| WO/2009/136193 | ROTARY NEEDLE DISPENSER |
| WO/2005/023657 | CASE WITH PILL RECEIVING SLEEVES FOR STORING AND DISPENSING PILLS |
| JP2004359316 | MEASURING CONTAINER |
TAM, Wai Kee Patrick (Unit 6, 1/F Blk B, Chung Mei Centre,No. 15 Hing Yip Street, Kwun Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, Kong, CN)
| What is claimed is: 1. A package comprising: a) a first and a second sheet, each having an interior surface and an exterior surface opposite said interior surface, said sheets overlaying each other; b) a container comprising a chamber portion for holding a product and a flange portion surrounding said chamber portion, said flange portion sandwiched between said first sheet and said second sheet; wherein said first sheet is adhered to said second sheet on at least a portion by a high- frequency sensitive adhesive on said interior surfaces of said first sheet and said second sheet. 2. The package according to claim 1, wherein said high-frequency sensitive adhesive is a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) adhesive. 3. The package according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said high-frequency sensitive adhesive is printed onto said interior surface of said first sheet and said second sheet. 4. The package according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said interior surfaces of said first sheet and said second sheet are laminated. 5. The package according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one opening is provided on said flange portion, said first sheet and said second sheet are further adhered to each other through said opening. 6. A method comprising: a) applying a high-frequency sensitive adhesive on an interior surface of a first sheet and a second sheet; b) providing a container comprising a chamber portion for holding a product and a flange portion surrounding said chamber portion; c) inserting said container between said first sheet and said second sheet, such that said chamber portion protrudes through an opening in the first sheet, and said flange portion is sandwiched between said first sheet and said second sheet; and d) applying a high frequency pulse on at least a portion of said first sheet and said second sheet to adhere said sheets together. 7. The method according to claim 6, wherein said high frequency pulse is applied using a high frequency welding machine comprising a rectifier and oscillation tube. 8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, wherein said high-frequency sensitive adhesive is a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) adhesive. 9. The method according to one of claims 6-8, wherein said step of applying a high- frequency sensitive adhesive is done by varnishing. 10. The method according to one of claims 6-9, further comprising the step of laminating said interior surfaces of said first sheet and said second sheet before said step of applying said high-frequency sensitive adhesive. 11. The method according to one of claims 6-10, wherein said step of applying high- frequency sensitive adhesive comprises the steps of: a) applying said high-frequency sensitive adhesive on a surface of a single sheet; and b) folding said single sheet to form said first sheet and said second sheet, said surface with high-frequency sensitive adhesive applied becoming said interior surface. 12. The method according to one of claims 6-11, further comprising the steps of providing at least one opening on said flange portion, and applying a high-frequency pulse on said sheets such that the sheets are adhered to each other through said opening. 13. A package comprising: a) a first and a second sheet, each having an interior surface and an exterior surface opposite said interior surface, said sheets overlaying each other; b) a container comprising a chamber portion for holding a product and a flange portion surrounding said chamber portion, said flange portion sandwiched between said first sheet and said second sheet; wherein at least one opening is provided on said flange portion, said first sheet and said second sheet are adhered to each other through said opening. 14. The package according to claim 13, wherein said first sheet is adhered to said second sheet by a high-frequency sensitive adhesive on said interior surfaces of said first sheet and said second sheet. |
FIELD OF INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to a package, in particular a trapped blister package.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
[0002] Convention packages have limitations such as limited printing surfaces. Such packages may not be attractive to a customer.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
[0003] It is an object of the present invention to provide an alternate package.
[0004] Accordingly, the present invention, in one aspect, is a package comprising a first sheet, a second sheet and a container. The first sheet and the second sheet comprise an exterior surface and an interior surface. The container comprises a chamber portion for holding a product and a flange portion surrounding the chamber portion. The chamber portion protrudes through an opening in the first sheet and the flange portion is sandwiched between the first sheet and the second sheet. The first sheet is adhered to the second sheet on at least a portion by a high-frequency sensitive adhesive on the interior surfaces of the first sheet and the second sheet.
[0005] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the high-frequency sensitive adhesive is polyethylene terephthalate (PET) adhesive.
[0006] In another exemplary embodiment, the interior surfaces of the first sheet and the second sheet are laminated.
[0007] According to another aspect of the present invention, a package comprising a first sheet, a second sheet and a container is disclosed. The first sheet and the second sheet comprise an exterior surface and an interior surface. The container comprises a chamber portion for holding a product and a flange portion surrounding the chamber portion. The chamber portion protrudes through an opening in the first sheet and the flange portion is sandwiched between the first sheet and the second sheet. At least one opening is provided on the flange portion. The first sheet and the second sheet are adhered to each other through the opening.
[0008] In one embodiment, the first sheet and the second sheet are adhered to each other by a high-frequency sensitive adhesive on the interior surfaces of the first sheet and the second sheet.
[0009] In another aspect of the present invention, a method of making a package is disclosed. The method first applies a high-frequency sensitive adhesive onto an interior surface of a first sheet and a second sheet. A container comprising a chamber portion and a flange portion surrounding the chamber portion is then provided and inserted between the first sheet and the second sheet. The chamber portion protrudes from an opening in the first opening, and the flange portion is sandwiched between the first sheet and the second sheet. A high-frequency pulse is then applied to at least a portion of the first sheet and the second sheet to adhere the sheets together.
[0010] In an embodiment, the method further comprises the step of laminating the interior surfaces of the first sheet and the second sheet.
[0011] In one embodiment, the first and second sheets are folded from one single sheet. In another variation, the first and second sheets are separate sheets that are aligned together during the making of the packaging.
[0012] In one embodiment, the high-frequency pulse is applied to the first sheet and the second sheet using a high frequency welding machine comprising a rectifier and an oscillation tube.
[0013] There are many advantages to the present invention. One advantage is that high- frequency sensitive adhesive can be applied on smooth surfaces such as laminated surfaces. This is a substantial improvement over the prior art use of thermal adhesives which do not adhere to smooth or laminated services. As printings such as product information can only be printed onto smooth or laminated surfaces, this would allow the interior surfaces of the first and second sheets to be printed as well. As a result, not only is the appearance of the package substantially improved, but more information can also be printed in the same surface area of packaging. The high-frequency sensitive, such as PET adhesive, is also more environmentally friendly than heat-sensitive adhesive as heat- sensitive adhesive is not compatible to some recycling systems.
[0014] Using heat-sensitive adhesive needs the first and second sheets to be made from a solid material or crush or otherwise eliminate the air gap in some materials such as corrugated cardboard to provide acceptable heat conductivity for the adhesive to function. By using high-frequency sensitive adhesive, the high-frequency pulse applied for adhesion is able to penetrate through short distances of solid material or air gap, meaning it is useable in non-corrugated or corrugated cardboard or other materials without crushing the material.
[0015] The high-frequency pulse only needs to be applied for a short period of time to melt the adhesive, and the adhesive will set within a short period of time. Therefore, this technology allows a faster manufacture of packages than using heat- sensitive adhesive. The adhesion is also highly localized, meaning that areas that are not applied with the pulse will not adhere. For example, when the pulse is only applied to the peripheral area, the container or blister will not adhere to either of the sheets. If the blister is to be adhered to either or both of the sheets, for example for extra holding power, a high- frequency pulse needs to be applied onto the area that sandwiches the flange portion.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES
[0016] Fig. 1 is a prior art package using heat sensitive adhesive.
[0017] Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a package according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0018] Fig. 3 is a cross section of the package in Fig. 2 along the line A- A'.
[0019] Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of the region in Fig. 3 that is shown in dashed lines. [0020] Fig. 5 is a top view of a container of a package according to another embodiment of the present invention.
[0021] Fig. 6 is a cross section view of a package with the container in Fig. 5 along the line B-B'.
[0022] Fig. 7 is a flow chart of a process of making the package in Fig. 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0023] Referring now to Figs. 2 and 3, a package 20 according to the first embodiment of the present invention comprises a first sheet 22, a second sheet 24 and a container 26. The first sheet 22 overlays the second sheet 24. The container 26 is also called a blister, and these two terms are used interchangeably within this specification. The container 26 comprises a chamber portion 28 and a flange portion 30 surrounding the chamber portion 28. In one embodiment, the container 26 is made from a clear plastic such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The first sheet 22 has an opening provided, through which the chamber portion 28 protrudes. The first sheet 22 and the second sheet 24 both comprise an exterior surface and an interior surface. The flange portion 30 is sandwiched between the interior surfaces of the first sheet 22 and the second sheet 24.The first sheet 22 and the second sheet 24 are adhered to each other at some portions of the sheets. In an exemplary embodiment, the adhered portion is a peripheral area surrounding the flange portion 30 of the container 26, which is described in more detail below.
[0024] Referring to Fig. 4, an enlarged view of a portion of Fig. 3 (shown in dashed lines) is shown. A layer of high-frequency sensitive adhesive 32 is provided on the interior surfaces of the first sheet 22 and the second sheet 24. In one embodiment, the high- frequency sensitive adhesive 32 is a PET adhesive. In another embodiment, the high- frequency sensitive adhesive 32 is cohesive.
[0025] In an exemplary embodiment, the interior surfaces of the first sheet 22 and the second sheet 24 are laminated. The laminated surface is smooth and glossy, and printings such as product information can be printed onto a laminated surface. In one embodiment, the lamination layer is made from conventional materials known in the art. The high- frequency sensitive adhesive 32 is then printed onto the laminated surfaces using a paper varnishing machine.
[0026] In an exemplary embodiment, the high-frequency sensitive adhesive 32 is printed on the entirety of the interior surfaces of the first sheet 22 and the second sheet 24. It is the easiest way to print the adhesive as a pattern of selected portion does not need to be defined before printing. There is no adhesion at undesired portions as the adhesion only takes place on the portions where a high-frequency pulse is applied. This is explained in more detail below.
[0027] In one embodiment, the first sheet 22 and the second sheet 24 is folded from a single sheet and is connected together on one edge. In a further embodiment, the first sheet 22 and the second sheet 24 has a same area. The single sheet is folded at the middle to form the first sheet 22 and the second sheet 24, with the surface with high-frequency adhesive 32 becoming the interior surface of the sheets.
[0028] In an exemplary embodiment, the first sheet 22 is substantially flat while the second sheet 24 is slightly bent to accommodate the thickness of the flange portion 30. As the first sheet 22 is usually a front sheet that is facing the customer, the first sheet 22 being flat improves the package's appearance, and the customer can read the printings on the first sheet 22 easier.
[0029] Now referring to Figs. 5 and 6, a package according to another aspect of the invention is shown. The parts that have corresponding similar parts in Figs. 2-4 are given the same reference numeral for ease of reference. The package 20 comprises a first sheet 22, a second sheet 24 and a container 26. The container 26 of the package 20 comprises a chamber portion 28 for holding a product and a flange portion 30 surrounding the chamber portion 28, which is the same as described for the embodiment shown in Figs. 2- 4. At least one opening 34 is provided on the flange portion 30. The first sheet 22 and the second sheet 24 are adhered together through the openings 34.
[0030] The openings 34 are provided on the flange portion 30 to improve the holding power of the package 20. For example, as the container 26 becomes larger and the product within the chamber portion 28 becomes heavier, the package 20 may not be able to withstand the weight of the product by only adhering at the peripheral area. The peripheral area may also be too far away from the chamber portion to hold the product well, especially in irregular shape products where in some portions the peripheral area is farther away from the chamber portion 28 than other portions. In this invention, the openings 34 are provided much closer to the chamber portion 28 than the peripheral area as shown in Fig. 5, such that the product can be better trapped in place. The openings 34 also provide additional area for adhesion therefore improving the holding power of the package.
[0031] In one embodiment, the first sheet 22 and the second sheet 24 are adhered by a high-frequency sensitive adhesive as described above. The high-frequency sensitive adhesive is printed onto the entirety of the interior surfaces of the sheets, such that the sheets can be adhered together at the openings 34 irrespective of where the openings 34 are located.
[0032] As this invention increases the holding power of the package, the range of materials used for the first sheet 22 and the second sheet 24 is increased. For example, in one embodiment the sheets can be made of corrugated cardboard with liner surfaces on both sides. In another embodiment, the sheets can be made of non-corrugated cardboard. If more holding power is desired, the container 26 can be adhered to either or both of the sheets.
[0033] Fig. 7 shows an embodiment of a flow chart of manufacturing the package of the present invention. Firstly, in step 36 a high-frequency sensitive adhesive is applied onto an interior surface of a first sheet and a second sheet. A container is then provided and inserted between the first sheet and the second sheet in step 40, with a chamber portion protruding through an opening provided at the first sheet and a flange portion surrounding the chamber portion sandwiched between the first sheet and the second sheet. In step 42, the sheets of the package are adhered together by applying a high-frequency pulse to the peripheral area of the exterior surfaces of the sheets.
[0034] In one embodiment, the high-frequency sensitive adhesive is first applied onto a surface of a single sheet, then folding the single sheet to form the first sheet and the second sheet, where the surface with the high-frequency sensitive adhesive becomes the interior surface. [0035] In one embodiment, the high-frequency pulse is applied using a high frequency welding machine comprising a rectifier and an oscillation tube. The machine applies a high-frequency pulse to the sheets when an applicator head of the machine presses onto the peripheral area of the exterior surface. The high-frequency pulse melts the high- frequency sensitive adhesive on the interior surfaces of the sheets to adhere the sheets together.
[0036] In one embodiment, at least one opening is opened on the flange portion of the container before inserting the container between the sheets. The high-frequency pulse is applied onto the sheets to adhere the sheets through the openings. As the adhesion is highly localized, the applicator applying the pulse to adhere the sheets through the openings will not cause adhesion of the blister in any way if this is not desired by the user. On the other hand, if the user wishes to adhere the blister to the cardboard as well, one can apply the high-frequency welding to the flange portion of the blister area such that it will adhere to the cardboard.
[0037] The exemplary embodiments of the present invention are thus fully described. Although the description referred to particular embodiments, it will be clear to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced with variation of these specific details. Hence this invention should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein.
[0038] For example, there can be more than one chamber portion 28 in the container 26. Each chamber portion protrudes from one opening provided on the first sheet 22. In such case, an opening 34 is preferably provided between adjacent chamber portions 28 on the flange portion 30 of the container 26 for better holding power.
[0039] The shape of the openings 34 can be arbitrary and do not need to be circular as shown in the embodiments above. The openings 34 are shown to be circular to match with the shape of the applicator head, which is also circular.
[0040] In one variation, the high-frequency sensitive adhesive 32 is only varnished on selected portions of the interior surfaces of the sheets. In another variation, the first sheet and the second sheet are separate sheets but not folded from a single sheet. In such case, the adhesive is separately applied onto the interior surfaces of the sheets. The sheets can also be separated then aligned together instead of folded from the single sheet.
[0041] In one embodiment, the exterior surfaces of the sheets are also laminated and printed with product information.