Water-soluble product package and product

Abstract

A product package comprises a primary package formed within a secondary package. The primary package comprises an edible or non-edible, water-soluble film container. The secondary package comprises a blister-card having at least one blister defining a cavity, and a foil backing. In one embodiment, the film container comprises a first film layer portion and a second film layer portion. The first film layer portion is formed intimately within the cavity of the at least one blister of the blister-pack. The second film layer portion is formed adjacent to the first film layer portion to define a container cavity between the first and second film layer portions.

1 . A package, comprising
 a primary package formed within a secondary package, the primary package comprising a water-soluble film container and the secondary package comprising a blister card having at least one blister defining a cavity.   
   
   
       2 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein the primary package is edible. 
   
   
       3 . The package of  claim 2 , wherein the edible primary package comprises a polysaccharide polymer. 
   
   
       4 . The package of  claim 3 , wherein the polysaccharide polymer is selected from the group consisting of pullulan, carboxymethyl-cellulose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, and combinations thereof. 
   
   
       5 . The package of  claim 3 , wherein the primary package further comprises one or more additives selected from the group consisting of gelatin, sorbitol, glycerol, propylene glycol, lecithin, polysorbate 80, and sodium lauryl sulfate, and combinations thereof. 
   
   
       6 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein the primary package is inedible. 
   
   
       7 . The package of  claim 6 , wherein the inedible primary package comprises a material selected from the group consisting of polyvinyl alcohols, polyvinyl alcohol copolymers, polyalkylene oxides, polyacrylamides and acrylamide copolymers, water-soluble polyamides, water-soluble polyurethanes, and combinations thereof. 
   
   
       8 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the water-soluble film container is removably adhered to the blister. 
   
   
       9 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein the water-soluble film container comprises a first water-soluble film layer and a second water-soluble film layer formed adjacent to the first water-soluble film layer to define a container cavity between the first and second water-soluble film layers. 
   
   
       10 . The package of  claim 9 , wherein the first and second water-soluble film layers are formed only within the cavity of the at least one blister on the blister card. 
   
   
       11 . The package of  claim 9 , wherein the first water-soluble film layer substantially conforms to a shape of the blister card. 
   
   
       12 . The package of  claim 9 , further comprising a backing removably adhered to the second water-soluble film layer. 
   
   
       13 . The package of  claim 9 , wherein the first water-soluble film layer is formed of a first water-soluble material and the second film layer is formed of a second water-soluble material, different from the first water-soluble material. 
   
   
       14 . The package of  claim 13 , wherein the second water-soluble material comprises one or more properties including increased hardness, decreased elasticity, increased brittleness, and decreased ductility as compared to the first water-soluble material. 
   
   
       15 . The package of  claim 9 , wherein the first and second water-soluble films comprise substantially the same material. 
   
   
       16 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein the blister card is formed of a material selected from the group consisting of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polystyrene, a blend of polystyrene, polypropylene, and polylactic acid. 
   
   
       17 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein one or more of the blister card and the backing have a permeability coefficient greater than or equal to 2 cm 3 ·mil/100 in 2 /day·atm, at 25° C., 75% RH. 
   
   
       18 . The package of  claim 12 , wherein the backing is a foil backing or a paper backing coated with a moisture proof substance. 
   
   
       19 . The package of  claim 1 , further comprising one or more water-soluble barriers disposed in the water-soluble film container and dividing the water-soluble film container into two or more volumes. 
   
   
       20 . A method of making a packaged product, the method comprising:
 disposing a blister card material on a forming block having at least one recess;   disposing a first water-soluble film on the blister card material, adjacent to a surface of the blister card material opposite the forming block;   working the blister card material into the at least one recess to form a blister having a blister cavity;   working the first water-soluble film into the blister cavity to form a cavity within the first water-soluble film;   filing the cavity formed by the first water-soluble film with a product; and   adhering a second water-soluble film to a portion of a surface of the first water-soluble film opposite the blister card material to seal the product in the cavity formed by the first water-soluble film.   
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 20 , further comprising adhering the first water-soluble film to the blister card material. 
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the first and second water-soluble films comprise a polysaccharide polymer. 
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 20 , comprising working the first water-soluble film into the at least one recess such that a contour of the first water-soluble film substantially corresponds to a contour of the blister card material. 
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 20 , comprising simultaneously working the blister card material and the first water-soluble film into the at least one recess. 
   
   
       25 . The method of  claim 20 , comprising working the blister card material and the first water-soluble film into the at least on recess using a process selected from the group consisting of suction, blowing the blister card material and first water-soluble film into the at least one recess, pouring the blister card material and first water-soluble film into the at least one recess, and combinations thereof. 
   
   
       26 . The method of  claim 20 , further comprising:
 removing a portion of the first water-soluble film disposed outside the blister cavity to form a first water-soluble film portion only within the blister cavity before filing the cavity formed by the first water-soluble film with the product; and   removing a portion of the second water-soluble film disposed outside the blister cavity to form a second water-soluble film portion only within the blister cavity.   
   
   
       27 . The method of  claim 20 , further comprising adhering a backing to a surface of the second water-soluble film opposite the first water-soluble film. 
   
   
       28 . The method of  claim 27 , comprising removably adhering the backing to the surface of the second water-soluble film opposite the first water-soluble film. 
   
   
       29 . The method of  claim 20 , further comprising disposing one or more water-soluble barriers within the cavity formed by the first water-soluble film to divide the cavity into two or more cavity portions before filling the cavity with the product. 
   
   
       30 . The method of  claim 29 , further comprising filling each of the two or more cavity portions with different products. 
   
   
       31 . The method of  claim 20 , further comprising perforating seams in the package to define a unit dose comprising a blister.