DESC:FIELD
The present disclosure relates to the field of pharmaceutical packaging and more particularly to a blister pack containing articles.
BACKGROUND
Typically, a blister strip or a pack 100 as shown in Fig 1A, 1B and 1C is a sheet of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) that consists of a plurality of cavities or pockets 102 to hold pharmaceutical products which may be in the form of tablet, capsule, pill, powder or an article alike. In the blister packaging process, a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) foil is indexed by a pulling mechanism and is heated at a suitable temperature and then thermoformed to get cavities or pockets 102. The cavities or pockets 102 are formed using a source of compressed air or by die plates. After thermoforming the cavities are filled with article 104, and then sealed by a lidding material 106 at a sealing station. However, while being conveyed over a web, the article 104 may be subjected to vibrations and hence it tends to pop out of the cavity 102. Further, while heat sealing the lidding material 106 with the blister pack 100, the article 104 may come in contact with the heated lidding material 106, thereby causing the article to stick the articles 104. This is not desired as missing of even a single tablet and sticking of articles 104 to the lidding material 106 is not acceptable in blister packs 100 as one of the quality norms of the pharmaceutical industry.
There is, therefore, felt a need of a blister pack that alleviates the above mentioned drawbacks.
OBJECTS
Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfies, are as follows:
An object of the present disclosure is to provide a blister pack.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a blister pack that prevents breakage of pill or tablet.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a blister pack that is durable.
Still another object of the present disclosure is to provide a blister pack that is user friendly.
Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide a blister pack that protects articles from external factors such as humidity, contamination and the like.
Other objects and advantages of the present disclosure will be more apparent from the following description, which is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
SUMMARY
The present disclosure relates to the field of pharmaceutical packaging and more particularly to a blister for a blister pack defining a cavity and projections defined within the cavity for restraining the articles filled in the cavity within the blister. The blister pack having blisters with the cavity that is deformable for the article to be snap fitted. Additionally, the cavity may have projections on its opposite sides with a polygonal cross section. The projections are manufactured by a forming process made of plastic. The blister pack includes a lidding foil sealing the blisters. The lidding foil is heat sealed to the cavity which is made of a thin metal sheet or plastic.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ACCOMPANYING DRAWING
A blister pack of the present disclosure will now be described with the help of the accompanying drawing, in which:
Figure 1A illustrates a front view of a conventional blister containing an article;
Figure 1B illustrates a top view of the conventional blister pack containing an article of Figure 1A;
Figure 1C illustrates side of the conventional blister containing an article of Figure 1A;
Figure 2A illustrates a front view of a blister containing an article, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 2B illustrates a top view of the blister containing an article of Figure 2A, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and
Figure 2C illustrates another side view of the blister containing an article of Figure 2A, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 3A illustrates an isometric view of a blister pack, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 3A illustrates a side view of the blister pack of Figure 3A, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS USED IN DETAILED DESCRIPTION AND DRAWING
100 – Conventional Blister
102 – Cavity
104 – An article
106 – Lidding Material
200 – Blister
202 – Cavity
204 – Projections
206 – Article
208 – Lidding Foil
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Embodiments, of the present disclosure, will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing.
Embodiments are provided so as to thoroughly and fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to the person skilled in the art. Numerous details are set forth, relating to specific components, and methods, to provide a complete understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to the person skilled in the art that the details provided in the embodiments should not be construed to limit the scope of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, well-known processes, well-known apparatus structures, and well-known techniques are not described in detail.
The terminology used, in the present disclosure, is only for the purpose of explaining a particular embodiment and such terminology shall not be considered to limit the scope of the present disclosure. As used in the present disclosure, the forms “a”, “an” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly suggests otherwise. The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, “including” and “having” are open-ended transitional phrases and therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, modules, units and/or components, but do not forbid the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The particular order of steps disclosed in the method and process of the present disclosure is not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance as described or illustrated. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.
When an element is referred to as being “mounted on”, “engaged to”, “connected to” or “coupled to” another element, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed elements.
The terms first, second, third, etc., should not be construed to limit the scope of the present disclosure as the aforementioned terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another component, region, layer or section. Terms such as first, second, third etc., when used herein do not imply a specific sequence or order unless clearly suggested by the present disclosure.
Terms such as “inner”, “outer”, “beneath”, “below”, “lower”, “above”, “upper” and the like, may be used in the present disclosure to describe relationships between different elements as depicted from the figures.
In blister packaging, a form web is rolling over a web roller and carries formed blisters 100 containing articles. The web is pulled towards the sealing station by a counter sealing roller. While sealing the blisters 100, the web is pulled by the counter sealing roller rotating in a radial direction and due to more length of the cavity 102 the article 104 tends to get out of the pocket when subjected to momentum of the sealing roller. Also, at times while sealing the article 104 tend to stick with a lidding foil 106 due to heat. This is not desired as per the pharmaceutical industry norms.
The present disclosure therefore envisages a blister 200 for a blister pack 2000. The blister 200 is now described with reference to Fig. 2A to Fig. 3B.
The blister 200 includes a cavity 202, a one or more projections 204, an article 206, and a lidding foil 208.
In an embodiment, the one or more projections 204 are extending inwardly from the walls of the cavity 202. The projections 204 are positioned such that the article 206 fits with in the cavity 202 thereby preventing the article 206 from popping out of the cavity 202.
In an operative configuration, a foil of a plastic material is manually engaged with an unwinder at the unwinding station. The unwinding station is configured to dispense the flat foil to a heating station over a web. In an embodiment, the foil can be of a polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC), or a polychlorotrifluoro ethylene (PCTFE). In another embodiment, the foil can be of an aluminum.
The heating station raises the temperature of the flat foil to a level suitable for deep drawing. In an embodiment, the foil is heated to about 120-150 °C. After heating, the foil is transferred to a forming station.
The forming station forms the cavity 202. The cavity 202 is either formed by supplying a source of compressed air or by die of respective shapes. In an embodiment, the forming can be a thermoforming. In an embodiment, in thermoforming, the foil is pre-heated to soften the foil such that is becomes pliable. The foil is pressurized to form the cavity 202.
In an embodiment, the cavity 202 of the present disclosure can be formed by thermoforming. The cavity 202 is formed such that the cavity 202 has projections 204 for holding the article 206. Additionally, the cavity 202 has cross-section of different shapes such as circle, rectangle, oval or any polygon.
In an embodiment, after forming the cavity 202, the blister 200 with cavity 202 is cooled at a cooling station and further passed to the feeding station. At the feeding station, the empty cavities 202 are filled with articles 206 which are loaded by the loading means at the feeding station. The articles 206 are loaded into the cavities 202 such that the articles 206 are snap fitted within the projections 204 formed on opposite walls of the cavities 202. Once the articles 206 are snap fitted in the cavities 202, the blisters 200 containing articles 206 are guided towards a sealing station.
While approaching towards the sealing station, the blisters 206 may be subjected to vibrations, but the articles 206 are held by the projections 204, thereby preventing popping out of the articles 206 from the cavities 202.
At the sealing station, the blister packs 2000 containing the articles 206 are heat sealed with the lidding foil 208. In heat sealing, the blister packs 2000 are mated with the lidding foil 208 at a constant pressure for a specific duration. The mating surface fuses and bonds, thereby the blisters 200. In an embodiment, the article 206 is snap fitted in the projections 204 configured in the cavity 202. The advantage of providing projections 204 is that it facilitates snap fitment of the articles 206 such that the articles 206 do not come in contact with the heated lidding foil 208. The snap fitment of the articles 206 prevents the articles 206 from sticking with the heated lidding foil 208.
After sealing the blister packs 2000 with the lidding foil 208, the blister packs 200 are cooled and passed to coding station. The blister packs 2000 are labeled, notched and then marked with a unique ID number at the coding station. After coding the blister packs 2000 are perforated near the lidding foil 208. The perforations facilitate easy separation of the article 206 from the blister packs 2000.
Once the perforations are marked on the blister packs 2000 near the lidding foil 208, the blister packs 2000 are cut into sheets having desired quantity of articles 206. After cutting into sheets, the blister packs 2000 are packed into cartons uniformly.
In an embodiment, the present disclosure also envisages an apparatus (not shown in the figures) for forming the cavity 202. The apparatus includes a die which has profile same as the cavity 202 having projections 204.
The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Individual components of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, are interchangeable. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the present disclosure, and all such modifications are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure.
TECHNICAL ADVANCES AND ECONOMICAL SIGNIFICANCE
The present disclosure described herein above has several technical advantages including, but not limited to, the realization of a blister pack that:
• prevents breakage of pill or tablet;
• is durable;
• is user friendly; and
• protects pill or tablet from external factors such as humidity, contamination and the like.
The foregoing disclosure has been described with reference to the accompanying embodiments which do not limit the scope and ambit of the disclosure. The description provided is purely by way of example and illustration.
The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained with reference to the non-limiting embodiments in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
The foregoing description of the specific embodiments so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.
The use of the expression “at least” or “at least one” suggests the use of one or more elements or ingredients or quantities, as the use may be in the embodiment of the disclosure to achieve one or more of the desired objects or results.
Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles or the like that has been included in this specification is solely for the purpose of providing a context for the disclosure. It is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form a part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the disclosure as it existed anywhere before the priority date of this application.
The numerical values mentioned for the various physical parameters, dimensions or quantities are only approximations and it is envisaged that the values higher/lower than the numerical values assigned to the parameters, dimensions or quantities fall within the scope of the disclosure, unless there is a statement in the specification specific to the contrary.
While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the components and component parts of the preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated that many embodiments can be made and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the disclosure. These and other changes in the preferred embodiment as well as other embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein, whereby it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the disclosure and not as a limitation.
,CLAIMS:We Claim:
1. A blister (200) for a blister pack (2000) defining a cavity (202) and at least one projection (204) defined within said cavity (202) for restraining articles (206) filled in said cavity (202) within said blister (200).
2. A blister pack (2000) having blisters (200) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cavity (202) is deformable for said blister (200) to be snap fitted.
3. A blister pack (2000) having blisters (200) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cavity (202) has projections (204) on opposite inner walls.
4. A blister pack (2000) having blisters (200) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the cross-section of said cavity (202) has variety of shapes selected from circle, oval and polygon.
5. A blister pack (2000) as claimed in claim 3, wherein said cavity (202) with said projections (204) are manufactured by forming process.
6. A blister pack (2000) as claimed in claim 3, wherein said blister (202) is made of plastic.
7. A blister pack (2000) as claimed in claim 3, said blister pack (2000) further includes a lidding foil (208) for sealing said blisters (200).
8. A blister pack (2000) as claimed in claim 3, wherein said lidding foil (208) is heat sealed to said blister cavities (202).

9. A blister pack (2000) as claimed in claim 3, wherein said lidding foil (208) is a thin foil.