Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
PPC5430USNP
BLISTER PACKAGE WITH OPRABLE FLAP
Background of the Invention
Blister card display packages are commonly used in retail merchandising to
contain
and display small articles. Such packages often include a paperboard card on
which the
product name and other information is printed and a plastic blister pack
containing the article
secured on the card. In addition, a hole is often placed at the top of the
card so that the
package can be hung from an extended peg of a pegboard display.
Blister packages are also often used to contain multiple small articles such
as tablets,
each contained within a separate blister portion. See, e.g., US Patent
7,866,476. However,
such package requires substantial amount of paperboard to protect the
rupturable film portion
covers the unused blister portions when not in use, resulting the packages
being thick and
bulky.
The present invention relates to an improved blister package containing a
plurality of
blister portions that includes an operable flap that allows access to the
rupturable film sheet
covering the blister portions.
Summary of the Invention
In one aspect, the present invention features a blister card display package
including a
card containing a front sheet having a front outer face and a front inner face
and a rear sheet
having a rear outer face and a rear inner face, wherein at least a portion of
the rear inner face
is affixed to the front inner face; and a unitary blister pack mounted between
the front inner
face and the rear inner face and containing a plurality of blister portions
for containing an
article to be displayed and a rupturable film sheet covering the plurality of
blister portions;
wherein the rear sheet contains one or more openings that allow the plurality
of blister
portions to protrude through the rear outer face of the card and the front
sheet contains an
operable flap that allows access to the portion of the rupturable film sheet
covering the
plurality of blister portions.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from
the
detailed description of the invention and claims.
1
CA 3020380 2018-10-11
PPC5430USNP
Brief Description of the Figures
Fig. 1 is an exploded view of blister card display package I showing card 5
and
unitary blister pack 40 prior to mounting of unitary blister pack 40 on card
5.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view of blister card display package 1 showing blister
portions
45 protruding through rear sheet 25.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of blister card display package 1 showing
operable flap 60
in the closed position.
Fig. 4 is a perspective view of blister card display package 1 showing
operable flap 60
in the open position.
Detailed Description of the Invention
It is believed that one skilled in the art can, based upon the description
herein, utilize
the present invention to its fullest extent. The following specific
embodiments can be
construed as merely illustrative, and not limitative of the remainder of the
disclosure in any
way whatsoever.
Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have
the same
meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which
the invention
belongs. Also, all publications, patent applications, patents, and other
references mentioned
herein are incorporated by reference. As used herein, all percentages are by
weight unless
otherwise specified.
As discussed above, the present invention features a blister card display
package. As
shown in Fig. 1, the blister card display package 1 includes a card 5 and a
unitary blister pack
40. The card 5 may be made of a variety of materials, such as paperboard or a
rigid or semi-
rigid plastic sheet. In one embodiment, the card 5 is desirably made of
recyclable material.
The card 5 has both a front sheet 10 (having both a front outer face 15 and a
front
inner face 20) and a rear sheet 25 (having a rear outer face 30 and a rear
inner face 35). In
one embodiment as shown in Fig. 1, the card 5 is made of a unitary sheet that
can be folded
along crease 6 to form the front sheet 10 and the rear sheet 25. In another
embodiment (not
shown), the front sheet and the rear sheet are separate sheets which may or
may not be made
of the same material.
As shown in Fig. 2, in order to mount unitary blister pack 40, at least a
portion of the
rear inner face 35 of rear sheet 25 is affixed to the front inner face 20 of
front sheet 10. In
one embodiment, rear sheet 25 is affixed to front sheet 10 by use of heat
sealing, adhesive
seals (such as with heat-activated or solvent adhesive such as glues), RF or
sonic seals, or any
2
CA 3020380 2018-10-11
PPC5430USNP
other suitable means. The materials of the front sheet 10 and the rear sheet
25 may be pre-
treated to facilitate sealing of such materials together. In one embodiment,
rear sheet 25 is
affixed to front sheet 10 proximate to one or more of edges 31, 32, 33, and
34.
As mentioned above, the blister card display package 1 includes a unitary
blister pack
40. The unitary blister pack 40 contains a plurality of blister portions 45
for containing the
article to be displayed by the blister card display package 1. In one
embodiment, the unitary
blister pack 40 includes at least four blister portions 45, such as at least
eight four blister
portions 45, such as at least ten blister portions 45.
The unitary blister pack 40 and/or the blister portions 45 may be made into a
variety
of shapes and sizes based upon the shape, size, and friability of the articles
to be contained
within. The blister pack 40 and/or the blister portions 45 may also be made of
a variety of
materials suitable to hold and protect the articles to be contained within. In
one embodiment,
the blister portions are made of a transparent plastic material to allow the
articles to be seen
through the blister portions 45. Such plastic material may be clear or have
color. The unitary
blister pack 40 may be manufactured by various means known in the art,
including
thermoform and injection molding techniques. The unitary blister pack 40 may
be
manufacture with a rigid or semi-rigid material. Suitable materials include,
but are not
limited to, plastic materials such as polypropylene, polyethylene,
polychlorotrifluoroethylene,
polyethylene terephthalate, cyclic olefin copolymer, ethylene vinyl alcohol,
high density
polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, fluorinated-
chlorinated resin,
fluoropolymer, and mixtures and laminates thereof. In one embodiment, the
unitary blister
pack 40 is desirably made of recyclable material.
The unitary blister pack 40 also contains a rupturable film sheet 50 covering
each of
the plurality of blister portions 45. Rupturable film sheet 50 retains the
article within blister
portion 45, but allows the user to intentionally remove the article from a
blister portion 45 by
rupturing the part of rupturable film sheet 50 covering such blister portion
(such portions
depicted within areas 51 in Fig. 4). The rupturable film sheet 50 may include
features or
materials such as a heat sealable layer, aluminum foil, adhesive/bonding
layers, primer,
polyester, paper, metalized film, polyethylene, ink for printing, polyvinyl
chloride,
polypropylene, bi-axially oriented polypropylene, ethylene vinyl alcohol, and
combinations
thereof. In one embodiment, the rupturable film sheet 50 is a laminate of thin
metal foil such
as aluminum foil and paper. The foil side of the laminate faces the article
contained in the
blister portion 45 and the paper side serves as an additional area to add
writing or instructions
for the user. The rupturable film may be ruptured by the user by pushing the
article through
3
CA 3020380 2018-10-11
PPC5430USNP
the portion of the film above the blister portion, by peeling back or breaking
such portion of
the film, which may or may not be perforated or pre-cut, to expose the
article, or by other
similar means. In one embodiment, the rupturable film sheet 50 is desirably
made of
recyclable material.
In one embodiment, rupturable film sheet 50 is affixed to unitary blister pack
40 by
use of heat sealing, adhesive seals (such as with heat-activated or solvent
adhesive such as
glues), RF or sonic seals, or any other suitable means. The materials of the
rupturable film
sheet 50 and the unitary blister pack 40may be pre-treated to facilitate
sealing of such
materials together.
As shown in Fig. 2, the unitary blister pack 40 is mounted between the front
inner
face 20 of front sheet 10 and the rear inner face 35 of rear sheet 25. As
shown in Fig. 1, rear
sheet 25 contains blister openings 55 that allow the plurality of blister
portions 45 to protrude
through rear outer face 15 of rear sheet 25. In one embodiment, as shown in
Fig. 2, there is a
blister opening for each blister portion. Such arrangement also assists
maintaining the blister
pack 40 mounted between front sheet 10 and rear sheet 25 In another embodiment
(not
shown), multiple blister portions protrude through a single blister opening.
As shown in Fig. 3, front sheet 10 contains an operable flap 60 that allows
access to
the portion of the rupturable film sheet 50 covering the plurality of blister
portions 45. Fig. 3
depicts operable flap 60 in a closed position, covering the portion of the
rupturable film sheet
50 covering the plurality of blister portions 45. Flap 60 may initially be
opened by breaking
flap perforations 61 and folding operable flap 60 along flap crease 62. Fig 4.
depicts operable
flap 60 in an open position, exposing the portion of the rupturable film sheet
50 covering the
plurality of blister portions 45 (such portions depicted within areas 51 in
Fig. 4). By
exposing the rupturable film sheet 50, the user of the package is able to beak
the portion of
the rupturable film sheet 50 covering a blister portion 45 and remove the
article contained
within. The operable flap 60 may then be returned to the closed position
covering the portion
of the rupturable film sheet 50 covering the remainder of blister portions 45
still containing
articles.
The operable flap 60 also provides visibility to a portion of front inner face
20 of the
front sheet 10 when the operable flap 60 is in the open position. In one
embodiment, both the
outer face of the operable flap 60 and the inner face of the operable flap 60
contain writing.
In one embodiment, front sheet 10 contains a single operable flap 60 that
allows
access to the portion of the rupturable film sheet 50 covering all of the
plurality of blister
portions 45. In another embodiment (not shown), front sheet 10 contains a
plurality of
4
CA 3020380 2018-10-11
PPC5430USNP
operable flaps 60 each of which allows access to only a portion of the
rupturable film sheet
50 covering only a portion of the plurality of blister portions 45.
In one embodiment, operable flap 60 contains a tab 70 that is operative to
releasably
maintain the operable flap 60 over the portion of the rupturable film sheet 50
covering the
plurality of blister portions 45. In one embodiment, when operable flap 60 is
in the closed
position, tab 70 can come into frictional contact with edges 41 and 42 of rear
sheet 25,
thereby maintaining operable flap 60 in the closed position.
In one embodiment, card 5 comprises one or more sets of perforations 75
between a
removable portion of card that is not in contact with the unitary blister
package and the
portion of the card that is in contact with the unitary blister package. Such
an embodiment
allows for the user once they have purchased the blister card display package
1 to remove a
portion of card 5, thereby reducing the size of the blister card display
package.
In one embodiment, the unitary blister package contains an opening 80 for
hanging
the blister card display package from a support device, such as an extended
peg of a pegboard
display. In one embodiment, a removable portion of the card contains such
opening for
hanging the package from a support device.
It is understood that while the invention has been described in conjunction
with the
detailed description thereof, that the foregoing description is intended to
illustrate and not
limit the scope of the invention, which is defined by the scope of the
appended claims. Other
aspects, advantages, and modifications are within the claims.
5
CA 3020380 2018-10-11
