Granted Patent B2

US 7,617,935 · App. 11/972,181 · Granted Nov 17, 2009

Abstract

Claims (37)

1. A package for storing and dispensing tablets or like separate items, comprising:

a hollow container body having a closed end and an opposite end with an elongate opening defined by a rim; and

a tray with a plurality of tablets or items separately secured thereto for being dispensed from said container body, said tray being slidable relative to said container body such that said tray is slidable between a retracted position in which said tablets or items are located entirely within said container body and a dispensing position in which a proximal part of said tray holding said tablets or items extends externally of said container body via said opening of said container body and in which a distal end part of said tray is captured and retained within said container body;

said container body including opposed front and rear body sections having locking portions that cooperatively engage to lock said front and rear body sections together in a closed position to form said container body, said locking portions being releasable to position said front and rear body sections in an open tray re-loading position; and

said distal end part of said tray including an upstanding post, flange, or wall and one of said front and rear body sections including a post, flange, or wall extending within said container body adjacent said elongate opening of said container body, said post, flange or wall of said body sections and said tray being cooperatively engageable to prevent said distal end part of said tray from passing through said elongate opening of said container body.

2. A package according to claim 1 , wherein said locking portion of one of said front and rear body sections includes a latch, and wherein said locking portion of the other of said front and rear body sections includes a locking recess into which said latch is extendable.

3. A package according to claim 2 , wherein said container body includes at least one tab that can be pressed to disengage said locking portions thereby permitting at least one of said front and rear body sections to move to said open tray re-loading position.

4. A package according to claim 1 , wherein said tray includes at least separate first and second trays, wherein said hollow container body retains said first tray, and wherein, when said front and rear body sections are in said open tray re-loading position, said first tray is removable and replaceable with said second tray.

5. A package according to claim 1 , wherein said front and rear body sections are interconnected at said closed end with at least one hinge that permits at least one of said front and rear body sections to pivot about said hinge to said closed position and to said open tray re-loading position.

6. A package according to claim 5 , wherein said container body is a one-piece, plastic, injection-molded body such that said hinge is formed integral with said front and rear wall sections and provides at least one live hinge therebetween.

7. A package according to claim 4 , wherein each of said trays is a blister card and includes a plurality of separate blister compartments for separately securing said tablets or items to said tray.

8. A package according to claim 1 , further comprising a separate plastic cap removably securable to said rim of said assembled container body to seal said opening and prevent access to said tablets or items within said container body.

9. A package according to claim 8 , wherein said cap has an elongate end wall and a skirt depending therefrom, wherein said skirt includes opposed front and rear flaps and opposed side flaps, and wherein said front and rear flaps overlap said rim of said container body when said cap is applied to said container body and said side flaps of said skirt do not overlap said container body.

10. A package according to claim 9 , wherein a spring is mounted on an underside of said end wall of said cap.

11. A package according to claim 10 , wherein said spring is made of plastic and is bowed along its length.

12. A package according to claim 11 , wherein one of said container body and cap has a series of lugs and the other has a series of channels in which said lugs are captured when said cap is engaged to said container body.

13. A package according to claim 12 , wherein each of said channels is formed in an outer surface of a mouth finish of said container body and has a reversely-turned section and an open section, whereby removing said cap from said container body requires said cap to be pressed toward said container body against the force of said spring and slid laterally so that said lugs are permitted to exit said reversely-turned sections and be released through said open sections.

14. A package for storing and dispensing tablets or like separate items, comprising:

a hollow container body having a closed end and an opposite end with an elongate opening defined by a rim; and

a tray with a plurality of tablets or items separately secured thereto for being dispensed from said container body, said tray being slidable relative to said container body such that said tray is slidable between a retracted position in which said tablets or items are located entirely within said container body and a dispensing position in which a proximal part of said tray holding said tablets or items extends externally of said container body via said opening of said container body and in which a distal end part of said tray is captured and retained within said container body;

said container body including opposed front and rear body sections having locking portions that cooperatively engage to lock said front and rear body sections together in a closed position to form said container body, said locking portions being releasable to position said front and rear body sections in an open tray re-loading position;

said locking portion of one of said front and rear body sections including a latch, and said locking portion of the other of said front and rear body sections including a locking recess into which said latch is extendable, and said container body including at least one tab that can be pressed to disengage said locking portions thereby permitting at least one of said front and rear body sections to move to said open tray re-loading position;

said front and rear body sections being interconnected at said closed end with at least one hinge that permits at least one of said front and rear body sections to pivot about said hinge to said closed position and to said open tray re-loading position, and said container body being a one-piece, plastic, injection-molded body such that said hinge is formed integral with said front and rear wall sections and provides at least one live hinge therebetween; and

said distal end part of said tray including an upstanding post, flange, or wall, and one of said front and rear body sections including a post, flange, or wall extending within said container body adjacent said opening of said container body, and said post, flange or wall of said body sections and said tray being cooperatively engageable to prevent said distal end part of said tray from passing through said opening of said assembled container body.

15. A package for storing and dispensing separate tablets, comprising:

a hollow, relatively-thin, elongate, one-piece plastic container body that when assembled defines a closed end and an opposite open end having an elongate opening defined by a rim, said container body consisting of opposed front and rear body sections extending from said closed end to said open end and being interconnected at said closed end with at least one hinge, at least one of said front and rear body sections being rotatable about said at least one hinge to position said one-piece container body in a closed position to form said assembled hollow container body and to an open re-loading position;

a blister card carrying a plurality of separate tablets within separate blister compartments, said card being slidable relative to said container body such that said card is slidable between a retracted position in which said tablets are located entirely within said container body and a dispensing position in which a proximal part of said card holding said tablets extends externally of said container body via said opening of said container body and in which a distal end part of said card is captured and retained within said container body; and

a separate plastic cap removably securable about said rim of said assembled container body to seal said opening and prevent access to said tablets carried by said blister card and located within said container body;

said distal end part of said card including an upstanding wall and one of said front and rear body sections including a post or flange extending within said container body adjacent said open end of said container body, said post or flange and said upstanding wall being cooperatively engageable to prevent said distal end part from passing through said open end of said assembled container body.

16. A package according to claim 15 , wherein said front and rear body sections include locking portions that cooperatively engage and automatically lock said front and rear body sections together when said front and rear body sections are placed in said closed position.

17. A package according to claim 16 , wherein said locking portion of one of said front and rear body sections includes a resilient latch, and wherein said locking portion of the other of said front and rear body sections includes a locking recess into which said latch is extendable.

18. A package according to claim 17 , wherein said container body includes a pair of opposed tabs that can be pressed toward one another to disengage said latch from said locking recess thereby permitting at least one of said front and rear body sections to pivot about said at least one hinge to said open re-loading position.

19. A package according to claim 15 , wherein a leaf spring is mounted on an underside of an end wall of said cap, and wherein said spring is bowed along its length.

20. A package according to claim 19 , wherein one of said container body and cap has a series of lugs and the other has a series of channels in which said lugs are captured when said cap is engaged to said container body.

21. A package according to claim 20 , wherein each of said channels is formed in an outer surface of a mouth finish of said container body and has a reversely-turned section and an open section, whereby removing said cap from said container body requires said cap to be pressed toward said container body against the force of said spring and slid laterally so that said lugs are permitted to exit said reversely-turned sections and be released through said open sections.

22. A package according to claim 15 , wherein said container body is an injection-molded body, and said at least one hinge is at least one live hinge located between said front and rear body sections.

23. A package according to claim 15 , wherein said blister card includes a set of at least separate first and second blister cards, wherein said assembled container body retains said first blister card, and wherein, when said front and rear body sections are in said open re-loading position, said first blister card is removable and replaceable with said second blister card.

Assignments (17)