Patent Description:
Blister packages are commonly used to retain ingestible products, such as candy, gum, powders, medicine tablets and the like. This type of packaging is convenient for separately securing individual product portions or doses. Each individual portion may be dispensed from the package while leaving additional portions sealed within the package.

In a traditional blister package, an article (e.g., a medicine tablet) is held in a cavity of a blister base member and a lidding film extends over the open top end of the cavity and is sealed to the base member around the cavity perimeter. There are two ways for releasing the article from the sealed blister package: <NUM>) by pushing on the outer surface of the base cavity, applying enough force (via the enclosed article) to rupture the lidding film, i.e., the article is "pushed through" while rupturing the lidding film; or <NUM>) by "peeling away" the lidding film from the base thereby allowing release of the article from the now open top end of the cavity.

The lidding film of a push-through package is typically made of aluminum (Al) foil, a material that is sufficiently brittle so as to rupture and allow release of the article. This requires a certain amount of force and dexterity to rupture the AL foil film, such that the package can be difficult to open.

Peelable lidding film is also typically made of Al foil, and again requires a certain force and dexterity to grasp one edge of the foil and pull the foil away from the base member. Often the foil is sufficiently difficult to peel that not all of the foil is removed from the base and/or the user becomes frustrated and instead punctures the lidding film to evacuate the article, leaving part or all of the AL foil still attached to the base.

A third type of blister package has a blister base that be easily be broken into two parts (fractured) for evacuating the article from the fractured base.

A typical blister base is made from a thermoformable plastic, while the lidding film is an extruded single layer or multi-layer film that includes a layer of Al foil. As a result of the Al foil and/or different plastic material layers, the blister package cannot be recycled via a single plastic waste stream.

It is also known to provide a puncture resistant lidding film, for example composed of three layers: a bi-axially oriented polyester terephthalate (PET) layer, an Al foil layer, and a heat seal layer. The foil layer provides a barrier function, while the PET layer provides puncture resistance. Again this combination of lidding film and blister base is not suitable for recycling in a single plastic waste stream.

<CIT> discloses a molded plastic film article for a blister, in particular a blister for tablets, comprising a transparent carrier substrate that includes a semi-transparent functional layer which is designed in such a way that the molded plastic film article has a first visible color when viewed in reflected light while having a second visible color when viewed in transmitted light.

<CIT> discloses a multilayer film having low water vapor permeability. The multilayer film of the present application is readily thermoformed and is, therefore, suitable for blister packaging sheets as well as for food packaging, medical barriers and device packaging, and other general purposes where low water vapor permeability is desired.

<CIT> discloses a push-through pack with a blister base part (<NUM>) and a transparent or translucent push-through outer film (<NUM>) which is free from metal foil and is sealed with respect to the blister base part. The outer film includes at least one layer of cycloolefin copolymer (COC) or cycloolefin polymer (COP).

It would be desirable to provide a blister package that is recyclable in a single plastic waste stream.

It would be desirable to provide a puncture resistant lidding film for sealing an article in a cavity of a blister base.

It would be desirable to provide a blister package with a barrier property, so as to prevent or retard access of one or more outside contaminants or substances that reduce the shelf life of the article from entering the sealed cavity of the blister package.

In one aspect, a halogen-free recyclable moisture barrier blister package is provided comprising a lidding film and a base, the base having a plurality of base cavities each configured to hold an individual product portion, the lidding film and base being heat sealed together about a perimeter of each of the plurality of base cavities, and:.

In one embodiment, the blister package has a MVTR of no greater than <NUM> milligram per cavity per <NUM> hours.

In one embodiment, both the base and the lidding film include a polyolefin surface layer comprising polypropylene (PP) or polyethylene (PE) that form a releasable heat seal to temporarily attach the lidding film to the base, with an individual product portion sealed in each cavity of the base, wherein the lidding film is configured to be grasped and peeled away from the perimeter of each base cavity so as to allow release of the individual product portion from the cavity.

In one embodiment, the thermoformed sheet of the base is produced from a flat sheet having a moisture vapor transmission rate (MVTR) of less than <NUM> gram per square meter per <NUM> hours at <NUM> <NUM>% RH.

In one embodiment, the polyolefin consists essentially of polypropylene (PP), which together with the COC is recyclable in a PP plastic waste stream.

In one embodiment, the polyolefin consists essentially of a polyethylene (PE), which together with the COC is recyclable in a PE plastic waste stream.

The lidding film and base have adjacent polyolefin layers for heat sealing the lidding film around the perimeter of each base cavity.

In one embodiment, the adjacent polyolefin layers are PP.

In one embodiment, the adjacent polyolefin layers are PE.

In one embodiment, the COC layer of each cavity of the blister base is configured to be ruptured by applying a snapping force to rupture the blister base cavity, thereby allowing release of an individual product portion from the ruptured base cavity, wherein the lidding film, still adhered to the blister base after rupture of each base cavity and removal of the product portion from each ruptured base cavity, is recyclable in a single plastic waste stream.

In one embodiment, the lidding film includes a PP layer and the lidding film and base are recyclable in a PP plastic waste stream.

In one embodiment, the lidding film includes a PE layer and the lidding film and base are recyclable in a PE plastic waste stream.

In one embodiment, the lidding film is a puncture resistant lidding film.

In one embodiment, the puncture resistant lidding film includes a puncture resistant layer of bi-axially oriented PP (BOPP) or bi-axially oriented PE (BOPE).

In one embodiment, the lidding film is configured to be peeled away from the blister base to enable release of the individual product portion from each cavity of the blister base.

The lidding film may include: a peelable PP layer and the lidding film and base are recyclable in a PP plastic waste stream, or a peelable PE layer and the lidding film and base are recyclable in a PE plastic waste stream.

In one embodiment, the lidding film further includes one or more of a metallization, SiOx or AlOx layer configured to provide a barrier property for protecting the individual product portion sealed in each blister cavity from contamination or a reduction of shelf life, wherein the metallization, SiOx or AlOx layer has a thickness of a few angstroms so as not to preclude its inclusion in a single plastic waste stream.

In one embodiment, the metallization, SiOx or AlOx layer is configured to provide a moisture barrier property or an oxygen barrier property.

In one embodiment, the lidding film includes a metallization, SiOx or AlOx layer configured to be recyclable in a single plastic waste stream.

In one embodiment, one or more layers of the lidding film and base are configured to provide a barrier property that prevents or retards access of one or more outside contaminants or substances that reduce the shelf life of the individual product portion from entering each cavity of the blister package.

The package may have a moisture vapor transmission rate (MVTR) measured via a <NUM>-week weight gain test at <NUM> and <NUM>% relative humidity (RH) as defined in ASTM D7709 that is equal to or less than that of a comparative package having a base of PVC and PVDC material at a coating weight of <NUM> grams per square meter onto a PVC base having a thickness ranging from <NUM> micrometer to <NUM> micrometer and an Aluminum foil push-through lidding film.

For purposes of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the drawings and described various embodiments which are suitable or presently preferred, it being understood that the invention is not limited to the specific arrangements and materials shown, wherein:.

<FIG> show twelve alternative layer structures and compositions for both the lidding film and base member in various embodiments of the invention.

<FIG> is a <NUM> x <NUM> grid of twelve alternative structures, arranged in a grid of four columns (C1, C2, C3 and C4, from left to right), and three rows (R1, R2 and R3, from top to bottom), wherein:.

<FIG> is a <NUM> x <NUM> grid of six alternative structures, arranged in a grid of three columns (C1, C2 and C3, from left to right), and two rows (R1 and R2, from top to bottom), wherein:.

In the examples above, the COC high Tg (high glass transition temperature) layer provides a high level of brittleness (easy to rupture) to enable push-through performance. The COC low Tg layer provides low brittleness (compared to the high Tg COC) to ensure toughness (puncture resistance). A COC blend of high/low Tg can be adjusted to provide a desired balance of ease of rupture (brittleness) of the lidding film during evacuation of the tablet, while remaining intact (puncture resistance) under tension during manufacture (e.g., during extrusion of the lidding film, slitting the extruded roll of lidding film for individual packages, and sealing of the lidding film to the blister base).

Suitable cyclic olefin copolymers COC include Topas COC <NUM>, Topas COC <NUM>, Topas COC <NUM>, Topas COC <NUM>, Zeonor 1020R, Zeonor 1060R Zeonor 1420R and Zeonex 690R. Topas COC resins are available from Polyplastics Co. Ltd, Tokyo, Japan. Zeonor and Zeonex resins and films are available from Zeon Europe GmbH, Dusseldorf, Germany. COC resins are clear/transparent and provide a water vapor barrier. They have high heat moldability and can be used to form both the thermoformed base, and an extruded lidding film.

Suitable thicknesses of the blister base are in a range of <NUM> microns to <NUM> microns. Suitable thicknesses of the COC layer in the base are in a range of <NUM> microns to <NUM> microns. Suitable thicknesses for the lidding film are in a range of <NUM> microns to <NUM> microns. Suitable thicknesses for the COC layer in the lidding film are in a range of <NUM> microns to <NUM> microns.

An acceptable level of force (push-through force) to rupture the lidding film is in a range of <NUM> to <NUM> Newtons.

The metallization layer refers to a thin (angstroms thick) metal coating applied to a plastic carrier film. The resulting metallized film, also known as metal-transfer or transferred-metal film, provides reduced permeation (barrier properties that extend the shelf life of the enclosed product) and a glassy, metallic sheen at a reduced weight and cost. They negate two main problems with metal foil, such as AL foil, namely Al foil is relatively easy to puncture (during transport and handling) and Al foil exhibits dead-fold, wherein once folded, the fold becomes a permanent crease or blemish that most customers find unattractive in packaging. The metallization layer can also be aluminum, but the thickness of the metallization layer is only a few angstroms. Alternatively, an inorganic barrier layer (such as SiOx or AlOx) can be included. The carrier film can be bi-axially-oriented polypropylene (BOPP) or bi-axially-oriented polyethylene (BOPE), or COC. Metalized films cannot be thermoformed, as they will not soften under heat. They can be used in the lidding film and due to the very low thickness of the metallization layer, will not impact the recycling stream of the carrier film material.

In the examples, weld seal means the adhesion between the lidding film and base after sealing is so high that the two elements become inseparable - one or both will fail structurally (e.g., rupture of the lidding film) before the two elements can be separated. The required process parameters (heat, pressure, time) to achieve such condition will vary based on the type of materials, thickness, etc. Likewise the force required to cause rupture of the lidding film will depend on the type of material, thickness, etc..

In the examples, a peelable seal means that the adhesion between the lidding and base is lower than the force required for structural failure of the lidding film. An acceptable peelable force typically falls below <NUM> N/<NUM> (force in Newtons (N), displacement in millimeters (mm)).

<FIG> illustrate an example of a blister package of a type that may be used in the present invention, it being understood that the invention is not limited to this specific structural design or implementation. <FIG> is an exploded perspective view of the constituent parts of a blister package in one embodiment. <FIG> is a cross sectional view of one sealed cavity of the blister package assembly of <FIG>. <FIG> is a schematic view of a blister package assembly process.

Referring to <FIG>, a blister package is generally referred to by the numeral <NUM>. The constituent parts of the blister package <NUM> are a thermoformed base member <NUM>, and a lidding film <NUM> formed by extrusion (or similar process). The base <NUM> includes a plurality of recessed cavities <NUM> typically arranged in an aligned pattern or array, with each cavity <NUM> separated by a planer sealing flange <NUM>. Each cavity <NUM> retains an article or product <NUM>. The blister package may be formed with any number of cavities, including a single cavity, and each cavity may retain an individual article as the product, such as the tablet illustrated, multiple products or a quantity of loose product, such as a powder or granular material. A series of separation lines (not shown) may be provided within the sealing flange, between adjacent receptacle cavities, or multiple cavities, so as to permit separation of a portion of the base from the remainder, as desired.

The lidding film <NUM> is shown in <FIG> as separated from the base <NUM> for illustration purposes. The lidding film <NUM> is joined to the base <NUM> in <FIG>. As shown, the lidding film <NUM> is joined to the sealing flange <NUM> (an area around the perimeter of the cavity <NUM>) such that each individual cavity <NUM> is covered and closed. Optionally a score pattern (not shown) may be formed within the lidding film <NUM> to assist in push-through rupture of the film, but is not required. In <FIG>, the rupture force is represented by the arrow <NUM>, with the resulting tear/rupture in the lidding film <NUM> above the cavity <NUM> releasing a previously sealed product.

As shown in <FIG>, the relatively outer part <NUM> of the lidding film <NUM> is the structural portion of the layer and is formed of a polymer material. The second or inner part <NUM> of the lidding film <NUM> as shown forms the sealing layer for attachment of the lidding film to the sealing flange area <NUM> of the base. The inner part <NUM> of the lidding film may be a separate polymer layer and may be formed as part of a laminate structure, with the inner part being compatible with the material of the sealing flange. A heat seal coating may be applied on the inner surface of the laminate. As a further alternative, the lidding film <NUM> may be secured to the flange <NUM> by a patterned adhesive or similar attachment mechanism. A print layer (not shown) may be provided within the structure and other layers may be included or added. It is preferred that the lidding film not include a paper or metal foil layer.

In <FIG> there is schematically shown a forming and assembly process for the blister package <NUM>. The material used to form the lidding film <NUM> is shown in web form and is provided in a roll <NUM>. As shown, the web is wound off of a roll <NUM> and is fed into a printing station P. The web may be printed on either or both surfaces. The web is moved by rollers <NUM>/<NUM> to be joined with the sealing flange of the base substrate. The base substrate <NUM> is shown as being provided in rolled from <NUM>. The cavities <NUM> may be formed as part of the process or prior to the formation of the roll <NUM>. The cavities <NUM> in the base substrate <NUM> are filled with product <NUM> at a filling station F and the open end of each cavity is brought into alignment with the lidding film web <NUM> at the heating station H (or similar station for securing the lidding film to the base substrate. The lidding film web <NUM> is sealed to the sealing flange (<NUM>) to close each cavity <NUM> (and seal the product <NUM> therein). The combined web and substrate is cut and separated as desired to define a package having the desired number and pattern of product cavities.

The schematic of <FIG> is provided to show the steps of one embodiment of an assembly process for a finished package. These steps may be performed together or as part of separated operations. For example, the web material forming the lidding film <NUM> may be printed, coated and die cut as part of one operation or separate processing operations. The printed, coated and cut web, which is stored in a roll, may be slit to form narrow rolls, having a width comparable to one package. The slit rolls may then be separately sealed to the base substrate, with the individual packages cut from the elongated combination. Other operations may be performed within this general process outline.

<FIG> shows one example of a blister package with a fracturable base member. The package <NUM> includes a lidding film <NUM> attached to the rear surface of a thermoformed base substrate <NUM>, shown here with a single cavity, and following fracture of the base member at fracture line <NUM> the base forms two base portions 51a and 51b with the product being released at the opening formed at the fracture line <NUM>.

These and other embodiments of the invention may be made in accordance with the foregoing disclosure.

A typical recycling process, as illustrated in <FIG> (source: Recyclass), consists of multiple steps. In order to demonstrate that a package is considered technically recyclable, laboratories simulate these steps to determine whether a package will be able to be recycled.

An important step in the recycling process is Near Infrared (NIR) detection. In this process step, an infrared sensor determines which polymers a package is constituted of, such as PE, PP, PET, etc. In case multiple polymers are detected, a package will not be selected for recycling. In case only one polymer is detected, the package will be sorted in its respective polymer group and further recycled into PCR (post-consumer, recycled) resin pellets.

The present invention relates to a blister package made of a blister base and a lidding film composed of polymers that are detected as one polymer and can be recycled into one polymer recycling stream.

As an example, three sample blister packages made from the blister base and lidding materials listed in <FIG> (and further described below under the section "Test Structures") were subjected to an NIR sorting test at an external laboratory (Cyclos-HTP GmbH). The results are shown in columns <NUM>-<NUM> of <FIG>, for each of the Sample Package Nos. listed in column <NUM>. The Intensity (col. <NUM>) indicates how well the package was detected based on visual characteristics. The Classification (col. <NUM>) indicates which polymer type was detected by the NIR system; while shown in <FIG> in gray scale, the results would be color images that may be visually sorted for example into the following recycling categories or polymer groups: PCT bottle, PE 2D (polyethylene two dimensional), EPS, PUR, Elastomers, PET-lister, PS, PA, POM/PMMA/PLA, EVOH29, PP 3D (polypropylene three dimensional), paper/cardboard, PA6, PVC, EVOH44, PP 2D polypropylene two dimensional), liquid packaging board, PA6-<NUM>, wood, ABS, PE 3D, PBT, PC, textiles, unknown. The Valve Control (col. <NUM>) shows into which polymer group the package was sorted based on the Classification results. In each of cols. <NUM>-<NUM> of the table (<FIG>), the left-hand side picture shows the detection from the blister base side, whereas the right-hand side picture shows the detection from the lidding film side.

Per the results shown in <FIG>, the three package sample numbers <NUM>, <NUM> and <NUM> were completely identified as polypropylene PP from both sides (front and back, of sample). Based on this clear identifiability and reliable sorting using NIR separators, the three samples were designated an unrestricted sortability as "PP" (<FIG>).

Three reference blister base structures were produced for testing as illustrated in <FIG>, having the reference base identifiers listed in column <NUM>, and the designated serial layer structures, layer thicknesses, and layer materials listed in columns <NUM>-<NUM>.

The PP resins used were commercially available homopolymer or copolymer PP resins. The COC resin used was a COC resin such as Topas <NUM> F04.

As described in <FIG>, various peelable and weld seal lidding structures were produced (identified by reference # in the first column, and having the designated serial layer structures, layer thicknesses, and representative layer materials listed in columns <NUM>-<NUM>).

The PP heat seal film for weld seals were RP423BX (white or clear) from Copol International. The PP heat seal film for peelable seals were CP423BXP (white or clear) from Copol International. The SiOx BOPP film was GL-LP-G from Toppan or Ceramis CPP009 from Amcor. The MET (metallized) BOPP film was Torayfan M10 from Toray Plastics America. The BOPP film was Propafilm TE49 from Innovia. The COC film was produced internally from Topas COC <NUM> F04 resin. All structures were adhesive laminated.

In various embodiments, the following push-through lidding structures, single layer or multilayer structures, may be composed of one or more of the following materials:.

The BOPP layers exhibit high tensile strength and are unsuitable (without further modification) for push-through lidding. Techniques such as scoring (partial perforation) can be applied to make BOPP layers suitable for push-through lidding. Such a technique is described in <CIT>.

Blister packages are designed to protect the contents (e.g., oral-administered solid drug capsules or tablets) from moisture in order to maintain their efficacy. Such drugs exhibit different levels of sensitivity, therefore blister packages are made from different materials with increasing moisture barrier properties. Transparent thermoformable blister packages can be divided into three groups based on moisture barrier properties, low barrier, high barrier, and ultra-high barrier, as illustrated in <FIG>.

As suitable or representative materials there are included for example: PVC film such as Flexapharm NS products from Tekni-Plex Gallazzi. PET film such as Tekniflex PX products from Tekni-Plex. PVC/PVDC (traditional barrier) and PVC/PVDC (ultra-high barrier) such as Flexapharm C, HC and SBC products from Tekni-Plex Gallazzi. PVC/PCTFE film such as Tekniflex VA products from Tekni-Plex. PP-COC-PP, PP-COC-EVOH-PP and COC films such as Tekniflex COC and Tekniflex ECO from Tekni-Plex.

In the low barrier category, the majority of blister packages are made from PVC blister base with Al foil push-through lidding. The lidding is permanently attached to the blister base and therefore makes the blister package not suitable for recycling. In this category, blister packages can be made from PET blister base combined with a scored PET lidding, in order to form a fully recyclable PET blister package. Such examples are described for instance in <CIT>.

In the high barrier category, the majority of blister packages are made from PVC/PVDC blister base with Al foil push-through lidding. The lidding is permanently attached to the blister base and therefore makes the blister package not suitable for recycling. In this category, the current invention is proposed: PP-COC-PP, PP-COC-EVOH-PP or COC films as the blister base, combined with high barrier lidding structures.

Moisture barrier properties on blister packages are typically measured via weight gain studies, such as ASTM D7709. Blisters are filled with desiccants and stored at <NUM> <NUM>% relative humidity (RH) for <NUM> weeks. Each week, the weight gain of the blisters is measured. The increase in weight represents the moisture uptake by the desiccants through the blister materials. The slope of the linear regression lines represent the moisture vapor transmission rate (MVTR) for the blister package. This method was used to evaluate the present invention.

Claim 1:
A halogen-free recyclable moisture barrier blister package (<NUM>) comprising a lidding film (<NUM>) and a base (<NUM>), the base (<NUM>) having a plurality of base cavities (<NUM>) each configured to hold an individual product portion (<NUM>), the lidding film (<NUM>) and base (<NUM>) being heat sealed together about a perimeter of each of the plurality of base cavities (<NUM>), and:
the base (<NUM>) comprises a thermoformed sheet having one or more layers of cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) in combination with one or more layers of polyolefin;
the lidding film (<NUM>) comprises a laminated or extruded sheet having one or more layers of polyolefin, or one or more layers of polyolefin in combination with one or more layers of COC;
wherein the lidding film (<NUM>) and base (<NUM>) have adjacent polyolefin layers heat sealing the lidding film (<NUM>) around the perimeter of each base cavity (<NUM>);
the combination of the base (<NUM>) and the lidding film (<NUM>) is recyclable in a single plastic polyolefin waste stream based on the polyolefin layer(s) of the lidding film and/or the base;
the package (<NUM>) has a moisture vapor transmission rate (MVTR) measured via a <NUM>-week weight gain test at <NUM> and <NUM>% relative humidity (RH) as defined in ASTM D7709 of no greater than <NUM> milligram per cavity per <NUM> hours for a standard capsule size <NUM> cavity;
wherein the polyolefin is polypropylene (PP) or polyethylene (PE), and the lidding film (<NUM>) and base (<NUM>) are recyclable in a single plastic waste stream, namely a PP or PE plastic waste stream depending on the type of polyolefin (PP or PE).