U.S. patent application number 10/944546 was filed with the patent office on 2005-05-19 for cigarette container.
Invention is credited to Hennessy, Martin Anthony.
Application Number | 20050103654 10/944546 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34566858 |
Filed Date | 2005-05-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050103654 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Hennessy, Martin Anthony |
May 19, 2005 |
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.
Inventors: |
Hennessy, Martin Anthony;
(Longfield, GB) |
Correspondence
Address: |
O'MELVENY & MYERS, LLP
275 BATTERY STREET
SUITE 2600
SAN FRANCISCO
CA
94111-3305
US
|
Family ID: |
34566858 |
Appl. No.: |
10/944546 |
Filed: |
September 16, 2004 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
206/270 ;
206/242; 206/259; 229/87.13 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D 85/1054
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
206/270 ;
229/087.13; 206/259; 206/242 |
International
Class: |
B65D 085/10 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Nov 19, 2003 |
ID |
S00200300175 |
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.
Description
CLAIM OF PRIORITY
[0001] 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
[0002] 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
[0003] Smoking articles, such as cigarettes, conventionally have
been sold in packages. Typically, each package contains about
twenty or about twenty-five cigarettes.
[0004] 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.
[0005] 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.
[0006] 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
[0007] 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.
[0008] 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
[0009] 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;
[0010] 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;
[0011] 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;
[0012] 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;
[0013] 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
[0014] 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.
[0015] 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.
[0016] 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.
[0017] 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).
[0018] 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.
[0019] 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.
[0020] 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.
[0021] 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.
[0022] 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.
[0023] 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.
[0024] 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.
[0025] 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.
[0026] 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.
[0027] 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.
[0028] 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.
[0029] 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.
[0030] 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.
* * * * *