Blister package stiffening

Abstract

A stiff planar sheet-form member is formed with cuts extending through its thickness and framing portions that, when removed, form an array of windows, whereby the panel that remains after removing the portions may be placed against lands on one face of a blister sheet with the windows receiving respective blisters of the blister sheet for stiffening the blister sheet. The cuts extending through the thickness of the sheet-form member also form openings that communicate at opposite respective ends with respective windows.

1 . An article of manufacture comprising a stiff planar sheet-form member for forming a stiffening panel, the sheet-form member being formed with cuts extending through its thickness and framing portions that, when removed, form an array of windows, whereby the stiffening panel that remains after removing said portions may be placed against lands on one face of a blister sheet with the windows receiving respective blisters of the blister sheet, and wherein the cuts extending through the thickness of the sheet-form member also form openings that communicate at opposite respective ends with respective windows, the openings being wider than they are long. 
     
     
         2 . An article as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein one surface of the sheet-form member is covered with an adhesive layer protected by a flexible cover slip which can be manually peeled off the sheet-form member prior to the sheet-form member being placed flush against the blister sheet. 
     
     
         3 . An article as claimed in  claim 2 , in which the cuts extending through the sheet-form member do not pass through the cover slip so that when the cover slip is peeled off, said portions of the sheet-form member adhere to the cover slip and are thereby removed. 
     
     
         4 . An article as claimed in  claim 1 , made from card or board or plastic. 
     
     
         5 . A planar stiffening panel for placing against lands on one face of a blister sheet from which blisters protrude, the panel being formed with an array of windows for receiving respective blisters of the blister sheet, and openings communicating at opposite respective ends with respective windows, and wherein the openings are wider than they are long. 
     
     
         6 . A panel as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the windows are arranged in at least one row, said row of windows is located between two substantially parallel edge portions of the panel, two adjacent windows in said row are separated by finger portions projecting from said edge portions respectively of the panel, each finger portion has a proximal end at which it is attached to the respective edge portion and a distal end that is spaced from the proximal end, and the distal ends of the finger portions define said opening communicating with said two adjacent windows. 
     
     
         7 . A panel as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the windows are arranged in first and second rows, the panel comprises a main body having an edge portion bounding the first row of windows, the panel comprises a strip-form edge portion between the first and second rows of windows whereby said first row of windows is located between two substantially parallel edge portions of the panel, two adjacent windows in said first row are separated by finger portions projecting from said edge portions respectively of the panel, each finger portion has a proximal end at which it is attached to the respective edge portion and a distal end that is spaced from the proximal end, and the distal ends of the finger portions define said opening communicating with said two adjacent windows. 
     
     
         8 . A panel as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein the windows are arranged in first and second parallel rows, the first row of windows is located between first and second edge portions of the panel, the second row of windows is located between the second edge portion and a third edge portion of the panel, two adjacent windows in the first row are separated by finger portions projecting from said first and second edge portions respectively of the panel, each finger portion has a proximal end at which it is attached to the respective edge portion and a distal end that is spaced from the proximal end, and the distal ends of the finger portions define said opening communicating with said two adjacent windows. 
     
     
         9 . A panel as claimed in  claim 5 , in which the windows are arranged in perpendicular columns and rows to provide a rectangular array of windows. 
     
     
         10 . A panel as claimed in  claim 5 , in which the windows are substantially rectangular and the openings are formed between the shorter sides of the windows. 
     
     
         11 . A panel as claimed in  claim 5 , combined with a blister sheet having its blisters protruding through the windows of the panel and its lands between the blisters adhering to contiguous surfaces of the panel. 
     
     
         12 . A panel as claimed in  claim 5 , made from card or board or plastic. 
     
     
         13 . A blister package comprising:
 a planar stiffening panel formed with cuts extending through its thickness and framing an array of windows, and   a blister sheet having a major portion with first and second opposite faces and also having blisters protruding from the first face of the major portion, the major portion of the blister sheet having lands between adjacent blisters,   wherein the blister sheet is positioned against the planar stiffening panel with the windows receiving the blisters and with portions of the stiffening panel in face-to-face contact with the lands of the blister sheet,   the blister sheet includes at least one duct interconnecting two adjacent blisters,   the stiffening panel has an opening that communicates at opposite respective ends with two adjacent windows that receive the two adjacent blisters respectively, and   said opening accommodates the duct or ducts that interconnect said two adjacent blisters.   
     
     
         14 . A blister passage as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein the windows are arranged in at least one row of at least first, second and third windows, with the second window between the first and third windows, said row of windows is located between two substantially parallel edge portions of the panel, each two adjacent windows in said row are separated by finger portions projecting from said edge portions respectively of the panel, each finger portion has a proximal end at which it is attached to the respective edge portion and a distal end that is spaced from the proximal end, the distal ends of the finger portions define said opening communicating with said two adjacent windows, the blister sheet has at least first, second and third blisters received by the first, second and third windows respectively and includes at least one duct interconnecting each two adjacent blisters, and said opening between the first and second windows accommodates the duct or ducts that interconnect the first and second blisters and said opening between the second and third windows accommodates the duct or ducts that interconnect the second and third adjacent blisters. 
     
     
         15 . A blister package as claimed in  claim 13 , further comprising a sealing sheet adhering to the second face of the blister sheet. 
     
     
         16 . A blister package as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein the opening that communicates at opposite respective ends with said two adjacent windows is wider than it is long. 
     
     
         17 . A blister package as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein the planar stiffening panel is made from card or board or plastic.