboard sleeve (13). However, the insulating gap (29) can also be dispensed with. The insulating gap (29) is filled with a gas such as air. To improve the thermal insulation, a heat-reflecting coating (31), e.g. in the form of a metal foil, can be applied to the inside of the insulating sleeve (15) and/or inside of the paper/cardboard sleeve (13). Both the insulation gap (29) and heat reflective coating (31) provide for the thermal insulation feature of the present invention.

To further control tampering of the packaging product, a second tamper proof feature may be provided in the form of a control strip in the form of a hologram (35), which is placed in the parting plane (33) if the insulating sleeve (15) is formed from two half-shells. The control strip (35) detects unauthorized opening of the packaging when the two half-shells of the insulating sleeve (15) separate from one another, the control strip (35) is deteriorated irreversibly.

The beneficial effect of the present invention over the prior art produced is:

The present invention allows tamper proof transportation and supply of the agrochemical product by way of the packaging means. The packaging product contemplated in this invention has a simple structure, is reproducible solution.

The agrochemical products which is stored in the packaging system is selected from a group of pesticides including insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and nematicides and synthetic fertilizers. It may also include hormones and other chemical growth agents. The agrochemicals may be in the form of liquid, solid, or semi-solid, liquid, - either in the form of pellets or granules. Some non-exhaustive formulations of the agrochemicals which may be packed in the system of the present invention include Emulsifiable Concentrates, Solutions, Concentrated Solutions, Flowable formulations, Invert Emulsion, Granule, Pellet, Wettable Powders, Dry flowable powders, Water soluble granules etc.

The primary packaging (11) of the present invention may be made from high density polyethylene HDPE, or low-density poly ethylene LDPE, or a suitable plastic material, or other materials including paper, fibre, glass, metal, composite materials and/or combinations thereof. The insulation sleeve (15) may be made from PVC, PVDC, PVC/PVDC combination, aluminium foil, high density polyethylene HDPE, or low-density poly ethylene LDPE, or a suitable plastic material, or other materials including paper, fibre, metal, composite materials and/or combinations thereof. The secondary packaging (13) may be made from paper, cardboard, high density polyethylene HDPE, or low-density poly ethylene LDPE, or a suitable plastic material, or other materials including paper, fibre, metal, composite materials and/or combinations thereof.

It will be apparent to a person skilled in the art that the above description is for illustrative purposes only and should not be considered as limiting. Various modifications, additions, alterations, and improvements without deviating from the spirit and the scope of the invention may be made by a person skilled in the art.
  
, Claims:WE CLAIM:
1. A tamper proof packaging system for agrochemical products, comprising:
a primary packaging (11);
a secondary packaging (13);
an insulating sleeve (15).

2. The packaging system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said primary packaging (11) for accommodating dose(s) of a agrochemical product(s), and a secondary packaging (13) designed as a paper/cardboard sleeve (13), in which the primary packaging (11) is accommodated, the said primary packaging (11) is arranged in an insulating sleeve (15), and the said insulating sleeve (15) is preferably being adapted in shape to the primary packaging (11) and the said primary packaging (11) lying flat on it, in particular flat on all sides.

3. The packaging system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the insulating sleeve (15) surrounds the primary packaging (11) on all sides.

4. The packaging system as claimed in claim 1 and 2, wherein the said primary packaging (11) is designed as an ampoule, syringe, bottle, bag or vial.

5. The packaging system as claimed in claim 1 and 2, wherein the said primary packaging (11) is designed to store from 0.5 ml to 100 ml and preferably 0.5 ml to 20 ml of agrochemical product.

6. The packaging system as claimed in claim 1 and 2, wherein the said insulating sleeve (15) and paper/cardboard sleeve (13) has a heat-reflecting coating (31), such as a metallic coating or a metal foil, on its inner or outside surface.

7. The packaging system as claimed in claims 1 to 6, wherein the said insulating sleeve (15) is held in the secondary packaging (13) at a distance on all sides in order to form an insulating gap (29).

8. The packaging system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the insulation gap (29) is filled with a gas selected from air, CO2, nitrogen, krypton, xenon or mixture thereof, or is evacuated.

9. The packaging system as claimed in claims 1 to 8, wherein the arrangement of keeping the insulting sleeve (15) at distance from the secondary packaging (13) in the latter is by spacer elements (27).

10. The packaging system as claimed in claims 1 to 9, wherein a control strip (35) is placed in the parting plane (33), between the two shells of the insulating sleeve (15).

11. The packaging system as claimed in claims 1 to 10 wherein the secondary packaging (13) is flexible or rigid contains print compliance information and unique designs and colour schemes for identifying the product.

12. The packaging system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the material for primary packaging (11), secondary packaging (13) and insulating sleeve (15) is selected from the group of high-density polyethylene HDPE, or low-density poly ethylene LDPE, or a suitable plastic material, or other materials including paper, fibre, glass, metal, composite materials and/or combinations thereof.