EP3164342B1

EP3164342B1 - Package for smoking articles

Info

Publication number: EP3164342B1
Application number: EP15738602.0A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Fiorenzo Draghetti
Original assignee: Gima TT SpA
Current assignee: Gima TT SpA
Priority date: 2014-07-01
Filing date: 2015-06-29
Publication date: 2018-12-12
Anticipated expiration: 2035-06-29
Also published as: CN107074433A; RU2017101140A; RU2017101140A3; PL3164342T3; EP3164342A1; KR20170028959A; WO2016001123A1

Description

Field of application

The present invention relates to a package for smoking articles, in particular cigarettes. More particularly, the invention relates to a package containing two separately wrapped bundles of cigarette.
The invention finds useful application in particular in the tobacco industry.

Prior art

Cigarettes are traditionally packaged in rigid packages, substantially in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, with a hinged lid attached to the top that rotates around a hinging axis to allow access to the plurality of cigarettes contained by the package.
Although traditional cigarette packages of the type described above largely meet the requirements of the field, over time many variations of alternative packaging have been proposed, mainly to give a sense of originality and innovation to incentivise the consumer.
Among the many variants that have been developed, particularly noteworthy are cigarette packages with an external container in which the cigarettes are wrapped in two separate wrappers.
With this type of package, it is possible to have two different, separately wrapped bundles of cigarettes inside a single external container.
The end consumer can therefore delay the opening of the second wrapper until the cigarettes of the first bundle are finished.
It is a widespread practice to make the external container completely occupied by the bundles of cigarettes placed therein in order to make optimal use of the space available in the package.
In case of a limited number of cigarettes it is then common to make the package also of smaller dimensions.
A problem of rigid cigarette packages of smaller dimensions is the fact that as a result the available space on the external surface is also reduced, which means also the amount of information those outside surfaces of smaller packages may contain, will be limited. In addition, in countries where by law it is obligatory to make a certain minimal amount of surface available for health warning messages, it is possible on the one hand that packages of reduced dimensions may not present the minimal required surface area, and on the other hand that not enough space remains to insert other desirable information.
In case of a package that contains two bundles of cigarettes, each wrapped separately and together occupying less space than available, an empty space remains, with the risk that the bundles of cigarettes can move freely inside the container, which can consequently have an unwanted detrimental effect on the structure of the cigarettes caused by the free movement.
Therefore, it is necessary that the stability of the bundles of cigarettes is ensured also in cases where more space is made available by the external container than is occupied by the bundles of cigarettes it contains.
The technical problem at the basis of the present invention is therefore to design a rigid package for smoking articles, in particular cigarettes, that resolves the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, and in particular in which it is possible to contain in a stable manner two bundles of separately wrapped cigarettes that together occupy less space than the amount of space made available by the external container in which they are accommodated, without compromising the rigidity of the package itself, within the scope of a simple and logical constructive solution.
The aim of the present invention is to meet the above-mentioned requirement and at the same time overcome the drawbacks described with reference to the prior art.
GB 585 258 and EP 2 905 241 (in respect of Art. 54(3) EPC) disclose packages of the prior art.

Summary of the invention

This objective is obtained by a package for smoking articles in accordance with claim 1 of the present invention.
The dependent claims define preferred and particularly advantageous embodiments of the package according to the invention.
Further characteristics and advantages will become clear from the following detailed description of a preferred but non-exclusive embodiment of the present invention, with reference to the enclosed figures, given by way of non-limiting example.

Brief description of the drawings

figure 1 shows a perspective view of a package for smoking articles with the lid open, according to the present invention;
figure 2 shows a plan view of a blank for making the external container and the lid of the package of figure 1;
figure 3 shows a plan view of a blank for making a collar placed in the package of figure 1;
figure 4 shows a perspective view of the collar of figure 3 folded into its use state inside the package of figure 1;
figure 5 shows a plan view of a blank for making a collar of a package which is not part of the present invention;
figure 6 shows a perspective view of the collar of figure 5 folded into its use state inside a package;
figure 7 shows a plan view of a blank for making a collar in accordance with a further different embodiment of the present invention;
figure 8 shows a perspective view of the collar of figure 7 folded into its use state inside a package.

Detailed description

With reference to figure 1, the number 1 is used to indicate in a general manner a package for smoking articles, in particular cigarettes. The package 1 comprises an external container 2 made of cardboard or stiff paper and it has a cup-like shape and a first and a second internal wrapper 3 and 4, accommodated inside the external container 2. Each internal wrapper 3, 4 encloses a respective bundle of cigarettes of a parallelepiped shape.
The external container 2 has an open upper extremity delimited by a top edge 20 and it is provided with a lid 5 of a cup-like shape that is hinged onto the container 2 along a hinge 50 in order to rotate, with respect to the container 2, between a position in which it opens and a position in which it closes the top opening.
The lid 5, when it is in the closing position, lends a rectangular parallelepiped shape to the external container 2, presenting a top wall and a bottom wall 24 parallel to and opposite each other, two large lateral walls parallel to and opposite each other, two smaller lateral walls 23 parallel to and opposite each other. More particularly, a large lateral wall defines a front wall 21 of the external container 2, whereas the other large lateral wall defines a rear wall 22 of the external container 2. Between the small lateral walls 23 and the front 21 and rear 22 walls four longitudinal edges are defined, in the example straight, whereas between the top and the bottom walls and between the front, rear and small lateral walls eight transverse edges in all are defined.
The package 1 further comprises a rigid collar 6 (i.e. made of cardboard or stiff paper), which is folded around the internal wrappers 3, 4 to cover at least partially a topmost portion of the internal wrappers 3 and 4 and which is attached (usually by means of gluing) to the external container 2 or to the internal wrappers 3 and 4 themselves, or even both to the internal wrappers 3, 4 and to the external container 2. The internal wrappers 3, 4 can in turn be attached, by means of gluing, to the external container 2 at a point where there is no collar 6, which is located between the internal wrappers 3, 4 and the external container 2. The collar 6 partially extends outside of the top edge 20 (together with the internal wrappers 3, 4 that it partially covers) and it engages a corresponding internal surface of the lid 5 when that lid 5 is in the closing position. Preferably the collar 6 is provided with a pair of barbs 66 that project laterally in order to connect with and engage the lateral walls of the lid 5 in order to keep the lid 5 in the closed position.
In accordance with the present invention, the first and the second bundle of smoking articles wrapped in the respective first and second internal wrapper 3, 4, when accommodated inside the external container 2, together occupy less space than what is made available by the external wrapper 2, so as to leave a cavity 70 inside the external wrapper 2, defined as an area without any internal wrappers 3, 4.
This cavity 70 is a gap located between the internal wrappers 3, 4.
In order to ensure the stability of the bundles of cigarettes, the collar 6 according to the invention comprises a folded tab 7. This folded tab 7 of the collar 6 is positioned in such a manner that it distances the first internal wrapper 3 from the second internal wrapper 4, so that the internal wrappers 3, 4 are held at a pre-set distance, with the folded tab 7 being placed in the cavity 70 of the external container 2 where there are no internal wrappers 3, 4.
Each internal wrapper 3, 4 is shaped like a rectangular parallelepiped with a front wall 31, 41, which is located facing the front wall 21 of the external container 2; two lateral walls 33, 43 which are located laterally with respect to the front wall 31, 41; a top wall 32, 42, which, when the lid 5 is in the closing position, is located facing the top wall of the external container 2; and a rear wall that faces the rear wall 22 of the external container 2.
One of the two lateral walls of each internal wrapper 3, 4 faces the cavity 70, while the remaining lateral wall of each internal wrapper 3, 4 faces the respective small lateral wall of the external container 2.
As is shown in figure 2, the external container 2, as in all the embodiments of the present invention, is made by folding an external blank 200, made for example of cardboard. The external blank 200 comprises a first portion 210, destined to become the containment body of the external container 2, and a second portion 510, destined to form the closing lid 5. The first portion 210 and the second portion 510 are joined together along a hinging line 90.
The external blank 200 has a first main panel 202 destined to become the rear wall 22 of the external container 2. On the sides of the first main panel 202 lie two internal lateral panels 203' destined to be glued to the lateral panels 203 to form the lateral walls 23 of the external container 2. At the centre of the lateral panels 203 a second main panel 201 is located that is destined to form the front wall 21 of the external container 2. Between the first and the second main panel lies a first transverse panel 204 that is destined to become the bottom wall 24 of the external container 2.
To the sides of the first transverse panel 204 there are two internal flaps 204' that when folded at 180° are located near the bottom wall 24, on the inside at the bottom of the external container 2.
Continuing on from the first main panel 202 there is a second transverse panel 502 destined to become the rear wall of the lid 5. Below the second transverse panel 502, looking at figure 2, there is a succession of a third transverse panel 505 destined to become the top wall of the lid 5, a fourth transverse panel 501 destined to form the front wall of the lid 5 and lastly a lip 501' arranged to be folded at 180° and then glued onto the fourth transverse panel 501 in order to reinforce the front wall of the lid 5. To the sides of the fourth transverse panel 501 there are two lateral trapezoid panels 503 destined to form the two lateral walls of the lid 5. The reinforcement of the lateral walls and of the top wall of the lid 5 is ensured by respectively a pair of trapezoid fins 503' and rectangular fins 505' destined to be glued, after the appropriate folding, to the two lateral trapezoid panels 503 and to the third transverse panel 505 respectively.
In accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, shown in figure 4, the collar 6 presents a first portion 6a folded into a U-shape to wrap around the first internal wrapper 3 containing the first bundle of cigarettes and a second portion 6b folded into a U-shape to wrap around the second internal wrapper 4 containing the second bundle of cigarettes.
The first collar portion 6a and the second collar portion 6b are joined together by means of a central collar portion 6c folded into a U-shape and placed so as to create a bridge between the first collar portion 6a and the second collar portion 6b.
Each collar portion 6a, 6b, 6c presents respective front walls 61a, 61b, 61c, which lie on a common plane and which are arranged in contact externally with the front wall 21 of external container 2, whereas internally the front walls 61a, 61b of the first and second collar portion 6a, 6b, are in contact with the front walls 31, 41 of the internal wrappers 3, 4, and the front wall 61c of the main collar portion 6c faces towards the cavity 70.
The first and second collar portion 6a, 6b present a respective pair of lateral walls 63a, 63b, each of said pair of lateral walls 63a, 63b, embracing a respective internal wrapper 3, 4, whereas the main collar portion 6c presents a pair of lateral walls 63c adjacent to a respective lateral wall 63a, 63b of the first and second collar portion 6a, 6b.
The front walls 61a, 61b of the first and second collar portions 6a, 6b are located to the sides of the front wall 61c of the main collar portion 6c and they are alongside each other when the collar is in the use position depicted in figure 3.
All lateral walls of the collar portions 6a, 6b, 6c are parallel to each other.
The folded tab 7 placed between the first and the second internal wrapper 3, 4, consists of a collar portion that extends from a top edge of the main collar portion 6c of collar 6 to which it is joined by means of a fold line 71.
In practice the first and second collar portions 6a, 6b wrap around the internal wrappers 3, 4 containing the respective bundles of cigarettes and the main portion 6c together with the tab 7 are positioned centrally in the cavity 70, in order to hold the internal wrappers 3, 4 against the sides.
Therefore, the space dedicated to the internal wrappers 3, 4 containing the bundles of cigarettes is less than the amount of space available in the external container 2, creating an unoccupied space; this unoccupied space, the cavity 70, is delimited by the main portion 6c of the collar 6.
In this manner the distance between the two internal wrappers 3, 4 is kept equal by the folded tab 7.
The collar 6 is shaped thus that the first and the second internal wrapper 3, 4 containing the bundles of cigarettes are relegated to two opposite sides of the external container 2 with the main collar portion 6c of the collar 6 and the folded tab 7 placed in a central area of the external container 2.
In particular, the first and the second internal wrapper 3, 4 containing the bundles of cigarettes are kept in contact with the small lateral walls 23 of the external container 2 with the collar 6 interspersed.
In the embodiment of figure 4, the folded tab 7 of the main portion 6c of the collar 6 lies parallel to the small wall 24 of the external container 2 and at a height that is less than the height of the respective first and second internal wrapper 3, 4.
More particularly, the folded tab 7 of the main portion 6c of the collar 6 presents two opposite lateral edges 73 that are positioned in direct contact with the lateral walls 63c of the main portion 6c of the collar 6, and a top edge 72 that is placed in contact with the rear wall 22 of the external container 2, on the internal side.
From the top edge 72 a folded appendix 7a extends in the direction of the bottom wall of the external container 2.
In order to facilitate access to the cigarettes, the front walls 61a, 61b of the first and second portions of the collar 6 have a respective portion removed along a cut line 65 to form an access window for the internal wrappers 3, 4 containing the bundles of cigarettes.
The folded tab 7 of the main collar portion 6c of the collar 6 is hinged along this cut line 65, in a central area; for this reason, the fold line 71 of the tab 7 lies alongside the cut line 65.
In the example illustrated in figure 4, the front wall 61c of the main portion 6c of the collar 6 presents a further removed portion 67 of the same dimensions as the folded tab 7, positioned at the opposite end to the folded tab 7; this further removed portion 67 will be placed in an area that is invisible when the lid 5 is in the open position; in practice it will be under the top edge 20 of the external container 2.
According to what is illustrated in figure 3, the collar 6 of figure 4 is made from a single blank 600 that is folded around the internal wrappers 3, 4. The blank 600 extends along an axis of symmetry Z and it comprises a plurality of panels separated by fold lines.
To facilitate understanding the layout of the panels, the numbering used in figure 3 is the same as the numbering used for the finished folded collar 6 shown in figure 4.
In figure 6, the collar 6' that is identified with the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment for the sake of simplicity, has a number of differences with respect to the above.
More specifically the differences are the following: the folded tab, indicated by 7', finds itself in a different area; furthermore, the portion 67 removed from the front wall 61c of the main portion 6c of collar 6 having the same dimensions as the folded tab 7, is absent.
With reference to the folded tab 7', it is observed that it is obtained by applying a U-shaped cut to the main portion 6c of the collar 6'.
This cut is applied in a central area of the front wall 61c of the main collar portion collar 6c.
The U-shaped cut is applied with two parallel lateral cuts 74 opposite each other and alongside the folding lines between the front wall 61c of the main portion 6c and the respective lateral wall 63c of the main portion 6c, and a transverse cut line 75 on the front wall 61c of the main portion 6c, the latter transverse cut line 75 forming the shape of a U together with the two lateral cut lines 74.
Thanks to a fold line 71' located parallel to the transverse cut line 75 it is possible to fold back the area inside the U-shaped cut to form the tab 7' that distances and blocks the internal wrappers 3, 4.
Basically this folded tab 7' will be found at a lower position with respect to the folded tab 7 of the first embodiment described above, in such a manner that the cavity 70 is accessible from the outside from above when the lid 5 is opened.
According to what is illustrated in figure 5, the collar 6' of figure 6 is made from a single blank 600' that is folded around the internal wrappers 3, 4. The blank 600' extends along an axis of symmetry Z and it comprises a plurality of panels separated by fold lines.
To facilitate understanding the layout of the panels, the numbering used in figure 5 is the same as the numbering used for the finished folded collar 6' shown in figure 6.
In accordance with a second embodiment, illustrated in figure 8, the collar 6" that is identified with the same reference numerals as previously for the sake of simplicity, has a number of differences with respect to the above.
More specifically the collar 6" comprises:

a front wall 61, which is internally placed in contact with the front walls 31, 41 of the internal wrappers 3, 4 and externally placed in contact with the front wall 21 of the external container 2;
two lateral walls 63, which are located laterally with respect to the front wall 61, and which are internally placed in contact with a respective lateral wall of the internal wrappers 3, 4 and externally placed in contact with the lateral walls 23 of the external container 2;
a folded tab 7" placed between the first and the second internal wrapper 3, 4, in order to keep them distanced from each other in a stable manner. In practice, the folded tab 7" enables the two internal wrappers 3, 4, to be kept in a fixed and stable location, positioned inside the cavity 70, as defined previously.

In other words, the tab 7" of this second embodiment performs the same function as the tabs described above. One should bear in mind that the external container is identical for all embodiments described here, and that also the internal wrappers are positioned in the same manner in all the embodiments described.
In this second embodiment the folded tab 7" of the collar 6" is placed parallel to the bottom wall 24 of the external container 2 and at a height that is less than the height of the respective first and second internal wrappers 3, 4.
Moreover, the folded tab 7" placed between the first and the second internal wrapper 3, 4 consists of a collar portion 6" that departs from a top edge of the collar 6" to which it is joined by means of a fold line 71", as seen in the first embodiment.
In particular, the folded tab 7" of the collar 6" presents two lateral edges 73" opposite each other and positioned, in this case, in direct contact with the lateral walls of the internal wrappers 3, 4, and a top edge 72" placed in contact with the rear wall 22 of the external container 2, on the interior side.
As seen in the first embodiment, a folded appendix 7a" extends from the top edge 72" towards the bottom wall of the external container 2.
In order to facilitate access to the cigarettes, the front wall 61 of the collar 6" has a portion removed along a cut line 65" to form an access window for the internal wrappers 3, 4 containing the bundles of cigarettes.
The folded tab 7" of the collar 6" is hinged along this cut line 65" in a central area; as a result, the fold line 71" of the tab 7" runs alongside the cut line 65".
According to what is illustrated in figure 7, the collar 6" of figure 8 is made from a single blank 600" that is folded around the internal wrappers 3, 4. The blank 600" extends along a central axis of symmetry Z and comprises three panels separated by fold lines, to form the front wall 61 and the lateral walls 63 of the collar 6" respectively.
To facilitate understanding the layout of the panels, the numbering used in figure 7 is the same as the numbering used for the finished folded collar 6" shown in figure 8.
The term collar in the present invention should be interpreted as any stiff element placed between the internal wrappers the external casing of the package.
As can be appreciated from this description, the package for smoking articles according to the present invention makes it possible to meet the requirements and overcome the drawbacks described in the introduction of this description with reference to the prior art.
In particular, the package for smoking articles according to the present invention guarantees adequate stability for the internal wrappers containing two separate bundles of cigarettes and at the same time lends stiffness to packages of larger dimensions.
Obviously, in order to meet contingent and specific needs a person skilled in the art can apply numerous modifications and variations to the findings disclosed, all of which are contained by the scope of protection of the invention as defined by the following claims.

Claims

Package (1) for smoking articles, comprising an external container (2) with a cup-like shape with an opening, a first internal wrapper (3) that encloses a first bundle of smoking articles, a second internal wrapper (4) that encloses a second bundle of smoking articles, the first and the second internal wrapper (3, 4) being accommodated inside the external container (2), a lid (5) able to move between an open position in which it opens the opening of the external container (2) to allow access to both the first and the second internal wrappers (3, 4), and a closing position in which it closes the opening of the external container (2) leaving the first and the second internal wrapper (3, 4) inside, a collar (6) positioned between the internal wrappers (3, 4) and the external container (2), wherein said first and second internal wrappers (3, 4) that enclose the respective first and second bundle of smoking articles, when accommodated inside the external container (2) as a whole occupy less volume than the volume made available by the external container (2) so as to leave a cavity (70) inside the external container (2) defined by an area where there are no internal wrappers (3, 4), said cavity (70) being positioned between said internal wrappers (3, 4), and in that said collar (6) comprises a folded tab (7, 7") placed inside said cavity (70) in order to distance them from each other, and hold at a pre-set distance said first and second internal wrapper (3, 4), wherein the folded tab (7, 7'') of the collar (6) is hinged along a fold line (71, 71'') of the collar (6), said collar (6) presenting an access window to the internal wrappers (3, 4) containing the bundles of cigarettes, said access window being defined by a cut line (65), said package (1) being characterised by
the fold line (71, 71'') of the collar (6) running alongside said cut line (65).
Package (1) according to claim 1, wherein the external container (2) has a parallelepiped conformation comprising two opposite smaller lateral walls (23) on the sides, and two opposite large lateral walls (21, 22) at the front and at the back respectively, the folded tab (7, 7'') of the collar (6) being positioned in such a manner that it holds the first and second internal wrapper (3, 4) near the respective smaller walls (23) of the external container (2).
Package (1) according to claim 2, wherein the folded tab (7, 7'') of the collar (6) positions itself transversely with respect to the lateral walls (21, 22, 23) of the external container (2) and at a specific distance with respect to a top wall (32, 42) both of the first internal wrapper (3) and the second internal wrapper (4).
Package (1) according any of the previous claims, wherein said cavity (70) is placed in a central area of the external container (2) and said pre-set distance between the first and the second internal wrapper (3, 4) is equal to at least 4 mm.
Package (1) according to any of the previous claims, wherein the folded tab (7) of the collar (6) has a top edge (72) that is placed in contact with the rear wall (22) of the external container (2).
Package (1) according to claim 5, wherein the top edge (72) runs alongside a fold line parallel with the fold line (71) of the hinge, an appendix (7a, 7a'') extending from said top edge (72) towards the bottom wall of the external container (2).
Package (1) according to any of the previous claims, wherein the folded tab (7') of the collar (6) is formed by two parallel cuts (74) on the collar (6).
Package (1) according to any of the previous claims, wherein the collar (6) presents a front wall (61) and two lateral walls (63), respectively in contact with the front wall (21) and the lateral walls (23) of the external container (2).
Package (1) according to any of the previous claims, wherein the collar (6) comprises a first collar portion (6a), a second collar portion (6b) and a third collar portion (6c), said first and second collar portion (6a, 6b) respectively enclosing the first and the second internal wrapper (3, 4), said third collar portion (6c) enclosing the cavity (70), the folded tab (7, 7'') of the collar (6) being hinged onto said third collar portion (6c).
Package (1) according to claim 9, wherein each of said first, second and third collar portions (6a,6b,6c) presents a respective front wall (61a, 61b,61c) and two respective opposite lateral walls (63a,63b,63c).