EP3380406A1

EP3380406A1 - Packet for smoking articles

Info

Publication number: EP3380406A1
Application number: EP16794987.4A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Fiorenzo Draghetti
Original assignee: Gima TT SpA
Current assignee: IMA Industria Macchine Automatiche SpA
Priority date: 2015-11-26
Filing date: 2016-11-08
Publication date: 2018-10-03
Anticipated expiration: 2036-11-08
Also published as: ITUB20155933A1; EP3380406B1; PL3380406T3; WO2017089121A1

Abstract

A rigid packet for smoking articles comprising a container (2) having a front wall (21) and a rear wall (22); a wrapper (3) enclosing smoking articles, said wrapper (3) having a transversal dimension which is less than a corresponding transversal dimension of the container (2) measured as distance between the front wall (21) and the rear wall (22) of the container (2), so as to create an empty chamber (70); and a collar (6) folded around the wrapper (3) with a front wall (61) in contact with the front wall (21) of the container (2), two lateral walls (63) in contact with the lateral walls (23) of the container (2), a rear wall (62) placed parallel to the rear wall (22) of the container (2) at a certain distance, so as to have the empty chamber (70) between the rear wall (62) of the collar (6) and the rear wall (22) of the container (2), and a closing flap (64) hinged on the rear wall (62) of the collar (6), wherein the closing flap (64) includes a first portion (64a) and a second portion (64b) joined together along a folding line (65), said closing flap (64) being operable between a closed position in which it occludes the access to the empty chamber (70) and an open position in which it allows access to the interior of the empty chamber (70).

Description

"Packet for smoking articles"

DESCRIPTION

Field of application

The present invention refers to a packet for smoking articles, particularly cigarettes.

The invention has a useful application, especially in the tobacco industry.

Background art

Cigarettes are traditionally packaged in rigid packets, substantially shaped as a rectangular parallelepiped, with a hinged lid on the upper part along a hinging axis that enables access to the cigarettes contained inside.

It is common practice, in order to better optimise the space provided by the packet itself, to realize containers that are fully occupied by charges of cigarettes placed inside.

In the case of a reduced number of cigarettes, there is therefore a tendency to create packets of an equally reduced size.

One problem with rigid cigarettes packets with a reduced size is the fact that the space remaining available on the external surface is also reduced, therefore the information that can be provided on the external surface of these smaller packets is limited. In addition, in countries where the law requires that a certain minimum surface area is required for "health warning" messages, it may be that, on the one hand, the smaller packets do not provide the minimum surface area required and, on the other hand, there may not be sufficient space to be able to include other desired information.

When creating a packet containing a charge of cigarettes which, overall, occupies a smaller space compared with the space provided, an empty space remains inside, with the risk that the charge of cigarettes may move freely inside the container, resulting in the possibility of causing a sudden deterioration in the structure of the cigarettes themselves, caused by the free movement.

Moreover, the empty space is antiesthetic and therefore it is preferable that it is closed.

Therefore, it is necessary not only that the stability of the charge of cigarettes is guaranteed in case of a space, made available by the container, greater than the one that can be occupied by the charge of cigarettes therein, but also that the free space can be occluded in an aesthetically acceptable way.

US 5, 158,664 describes a packet containing a charge of cigarettes occupying a reduced space with two cavities on the sides. These two cavities are permanently occluded by a conveniently folded collar.

A drawback of this packet of the known art is that it does not make the space free of cigarettes accessible and reclosable by a user.

Therefore, the technical problem underlying the present invention is to provide a rigid packet for smoking articles, particularly cigarettes, solving the mentioned drawbacks of the known art, allowing firmly containing a charge of cigarettes that as a whole occupies a lower volume with respect to the volume made available by the container where it is housed, without compromising the rigidity of the packet itself, and allowing the user to open and close said volume free of cigarettes in an easy way, with a simple and rational architectural solution.

The aim of this invention is to meet said requirement and at the same to solve the drawbacks mentions above with reference to the known art.

Summary of the invention That aim is achieved by a packet for smoking articles, in accordance with claim 1 of the present invention.

The dependent claims outline the preferred and particularly advantageous embodiments of the packet according to the invention.

Further characteristics and advantages will become more apparent by the detailed description given below of a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment of this invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings, given by way of example and not of limitation.

Brief description of the drawings

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a packet for smoking articles with the lid open, according to the present invention;

figures 2A and 2B show a respective perspective view of a folded collar in a use condition of the packet of figure 1 , with the wrapper of the cigarettes and the container removed;

figures 3A and 3B show a respective perspective view of the collar of the figures 2A and 2B in a different use condition;

figure 4 shows a view from above of the collar of the figures 2A and 2B;

figure 5 shows a top view of a blank from which the collar for a packet according to the present invention is obtained.

Detailed description

With reference to figure 1 , a packet for smoking articles, particularly cigarettes, is generally identified with 1. Packet 1 comprises a container 2 made of rigid cardboard or paperboard having a parallelepiped shape, with a front wall 21 , a rear wall 22, a bottom wall 24 and two lateral walls 23. Inside the container 2, a single wrapper 3 is housed (only shown in figure 1) having a parallelepiped shape enclosing a charge of smoking articles. The container 2 has an open upper end bounded by an upper edge 20 and has a lid 5, which is cup-shaped and hinged to the container 2 along a hinge 50 for rotating, with respect to the container 2 itself, between an open position and a closed position.

The lid 5, when in its closed position, gives the container

2 a rectangular parallelepiped shaped with a top wall and a bottom wall 24 parallel to and opposite each other, two major side walls parallel and opposite each other, and two minor side walls parallel and opposite each other. Specifically, one of the major sides wall defines the front wall 21 of the container 2, while the other major side wall defines the rear wall 22 of the container 2; the two minor side walls define what herein are simply called lateral walls 23. Between the lateral walls 23 and the front 21 and rear 22 walls four longitudinal edges are defined, forming a right angle in the example, while overall, between the top and bottom walls 24 and the front 21 , rear 22 and lateral 23 walls eight transversal edges are defined.

Packet 1 also includes a rigid collar 6 (i.e. made of rigid cardboard or paperboard), arranged inside the container 2 and protruding outside of the container 2 through the open top end 20. The collar 6 has a front wall 61 arranged in contact with the front wall 21 of the container 2, a rear wall 62 and two lateral walls 63 arranged in contact with the lateral walls 23 of the container 2.

The collar 6 is folded around the wrapper 3 to cover at least partially a top portion of the wrapper 3 and it is fixed (usually by glue) to the container 2 or the wrapper 3 or even to both the wrapper 3 and the container 2. The wrapper 3, in turn, can be fixed, by glue, to the container 2 in an area where there is no collar 6 interposed between the wrapper 3 and the container 2. The collar 6 partially protrudes outside the top edge 20 (together with the wrapper 3 and partially covering it) and engages a corresponding internal surface of the lid 5 when the lid 5 itself is in the closed position. Preferably, the collar 6 is provided with a pair of teeth 66 laterally protruding to engage with interference the lateral walls of the lid 5 in order to keep the lid 5 in the closed position.

The wrapper 3 having the charge of smoking articles inside, which in the depicted example are cigarettes 100, has a transversal dimension smaller than a transversal dimension of the container 2 when measured as a distance between the front wall 21 of the container 2 and the rear wall 22 of the container 2.

As shown in figure 1 , the wrapper 3 has the other transversal dimension substantially equal to the corresponding transversal dimension of the container 2 when measured as a distance between the lateral walls 23 of the container 2.

The wrapper 3 is placed against the front wall 21 of the container 2 and as a whole occupies a volume smaller than the entire volume made available by the container 2, in order to leave an empty chamber 70, which is defined by an internal zone of the container 2 free of the wrapper 3, behind the wrapper 3 itself.

Basically, there is a cavity inside the container 2 between the rear wall 62 of the collar 6 enclosing the wrapper 3 and the rear wall 22 of the container 2. This cavity 70 is a gap arranged between the wrapper 3 and the container 2, with the collar 6 interposed.

The empty chamber 70 is between the rear wall of the container 2 and the corresponding rear wall of the wrapper 3.

According to the present invention, the collar 6 includes a closing flap 64 hinged on the rear wall 62 of the collar 6 in order to occlude the empty chamber 70 from above.

This closing flap 64 includes a first portion 64a and a second portion 64b joined to each other along a folding line 65.

Particularly, the closing flap 64 is operable between a closed position, in which it occludes the access to the empty chamber 70, and an open position, where it allows accessing to the interior of the empty chamber 70. Moreover, the second portion 64b of the closing flap 64 is advantageously accessible by a finger of a user when the closing flap 64 is in the closed position.

Basically, by simply using a finger, it is possible to open and close the closing flap 64 in order to access or occlude the empty chamber 70.

In other words, the closing flap 64 operates as if it would be a closing lid of the empty chamber 70.

When the closing flap 64 is arranged to occlude the access to the empty chamber 70, the first portion 64a is arranged in parallel to the bottom wall 24 of the container 2 and the second portion 64b is arranged in parallel to the rear wall 22 of the container 2, with the second portion 64b contacting the internal face of the rear wall 22 of the container 2.

The first portion 64a is flush with the top edge of the lateral walls 63 of the collar 6 and preferably at a common plane to a top wall 33 the wrapper 3, when the closing flap (64) is in the closed position.

With the purpose of further improve the stability of the collar 6, the rear wall 62 of the collar 6 can be kept in a fixed position with respect to the container 2 by means of a folded tab 7, which at the beginning is part of one of the lateral walls 63 of the collar 6, is separated from the wall 63 of the collar 6 by means of a "U-shaped" incision 71 and is folded against the lateral wall 63 itself.

In this way, the distance between the wrapper 3 and the container 2 is kept fixed by the folded tab 7.

The folded tab 7 also has an edge 7a arranged directly contacting the rear wall 62 of the collar 6.

The folded tab 7 is folded along a folding line 72 arranged perpendicularly to the bottom wall 24 of the container 2.

Each lateral wall 63 of the collar 6 extends from the front wall 21 of the container 2 to the rear wall 22 of the container 2.

Preferably, the collar 6 is formed in one piece starting from a folded blank 600.

As it is well visible in the figures 1 , 2A and 3A, the front wall 61 of the collar 6 has a top window 25 arranged outside the container 2 and "U-shaped".

In the depicted example, the folded tab 7 is hinged to the lateral wall 63 of the collar 6 in an area inside the empty chamber 70.

Near the folded tab 7, the rear wall 62 of the collar 6 has two overlapped and glued flaps.

Those overlapped flaps extend for a segment shorter than the distance between the lateral walls 63 of the collar 6.

Basically, the rear wall 62 of the collar 6 has a single flap area (the one more distant from the folded tab 7) and a double flap area (the one nearer to the folded tab 7), as visible in figure 2B and 3B.

According to what is shown in figure 5, the collar 6 is made from a single blank 600 that is folded around the wrapper 3. The blank 600 includes a plurality of panels divided by weakening lines.

In order to ease the understanding of the arrangement of the panels, the numbers used in figure 5 are the same as those used for the finished folded collar 6. The blank 600 includes a central panel forming the front wall 61 of the collar 6.

On the sides of the central panel, a respective pair of side panels develop, which form the lateral walls 63 of the collar 6.

The central panel and the side panels are divided by a respective folding line 81.

On the sides of each side panel, a secondary panel 63a develops, which has a transversal extension smaller than the one of the side panels and which, once folded, couples to the respective next side panel.

In this way, each lateral wall 63 of the collar 6 is formed by two panels coupled by folding in the empty chamber 70 and by a single panel where the wrapper 3 is.

The secondary panels are divided from the side panels by means of folding lines 82.

On the sides of each secondary panel, a rear panel develops to create the rear wall 62 of the collar 6.

The rear panels are divided from the secondary panels by means of folding lines 83.

In the depicted example, one of the two rear panels has a transversal extension substantially equal to the corresponding transversal extension measured as a distance between the lateral walls 23 of the container 2. While the remaining rear panel (smaller than the other one) does not exceed half of this transversal extension.

Overlapping and gluing the two rear panels creates the rear wall 62 of the collar 6.

Over the largest rear panel, there are two transversal panels in succession creating the first and second portion of the closing flap 64, respectively. On one of the secondary panels, a "U-shaped" incision 71 is formed. The two arms of the incision 71 are created by two transversal cuts and a longitudinal cut joining the two transversal cuts in order to create the "U" incision with the folding line 72 arranged in parallel to the folding lines 81 , 82, 83 dividing the panels of the blank 600.

In the present invention, as collar is meant any reinforcing element arranged between the wrapper and the container housing the wrapper itself.

As would be appreciated from what described, the packet for smoking articles according to the present invention allows fulfilling the needs and overcoming the drawbacks mentioned in the introductive part of the present description with reference to the known art.

Particularly, the packet for smoking articles according to the present invention guarantees from one side an appropriate stability to the internal wrapper containing a charge of cigarettes occupying a volume smaller than the container and from the other side the possibility to allow the user opening and closing the chamber free of wrapper in an easy way.

Clearly, to the above-described invention, with the purpose to fulfill contingent and specific needs, those skilled in the art will be able to make several modification and variation, all of which, however, contained within the scope of protection of the invention as defined by the following claims.

Claims

1. A packet (1) for smoking articles, comprising

- a container (2) of a parallelepiped shape and having a front wall (21), a rear wall (22), a bottom wall (24) and two lateral walls (23); - a single wrapper (3) of parallelepiped shape enclosing a charge of smoking articles housed inside the container (2), said wrapper (3) having a first transversal dimension which is less than the corresponding transversal dimension of the container (2) measured as a distance between the front wall (21) of the container (2) and the rear wall (22) of the container (2), so as to create an empty chamber (70) defined by an area free of the wrapper (3);

- a lid (5) hinged to the container (2) so as to be able to close an open top end (20) of the container (2);

- a collar (6) arranged inside the container (2), embracing the wrapper (3) and protruding outside of the container (2) above said open top end (20), said collar (6) having a front wall (61) in contact with the front wall (21) of the container (2), two lateral walls (63) in contact to the lateral walls (23) of the container (2), and a rear wall (62) arranged parallel to the rear wall (22) of the container (2) at a certain distance, so as to have the empty chamber (70) between the rear wall (62) of the collar (6) and the rear wall (22) of the container (2), and

- a closing flap (64) hinged on the rear wall (62) of the collar (6), characterized in that said closing flap (64) comprises a first portion (64a) and a second portion (64b) joined to each other along a folding line (65), said closing flap (64) being operable between a closed position in which it occludes the access to the empty chamber (70) and an open position in which it allows access to the interior of the empty chamber (70).

2. A packet (1) according to claim 1 , wherein said wrapper (3) has a second transversal dimension substantially equal to the corresponding transversal dimension of the container (2) measured as a distance between the lateral walls (23) of the container (2).

3. A packet (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the collar (6) is formed in one piece starting from a folded blank (600).

4. A packet (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each lateral wall (63) of the collar (6) extends from the front wall (21) of the container (2) to the rear wall (22) of the container (2).

5. A packet (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said first portion (64a) of the closing flap (64) is arranged in parallel to the bottom wall (24) of the container and the second portion (64b) of the closing flap (64) is arranged parallel to the rear wall (22) of the container, when the closing flap (64) is in the closed position.

6. A packet (1) according to claim 5, wherein said first portion (64a) of the closing flap (64) is arranged on a common plane to a top wall (33) of the wrapper (3), when the closing flap (64) is in the closed position.

7. A packet (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the rear wall (62) of the collar (6) is kept in a fixed position with respect to the container (2) by a folded tab (7) which is initially part of one of the lateral walls (63) of the collar (6), is separated from the lateral wall (63) of the collar (6) by means of a "U-shaped" incision (71) and is folded against to the lateral wall (63) itself.

8. A packet (1) according to claim 7, wherein the folded tab (7) of the collar (6) is hinged to the lateral wall (63) of the collar (6) in an area inside the empty chamber (70).

9. A packet (1) according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the folded tab (7) is folded along a folding line (72) perpendicularly to the bottom wall (24) of the container (2).

10. A packet (1) according to claim 9, wherein the folded tab (7) has an edge (7a) directly contacting the rear wall (62) of the collar (6).