Container for a blister package

Abstract

The present invention provides a container for storing a blister package and for managing medication with a pharmaceutical composition comprised in the blister package. The container comprises a housing which forms a compartment for the blister package, means for indicating towards a user an appropriate time of accessing the blister package, and means for detecting a users access to a blister package in the compartment. The blister package is moved into and out of the compartment by means of an ejection structure to which the blister package may be fixed. The ejection structure facilitates an enhanced handling of the blister package during insertion and removal of the blister package and facilitates a more accurate indication of a user's access to the blister package.

1 . A container for a blister package, the container comprising:
 a housing forming a compartment for the blister package;   a notification element configured to indicate to a user an appropriate time of accessing the blister package;   a detecting element configured to detect a user's access to a blister package in the compartment;   an ejection structure movable towards an open position for moving the blister package in an outward direction out of the compartment and movable towards a closed position for moving the blister package in an inward direction into the compartment;   a gripping structure having a back member and an adjacent front member forming a slot into which the blister package is inserted, said gripping structure configured to fix the blister package to the ejection structure, said gripping structure being selected from the group consisting of 1) a gripping structure with the back member and the front member movable relative to each in direction towards and away from each other, the back member and the front member having a form selected from the group consisting of a clip and a clothes-pin; and 2) a gripping structure with at least one of the front member and the back member including a gripping element adapted to at least partly encircle a protruding portion of the blister package; and   a handle for operating the ejection structure, said handle configured to slide back and forth on an outer surface of the container and thereby move the blister package into and out of the compartment.   
     
     
         2 . The container according to  claim 1 , wherein said detecting element detects the user's access to the blister package in the compartment by detection of movement of the ejection structure relative to the housing. 
     
     
         3 . The container according to  claim 1 , wherein the ejection structure is attached to the housing via a linear slide allowing a linear movement of the ejection structure relative to the housing. 
     
     
         4 . The container according to  claim 1 , wherein separation of the ejection structure from the housing is prevented. 
     
     
         5 . The container according to  claim 1 , further comprising a second detection element capable of detecting presence of a blister package fixed to the ejection structure. 
     
     
         6 . The container according to  claim 1 , further comprising a compliance structure adapted to indicate a time at which the user last gained access to the blister package in the compartment. 
     
     
         7 . The container according to  claim 6 , wherein the compliance structure is adapted to switch from an attentive state to a non-attentive state upon receiving a user-access registration signal. 
     
     
         8 . The container according to  claim 7 , wherein the user-access registration signal can be provided by movement of the ejection structure. 
     
     
         9 . The container according to  claim 8 , wherein the user-access registration signal can only be provided by movement of the ejection structure when the compliance structure is in the attentive state. 
     
     
         10 . The container according to  claim 7 , wherein the user-access registration signal can be provided by activation of a button. 
     
     
         11 . The container according to  claim 10 , wherein the user-access registration signal can be provided by activation of a button irrespective of the state of the compliance structure. 
     
     
         12 . The container according to  claim 7 , further comprising a timer adapted to switch the compliance structure from the non-attentive state to the attentive state after a pre-specified duration in the non-attentive state. 
     
     
         13 . The container according to  claim 12 , further comprising a transmitting structure for transmitting a notification signal upon shift of the compliance structure from the non-attentive state to the attentive state. 
     
     
         14 . The container according to  claim 13 , wherein the transmitting structure transmits a notification at pre-specified periods of time after the shift of the compliance structure from the non-attentive state to the attentive state. 
     
     
         15 . The container according to  claim 7 , wherein the compliance structure is adapted to shift to the non-attentive state after a pre-specified period of time in the attentive state without receiving the registration signal. 
     
     
         16 . The container according to  claim 13 , wherein the container is further adapted, for a plurality of time intervals in each of which a user is supposed to have access to the blister package at least once, to register for each interval a compliance signification when a registration signal has been received in that interval or an out of compliance signification when no registration signal has been received for that interval. 
     
     
         17 . The container according to  claim 16 , wherein the container is further adapted to determine a grading level based on the numbers of compliance signification and out of compliance signification in a pre-specified number of succeeding intervals. 
     
     
         18 . The container according to  claim 17 , wherein the transmitting structure includes a light emitting diode (LED) arranged to transmit a colored light and to select a color out of a plurality of colors based on the grading level. 
     
     
         19 . The container according to  claim 7 , wherein the compliance structure is adapted only to switch from the attentive state to the non-attentive state if the timer has determined that the ejection structure has not been in the closed position in a time interval which is longer than a pre-specified time interval. 
     
     
         20 . The container according to  claim 1 , wherein said gripping structure is inside said ejection structure and is a separate element from said ejection structure. 
     
     
         21 . A container according to  claim 20 , wherein the back member and front member are movable relative to each other in a direction towards and away from each other. 
     
     
         22 . The container according to  claim 20 , wherein at least one of the back and front members includes a gripping structure adapted at least partly to encircle a protruding portion of the blister package. 
     
     
         23 . The container according to  claim 1 , further comprising a supplementary compartment for an additional blister card. 
     
     
         24 . The container according to  claim 1 , wherein the ejection structure is in the form of a sheet substantially coplanar with the housing. 
     
     
         25 . The container according to  claim 1 , further comprising a cover for covering an opening of the container in a closed condition of the container and being movable between a closed end position and an open end position, the cover in the open end position having been rotated about a longitudinal axis of the container in order to form a stand for positioning of the container in an inclined position on a horizontal surface. 
     
     
         26 . The container according to  claim 25 , wherein at least part of the movement of the cover from the closed end position to the open end position actuates movement of the ejection structure from an idle position to an ejected position, and vice versa. 
     
     
         27 . The container according to  claim 1 , further comprising a blister package, said blister package forming at least one row of cavities with doses of a pharmaceutical composition, the row extending between a first end portion and a second end portion, at least one of the end portions and an adjacent cavity configured to cooperate with the gripping structure of the ejection structure adapted to move the blister package into or out of the container. 
     
     
         28 . The container according to  claim 27 , wherein the blister package includes a plurality of weakening lines facilitating division of the blister package between each of the cavities whereby the user may tear off a used portion of the blister package when removing a dose. 
     
     
         29 . The container according to  claim 1 , wherein said handle includes two parts extending out of the housing, said two parts being movable together to slide along opposite sides of the outer surface of said container. 
     
     
         30 . A container for a blister package, the container comprising:
 a housing forming a compartment for the blister package;   a notification element configured to indicate to a user an appropriate time of accessing the blister package;   a detecting element configured to detect a user's access to a blister package in the compartment;   an ejection structure positioned within said housing and movable towards an open position for moving the package in an outward direction out of the compartment and movable towards a closed position for moving the package in an inward direction into the compartment, said ejection structure forming part of the container and guiding the blister package so that sliding contact between the container and the blister package is prevented, said ejection structure configured to be usable with blister packages of various kinds, sizes and conditions;   a gripping structure movable with the ejection structure and configured to releasably grip the blister package to fix the blister package to the ejection structure in an absence of a blister tray; and   a handle positioned adjacent an outer surface of the container and operatively connected to said ejection structure, said handle configured to slide back and forth along said container outer surface and thereby move the blister package into and out of the compartment.   
     
     
         31 . The container according to  claim 30 , wherein said handle includes two parts extending out of the housing, said two parts being movable together to slide along opposite sides of the outer surface of said container. 
     
     
         32 . The container as set forth in  claim 30 , wherein the two parts of the gripping structure include a back member and an adjacent front member, said gripping structure being selected from the group consisting of 1) a gripping structure with the back member and the front member movable relative to each in direction towards and away from each other, the back member and the front member having a form selected from the group consisting of a clip and a clothes-pin; and 2) a gripping structure with at least one of the front member and the back member including a gripping element adapted to at least partly encircle a protruding portion of the blister package. 
     
     
         33 . A medication dispenser comprising the combination of:
 a blister package having at least one molded cavity which is sealed to contain an item, the seal being breakable and/or removable to enable a user to remove the item from said cavity; and   a container for said blister package, said container including,
 a housing forming a compartment for the blister package; 
 a notification element configured to indicate to a user an appropriate time of accessing the blister package; 
 a detecting element configured to detect a user's access to a blister package in the compartment; 
 an ejection structure movable towards an open position for moving the package in an outward direction out of the compartment and movable towards a closed position for moving the package in an inward direction into the compartment; 
 a gripping structure having two parts forming a slot into which the blister package is inserted, said gripping structure configured to fix the blister package to the ejection structure; and 
 a handle for operating the ejection structure, said handle configured to slide back and forth on an outer surface of the container and thereby move the blister package into and out of the compartment. 
   
     
     
         34 . The combination as set forth in  claim 33 , wherein the two parts of the gripping structure include a back member and an adjacent front member, said gripping structure being selected from the group consisting of 1) a gripping structure with the back member and the front member movable relative to each in direction towards and away from each other, the back member and the front member having a form selected from the group consisting of a clip and a clothes-pin; and 2) a gripping structure with at least one of the front member and the back member including a gripping element adapted to at least partly encircle a protruding portion of the blister package.