Abstract:
Apparatus for releasing tablets from a blister pack containing a plurality of tablets, each held in a respective blister, the apparatus comprising receiving means for receiving a blister pack, the receiving means having a lid moveable between an open and a closed position, the apparatus further comprising an abutment member mounted on the lid, the arrangement being such that movement of the lid from the open to the closed position, in use, causes the abutment member to engage, and release a tablet from, a blister in registry with the abutment member.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     This invention relates to apparatus for releasing tablets from a blister pack containing a plurality of tablets, each held in a respective blister, and to such apparatus for use with a blister pack in which the blisters are arranged in two rows.  
       BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     It is common for medicament supplied in tablet form to be packaged in a blister pack. Such a pack typically comprises an upper sheet of semi-rigid plastics material in which the blisters are formed, and a lower sheet of sealing foil which closes the blisters. In order to release a tablet from a blister, the pack has to be held with the underside of the blister spaced from any supporting surface and a collapsing force needs to be exerted on the blister. If such a force is sufficiently large, it will cause the portion of the foil sealing the blister to rupture, thus releasing the tablet.  
         [0003]     Although an able bodied person can easily release the blister from the pack without further assistance, a person of reduced manual dexterity can have difficulty exerting a sufficient collapsing force on a blister while properly supporting the blister pack.  
         [0004]     EP-A-0759403 shows a tablet dispenser having a tray holding for a blister pack and a lid in which a number of buttons, each connected to a respective plunger, are provided. In use, each plunger overlies a respective blister so that, when the associated button is pushed, a tablet is ejected from that blister by the plunger. Since the number of buttons has to correspond to the number of blisters in a pack, the buttons are small and therefore difficult to use.  
         [0005]     EP0547426A shows a tray like container having a lid which is provided with a single plunger slideable along a race so that it can move into engagement with any selected one of the blisters in a pack held in the tray. However, the top of the plunger is still relatively small and therefore difficult to operate.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided apparatus for releasing tablets from a blister pack containing a plurality of tablets, each held in a respective blister, the apparatus comprising receiving means for receiving a blister pack, the receiving means having a lid moveable between an open and a closed position, the apparatus further comprising an abutment member mounted on the lid, the arrangement being such that movement of the lid from the open to the closed position, in use, causes the abutment member to engage, and release a tablet from, a blister in registry with the abutment member.  
         [0007]     Thus the invention provides apparatus which can release a tablet from a blister pack in the apparatus simply by closing the lid. Once the lid has been closed, no further manipulation of the apparatus is required in order to release the tablet.  
         [0008]     Preferably, the receiving means, comprises a tray, and the lid may to advantage be pivotally mounted on the tray.  
         [0009]     The abutment member is preferably so mounted on the lid that the perpendicular distance from the outboard end of the abutment member to the portion of the lid on which it is mounted remains substantially fixed. This helps to ensure that most of the closing force exerted on the lid by a user is transmitted to the abutment to the blister.  
         [0010]     The abutment preferably comprises a peg which is slideably mounted on the lid so as to be moveable, in use, into registry with any selected one of a plurality of blisters in a pack in the tray.  
         [0011]     This enables the tray to be used as a container for the blister pack since the pack does not need to be re-positioned in the tray each time a tablet is to be released. Instead, it is simply necessary to move the peg into registry with the next full blister.  
         [0012]     Preferably, the apparatus includes location means for providing a series of detent positions for the peg relative to the lid, each said position of the peg being in registry, in use, with a respective blister.  
         [0013]     Preferably the location means comprises a series of formations which are in a fixed position relative to the lid and matingly engage the peg.  
         [0014]     Preferably, the peg comprises a resiliently compressible portion for engaging said formations.  
         [0015]     The formations may conveniently be integrally formed with the lid.  
         [0016]     The tray may to advantage have a floor in which there is provided a plurality of apertures, each for allowing a tablet released from a respective blister overlying the aperture to pass through the floor, the peg thus being moveable into registry with any selected one of the apertures.  
         [0017]     To that end, the peg is preferably slideably mounted in a guide way on the underside of the lid.  
         [0018]     Typically, the blisters of a blister pack are arranged in two parallel rows. Some blister packs have a large number of parallel rows, but may be divided into sub packs, each of two rows of blisters, for example by tearing along the lines of weakening provided.  
         [0019]     The apertures are therefore conveniently arranged in two parallel rows, to correspond to the arrangement of blisters in a pack, in which case the key way may comprise two main runs, each in registry with a respective row of apertures, interconnected by a run not in registry with any aperture.  
         [0020]     It should also be noted that apparatus may be configured to accept blister packs having more than two rows of blisters, in which case the rows of apertures are two of three of more rows, the key way comprising three or more runs, each in registry with a respective aperture, each pair of neighbouring runs being interconnected by a respective interconnecting run not in registry with any aperture.  
         [0021]     The position of the or each interconnecting run is therefore such that the peg can only eject tablets when in either or any of the main runs.  
         [0022]     This latter of feature is of advantage whether the peg is axially fixed to the lid or whether it needs to be operated by means of a separate button once the lid has been closed.  
         [0023]     The invention therefore also lies in apparatus for releasing tablets from a blister pack having two rows of blisters each containing a respective tablet, the apparatus comprising a tray, the floor of which has aperture means in registry, in use, with the two rows of blisters for allowing released tablets to pass through the tray floor, the apparatus further comprising a peg mounted on a lid of the tray for engaging a blister to release the tablet therefrom, the peg being slideable along a key way in the lid to enable the peg to moved be into registry with any selected one of the blisters of a pack in the tray, wherein the key way has two main runs in registry with the aperture means and an interconnecting run which interconnects the two main runs to allow the peg to be transferred from one to the other of the main runs, and which is not in registry with the aperture means.  
         [0024]     Preferably, the aperture means comprises two rows of apertures, each aperture being in registry with a respective blister when a blister pack is held in the device.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0025]     The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:— 
         [0026]      FIG. 1  is an isometric view of apparatus in accordance with the invention, the apparatus being shown with a lid in its partially opened condition and a blister pack ready to be placed in the apparatus;  
         [0027]      FIG. 2  is a sectional end view of the apparatus as shown in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0028]     FIGS.  3 , 5 , 7  and  9  are views corresponding to  FIG. 1  and showing the apparatus at a number different stages during its operation;  
         [0029]     Each of FIGS.  4 , 6 , 8  and  10  is a sectional side view, corresponding to  FIG. 2 , of the apparatus at the stages of operation shown respectively in FIGS.  3 , 5 , 7  and  9 ;  
         [0030]      FIGS. 11 and 12  are views, respectively corresponding to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , of a second embodiment of apparatus in accordance with the invention; and  
         [0031]      FIGS. 13 and 14  are views, respectively corresponding to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , of a third embodiment of apparatus in accordance with the invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0032]     With reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , apparatus for releasing tablets from a blister pack, referenced  1 , comprises a tray  2  and a lid  4  which is pivotally connected along one side to the tray  2  so that the lid  4  can pivot about an axis defined by the side  6  of the lid  4 .  
         [0033]      FIG. 2  is a sectional view along the plane II indicated in  FIG. 1 , and shows that the tray  2  has a bottom  8  which is formed integrally with the side walls  12  and  14  of the tray. A raised floor  16  extends horizontally across the tray between the walls  12  and  14 , and is spaced from the base  8  to define a cavity  18 . A vertical partition wall  20  also extends between the walls  12  and  14  and is disposed at one end of the floor  16 . The partition wall  20  includes raised portion  22  which defines a gap between the partition  20  and the floor  8  so as to enable the cavity  18  to communicate with an end receptacle defined by the floor  8  and a part circular end wall  24 .  
         [0034]     The floor  16  includes ten circular apertures, such as the aperture  26 , arranged in two rows, each of five apertures. Each row corresponds to one of two rows  28  and  30  of blisters in the pack  1 .  
         [0035]     As can be seen from  FIG. 2  the lid  4  is hollow, and is internally divided along its length by means of a rib  30  which is integral with an upper portion  32  of the lid  4  and lid&#39;s bottom  34 . The bottom  34  takes the form of a plate in which there is provided a guide way  36  comprising a generally H-shaped slot. The guide  36  has two main straight parallel runs  38  and  40  interconnected by a cross run  42  extending perpendicularly to the two main runs. As can be seen from  FIG. 1 , there is an interruption in the rib  30  at the run  42 . In an alternative embodiment the guide way comprises a U shaped slot. The guide way  36  slideably retains a peg generally referenced  44  having a domed tip  46  and a generally part spherical head  48  connected by a neck  50 . The head  48  has a diameter which is larger than the width of any of the runs of the key way  36  and is situated in the space between the bottom  34  and upper portion  32  of the lid  4 . The tip  46  also has a larger diameter than the width of any run. Thus the peg  44  is securely, but slideably retained on the lid  4 .  
         [0036]     When the lid  4  is closed, each of the runs  38  and  40  overlies a respective one of the rows of apertures in the floor  16 , whereas the run  42  overlies the portion of the floor  16  between adjacent pairs of apertures in the rows.  
         [0037]     In use, the blister pack  1  is placed in the tray  2  so that it is supported on the floor  16  with each of the rows  28  and  30  of blisters overlying the corresponding row of apertures in the floor  16 . The spacing of the apertures is such that each blister is aligned, and hence in registry with a respective aperture.  
         [0038]     The lid is then pivoted above the axis  6  towards its closed position. This brings the tip  46  of the peg  44  into contact with the blister  27 . As the user continues to close the lid, until it reaches its fully closed position shown in  FIGS. 7 and 8 , the peg  44  exerts an increasing collapsing force on the blister  27  until the seal on the underside of the blister is ruptured so that the tablet in the blister falls through the corresponding aperture in the floor  16 , as shown in  FIG. 8 .  
         [0039]     The largest diameter of the tip  46  of the peg  44  is less than the diameter of the blister. This prevents the peg  44  engaging the blister directly over its circumferential side wall (referenced  50  in  FIG. 8 ). It has been found that, if a collapsing force is exerted over an area large enough to include the side wall, the wall provides very effective resistance to the desired collapse of the blister. Thus, having a smaller peg avoids the problem of the blister presenting too much resistance to the collapsing force.  
         [0040]     The tablet released from the blister  27  is shown at  52  in  FIG. 8  in the cavity  18 . If the apparatus is tilted appropriately, the tablet  52  will fall along the cavity  18  and out through the gap between the end wall  20  and base  8  and into the receptacle defined by the base  8  and the wall  24 .  
         [0041]     In order to dispense the next tablet, the user opens the lid and moves the peg along the run  40  into the position shown in  FIG. 9 , in which the peg is registry with the next blister  29 . The process is then repeated. The peg  44  can be moved along the run  40  so that it is in registry with each of the blisters in the row  28  in turn. Once all the blisters in that run have been emptied, the peg  44  can be moved back into alignment with the run  42  and across into the run  38  so that the pills in the row  30  can be released in a similar manner. The positioning of the run  42  is such that, when the peg is in that run, it is not properly in registry with any blister so that closing the lid with the peg in this position does not dispense any tablets.  
         [0042]     With reference to  FIGS. 11 and 12 , the second embodiment of apparatus is similar in many respects to the first embodiment, and the reference numerals of the preceding drawings are therefore are therefore use to denote the corresponding components of the second embodiment and the blister pack.  
         [0043]     Thus, for example the second embodiment has a lid  4  which is hinged to a tray  2 , and which has a guide-way  36  in which a slideable peg  42  is held captive. In the second embodiment however, the peg  42  is formed from a hard rubber so that its head  48  is resiliently compressible. Furthermore, the lower face  100  of the top of the lid carries formations constituted by two linear arrays of part spherical indentations,  102 , integrally formed with the lid. As can be seen from  FIG. 12 , the curvature of the head  48  is the same as that of the indentations  102  so that, when in alignment with an indentation the head  48  is snugly seated therein. However, movement of the head out of an indentation will result is compression of the head. Thus the indentations  102  co-operate with the head  48  to provide a series of detent positions. These assist in the correct alignment of the peg with a blister since each indentation is aligned with a respective hole in the floor  16 , when the lid  2  is closed.  
         [0044]     The reference numerals used in  FIGS. 13 and 14  have been allocated in the same manner as the reference numerals of  FIGS. 11 and 12 . The third embodiment of apparatus differs from the second embodiment only in that the lid  4  carries two linear arrays of part spherical protuberances  104  (instead of the indents  102 ) and in that the top of the head  48  is countersunk (at  106 ) to provide a part-spherical recess of the same radius as each protuberance. Thus the protuberances  104  and countersunk head  48  co-operate to provide a series of detent positions for the peg  42 , each position being in registry with a respective aperture in the floor  16 .