Combination Ingestible-Product and Beverage Packaging

Abstract

A combination package for both an ingestible product, such as a medication, and a beverage, such as water, is of a unitary, single-use design. The medication and the beverage, of which only a small amount is provided, can be stored in separate sealed cavities defined by the package. The combination package can be designed so as to be easily and conveniently hung from a display rack in a store. A consumer can open the package to gain access to each cavity and can then orally consume the medication and then wash it down with the beverage.

1 . A combination package comprising:
 a unitary package defining at least two cavities and including a tab in the form of a hook or defining an orifice so as to enable the package to be hung from the tab in a store display;   a liquid beverage in a first of the cavities; and   an ingestible product that offers a health benefit to a human in a second of the cavities.   
     
     
         2 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein both the beverage and the ingestible product are in contact with the package 
     
     
         3 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein the liquid beverage comprises water. 
     
     
         4 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein the liquid beverage consists essentially of water. 
     
     
         5 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein the ingestible product is a medication 
     
     
         6 . The package of  claim 5 , wherein the medication is a pain-relief or anti-inflammatory drug. 
     
     
         7 . The package of  claim 5 , wherein the medication is in a pill or capsule form. 
     
     
         8 . The package of  claim 7 , wherein no more than two pills or capsules are contained in the second cavity. 
     
     
         9 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein the package comprises plastic. 
     
     
         10 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein the package backing comprises metal foil. 
     
     
         11 . The package of  claim 1 , wherein 20 to 120 mL of the liquid beverage is in the first cavity. 
     
     
         12 . A combination package comprising:
 a unitary package defining at least two cavities;   a liquid beverage in a first of the cavities;   an ingestible product that offers a health benefit to a human in a second of the cavities; and   one or more pull-tabs configured to open the package and provide access to the beverage and/or to the ingestible product when pulled by a user.   
     
     
         13 . A combination package comprising:
 a unitary package defining at least two cavities;   a liquid beverage in a first of the cavities;   an ingestible product that offers a health benefit to a human in a second of the cavities; and   a perforated strip which is defined in the package at a position such that a user can gain access to the beverage or to the ingestible product when tearing the package along the perforated strip.   
     
     
         14 . A combination package comprising:
 a unitary package defining at least two cavities;   a liquid beverage in a first of the cavities; and   an ingestible product that that offers a health benefit to a human in a second of the cavities; and   one or more notches which are carved out of an edge of the package to facilitate tearing of the package by a consumer to access the beverage or the an ingestible product.   
     
     
         15 . A combination package comprising:
 a unitary package defining at least two cavities;   a liquid beverage in a first of the cavities; and   an ingestible product that offers a health benefit to a human in a second of the cavities; and   a pair of layers that are joined about their perimeters and between which the cavities are defined.   
     
     
         16 . The package of  claim 15 , wherein the two layers are laminated to form a substantially planar perimeter region. 
     
     
         17 . The package of  claim 16 , wherein one of the layers is a substantially planar substrate, and wherein the other layer includes a pair of blisters extending from the substantially planar substrate to define the two cavities. 
     
     
         18 . The package of  claim 16 , wherein the cavity in which the beverage is contained includes a neck region at one end that is substantially narrowed from the rest of the cavity to facilitate drinking of the beverage from the neck region by a consumer. 
     
     
         19 . The package of  claim 16 , further comprising a tab in the form of a hook or defining an orifice so as to enable the package to be hung from the tab in a store display. 
     
     
         20 . A combination package comprising:
 a front shell and a removable sealing layer bonded with the front shell, wherein at least two cavities are defined between the shell and the sealing layer;   a liquid beverage in a first of the cavities; and   an ingestible product that offers a health benefit to a human in a second of the cavities, wherein the sealing layer includes a pull tab extending from the package and configured such that the sealing layer can be removed from the first cavity when the pull tab is pulled by a user.   
     
     
         21 . The package of  claim 20 , further comprising a pull tab extending from the package and configured such that the sealing layer can be removed from the second cavity when the pull tab is pulled by a user. 
     
     
         22 . A combination package comprising:
 a unitary package defining at least two cavities;   a liquid beverage in a first of the cavities, wherein a perforated strip or a notch is defined in the package at a position such that a user can gain access to the beverage or to the ingestible product when tearing the package along the perforated strip or at the notch; and   an ingestible product that offers a health benefit to a human in a second of the cavities.   
     
     
         23 . A combination package comprising:
 a unitary package comprising a pair of layers that are joined about their perimeters and defining at least two cavities between the layers;   a liquid beverage in a first of the cavities; and   an ingestible product that offers a health benefit to a human in a second of the cavities.   
     
     
         24 . A combination package comprising:
 a unitary package defining at least two cavities;   a liquid beverage in a first of the cavities, wherein the first cavity includes a neck region at one end that is substantially narrowed from the rest of the cavity to facilitate drinking of the beverage by a consumer from the neck region; and   an ingestible product that that offers a health benefit to a human in a second of the cavities.   
     
     
         25 . A method for fabricating a combination package containing an ingestible product that offers a health benefit to a human and a liquid beverage, the method comprising:
 providing a front shell including a pair of bubbles;   placing ingestible product in one of the bubbles;   placing a liquid beverage in the other bubble;   placing a back shell on top of the front shell to contain the ingestible product and the liquid beverage in separate cavities between the two shells; and   bonding the back shell to the front shell to seal the two cavities.   
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein between 20 and 120 mL of the liquid beverage is placed in the bubble. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the shells are bonded using ultrasonic welding. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the shells are thermally bonded. 
     
     
         29 . A combination package comprising:
 a unitary package defining at least two cavities;   to 120 mL of a liquid beverage in a first of the cavities; and   an ingestible product that offers a health benefit to a human in a second of the cavities.   
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the package is hung from the tab on a rod.