U.S. patent application number 10/136344 was filed with the patent office on 2003-11-06 for cigarette package including a cigarette box with a matchbook attached thereto.
Invention is credited to Lin, Shen-Keng.
Application Number | 20030205487 10/136344 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 29268933 |
Filed Date | 2003-11-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030205487 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lin, Shen-Keng |
November 6, 2003 |
Cigarette package including a cigarette box with a matchbook
attached thereto
Abstract
A cigarette package includes a cigarette box with an outer wall
surface, and a matchbook attached to the outer wall surface of the
cigarette box. The matchbook includes a matchbook cover having an
inner cover part with an inner cover surface, and an outer cover
part connected to the inner cover part and having an inner cover
surface. At least one match is disposed between the inner and outer
cover parts, is connected to and is capable of being torn apart
from the matchbook cover, and has a head end coated with an
ignitable material. A first abrasive strip is provided on the inner
cover surface of the inner cover part. A second abrasive strip is
provided on the inner cover surface of the outer cover part. The
head end of the match can be ignited when rubbed against the first
and second abrasive strips.
Inventors: |
Lin, Shen-Keng; (Changhua
Hsien, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MORGAN, LEWIS & BOCKIUS LLP
1111 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington
DC
20004
US
|
Family ID: |
29268933 |
Appl. No.: |
10/136344 |
Filed: |
May 2, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/86 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 85/109 20130101;
A24F 15/18 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/86 |
International
Class: |
A24F 015/00; B65D
085/10 |
Claims
I claim:
1. A cigarette package comprising: a cigarette box with an outer
wall surface; and a matchbook attached to said outer wall surface
of said cigarette box, said matchbook including a matchbook cover
having an inner cover part with an inner cover surface, and an
outer cover part connected to said inner cover part and having an
inner cover surface, at least one match disposed between said inner
and outer cover parts, connected to and capable of being torn apart
from said matchbook cover, and having a head end coated with an
ignitable material, a first abrasive strip provided on said inner
cover surface of said inner cover part, and a second abrasive strip
provided on said inner cover surface of said outer cover part.
2. The cigarette package as claimed in claim 1, wherein said
cigarette box includes: a box body adapted to receive cigarette
sticks therein and having an open top end; and a lid for closing
said open top end of said box body, said matchbook being attached
to said lid.
3. The cigarette package as claimed in claim 2, wherein said lid is
a flip-top lid connected pivotally to said box body, and has a top
wall with said matchbook attached thereto.
4. The cigarette package as claimed in claim 1, wherein: said inner
cover part is formed integrally with said cigarette box such that
said outer wall surface of said cigarette box also serves as said
inner cover surface of said inner cover part; said outer cover part
having a mounting edge attached to said outer wall surface of said
cigarette box; said matchbook including a row of said matches
connected to said mounting edge.
5. The cigarette package as claimed in claim 4, wherein said head
ends of said matches are connected to said mounting edge.
6. The cigarette package as claimed in claim 5, wherein said first
abrasive strip is offset from said head ends of said matches, and
said second abrasive strip is parallel to said first abrasive strip
and is disposed to confront said first abrasive strip when said
outer cover part is disposed in a closed position for concealing
said matches.
7. The cigarette package as claimed in claim 1, wherein: said inner
cover part has an outer cover surface attached to said outer wall
surface of said cigarette box; said outer cover part being
connected to said inner cover part via a hinge joint; said
matchbook including a row of said matches, and a stem that
interconnects said head ends of said matches and that is attached
to said inner cover surface of said inner cover part adjacent to
said hinge joint.
8. The cigarette package as claimed in claim 7, wherein said first
abrasive strip is offset from said head ends of said matches, and
said second abrasive strip is parallel to said first abrasive strip
and is disposed to confront said first abrasive strip when said
outer cover part is disposed in a closed position for concealing
said matches.
9. The cigarette package as claimed in claim 1, wherein: said inner
cover part has an outer cover surface attached to said outer wall
surface of said cigarette box, a first cover connecting edge, and a
first distal edge opposite to said first cover connecting edge;
said outer cover part having a second cover connecting edge
connected to said first cover connecting edge, and a second distal
edge opposite to said second cover connecting edge; a distance
between said second cover connecting and distal edges being shorter
than that between said first cover connecting and distal edges;
said matchbook including a row of said matches having match stems
formed with said head ends that are disposed between said inner and
outer cover parts adjacent to said first and second cover
connecting edges; said match stems further having handle portions
that extend respectively from said head ends toward said first
distal edge and that are folded to further extend to and connect
with said second distal edge.
10. The cigarette package as claimed in claim 9, wherein said first
abrasive strip is offset from said head ends of said matches, and
said second abrasive strip is parallel to said first abrasive strip
and is disposed to confront said first abrasive strip.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The invention relates to cigarette packages, more
particularly to one that includes a cigarette box and a matchbook
attached to the cigarette box.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a known cigarette package that
includes a cardboard cigarette box 1 with a box body 105 for
receiving cigarette sticks 4 therein, and a flip-top lid 101
connected pivotally to the box body 105 for closing an open top end
of the same. A top wall of the lid 101 has an outer wall surface
102 provided with an abrasive strip 2, and an inner wall surface
103 with a stack 3 of matches 301 attached thereto.
[0005] Some of the drawbacks of the aforesaid conventional
cigarette package are as follows:
[0006] 1. It is noted that the matches 301 and the abrasive strip 2
are disposed on the inner and outer wall surfaces 103, 102 of the
top wall of the lid 101, respectively. As such, the lid 101 must be
opened to remove one of the matches 301 and subsequently closed for
igniting the match 301 by rubbing the latter against the abrasive
strip 2. Furthermore, when removing the match 301 from the lid 101,
the fingers of the user must be extended into a space 104 confined
by the lid 101. However, because the space 104 is relatively
narrow, the match 301 is not easily removed from the lid 101,
especially when the fingers of the user are relatively thick, and
the match 301 is disposed adjacent to an edge of the space 104.
[0007] 2. With further reference to FIG. 3, the height of the lid
101 relative to the top edge 106 of the box body 105 must be
increased so as to allot sufficient space for accommodating the
matches 301. The material requirement for the cigarette box 1 is
thus increased, thereby resulting in higher production costs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] Therefore, the main object of the present invention is to
provide a cigarette package that includes a cigarette box and a
matchbook attached to the cigarette box and that is clear of the
aforesaid drawbacks of the prior art.
[0009] According to the present invention, there is provided a
cigarette package that comprises a cigarette box with an outer wall
surface, and a matchbook attached to the outer wall surface of the
cigarette box. The matchbook includes a matchbook cover having an
inner cover part with an inner cover surface, and an outer cover
part connected to the inner cover part and having an inner cover
surface. At least one match is disposed between the inner and outer
cover parts, is connected to and is capable of being torn apart
from the matchbook cover, and has a head end coated with an
ignitable material. A first abrasive strip is provided on the inner
cover surface of the inner cover part. A second abrasive strip is
provided on the inner cover surface of the outer cover part. The
head end of the match can be ignited when rubbed against the first
and second abrasive strips.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] Other features and advantages of the present invention will
become apparent in the following detailed description of the
preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings,
of which:
[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a conventional
cigarette package;
[0012] FIG. 2 is a schematic partly sectional view illustrating how
a match is removed from the conventional cigarette package of FIG.
1;
[0013] FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the conventional cigarette
package of FIG. 1;
[0014] FIG. 4 is an assembled perspective view of the first
preferred embodiment of a cigarette package according to the
present invention;
[0015] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the first
preferred embodiment;
[0016] FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the first preferred
embodiment, taken along lines VI-VI in FIG. 4;
[0017] FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating how a
match is ignited in the first preferred embodiment;
[0018] FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the second
preferred embodiment of a cigarette package according to the
present invention;
[0019] FIG. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view of the second
preferred embodiment;
[0020] FIG. 10 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view of the
third preferred embodiment of a cigarette package according to the
present invention; and
[0021] FIG. 11 is a fragmentary sectional view of the third
preferred embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0022] Before the present invention is described in greater detail,
it should be noted that like elements are denoted by the same
reference numerals throughout the disclosure.
[0023] Referring to FIGS. 4 to 7, the first preferred embodiment of
a cigarette package according to the present invention is shown to
comprise a cigarette box 10 and a matchbook 20.
[0024] The cigarette box 10 includes a box body 11 adapted to
receive cigarette sticks 30 therein and having an open top end, and
a flip-top lid 12 connected pivotally to the box body 11 for
closing the open top end of the latter.
[0025] The matchbook 20 includes a matchbook cover 22 and a row of
matches 21 connected to the matchbook cover 22. In this embodiment,
the matchbook cover 22 has an inner cover part that is formed
integrally with a top wall of the lid 12 such that an outer wall
surface 121 of the top wall of the lid 12 also serves as an inner
cover surface of the inner cover part. The matchbook cover 22
further has an outer cover part 22 with a mounting edge attached to
the outer wall surface 121 by means of an adhesive material 13. The
matches 21 are disposed between the top wall of the lid 12 and the
outer cover part 22. Each of the matches 21 has a head end 21
connected to the mounting edge of the outer cover part 22. The head
end 211 is coated with a conventional ignitable material 212. To
form the matchbook 20, top and bottom sides of an intermediate part
of a rectangular cardboard are coated with aligned strips of the
ignitable material 212, respectively. Then, the rectangular
cardboard is slit to form a comb-like row of the matches 21 having
the head ends 211 thereof connected to the outer cover part 22. The
outer cover part 22 is movable relative to the matches 21 from a
closed position, where the outer cover part 22 overlies the matches
21 to conceal the latter, to an open position, where the outer
cover part 22 exposes the matches 21. A first abrasive strip 24 is
provided on the outer wall surface 121 of the top wall of the lid
12, and is offset from the head ends 211 of the matches 21. A
second abrasive strip 23 is provided on an inner cover surface 221
of the outer cover part 22, is parallel to the first abrasive strip
24, and is disposed to confront the first abrasive strip 24 when
the outer cover part 22 is disposed in the closed position for
concealing the matches 21.
[0026] In use, after removing a cigarette stick 30 from the
cigarette box 10, one of the matches 21 is torn apart from the
mounting edge of the upper cover part 22. As best shown in FIG. 7,
after tearing the match 21 from the mounting edge of the upper
cover part 22, the match 21 will rub against the first and second
abrasive strips 24, 23 to ignite its head end 211. The cigarette
stick 30 can be lighted at this time.
[0027] Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, the second preferred embodiment
of a cigarette package according to the present invention is shown
to comprise a cigarette box 10 and a matchbook 40.
[0028] The cigarette box 10 includes a box body 11 adapted to
receive cigarette sticks (not shown) therein and having an open top
end, and a flip-top lid 12 connected pivotally to the box body 11
for closing the open top end of the latter.
[0029] The matchbook 40 includes a matchbook cover and a row of
matches 41 connected to the matchbook cover. The matchbook cover
includes an inner cover part 44 having an outer cover surface
attached to an outer wall surface 121 of a top wall of the lid 12
by means of an adhesive material 13, and an upper cover part 42
connected to the inner cover part 44 via a hinge joint. The matches
41 are disposed between the inner and outer cover parts 44, 42, and
have head ends that are coated with a conventional ignitable
material 412 and that are interconnected via a stem 411. The stem
411 is adhered to an inner cover surface 441 of the inner cover
part 44 adjacent to the hinge joint. To form the matchbook 40, top
and bottom sides of an end part of a rectangular cardboard are
coated with aligned strips of the ignitable material 412,
respectively. Then, the rectangular cardboard is slit to form a
comb-like row of the matches 41 having the head ends thereof
connected to the stem 411. The stem 411 is then glued to the inner
cover surface 441 of the inner cover part 44 adjacent to the hinge
joint. The matches 41 are thus disposed between the inner and outer
cover parts 44, 42 at this time. A first abrasive strip 45 is
provided on the inner cover surface 441 of the inner cover part 44
and is offset from the head ends of the matches 41. A second
abrasive strip 43 is provided on an inner cover surface 421 of the
outer cover part 42, is parallel to the first abrasive strip 45,
and is disposed to confront the first abrasive strip 45 when the
outer cover part 42 is disposed in a closed position for concealing
the matches 41 between the inner and outer cover parts 44, 42.
[0030] In use, after removing a cigarette stick (not shown) from
the cigarette box 10, one of the matches 41 is torn apart from the
stem 411. After tearing the match 41 from the stem 411, the match
41 will rub against the first and second abrasive strips 45, 43 to
ignite its head end. The cigarette stick can be lighted at this
time.
[0031] Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11, the third preferred embodiment
of a cigarette package according to the present invention is shown
to comprise a cigarette box 10 and a matchbook 50.
[0032] The cigarette box 10 includes a box body 11 adapted to
receive cigarette sticks (not shown) therein and having an open top
end, and a flip-top lid 12 connected pivotally to the box body 11
for closing the open top end of the latter.
[0033] The matchbook 50 includes a matchbook cover and a row of
matches 53 connected to the matchbook cover. The matchbook cover
includes an inner cover part 51 having an outer cover surface 512
attached to an outer wall surface 121 of a top wall of the lid 12
by means of an adhesive material 13, a first cover connecting edge,
and a first distal edge opposite to the first cover connecting
edge. The matchbook cover further includes an outer cover part 52
having a second cover connecting edge connected to the first cover
connecting edge of the inner cover part 51, and a second distal
edge opposite to the second cover connecting edge. The distance
between the second cover connecting and distal edges is shorter
than that between the first cover connecting and distal edges. Each
of the matches 53 has a match stem 531. The match stem 531 has a
head end that is disposed between the inner and outer cover parts
51, 52 adjacent to the first and second cover connecting edges and
that is coated with a conventional ignitable material 533. The
match stem 531 further has a handle portion 532 that extends from
the head end toward the first distal edge of the inner cover part
51 and that is folded to further extend to and connect with the
second distal edge of the outer cover part 52. To form the
matchbook 50, a distal edge of a rectangular cardboard is dipped in
the ignitable material 533. Then, the rectangular cardboard is
formed with slits 524 to result in a comb-like row of the matches
53, and the rectangular cardboard is subsequently folded into three
to result in the inner and outer cover parts 51, 52 and in the
folded configuration of the match stems 531. The head ends of the
match stems 531 are disposed between the inner and outer cover
parts 51, 52 at this time. A first abrasive strip 513 is provided
on an inner cover surface 511 of the inner cover part 51 and is
offset from the head ends of the match stems 531. A second abrasive
strip 523 is provided on an inner cover surface 522 of the outer
cover part 52, and is parallel to and is disposed to confront the
first abrasive strip 513.
[0034] In use, after removing a cigarette stick (not shown) from
the cigarette box 10, one of the match stems 531 can be torn apart
from the second distal edge of the outer cover part 52. After
unfolding the handle portion 532 of the match stem 531 to
facilitate handling of the match 53, the match stem 531 can be
pulled away from the cover connecting edges of the inner and outer
cover parts 51, 52 such that the head end of the match stem 531
rubs against the first and second abrasive strips 513, 523, thereby
igniting the same. The cigarette stick can be lighted at this
time.
[0035] As compared to the previous embodiments, the presence of the
handle portion 532 results in a longer burning time for the match
53.
[0036] It has thus been shown that, in the cigarette package of the
present invention, the matchbook 20, 40, 50 is attached to the
outer wall surface 121 of the cigarette box 10 to facilitate
removal of matches and to obviate the need for altering existing
dimensions of the cigarette box 10. In addition, in view of the
arrangement of the ignitable head ends of the matches and the
abrasive strips of the matchbook 20, 40, 50, matches can be lighted
as they are torn apart from the matchbook cover for added
convenience.
[0037] While the present invention has been described in connection
with what is considered the most practical and preferred
embodiments, it is understood that this invention is not limited to
the disclosed embodiments but is intended to cover various
arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest
interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and
equivalent arrangements.
* * * * *