TABLET PACKAGE
A package includes a case and a card coupled to the case. The card is configured to carry a collection of oral tablets or the like that can be released from the card and then ingested by a consumer
1 . A tablet package comprising
a tablet-carrier card adapted to carry a collection of oral tablets for oral use by a consumer and
a case including a tray having a floor and a side wall extending around the floor and card-elevation means for elevating the tablet-carrier card to assume an elevated position above the floor to form a tablet-receiving chamber bounded by the floor, the side wall, and an underside of the tablet-carrier card so that an oral tablet released from a tablet-storage pocket formed in the tablet-carrier card through a tablet-ejector opening created on the underside of the tablet-carrier card in response to a downward pushing force applied by the consumer to the tablet-storage pocket will fall into the tablet-receiving chamber.
2 . The tablet package of claim 1 , wherein a perimeter edge of the tablet-carrier card is arranged to lie in closely confronting relation to the side wall of the case.
3 . The tablet package of claim 2 , wherein portions of the perimeter edge of the tablet-carrier card and the side wall cooperate to form a tablet-discharge outlet configured to open into the tablet-receiving chamber provided between the tablet-carrier card and the floor to provide chamber-outlet means for discharging loose oral tablets from the tablet-receiving chamber for oral consumption by a consumer.
4 . The tablet package of claim 3 , wherein the perimeter edge of the tablet-carrier card includes a concave portion arranged to face outwardly toward an opposing portion of the side wall to define the tablet-discharge outlet therebetween.
5 . The tablet package of claim 3 , wherein the side wall includes a concave portion that is arranged to face upwardly toward the perimeter edge of the tablet-carrier card to define the tablet-discharge outlet therebetween.
6 . The tablet package of claim 5 , further comprising a discharge spout coupled to the tray at the tablet-discharge outlet and arranged to extend away from the tablet-receiving chamber to provide means for conducting loose oral tablets discharged from the tablet-receiving chamber through the tablet-discharge outlet away from the tablet-receiving chamber.
7 . The tablet package of claim 1 , wherein the case further includes card-retainer means coupled to the side wall for engaging the tablet-carrier card to retain the tablet-carrier card on the card-elevation means in the elevated position.
8 . The tablet package of claim 7 , wherein the tablet-carrier card includes a shell formed to include a series of tablet-receiving pockets and a frangible laminate backing layer located between the shell and the floor and coupled to the shell to cover the tablet-receiving pockets.
9 . The tablet package of claim 8 , wherein the frangible laminate backing layer mates with the card-elevation means.
10 . The tablet package of claim 8 , wherein the card-retainer means mates with the shell.
11 . The tablet package of claim 7 , wherein the side wall includes a curved inner surface facing toward the tablet-carrier card and the card-retainer means includes at least two arc-shaped card-retainer segments coupled to the curved inner surface to overlie a peripheral portion of the tablet-carrier card and arranged to lie in spaced apart relation to one another on the curved inner surface.
12 . The tablet package of claim 7 , wherein the case further includes a frame coupled to the side wall to extend around a peripheral portion of the tablet-carrier card and the card-retainer means includes a card retainer coupled to an inner edge of the frame and arranged to engage a topside of the tablet-carrier card to cause an underside of the tablet-carrier card to lie in a stationary position on the card-elevation means.
13 . The tablet package of claim 12 , further comprising a discharge spout coupled to the tray at a tablet-discharge outlet formed in the side wall and arranged to extend away from the tablet-receiving chamber to provide means for conducting loose oral tablets discharged from the tablet-receiving chamber through the tablet-discharge outlet away from the tablet-receiving chamber and wherein the discharge spout includes a top spout section coupled at one end to the frame and a bottom spout section coupled at one end to the tray and coupled to the top spout section to define a tablet-conducting passageway therebetween.
14 . The tablet package of claim 13 , further comprising a removable lid coupled to the top and bottom spout sections to close a downstream opening into the tablet-conducting passageway formed in the discharge spout.
15 . The tablet package of claim 1 , wherein the tablet-carrier card includes a shell formed to include a series of tablet-receiving pockets and a frangible laminate backing layer located between the shell and the floor and coupled to the shell to cover the tablet-receiving pockets and the frangible laminate backing layer mates with the card-elevation means.
16 . The tablet package of claim 15 , wherein the card-elevator means is coupled to the side wall and configured to provide a level platform supporting the tablet-carrier card in the elevated position above the floor.
17 . The tablet package of claim 1 , wherein the tablet-carrier card is formed to include a tablet-discharge outlet configured to open into the tablet-receiving chamber to provide chamber-outlet means for discharging loose oral tablets from the tablet-receiving chamber for oral consumption by a consumer.
18 . The tablet package of claim 1 , wherein the tray is formed to include a tablet-discharge outlet configured to open into the tablet-receiving chamber to provide chamber-outlet means for discharging loose oral tablets from the tablet-receiving chamber for oral consumption by a consumer.
19 . The tablet package of claim 1 , wherein the card-elevation means includes a center card support and several outer card supports arranged to lie in spaced-apart orbiting relation around the center card support.
20 . The tablet package of claim 19 , wherein each outer card support is coupled to the side wall.
21 . The tablet package of claim 20 , wherein the center card support is an upstanding post coupled to a center of the floor and arranged to extend upwardly toward a top tray aperture defined by the side wall and opening into a tray chamber bounded by the side wall and the floor.
22 . The tablet package of claim 19 , wherein each outer card support is an upstanding wall having a bottom edge coupled to the floor and an outer end edge coupled to the side wall and arranged to extend radially inwardly toward the center card support.
23 . The tablet package of claim 22 , wherein a top plate provided at a free end of the center card support and a top edge of each of the radially inwardly extending outer card supports cooperate to form a level platform engaging the tablet-carrier card.
24 . The tablet package of claim 23 , wherein the tablet-carrier card is retained on the level platform established by the card-elevation means using a card retainer comprising a series of card-retainer segments included in the case and coupled to an inner surface of the side wall of the tray.
25 . The tablet package of claim 24 , wherein each of the card-retainer segments is arc-shaped and arranged to lie on an upper portion of the side wall above the top edges of the outer card supports and below a top edge of the side wall.
26 . The tablet package of claim 1 , wherein the card-elevation means includes an outer card support arranged to mate with the tablet-carrier card and extend around an inner surface of the side wall arranged to face toward a perimeter edge of the tablet-carrier card.
27 . The tablet package of claim 26 , wherein the outer card support includes a raised ledge coupled to each of four segments that cooperate to provide the side wall of the tray with a rectangular shape and the raised ledges cooperate to form a level platform on which the tablet-carrier card is supported.
28 . The tablet package of claim 27 , wherein the tablet-carrier card is retained on the level platform established by the card-elevation means using a card retainer coupled to a rectangular frame that is separate from the tray but mounted on the tray.
29 . The tablet package of claim 28 , wherein the rectangular frame is coupled by means of a snap connection to a rectangular upper portion of the side wall of the tray to trap a peripheral portion of the tablet-carrier card between the raised ledges of the outer card supports and an underside of the card retainer arranged to face downwardly toward the floor.
30 . The tablet package of claim 1 , further comprising a discharge spout and a removable lid coupled to a free end of the discharge spout and wherein the discharge spout is aligned with a discharge aperture formed in the side wall of the tray and arranged to open into the tablet-receiving chamber to provide means for discharging oral tablets stored in the tablet-receiving chamber from the tray after removal of the lid from the free end of the discharge spout.