Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D85/00—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials
  • B65D85/07—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for compressible or flexible articles
  • B65D85/08—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for compressible or flexible articles rod-shaped or tubular
  • B65D85/10—Containers, packaging elements or packages, specially adapted for particular articles or materials for compressible or flexible articles rod-shaped or tubular for cigarettes
  • B65D85/1081—Inserts or accessories added or joined to the container, e.g. coins, pens, cards, spacers
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
  • B65D5/00—Rigid or semi-rigid containers of polygonal cross-section, e.g. boxes, cartons or trays, formed by folding or erecting one or more blanks made of paper
  • B65D5/42—Details of containers or of foldable or erectable container blanks
  • B65D5/44—Integral, inserted or attached portions forming internal or external fittings
  • B65D5/48—Partitions
  • B65D5/48024—Partitions inserted
  • B65D5/48042—Strip provided with series of folding lines forming the partitions

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a novel container for housing consumer articles.
• the containers of the present invention find particular application as containers for elongate consumer articles, such as smoking articles.
• elongate smoking articles such as cigarettes and cigars
• rigid box shaped containers such as hinged lid containers having a box portion and a lid connected to the box about a hinge line extending across the rear wall of the container so called Flip-TopTM box.
• the lid is pivoted about the hinge line to open the pack and so gain access to the smoking articles held in the box.
• the container further includes an inner frame at least partly wrapped around the consumer articles. This may provide further rigidity to the container and protect the consumer articles. Where the inner frame extends above an upper edge of the box portion, the inner frame typically also provides a surface against which the lid can close.
• a container is progressively emptied of consumer articles, the ones remaining in the container are no longer held in place as firmly as in the unopened container. Therefore, the remaining consumer articles may become free to move around and may easily be shaken during transport of the container. In the case of cigarettes, this may cause some loose tobacco material to fall out the tobacco rods.
• a container for consumer articles comprising a box portion comprising a front wall, a rear wall and two side walls extending between the front wall and the rear wall. Further, the container comprises an inner frame positioned within the box portion.
• the inner frame comprises a receiving portion for at least partly enclosing a group of consumer articles.
• the receiving portion comprises an inner frame front wall and two lateral walls depending via respective fold lines from the inner frame front wall, and a group of consumer articles positioned within the receiving portion of the inner frame and the box portion.
• the inner frame further comprises two retaining panels projecting on opposite sides from the receiving portion to cooperate with the front wall or the back wall of the box portion such that the receiving portion holding the group of articles occupies a stable position relative to the front wall of the box portion.
• the inner frame further comprises a top portion for receiving the consumer articles comprising an upper front wall portion, the retaining panels extending on both sides from the upper front wall portion.
• Each retaining panel comprises a wall segment extending from the upper front wall portion beyond the respective lateral wall of the receiving portion and adapted to lie against the front wall of the box portion over a predetermined length.
• each retaining panel comprises a corner portion depending, via a fold line, from the respective wall segment, and adapted to cooperate with a respective side wall of the box portion.
• a laminar blank for forming an inner frame of a container for consumer articles.
• the container comprises a box portion comprising a front wall, a rear wall and two side walls extending between the front wall and the rear wall.
• the container comprises an inner frame.
• the inner frame comprises a receiving portion for at least partly enclosing a group of consumer articles, wherein the receiving portion comprises an inner frame front wall and two lateral walls depending via respective fold lines from the inner frame front wall.
• the inner frame comprises two retaining panels projecting on opposite sides from the receiving portion to cooperate with the front wall or the back wall of the box portion such that the receiving portion occupies a stable position relative to the front wall of the box portion.
• the blank comprises a central blank panel for forming at least a bottom section of an inner frame wall of the receiving portion, two side blank panels extending laterally from the central blank panel and two cut lines.
• Each cut line extends substantially horizontally across each side blank panel to separate a blank side bottom panel from a blank side wall segment, such that each blank side bottom panel depends from the central blank panel via a fold line for forming a lateral wall of the receiving portion, and each blank side wall segment extends from the central blank panel beyond the fold line for forming a retaining panel of the inner frame.
• front “ , “rear” , “upper “ , “lower” , “above “ , “below” , “side “ , “lateral “ , “top “ , “bottom” and other terms used to describe relative positions of the components of containers according to the invention refer to the container in an upright position with an open end of the box portion at the top and the consumer goods accessible from the upper end at the front.
• side “ and “lateral” are used with reference to side walls of the container when the container is viewed from the front in its upright position.
• the expression "at least partly enclosing a group of consumer articles" is used throughout this specification to mean that an element of the container, for example the receiving portion of the inner frame, extends across at least three sides of the group of consumer articles.
• an element of the container for example the receiving portion of the inner frame
• a number of consumer articles may be collated in a group having a substantially parallelepiped shape and the receiving portion is wrapped around the front and sides of the group.
• an element of the container may enclose the group of consumer articles over only a part of their length.
• the receiving portion of the inner frame may enclose only three sides of a bottom section of the group of consumer articles. Of these three sides, at least two are substantially parallel to each other, for example the three sides may be defined by a front wall and two side walls.
• stable position as used throughout this specification is used to describe a condition wherein, during regular use or shipping of the container according to the invention, one component of the container is held substantially firmly in a predetermined position with respect to another component of the container.
• stable position may further be used to describe a condition wherein, during regular use or shipping of the container according to the invention, one component of the container according to the invention tends, if displaced from a predetermined position relative to another component of the container, to return to the predetermined position.
• the term "curved" used in this specification refers to any line which is not straight.
• the expression "receiving portion completely filled with consumer articles" is used in this specification to mean that the receiving portion of the container according to the invention at least partly encloses as many consumer articles as possible without substantial elastic or plastic deformation of either consuming articles or of the inner frame front wall or of the lateral walls of the receiving portion. It shall be appreciated that, depending on the geometry of the consumer articles, a minor fraction of voids may therefore remain among the consumer articles and between the group of consumer articles and the receiving portion. This is the case, for example, when the consumer articles are elongate smoking articles, such as cigarettes.
• the inner frame is shaped such as to conveniently at least partially wrap around a number of consumer articles such that the overall volume occupied by the consumer articles is smaller than the whole internal volume available inside the box portion.
• the inner frame comprises lateral portions adapted to cooperate at least with the front wall or the back wall of the box portion so that the receiving portion is maintained stably in a predetermined location inside the box portion, for example in a central location substantially aligned with an opening of the container, thus making access to the articles easy for the consumer.
• a container can advantageously be adapted to stably housing a greater or smaller number of consumer articles without substantially changing the overall size of the box portion or of the inner frame blank.
• the container can adaptively hold a progressively smaller number of consumer articles while the container is emptied at least until its content in consumer articles is reduced by a given percentage (for example by 30 percent).
• each retaining panel extends from the upper front wall portion beyond the respective lateral wall of the receiving portion and is adapted to lie against the front wall of the box portion over a given length, it is easy to mount the inner frame within the box portion and, when the container according to the invention is opened, from the outside it shall look substantially like a conventional hinge-lid container, whilst internally defining a smaller volume for holding in a stable manner a reduced number of smoking articles. Further, this is helpful from a structural point of view, since the wall segments of the retaining panels contribute to reinforcing the front wall of the container. This is particularly advantageous in the case of hinge-lid containers, wherein the inner frame in accordance with the present invention provides a stable, continuous surface for the lid to abut when in the closed position.
• the retaining panels further cooperate with the respective side walls of the box portion because they comprise respective corner portions.
• this further improves the stability of the receiving portion relative to the symmetry axis of the front wall of the box portion. In particular, precise alignment of the consumer articles within the container with an opening of the container can be maintained conveniently.
• each retaining panel comprises a corner portion adapted to cooperate with both the front wall and the side walls of the box portion.
• the front and side walls of the box portion may thus serve as guide elements for easy insertion of the inner frame wrapped around a group of consumer articles into the box portion of the container.
• the inner frame front wall and the lateral walls of the receiving portion define a volume smaller than the internal volume of the box portion.
• a portion of the internal volume of the box portion can conveniently be maintained free of consumer articles.
• This portion of the internal volume of the box portion may be left void. Alternatively, it may be used for housing some accessory or informative material.
• the inner frame preferably comprises, at an upper end of the inner frame front wall, an upper front wall portion.
• the lateral walls extend from the inner frame front wall portion.
• the retaining panels extend on both sides from the upper front wall portion.
• each retaining panel comprises a wall segment extending from the upper front wall portion beyond a respective lateral wall and lying against the front wall of the box portion over a predetermined length.
• a bottom section of the inner frame defining the receiving portion is adapted to be at least partly wrapped around the consumer articles.
• a top section of the inner frame is adapted to cooperate with the box portion such that the receiving portion is kept stably in place within the container. This is advantageous in that, in practice, the lateral walls are materially and functionally separated from the retaining panels.
• the receiving portion may, in addition or alternatively, comprise two flaps, each depending from a respective lateral wall and adapted to cooperate with the rear wall of the box portion.
• the receiving portion is thus held into place even more stably, in that displacement of the receiving portion in a direction transverse to the front and rear walls of the box portion is substantially prevented.
• a laminar blank for forming an inner frame comprises a central blank panel for forming the bottom section of the inner front wall of the receiving portion and two side blank panels for forming the retaining panels of the inner frame.
• each side blank panel comprises a side bottom section depending from the central blank panel for forming a lateral wall of the receiving section of the inner frame.
• Each side bottom section depends from the central blank portion via a folding line.
• the laminar blank comprises a pair of cut lines, each of which extends substantially horizontally across a lateral panel to separate a respective lateral wall of the receiving portion from a respective wall segment.
• each lateral panel preferably comprise two substantially vertical fold lines, extending above and below the cut line, respectively, and offset relative to each other.
• Each wall segment depends from the upper front wall portion via a fold line extending above the cut line.
• Each flap preferably depends from the inner frame front wall via a fold line extending below the cut line.
• the width of each wall segment is substantially equivalent to the distance between the two substantially vertical fold lines.
• the container is preferably filled with elongate smoking articles, such as, for example, cigarettes, cigars or cigarillos.
• elongate smoking articles such as, for example, cigarettes, cigars or cigarillos.
• containers according to the invention may be designed for different numbers of conventional size, king size, super-king size, slim or super-slim cigarettes.
• containers in accordance with the present invention can also be used with a variety of consumer goods other than smoking articles.
• Containers in accordance with the present invention may be of a hinged lid design such that the container comprises a lid pivotable along a hinge line, between a closed position and an open position in which consumer goods can be removed from the container.
• the hinge lid may be pivotable along a hinge line extending across the rear wall of the box portion, such that the lid also includes a portion of the rear wall.
• the present invention can be applied to containers of alternative design, such as soft packs, that is containers comprising a box portion constructed from a laminar blank made of a thinner, more easily deformable material, such as, for example, paper. Further, the present invention may be conveniently applied to containers having a sliding mechanism for opening the container.
• Containers according to the invention will typically be assembled in the conventional way, by folding one or more laminar blanks around the consumer goods and sealing overlying panels of the laminar blanks together in order to retain the container in the assembled shape. This may be achieved using conventional glues or adhesives.
• Containers according to the invention may comprise box portions in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, with right-angled longitudinal and right-angled transverse edges.
• the box portion may comprise one or more rounded longitudinal edges, rounded transverse edges, bevelled longitudinal edges or bevelled transverse edges, or combinations thereof.
• the container according to the invention may comprise, without limitation:
• the inner frame is adapted to accommodate a deviation of the front wall.
• the container comprises one or more rounded edges and is made from one or more laminar blanks
• the blanks comprise three, four, five, six or seven scoring lines or creasing lines to form each rounded edge in the assembled container.
• the scoring lines or creasing lines may be either on the inside of the container or on the outside of the container.
• the scoring lines or creasing lines are spaced from each other by between about 0.3 mm and 4 mm.
• the spacing of the creasing lines or scoring lines is a function of the thickness of the laminar blank.
• the spacing between the creasing lines or scoring lines is between about 0.5 and about 4 times larger than the thickness of the laminar blank.
• the box portion of the container comprises one or more bevelled edge
• the bevelled edge has a width of between about 1 mm and about 10 mm, preferably between about 2 and about 6 mm.
• the container may comprise a double bevel formed by three parallel creasing or scoring lines that are spaced such that two distinct bevels are formed on the edge of the container.
• the bevel may be formed by two parallel creasing lines or scoring lines in the laminar blank.
• the creasing lines or scoring lines may be arranged symmetrically to the edge between a first wall and a second wall.
• the creasing lines or scoring lines may be arranged asymmetrically to the edge between the first wall and the second wall, such that the bevel reaches further into the first wall of the container than into the second wall of the container.
• containers according to the invention may be designed to hold different total numbers of smoking articles, or different arrangements of smoking articles.
• containers according to the invention may be designed to hold a total of between ten and twenty smoking articles.
• the smoking articles in the retaining portion may be arranged in different collations, depending on the total number of smoking articles.
• the smoking articles may be arranged in a single row of six, seven, eight, nine or ten.
• the smoking articles may be arranged in two or more rows.
• the two or more rows may contain the same number of smoking articles.
• the smoking articles may be arranged in: two rows of five, six, seven, eight, nine or ten; three rows of five or seven; or four rows of four, five or six.
• the two or more rows may include at least two rows containing different number of smoking articles to each other.
• the smoking articles may be arranged in: a row of five and a row of six (5-6); a row of six and a row of seven (6-7); a row of seven and a row of eight (7-8); a middle row of five and two outer rows of six (6-5-6); a middle row of five and two outer rows of seven (7-5-7); a middle row of six and two outer rows of five (5-6-5); a middle row of six and two outer rows of seven (7-6- 7); a middle row of seven and two outer rows of six (6-7-6); a middle row of nine and two outer rows of eight (8-9-8); or a middle row of six with one outer row of five and one outer row of seven (5-6-7).
• Containers according to the present invention may hold smoking articles of the same type or brand, or of different types or brands.
• both filterless smoking articles and smoking articles with various filter tips may be contained, as well as smoking articles of differing length (for example, between about 40 mm and about 180 mm), diameter (for example, between about 4 mm and about 9 mm).
• the smoking articles may differ in strength of taste, resistance to draw and total particulate matter delivery.
• the length, width and depth of containers according to the invention may be such that, in the closed position, the resultant overall dimensions of the container are similar to the dimensions of a typical disposable hinge-lid pack of twenty cigarettes.
• containers according to the invention have a height of between about 60 mm and about 150 mm, more preferably a height of between about 70 mm and about 125 mm, wherein the height is measured from the top wall to the bottom wall of the container.
• containers according to the invention have a width of between about 12 mm and about 150 mm, more preferably a width of between about 70 mm and about 125 mm, wherein the width is measured from one side wall to the other side wall of the container.
• containers according to the invention have a depth of between about 6 mm and about 100 mm, more preferably a depth of between about 12 mm and about 25 mm wherein the depth is measured from the front wall to the back wall of the container (comprising the hinge between box and lid).
• the ratio of the height of the container to the depth of the container is in between about 0.3 to 1 and about 10 to 1 , more preferably between about 2 to 1 and about 8 to 1 , most preferably between about 3 to 1 and 5 to 1 .
• the ratio of the width of the container to the depth of the container is between about 0.3 to 1 and about 10 to 1 , more preferably between about 2 to 1 and about 8 to 1 , most preferably between about 2 to 1 and 3 to 1 .
• Containers according to the invention may be shrink-wrapped or otherwise over wrapped with a transparent polymeric film of, for example, high or low density polyethylene, polypropylene, oriented polypropylene, polyvinylidene chloride, cellulose film, or combinations thereof in a conventional manner.
• the over wrapper may include one or more tear tapes.
• the over wrapper may be printed with images, consumer information or other data.
• the additional outer wrapper may advantageously protect the surface of the container for example against abrasion during handling.
• the container may further comprise other consumer goods, for example matches, lighters, extinguishing means, breath-fresheners or electronics.
• the other consumer goods may be attached to the outside of the container, contained within the container along with the smoking articles, in a separate compartment of the container or combinations thereof.
• the inner frame divides the internal volume of the box portion into at least three portions.
• the receiving portion of the inner frame at least partly encloses a central volume portion, at least two side volume portions being substantially defined between the lateral walls of the receiving portion and the side walls of the box portions.
• Each of the volume portions into which the internal volume of the box portion is divided by the inner frame may house a group of consumer goods or other accessories or objects.
• the exterior surfaces of containers according to the invention may be printed, embossed, debossed or otherwise embellished with manufacturer or brand logos, trade marks, slogans and other consumer information and indicia.
• Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a container according to the present invention
• Figure 2 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the inner frame of a container according to the present invention.
• Figure 3 shows a top view of a laminar blank for forming the inner frame of Figure 2.
• the container 1 shown in Figure 1 is shaped as a rectangular parallelepiped and comprises a box portion 10.
• the box portion 10 comprises a front wall 1 1 , a rear wall 12, and two side walls 13 extending between the front wall 1 1 and the rear wall 12.
• the upper side of the box 10 is open to provide an upper opening through which consumer articles can be removed.
• the container 10 further comprises an inner frame 20 mounted within the box portion 10.
• the inner frame 20 comprises a receiving portion 21 .
• the receiving portion 21 comprises an inner frame front wall 210 and two lateral walls 21 1 depending via respective fold lines from the inner frame front wall.
• a group of consumer articles, namely cigarettes (not shown), is enclosed within the receiving portion 21 .
• the inner frame front wall 210 includes a cut out 212 at the top free edge of the inner frame front wall 210 in order to facilitate removal of the cigarettes from the container 1 .
• the inner frame front wall 210 is of sufficient length that it extends above the upper free edge of the front wall 1 1 of the box portion 10.
• each retaining panel 22 comprises a wall segment 221 lying against the front wall 1 1 of the box portion 10.
• the wall segments 221 may be fixed, for example glued, to the front wall 1 1 of the box portion 10.
• the inner frame 90 comprises a receiving portion 21 for at least partly enclosing a group of consumer articles, the receiving portion 21 comprising an inner frame front wall 210 and two lateral walls 21 1 depending via respective fold lines from the inner frame front wall 210.
• a group of consumer articles, such as smoking articles, may conveniently be positioned within the receiving portion 21 and received in the box portion of the container.
• the inner frame 90 further comprises two retaining panels 22 projecting on opposite sides from the receiving portion to cooperate with the front wall of the box portion, such that the receiving portion 21 occupies a stable position relative to the front wall of the box portion.
• the inner frame 90 comprises an upper front wall portion 910. Lateral walls 21 1 extend from the inner frame front wall 210.
• the retaining panels 22 extend, in particular, on both sides from the upper front wall portion 910.
• Each retaining panel 22 comprises a wall segment 921 extending from the upper front wall portion 910 beyond the respective lateral wall 21 1 .
• Each wall segment 921 is adapted to lie against the front wall 1 1 of the box portion 10 over a predetermined length.
• each retaining panel 22 comprises a corner portion 923 depending, via a fold line, from a respective wall segment 221 .
• Each corner portion 923 is adapted to cooperate with a respective side wall 13 of the box portion 10.
• a bottom section of the inner frame 90 defining the receiving portion 21 is adapted to be at least partly wrapped around the consumer articles.
• a top section of the inner frame 90 is adapted to cooperate with the box portion 10, such that the receiving portion 21 is kept stably in place within the container.
• the inner frame 90 comprises two flaps 91 1 adapted to cooperate with the rear wall of the box portion.
• each flap 91 1 depends from a respective lateral wall 21 1 via a fold line.
• a laminar blank 100 for forming the inner frame 90 of Figure 2 is shown in Figure 3.
• the laminar blank 100 comprises a central blank panel 101 for forming the bottom section 210 of the inner front wall of the receiving portion 21 and two side blank panels 102 for forming the retaining panels of the inner frame 90.
• each side blank panel 102 comprises a side bottom section 1021 depending from the central blank panel 101 for forming a lateral wall 21 1 of the receiving section 21 of the inner frame 90.
• Each side bottom section 1021 depends from the central blank portion via a folding line.
• the laminar blank 100 comprises a pair of cut lines
• each side blank panel 102 comprises two substantially vertical fold lines 124, 125, extending above and below the cut line 1 12, respectively, and offset relative to each other.
• Each corner portion 923 depends from the upper front wall portion 910 via a fold line 124 extending above the cut line 1 12.
• Each flap 91 1 depends from the respective lateral wall 21 1 via a fold line 125 extending below the cut line 1 12.
• the width of each corner portion 923 is substantially equivalent to the distance between the two substantially vertical fold lines 124, 125 in the side blank portion 102.
• the inner frame 90 can easily be assembled by suitably folding the laminar blank 100. During assembly of the container 1 , the inner frame 90 is mounted in a box portion 10.

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• 2015
  • 2015-02-18 EP EP15705606.0A patent/EP3107812A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2015-02-18 WO PCT/EP2015/053443 patent/WO2015124643A1/en active Application Filing

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