EP2429322B1

EP2429322B1 - Container

Info

Publication number: EP2429322B1
Application number: EP10714612A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Jean Marc Laforge
Original assignee: British American Tobacco Holdings Ltd
Current assignee: British American Tobacco Holdings Ltd
Priority date: 2009-05-14
Filing date: 2010-04-08
Publication date: 2013-02-20
Anticipated expiration: 2030-04-08
Also published as: RU2011150624A; EP2429322A1; BRPI1012610A2; CA2760964A1; WO2010130509A1; JP2012526710A; GB0908277D0; KR20120016141A; ZA201108127B; RU101433U1

Description

The present invention relates to a container for storing smoking articles.
Smoking articles such as cigarettes are typically provided in simple paper or thin cardboard packages which may be wrapped in thin plastic or foil films. Although these packages are easily manufactured and cost effective, they can provide limited protection to the contents from being squashed or otherwise damaged. Furthermore, they are not generally able to stably stand upright on a table or other flat surface so as to encourage sharing. Additionally, the rectangular configuration of these packages results in sharp corners, which may cause discomfort to the user if the package is kept in a pocket adjacent to the skin or damage the lining of a pocket or a bag.
It is known from W00156411 to provide a rigid container for storing smoking articles such as cigarettes, to prevent the cigarettes from being deformed. However, the container of WO0156411 has thick walls to provide sufficient strength to the container requiring a larger amount of material and making the container relatively heavy. Furthermore, the container of WO0156411 has an unsatisfactory configuration making it susceptible to accidental opening.
It is known from US 2 585923 to provide a container suitable for smoking articles that may be positioned upright on a flat surface to provide convenient access to the container's contents.
The present invention seeks to provide an alternative container for smoking articles, which may overcome or substantially alleviate the problems mentioned above.
According to the present invention there is provided a container formed from a rigid material comprising an inner base configured to stand vertically on a flat surface and comprising a bottom wall and a peripheral side wall upstanding from the bottom wall defining a space for storing smoking articles, and a cover comprising a top wall having a peripheral side wall depending from the perimeter edge thereof that fits over the inner base to extend over a major portion of the peripheral side wall of the inner base, wherein the inner base includes an enlarged lower end such that the cover abuts said lower end when the cover is fitted over the inner base when the container is closed, and wherein the inner base and the cover include cooperating securing means to secure the cover to the inner base when the cover is fitted over the inner base to hold the container closed, characterised in that the cooperating securing means comprises an annular lip formed on an inner surface of the peripheral side wall of the cover and a pair of parallel, axially spaced annular beads formed on the outer surface of the peripheral side wall of the inner base adjacent to the enlarged lower end configured to engage with the lip of the cover.
Preferably, the cover and the enlarged lower end form a flush outer surface of the container when the cover is fitted over the inner base when the container is closed.
In one embodiment, the enlarged lower end comprises an outwardly enlarged portion of the end of the peripheral side wall adjacent to the bottom wall.
The peripheral side wall of the inner base distal to the bottom wall may comprise a slit for providing easier access to the content of the container.
The brim of the peripheral side wall of the inner base may be angled so as to provide easier access to the content of the container.
The container described hereinbefore may be cylindrical in shape.
In a preferred embodiment, the container is cuboidal in shape.
Preferably, the container is substantially cuboidal and the enlarged lower end comprises an outwardly enlarged portion of the end of the peripheral side wall of the inner base adjacent to the bottom wall.
In one embodiment, an outer cross-section of the inner base defined by an outer surface of the side wall of the inner base is of a different shape to an inner cross-section of the inner base defined by an inner surface of the side wall of the inner base.
In an alternative embodiment, an outer cross-section of the inner base defined by an outer surface of the side wall of the inner base is of a similar shape to an inner cross-section of the inner base defined by an inner surface of the side wall of the inner base.
An insert may be received in the space of the inner base to collate smoking articles contained within the inner base, the insert forming an inner cross-section differing from an outer cross-section of the inner base defined by an outer surface of the side wall of the inner base.
Preferably, the container has a substantially square outer cross-section.
In an alternative embodiment, the container has a substantially rectangular outer cross-section.
Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, and with reference to the following drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a closed container according to the present invention;
Figure 2 shows a perspective view of an inner base of the container of Figure 1;
Figure 3 shows a top view of the inner base of Figure 2;
Figure 4 shows an alternative embodiment of the inner base from a perspective view;
Figure 5 shows the inner base of Figure 4 from a front view;
Figure 6 shows another alternative embodiment of the inner base;
Figure 7 shows a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the container;
Figure 8 shows a perspective view of the inner base of the container of Figure 7; and
Figure 9 shows a cross-sectional view of an alternative configuration of the inner base.

Referring now to the drawings, it is shown in Figures 1 to 3 a container 1 according to the present invention comprising an inner base 2 and a releasably attachable cover 3 defining a space 4 for storing smoking articles such as cigarettes in an up right position as the container stands on its end.
The inner base 2 comprises a circular bottom wall 5 having an upstanding peripheral side wall 6 extending perpendicularly from the edge of the bottom wall 5, such that the inner base 2 has a generally cylindrical shape. The cover 3 includes a circular top wall 7 having a peripheral side wall 8 depending perpendicularly from the edge thereof. The inner diameter of the side wall 8 of the cover 3 is of a slightly greater circumference than the outer diameter of the side wall 6 of the inner base 2 so that the cover 3 extends over the side wall 6 of said inner base 2 when the container 1 is closed. A lower portion 9 of the inner base 2 is circumferentially enlarged, as seen in Figures 2 and 3, so that as the cover 3 is fitted over the side wall 6 of the inner base 2, the cover 3 and the enlarged portion 9 abut to form a flush outer surface. Above the circumferentially enlarged lower portion 9 of the inner base 2 are two beads 10a, 10b configured to engage with a corresponding lip (not shown) disposed on an inner surface of the cover 3 so as to secure the cover 3 to the inner base 2.
As seen in Figure 2 the brim 11 of the inner base 2 is planar, however it should be appreciated that the brim 11 can be formed into different shapes so as to facilitate the user in retrieving a cigarette. An alternative embodiment of the inner base is illustrated in Figures 4 and 5 in which a slit 22 extends from the brim 21 downwards through the side wall, wherein the corners 23a, 23b of the slit 22 are arcuately shaped. One of the corners 23b has a greater radius which creates a side opening 24 for easy retrieval of cigarettes. In another alternative embodiment, as shown in Figure 6, the brim 31 is angled to provide easy access to the contained cigarettes.
The container according to the present invention can be made from either metal or plastic depending on the desired quality and design details required. The double layer of the container formed by the overlap of the side wall 8 of the cover 3 extending over a major portion of the side wall 6 of the inner base 2, provide enhanced rigidity and robustness compared to a single walled container. Moreover, accidental opening of the container is reduced as the cover 3 substantially extends over the major portion of the side wall 6 of the inner base 2, whereby the cover has to slide further relative to the inner base 2 to reveal the content compared to containers wherein the cover only encloses a small portion of the base. The secure closure of the container is further enhanced by the cooperation of the beads 23a, 23b and the lip which reassures the user that the cover is securely attached to the base 2. This configuration can also be modified to give a snapping noise as the lip rides over the beads 23a, 23b to further ensure the user that the container is properly sealed.
In the embodiments shown and described, the cover extends over approximately 90% of the total height of the inner base. This provides the advantages described above. However, the cover may alternatively extend over at least 50% of the total height of the inner base or indeed, over more than 90% of the total height of the inner base within the scope of the invention.
The configuration of the bottom wall 5 of the inner base 2 enables the container 1 to stand stably in a vertical position, hence it can be used for sharing between users on a table or the like and thereby offers a social point of focus which is currently not provided by rectangular paper or cardboard packages. Furthermore, disadvantages of conventional cigarette packages caused by sharp corners, such as discomfort to the user when kept in a pocket adjacent to the skin or damage to the lining of a bag are reduced due to the cylindrical shape of the present container.
It will be appreciated that although the container has been described as cylindrical, it may be of other shapes, for example, its cross-section as viewed perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the container, may be oval, square or rectangular. Figure 7 illustrates a container 31 according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention having a substantially square cross-section as viewed perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the container, wherein the inner base 32 and cover 33 are configured to close in a similar manner to the previously described embodiments. It is envisaged that the brim of the inner base 32 of the container 31 having a square cross-section, or a container of any other shape not previously described, can be of the alternative configurations as described for the cylindrical embodiment. For example, as seen in Figure 8, the inner base 32 of the square container 31 has a slit 35 which extends from the brim 36 downwards through the side wall, wherein the corners 37a, 37b of the slit 35 are arcuately shaped. One of the corners 37b having a greater radius creating a side opening 38 for easy retrieval of cigarettes. Alternatively, the inner base 32 may have a level planar brim, or an angled planar brim, as shown in Figures 2 and 6 for the cylindrical embodiment.
It is also envisaged that the outer shape of the container 1, 31 may differ from the shape of the space 4 defined by the inner base 2, 32 in which the smoking articles such as cigarettes are stored in order that the smoking articles within the inner base 2, 32 can be arranged into a variety of configurations. In other words, the outer cross-section defined as the outer surface of the side wall of the inner base when viewed perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the container may be of a shape similar to the cross-section of the cover but different to the inner cross-section defined as the inner surface of the side wall of the inner base. For example, the cover 3, 33 and the outer surface 40 of the side wall of the inner base 2, 32 may be cylindrical such that the cover and the inner base close in a manner similar to the previous embodiments, however die inner surface 41 of the side wall of the inner base 2, 32 may be formed with a square cross-section as viewed perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the container so that the smoking articles are collated into a square configuration. Such an exemplary configuration of the inner base is shown in Figure 9. The internal profile of the inner base 2, 32 which defines the shape of the collation of smoking articles may be formed as an integral part of the inner base 2, 32 or alternatively, may be an additional shaped insert provided within the inner base 2, 32. Thereby the collation of smoking articles may comprise circular, square, rectangular or any other configuration, regardless of the outer shape of the inner base 2, 32.
Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that variations may be made to the above exemplary embodiments that lie within the scope of the invention, as defined in the following claims.

Claims

A container formed from a rigid material comprising an inner base configured to stand vertically on a flat surface and comprising a bottom wall and a peripheral side wall upstanding from the bottom wall defining a space for storing smoking articles, and a cover comprising a top wall having a peripheral side wall depending from the perimeter edge thereof that fits over the inner base to extend over a major portion of the peripheral side wall of the inner base, wherein the inner base includes an enlarged lower end such that the cover abuts said lower end when the cover is fitted over the inner base when the container is closed, and wherein the inner base and the cover include cooperating securing means to secure the cover to the inner base when the cover is fitted over the inner base to hold the container closed, characterised in that the cooperating securing means comprises an annular lip formed on an inner surface of the peripheral side wall of the cover and a pair of parallel, axially spaced annular beads formed on the outer surface of the peripheral side wall of the inner base adjacent to the enlarged lower end configured to engage with the lip of the cover.
A container according to claim 1, wherein the cover and the enlarged lower end form a flush outer surface of the container when the cover is fitted over the inner base when the container is closed.
A container according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the enlarged lower end comprises an outwardly enlarged portion of the end of the peripheral side wall adjacent to the bottom wall.
A container according to any of claims 1 - 3, wherein the peripheral side wall of the inner base distal to the bottom wall comprises a slit for providing easier access to the content of the container.
A container according to any preceding claim, wherein the brim of the peripheral side wall of the inner base is angled so as to provide easier access to the content of the container.
A container according to any preceding claim which is cylindrical in shape.
A container according to any preceding claim, wherein the container is substantially cylindrical and the enlarged lower end comprises a circumferentially enlarged portion of the end of the peripheral side wall of the inner base adjacent to the bottom wall.
A container according to any of the claims 1 to 5, wherein the container is cuboidal in shape.
A container according to any of the claims 1 to 5, wherein the container is substantially cuboidal and the enlarged lower end comprises an outwardly enlarged portion of the end of the peripheral side wall of the inner base adjacent to the bottom wall.
A container according to any preceding claim, wherein an outer cross-section of the inner base defined by an outer surface of the side wall of the inner base is of a different shape to an inner cross-section of the inner base defined by an inner surface of the side wall of the inner base.
A container according to any of claims 1 to 9, wherein an outer cross-section of the inner base defined by an outer surface of the side wall of the inner base is of a similar shape to an inner cross-section of the inner base defined by an inner surface of the side wall of the inner base.
A container according to any of claims 1 to 9, wherein an insert is received in the space of the inner base to collate smoking articles contained within the inner base, the insert forming an inner cross-section differing from an outer cross-section of the inner base defined by an outer surface of the side wall of the inner base.
A container according to claims 10 and 12, wherein the container has a substantially square outer cross-section.
A container according to claims 10 and 12, wherein the container has a substantially rectangular outer cross-section.