Granted Patent B2

US 8,205,752 · App. 13/020,297 · Granted Jun 26, 2012

Assignee: Anderson Packaging, Inc.

Abstract

Claims (33)

1. A package having child-resistant, senior-friendly dispensing properties for storing and dispensing tablets, comprising:

a blister card having a substantially flat card section and a plurality of blister compartments for holding the tablets; and

a hollow plastic sleeve having an opposed pair of major wall panels, an opposed pair of side edges and a dispensing end;

said sleeve providing a protective housing for said blister card when said blister card is in a storage position within said sleeve, and said blister card being slidable in a direction relative to said dispensing end of said sleeve between said storage position and a dispensing position in which said card section extends at least partially outside said sleeve to expose said blister compartments;

said sleeve including a pair of latches that extend from at least one of said wall panels toward said blister card;

said blister card including a pair of latch-catchers for cooperatively engaging and catching said latches when said blister card is in said storage position to automatically lock said blister card in said storage position within said sleeve when said blister card is slid to said storage position;

said opposed pair of side edges of said sleeve including a pair of opposed resiliently-depressible tabs for unlatching said latches from said latch-catchers when said pair of opposed tabs are simultaneously depressed toward one another to permit said blister card to slide relative to said sleeve from said storage position to said dispensing position;

each of said tabs having an arm with a tapered surface extending transversely within said sleeve, wherein, when each of said tabs is depressed, each of said tapered surfaces of said arms engages and flexes said card section of the said blister card such that an adjacent one of said latches is released from an adjacent one of said latch-catchers; and

said sleeve including a deactivator positionable between a first position in which said blister card is permitted to automatically lock to said sleeve when said blister card is slid to said storage position and a second position for preventing said blister card from becoming locked to said sleeve, said deactivator including a wall panel forming a part of one of said major wall panels of said sleeve when said deactivator is in said first position, and said wall panel of said deactivator having one edge forming a hinge about which said wall panel of said deactivator is pivotal from said first position to said second position.

2. A package according to claim 1 , wherein, in said second position, said wall panel of said deactivator extends substantially perpendicular to said major wall panel to which it is connected adjacent one of said latches to a height extending above a height of said adjacent one of said latches.

3. A package according to claim 2 , wherein said wall panel of said deactivator includes a pair of fingers which extend about said adjacent one of said latches capturing said adjacent one of said latches therebetween and forming a frictional engagement with said adjacent one of said latches to retain said deactivator in said second position.

4. A package according to claim 3 , wherein a support rail for supporting sliding movement of said blister card extends from said major wall panel of said sleeve on which said wall panel of said deactivator is formed such that said support rail extends between said wall panel of said deactivator and said adjacent one of said latches.

5. A package according to claim 4 , wherein each of said latch-catchers is an aperture formed in said blister card, and wherein, when said deactivator is in said second position in frictional engagement with said adjacent one of said latches, a combination of said deactivator and said adjacent one of said latches is sufficiently large such that it cannot fit within said aperture.

6. A package according to claim 4 , wherein said sleeve has a pair of deactivators with one being located adjacent to each of said latches.

7. A package having child-resistant, senior-friendly dispensing properties for storing and dispensing tablets, comprising:

a blister card having a substantially flat card section and a plurality of blister compartments for holding the tablets; and

a hollow plastic sleeve having an opposed pair of major wall panels, an opposed pair of side edges and a dispensing end;

said sleeve providing a protective housing for said blister card when said blister card is in a storage position within said sleeve, and said blister card being slidable in a direction relative to said dispensing end of said sleeve between said storage position and a dispensing position in which said card section extends at least partially outside said sleeve to expose said blister compartments;

said sleeve including a pair of latches that extend from at least one of said wall panels toward said blister card;

said blister card including a pair of latch-catchers for cooperatively engaging and catching said latches when said blister card is in said storage position to automatically lock said blister card in said storage position within said sleeve when said blister card is slid to said storage position;

said opposed pair of side edges of said sleeve including a pair of opposed resiliently-depressible tabs for unlatching said latches from said latch-catchers when said pair of opposed tabs are simultaneously depressed toward one another to permit said blister card to slide relative to said sleeve from said storage position to said dispensing position;

said sleeve including at least one deactivator positionable between a first position in which said blister card is permitted to automatically lock to said sleeve when said blister card is slid to said storage position and a second position in which said blister card is prevented from becoming locked to said sleeve;

said at least one deactivator including a wall panel forming a part of one of said major wall panels of said sleeve when said at least one deactivator is in said first position, and said wall panel of said at least one deactivator having one edge forming a hinge about which said wall panel of said at least one deactivator is pivotal from said first position to said second position;

in said second position, said wall panel of said at least one deactivator extending substantially perpendicular to said major wall panel to which it is connected adjacent one of said latches to a height extending above a height of said adjacent one of said latches; and

said wall panel of said at least one deactivator including a pair of fingers which extend about said adjacent one of said latches capturing said adjacent one of said latches therebetween and forming a frictional engagement with said adjacent one of said latches to retain said at least one deactivator in said second position.

8. A package according to claim 7 , wherein a support rail for supporting sliding movement of said blister card extends from said major wall panel of said sleeve on which said wall panel of said at least one deactivator is formed such that said support rail extends between said wall panel of said at least one deactivator and said adjacent one of said latches.

9. A package according to claim 7 , wherein each of said latch-catchers is an aperture formed in said blister card, and wherein, when said at least one deactivator is in said second position, a combination of said at least one deactivator and said adjacent one of said latches is sufficiently large such that it cannot fit within said aperture.

10. A package according to claim 7 , wherein said sleeve has a pair of deactivators with one being located adjacent to each of said latches.

11. A package according to claim 7 , wherein each of said tabs has an arm with a tapered surface extending transversely within said sleeve, wherein, when each of said tabs is depressed, each of said tapered surfaces of said arms engages and flexes said card section of the said blister card such that an adjacent one of said latches is released from an adjacent one of said latch-catchers.

12. A package according to claim 7 , wherein each of said latches is a structure having a tapered side facing said dispensing end so that said blister card is easy to slide into said storage position, and wherein each of said latch catchers is selected from the group consisting of an aperture, a cavity, and a notch formed in or by said blister card.

13. A package according to claim 7 , wherein said card section has front, rear and opposite side margins within which said blister compartments holding the tablets do not extend, and wherein said latch-catchers are located on said rear margin and opposite ones of said side margins.

14. A package according to claim 13 , wherein said sleeve is formed by a pair of molded body sections, wherein each of said body sections have a spaced-apart pair of support rails extending from said major wall panels, wherein said support rails of said body sections within said sleeve extend adjacent said side edges of said sleeve and opposed ones of said support rails define a small gap therebetween in which said side margin of said card section of said blister card is received; and wherein said support rails support said side margins of said card section to stabilize said card section of said blister card within said sleeve and to stabilize sliding movement of said blister card relative to said sleeve.

15. A package according to claim 14 , wherein one of said latches is adjacent to each opposed set of said support rails, and wherein each of said latches is of a greater height than an adjacent one of said support rails.

Assignments (17)

Continuity (2)