JP7564654B2 - Drug container with cushioning sleeve - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a buffer sleeve and a medicine container equipped with a buffer sleeve.

When transporting glass pharmaceutical containers and the like, cushioning materials are used to prevent damage to the containers due to impact. For example, Patent Document 1 describes an air-filled cushioning material that has multiple horizontally long small air chambers formed in a ring shape and encloses the container with an air layer by filling the rings with air.

The cushioning material described in Patent Document 1 effectively protects the container during transport, but it must be removed before the container is used. Impacts to the container are not necessarily limited to during transport, but can also occur due to carelessness during use, leaving the container vulnerable during use.

In addition, if the contents are liquid, they may drip when being removed from the container. Dripping contents onto the container may act as a lubricant between the fingers. If the container is handled in this state, the user may unexpectedly fail to grip the container.

JP 2013-180812 A

The present invention aims to provide a cushioning material that can continue to protect a container even during use, while improving the convenience of handling the container and its contents using the cushioning material.

The present invention is a buffer sleeve that is attached to the side of a container that has a tapered upper opening that serves as a spout. The buffer sleeve is made of a liquid-absorbent material and has multiple gripping windows that face the upper opening side through the container and through which any finger can pass.

By configuring the container in this way, the cushioning sleeve can be attached to protect the container not only during transportation but also during use. In addition, since the cushioning material is a liquid-absorbent material, it can absorb dripping liquid if the contents of the container are liquid. Furthermore, by providing a gripping window, the container can be directly gripped with multiple fingers.

The liquid absorbent material of the present invention can be a corrugated paperboard. This makes it possible to realize a buffer sleeve that is inexpensive and has sufficient performance.

The present invention can also be a drug container equipped with the above-mentioned buffer sleeve, and the drug container can be a glass container.

The effectiveness of the buffer sleeve can be maximized by attaching the buffer sleeve to a glass pharmaceutical container.

The addition of the cushioning sleeve provides continued protection for the container during transport as well as during use, and also improves the convenience of handling the contents.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a container to which a sleeve is attached. FIG. 2 is a diagram of a damping sleeve according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a view of the container with the shock absorbing sleeve installed. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which a container equipped with a buffer sleeve is in use. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a method for mounting the buffer sleeve.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention. The embodiment described below is an example of the form of the present invention and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

Figure 1 shows an example of a container to which a sleeve is attached. In this embodiment, the container 10 is a medicine container made of light-shielding glass, and includes a mouth 11, a neck 12, a shoulder 13, a body 14, and a bottom 15. A separate cap made of resin or the like can be attached and detached to the mouth 11, and the cap is removed when pouring or removing the contents. When the contents are liquid, the mouth 11 functions as a spout. The neck 12, shoulder 13, and body 14 may have labels affixed thereto indicating the type of contents. Containers can have a variety of uses, shapes, and materials, but the present invention can be applied as long as the container has a body 14.

Figure 2 is a diagram of a buffer sleeve according to an embodiment. The sleeve 1 is formed in a cylindrical shape and has a spout-side opening 2, a bottom-side opening 3, and gripping holes 4 and 5. In this embodiment, the sleeve 1 is formed of a so-called single-piece corrugated board, in which a liner portion formed of flat paperboard and a flute portion formed of corrugated paperboard are bonded together. When the sleeve 1 is attached to a container, the liner portion abuts against the body 14 of the container, and the flute portion elastically deforms to absorb and mitigate shock, so that the sleeve 1 functions as a buffer material. In addition, the sleeve 1 absorbs liquid due to the nature of the paperboard, so it also functions as a liquid absorbing material. The material of the sleeve 1 may be a water-absorbent resin sheet or embossed paperboard. Also, if the container 10 is sufficiently lightweight, only the flute portion may be made of the material.

The gripping holes 4, 5 are provided on the spout side opening 2 side, parallel to the opening. As an example, the gripping holes 4, 5 are rectangular, measuring 30 mm up and down and 55 mm left and right, with the spout side opening 2 side at the top and the bottom side opening 3 side at the bottom, and the user can insert any finger into the gripping hole to hold down anything beyond it. Note that as long as any finger can pass through the gripping hole, the gripping hole does not necessarily have to be rectangular, and may be oval or another shape, and may have a design that does not impair functionality.

Figure 3 is a diagram of a container with a buffer sleeve attached. When the buffer sleeve 1 is attached to the container 10, the gripping holes 4 and 5 face each other directly through the container 10. This allows the user to hold the body 14 of the container 10 with their thumb and index finger through the gripping holes 4 and 5, and therefore allows the container to be handled with the buffer sleeve 1 attached. In addition, because the user directly grips the container, it is possible to prevent the sleeve from coming loose and dropping during use, causing the unprotected container to receive an impact.

4 is a diagram showing a state in which a container with a buffer sleeve is used. In this example, the container 10 is a medicine container, and the contents 20 are liquid. When the contents 20 are transferred to another container, dripping liquid 21 flows along the edge of the container and reaches the buffer sleeve. The buffer sleeve is made of a liquid-absorbing material and covers the entire body 14 directly below the shoulder 13 of the container, so that it stops and absorbs dripping liquid 21 that flows down the shoulder 13 of the container. With this configuration, even if dripping occurs, the contents 20 will not reach the part where the gripping hole is opened, so that unexpected gripping failure caused by the contents 20 can be prevented.

Figure 5 shows an example of how to attach a buffer sleeve. The width of the sleeve material is formed to match the outer periphery of the container 10, but it also has a bonding section 6 of about 5 mm on both ends. By bonding the bonding sections 6 together with double-sided tape, a cylindrical sleeve 1 that corresponds to the body of the container 10 can be formed. Similarly, a container bonding section 7 can be provided on the inner surface of the sleeve 1, and the double-sided tape attached to the container bonding section 7 can be attached to the container 10, so that the positional relationship between the container 10 and the sleeve 1 can be fixed to a certain degree. When the container and sleeve are fixed to a certain degree, the container 10 can also be handled by gripping the sleeve 1 itself rather than the gripping hole.

Note that adhesive may be used instead of double-sided tape for bonding. Alternatively, a fitting hole may be formed at one end and a protrusion of the same size as the fitting hole at the other end, and the sleeve may be formed by inserting the protrusion into the fitting hole and then bending it in the opposite direction. When using such a configuration, a barb may be further formed at the tip of the protrusion, and the protrusion with the barb laid down may be inserted into the fitting hole and then the barb may be raised to fix it in place.

The buffer sleeve of the present invention can be further applied as follows. Since the buffer sleeve is made of a liquid-absorbent material, information about the contents can be printed on it using an inkjet printer. In this way, the buffer sleeve can function as a label, so the user does not need to remove the buffer sleeve to check the label on the container.

It is also possible to insert a coloring layer into the buffer sleeve so that it will color when it absorbs liquid. It is also possible to pre-soak the sleeve with a reagent that will react with the contents and color. This allows the user to quickly recognize dripping liquid.

1: Buffer sleeve 2: Spout side opening 3: Bottom side opening 4: Grip hole 5: Grip hole 6: Joint 7: Container joint 10: Container 11: Mouth 12: Neck 13: Shoulder 14: Body 15: Bottom 20: Contents

Claims (2)

A cylindrical buffer sleeve is attached to the side of a container and allows the container to be inserted and removed from either an upper opening or a lower opening,
It is made of a liquid-absorbent material that is a corrugated paperboard.
A drug container having a buffer sleeve attached to the upper opening side, facing directly across the container and having a plurality of gripping windows through which any finger can pass. The drug container of claim 1 , wherein the drug container is a glass container.

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