Method of forming childproof blister pack

• US 7,784,250 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2008
• Issued: 08/31/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Colbert Packaging Corporation
• Original Assignee: Colbert Packaging Corporation
• Inventors: Grosskopf, Glenn A.
• Primary Examiner(s): DESAI, HEMANT
• Application Number:
  US12/130,363
• Publication Number:
  US 20080223747A1
• Time in Patent Office: 823 Days
• Field of Search: 534/52, 534/53, 534/73, 535/58, 535/59, 535/31, 531/73, 206/528, 206530-532, 206/534, 206/534.1, 206/534.2, 206/538, 206/539, 206/461, 206/467
• US Class Current: 53/453
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/035 Blister-type containers blisters in general B65D75/36
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2215/04 requiring the combination of different actions in succession
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 83/0445 all the articles being stored in individual compartments

Abstract

A blister pack for dispensing pills that is childproof yet senior-friendly. The blister pack includes a substantially tear-resistant housing that encloses one or more blisters contained on a blister sheet and surrounded by criss-cross grain material to provide cut or tear resistance in multiple directions. In one embodiment, the cavities of the blisters are positioned such that the pills are aligned at an angle with respect to the corresponding dispensing slots on the housing in their normal position. The blisters are detachably attached to a zipper strip on the blister sheet to prevent undesired rotation of the blisters. Upon removal of the zipper strip, the blisters may be twisted until their pills are substantially aligned with their respective dispensing slot. The blisters may then be depressed to remove the pills from the cavities of the blisters by pushing the pills through the foil sheet that covers the slots. In another embodiment, the blisters must be released and slid within a channel to align the pill with the dispensing slot to be released.

Claims

1. A method of forming a blister pack for dispensing an object comprising the steps of:

filling a blister having an interior cavity with an object by placing said object substantially within said cavity, said cavity having a longitudinal axis;

forming said blister into a blister pack by combining it with a card assembly having a dispensing opening formed therein, such that said blister is operably retained by said card in a storage position;

securing the blister in the blister back so that it may be moved from a storage position to a dispensing position; and

permitting the blister to move to the dispensing position wherein said object is substantially aligned with said dispensing opening so as to permit passage of said object through said opening, wherein said longitudinal axis of the cavity in the storage position being in a different direction than the longitudinal axis in the dispensing position.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said method further includes providing a releasing member that may be moved to release said blister for movement prior to moving said blister to said dispensing position.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the releasing member is a zipper strip.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of moving of the blister comprises rotation of said blister.

5. The method of claim 1 further including said step of pushing of the object through said dispensing opening.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said dispensing opening is a substantially slot-shaped opening, sized to enable said object to pass therethrough when said blister is in said dispensing position.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the card assembly further comprises a plurality of symbols surrounding said blister, wherein the cavity of said blister is initially aligned with one or more symbols to indicate information regarding the object.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the object is a pill and the symbols comprise a clock face having a plurality of numbers surrounding the blisters, and wherein the cavity of the blister is initially aligned with a number on the clock face to indicate when to take the pill.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the longitudinal axis of the cavity in the storage position is initially at about a 90-degree angle from the longitudinal axis of the cavity when moved to the dispensing position.