Cylindrical Press-Through Package Preventing Accidental Swallowing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional press-through packages (PTPs) for medicines fail to effectively prevent accidental swallowing and scattering of medicines during opening, and they often require additional accessories like holders, which increase costs and complexity.
Innovation Solution
The design of a PTP that forms a cylindrical shape using a base sheet with engaging protrusions and slit holes, allowing it to be bent into angular or circular forms without cut-off lines, ensuring that medicines can only be accessed by breaking the seal of individual pockets, thus preventing accidental swallowing and scattering, and eliminating the need for additional accessories.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional PTP is used with cut-off lines for separation, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to risk of accidental swallowing
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the harmful cut-off lines from the PTP structure, eliminating the risk of accidental swallowing while maintaining ease of operation through alternative separation methods at the pharmacy level
Solution Approach 2:
The PTP is designed to be separated into individual pocket units at the pharmacy before dispensing, rather than at the patient level. This preliminary separation action eliminates the swallowing hazard while preserving operational convenience
2Reliability
If PTP is made in larger units to prevent swallowing, then reliability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to handling difficulty
Solution Approach 1:
The PTP is segmented into multiple pocket units that can be separated at the pharmacy. This allows the package to be large enough to prevent swallowing when intact, yet easily divided into manageable portions for patient use
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional flat PTP is used, then ease of manufacture is improved, but object-generated harmful factors worsen due to scattering of medicines
Solution Approach 1:
The invention transitions from a conventional flat PTP to a three-dimensional cylindrical structure. This dimensional change contains the medicines within the cylindrical form, preventing scattering while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through standardized forming processes
4Device complexity
If PTP is made cylindrical without holders, then device complexity is reduced, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the PTP structure with its containing function by forming the cylindrical shape directly from the base sheet and cover film. This eliminates the need for separate holder components while maintaining structural precision through integrated manufacturing
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The cylindrical form of the PTP prevents accidental swallowing and scattering, simplifies the opening process, reduces manufacturing costs by eliminating the need for holders, and maintains a sealed state during carrying, enhancing handleability and safety.
Implementation Method 1
a base sheet (1) formed of thermoplastic resin... a cover film (3) attached to a rear surface of the base sheet (1) and sealing the pockets (2)
Data Source
AI summary
A press-through package for articles such as medicines which can reliably prevent a recipient from accidentally swallowing the whole package without opening it, including solid medicines M stored in a plurality of pockets of a base sheet one by one and the pockets sealed by a cover film having attached to the rear surface of the base sheet, wherein the entire package of the press-through package is made in a cylindrical form which cannot allow a recipient from accidentally swallowing and from which the medicines can be taken out easily.