Patent ID: 7210580

Claim:
A multiple-compartment container for containing and dispensing medication according to a pre-defined dosage regimen, comprising: a tray having a generally planar top surface into which has been formed an array of discrete cavities for receiving the medication; and a cover film to be secured to the generally planar top surface of the tray to seal the array of cavities to retain the medication in the array of cavities; wherein the cover film is adhered to the top surface of the tray by a peelable adhesive applied to the underside of the cover film; CHARACTERISED IN THAT the cover film has pre-formed tear lines defining the peripheries of an array of tear-off portions, each tear-off portion being arranged so that in use it lies over an associated one of the cavities to retain the medication in that cavity until it is removed by tearing along its tear lines, the respective tear-off portion of the cover film having an associated lug portion not secured to the tray in use, for gripping by a consumer preparatory to tearing off the said tear-off portion; wherein the tear-off portions of the cover film have low vapour transmission properties in the areas which in use overlies the cavities, those low vapour transmission properties being created by patches with high vapour barrier properties shaped and sized to overlie the cavities and adhered to the underside of the cover film by the same layer of peelable adhesive as that which in use adheres the cover film to the top surface of the tray; wherein the patches are larger than the tear-off portions; FURTHER CHARACTERISED IN THAT the top surface of the tray has an upwardly extending protrusion positioned to be located beneath the respective lug portion in use to bend that lug portion upwardly out of the plane of the remainder of the cover film when the cover film is secured to the generally planar top surface of the tray.