Package for containing tubular products, such as vials and the like

Abstract: The package is constituted by a box (5), made of card-board, in which a support element (4), also made of card-board, is inserted. This U-shaped element has fixed wings (3a,3b), with correspondent and coaxial holes (8,9), inside which products (6), e.g. vials are inserted. The edge of each hole relative to one of the wings has radial segments (11) which are positioned in correspondence with the narrowing (7c) of the neck of the product in order to prevent the slipping of the latter. The element (4) can be provided with flaps (12, 13) including appendixes (14,15) the heads of which rest against the bottom (17) and the cover (18) of the container; in this way the bottom (7d) and the end (7e) of the neck (7b) are effectively protected.

Description: The invention relates to the farmaceutical packaging field, particularly to the sector of the packaging of products, e.g. vials and the like, which are made of glass. These products must be kept in a package that can contain a plurality of them separate from one another and that prevents them sufficiently from breaking during the transport or the handling of the finished package. A known package is constituted by a box in which an element of support (called "rondo" by the technicians of the field) is inserted. The element of support is constituted by a corrugated card-board, folded in such a way as to form a plurality of flanked seats, with U-shaped section, and is glued to a lower card-board blank provided with only lateral wings folded vertically to close the ends of said seats. The above mentioned package is complicated as far as the element of support is concerned; besides the presence of adhesive agents in the latter causes problems of environmental pollution on the disposal of the package. In a further known package the element of support is made like a drawer by moulding a suitable plastic material. Everybody knows the problems connected with the getting rid of the plastic articles, particularly if they are not biodegradable. Document GB-A-714 467 discloses a package of the drawer-and-shell type particularly for containing ampules. The drawer of the shell is provided with a channel extending longitudinally thereof. This longitudinal channel is defined by the drawer bottom, by two side flanges and by a top web. The channel is thus provided at one side with a series of larger openings and at the other side with a series of smaller openings for receiving the body and the neck respectively of a plurality of ampules which are suspended crosswise in the channel and are thus protected from one another by the material of the side flanges of the channel between the openings. The drawer has end walls and tuck-in flaps for closing the ends of the shell of the package. The most important disadvantage of said known package is that the support of the ampules is carried out by the cooperation between the longitudinal channel and the drawer bottom causing a considerable waste of material and increasing of the production costs. In the document US-A-2.582.476 it is disclosed a package according to the preamble of claim 1, said package having a top wall provided with windows opening closed by a transparent panel, and slidably receiving a supporting tray for articles of merchandise having wrappers twisted at both ends and providing article supporting elements. This tray comprises a bottom and upstanding flanges joined to the bottom on opposed edges and held in their upright position by means of supporting feet or tab which are cut out from the bottom and are turned outwardly on score lines. The flanges have opposed forwardly inclined longitudinally spaced slots extending from their upper edges for grippingly and retainingly receiving the twisted ends of the article wrappers for supporting these latter in longitudinally spaced relation and elevated above the bottom of the tray. The rear edges of slots are forwardly bevelled to facilitate the engagement of the twisted ends of the wrappers in the slots. Since the object of this background art is to display the very attractively merchandise articles, the main drawback of said known package is that the support of the merchandise articles is carried out by gripping and retaining the both ends of each merchandise article. Another disadvantage is that both flanges of the supporting tray are held in their upright position by means of supporting feet or tabs, the carrying out of which involves a relatively complex realisation of the whole tray. The object of the invention is to propose a package in which the products, such as vials and the like, are separated one from another and sufficiently protected from breaking during the transport or the use of the package. Another object of the invention is to propose a package which does not involve the use of adhesive agents or plastic materials and is made of a material that does not present ecological problems connected with the disposal of the package. A further object of the invention is to propose a package formed in such a way that it does not cause the contact between the products during the removal of one of them effected by the user. A further object of the invention is to propose a package that can be made automatically, that can provides a considerable saving in material together with a cost saving. The above described objects is obtained in accordance with what stated in the claims. The characteristics of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: figure 1 shows a plan view of the blank from which it is possible to obtain the element of support according to a first embodiment; figure 2 shows a perspective view of the element of support according to the first embodiment while it is used; figure 3 shows a top plan view of the blank from which it is possible to obtain the element of support relative to a second embodiment; figure 4 shows a front view of the element of support in use and according to the second embodiment; figures 5, 6 show what is shown in figure 4, as it is seen according to the directions A, B respectively; figure 7 shows an exploded view of the components of the proposed package; figures 8, 9 show a perspective view of two variations of the element of support. With reference to the figures 1 and 2, numeral 1 indicates a blank of card-board with two longitudinal fold lines 2a, 2b. These fold lines delimit two wings 3a,3b which can be folded in the same direction, along the fold lines, so as to define an element of support 4 with longitudinal U-shaped section (fig. 2). The dimensions H, K of this element are not superior to the internal width and height of the correspondent box 5 (fig. 7). Numeral 6 indicates a tubular product (e.g. vial) constituted by a cylindrical body 7a and a neck 7b mutually connected by a narrowing 7c; the length of this vial is inferior to the internal length of the box 5. The first wing 3a has a series of first through holes 8, with a predetermined distance from each other. The second wing 3b has a series of through holes 9, of diameter smaller than the diameter of previously cited holes. Each second hole 9 is coaxial with a related first hole 8, and the edge of each second hole has radial splits that define flexible segments 11. The insertion of a vial 6 into the element 4 takes place in the following way. The neck 7b is made to pass through a first hole 8, until it inserts in a second hole 9, correspondent to the previous one, remaining engaged therein because of the elastic flexion of the segments 11. Hence the hole 8 lets the body 7a glide smoothly, until the narrowing 7c is positioned in correspondence with the segments 11. The external diameter of the narrowing is larger then the diameter of the second hole 9, and therefore after the connection has been accomplished the segments 11 remain slightly bent. This is extremely profitable since it allows to block the vial 6 in the element 4 thus avoiding the axial gliding of the vial in case of accidental stresses of the box 5, inside which there is the support 4 with the vial 6. By accidental stresses it is meant those resulting from the transport of the package or from its handlig (e.g. placing the package in a relative space, handling of the package by the user etc.). Due to the element 4 the the vials 6, blocked therein, are prevented from hitting each other. When it is desired to protect efficiently the bottom 7d and/or the external end 7e of the vial, the embodiments illustrated by the figures 3,4,5,6,7,8,9 should be used. From the figure 3 it results evident that two flaps 12,13 extend from the sides of the base 1a of the blank that do not have the wings. The flaps 12 and 13, which are coplanar with the base 1a and hinged to it by two fold lines 19a,19b, have two longitudinal appendixes 14 and 15. These flaps are folded like the wings 3a,3b in order to form the seond embodiment of the element 4 (figures 4,5,6,7). Preferably, the height of the flaps is the same as the height of the wings 3a, 3b (fig.5), while the heads 14a, 15a of the cited appendixes 14, 15 are jutting in respect of the bottom 7d and the top 7e of each vial (figures 4,6). When the element 4, with the related flaps, is inserted in the box 5, the cited heads 14a, 15a constitute an efficient rest part for the bottom 17 and the cover 18 of the box 5. The corners of the heads 14a, 15a have bluntings 16 that help the insertion of the closing edges of the bottom and the cover of the box. The element 4, obtained in this way, with the vials blocked in it, is showed by the figures 4,5,6,7 while the same figure 7 shows the components of the package, i.e. the element 4 and the box 5 for containing the same. The structure of the element of support 4 allows to optimize the use of the space available in the box and at the same time it contributes to stiffen the package obtained from the box 5 and the element 4 with relative vials 6. In order to remove a vial 6 from the package it is necessary to draw the element 4 out of the box and slip a vial out of the relative holes 8, 9; to do this it is enough to overcome the elastic reaction of the segments 11. This operation does not cause possible hits between the vial being slipped out and the other vials, neither hits between the latters. In order to protect still more efficiently the vials 6 and at the same time to stiffen the package, there are provided the variations showed by the figures 8,9. In the variation of the fig. 8, there are two tabs 20a and 20b, respectively hinged to the upper longitudinal edges of the flaps 12 and 13, by means of fold lines 21a and 21b. The width of each tab is equal to H/2, therefore the same tabs when folded inwards cover one side of the element 4; in this way the vials are effieciently protected from accidental stresses and the package obtained is stiffer than the one showed by fig. 7. In the variation of fig. 9 there is provided only one tab 22, of the width equal to H. The tab 22 is hinged to one of the flaps 12, 13. The element of support 4, in both the embodiments and the considered variations, can be obtained from a blank of card-board; therefore, there are no problems connected with performing the operative phases which define the final structure of the element 4. The structure of the element 4 is such that it optimizes the use of the space available in the box, i.e. allows to save card-board with consequent positive effect on the costs of the package. The element 4 once used, i.e. after the user has taken all the vials out of it, does not provoke problems with its disposal, that is extremely advantageous from an ecological point of view. Obviously the holes 8 and correspondent holes 9, can be of different diameters, with the possibility to block vials 6 of different dimensions in the element 4.

Claims: Package for containing tubular products, such as vials and the like, with each of these products (6) constituted by a cylindrical body (7a), a neck (7b) and a narrowing portion (7c) mutually connecting said body (7a) to said neck (7b), said package comprising a box (5) having a length that is longer than said tubular products (6), said package further including a U-shaped support element (4) inserted into said box (5) for supporting at least one tubular product (6), said support element (4) having a quadrangular base (1a), a first wing (3a) and a second wing (3b), said base (1a) having two opposite sides and two opposite ends, each of said wings (3a, 3b) having a first edge hinged to the opposite ends of said base (1a), and each of said wings (3a, 3b) having a second edge which is free, the free edge being opposite to the hinged edge, the wings (3a, 3b) standing in an upright position and the plane of the wings (3a, 3b) being parallel to each other, said wings having coaxial openings for receiving opposite ends of the products, characterised in that said hinged edges of the wings and said opposite ends of the base are connected over their whole length, and that said first wing (3a) has at least a first through hole (8) approximating the diameter of the body (7a) of said product (6) and into which this latter is inserted, said second wing (3b) having at least a second through hole (9) made coaxial with said first hole (8), the second hole (9) approximating the smaller diameter of the narrowing portion (7c), the peripheral edge of said second hole (9) having radial splits (10) which form flexible segments (11) which elastically permit the passage of the neck (7b) therethrough and which hold said narrowing portion (7c) of said tubular product (6) therein while said first through hole (8) freely supports the body (7a) of said tubular product (6). Package according to claim 1, characterised in that it includes two flaps (12,13) hinged to said opposite sides of said base (1a) between said wings (3a,3b), said flaps (12,13) being folded like said wings and having longitudinal appendixes (14,15), the heads of which (14a,15a) jut in respect of said base (1a) and said upright wings; said heads being designed to rest against two opposite walls of said box (5), to protect said bottom (7d) and top (7e) of said tubular product (6). Package according to claim 2, characterized in that two tabs (21a,21b) are hinged to the longitudinal upper edges of said flaps (12,13) by means of fold lines (20a, 20b), these tabs having such dimensions that when they are folded inwardly toward said element of support (4) the relative longitudinal heads almost touch each other. Package, according to claim 2, characterized in that a tab (22) is hinged to the longitudinal upper edge of one of said flaps (12,13) by means of a fold line so that said tab can be inwardly folded towards said element of support (4) in order to protect the tubular product (4) blocked therein. Package according to claim 2, or 3, or 4, characterized in that the height of said flaps (12,13) of said element of support (4) is not superior to the height of said wings (3a,3b). Package according to claim 2, or 3, or 4, or 5, characterized in that the heads (14a,15a) of said element of support have the corners (16) blunt.

Inventors: BRINTAZZOLI RENATO, BRINTAZZOLI, RENATO
Applicants: SAN S R L, SAN S.R.L.
Application year: 1991
Main classification: B65D5
IPC codes: B65D5, B65D85