GB2483680A - A band to retain a leaflet on the face of a carton - Google Patents

Abstract

A leaflet 5 is held onto an inside face of a carton by means of a band 7 which both compresses the leaflet and attaches it to the carton face. A label 8 is applied over the end of the leaflet extending to overlap the retaining band and attached to the carton tuck end 3 which provides both easy access for the product to be inserted into the carton and a means of removing the leaflet for use. Preferably the encircling and is kept closed by means of glue, heat sealing or a sheet with adhesive on both sides. The label may be tamper evident and have an RFID tag embedded in it or in the band. The carton may have a window allowing inspection of the leaflet inside.

Description

Retained Leaflet with Band When drugs are sold over the counter or prescribed by a doctor, they are usually supplied in a bottle or in a blister which will then be packaged in a carton.

In order that information about the drug can be supplied to the patient or consumer, a folded information leaflet will also be supplied loose in the carton.

The action of folding the leaflet and inserting it into the carton is carried out in the same process as the insertion of the bottle or blister on the packaging line.

The bottle or blister is often pushed through the folded leaflet into the pre-opened carton wrapping the leaflet around the end. The design of the process and the products ensures that the leaflet and the drug are inserted into the carton with maximum ease and speed.

This operation is relatively easy when the leaflet is of a manageable size compared with the size of the carton.

There is currently however a pressure to increase the size of the leaflet to be supplied with the drugs due to a number of factors. Firstly, the leaflet has to carry more information, secondly, this information may have to be in more than one language and finally the text size may have to be increased to ensure that partially sighted patients can read it.

The above factors mean that there has been a significant increase in the size of the leaflet which seriously compromises the ability to automatically fold and insert it into the carton at the same time as the drug.

It is also required that the leaflet should remain folded until removed from the package by the user, that it should not impede insertion of the product into the package and that it should be recognisably presented to the user and easily removed for inspection. Incorporation of the leaflet into the package must be able to be done by automatic machinery operating at high speed.

It is a disadvantage of methods which have been proposed to date that where means are provided to hold the leaflet in place and to prevent the leaflet from unfolding, the leaflet will either be glued in place, which will damage the leaflet when it is removed from the package, or alternatively a form of leaflet retention means is provided that requires the leaflet to be significantly smaller than the face of the package to which it is affixed.

This invention relates to a solution to the above problem, involving folding the leaflet and attaching it to the inside of the carton wall prior to the drug being inserted. The invention also prescribes how easy access for the insertion of the drug into the carton is maintained at high speed on the packing line.

The leaflet will be folded, a flexible material then wrapped around it in the form of a band and the band then glued to a suitable panel of the flat carton before a label is applied over the end of the leaflet and attached to the opening panel of the carton.

The leaflet is first folded to a size which may be only slightly less than that of the panel to which it is going to be applied, creating enough space between the edge of the leaflet and the carton crease for the carton to be folded.

The leaflet should be folded in such a way that it is as fiat as possible and could have at least one edge which is folded to create a spine or bolt end. This end will be positioned facing the opening of the carton where the bottle or blister is inserted and so facilitate entry for the bottle or blister. If this style of fold is not possible, the label applied over the end of the leaflet can be made wider to protect any loose edges of the leaflet.

The leaflet is held firmly against the carton face with a band of paper or other flexible material which is first wrapped around the leaflet.

The flexible sheet can wrap around the leaflet in such a way that its ends are overlapped and then be glued or heat sealed to form a complete band.

Alternatively the flexible sheet can wrap around the leaflet with a small turn-under on each side. The flexible sheet is held in place by vacuum or by other means until the action of gluing these small overlapped portions to the carton creates the band to retain the leaflet in place.

Alternatively the flexible sheet can wrap around the leaflet and be joined by means of a further flexible sheet with adhesive on both sides. This sheet is often supplied in the form of a label and is also used to stick the band and leaflet to the carton. The double sided adhesive sheet can also be replaced with a single sided adhesive sheet. This sheet is longer than the width of the band and is applied to one end of the band which when folded over the leaflet presents the adhesive sheet glue side up so that when the other end of the band is wrapped around the leaflet it sticks to this adhesive surface so making the band.

Because the adhesive sheet is longer than the band is wide, a portion of the adhesive sheet will project at each end which can be used then to stick the band and leaflet to the carton.

The band acts to both retain the leaflet and also to keep it flat, hence creating as much space for the bottle or blisters as possible and so keeping the size of the carton to a minimum. Because the band wraps around the leaflet it allows the leaflet to be almost as large as the panel onto which it is to be attached.

A Label is applied to the leaflet and is attached to the leaflet in an area between the end of the leaflet and the edge of the band. The end of the label closest to the opening of the carton is attached to the closing flap of the carton creating a lead-in over the leaflet for the product to be inserted. The label can have a glue free area at this end to facilitate peeling it off the flap, and can also overlap the crease of the second panel of the tuck.

The other end of the label will overlap the band retaining the leaflet by a dimension relative to the thickness of the leaflet and to the accuracy with which it can be applied.

This end will be glue free so that it is not attached to the band so allowing easy movement of label over band.

When the blister or any other product is inserted into the erected carton, the tuck end is folded downwards to provide as large an opening as possible. If the label were to be attached to the band this opening will be restricted and the band or label could also be damaged. The thicker the leaflet is, the greater the movement of the label with respect to the band will be and so the overlap must be greater. It will be observed however that when the tuck end flap is folded downwards, because the leaflet is attached to the label the leaflet will slide outwards inside the band. Similarly, as the tuck end is closed, the leaflet will be slid back in the band. The glue free overlap between the end of the label and the band must therefore be large enough to allow the additional movement of the leaflet as the tuck end is closed.

The label can be made of self adhesive material, or can be made from flexible sheet material and glued in place.

On opening the carton, the user would peel the label off the opening flap and then pull outwards, sliding the leaflet out of its retaining band.

There will now follow a preferred embodiment of the invention in which: Fig 1 shows the flat carton blank 1 with carton opening flaps 2 and 3 and glue dots 4 Fig 2 shows the folded leaflet 5 with closed folded end 6 and paper band 7.

Fig 3 shows the paper band 7 wrapped around the leaflet Fig 4 shows the banded leaflet has been turned over so that the ends of the band are attached to the carton blank 1 by means of the glue dots 4. Note, glue dots 4 are hidden from view Fig 5 shows the label 8 with areas of no glue 9 Fig 6 shows the label 8 placed over the end of the leaflet 5, attached to the tuck end flap 2 with glue free areas 9 overlapping the band 7 and the tuck end flap 3. Note, glue free areas 9 are not visible.

Fig 7 shows the product 10 being inserted into the assembled carton 1 label 8 acts as a lead in to allow easy access into the carton. The leaflet 5 has slid forwards slightly as the tuck end flap 2 and 3 is folded downwards Fig 8 shows the leaflet 5 being withdrawn from the paper band 7 and carton 1 by means of the label 8