Sheet cutting method, pouch, webs of multiple pouches, and production method of web

Abstract

To provide an improved sheet cutting method.SOLUTION: There is provided a sheet cutting method. The sheet includes: multiple transparent strips and multiple opaque strips extending in a longitudinal direction of the sheet. Each transparent strip and each opaque strip have a width in a transverse direction of the sheet, and the multiple transparent strips and the multiple opaque strips are alternately arranged in the transverse direction of the sheet. Each of the multiple opaque strips has a width narrower than the width of each of the multiple transparent strips. The method is configured so that the sheet is cut in the longitudinal direction and two or more sheet materials are obtained, the two or more sheet materials respectively having a single transparent strip and a single opaque strip.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to sheets, pouches for containing tablets manufactured from sheet materials, and webs of a plurality of said pouches. The present disclosure also relates to a method for manufacturing the web using the sheet.

Background Art

[0002] (Introduction) Pouches filled with a prescription of a pharmaceutical product for a patient, particularly a single-dose pharmaceutical product or a combination of a plurality of pharmaceutical products, and printed with information regarding the administration of the pharmaceutical product, such as information regarding the patient, the contained pharmaceutical product, and / or the timing of administration, are conveniently used by patients or hospitals. With such pouches, patients can easily take the prescribed pharmaceutical products in the appropriate amounts, in the appropriate combinations, and at the appropriate times. On the other hand, since such pouches contain the prescribed dosage of the pharmaceutical product and related information such as information regarding each pharmaceutical product and the patient, medical staff can provide the necessary pharmaceutical products to patients in an efficient manner and with a low risk of error.

[0003] Pouches are generally manufactured from long webs of a plurality of interconnected pouches that can be separated from each other for use as a single pouch. These webs can be manufactured from a sheet of a suitable material that is folded to form a first side and a second side of the web. Information providing related information can be printed on the first side or the second side. A predetermined prescription of a pharmaceutical product can be introduced at a predetermined position of the folded sheet. The first side and the second side may be sealed to each other at a predetermined position to provide a compartment filled with the prescription. By separating the pouches from the web at the connection positions, individual pouches are obtained.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The present inventors have found that there is room for improvement with respect to the above-mentioned pouch, particularly with regard to the readability of the information described on the pouch and the visibility of the contents of the pouch for inspection purposes.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0005] To achieve this, a first aspect relates to a sheet, the sheet comprising transparent strips and opaque strips each extending in the longitudinal direction of the sheet and having a width in the transverse direction of the sheet, the transparent strips and the opaque strips being alternately arranged in the transverse direction of the sheet, and each opaque strip having a width narrower than the width of each transparent strip. Such a width difference can be in the range of 0.1 mm to 10 mm, depending on the requirements of the sheet and the pouch.

[0006] In a further aspect, a pouch for containing tablets is formed of a sheet material, the pouch comprising a first surface and a second surface connected via a bottom seal, a top seal opposite the bottom seal, and first and second side seals extending from a fold at the bottom edge to the top seal to define a space for containing the tablets, the first surface of the pouch being transparent, the second surface of the pouch being opaque from a position beyond the fold at the bottom edge towards the upper edge opposite the bottom edge, and the transparent portion of the sheet forming the fold at the bottom edge. The sheet material is preferably formed of the sheet defined above.

[0007] In a further aspect, a web of a plurality of the above-mentioned pouches is formed, and the pouches of the web are interconnected via their respective first and second side edges.

[0008] A further aspect relates to a method for manufacturing a web of the above-mentioned pouches, comprising: providing the sheet defined above; folding the sheet along a longitudinal fold line disposed in the transparent portion, the fold line defining the lower edge of the web connecting a substantially transparent first side and a substantially opaque second side; providing information at one or more predetermined positions on the opaque second side; introducing one or more tablets between the first side and the second side at predetermined positions along the folded sheet according to the information provided on the second side; sealing the first side to the second side at predetermined positions in a direction transverse to the fold and at positions opposite to the fold to provide a first side, a second side, and an uppermost seal for each compartment containing the one or more tablets, each sealed compartment constituting a pouch.

[0009] Substantially make one side of the tablet pouch opaque. For example, extend the transparent portion to a maximum of 20%, such as a maximum of 10%, of the surface of the package. On the other hand, make only a small strip along the fold transparent (e.g., 0.1 - 10 mm). In this way, any information printed on the opaque surface can be seen to the maximum extent, and it becomes possible to include an optimal amount of information and / or a string of characters in a large font size, the latter being particularly advantageous for elderly patients. Also, the opaque second side provides a background for the tablets contained therein and enables good visibility of the tablets through the transparent first side of the pouch. This is particularly useful for the purpose of inspecting the pouch that has already been loaded with tablets and sealed to check whether specific tablets or the amount of tablets have been accurately loaded. The opaque background formed on one side entirely or almost entirely ensures that any human inspection and / or inspection device (such as a camera, sensor, etc.) has a transparent background for accurate detection and counting of the tablets. By ensuring that the width of the opaque portion is equal to or within 10 mm of the transparent portion, it is ensured that the opaque portion does not cover a part of the first side across the fold (thereby ensuring that all tablets are visible from the first transparent side and nothing is covered by the opaque portion across the fold). Furthermore, any transparent portion on the second side has a width of 10% or less of the total width of the pouch, ensuring that the opaque portion covers substantially the entire second side and provides a good background for all tablets to be visible for inspection purposes (since inspection is more difficult with a transparent background).

[0010] Also, in terms of manufacturing, there is an advantage in the present configuration of the sheet material constituting the web of pouches / pouches in this specification, where the width of each opaque strip is narrower than the width of each transparent strip, and the maximum width difference is 10 mm. This is due to the fact that the sheet can be folded into two equal parts that form the first and second sides of the web of pouches / pouches, and the opaque part is not part of the fold line. Since the transparent strip is generally thinner and thus more flexible than the opaque strip, the transparent strip portion of the sheet is easy to fold. Additionally, for the same reason, the edges of the opaque strip along the fold line can prevent any unintended displacement of the fold line during the folding process, and as a result, the fold line is well-aligned with the edge of the opaque part, for example, the coating edge if the opaque part includes a coating. This avoids manufacturing defects and ensures the uniformity of the pouches within the web of pouches manufactured from the sheet.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

Figure 1

Figure 2A

Figure 2B

Figure 2C

Figure 3A

Figure 3B

Figure 3C

Figure 4

Figure 5

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] A sheet is provided that can be used to manufacture a web of pouches filled with tablets. The pouches of the web can be separated from the pouches to form individual pouches. Accordingly, the teachings regarding the properties of the sheet can also be applied to the pouch / pouch web and its manufacturing method.

[0013] The sheet can be designed as a composite sheet including at least one layer of a transparent substrate and at least a second layer of an opaque coating. The opaque coating can be applied as a strip of uniform width in the longitudinal direction of the sheet. In this regard, the longitudinal direction of the sheet can be defined as the direction in which the pouches of the web of pouches to be manufactured are connected to each other.

[0014] The transparent portions and the opaque portions are alternately arranged in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the sheet, for example, in the transverse direction of the sheet. As a result, the sheet includes transparent strips and opaque strips extending in the longitudinal direction of the sheet. In this regard, the sheet can exist as a roll or “mother roll” of a long substrate between a maximum of several hundred meters, for example, between 100 meters and 1000 meters, for example, about 600 meters. The transverse direction is generally much smaller, for example, 10 to 100 cm, for example, ±280 mm, in a sheet that alternately includes, for example, two transparent strips and two opaque strips. The sheet is provided as a roll with strips extending in the radial direction, thereby enabling storage of such a long sheet material and facilitating supply during the process of manufacturing the strips of the pouches.

[0015] The sheet preferably includes the same number of transparent strips and opaque strips. Such a sheet can be easily divided by cutting the sheet in the longitudinal direction, and small sheets can be obtained that can be folded into a folded sheet having a transparent first side and an opaque second side without loss of sheet material. In principle, the sheet may include any even number of strips in the transverse direction. Since the web of the pouch requires only a single opaque strip and a single transparent strip, the sheet may be composed of a single transparent strip and a single opaque strip. Such a sheet with a single transparent strip and a single opaque strip can be used directly to produce the web of the pouch, but a sheet with a plurality of alternately arranged transparent strips and opaque strips must be cut longitudinally to obtain a sheet with a single transparent strip and a single opaque strip, and this sheet can be folded, printed, filled, and sealed to obtain the web of the pouch. However, for storage, it is preferable to supply from the beginning, preferably on a supply roll, a sheet in which a plurality of transparent strips and opaque strips are alternately arranged.

[0016] The width of each opaque strip is narrower than the width of each transparent strip, and the width difference is at most 0 mm, for example, at most 2 - 8 mm, and in some embodiments even less than 2 mm. In this way, when a sheet having a single transparent strip and a single opaque strip is folded to obtain first and second sides of equal dimensions, the opaque material is not part of the fold line or does not strictly exist at the intersection of the transparent strip and the opaque strip. That is, in the pouch manufactured using this sheet, the first side of the pouch is completely (or at least substantially) transparent and the second side is substantially opaque. This can be done by coating with an opaque coating extending from a position slightly away from the fold line defining the lower side to the upper side, and the distance from the fold line defining the lower side is at most 2 - 8 mm, preferably at most 1 - 4 mm, for example, 0.1 - 1 mm. To ensure optimal readability of the information printed on the pouch and optimal inspection conditions for the tablets contained therein, the distance / width difference should be at most 10 mm. The distance / width difference may be less than 10 mm, and the coated / opaque portion of the sheet is not part of the fold line. A suitable distance / width difference in this regard may be, for example, in the range from 0.1 mm to 10 mm, for example, from 0.5 mm to 8 mm, for example 5 mm.

[0017] Generally, the tablets are related tablet products such as pharmaceuticals, tablets, or vitamin tablets. Other types of tablets are also applicable in different contexts. The tablets are preferably "individual" in the sense that they can be dispensed one by one, separately, or in dosage units. In the case of white or light-colored tablets, a relatively dark background may be desirable for inspection purposes. One or more tablets within the pouch may be of a predetermined formulation of the tablets. In this regard, the term "predetermined formulation of the tablets" relates to a doctor's prescription or the amount and combination of tablets suitable for ingestion at a particular moment or occasion.

[0018] In order to provide optimal contrast in terms of the inspection of tablets and the visibility of information printed on the opaque parts, the opaque strip of the sheet, as well as the opaque part of the pouch, for example the second side of the pouch, preferably has a haze of 73 to 77% as determined according to ASTM D1003.

[0019] Each opaque strip may be formed by an opaque coating on a transparent substrate sheet.

[0020] The opaque coating may in principle have any desired color and design and may be applied as ink. The choice of color and design may in this regard depend on the color and / or type of the tablets in the pouch. In particular, in the case of a combination of prescribed tablets, the colors of the tablets may be different. In that case, a white coating is preferred. A white coating such as white ink is preferred in some cases as it enables optimal readability of the printed string thereon and optimal contrast for the inspection of the tablets from the transparent side. Furthermore, white matches the labels that patients are familiar with in other pharmaceutical products such as medicine bottles. This gives the patient a trustworthy impression and contributes to patient compliance.

[0021] It is also possible to design the color of the opaque surface so that the color or color pattern itself provides information, for example, indicating that it should be taken in the morning in red and indicating that it should be taken in the evening in green, etc. Such color coding can be used as an aid to the information printed on the non-transparent part. For example, when the pouch is for vitamins, color coding may be preferred.

[0022] In order to provide optimal contrast for the inspection of tablets, the transparent strip of the sheet, the transparent part of the pouch, for example the front side, should be sufficiently transparent. In this regard, the transparent part preferably has a haze of 10 to 12% as determined according to ASTM D1003.

[0023] Suitable pouches can be manufactured using various base materials that meet requirements regarding flexibility, transparency, processability, and the like. In this regard, it is preferable to use a transparent plastic sheet as the transparent base material sheet. Similarly, the base material of the pouch can also be a transparent plastic material. Suitable plastics can include, without limitation, polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), such as biaxially oriented PP, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and the like. Cellulose is also suitable as a plastic material.

[0024] In one embodiment, the transparent plastic sheet is a composite plastic sheet having a plurality of plastic layers. In such a composite sheet, the layer (inner layer) intended to contact the tablet may have different properties from the layer (outer layer) intended for the outer part of the pouch. For example, the inner layer is designed to enable heat sealing, while the outer layer provides the appearance and feel of the overall quality.

[0025] In one embodiment, the transparent plastic sheet includes a first layer of polyethylene (PE) and a second layer of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). In this composite sheet, preferably, an opaque material coating is applied to the second layer, the PET layer. Thus, in the pouch, the sheet constituting the pouch includes an inner layer of polyethylene (PE) and an outer layer of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The PE layer and the PET layer are preferably adhered with a suitable adhesive. Here, the opaque coating can be formed on the outer layer, particularly the second side of the pouch. In this regard, the opaque coating can be disposed on the outer surface of the sheet or between the PET sheet and the PE sheet.

[0026] More generally, the opaque coating in the pouch can thus be disposed on the outer surface of the pouch or within the sheet material of the pouch between the layers of the composite pouch.

[0027] Such PET / PE composite laminate sheets are very suitable for the production of web of pouches. These materials also provide excellent moisture protection and oxygen protection, leading to a longer shelf life of the contained tablets. Generally, such sheet materials give sufficient strength and protection to the contents of the pouch, but can also be easily torn to access the contents. Pouches made of this sheet material have particularly good texture and impression due to the PET outer layer.

[0028] As described above, the opaque surface usually functions as a base for providing information to the pouch, but in some embodiments, information can be printed or otherwise added to the transparent surface. The information can be provided by any suitable means such as stamping or printing. In this regard, the pouch usually preferably includes information printed on the opaque coating. The printed information is information regarding the administration of the pharmaceutical product, for example, information regarding the patient, information regarding the contained pharmaceutical product and / or information regarding the timing of administration. The information may include letters, photos, QR codes, etc., or combinations thereof.

[0029] The terms "bottom", "top", "first side", and "second side" with respect to the pouch are intended to define the relative arrangement of the pouch. For example, these terms do not indicate a specific orientation of the information or an absolute orientation with respect to the user.

[0030] In that regard, the top as used herein can also be considered the bottom of the pouch when held upside down, and vice versa. The same applies to the sides, which can be considered the top and bottom in various embodiments.

[0031] In this regard, the information can be in any orientation. For example, the text string can be from top to bottom, or vice versa, from the first side to the second side, or vice versa, or any other reading orientation.

[0032] In the process of manufacturing the web of the pouch, providing the information at a predetermined position on the opaque second side may be done before or after folding of the sheet and / or formation of the pouch. Usually, the information is provided, for example, by printing, after folding and immediately before introducing a tablet between the first and second sides of the folded sheet.

[0033] To ensure proper printing, the printing anvil can be sized or positioned such that the fold comes just outside the anvil and thus is not supported by the anvil. At the fold, since the thickness of the pouch tends to be slightly more than twice the thickness of a single sheet, if the fold is between the anvil and the print head, the print head may tilt slightly and printing may be performed with low pressure near the fold. This can be avoided by ensuring that the fold is outside the anvil. This also helps to ensure that the printed matter does not cross the fold (whether printed before or after folding), as crossing the fold can adversely affect smooth folding and pouch formation and / or compromise the reliability of the printed matter.

[0034] Alternatively, the sheet from which the web of the pouch is manufactured may be provided in a design such that there is no need to provide information on the opaque portion during the web manufacturing process. In this case, the sheet from which the web is manufactured may already have information such as pictures, letters, company logos, etc. provided before the folding step, or the pouch may be of a type where no additional information is provided or printed.

[0035] Pouches are usually manufactured as a web of pouches interconnected via respective first and second sides. The term "web" in the context of the present invention is understood as a system of interconnected elements, for example, a series of interconnected pouches.

[0036] The first side and the second side may be separated by a perforated tear line, which enables separation of individual pouches from the web of the pouch.

[0037] The seal between consecutive pouches in the web can be achieved by heat sealing. In this case, the sealing connection can be a heat seal.

[0038] The connection between consecutive pouches may be formed by a single seal, such as a heat seal, with any tear line extending to the seal. In this case, the side seals of a single pouch extend to its first and second sides and include the first and second sides.

[0039] The connection between consecutive pouches may include a second seal of the first pouch and a first side seal of the second adjacent pouch, separated from each other by an unsealed area between adjacent pouches. In this case, the side seals of a single pouch are at a short distance from its first and second sides. The presence of an unsealed area between unsealed pouches facilitates separation of individual pouches from the web of the pouch if a perforated tear line is arranged in the unsealed area.

[0040] In this regard, the first and second faces of one pouch can be sealingly interconnected at the top seal by a heat seal provided during the sealing process in the manufacturing process. The top seal may overlap the upper side of the pouch or, alternatively, the top seal may be slightly separated from the upper side. The latter can facilitate opening a single pouch from the top side to gain access to the contents of the pouch.

[0041] In this regard, the first and second sides of a single pouch can be sealingly connected even at the bottom seal by heat sealing. Here too, the bottom seal may overlap the lower edge of the pouch or be slightly separated from the lower edge. However, with respect to the bottom seal, it is generally defined by the fold of the above-described sheet material. In this way, the pouch can be manufactured from a single sheet, and the sealing connection between the first and second sides is provided without the need for additional sealing techniques.

[0042] The sealing between the sides of the pouch may be performed in any order. Sealing the first side to the second side at a predetermined position in the transverse direction of the fold to provide a compartment for containing the pharmaceutical of the predetermined formulation may be done before or after introducing the tablets between the first and second sides of the folded sheet. On the other hand, sealing the first side to the second side at or near the upper edge of each compartment is usually performed as the final sealing step after tablet introduction. The transverse seal (side seal) and the top seal of the pouch can be performed simultaneously, as this enables the use of a single heat sealing device and ensures uniform dimensions of the pouch within the web of the pouch. Therefore, the tablets may be introduced at a predetermined position along the folded sheet between the first and second sides according to the information provided on the second side, before or after the transverse seal realizes the pouch compartments, or after one of the transverse seals of the intended pouch compartments has been realized.

[0043] To enable easy access to the contents of the pouch, the pouch may be provided with a tear notch at the upper part of one or both of the sides, which can be either a linear slit, a triangular notch, or a notch of other configurations. The triangular notch helps enhance visibility, especially in the case of an opaque portion. In the case of a linear slit-shaped tear notch, printing markings may be added to enhance the visibility for the user. This tear notch allows for the use of a smooth edge and can make it difficult for children to open the pouch (increasing the "child-safe" property). Also, for example, by providing a tear notch at this position, a tear line can be provided along the sealing connection part. This enables access to the contents of the pouch along the seal without damaging the information on the pouch. By doing so, the information on the pouch remains visible even after the pouch is opened.

[0044] Alternatively, or in addition, the pouch may have, for example, one or more serrated edges on the upper side. If there are one or more serrated edges, the pouch can be torn open at any position, making it possible for anyone to easily open the pouch.

[0045] The opaque portion on the second side of the pouch extends from a position within 10 mm from the lower side, for example, from a position of 2 - 8 mm, towards the upper side opposite to the lower side. Preferably, the opaque portion may extend at least to the uppermost seal or may extend beyond the uppermost seal. For example, when a serrated edge is provided on the pouch or the web of the pouch, the opaque portion may extend to the serrated edge. Such a configuration has the advantage of improving the visibility of the serrated edge and making it easier for the user to tear the pouch.

[0046] The various aspects and features described and shown in this specification can be applied individually as much as possible. These individual aspects, especially the aspects and features described in the appended dependent claims, can be the subject of a divisional patent application.

[0047] (Detailed Description of the Drawings) FIG. 1 shows a sheet 1 according to an embodiment. The sheet 1 includes three opaque strips 2 and three transparent strips 3 that extend in the longitudinal direction of the sheet and each have a width in the transverse direction of the sheet. The width of the opaque strip is indicated by arrow A, and the width of the transparent strip is indicated by arrow B. The transparent strips 3 and the opaque strips 4 are alternately arranged in the transverse direction of the sheet 1. The dimensions in this figure do not necessarily match the actual dimensions, but the width A of each opaque strip 2 is less than or equal to the width B of each transparent strip 3, and the width difference is at most 10 mm, for example, 2 - 8 mm.

[0048] FIG. 2A shows a sheet 1' for manufacturing a web of pouches according to an embodiment. FIGS. 2B and 2C show further embodiments of the sheet 1', where FIG. 2B includes a transparent strip on the outer side, and FIG. 2C shows a serrated side. The illustrated sheet 1' can be obtained by cutting the sheet of FIG. 1 along line C for the embodiments of FIGS. 2A and 2C, and slightly outside line C for FIG. 2B. In this way, three separate sheets 1' having a single transparent strip 3 and an opaque strip 2 can be obtained. The sheet 1' depicted in FIG. 2A represents one of these sheets. The sheet 1' can be folded in the middle via a fold line E to obtain a folded sheet. The fold line E is at a distance from side D that is at most 20% of the maximum width of the pouch during formation and / or at most 2 - 8 mm, for example, at most 10% of the maximum width of the pouch or at most 1 - 4 mm. The crease obtained by folding along the fold line E defines the side (e.g., the bottom crease) of the web of pouches that can be manufactured using the sheet 1'.

[0049] Referring to FIGS. 3A - 5, the manufacturing process and the web of pouches will be further described.

[0050] FIG. 3A is a schematic view of the web 100 of the pouch 150 made from the elongated sheet 1' on the opaque surface 102 (second surface). FIG. 3B shows a detailed portion thereof. FIG. 3C is a schematic view of the web of the pouch on the transparent surface 103 (e.g., front side or first surface) as shown in FIG. 3B. FIGS. 3A - 3C show the web 100 of the pouch 150 made from the completed elongated sheet 1'. The web of the pouch is made from a plastic sheet 1' that is folded back on itself by making folds in the sheet 1' via the fold line E as shown in FIGS. 2A - 2C. The web 100 has a substantially opaque second surface 102 with an opaque strip 2 following the first surface 103 via a fold along the line E forming the lower side 104. Both the first surface 103 and the second surface 102 have an upper side 105 at the same height with respect to the lower side 104. The opaque coating on the second surface 102 contains information printed (or otherwise disposed, e.g., stamped) thereon as visualized by the display of "INFO". The side D of the opaque strip on the second surface 102 of the web is at a distance of at most 10 mm from the lower side 104. Since the first surface 103 is transparent, the side D is visible from the front as shown in FIG. 3C. In some embodiments, the opaque surface may further include an additional transparent edge on the sealing surface 105. This may extend for about 1 - 8 mm or up to just beyond the heat seal in front of the start of the printing area from the said surface.

[0051] As best shown in FIGS. 3B and 3C, each pouch 150 of the web 100 includes an elongated first heat seal 111 transverse to the longitudinal direction of the web 100, an elongated second heat seal 112 transverse to the longitudinal direction of the web 100, and an elongated top heat seal 113 between the first surface 103 and the second surface 102. Each of the first heat seal 111 and the second heat seal 112 extends parallel to each other and transverse to the lower side 104, and the top heat seal 113 extends therebetween, parallel to the upper side 105 and spaced from the upper side 105, although in some embodiments it may be right at the edge.

[0052] The separation perforation line 120 extends between the upper side 105 and the lower side 104 over at least half of the distance between the lower side 104 and the upper side 105. In this example, the separation perforation line 120 extends over 70% or more of the distance between the lower side 104 and the upper side 105, but in other systems it may vary depending on factors such as size, type of sheet used, etc. Thereby, a foil bridge 121 is formed between the separation perforation line 120 and the upper side 105, and a non-perforated portion 124 may exist on the lower side.

[0053] The elongated web 100 is divided by tearing the separation perforation line 120 and then tearing the foil bridge 121, and one pouch 150 or a series of interconnected pouches 150 can be obtained. The tear notch 122 extends at a height close to but below the uppermost heat seal 113 with respect to the lower side 104. By starting from the tear notch 122 and tearing the uppermost heat seal 113, the separated pouch 150 can be manually opened.

[0054] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of a tablet supply device and a packaging device according to an embodiment. The supply device 4 includes a frame 5 and a horizontally extending support disk 6 that supports a plurality of radially extending arrays 8, each having a plurality of canisters or feeder units 9. The supply device 4 has an elongated collection hopper 10 below the support disk 6, and this collection hopper 10 is connected via a radially extending arm 12 to a position control motor 7 such as a servo drive on the frame 5 so as to be rotated around a vertical axis. Each feeder unit 9 can be filled with a different batch of individual pharmaceuticals. The feeder unit 9 is configured to discharge the individual pharmaceuticals collected by the collection hopper 10 that is rotated below the feeder unit 9 by the position control motor 7. In this way, a selection of individual pharmaceuticals 13 is counted. The collection hopper 10 merges at a hopper outlet 11 and supplies the selection of individual pharmaceuticals 13 to a packaging device 20 that packages the selection of each organized individual pharmaceutical 13 into a pouch 150. The collection hopper 10 includes a hopper discharge valve (not shown) with an actuator at the hopper outlet 11 for controllably discharging the organized selection of individual pharmaceuticals 13. The electronic controller 80 is programmed to execute a desired processing method.

[0055] Figure 5 shows the packaging device 20 in more detail. Figure 5 shows a schematic isometric view of the packaging device of Figure 4 for manufacturing a web of pouches filled with tablets according to an embodiment, such as the web of pouches shown in Figure 3A.

[0056] The packaging device 20 is configured to form and fill pouches 150 in an elongated sheet 1' as shown, for example, in Figure 2. The packaging device 20 includes a sheet drive 23 for intermittently conveying the elongated sheet 1' in a conveying direction T through the packaging device 20 along a sheet locus 22 of the packaging device 20. The elongated sheet 1' typically unwinds smoothly from a stock reel 119.

[0057] As shown in FIG. 5, while being conveyed in the conveying direction T through the packaging device 20, the elongated sheet 1' is subjected to a subsequent heat seal 110 to provide a partitioned web 100.

[0058] While being conveyed through the packaging device 20, a subsequent linear separation perforation line is provided between the heat seals 110 of the web 100.

[0059] While being conveyed through the packaging device 20, the elongated web 100 is also provided with subsequent tear notches 122 that start from the separation perforation line 120 and extend in a transverse direction with respect to the separation perforation line 120.

[0060] The sheet 1' defines a printable area 117 on the second surface 102 within the heat seal 110. Behind the printable area 117, the elongated web 100 forms a sealed compartment between the lower side 104 and the heat seal 110 to accommodate and store the selected item of the pharmaceutical 13.

[0061] As shown in FIG. 5, the packaging apparatus 20 is configured in series from a printing station 30, a filling station 40, a sealing station 50, and a perforation processing station 60. The printing station 30 includes a printer 31 configured to print a character string or symbol visualized by the display of "INFO" on the printable area 117 of the elongated sheet 1'. The filling station 40 includes a spreader 41 below the hopper outlet 11, and this spreader is configured to spread the second surface 102 and the first surface 103 of the folded sheet 1' with the upper side 105 to receive the selected individual pharmaceuticals 13. The sealing station 50 includes two L-shaped heat seal stamps 51, and these can be symmetrically moved or driven in the direction F transversely to the elongated web by a schematically shown stamp drive 52 to form the top heat seal 113 and the second heat seal 112 of one pouch 150, and at the same time, form the first heat seal 111 of the next pouch 150. The perforation processing station 60 includes two perforation processing mechanisms shown here as anvil 61, and this perforation processing mechanism can be symmetrically moved or driven in the direction G transversely to the web 100 of the pouch by a schematically shown anvil drive 62 to form a separation perforation line 120 and a tear notch 122 between the two pouches 150.

[0062] It should be understood that the above description is included to illustrate the operation of the preferred embodiment and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. From the above discussion, many variations may be apparent to those skilled in the art, and these are also encompassed by the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0063] 1 Elongated sheet with a plurality of transparent strips and opaque strips 1' Elongated sheet with a single transparent strip and an opaque strip 2 Opaque strip 3 Transparent strip 4 Feeding device 5 Frames 6 Support Disk 7 Position Control Motor 8 Array Extending Radially 9 Feeder Unit 10 Collection Hopper 11 Hopper Outlet 12 Arm 13 Individual Pharmaceuticals 20 Packaging Device 22 Web Track 23 Web Drive 30 Printing Station 31 Printer 40 Filling Station 41 Spreader 50 Sealing Station 51 Seal Stamp 52 Stamp Drive 60 Perforation Processing Station 61 Perforation Processing Anvil 62 Anvil Drive 80 Electronic Controller 100 Web of Pouches 102 Second Side 103 First Side 104 Lower Side 105 Upper Side 110 Heat Seal 111 First Heat Seal 112 Second Heat Seal 113 Top Heat Seal 117 Printable Area 119 Stock Reel 120 Separation Perforation Line 121 Foil Bridge 122 Tear Notch 150 Pouch

Claims

1. A method of cutting a sheet, wherein the sheet comprises a plurality of transparent strips and a plurality of opaque strips extending in the longitudinal direction of the sheet, each of the transparent strips and the opaque strips having a width in the transverse direction of the sheet, the plurality of transparent strips and the plurality of opaque strips are alternately arranged in the transverse direction of the sheet, each of the plurality of opaque strips has a width narrower than the width of each of the plurality of transparent strips, the method comprises the sheet being cut longitudinally to obtain two or more sheet materials, each of the two or more sheet materials having a single transparent strip and a single opaque strip.

2. A pouch for containing tablets formed from the sheet material obtained by the method according to claim 1, wherein the pouch comprises a first surface and a second surface connected via a bottom seal, a top seal opposite the bottom seal, and first and second side seals extending from a lower side to the top seal to define a space for containing tablets, the first surface of the pouch is transparent, the second surface of the pouch is substantially opaque from a position within 20% of the width of the pouch from a fold of the lower side towards an upper side opposite the lower side, and a transparent portion of the sheet material forms the fold of the lower side.

3. The pouch according to claim 2, wherein the second surface of the pouch comprises a transparent line along the upper side extending up to a maximum of 10% of the width of the pouch.

4. The pouch according to claim 2, wherein the sheet material comprises an inner layer of polyethylene (PE) and an outer layer of polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

5. The pouch according to claim 2, wherein the opaque second surface of the pouch comprises a coating of an opaque material.

6. The pouch according to claim 5, wherein the coating of the opaque material further comprises information printed thereon.

7. The pouch according to claim 2, wherein the first surface and the second surface are sealingly interconnected via the top seal by heat sealing and via the first and second side seals.

8. The pouch according to claim 2, comprising a serrated edge and / or a tear notch in at least one of the upper side or the side.

9. A web of a plurality of pouches according to claim 2, wherein the pouches of the web are interconnected via respective first and second sides, the web.

10. The web according to claim 9, comprising a perforation line between each first side and each second side of adjacent pouches.

11. The web according to claim 10, wherein the perforation line is provided with a notch for tearing.

12. The web according to claim 11, wherein the notch for tearing is in the form of a triangular notch.

13. A method for manufacturing the web according to claim 9, comprising: cutting the sheet to obtain a pouch sheet having a transparent strip and an opaque strip; folding the pouch sheet along a longitudinal fold line located at a position up to 10 mm from the opaque strip, the fold line defining the lower side of the web connecting a transparent first surface and a substantially opaque second surface; introducing one or more tablets between the first surface and the second surface at a predetermined position along the folded pouch sheet according to the information provided on the second surface; sealing the first surface to the second surface at a predetermined position in the transverse direction of the fold and at a position opposite to the fold to provide a first surface, a second surface, and an uppermost seal for each compartment containing the one or more tablets, each sealed compartment constituting a pouch.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the sealing comprises heat sealing.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the sheet from which the web is made is provided with information prior to the folding step.

16. The method according to claim 13, further comprising providing information at one or more predetermined positions on the opaque second surface.

17. The method according to claim 13, wherein the information is provided by printing.

18. The method according to claim 13, wherein a perforation line is introduced between consecutive pouches of the web.

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