PACKAGING UNIT

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a packaging unit according to the preamble of claim 1. Such packaging units are known in the field of packaging pharmaceuticals or dietary supplements. Typically, these packaging units consist of a first container for holding free-flowing or liquid contents, which is closed with a cap, and a second container for holding pills, tablets, or similar pill-like contents. The combination of the two contents in one packaging unit is particularly intended for cases where the contents represent a specific dosage for a specific period, for example, when they are packaged as a daily dose per packaging unit.

[0002] Typically, the first container is designed as a bottle filled with nutrients or medication in liquid form. The second container serves as the receiving chamber for nutrients or medication in pill or tablet form and is designed so that the cap completely covers the second container. A disadvantage of such packaging units currently on the market is that the described design requires a significant amount of plastic material for their manufacture. Prior art packaging units are described in US 2022 / 0119175 A1 and the

[0003] WO 2020 / 187557 A1, which discloses a packaging unit according to the preamble of claim 1, is described.

[0004] Object of the invention

[0005] The object of the present invention is to create a packaging unit for different contents that is easy and convenient for the user. A further object of the present invention is to create a packaging unit for different contents that is more cost-effective to manufacture compared to known packaging units of this type. Description

[0006] These problems are solved for a packaging unit according to the preamble of claim 1 by designing the cap as a screw cap and by connecting the cap and the second container in a rotationally fixed manner, so that any torque applied to the second container is transferred to the cap. This creates an enlarged gripping area, formed by the cap and the second container, for opening the cap, thus making it easier for the user to open and close. If the cap and the second container can be easily separated, the user also has the option of consuming tablets, pills, coated tablets, or the like from the attached or detached second container as desired.The design according to the invention also makes a slim design possible, which enables savings by reducing the material requirements for the production of the parts of the packaging unit.

[0007] In the packaging unit according to the invention, the cap and the second container are manufactured as two separate parts, each having at least one fastening element that engages to connect the two parts. This makes it possible for the first container to be filled and sealed on a conventional filling machine and for the second container to be filled and sealed on a second, separate machine. These filling processes can be carried out independently of each other. Only when required are the first and second containers joined together and can then be delivered to customers.

[0008] The packaging unit according to the invention may feature a permanent connection between the second container and the cap of the first container. A permanent connection is understood to mean that the connection cannot be broken by a user without the aid of a tool and / or that the connection cannot be broken non-destructively. This is important when different but related products are to be provided in one packaging unit.

[0009] In the packaging unit according to the invention, the closure cap is designed as a screw cap, wherein the closure cap and the second container are rotationally fixed to one another, so that a torque applied to the second container is transferred to the closure cap. Thus, a user wishing to open the screw cap can grasp either the closure cap or the second container to open the screw cap by turning it. For this purpose, the receiving area can be designed as a recess arranged concentrically to the outer shell, wherein ribs are formed on the side walls of the recess, which are aligned correspondingly to ribs of the fastening element, and these ribs being arranged on the outside of a ring integrally and concentrically molded onto the bottom of the second container.The ribs on the outer surface of the ring and the ribs on the side wall of the recess are aligned in a corresponding manner, forming a kind of interlocking mechanism. This ensures, for example, that a torque applied to the second container is transferred to the cap.

[0010] In the packaging unit according to the invention, the closure cap, which is formed from a shell part and a lid part, has a receiving area in the lid part into which at least one fastening element of the second container engages. This recess can be designed as a recess arranged concentrically to the shell part, with a ring integrally and concentrically formed on the bottom of the second container being pressed against it. In this way, an interference fit is achieved between the receiving area and the fastening element, forming an interference fit between the second container and the closure cap. Advantageously, a circumferential groove can be formed at the base of the recess for this purpose, into which the free end of the ring engages.

[0011] In an alternative embodiment of the packaging unit according to the invention, the connection between the second container and the closure cap can be made by means of a snap connection. For this purpose, a first bead or notch can be formed at the free end of the ring, which interacts with a corresponding snap element, wherein this snap element is formed in the circumferential groove. In particular, this snap connection can advantageously be realized by, on the one hand, a first bead at the free end of the ring and, on the other hand, by a corresponding snap element designed as a notch, or conversely, by, on the one hand, a notch at the free end of the ring and, on the other hand, by a corresponding snap element designed as a second bead.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the first container can be a bottle and the second container a cup. The cup can be sealed with a foil seal. To allow the consumer to see the contents of the cup, the cup can be made of transparent plastic.

[0013] In particular, the cap should be equipped with a tamper-evident seal. This can be achieved using a so-called tamper-evident band, which is connected to the free end of the cap's outer casing via predetermined breaking points.

[0014] To comply with legal regulations concerning packaging materials, it may be necessary to permanently attach the cap to the first container. This attachment must ensure that the cap remains connected to the container even when removed from the pouring opening. This can be achieved using specially designed retaining straps. At least one such retaining strap can be positioned between the free end of the cap's outer sleeve and the tamper-evident band. The retaining strap can be connected to the cap's outer sleeve via predetermined breaking points and to the tamper-evident band via predetermined breaking points. The retaining strap does not extend over the entire circumference of the tamper-evident band, but only over a portion of it. For an example, reference is made to the Swiss patent application with application number CH 00663 / 21.

[0015] To further optimize the plastic material requirements in the manufacture of the inventive device, in a further embodiment the container body of the first container, the second container, and the cap can each have a cylindrically shaped outer surface, wherein the second container and the cap each have approximately the same outer diameter, and the outer diameter of the container body is equal to or larger than the outer diameters of the second container and the cap, respectively. For the purposes of this invention, "approximately the same diameters" means a difference in the length of the diameters of 0 to 1 mm, with a container body volume of 10 to 50 ml.

[0016] In a further embodiment of the invention, ribs can be formed on the outside of the closure cap and on the outside of the second container.

[0017] Further advantages and features will become apparent from the following description of an exemplary embodiment of the invention with reference to the illustrations described below. These are shown in a representation not to scale: Figure 1 shows an axonometric view of a packaging unit according to the invention in an assembled state, consisting of a first and second container and a closure cap; Figure 2 shows a section through the axonometric view of the packaging unit according to the invention. Figure 1 Figure 3 shows an axonometric view of the second container of the packaging unit according to Figure 1 Figure 4 shows an axonometric view of the packaging unit's closure cap according to Figure 1 Figure 5 shows another axonometric view of the closure cap according to Figure 4 Figure 6 shows an axonometric view of the first container of the packaging unit according to Figure 1 .

[0018] In Figure 1Figure 1 shows a packaging unit, which is collectively designated by reference numeral 1. The packaging unit consists of a first container 10, a second container 20, and a cap 30. The first container 10 is designed as a bottle and has a body 11 and a pouring opening 12. The body 11 forms a first receiving chamber 13. A screw thread 14 is located on the outside of the pouring opening 12. A tamper-evident ring 15 is located below the screw thread. This tamper-evident ring, in conjunction with the tamper-evident band 37, ensures the tamper-evident seal.

[0019] This is ensured by screwing or snapping the cap 30 onto the pouring opening 12. This wedges locking elements, located on the inside of the tamper-evident ring, against the underside of the tamper-evident ring 37. When the cap 30 is screwed on, this wedging prevents the tamper-evident ring 15 from moving vertically with the screwing action, causing the predetermined breaking points 38, which connect the tamper-evident ring 15 to the outer part 31 of the cap 30, to break. The broken predetermined breaking points indicate that the opening has already occurred.

[0020] Space is provided in a section of the warranty band 37 to accommodate a retaining band 41. This retaining band 41 is also connected to the warranty band 37 on one side and to the casing part 31 on the other by means of predetermined breaking points 38. Furthermore, there is a first connection 42 between the casing part 31 and the retaining band 41, and a second connection 43 between the warranty band 37 and the retaining band 41. Since the warranty band 37 is wedged onto the warranty ring and is not removable, the end cap 30 is permanently connected to the first container 10 via the retaining band 41, even if the end cap 30 has been unscrewed from the first container 10.

[0021] In Figure 4 Only the closure cap 30 is shown. The closure cap 30 consists of a lid part 32 to which a sleeve part 31 is attached. In Figure 4Furthermore, the retaining strap 41 and the warranty strap 37 are clearly visible. On the inside of the casing part 31 is a thread (not shown) which can engage with the screw thread. The lid part 32 has a receiving area designed to accommodate fastening elements molded onto the second container 20. This receiving area is designed as a concentric recess 33 and has a circumferential groove 34 at its base. A second bead 35 is formed on the inner side wall of the groove 34. This second bead 35 can be continuous or interrupted at multiple points.

[0022] In the Figure 3 The second container 20, designed as a cup, is shown. The cup has a second receiving chamber 21 and can be closed with a sealing film (not shown). A fastening element is concentrically molded onto its bottom 22. Figure 2This fastening element is shown engaging in the recess 33. In the present embodiment, the fastening element is designed as a ring 23. On the inside of the ring is a circumferential or a circumferential but interrupted first bead 24. This first bead 24 and the second bead 35 form a very tight interference fit between the second container 20 and the closure cap 30 in the area of ​​the groove 34 and the free end 25 of the ring 23.

[0023] As an alternative to press fit, the connection between the second container 20 and the closure cap 30 in the area of ​​the recess 33 and the ring 23 can also be designed as a snap connection (not shown).

[0024] The ring 23 is provided with first ribs 26 on its outer surface. Likewise, second ribs 39 are formed on the side walls of the recess 33. The first ribs 26 and the second ribs 39 form a kind of interlocking mechanism when the ring 23 is engaged with the recess 33. This interlocking mechanism, along with other measures such as an interference fit or appropriate design of the snap connection, ensures that a torque applied to the second container is transmitted to the closure cap.

[0025] On the outside of the second container 20 and the closure cap 30 there are vertically oriented first and second outer ribs 27 and 40, respectively. For design reasons in particular, the number of first and second ribs 27, 40 is the same.

[0026] The second container 20 is preferably made of transparent material, in particular polypropylene. Likewise, the cap and the first container can be made of polypropylene. However, the material can be customized and optimized for specific functions. legend

[0027] 1 Packaging unit 10 First container 11 Container body 12 Pouring opening 13 First receiving chamber 14 Screw thread 15 Guarantee ring 20 Second container 21 Second receiving chamber 22 Bottom 23 Ring 24 First bead 25 Free end 26 First ribs 27 First outer ribs 30 Cap 31 Sleeve part 32 Lid part 33 Recess 34 Groove 35 Second bead 37 Guarantee band 38 Breakaway ribs 39 Second ribs 40 Second outer ribs 41 Retaining band 42 First connection 43 Second connection

Claims

1. Packaging unit (1), comprising: - a first container (10) configured for receiving free-flowing or liquid materials and comprising a container body (11) and a pouring opening (12) that forms a first receiving space (13), - a sealing cap (30) for sealing the pouring opening (12), and - a second container (20) for receiving tablets, pills or pill-like materials, that forms a second receiving space (21), wherein the sealing cap (30) is configured as a screw closure, wherein the sealing cap (30) and the second container (20) are configured so that they are connected to one another in a rotationally fixed manner, such that a torque which is applied to the second container (20) is transmitted to the sealing cap (30), wherein the sealing cap (30) comprises a shell part (31) and a lid part (32) and the lid part (32) has a receiving region which is configured so that at least one fastening element of the second container (20) engages therein, wherein the receiving region is formed by a recess (33) arranged concentrically to the shell part (31), characterized in - that a ring (23) formed integrally and concentrically formed on the bottom side (22) of the second container (20) is pressed with the recess (33) in order to form an interference fit between the second container (20) and the sealing cap (30) or - that a ring (23) formed integrally and concentrically on the bottom side (22) of the second container (20) is snapped together with the recess in order to form a snap connection between the second container (20) and the sealing cap (30) or - that second ribs (39) are formed on the side walls of the recess (33) which are aligned correspondingly to first ribs (26) of the fastening element, wherein these first ribs (26) are arranged on the outer side of a ring (23) formed integrally and concentrically on the bottom side (22) of the second container (20).

2. Packaging unit according to Claim 1, characterized in that the sealing cap (30) and the second container (20) are produced as two separate parts, wherein the sealing cap (30) and the second container (20) each comprise at least one fastening element which are brought into engagement with one another to connect the two parts.

3. Packaging unit according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the second container (20) is undetachably connected to the sealing cap (30), namely wherein the connection is configured so that it can be released by a user without the assistance of a tool and / or that it cannot be released non-destructively.

4. Packaging unit according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a circumferential groove (34) is formed on the base of the recess (33) into which the free end (25) of the ring (23) engages, for the case where the packaging unit (1) is configured so that the ring (23) formed integrally and concentrically on the bottom side (22) of the second container (20) is pressed with the recess (33) in order to form an interference fit between the second container (20) and the sealing cap (30).

5. Packaging unit according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a first bead (24) or a notch is formed at the free end (25) of the ring (23), which cooperates with a corresponding snap element formed in the circumferential groove (34) for the case where the packaging unit (1) is configured so that the ring (23) formed integrally and concentrically on the bottom side (22) of the second container (20) is snapped with the recess in order to form a snap connection between the second container (20) and the sealing cap (30).

6. Packaging element according to Claim 5, characterized in that for the case where the first bead (24) is formed on the free end (25) of the ring (23), the corresponding snap element is configured as a notch and, for the case where the circumferential notch is formed on the free end (25) of the ring (23), the corresponding snap element is configured as a second bead (35), wherein the snap elements are circumferentially configured.

7. Packaging unit according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first container (10) is configured as a bottle.

8. Packaging unit according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the second container (20) is configured as a cup.

9. Packaging unit according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the second container (20) is made of transparent material and is sealed with a sealing film.

10. Packaging unit according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the free end of the shell part (31) of the sealing cap (30) is connected to a tamper-evident band (37) via predetermined breaking webs (38).

11. Packaging unit according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that between the free end of the shell part (31) and the tamper-evident band (37), at least one retaining band (41) is arranged in certain regions, which is connected on the one hand to the shell part (31) via predetermined breaking webs (38) and on the other hand to the tamper-evident band (37) via predetermined breaking webs (38).

12. Packaging unit according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the container body (11) of the first container (10) and the second container (20), and the sealing cap (30) each have a cylindrically configured outer surface, wherein at least the second container (20) and the sealing cap (30) each have approximately the same outer diameter and the container body (11) has an outer diameter that is equal to or greater than the outer diameter of the sealing cap (30).

13. Packaging unit according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that on the outer side of the sealing cap (30) and on the outer side of the second container (20) first and / or second outer ribs (27, 40) are formed respectively.