ES2363648T3 - PACKING FOR SMOKING ITEMS. - Google Patents

Abstract

A package for smoking articles comprises an outer shell (4) and an inner shell (2). The outer shell (4) has two major lateral walls (20) opposite to each other, as well as a top wall (24), a rear wall (22) and a bottom wall connecting the lateral walls (20). The inner shell (2) is mounted in the outer shell (4) for pivotal movement relative to the outer shell (4) between a closed position, in which the interior of the inner shell (2) is not accessible, and an open position, in which the interior of the inner shell (2) is at least partially accessible and in which the inner shell (2) partially protrudes between front edges (32) of the lateral walls (20). The outer shell (4) comprises an inner panel (30) positioned between the inner side of one of the lateral walls (20) and the inner shell (2), the inner panel (30) being provided with at least one cutout (34), preferably a slot. The inner shell (2) comprises a protruding tab (18) which is adapted to interact with the at least one cutout (34) during movement of the inner shell (2) to produce a noise.

Description

The present invention relates to a packaging for smoking articles, for example, for cigarettes or cigars.

Normally, conventional packages for smoking articles are simply designed and comprise an articulated lid to provide access to the smoking articles contained in said packages. However, more sophisticated designs are also known, which attract some attention when used.

For example, US Patent No. 3,881,599 discloses a packaging for smoking articles comprising an outer shell and an inner shell. The outer envelope comprises two main side walls facing each other, as well as an upper wall, a rear wall and a bottom wall that constitutes the junction between the side walls. The inner shell is mounted on the outer shell to produce a pivotal movement with respect to the outer shell between a closed position, in which the inner part of the inner shell is not accessible, and an open position, in which the inner part of the inner shell is at least partially accessible and in which the inner shell partially protrudes between the leading edges of the side walls. Very similar packaging is known from EP 1923329.A1.

EP 1 829 799 A2 discloses another package, in which an inner envelope is pivotally mounted in an outer envelope. In this case, the main side walls of the outer shell do not fully cover the inner shell when it is in the closed position, but the essential design is the same as the one mentioned above.

In other packaging of this type, as disclosed in EP 1669306. A1, the rear wall of the inner shell extends upwardly in order to form a type of fin that interacts with protrusions that extend downstream from the inner face of the upper wall of the outer shell when the inner shell is moved to its open position. This interaction produces a sound, both unexpected and interesting, and attracts attention. The formation of the protuberances, however, is an additional stage of manufacture, which is expensive.

An object of the invention is to provide a package with some type of audible means indicating when the package is being opened, in order to improve the packaging of smoking articles mentioned above in the prior art, and to provide attractive packaging for Smoking articles, which can be easily manufactured.

This problem is solved by a package for smoking articles having the characteristics of claim 1. Next, advantageous embodiments of the invention based on the dependent claims are provided.

The packaging for smoking articles according to the invention comprises an outer shell and an inner shell. The outer envelope comprises two main side walls facing each other, as well as an upper wall, a rear wall and a bottom wall that constitutes the junction between the side walls. The inner shell is mounted on the outer shell to produce a pivotal movement with respect to the outer shell between a closed position and an open position. In the closed position, the inner part of the inner shell is not accessible. In the open position, the open envelope partially protrudes between the leading edges of the side walls so that the inner part of the inner envelope is at least partially accessible.

According to the invention, the outer shell comprises an inner panel disposed between the inner side of one of the side walls and the inner shell. The inner panel has at least one recess, preferably a groove. The inner envelope comprises a protruding flap suitable for interacting with said at least one recess during the movement of the inner envelope in order to generate a noise.

Therefore, the noise is generated by the interaction between the projecting flap of the inner envelope and the recess (s) in the inner panel of the outer envelope. The recesses can be easily formed by means of the wedge that is used to punch the semi-finished part of the outer shell. The recesses are not visible in the finished packaging because they are located on the inner panel, disposed between the inner shell and one of the side walls of the outer shell. The side walls form the main walls of the outer envelope, which, due to their dimensions, have the best acoustic properties of all parts of the packaging. Therefore, when the inner envelope moves to the open position, noise is produced in an area such as a large soundboard, which greatly improves the sound quality.

The inner panel may be connected to the front edge of the outer wall of the outer shell and folded back to be placed against the inner side of the side wall. In this way, the inner panel presses slightly against the inner shell that acts as a brake and improves the audible interaction between the fin and the recess (s) of the inner panel.

Preferably, the inner panel is provided with a series of recesses, for example, collision holes, suitable for generating, in the interaction with the fin, a series of individual noises during the movement of the inner envelope from the closed position to the open position and / or from the open position to the closed position. The shape, dimension and arrangement of the recesses can be used as variables to design the overall sound during the movement of the inner envelope.

The flap of the inner shell can be formed in a cutting line and can be made to protrude from the inner shell in a position that is close to the rear wall of the outer shell when the inner shell is in the closed position. This allows the flap to be made in a part of the semi-finished part of the inner shell and does not require fixing additional parts.

In advantageous embodiments of the invention, the outer shell comprises a second inner panel, disposed between the inner side of the other side wall and the inner shell, the second inner panel being provided with at least one recess, preferably an opening . Similarly, the inner shell comprises a second raised flap suitable for interacting with said at least one recess of the second inner panel during the movement of the inner shell to generate a noise. In particular, both inner panels and both fins can have the same respective shape and can be arranged symmetrically. Said packaging includes two sources of noise or sound. In addition, the braking effect mentioned above can be improved due to a symmetrical action of both interior panels.

In order to fix the inner shell to the outer shell, the inner shell may be articulated to the outer shell in an articulation line on the bottom wall of the outer shell. In this design, the bottom wall of the outer shell preferably has a shorter length than the upper wall of the outer shell so that the articulation line is between the rear wall of the outer shell and the front edges of the side walls. The inner shell may comprise a fixing flap that extends from the articulation line and is glued to the bottom wall of the outer shell.

In advantageous embodiments of the invention, the rear wall of the outer shell has an opening. A user can articulate the inner envelope to its open position by pressing a finger, through said opening, on the inner envelope. In this way, the opening facilitates the handling of the packaging.

As already indicated, preferably, the outer shell can be formed by folding it from a semi-finished piece. The same happens with the inner envelope. When designing the semi-finished pieces in the manner, for example, described in the embodiment provided below, it is not necessary to attach additional parts to the semi-finished pieces.

Next, a description of the invention is given in greater detail by means of an embodiment and its designs, in which:

Figure 1 represents an isometric view of the inner envelope of an embodiment of a package according to the invention;

Figure 2 represents an isometric view of the inner envelope of Figure 1 when it is inserted into the outer envelope of the embodiment, the packaging being in its open position;

Figure 3 represents a top view of a semi-finished part of the outer shell of a slightly different embodiment, and

Figure 4 represents a top view of a semi-finished piece of the inner shell of the slightly different embodiment.

Figures 1 and 2 illustrate an embodiment of a package for smoking articles. The packaging 1 comprises an inner envelope 2 (see Figures 1 and 2) and an outer envelope 4 (see Figure 2).

The inner envelope 2 comprises a main side wall 10 and another main side wall 11 (barely visible in Figures 1 and 2; see, Figure 4) parallel to the side wall 10, a rear wall 12 and an upper wall 14. The upper wall 14 covers approximately half of the upper side of the inner envelope 2, thereby leaving an opening 15.

The opening 15 extends to two recesses 16 provided on the side walls 10 and 11, thus allowing access to the inner part of the inner shell 2. In the embodiment, the inner shell 2 is filled with cigarettes, hidden behind an aluminum film 17 as can be seen in the views of figures 1 and 2. When the opening 15 and the recesses 16 are exposed, the user can remove the aluminum film 17 to take a cigarette.

In the rear wall 12 of the inner shell 2, two fins 18 and 19 have been formed, extending beyond the side walls 10 and 11, respectively.

In addition, the inner envelope 2 comprises an anterior wall and a bottom wall, which will be explained by Figure 4.

As illustrated in Figure 2, the outer shell 4 comprises a main side wall 20, another main side wall 21 (not shown in Figure 2; see, Figure 3) parallel to the side wall 20, a back wall 22 and an upper wall 24. An opening 26 divides the rear wall 22 into two parts.

In addition, the outer shell 4 comprises an inner panel 30, which is associated with the side wall 20 along a leading edge 32 and which folds back towards the inner wall of the outer shell 4. Thus, the panel inner 30 is disposed between the side wall 20 and the inner shell 2. Another inner panel 31 is associated with a leading edge 33 on the hidden side of figure 2 and is arranged parallel with respect to the inner panel 30, see also figure 3 .

The inner panel 30 is provided with a series of recesses 34. Similarly, the inner panel 31 has recesses 35.

As illustrated in Figure 2, the inner shell 2 is inserted into the outer shell 4 and is mounted so as to allow a pivoting movement with respect to said outer shell 4, between a closed position (not shown in the figures ) and an open position (see Figure 2). In the closed position, the inner envelope 2 is fully inserted into the outer envelope 4 so that the inner part of the inner envelope 2 is not accessible and the packaging 1 is cajiform. In the open position, the user can extract a cigarette by means of the opening 15 and the recesses 16. The fixation in the lower area between the inner shell 2 and the outer shell 4 and which allows the pivoting movement, will be evident from the description of figure 4.

When the inner envelope 2 is pivoted towards the open position, the fins 18 and 19 will move along the series of recesses 34 and 35, respectively. When moving from its trajectory, fins 18 and 19 will enter into depressions provided by individual recesses 34 and 35, which results in an interesting sound or noise. When the inner envelope 2 is pivoted back towards the closed position, another sound or noise will be generated by the interaction between the fins 18, 19 and the recesses 34, 35. This second noise may be slightly different from the first.

Semi-finished pieces, preferably of cardboard, to form the outer shell 4 and the inner shell 2 are illustrated in Figure 3 and Figure 4, respectively. The semi-finished parts in Figures 3 and 4 are designed for an embodiment of a package that is slightly different from that illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. However, the same reference numbers as in Figures 1 and 2 are used. 2.

Most of the parts of the inner shell 2 and the outer shell 4 have already been explained with respect to Figures 1 and 2. In Figures 3 and 4, said parts are evident by their reference numbers and do not need an explanation additional.

In Fig. 3, a bottom wall 40 of the outer shell 4 is smaller than the upper wall 24 in order to provide a space for the pivotal movement of the inner shell 2. Generally, the fixing tabs are designated by the reference number 42 and the folding lines by the reference number 44. When assembling the outer envelope 4, the parts or panels of its semi-finished piece are folded along the folding lines 44 and adhered to each other by means of a adhesive applied to the fixing tabs 42.

Figure 4 also illustrates some additional parts, not visible in Figures 1 and 2. Said pieces or said panels are a front wall 50 and a bottom wall 51 as well as different fixing tabs 52. Some of the lines in Figure 4 they are fold lines, designated with the reference number 54, and some of the lines are cut lines, designated with the reference number 56.

A flange 58 is adhered to the bottom wall 51 by a pivot line 60. Said pivot line 60 forms the joint for the pivotal movement of the inner shell 2 with respect to the outer shell 4. The flange 58 is glued to the side inside the bottom wall 40 (or one of the associated tabs 42) of the outer envelope 4.

Another flange 62, in the assembled state, fills the gap in the lower area of the inner shell 2 produced by the flange 58. Although the flange 62 is not firmly fixed to the side walls 10 and 11, it contributes to the function of the part in the background and supports part of the content of said inner envelope 2.

The semi-finished part of the inner envelope 2 has two recesses 64 and 65, which serve to expose the fins 18 and 19, respectively. Due to the presence of the recesses 64 and 65, the fins 18 and 19, respectively, can vibrate freely when they move along the recesses 34 and 35, respectively, which improves the sound generated in this way.

Claims (12)

one.

Packaging for smoking articles, which includes

2.

Packaging according to claim 1, characterized in that the inner panel (30) is connected to the leading edge

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an outer envelope (4), with two main side walls (20, 21) opposite each other, as well as an upper wall (24), a rear wall (22) and a bottom wall (40) connecting the side walls ( 20, 21),

-

an inner envelope (2) mounted on the outer envelope (4) for a pivotal movement with respect to the outer envelope (4) between a closed position, in which the inner part of the inner envelope (2) is not accessible, and an open position, in which the inner part of the inner shell (2) is at least partially accessible and the inner shell (2) partially protrudes between the leading edges (32, 33) of the side walls (20, 21) characterized

-

because the outer shell (4) comprises an inner panel (30) disposed between the inner side of one of the side walls (20) and the inner shell (2), the inner panel (30) being provided with at least one recess (34), preferably a groove, and

-

because the inner shell (2) comprises a shoulder flap (18) suitable for interacting with said at least one recess (34) during the movement of the inner shell (2) to produce a noise.

(32) of said side wall (20) of the outer shell (4) and folds back to be placed against the inner side of said side wall (20).

3.

Packaging according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the inner panel (30) is provided with a series of recesses (34), preferably grooves, suitable for producing, through its interaction with the fin (18), a series of noises during the movement of the inner envelope (2) from the closed position to the open position and / or from the open position to the closed position.

Four.

Packaging according to any of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the fin (18) is formed in a cutting line (64) and protrudes from the inner envelope (2) in a position close to the rear wall (22) of the envelope exterior (4) when the inner envelope (2) is in its closed position.

5.

Packaging according to any of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the outer shell (4) comprises a second inner panel (31), disposed between the inner side of the other side wall (21) and the inner shell (2), being provided the second inner panel (31) of at least one recess (35), preferably a groove, and because the inner envelope (2) comprises a second protruding flap (19) suitable for interacting with said at least one recess (35 ) of the second inner panel (31) during the movement of the inner envelope (2) to produce a noise.

6.

Packaging according to claim 5, characterized in that both inner panels (30, 31) and both fins (18, 19) have the same respective shape and are arranged symmetrically.

7.

Packaging according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the inner envelope (2) is articulated to the outer envelope (4) in a pivot line (60) in the bottom wall (40) of the outer envelope (4) .

8.

Packaging according to claim 7, characterized in that the bottom wall (40) of the outer shell (4) has a shorter length than the upper wall (24) of the outer shell (4), so that the pivot line ( 60) lies between the rear wall (22) of the outer shell (4) and the front edges (32, 33) of the side walls (20, 21).

9.

Packaging according to claim 8, characterized in that the inner envelope (2) comprises a fixing flap

(58) extending from the pivot line (60) and which is glued to the bottom wall (40) of the outer envelope (4).

10.

Packaging according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the rear wall (22) of the outer envelope (4) is provided with an opening (26).

eleven.

Packaging according to any of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the outer envelope (4) is folded from a semi-finished piece.

12.

Packaging according to any of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the inner envelope (2) is folded from a semi-finished piece.