Child-resistant packaging for pharmaceutical products

Abstract

A child-resistant package for pharmaceutical articles includes a blister pack having a product casing layer defining blisters, a foil closure layer enclosing articles in the blisters and a reinforcing layer preventing dispensing of each article until an access mechanism is used. Each access mechanism includes a puncturing element of the product casing layer and a tear-away element of the reinforcing layer defined by a perforation line. The puncturing element includes a pointed portion for separating a first end of the tear-away element. Application of pulling force to the first end further separates the tear-away element to expose the foil layer adjacent the blister for dispensing the article. According to one embodiment, the package includes an outer jacket having a mounting portion receiving the blister pack and a cover movable with respect to the mounting portion between opened and closed positions.

1 . A package for pharmaceutical articles comprising: 
 a casing layer defining a plurality of blisters each adapted for receipt of one of a plurality of phannaceutical articles;    a closure secured to the casing layer to enclose the articles within the blisters; and    a plurality of puncturing elements each associated with one of the blisters, the puncturing element adapted to puncture the closure in response to actuation by a user to create an access opening in the closure,    the closure adapted to prevent a user from compressively deflecting one of the blisters to dispense one of the articles from the package until the associated puncturing element is actuated by the user to create the access opening in the closure.    
   
   
       2 . The package according to  claim 1 , wherein the closure comprises a foil layer and a reinforcing layer, the foil layer located between the reinforcing layer and the casing layer.  
   
   
       3 . The package according to  claim 1 , wherein the puncturing elements are defined by the casing layer.  
   
   
       4 . The package according to  claim 3 , wherein each puncturing element includes an outer portion supported by the casing layer and an inner portion supported by the outer portion, the inner portion tapered to define a pointed end and adapted to deflect towards the closure in response to compression applied to the puncturing element by a user.  
   
   
       5 . The package according to  claim 4 , wherein the outer portion of the puncturing element is substantially conical.  
   
   
       6 . The package according to  claim 1 , wherein the casing layer comprises a moldable plastic material.  
   
   
       7 . The package according to  claim 7 , wherein the puncturing elements are integrally formed with the casing layer from the moldable plastic material.  
   
   
       8 . The package according to  claim 2 , wherein the reinforcing layer includes a plurality of tear-away elements each extending from a first end located adjacent one of the puncturing elements to an opposite second end located adjacent one of the blisters.  
   
   
       9 . The package according to  claim 8 , wherein the tear-away elements are defined by perforation of the reinforcing layer.  
   
   
       10 . The package according to  claim 1  further comprising an outer jacket, the jacket including: 
 a mounting portion in which the casing layer, closure and puncturing elements are mounted;    a cover panel; and    an intermediate panel located between the mounting portion and the cover panel such that the cover panel is movable with respect to the mounting portion between closed and opened positions.    
   
   
       11 . A package for pharmaceutical articles comprising: 
 a product casing layer defining a plurality of blisters each adapted for receipt of one of a plurality of pharmaceutical articles;    a closure secured to the product casing layer to enclose the articles within the blisters; and    a plurality of access mechanisms each associated with one of the blisters of the product casing layer, each access mechanism including a tear-away element defined on a portion of the closure and a puncturing element adapted to puncture the closure at the tear-away element in response to actuation by a user to facilitate grasping of the tear-away element and application of a pulling force by a user,    the closure adapted to prevent a user from compressively deflecting one of the blisters to dispense one of the articles from the package until the access opening is created in the closure by actuation of the puncturing element of the associated access mechanism.    
   
   
       12 . The package according to  claim 11 , wherein each tear-away element is defined by a perforation line.  
   
   
       13 . The package according to  claim 11 , wherein the product casing layer comprises a moldable plastic material and wherein the puncturing elements are integrally formed with the casing layer from the moldable plastic material.  
   
   
       14 . A package for pharmaceutical articles comprising: 
 a blister pack including a product casing layer and a foil closure layer, the product casing layer defining a plurality of blisters each adapted for receipt of one of a plurality of pharmaceutical articles, the foil closure layer secured to the product casing layer to enclose the articles within the blisters;    a reinforcing layer secured to the product closure layer of the blister pack such that the foil closure layer is located between the product closure layer and the reinforcing layer, the reinforcing layer adapted to prevent a user from dispensing an article by compressively deflecting one of the blisters and rupturing the foil layer; and    a plurality of access mechanisms each including a puncturing element and a tear-away element, the tear-away element defined on a portion of the reinforcing layer and being elongated to include a first end adjacent the puncturing element and a second end adjacent an associated one of the blisters,    the puncturing element defined by the product casing layer and including an outer wall portion and an inner wall portion supported by the outer wall portion, the inner wall portion tapered to define a substantially pointed end and deflectable with respect to the outer wall portion to puncture the reinforcing layer at the first end of the tear-away element,    the puncturing of the reinforcing layer providing for grasping of the tear-away element by a user and application of a pulling force sufficient to separate at least a portion of the tear-away element from a surrounding portion of the reinforcing layer, the separation of the at least a portion of the tear-away element enabling a user to dispense an article from the associated blister by application of a compressive force to the associated blister to rupture the foil closure layer.