Method and apparatus for dispensing materials from blister packages
OwnerStanley Poncetta, John V. Castaldo +1inventors
InventorsStanley Poncetta, John V. Castaldo, Peter G. Spence
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Abstract
A dispenser and method for dispensing materials from a blister pack of one or more blister cards. A single blister card having a plurality of blisters thereon can be used with other blister cards in a stack. To dispense materials from the aligned blisters of stacked blister cards, a plunger is driven through a guide hole in a top plate and into aligned blisters of a stack of blister cards. In this way, a plurality of blisters can be quickly and cleanly opened. Thus, a plurality of medical pills can be liberated from the blisters and can easily gravitate to a collection region below the stack of blister cards. Several embodiments of the mount for the blister card stack is disclosed.
Claims35
A dispenser for materials carried in blisters in a blister card comprising:
- a support having a means defining a plurality of spaced guide holes therethrough;
- means coupled with the support for mounting a stack of blister cards below the defining means with each blister card having blisters substantially aligned with respective holes of said defining means;
- means for applying a downward force to any group of aligned blisters of said blister cards to open the blisters of said group so as to allow the materials therein to be liberated therefrom;
- and
- means below the mounting means for the blister cards for receiving and collecting the materials liberated from a blister group.
A dispenser for materials comprising:
- a support having means defining a plurality of spaced holes;
- means on the support for mounting a plurality of stacked blister cards at a location below the defining means, each blister card adapted to be provided with the same number of holes as the number of holes in the defining means with the holes of the blister cards being aligned with corresponding holes in the defining means when the stack of blister cards is in said location;
- means adjacent to the support and above the defining means for breaking the blisters of the holes of the defining means blister cards aligned with one of the holes of the defining means to liberate the materials in the opened blisters;
- and
- means below the stack of blister cards for receiving the liberated materials.
A method of dispensing materials contained in severable blisters in a group of blister cards with each card having a hole therethrough for each blister, respectively, and the hole being covered by a foil, said method comprising:
- providing a perforate zone above said group of cards, with the zone having a plurality of guide holes therethrough and with the number of holes being at least equal to the number of holes in each blister card;
- positioning each blister card adjacent to the zone with each hole of the blister card being aligned with at least certain of the holes in the zone;
- directing a force into and through a hole in the blister card to sever the blister and liberate the materials therein, as a hole of the zone guides the force through the blister;
- and
- collecting the materials after the blister has been severed.
A method of dispensing of packaged materials comprising:
- providing a plurality of blister cards with each card having a plurality of holes therethrough and a severable blister for one side of each hole, respectively, there being a severable cover closing the other side of each hole;
- stacking the blister cards so that the various holes in the cards are in alignment with each other;
- successively applying forces to the cards sufficient to sever the covers and the blisters of the cards so that the materials in the blisters will be successively liberated and will gravitate from the respective blisters;
- and
- collecting the materials at a location below the stack of blister cards.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.