The invention relates to a tamper evident container for packaging of solid dosage forms.
Pharmaceutical dosage forms are developed and packed by manufacturers to be used by the end users. However, during transit there are chances of tampering with the packaging and dosage forms which may remain unnoticed. Hence, in the art various techniques have been used to prevent or at least make the tampering evident.
For example patent no US 5,341,948 discloses a tamper evident peelable seal for use on various containers such as bottles, jars and other types of containers.
Patent no. US 4,555,037 discloses a tamper evident seal which include a sheet of material secured over the opening of the container with the peripheral portions of the material extending downwardly and adhering to the exterior of the side walls of neck.
The other techniques described in the art include a seal applied to the container lid, which is broken when the container lid is removed or removal has begun. Alternatively the entire container may be wrapped in a sealed covering, e.g. in plastic shrink wrap, or a so-called blister pack. A broken seal or a damaged covering will indicate that the container lid might previously have been removed.
Patent no. US 3,991,895 discloses a container that provides dual latching of the cover part to the receptacle part. A first turn of the cover attaches it to the receptacle in easy-to-open condition, while continued turning against yieldable resistance latches it to the receptacle in hard-to-open condition.
Patent application US 20090127156 discloses a dispenser containing a blister card that includes a permanently locking spine mechanism that secures a blister card inside the container. The container having a two handed press wherein the
user must simultaneously press at least two buttons with enough force to bend the buttons as to release them from tabs holding the buttons in a locked position. Once the buttons are depressed with sufficient force as to clear the locking arms the buttons are then separated and the top and bottom of the container are separated about a hinge.
The developments in the packaging undoubtedly helped in improving tamper evident packaging system. But the approaches make the packaging complex and non-user friendly, which requires rigorous efforts to remove the seal and in closing and re-opening of the container pack. This results in packaging systems which may be difficult to use by geriatric, handicapped, arthritic and tremor patients.
Therefore, marketplace demands a tamper evident packaging system which is easy to unseal and that provides dispensing of daily dosage without any extra efforts in closing and re-opening of the container pack.
Hence, in one aspect there is provided, a tamper evident container for solid dosage form comprising:
(a) hinged flap closure extending over at least 50 % of the total area of the container top, and
(b) induction seal liner on the open end of the container
In another aspect there is provided, a tamper evident container for solid dosage form comprising:
(a) hinged flap closure having a tongue shaped structure at the free front end
(b) induction seal liner on the open end of the container
(c) hollow wad
In anotheF aspect, there is provided a tamper evident container for selid dosage form wherein the contents of the container may be dispensed by pushing the flap and puncturing the induction seal.
The tamper evident container may be used easily by geriatric, handicapped, arthritic and tremor population.
The tamper evident container of the present invention has several advantages over the containers in the art. It was extremely difficult for the consumer particularly geriatric, handicapped, arthritic and tremor patients to remove the seal from the mouth of the bottle. They require the engagement of both the hands, one to hold the container and the second to remove the seal. There is nothing of which the consumer can grab hold in an attempt to remove the seal. Consequently, the consumer usually must use a tool such as a knife. Containers with traditional screw and the like closures need to apply large amount of torque to open the closure apd dispense daily dosage. The content of the container 0f the present Invention may be dispensed just by opening the flap closure by a finger of the same hand holding the container. Further it does not require a separate tool such as a knife to break the seal. Rather one may puncture the induction seal liner with a finger.
Figure 1 is a perspective view of one of,the embodiments of a tamper evident container (1) in closed position. It essentially comprises a flap closure (2) attached to the container with the help of a hinge strap (3) and tongue shaped structure (4) at the free front.
The container may be of any desired shape such as square, rectangular, oval, round, bowl-shaped and the like. The flap closure may be of any shape as per the corresponding shape of the container. The container and flap closure may be
made up of suitable material such as plastic of various grades including polyethylene terephthalate, high-density polyethylene, low-density polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, high impact polystyrene, glass of various grades and the like.
The flap closure may be attached to the container with the help of one or more hinge straps. The tongue shaped structure located at the free front may be of various shapes, size and thickness and may be attached to any position of the hinged flap, preferably perpendicular to the hinge strap. The hinge strap and the tongue shaped structure may have a width of about 1 % to about 25 % of the total circumference of the closure. The length of the hinge strap may vary with the specific application to obtain the desired snap action. The hinge strap and the tongue shaped structure may have the thickness as per the requirement. The hinge strap provides a non-complex snap open hinge structure, which also has a long operating life.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a tamper evident container (1) in opened and sealed position. It has a protrusion (5) and groove (6) to hold the flap in closed position. The protrusion and groove may be one or more in number, may be of any size, shape and structure according to the specific requirements. The container has an induction seal liner (7) which is pasted on a hollow wad (8). The induction seal liner comprises a sheet which may be made up of thin metal sheet of aluminium, plastic and the like. The sheet may be further coated with polyethylene, rubber, any heat seal material and the like. It may be further coated with wax and the like. The induction seal liner is designed in such a way that it is fitted to the bottom of the flap closure, and on sealing the foil bonds to the lip of the container.
The wad may be made up of a suitable material such as pulp board, paper board, plastic board and the like. The opening of the wad may be adjusted as per
the requirement to provide the flexibility to be used with solid dosage form of various size and shape.
Opening of the container involve the steps of pushing up the flap through the tongue shaped structure with finger, puncturing the seal liner with the help of any object such as finger and inverting the container to dispense the solid dosage forms. Figure 3 is a perspective view of opened and punctured container.
While there have been shown and described what are the preferred embodiments of the invention, one skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications in the invention may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as it is defined above. One obvious variable include a container divided in two or more interior partitions extending in generally horizontal directions in an upright position of the container. This may facilitate the dispensing of different types, strengths or size dosage form in a single container. The flap may also be divided in two or more parts as per the partitions in the container. This may also facilitate the storage of materials in the same container which are incompatible to each other.

WE CLAIM:
1. A tamper evident container for solid dosage form comprising:
a) hinged flap closure extending over at least 50 % of the total area of the container top, and
b) induction seal liner on the open end of the container.

2. The tamper evident container as claimed in claim 1 further comprising hollow wad.
3. The tamper evident container as claimed in claim 1 wherein the container shape is selected from the group consisting of square, rectangular, oval, round or bowl-shaped.
4. The tamper evident container as claimed in claim 1 wherein flap has one or more tongue shaped structures.
5. The tamper evident container as claimed in claim 1 wherein flap has one or more hinge straps.
6. The tamper evident container as claimed in claim 1 wherein the container has one or more protrusions and grooves.
7. The tamper evident container as claimed in claim 1 wherein the container and flap are made up of plastic or glass.
8. The tamper evident container as claimed in claim 1 wherein the seal liner is made up of aluminum or plastic.
9. The tamper evident container as claimed in claim 2 wherein the wad is made up of pulp board, paper board or plastic board.
10. A tamper evident container as described and illustrated in the figures herein.