Cigarette container

Abstract

The present invention relates to a container for holding cigarettes. In general, the container includes an inner pack for storing the cigarettes and an outer sleeve. The inner pack includes, among other things, a body and a lid. In one embodiment, the lid has a rear wall integrally hinged to the rear wall of the body. In another embodiment, the lid has a side wall that is integrally hinged with the side wall of the body. The lid includes a flap affixed a wall of the lid and the flap includes a tab. The inner pack moves within the outer sleeve between a first position whereby the lid is located in a closed position and a second position whereby the tab of the flap contacts the tab of the outer sleeve and the lid is located in an open position.

Description

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This application claims priority to Indonesian Patent Application No. S00200300176, entitled “Automatic Flip Top Pack Opening,” which was filed with the Indonesian Patent Office on Nov. 19, 2003.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to a container that includes an automatic lid opening device. More particularly, the present invention comprises a cigarette pack that includes a sleeve that the cigarette holding container slides within to open and close the cigarette container lid.

BACKGROUND

Smoking articles, such as cigarettes, conventionally have been sold in packages. Typically, each package contains about twenty or about twenty-five cigarettes.

One type of popular cigarette package is the so-called “hard pack,” “crush proof box” or “hinged lid package.” Such a package has a generally cuboid-type shape, is manufactured from resilient paperboard, and includes an outer wrap of transparent polypropylene film. Hinged lid cigarette packages conventionally are made from two paperboard blanks. One blank forms the body and lid of the package. The second blank forms an insert or inner frame which is assembled to the inside of the front and side walls of the package. The inner frame projects above the front and side walls of the package body, and provides a seal between the lid and body when the package is closed.

When purchased, conventional “hinged lid” cigarette packages include an outer protective wrapping. After the outer protective wrapping is removed, a smoker then manually opens the hinged lid to gain access to a cigarette within the package. After a cigarette is removed, the hinged lid is then manually closed to protect the cigarettes remaining in the package. The hinged lid must be placed over the inner frame of the package, which often becomes damaged after repeated opening and closing of the package. Eventually, the hinged lid does not close properly or completely form a seal with the inner frame.

It would be highly desirable to have a cigarette package whereby the hinged lid opened and closed automatically. It would also be desirable to have a cigarette package whereby the hinged lid repeatably forms a seal with the inner frame throughout the life of the package. The present invention provides, among other things, these advantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One aspect of the present invention is to provide a cigarette pack having a mechanism that automatically opens the pack lid and allows access to the cigarettes contained in the pack. In general, a pack container for holding the cigarettes slides within an outer sleeve. In one embodiment, the pack container includes a side-opening lid that automatically moves to an open position as the pack container slides out of the outer sleeve. In another embodiment, the pack container includes a front-opening lid that automatically moves to an open position as the pack container is slid out of the outer sleeve.

Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a cigarette pack that allows easier access to the cigarettes than a conventional cigarette pack. In a conventional cigarette pack, the pack must be turned upside down to get a cigarette out or the package itself does not expose much of the cigarette after the pack is opened. Here, the container pack slides out of an outer sleeve and the pack lid opens to expose a larger area of the cigarettes within the pack making it easier to remove a cigarette from the pack.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is an isometric view of an embodiment of a side-opening cigarette pack whereby the lid is located in the closed position; FIG. 1B is an isometric view of the side-opening cigarette pack shown in FIG. 1A whereby the lid is partially open; FIG. 1C is an isometric view of the side-opening cigarette pack shown in FIG. 1C whereby the lid is located in the fully-opened position;

FIG. 2A is a schematic view of an embodiment of the outer wall of the cigarette pack; FIG. 2B is a schematic view of an embodiment of the interior pack illustrating the opening tab;

FIG. 3A is a schematic view of the outer wall tab in relation to the inner pack tab while the inner pack is seated within the outer sleeve; FIG. 3B is a schematic view of the outer wall tab engaging the inner pack tab as the inner pack is removed from the outer sleeve; FIG. 3C is a schematic view of the outer wall tab engaging the inner pack tab as the inner pack reaches an extended position;

FIG. 4A is an isometric of an embodiment of a front-opening cigarette pack whereby the lid is located in the closed position; FIG. 4B is a rear perspective view of the cigarette pack shown in FIG. 4A whereby the inner pack has been partially removed from the outer sleeve; FIG. 4C is a rear perspective view of the cigarette pack shown in FIG. 4A whereby the lid is located in an opened position;

FIG. 5A is a schematic view of the outer sleeve tab in relation to the inner pack tab while the inner pack is seated within the outer sleeve according to the cigarette pack shown in FIG. 4A; FIG. 5B is a schematic view of the outer sleeve tab engaging the inner pack tab as the inner pack is removed from the outer sleeve; FIG. 5C is a schematic view of the outer sleeve tab engaging the inner pack tab as the inner pack reaches the extended position according to the cigarette pack shown in FIG. 4C.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1A-1C illustrate one embodiment of a cigarette pack 4 according to the present invention. The cigarette pack 4 generally consists of two elements—a pack container 10 and an outer sleeve 30. The pack container 10 consists of a front wall 12, a rear wall 14, two narrow, upright side walls 16, 18, a bottom wall 20 and an end wall 22. The outer sleeve 30 consists of a front wall 32, a rear wall 34, two narrow, upright side walls 36, 38 and a bottom wall 40.

The pack container 10 includes a lid 24 that opens to provide access to the cigarettes and closes to retain the cigarettes within the pack container 10. The lid 24 comprises a lid front wall 13, a lid rear wall 15, a narrow lid side wall 17, which adjoins the side wall 16, and a top end wall 19 opposite the base wall 20.

The pack container 10 and lid 24 are connected to one another with swing action by an hinge line 25 in the region of the side wall 16 and the lid side wall 17. FIG. 1A illustrates the lid 24 in a closed position. FIG. 1B illustrates the lid 24 in a partially open position. As shown in FIG. 2B, the lid end wall 19 comprises a distance X1 while the lid side wall 17 comprises a distance X2. In a preferred embodiment, X1 and X2 are equidistant. However, it is within the spirit and scope of the invention for X1 and X2 to differ. The lid 24 must simply be large enough so that when the lid 24 is located in the fully-open position (see FIG. 1C), a person may access one or more cigarettes located within the pack container 10.

The lid 24 includes an opening mechanism 27, which as shown in FIG. 2B, comprises an extender 31 that transitions into a tab 29. The extender 31 extends downward along the lid side wall 17. As best shown in FIGS. 2B and 3A, the extender 31 may comprise a length X3 that is greater or shorter than X2. In either embodiment, a portion of the extender 31 is folded along a fold line 33 back towards the end wall 22 to form a tab 29. The tab 29 therefore, rests against the extender 31 while the pack container 10 is housed within the outer sleeve 30 (discussed in detail later in this application).

The extender 31, as shown in FIG. 2B, is formed from the same piece of material as the lid 24. The extender 31 does not, however, need to comprise the same piece of material as the lid 24. Further, the extender 31 may be secured to the lid 24 by other methods such as, by way of example only, glued to the lid side wall 17.

The outer sleeve 30 consists of a substantially similar shape as the pack container 10. In this embodiment, the pack container 10 is surrounded by the outer sleeve 30 except for a portion of the boom wall 20 and the end wall 22. FIGS. 1A-1C illustrate that the pack container 10 slides within the outer sleeve 30. The bottom wall 40 of the outer sleeve 30 includes an opening 41. The opening 41 is large enough for a person to stick their finger through to contact the bottom wall 20 of the pack container 10 and push the pack container 10 out of the outer sleeve 30 (shown as the Y-direction in FIG. 1B). The outer sleeve 30 may comprise a similar material as the pack container 10. The outer sleeve 30 and the pack container 10 may, however, comprise different materials.

The upright side wall 36 of the outer sleeve 30 includes an opening tab 46. FIGS. 2A and 3A-3C illustrate that the opening tab 46, in one embodiment, is an extension of the side wall 36. The opening tab 46 folds inward along folding line 48 and extends along the interior of the side wall 36 (down towards the bottom wall 40). The opening tab 46 is shown in FIG. 2A as substantially the same width W as the side wall 36. The opening tab 46 may have a width smaller than W since the material is preferably rigid. The opening tab 46 may also comprise a separate piece of material than the upright side wall 36 (e.g., glued to the wall 36) or may be folded along a different folding line than line 48.

FIGS. 3A-3C illustrate one embodiment of the operation of the cigarette pack 4. The distance between the outer wall 16 of the pack container 10 and the outer wall 36 of the outer sleeve 30 is exaggerated for illustration purposes only. FIG. 3A illustrates the pack container 10 seated within the outer sleeve 30 with the lid 24 in a closed position. In this position, the tab 29 is located below and does not contact the tab 46, which exemplifies an “as sold” condition of the cigarette pack 4. FIG. 3B illustrates the pack container 10 partially withdrawn from the outer sleeve 30 to a position where the tab 29 initially contacts the tab 46. At this point, the lid 24 remains in the closed position. FIG. 3C illustrates that, as the pack container 10 continues to slide out of the outer sleeve 30, the tab 46 remains in contact with the tab 29 and prevents the tab 29 from continuing to move along the Y-direction. As previously discussed above, the extender 31 is either affixed to the lid 24 or is formed from the same material. With the tab 29 in a fixed position, the extender 31 forces the lid 24 to pull away from the pack container 10. As the pack container 10 continues to move in the Y-direction, lid 24 continues to rotate in a counterclockwise direction away from the pack container 10 about the fold line 48. At the position shown in FIG. 3C, the lid 24 is open enough to provide easy access to the cigarettes remaining in the pack container 10.

The lid 24 closes automatically and forms a seal with the container pack 10 by pushing the pack container 10 back into the outer sleeve 30. For example, after a cigarette is removed from the pack container 10, a person may push down (−Y direction) on the end wall 22 to move the pack container 10 back into the outer sleeve 30. As the pack container 10 slides back into the outer sleeve 30, the lid 24 begins to rotate clockwise about fold line 48 from the open position (see FIG. 3C) to the closed position (see FIG. 3A). The lid 24 can be reopened simply by pushing the pack container 10 back into the open position shown in FIG. 3C.

FIGS. 4A-4C illustrate a second embodiment of a cigarette pack 100—a front opening cigarette pack. The cigarette pack 100 generally consists of two elements—a pack container 110 and an outer sleeve 130. The pack container 110 consists of a front wall 112, a rear wall 114, two narrow, upright side walls 116, 118, a bottom wall 120 and an end wall 122. The outer sleeve 130 consists of a front wall 132, a rear wall 134, two narrow, upright side walls 136, 138 and a bottom wall 140.

The pack container 110 includes a lid 124 that opens to provide access to the cigarettes and closes to retain the cigarettes within the pack container 110. Correspondingly, the lid 24 comprises a lid front wall 113, a lid rear wall 115, narrow lid side walls 117, 121, which adjoins side walls 116, 118 and a top end wall 119 opposite the bottom wall 120. The lid 124 opens and closes about hinge line 125. FIG. 4A illustrates the lid 124 in a closed position. The lid 24 must simply be large enough so that when the lid 124 is located in the open position (see FIG. 4C), a person may access one or more cigarettes located within the pack container 110.

The lid 124 includes an opening mechanism 127, which as shown in FIG. 4B, comprises an extender 131 that transitions into a tab 129. The extender 131 extends downward from the lid 124 along the rear wall 114 and the rear lid wall 115. In this embodiment, the extender 131 extends from a fold line 133 downward and then back towards the end wall 122 to form a tab 129. The tab 129 therefore, rests against the extender 131 while the pack container 110 is housed within the outer sleeve 130 (discussed in detail later in this application). The opening mechanism 127 does not, however, need to comprise the same piece of material as the lid 124. For example, the extender 131 may be secured to the lid rear wall 115. Any fastening means is acceptable such as, by way of example only, glued to the lid rear wall 115. The length of the extender 131 may also vary.

The outer sleeve 130 consists of a substantially similar shape as the pack container 110. FIG. 4A-4C illustrate that the pack container 110 slides within the outer sleeve 130. The bottom wall 140 of the outer sleeve 130 includes an opening 141. The opening allows a person to stick their finger through the opening 141 to contact the bottom wall 120 of the pack container 110 and push the pack container 110 upwards (shown as the Y-direction in FIG. 5A). Thus, the pack container 110 is surrounded by the outer sleeve 130 except for a portion of the bottom wall 120 and the end wall 122. In one embodiment, the outer sleeve 130 comprises a similar material to the pack container 110. The outer sleeve 130 and the pack container 110 may, however, comprise different materials.

The rear wall 134 of the outer sleeve 130 includes an opening tab 146. FIGS. 5A-5C illustrate that the opening tab 146 is an extension of the rear wall 134. In this embodiment, the opening tab 146 folds inward along folding line 148 and extends along the interior of the side wall 136 (down towards the bottom wall 140). The opening tab 46 may, however, comprise a separate piece of material that is affixed to the rear wall 134 (e.g., by glue, etc.). The tab 46 may also have a different width than the rear wall 34 or may be folded along a different folding line than folding line 48.

FIGS. 5A-5C illustrate the operation of the cigarette pack 100. The distance between the rear wall 114 of the pack container 110 and the rear wall 134 of the outer sleeve 130 is exaggerated for illustration purposes only. FIG. 5A represents the pack container 110 fully seated within the outer sleeve 130. In this position, the tab 129 is located below the tab 146 and the lid 124 is located in the closed position (e.g., the “as sold” condition of the cigarette pack 100). FIG. 5B illustrates the pack container 110 partially withdrawn from the outer sleeve 130 to a position where the tab 129 initially contacts the tab 146. At this point, the lid 124 remains in the closed position even though it is partially withdrawn from the outer sleeve 30. As the pack container 110 continues to slide out of the outer sleeve 130, the tab 146 remains in contact with the tab 129 and prevents the tab 129 from continuing to move along the Y-direction. With the tab 129 held in a fixed position, the extender 131 separates the lid 124 from the pack container 110 by rotating the lid 124 counterclockwise (from a side view) about the fold line 125.

The lid 124 will close automatically when the pack container 110 is pushed back into the outer sleeve 130. For example, as the pack container 110 is pushed back into the outer sleeve 130, the lid 124 begins to rotate clockwise about fold line 125 between the open position illustrated in FIG. 5C to the closed position indicated in FIG. 5A. The lid 124 can be reopened simply by pushing the pack container 110 back into the position shown in FIG. 5C.

Although the invention has been described in detail herein, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments herein disclosed. Various changes, substitutions and modifications may be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as described herein.

Claims

1. A container for holding cigarettes, comprising:

an outer sleeve having a rear wall including a tab extending from an interior side of said rear wall;

An inner pack for storing at least one cigarette, including: a body having a front wall, a rear wall, a first side wall, a second side wall, and a bottom wall; a lid having a rear wall integrally hinged to said rear wall of said body, said lid being adapted to rotate between an open position and a closed position; a flap having a proximal end affixed to said rear wall of said lid and a distal end forming a tab, said flap extending along a portion of said rear wall of said lid and said rear wall of said body while said inner pack is located within said outer sleeve; and

wherein said inner pack moves within said outer sleeve between a first position whereby said lid is located in said closed position and a second position whereby said tab of said flap is contacting said tab of said outer sleeve and said lid is located in said open position.

2. The container according to claim 1, wherein said proximal end of said flap is glued to said rear wall of said inner pack.

3. The container according to claim 1, wherein said proximal end of said flap is integrally formed with said rear wall of said inner pack.

4. The container according to claim 1, wherein said outer sleeve further includes a bottom wall having an opening.

5. The container according to claim 4, wherein said opening exposes a portion of said bottom wall of said inner pack when said container is located in said first position.

6. The container according to claim 1, wherein said tab of said outer sleeve is integrally formed with said rear wall of said outer sleeve.

7. The container according to claim 1, wherein said tab of said outer sleeve is affixed to said rear wall of said outer sleeve.

8. A container for holding cigarettes, comprising:

an outer sleeve having a side wall including a tab extending from an interior side of said side wall;

an inner pack for storing at least one cigarette, including: a body having a front wall, a rear wall, a first side wall, a second side wall, and a bottom wall; a lid having a side wall integrally hinged to said side wall of said body, said lid being adapted to rotate between an open position and a closed position; a flap having a proximal end affixed to said side wall of said lid and a distal end forming a tab, said flap extending along a portion of said side wall of said lid and said side wall of said body while at least a portion of said inner pack is located within said outer sleeve; and

wherein said inner pack moves within said outer sleeve between a first position whereby said lid is located in said closed position and a second position whereby said tab of said flap is contacting said tab of said outer sleeve and said lid is located in said open position.

9. The container according to claim 8, wherein said proximal end of said flap is glued to said rear wall of said inner pack.

10. The container according to claim 8, wherein said proximal end of said flap is integrally formed with said rear wall of said inner pack.

11. The container according to claim 8, wherein said outer sleeve further includes a bottom wall having an opening.

12. The container according to claim 11, wherein said opening exposes a portion of said bottom wall of said inner pack when said container is located in said first position.

13. The container according to claim 8, wherein said tab of said outer sleeve is integrally formed with said rear wall of said outer sleeve.

14. The container according to claim 8, wherein said tab of said outer sleeve is affixed to said rear wall of said outer sleeve.