Sealing sheet for use to close a container-defining sheet

• US 8,757,381 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2012
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 9155-0020 Quebec Inc.
• Original Assignee: 9155-0020 Quebec Inc.
• Inventors: Bouthiette, Michel
• Primary Examiner(s): Perreault, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Van Buskirk, James M
• Application Number:
  US13/721,664
• Publication Number:
  US 20130284745A1
• Time in Patent Office: 551 Days
• Field of Search: 206/534, 206/538, 206/528, 206/530, 206/534.1, 206/539, 206/484, 206/484.2, 206/532
• US Class Current: 206/534
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 1/035 Blister-type containers blisters in general B65D75/36
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 2205/30 Printed labels
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/0069 Trays for holding or distributing medicines display trays A47F3/14; serving trays A47G23/06
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 7/04 Arrangements for time indication or reminder for taking medicine, e.g. programmed dispensers
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 1/34 Trays or like shallow containers B65D81/3813 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2575/3236 for initiating or facilitating subsequent peeling off of the non-rigid sheet
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2575/3245 by peeling off the non-rigid sheet
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2575/3281 Tear lines dividing the package into a plurality of packages
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2575/366 through a preformed opening in the recessed sheet, e.g. the opening being defined by weakened lines
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 2583/0418 of different sizes, or kinds, in different compartments
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 75/327 and forming several compartments
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 75/54 Cards, coupons, or other inserts or accessories opening devices B65D75/70

Abstract

A sealing sheet for closing a container-defining sheet having a top surface comprising a given number of spaced apart cavities embossed therein, each of the cavities being upwardly opened and defining a container surrounded by a flange. The sealing sheet includes a top layer having a lower surface covered with pressure sensitive adhesive glue, and a bottom layer having an upper surface detachably fixed to the lower surface of the top layer by pressure sensitive adhesive glue. The bottom layer being peelable from the lower surface of the top layer to allow fixation of the sealing sheet onto the top surface of the container-defining sheet in order to close the containers defined in the same. The sealing sheet also includes an additional layer that is tearable into additional elements that are foldably attached on top of each of the containers and on which additional information may be printed.

Claims

1. A sealing sheet for use to close a container-defining sheet having a top surface comprising a plurality of spaced apart cavities embossed therein and positioned in rows and columns, each of said cavities being upwardly opened and thus defining a container that is surrounded by a flange that is part of the top surface of said container-defining sheet, said sealing sheet comprising:

a top layer having an upper surface and a lower surface, said lower surface being covered with a pressure sensitive adhesive glue; and

a bottom layer having an upper surface detachably fixed to the lower surface of the top layer by said adhesive glue, said bottom layer being peelable from the lower surface of the top layer to allow fixation of the sealing sheet onto the top surface of the container-defining sheet, in order to close the containers defined in the same,

said bottom layer of the sealing sheet having tearing lines punched into it in such a manner and position as to leave parts of said bottom layer glued onto the bottom surface of the top layer in the form of a number of bottom pieces equal to the given number of cavities made in the container-defining sheet when said sealing sheet is peeled off, each of said bottom pieces being shaped, sized and positioned so as to extend over a corresponding cavity of the container-defining sheet when the sealing sheet is properly applied to and glued on the flanges of the top surface of the container-defining sheet, said bottom pieces thus preventing any element stored in the containers from coming into contact with the adhesive glue,

said top layer of said sealing sheet also having tearing lines punched therein in such a manner and position as to extend from one side of each of the cover pieces that may be splitted from the sealing sheet, in line with opposite sides of the bottom piece of the corresponding cover piece, in order to facilitate peeling of said bottom piece and of the corresponding part of the cover piece from the corresponding container to have access to the element(s) stored in it, the upper surface of said top layer being devised to allow printing of information on it, which corresponds to what is located in each of the containers,

wherein said sealing sheet also comprises;

an additional layer having an upper part and a lower part attached to each other, said upper part having tearing lines punched into it in such a manner and position as to match with the tearing lines of the top layer of the sealing sheet and thus form an additional element on the upper surface of the top layer on each of said container, said lower part having peelable bands that can be removed to allow gluing of each of said additional elements onto the upper surface of the top layer of each container on one side of it so as to allow said additional element to be folded up, said lower part also having tearing lines positioned to match those of the top part of the additional layer but except on the peelable bands,

whereby, in use, additional information may be printed onto one or both sides of said additional layer to add information to what is located in each of the containers, such added information as well as the information already printed on the upper surface of the top layer being easily accessible by merely folding up the additional element of each of the container.

2. The sealing sheet according to claim 1, wherein:

the container-defining sheet comprises recesses embossed therein so as to extend adjacent to the one side of each of the cover pieces from which extend the tearing lines allowing peeling of the corresponding bottom piece from the corresponding container, said recesses being U-shaped so as to give easy access to a finger and thus facilitate such a peeling;

the tearing lines of the bottom layer of said sealing sheet are devised so as to provide each of the bottom pieces with a small pulling tab projecting from one edge of bottom piece, said pulling tab being opposite to the side where is glued the foldable additional element and being positioned in such a manner that once the sealing sheet is glued on top of the container defining-sheet, said pulling tab extends at a short a distance away from the cavity of the corresponding container towards the adjacent recess embossed therein, such facilitating again peeling of said bottom piece from said container; and

the top layer has additional tearing lines punched therein in such a manner as to extend toward the pulling tab along the edge of the bottom piece from where said pulling tab projects, said additional tearing lines extending transversally from the tearing line that are in lines with the opposite side of the bottom piece along the edge of it, up to the pulling tab.

3. The sealing sheet according to claim 2, wherein:

each of the flanges that are parts of the top surface of the container-defining sheet and are not directly adjacent to one side of said container-defining sheet, are provided with a centrally positioned tearing line so as to make it possible to separate each of the containers from the adjacent containers and thus from the container-defining sheet whenever desired;

the top layer of the sealing sheet also have other tearing lines punched therein in such a manner and position as to be in line with the tearing lines of the container-defining sheet and thus to allow said top layer, once glued onto the flanges of the container-defining sheet, to be splitted into a number of cover pieces equal to the number of containers, such making it possible to detach each of said containers from the container defining sheet while keeping it closed.

4. The sealing sheet according to claim 3, wherein the sealing sheet and the top surface of the container-defining sheet are provided with positioning means to ensure proper positioning of both of them with respect to each other during installation and thus exact superimposition of the bottom pieces of the sealing sheet on top of the corresponding cavities, and exact superimposition of the tearing lines of the top layer of the sealing sheet with the tearing lines of container-defining sheet.

5. The sealing sheet according to claim 4, wherein said positioning means consists of at least two spaced apart holes sized to fit onto pins projecting from a support.

6. The sealing sheet according to claim 5, wherein:

said sealing sheet is made of paper; and

said container defining sheet is made of plastic material.

7. The sealing sheet according to claim 6, wherein:

the container-defining sheet is intended to store individual pills and comprises twenty-eight containers, said containers being positioned to define seven rows and four columns; and

the sealing sheet is devised to form a corresponding number of cover pieces that are each printed with relevant information as to the pills of the corresponding containers and their use.

8. The sealing sheet according to claim 2, wherein the additional layer has opposite side borders that may be teared off in order to reduce the width of said additional layer and give easier access to the pulling tabs of the bottom pieces.

9. The sealing sheet according to claim 5, wherein the additional layer has opposite side borders that may be teared off in order to reduce the width of said additional layer and give easier access to the pulling tabs of the bottom pieces.

10. The sealing sheet according to claim 7, wherein the additional layer has opposite side borders that may be teared off in order to reduce the width of said additional layer and give easier access to the pulling tabs of the bottom pieces.

11. The sealing sheet according to claim 1, wherein the additional layer has an expansion which is devised to facilitate its positioning onto the top layer of the sealing sheet and which may be thereafter teared off and glued in a foldable way onto another extension of said top layer to give more space to printed information.

12. The sealing sheet according to claim 9, wherein the additional layer has an expansion which is devised to facilitate its positioning onto the top layer of the sealing sheet and which may be thereafter teared off and glued in a foldable way onto another extension of said top layer to give more space to printed information.

13. The sealing sheet according to claim 10, wherein the additional layer has an expansion which is devised to facilitate its positioning onto the top layer of the sealing sheet and which may be thereafter teared off and glued in a foldable way onto another extension of said top layer to give more space to printed information.