EP2611703B1 - Cigarette package with hollow cavity - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a package for smoking articles, in particular for cigarettes, in which a cavity is formed in the package interior on at least one lateral surface of the package, which extends between the lateral surface and the smoking article receiving space.

When packaging smoking articles, in particular cigarettes, the packaging machines used are set to a specific format for the packs to be filled. If the number of cigarettes packaged per pack or their format, for example the diameter of the individual cigarettes, changes, the format of the pack must be adapted to the changed parameters. Otherwise, the cigarettes would no longer be tightly enclosed by the package and would be relatively loose in it. This can compromise the quality of the cigarettes, especially if the package is subject to shock.

However, if a cigarette pack is made, which firmly encloses a smaller number of cigarettes or other format cigarettes, automatically change their outer dimensions. In this case, the entire packaging machine must be converted to a new format, which is very time consuming and costly. Although the present invention will be described below in the context of cigarette packets, an application to packages for other smoking articles is also conceivable.

A package with the features of the preamble of claim 1 is in the document WO-A-2005 014436 disclosed.

The present invention is based on the object of deviating from the standard number of cigarettes and / or deviating from the standard format Unpack cigarettes without having to change the entire packaging machine to a new packaging format.

This object is solved by the subject of claim 1. The dependent claims define preferred embodiments of the present invention.

The package according to the invention has a front, a back and two opposite lateral surfaces, wherein formed in the space defined by these surfaces of the package on at least one lateral surface, a cavity extending between the side surface and the smoking article receiving space.

The terms used laterally, front, back, top, bottom are to be understood as in a conventional cigarette pack. In an upright position, the lid is positioned at the top of the package and hinged to the rear of the package. The front side is therefore opposite the rear side lying and mostly facing the user side. The lateral surfaces extend between the front and rear side of the pack in the vertical direction.

In other words, the smoking article receiving space does not occupy all of the interior space of the pack bounded by the front, rear and two opposing surfaces and does not extend beyond the entire extent of the lateral surfaces to the lateral surfaces Part of at least one lateral surface of a cavity is formed.

Such a cavity may in this case be an "open" cavity, that is to say a space which is not enclosed on all sides by surfaces and which is therefore not separated from the receiving space, in particular for the receiving space, at least at one point due to a "missing" surface. Preferably, the Cavity, however, separated from all sides of the smoking article-receiving space by surfaces.

By providing at least one cavity in the interior of the package, the volume of the receiving space is reduced, so that a smaller number of cigarettes or cigarettes of another format can be firmly enclosed by a pack of unchanged external dimensions. In this way, the entire packaging machine no longer needs to be converted to a new format, but only the parts that combine cigarettes into a cigarette block by means of aluminum or paper foil.

The cavity can be limited by invariable surfaces and thus have a fixed volume. A preferred embodiment of the present invention, however, brings a significant advantage in that at least one cavity-limiting surface of the cigarette pack is not fixedly arranged in the cigarette pack, but can be changed in their position and / or orientation. In particular, a surface which separates the cavity from the receiving space, be designed to be pivotable and thus allow a variation of the void volume within predetermined limits. This ensures that a cigarette pack designed in this way can accommodate a different number of cigarettes and / or different cigarette formats within certain limits, without the blank of the cigarette pack or the cavity having to be changed. The cavity then simply adapts to the various formats of the cigarette block, the cigarette block still being firmly enclosed on all sides by the package. Also conceivable would be a locking of a previously variable in their position and / or orientation area, for example by gluing. In this way, one and the same blank of a package can be used to produce packages with differently sized receiving spaces, which are bounded by firmly locked surfaces.

According to a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cavity extends over the entire height of the lateral surface. Since conventional cigarette packs have a packing body accommodating the cigarettes and a hinged lid arranged at the top of the pack body, the term "lateral area" can also be understood to mean only a lateral area of the packing body. Over the entire height of the lateral surface means in this case, therefore, that the cavity extends over the entire height of the lateral surface of the package body, in a conventional cigarette packet from the bottom of the package body to the package upper edge on which the lid rests. This creates a complete, smaller inner pocket and the cigarette block is firmly enclosed from all sides and over its entire height. An extension of the cavity or of the surfaces bounding the cavity beyond the package body, for example into the lid, is likewise conceivable.

In a further preferred embodiment, the cavity extends substantially over the entire width of the lateral surface. Combined with an extension over the entire length of the lateral surface of the receiving space reaches at no point on the corresponding side surface of the pack zoom, so that over the depth of the pack, ie between the front and the rear surface of the pack of a double wall the corresponding lateral surface of the pack can be spoken.

In a special case, the cavity may have a rectangular cross section, although any meaningful shapes for the cavity are conceivable, which can be formed on a side surface of a cigarette pack. In particular, triangular or quadrangular cross sections should be mentioned here, wherein the cross section for the cavity may also have more than four corners. Also curved surfaces would be conceivable for delimiting the cavity.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, cavities are formed on both lateral surfaces which extend between the respective lateral surfaces Extend surface and the receiving space. The bilateral cavities may also be symmetrical to one another. In particular, an area or axis symmetry in the cross section of the package is conceivable here.

The cavity is formed by areas of a package blank which are part of the package body itself. Such a package body is usually made of a sheet material, in particular of cardboard, which is folded and glued at certain locations to form a package.

In the package blank, the areas surrounding the cavity may be disposed laterally adjacent the rear surface of the package. This should be understood that the surfaces are arranged in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the blank next to the rear surface of the pack or lie in this direction at the same height. The longitudinal axis of the blank corresponds to the vertical axis of the finished folded and glued pack and may be an axis of symmetry of the package blank, insofar as it is a pack with cavities formed symmetrically on both sides on the side surfaces. However, any position of the cavity or the cavities delimiting surfaces in the blank is conceivable as long as they are arranged in the finished folded and glued pack on the side surfaces and in the interior of the pack.

At least one, but preferably all of the surfaces delimiting the cavity is longer than the area in the blank, which ultimately forms the outer surface on the side surface of the package. Since the lateral surfaces of the packing cover rest with their lower edge on the upper edge of the outer side surface, give the longer, the cavity bounding surfaces the impression that they extend out of the package body in the direction of the packing cover on the upper edge of the side surfaces of the pack out. In this way, these surfaces can also be used to guide the package lid when opening and closing and to hold in a closed position, a task which belongs to the pack frame in conventional cigarette packs.

In this sense, in a preferred embodiment, at least on one of the surfaces surrounding the cavity, a board may be formed, which protrudes slightly from the corresponding surface, so comes to lie with a closed lid on a corresponding inner surface of the lid and this by frictional engagement in a closed position. Preferably, this board is formed on a folding edge between two of the surfaces, as already known from conventional packing frames.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be apparent from the attached FIGS. 1 to 5 described in more detail. The invention may include all features disclosed herein individually and in any convenient combination.

Figur 1:

einen Zuschnitt einer ersten Ausführungsform der vorliegenden Erfindung,

Figuren 2a bis 2c:

aufeinanderfolgende Zustände einer erfindungsgemäßen Packung beim Falten,

Figur 3:

eine fertige Packung gemäß einer ersten Ausführungsform,

Figur 4:

einen Zuschnitt einer zweiten Ausführungsform der vorliegenden Erfindung,

Figur 5:

eine fertige Packung gemäß einer zweiten Ausführungsform.

Show it:

FIG. 1:

a blank of a first embodiment of the present invention,

FIGS. 2a to 2c:

successive states of a pack according to the invention during folding,

FIG. 3:

a finished package according to a first embodiment,

FIG. 4:

a blank of a second embodiment of the present invention,

FIG. 5:

a finished package according to a second embodiment.

In the FIG. 1 is a blank of a first embodiment of the present invention. The one-piece blank for a folding box comprises a front pack side 1 and a rear pack side 2, wherein the lid 8 with the rear side of the package 2 is hingedly connected. The later side surfaces 3, 4 of the package are formed by the surfaces 31 and 34 or 41 and 44, which come to rest on each other in the finished package. The surfaces 31 and 41 border on both sides of the rear surface 2 and are seen in the longitudinal direction of the blank at the same height as this. At the same height adjacent to the surfaces 31 and 41 in succession, the surfaces 32 and 33 and 42 and 43, which together with the surfaces 31 and 41 and portions of the rear surface 2, the later cavities 5 of the package. On the left side of the surface 33 and to the right of the surface 43, there are further formed tabs which are not further specified and which in the finished package are adhesively bonded to the inside of the rear surface 2 so that stable cavities 5 are formed. Also to be seen are the boards 7, which are formed on the folding edge between the surfaces 31 and 32 or 41 and 42 and later help to hold the lid 8 in a closed position on the package body.

This blank is symmetrical, so that the later packing is symmetrical and has a cavity 5 on both side surfaces 3 and 4.

A closer look also notices that the surfaces 31, 32, 33, 41, 42 and 43 in the longitudinal direction of the blank are longer than the surfaces 34 and 44 on the side surfaces 3 and 4 in the finished package Surfaces 31, 32, 33, 41, 42 and 43 as well as the surfaces 34 and 44 extend away from the bottom of the pack, the former surfaces protrude beyond the second and further extend in the direction of the lid 8. In this way they can Take over the function of a packing frame, which is why the boards 7 are formed on them.

The FIGS. 2a to 2c show several successive states of a pack when folding. First, the surfaces 31, 32 and 33 or 41, 42 and 43 are bent at right angles to each other, wherein the above-mentioned, adjacent to the surfaces 33 and 43 tabs are bonded to the inside of the rear surface 2. In the FIG. 2b are therefore already cavities 5 to recognize soften later on in the Figure 2c adjacent to receiving space 6 and are delimited from the surfaces 33 and 43, respectively. The receiving space 6 is limited by the cavities 5 over the entire height and also over the entire width of the pack, so that the package according to the invention has a smaller cuboid receiving space 6 compared to conventional cigarette packs. In one on the Figure 2c Following process step, the front surface 1 of the pack is placed on the still open receiving space 6 and forms together with the surfaces 33 and 43, the bottom and the lid 8 of the package, the sixth side, which bounds the receiving space 6. The inner sides of the surfaces 34 and 44 are consequently placed on the outer sides of the surfaces 31 and 41 and are glued to them. About the distance of the surfaces 31 and 41 to each other, the boards are 7 on both sides, which rest in the finished package on the inner sides of the side surfaces of the lid and the lid 8 slightly jammed, so that this only with some effort to open and close is. In this way, unintentional opening of the lid 8 is prevented.

In the FIG. 3 is a finished folded and glued pack to see, which aufinreist on both sides symmetrical and rectangular in cross-section cavities 5, the limiting surfaces 31, 32 and 33 or 41, 42 and 43 project beyond the surfaces 34 and 44 in the direction of the lid and form a kind of packing frame.

The blank of another embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG FIG. 4 to see, namely the blank for an asymmetrical cigarette pack, which has a cavity only on one side surface. Apart from missing the right cavity defining surfaces 41 to 43 in the blank, there is no difference to the first embodiment.

Again FIG. 5 can be seen, is due to the absence of a right cavity 5, a non-designated Packungszarge necessary, which provides a right guide surface for the right side surface of the lid 8 and a cover 8 holding the holding closed.

It should also be noted that the tabs of the cavity-forming surfaces to be bonded to the inside of the rear surface 2 can be glued within certain limits at different positions with the rear surface 2, so that slightly trapezoidal cavities 5 are formed and in this way a different number can be taken from cigarettes and / or cigarettes of different formats of cigarette packs from one and the same blank. Further, it would be conceivable to lock the cavities 5 limiting surfaces in a different way than by gluing the tabs with the rear surface 2, for example by folding the tabs in the direction of the cavities 5, so that this with an edge as a "stop" the surfaces 31 and 41 abut.

Claims (8)

1. A packet for smoking products, in particular a cigarette packet, comprising a front area (1), a rear area (2) and two opposing lateral areas (3, 4), wherein a hollow space (5) is formed on at least one lateral area (3, 4) in the interior space of the packet bounded by these areas and extends between the lateral area (3, 4) and the smoking product accommodating space (6), wherein the hollow space (5) is bounded by areas (31, 32, 33, 41, 42, 43) which are part of a single-piece blank of the packet,
   characterised in that
   at least one of the areas (31, 32, 33, 41, 42, 43) which bound the hollow space extend(s) beyond an upper edge of the area of the blank (34, 44) which lies on the outside of the lateral area (3, 4) of the packet.
2. The packet according to Claim 1, wherein the volume of the hollow space (5) can be varied, in particular by pivoting an area (33, 43) which bounds the hollow space (5).
3. The packet according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the hollow space (5) extends substantially over the entire height and/or width of the lateral area (3, 4).
4. The packet according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the hollow space (5) exhibits a substantially rectangular cross-section.
5. The packet according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein hollow spaces (5) are formed on both lateral areas (3, 4) and extend between the respective lateral area (3, 4) and the smoking product accommodating space (6).
6. The packet according to Claim 5, wherein the hollow spaces (5) are formed so as to be symmetrical with respect to each other and in particular exhibit area symmetry.
7. The packet according to any one of Claims 1 to 6, wherein the areas (31, 32, 33, 41, 42, 43) are arranged adjacent to the rear area (2) of the packet as viewed in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the non-folded blank.
8. The packet according to any one of Claims 1 to 7, wherein a protrusion (7) which holds the lid (8) of the packet in a closed position is formed on at least one of the areas (31, 32, 33, 41, 42, 43) which bound the hollow space, in particular on a folding edge between the areas (31, 32, 33, 41, 42, 43).

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