Containment for supplying individual pouches

• US 7,661,534 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2006
• Issued: 02/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Novartis Ag
• Original Assignee: Novartis Ag
• Inventors: Grey, Matthew, Saclier, Christian, Ackermann, Marco, Miles, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Gartenberg; Ehud
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stephens, III; Jose S
• Application Number:
  US11/455,033
• Publication Number:
  US 20070045148A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,341 Days
• Field of Search: 206/535, 206/536, 206/537, 206/499, 206/425, 206/554, 206/555
• US Class Current: 206/535
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 15/001 Packages or dispensers for bandages, cotton balls, drapes, dressings, gauze, gowns, sheets, sponges, swabsticks or towels A61F15/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 33/001 Blocks, stacks or like assemblies of bags
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 75/5805 for tearing a side strip parallel and next to the edge, e.g. by means of a line of weakness
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 83/0847 through an aperture at the junction of two walls

Abstract

A containment (3;3a;3b;3c) comprises an outer box (2;2a;2b;3c) defining an inner space where a stack of individual pouches (1;1a) is arranged. The individual pouches each have a pocket (10) containing a product, e.g. a thin-film strip (FS), and are designed to be individually removed from the stack. The outer box (2;2a;2b;2c) comprises a closure (26;26a;26b;26c) for preventing/allowing access to the individual pouches (1;1a) and further comprises means (20;20a;20b;20c) for interacting with the pouches (1;1a) in a manner such as to allow access to the pocket (10) upon removing the pouch from the stack. The means (20;20a;20b;20c) for interacting with the pouches are arranged such that upon removing a pouch (1;1a) from the stack the pouch is opened along an essential part of its longitudinal extension and is completely removed from the outer box (2;2a;2b;2c) with no residual part of the pouch (1;1a) remaining in the outer box.

Claims

1. A containment comprising an outer box defining an inner space where a stack of individual pouches is arranged, the individual pouches each having a pocket containing a product, each pouch being designed to be individually removed from the stack, the outer box comprising a closure for preventing/allowing access to the individual pouches and further comprising means for interacting with the pouches in a manner such as to allow access to the pocket of an individual pouch upon removing the pouch from the stack,

wherein the means for interacting with the pouches, upon removing a pouch from the stack, causes the pouch to open along a part of a longitudinal dimension of the pouch, thereby opening the pocket, and the pouch is completely removed from the outer box with no residual part of the pouch remaining in the outer box.

2. The containment according to claim 1, wherein the outer box comprises a bottom, two side-walls, a lid, and an open end allowing access to the pouches when the closure is open, and wherein the means for interacting with the pouches comprise an upstanding post arranged on the bottom of the outer box in a region close to the open end of the outer box, the upstanding post extending through a hole provided in an end region of each of the pouches.

3. The containment according to claim 2, wherein the upstanding post has a pointed edge facing in the direction of the longitudinal extension of the pouches.

4. The containment according to claim 1, wherein the closure is hingedly attached to the rest of the outer box.

5. The containment according to claim 4, wherein the closure is a piece manufactured separately from the outer box and is pivotally attached to the rest of the outer box by means of a laterally arranged hinge.

6. The containment according to claim 4, wherein the closure is a piece integrally formed with the rest of the outer box and is attached to an edge at the open end of the outer box by a living hinge.

7. The containment according to claim 1 wherein the closure as well as the rest of the outer box both comprise interengaging means allowing to retain the closure in a locked state so as to prevent access to the pouches and to release it for allowing access to the pouches.

8. The containment according to claim 7, wherein the closure as well as the rest of the outer box both comprise a plurality of spatially separated interengaging means being arranged such that the closure is releasable from the locked state only when all of the plurality of interengaging means are operated.

9. The containment according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of interengaging means is arranged such that the closure is releasable from the locked state when all of the plurality of interengaging means are operated simultaneously.

10. The containment according to claim 7, wherein the interengaging means comprise a releasable snap-fit.

11. The containment according to claim 7, wherein the lid as well as the closure both comprise additional interengaging means allowing to retain the closure in the locked state to prevent access and to release it for allowing access to the inner space of the box.

12. The containment according to claim 11, wherein the lid has receiving means for receiving a finger of a user to apply pressure for operating the additional interengaging means for releasing the closure from the lid.

13. The containment according to claim 11, wherein an edge of the lid being arranged adjacent to an edge of the closure when the box is in the locked state projects above the edge of the closure.

14. The containment according to claim 2, wherein the lid of the outer box is hingedly attached to the rest of the outer box.

15. The containment according to claim 14, wherein the lid is integrally formed with the rest of the outer box and is attached to an edge of the end wall via a living hinge.

16. The containment according to claim 2, wherein both the outer box at its open end as well as the pouches at their respective ends are shaped such, that the pouches are exposed at that side where the upstanding post is arranged.

17. The containment according to claim 1, wherein the pouch has a marking on its upper side indicating the direction the pouch is to be pulled out of the outer box.