Packaging tray for caps intended for sealing pharmaceutical bottles

Abstract

The invention relates to a packaging tray (100) for caps comprising: - a base (110) having a general plate shape, an upper face and a lower face (112) extending along a principal plane (x,y), - a plurality of stops (120), each stop (120) being intended to be in contact with a cap when a plurality of caps are held against the lower face (112) of the base (110), - a plurality of fastening systems (130), each fastening system (130) being associated with a stop (120) and configured to hold a cap against said stop (120). The packaging tray (100) is notable in that each stop (120) is connected to the base (110) by flexible bridges (125), allowing movement of said stop (110) perpendicular to the principal plane (x,y). Figure to be published with the abbreviation: Figure 1b

Description

Title of the invention: Packaging tray for sealing caps PHARMACEUTICAL BOTTLES FIELD OF INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of packaging for pharmaceutical products. It relates in particular to a packaging tray adapted to hold caps, said caps being intended to seal vials for pharmaceutical use.

[0002] TECHNOLOGICAL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] It is common practice for caps, intended to seal vials after they have been filled with a medical product, to be held together by a packaging tray for storage, transport, and handling before use. This group packaging prevents these caps, which are considered medical devices, from being contaminated or damaged by contact and friction between them.

[0004] Document EP3505458 proposes this type of packaging. Caps held by hooks on the underside of a packaging tray are assembled onto bottles, which can also be collectively held by a tray. After assembly, a rod, fixed to a plate, is moved downwards so as to pass through an opening in the cap tray, directly above each cap, and to progressively push each cap downwards until it is detached from the tray. The drawback that can be encountered when the number of rods is equal to the number of caps is that the force to be applied is significant and tends to damage the tray due to excessive deflection.

[0005] Another problem may arise during the collective assembly of the caps (held on their tray) on the bottles, namely the poor clipping of a cap onto a bottle due to excessive differences in dimensions (especially in height) on the elements to be assembled.

[0006] SUBJECT OF THE INVENTION

[0007] The present invention proposes a solution to remedy all or part of the problems stated. The invention relates to a packaging tray for collectively held caps, which facilitates the separation of the caps when they are attached to the bottles. In certain embodiments, the invention allows also to compensate for variations in the height of the bottles, and increases the reliability of clipping all the caps onto their respective bottles.

[0008] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The invention relates to a packaging tray for caps comprising:

[0010] - a base having a general plate shape, an upper face and a face lower extending along a principal plane,

[0011] - a plurality of stops, each stop being intended to be in contact with a cap when a plurality of caps are held on the underside of the base,

[0012] - a plurality of attachment systems, each attachment system being associated with a stop and being configured to hold a cap against said stop.

[0013] The conditioning platform is remarkable in that each stop is connected to the base by flexible bridges, allowing a movement of said stop, perpendicular to the main plane.

[0014] According to advantageous and non-limiting features of the invention, which may be taken individually or in any technically feasible combination: - two or three flexible bridges connect each stop to the base; - Each flexible bridge has a U-shape in a plane normal to the plane main ; - each flexible bridge has an S-shape in a plane normal to the principal plane; - each attachment system includes flexible tabs, each flexible tab having a first end, free, capable of operating a movement in a direction in the principal plane; - each mounting system includes three flexible tabs; - each flexible leg has a notch designed to grip an upper portion of a cap to hold it against the stop; - each flexible leg has a second end attached to the base; - each flexible leg has a second end connected to one end proximal of a flexible bridge, a distal end of said flexible bridge being integral with the base; - each stop has an outgrowth extending from the side of the upper face of the base; - the outgrowth has a tubular shape; - at least one stop includes a shock-absorbing element, intended to be located against the cap; - the shock absorber element is removable; - the base is openwork and has stiffening ribs arranged on its upper face and / or on its lower face; - the conditioning tray further includes spacers, connected to the base and extending along an axis normal to the main plane, on the side of the underside. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0015] Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description of the invention which follows with reference to the accompanying figures in which:

[0016] [Fig. la]

[0017] [Fig.lb]

[0018] [Fig.le] Fig.la, Fig.lb and Fig.le present different views of a conditioning tray according to the present invention: (a) perspective view, from above, (b) perspective view, from below, (c) zoom on a location at the level of which a cap is held;

[0019] [Fig.2a]

[0020] [Fig.2b]

[0021] [Fig.2c] Fig.2a, Fig.2b and Fig.2c present different views of a conditioning tray according to the present invention, holding a cap: (a) side view, (b) top view, (c) bottom view;

[0022] [Fig.3] Fig.3 presents an alternative embodiment of a packaging tray according to the present invention;

[0023] [Fig.4a]

[0024] [Fig.4b]

[0025] [Fig.4c] Fig.4a, Fig.4b and Fig.4c present a particular embodiment of the conditioning tray according to the invention, comprising a shock-absorbing element: (a) perspective view, from below, (b) example of shock-absorbing element, (c) perspective view, from above;

[0026] [Fig.5] The [Fig.5] shows a cap sealing a bottle, said cap being capable of being held on a packaging tray according to the invention;

[0027] [Fig.6a]

[0028] [Fig.6b]

[0029] [Fig.6c] Fig.6a, Fig.6b and Fig.6c present different views of a packaging tray according to the present invention, holding a cap: (a) top view, (b) bottom view, (c) cross-sectional view;

[0030] In the descriptive part, the same references on the figures may be used for elements of the same type. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0031] The present invention relates to a packaging tray 100 for caps 10, particularly for pharmaceutical use, an example of which is illustrated in Figures 1a, 1b, 1e, 2a, 2b and 2c. To facilitate visualization, only one cap 10 has been shown, fixed to the packaging tray 100, in Figures 2a to 2c; of course, the practice is to have a cap 10 held at each of the locations provided for this purpose on the tray 100.

[0032] The packaging tray 100 comprises a base 110 having a general plate shape and two faces 111, 112 extending parallel to a principal plane (x,y): one is called the upper face 111 and the other the lower face 112. The qualifiers "upper" and "lower" are relative to the use that will be made of the packaging tray 100. When the caps 10 are held against the tray 100, one or more packaging trays 100 is / are usually placed in a storage and transport tank, potentially stacked one on top of the other, with the base 110 arranged horizontally: the upper face 111 is then the one seen from above, and the lower face 112 is the one seen from below.

[0033] The caps 10 are held against the tray 100, on the side of the lower face 112. For this purpose, the packaging tray 100 includes a plurality of stops 120 connected to the base 110. Each stop 120 is intended to be in contact with a cap 10, when the tray 100 is loaded with caps 10. Advantageously, it is an upper portion 11 of the cap 10 that is against the stop 120, as illustrated in [Fig. 1].

[0034] Each cap 10 preferably comprises a cylindrical body, which houses an elastomer stopper 12 intended to seal the opening la of the neck 1b of a bottle 1 after it has been filled; the bottle 1 is usually formed of a cylindrical body le and a collar Id defining the end of the neck 1b ([Fig.5]).

[0035] The cap 10 has a closed upper part 11 and is designed to securely stopper and seal the bottle 1 filled, for example, with a pharmaceutical product. Advantageously, the cap 10 is formed of an outer body 14, an upper cap 11, a cage 13, and a stopper 12 having a head 12a and a foot 12b, as, for example, described in documents EP2464577 or FR3098504.

[0036] Each stop 120 can be in the form of a solid or perforated disc, the lower surface of which (on the side of the lower face 112 of the base 110) is intended to be in contact with the retained cap 10, as in the example illustrated in Figures 1b and 1a. Alternatively, the stop 120 can be in any other form, providing a continuous contact surface or local contact areas with the upper part 11 of the cap 10.

[0037] The plate 100 also includes a plurality of hooking systems 130, each hooking system 130 being associated with a stop 120 and being configured to hold a cap 10 against said stop 120.

[0038] According to the invention, each stop 120 is connected to the base 110 by flexible bridges 125 which allow movement of said stop 110 perpendicular to the principal plane (x,y). This particular feature makes it easy to detach each cap 10 from the associated attachment system 130 by pushing on the stop 120 from the side of the upper face 111 of the base 110. Such a push causes the stop 120, and consequently the cap 10, to move along an axis (z) normal to the principal plane (x,y) until the cap 10 is extracted from the attachment system 130.

[0039] Advantageously, there are three flexible bridges 125 connecting each stop 120 to the base 110. The number of bridges 125 can typically vary between two and six, the three-bridge 125 embodiment ensuring good stability of the stop 120 without excessively complicating the design of the platform 100. Restricting this to two flexible bridges 125 can save space.

[0040] Each bridge 125 has two ends 124,126; by convention, we will call the end of the bridge 125 connected to the stop 120 the proximal end 124, and the end of the bridge 125 connected to the base 110 the distal end 126.

[0041] Several bridge shapes 125 can be considered to allow movement along the (z) axis of the stop 120. In particular, a bridge with a curve is likely to be more flexible than a flat bridge, due to a spring effect. A U-shaped bridge in a plane normal to the principal plane (x,y) (illustrated in [Fig. 3]) allows the bridge 125 to bend, at least in one direction along the z-axis normal to the principal plane (x,y). Note that the U-shaped bridge can be oriented downwards (i.e., the opening of the U is on the side of the lower face 112 of the plate 100), as illustrated in [Fig. 3], or it can be oriented upwards (i.e., the opening of the U is on the side of the upper face 111 of the plate 100).An S-shaped form in a plane normal to the principal plane (x,y) (illustrated in figures aa, 1b, le) allows the bridge 125 to bend in both directions along the z-axis normal to the principal plane (x,y); in other words, considering that the principal plane (x,y) is horizontal, the S-shaped form of each bridge 125 allows the stop 120 to move vertically, upwards or downwards.

[0042] In the case of a conditioning tray 100 having a large number of locations for holding caps 10, such as that illustrated in Figures 6a, 6b (100 locations), the flexible bridges 125 may have a U-shaped form, oriented upwards or downwards ([Fig. 6c]), but of small amplitude along the z-axis, so as to reduce the bulk.

[0043] Preferably, each attachment system 130 comprises flexible tabs 135. Each of these flexible tabs 135 has a first end 134 ([Fig. 1e]), free and capable of movement (in other words, capable of displacement) in a direction in the principal plane (x,y), and a second end 136 connected to the base 110, directly or indirectly. The mobility of the first end 134 allows the flexible tabs 135 of the attachment system 130 to spread apart when a cap 10 is brought against the stop 120, allowing the cap 10 to pass until it clips against the stop 120; it also allows the flexible tabs 135 to spread apart when the stop 120 moves downwards, forcing the cap 10 to be extracted from the clip.

[0044] To achieve the aforementioned clipping, each flexible leg 135 advantageously has a notch 131 intended to grip the cap 10 (and in particular an upper portion 11 of the cap 10) to keep it pressed against a stop 120.

[0045] According to a first embodiment, illustrated in figures 1a to 1e, 2a to 2c and 6a to 6c, the second end 136 of each flexible leg 135 is directly connected to the base 110.

[0046] According to a second embodiment, illustrated in [Fig.3], the second end 136 of each flexible leg 135 is connected to the proximal end 124 of a flexible bridge 125, a distal end 126 of said flexible bridge 125 being attached to the base 110. In this case, the spacing of the flexible legs 135 of each hooking system 130 is further caused by the downward movement of the stop 120, due to the link between legs 135 and bridges 125 ([Fig.3] (ii)).

[0047] Each attachment system 130 can include a plurality of flexible tabs 135, typically between two and five, preferably three to promote good mechanical hold of the cap 10 and a small footprint.

[0048] Advantageously, each stop 120 has a projection 121 extending from the side of the upper face 111 of the base 110. This projection may, in particular, have a tubular shape as illustrated in Figures 1a, 1e, 2a, 6c. Of course, any other shape could also be implemented. The purpose of this projection 121 is to facilitate the application of a force to move the stop 120 downwards (opposite to the z-axis in the figures). Individual pressure on a projection 121 allows a cap 10 to be separated from the conditioning tray 100; collective pressure on all the projections 121, for example by means of a plate arranged parallel to the principal plane (x,y), leads to the separation of all the caps 10.This last configuration is particularly interesting in the case where the caps 10, held on the conditioning tray 100, are collectively associated with bottles, themselves arranged on a tray of . Packaging (in general); it is thus possible to easily separate all 10 caps at once, without the need for special tools, leaving each one assembled on a bottle. The packaging tray 100 can then be reused for other 10 caps.

[0049] According to an advantageous embodiment, at least one stop 120 comprises a shock-absorbing element 128, intended to be located against the associated cap 10 (Figures 4a, 4b, 4c). This shock-absorbing element 128 is formed of an elastomeric material and is capable of deforming to absorb potential variations in the dimensions of the caps 10 and / or the bottles 1 that the caps 10 are intended to seal.

[0050] Preferably each shock-absorbing element 128 is removable, so the conditioning tray 100 can be used with or without these elements 128. For example, the shock-absorbing element 128 can be in the form of a disc 128a ([Fig.4b]) provided with a male member 128b suitable for coupling with a female member 120b provided in the stop 120 ([Fig.4c]); the stop 120 can in this case take the form of a disc with a central hole 120b in which the male member 128b is housed, the mechanical holding of the shock-absorbing element 128 on the stop 120 being ensured by the cooperation between the peripheral edge of the central hole 120b and a groove 128c provided in the male member 128b.

[0051] Alternatively, the shock-absorbing element 128 can adopt a simple disc shape and be glued onto the stop 120, on the side of the lower face 112 of the base 110, or produced by bi-injection at the same time as the tray 100. In this regard, the packaging tray 100 is advantageously manufactured by injection molding, from a plastic material, chosen for example from polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polypropylene (PP), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) or even polyamides (PA).

[0052] The base 110 can be perforated to limit the mass of the packaging tray 100 and the consumption of material. It preferably includes stiffening ribs 115 arranged on its upper face 111 and / or on its lower face 112.

[0053] Finally, the tray may include spacers 140, attached to the base 110 and extending along an axis normal z to the principal plane (x,y), on the side of the lower face 112. These spacers 140 serve to maintain a constant and controlled spacing between the caps 10 and underlying surfaces or elements. They are particularly useful when several packaging trays 100 must be stacked in a storage and transport tank, to prevent accidental contact between the caps 10 and the bottom of the tank or the underlying tray 100. The spacers 140 are advantageously arranged in a peripheral region of the tray 100, for example, near the four corners of said tray. One or more spacers 140 may also be arranged in a central region of the tray 100 to avoid its bending, especially when the number of caps 10 to be held is large and the plate 100 has large lateral dimensions; the use of spacers relieves the stiffening constraints by ribs, by increasing the thickness of the plate 100 or by reducing the openwork areas.

[0054] Advantageously, reception areas 141 are provided on the upper face 111 of the base 110 of the platform 100, directly below the spacers 140. They correspond to cavities adapted to receive the free ends of the spacers 140 of another platform 100 stacked on the upper face 111 of said platform 100.

[0055] The packaging tray 100 is illustrated in some figures with nine or one hundred slots for holding caps 10. Its lateral dimensions can be on the order of a few tens of centimeters (for example, on the order of 22 cm by 17 cm for the tray with 9 slots), and the thicknesses of the base 110 and the flexible bridges 125 are typically between 1 mm and 2 mm. Of course, these dimensional examples are not limiting, and trays 100 according to the present invention can be designed with 16, 25, or even 48 slots for caps 10, with dimensions adapted to the number of slots and their distribution and density.

[0056] Of course, the invention is not limited to the modes of implementation and examples described, and alternative embodiments can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the claims.

Claims

Demands

1. Packaging tray (100) for caps (10) comprising: - a base (110) having a general plate shape, an upper face (111) and a lower face (112) extending along a principal plane (x,y), - a plurality of stops (120), each stop (120) being intended to be in contact with a cap (10) when a plurality of caps (10) are held on the lower face (112) side of the base (110), - a plurality of hooking systems (130), each hooking system (130) being associated with a stop (120) and being configured to hold a cap (10) against said stop (120), the packaging tray (100) being characterized in that each stop (120) is connected to the base (110) by flexible bridges (125), allowing movement of said stop (110), perpendicular to the principal plane (x,y).

2. Packaging tray (100) according to the preceding claim, in which two or three flexible bridges (125) connect each stop (120) to the base (110).

3. Packaging tray (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each flexible bridge (125) has a U-shaped form in a plane normal to the principal plane (x,y).

4. Packaging tray (100) according to any one of claims 1 and 2, wherein each flexible bridge (125) has an S-shape in a plane normal to the principal plane (x,y).

5. Packaging tray (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each hooking system (130) has flexible tabs (135), each flexible tab (135) having a first end (134), free, capable of operating a movement in a direction in the principal plane (x,y).

6. Packaging tray (100) according to the preceding claim, wherein each hooking system (130) comprises three flexible tabs (135).

7. Packaging tray (100) according to either of the two preceding claims, wherein each flexible leg (135) has a notch (131) for gripping a portion upper part of a cap (10) to hold it against the stop (120).

8. Packaging tray (100) according to any one of the three preceding claims, wherein each flexible leg (135) has a second end (136) integral with the base (110).

9. Packaging tray (100) according to any one of claims 5 to 7, in which each flexible leg (135) has a second end (136) connected to a proximal end (124) of a flexible bridge (125), a distal end (126) of said flexible bridge (125) being integral with the base (110).

10. Packaging tray (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each stop (120) has an outgrowth (121) extending from the side of the upper face (111) of the base (110).

11. Packaging tray (100) according to the preceding claim, in which the protrusion (121) has a tubular shape.

12. Packaging tray (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one stop (120) includes a shock-absorbing element (128), intended to be against the cap (10).

13. Packaging tray (100) according to the preceding claim, in which the shock-absorbing element (128) is removable.

14. Packaging tray (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the base (110) is perforated and has stiffening ribs (115) arranged on its upper face (111) and / or on its lower face (112).

15. Packaging tray (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising spacers (140), connected to the base (110) and extending along an axis normal (z) to the principal plane (x,y), on the side of the lower face (112).

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