PACKAGING
The present invention is related to a packaging for materials sold in the form of a tablet, like chewing gums, pills, etc:
It is well established that products such as chewing gums, pills must be wrapped in special packages so as to ensure hygiene.
In the state of the art, especially chewing gum tablets are wrapped individually into packaging papers. Various pictures, photographs, comic strips, posters, fortune-telling poems, ads are placed in these packages as promotional means. However, the fact that each tablet requires an individual wrapping paper, proves this technique to be expensive.
On the other hand, packages have been developed in the prior art for packing a multiplicity of tablets. These packages, commonly known as blister packs, comprise a support card with a plurality of cavities in a matrix-type pattern to individually receive tablets, and a cover film welded to the upper side of said card so as to close the cavities. The cover film is made preferably of aluminum. The support card is further placed in an envelope made of a folding carton sheet, which leaves two opposite sides of the card open. Because of the open sides, it is difficult to locate such promotional materials inside the package. Although it has been offered to print pictures or comic strips inside of such cardboards to overpass such a difficulty, it proved to be a tedious job, as it requires breaking or cutting of the packages before tablets are removed. If, on the other hand, the promotional materials are printed onto outer surfaces of the packages, the secrecy/privacy of the promotional materials such as fortune-telling is lost, which renders the promotion useless.
Despite the fact that these two embodiments comprise advantages peculiar to each, there is no known product which combines both of their advantages.
h the PCT patent application no. WO00/34145, an envelope comprising two wide folds and a narrow one is described. Of these folds, the outermost wide one is folded over the narrow layer at the other edge. Support card is located into space which is formed between folds. In the invention herein described, no solution has been offered enabling addition of promotional materials into the packages.
The object of the present invention is to realize a packaging for a plurality of tablets which allows for promotions to be placed in.
The invention is explained in detail below with reference to an illustrative embodiment which is represented in the drawings, in which
Figure 1 shows an open view of the packaging.
Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the way packaging is folded.
Figure 3 shows a perspective view which shows the use of the packaging.
Figure 4 shows a perspective view of an embodiment comprising a section to hold promotional material. Figure 5 shows a perspective view of an embodiment comprising both a section for promotional material and a holder.
The components shown in the drawings have been enumerated as listed below:
1. Packaging
2. Inner region
3. Outer region
4. Tear line
5. Fold line
6. Lid
7. Cutout
8. Sheet
9. Tab
10. Holder
11. Hole
12. Promotional material
The packaging (1) subject to the present invention comprises a sheet material (8) folded to form a plurality of regions, two of said regions (2 and 3) adhesively bonded to each other such that one (2) remains inside whereas the other (3) remains outside, and is characterized by a promotional material (12) printed on said inner region (2) and at least one lid (6) on said outer region (3) whose borders are defined by a tear line (4) so as to enable user attain said promotional material by tear opening the lid (6).
The sheet material (8) is divided into regions according to the shape of the resulting packaging (1) and is preferably made of carton or paper. For instance, if it is intended to produce a packaging that wraps a support plate so as to leave both opposite sides of the support card open — the form mostly preferred for chewing gums and pills, the sheet material (8) will be divided into three regions separated from each other by means of tabs (9) which are equal in width to the thickness of the plate (Figure 1).
To ease folding of the sheet material (8), regions are separated from each other by means of fold lines (5).
On the inner region (2), there are printed various pictures, writings and photos depending on the subject of the promotional material (12).
The outer region (3) is affixed by adhesives on the inner region (2) so that adhesives do not cover the printed promotional material (12).
The lid (6) is a piece located on the outer region (3), whose limits are defined by a tear line (4), and which seats direct on the promotional material printed on the inner region (2). When lid (6) is tear opened along the line (4), promotional
material (12) printed on inner region (2) is reached. It is possible to have just one lid (6) put on outer region (3) (Figures 4 and 5) as well as to have more than one lids (6) located on the outer region (3) at different distances and angles (Figure 3). For instance, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, there are six lids (6) in total arranged on three rows by two columns, which corresponds to the number of chewing gums put inside the support card (Figure 3). To ease the user's tear opening the lid (6), at least one edge of the lid (6) can be made to coincide with an edge of the outer region (3) or extend outwards over one of the edges of the inner region (2). Or, even if all of the edges of the lid (6) remain within the outer region (3), a holder (10) and/or a hole (11) can be formed on an edge of the lid (6), so that the lid is easily tear opened (Figure 5).
There is a cutout (7) at an appropriate edge of the sheet material (8) to ease opening of the packaging or to readily draw tablets from the packaging or to readily take out support card.
In another embodiment of the invention, the lid (6) can be produced separately of plastics, aluminum, carton or paper so as to cover a hole on the outer region (3) that seats direct on promotional material (12) printed on the inner region (2).
In the packaging procedure, sheet materials are first cut according to the intended shape of the packaging (1). Regions, fold lines and tear lines (5 and 4) are formed on the sheet material. On the inner region (2), which is to be retained below the outer region (3) when folded, the desired promotional material (12) is printed. Next, the inner and outer regions are brought together (Figure 2) by being folded along fold lines (5) and these are adhesively bonded to each other (Figure 2). This step is applied with care so as to cause no damage to the promotional material (Figure 3).
When user desires to see the promotional material (12), lid (6) is tear opened by pulling along the tear line (4). h this way, the promotion material printed beforehand on the inner region (2) is accessed.
The present invention brings together advantages of single and multi-packed materials and ensures distribution of personal, underhanded promotional material likely to cause astonishment or surprise. Moreover, when the lid is opened, it has been avoided that damage is caused to the package material, which prevents this latter' s being utilized once more. The present invention can be used in packaging containing single tablet or a multitude of tablets.