ES2645942T3 - Package to contain substantially elongated items such as cigarettes - Google Patents

Abstract

Package for containing substantially elongated articles such as cigarettes and the like, said package comprising: an inner container means formed by folding a sheet sheet defining a box with its upper side comprising an opening (21) extending between the upper panels and front of the inner container to allow access to said items; a support means defining a plurality of panels, in which one of said panels folds to form a double layer closure means, said closure means being articulated around a plurality of folding lines to form a lid means folding that includes a folding line that has a pair of cuts (3) on it to form protrusions; an outer container means defining a plurality of panels, said outer container being a box with its upper side open to allow access to said inner container securely secured inside the same and one of said panels being glued back with back so as to create a substantially `V 'groove (14) and provide a plurality of grooves (15) adapted to interconnect said projections with said grooves, thus facilitating the locking of the lid, and folding another panel of those mentioned inwards to provide a flap (17); wherein said support means is fixed to said inner container to move with it, with respect to said outer container, a predefined distance, maintaining said support means between them; wherein said support means comprises a flap folded upside down (5) thereby interconnecting itself with said flap folded inwards (17) of the outer container means, thereby defining a stop means thus restricting movement outwardly of the inner box at the predefined distance.

Description

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DESCRIPTION

Package for containing substantially elongated articles such as cigarettes Field of the invention

The present invention relates generally to a packaging system. More specifically, the present invention relates to a package for containing substantially elongated articles such as cigarettes and the like. The present invention can be used to safely pack cigarettes and similar products.

Background and prior art

Cigarettes are traditionally packaged and sold in packages with a flip top. In these collapsible lid packages, to access cigarettes, the lid must be kept open. Many times, the consumer who is moving finds it difficult to use both hands to keep it open in order to have access to cigarettes.

A case-and-slide package structure in which an inner container can move relative to the outer container is well known.

Some of the prior art in the present field of the invention are the following:

Document EP2325093B1 provides a container for smoking articles comprising an outer case, a lid that is adapted to close the upper side of the outer case and which can rotate around an articulation line and an inner case. The inner case receives a plurality of smoking articles and can be moved through the outer case from a folded position, in which it is housed inside the outer case, to an advanced position, which allows access to the smoking articles. A cut in the outer case exposes a part of the inner case and allows exerting a force on the inner case to move the inner case. An articulated connector pushes the lid to its open state when the inner case moves to its advanced position and pulls the lid to its closed state when the inner case moves to its folded position.

Document EP2243722A1 provides a cigarette container comprising a thin outer shell and an inner tray inserted in the outer shell in a way that allows the inner tray to be removed, the inner tray having a head that functions as a handle for removing the inner tray of the outer shell and a plurality of grooves that keep cigarettes with filter along the direction in which the inner tray is removed.

EP'722 provides a package comprising a thin parallel parallelepipedic wrap and a rectangular internal tray with seats / grooves that hold products on its surface. However, in the invention, the inner body is a substantially closed container with an opening only at the top for dispensing product. The cross section of the inner and outer containers is not limited to a rectangular shape as claimed in the prior art. The other point that differentiates them is the preformed waveform cover described in the prior art. The foldable double layer lid, as described in the invention, is not preformed and can be made as a lid with a substantially rectangular cross section when the package is closed and with a flat flange to remove the inner container when the lid is opened. In addition, you do not need to have a waveform profile, as claimed in the prior art.

WO2010014489A1 refers to modifications for cigarette packages. One such modification includes adding a lifting function to remove the product from the container when the lid is opened. Another modification of this type is the creation of a single-movement opening design that as a sleeve slides down, the lid is removed to expose the product. Another modification of this type includes an upper part that slides to one side or another instead of using the traditional flip cover. Finally, a unique closing mechanism has been added that allows cigarettes to be kept closed either using an eco-click design or a strategic placement of magnets.

WO'489 provides the foldable double-layer lid that can adopt a substantially rectangular cross section when the package is closed and a flat flange to remove the inner container when the lid is opened. However, the lid, as described in the prior art, has no such features. In addition, the cap, as described in the prior art, has a V-shaped lip that corresponds to a lip in the sleeve, however, there is no such requirement for the cap as described in the invention. The other key point of difference is the characteristic of closing and opening a safe lid with a click, as described in the invention, which is not present in the claims of the prior art. This feature is achieved by creating notches integrated in the folding lid and the corresponding slits in the outer container.

WO2009148036A1 provides a package comprising an inner shell that includes a box body having an upper open end and a lid rotatably connected to a side edge of the open end through a lid hinge, to open and close the open end, and an external slider fixed

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slidably on the outer circumference of the inner shell and having, on the upper edge of a side wall on the side corresponding to the lid hinge, a contact flap extending towards the inside of the outer slider, in which the inner shell includes a strip that is attached, by the upper end thereof, to the lid and has a folded flap at the lower end that can be coupled with the contact flap of the external slider, and, when the external slider is sliding down with respect to the inner shell, the folded flap is coupled with the contact flap to impart an opening action to the lid.

Document US6474468B1 provides a cuboid package for smoking articles that is a case and slider type structure. The slider has an articulated lid on a secondary side. When the slider is moved to an exposed position, hooks in the case and the slider engage each other to open the cover through a tongue that is formed in a part of an outer layer of a double layer side seam of the slider.

Document US4049117A provides a container for cigarettes or other items that comprises a receptacle for housing cigarettes or other items and defines an open top portion for removing said items and a slide-operated integral lid structure that includes a closure element connected in a manner operative to the receptacle and a sliding element part that can be moved vertically redprocally with respect to the receptacle for opening and closing the container, including the sliding part folding panels placed between the receptacle and the sliding part to allow redproco movement of the slider part.

Document US2006070896 provides a pack of cigarettes with a case and a slider, the range of movement of the slider within the case being limited, in particular by stops formed, on the one hand, in a stopper flange and, on the other hand, on a recess in the case. The stops help define a closed position of the slider and an open position.

Document US'896 claims a type of case and slider container in which the case opens at both ends and the slider forms an open tray to accept cigarettes while, in the described invention, the inner body and the outer body they are substantially closed containers with opening only at the top to dispense product and close the lid. The foldable double-layer lid described in the invention, which can adopt a substantially rectangular cross section when the package is closed and a flat flange to remove the inner container when the lid is opened, is novel and is different from that of the prior art. . In addition, the secure closing and opening lid feature with one click, as described in the invention, is not present in the claims of the prior art.

Document US6168073 (B1) provides a storage container having internal and external elements formed in a solidary manner. The external element includes opposite upper and lower walls, opposite side walls, a rear wall and a front opening. The internal element includes a bottom panel, an opposite side panel, a front panel and a fan extension part. The internal element can be slidably moved between a retracted position within the external element and an extended position where the internal element extends from the front opening of the external element.

Document US'073 provides the package comprising an external element and an internal element similar to a tray with a fan extension part. However, in the described invention, the inner body is a substantially closed container with an opening only at the top for dispensing product. There is no separate cover as such described in the prior art. The front wall of the internal element is used to remove the internal element. Therefore, the double layer folding lid with a click closure mechanism described in the invention differs completely from the prior art in its formation and functionality. The mechanism of restriction of movement for the internal element is achieved through a folding connection in the prior art; however, in the described invention, the restriction of movement is achieved through a more efficient and cost-effective method of coupling opposite folded flaps.

WO2008054305 (A1) provides an easily accessible controlled package assembly for the storage of child-proof products. The package assembly is suitable for storing cigarettes and other products to which it is desired that children do not have access and / or that one wishes to protect so that they do not fall easily from the container. The package assembly of the invention comprises a sleeve and an insert adapted to insert it into said sleeve and remove it from it. The sleeve is provided with at least one first stop panel formed as an extension of one of said walls and folded in the sleeve, said first stop panel comprising a stop edge. The insert is provided with at least one locking flap comprising a locking edge. The blocking edge of the locking flap is adapted to be in contact with the abutment edge of the first abutment panel when the insert is inserted into the sleeve, whereby the insert is prevented from being removed or ejected from the sleeve. The invention also relates to a blank for forming said insert.

WO'305 provides a method of restricting and releasing movement of the inner container through the interaction of locking flanges folded in the inner container and a locking flap and a release flap in the outer container. However, such complex restrictions are not incorporated in the described invention and are not contemplated. This makes the described invention clearly different from

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the prior art in its construction and functionality. The feature of safe opening and closing of the lid with one click, as described in the invention, is not in the prior art. US3828923 (A) provides an example for a composite sliding distribution container. Due to the disadvantages associated with the prior art mentioned above, a locking mechanism is required, as well as a simple articulation of 5 different containers.

Therefore, the present invention provides a package for containing substantially elongated articles such as cigarettes and the like. It provides a click lock function of the double layer folding lid. This is achieved by creating notches integrated in the folding lid, which locks inside the grooves created in the outer container with a click, offering a safe opening and closing experience. Another key benefit of the package is the availability of a large continuous surface for brand identification on the outside and inside of the package (when the inner container is removed to dispense product).

Objects of the invention

A basic object of the present invention is to overcome the disadvantages / disadvantages of the known technique.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a package for containing substantially elongated items such as cigarettes and the like.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an inner container means formed by folding a sheet sheet defining a box with its upper side comprising an opening that extends between the upper and front panels of the inner container to allow access to said items. Another object of the present invention is to provide a support means defining a plurality of panels, one of said 20 panels being folded to form a double layer closure means, said closure means being articulated around a plurality of folding lines for forming a folding lid means and said folding lines having a pair of cuts thereon to form a plurality of projections. Another object of the present invention is to provide an outer container means defining a plurality of panels, said outer container being a box with its upper side open to allow access to said inner container secured in an articulable manner within the same. and one of said panels being glued back to back so as to create a substantially "V" groove and provide a plurality of grooves adapted to interconnect said projections with said grooves, thereby facilitating blockage of the lid.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a simple locking mechanism and an articulation of the inner and outer containers so that the inner container can move relative to the outer container 30 in a specific direction and move a specific length.

These and other advantages of the present invention will be readily understood from the following detailed description, read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Invention

A simplified summary of the invention is presented below in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the invention. This summary is not an exhaustive description of the present invention. It is not intended to identify the key / fundamental elements of the invention or delineate the scope of application of the invention. Its only purpose is to present some concept of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to a more detailed description of the invention presented below.

A package is provided to contain substantially elongated items such as cigarettes and the like.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a package is provided for containing substantially elongated articles such as cigarettes and the like, said package comprising an inner container means formed by folding a sheet which defines a box with its upper side comprising an opening that extends between the upper, front and rear panels of the inner container to allow access to said items; a support means defining a plurality of panels, one of said panels being folded to form a double layer closure means, said closure means being articulated around a plurality of folding lines to form a folding lid means and having said folding lines a pair of cuts thereon to form a plurality of projections; an outer container means defining a plurality of panels, said outer container being a box with its upper side open to allow access to said inner container securely secured inside the same and one of said panels 50 being attached back with back to create a substantially 'V' groove and provide a plurality of grooves adapted to interconnect said projections with said grooves, thereby facilitating the locking of the lid, and another mentioned panel folds inward to provide a flap; wherein said support means is fixed to said inner container to move with it, with respect to said outer container, a predefined distance, maintaining said support means between them; wherein said support means 55 comprises a flap folded upside down thus interconnecting with said flap folded into the outer container means, thereby defining a stop means to restrict movement out of the inner box thus to the distance predefined

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Other aspects, advantages and main features of the invention will be clear to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which, taken in combination with the accompanying drawings, describes exemplary embodiments of the invention.

Brief description of the accompanying drawings

The following drawings are illustrative of particular examples to facilitate methods of the present invention, are descriptive of some of the methods and are not intended to limit the scope of application of the invention. The drawings are not to scale (unless so indicated) and are intended to be used in combination with the explanations in the following detailed description.

First, reference is made to Figure 1 in which the flat drawing of the inner container is illustrated.

Figure 2 illustrates the inner container formed.

Figure 3 illustrates the flat drawing of the inner container holder with integrated folding lid.

Figure 4 illustrates the support formed of inner container with integrated folding lid.

Figure 5 illustrates the flat drawing of the outer container.

Figure 6 illustrates the outer container formed.

Figure 7 illustrates the closed package.

Figure 8 illustrates the package with the lid unfolded.

Figure 9 illustrates the open package.

The system of the invention is therefore a package for containing substantially elongated articles such as cigarettes and the like.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the elements in the figures are illustrated for reasons of simplicity and clarity and may not have been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figure may be exaggerated with respect to other elements to help improve the understanding of several exemplary embodiments of the present description.

It should be borne in mind that the same reference numbers are used in all drawings to represent the same or similar elements, features and structures.

Detailed description of the invention

The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings is provided to help comprehensively understand the exemplary embodiments of the invention, as defined in the claims and their equivalents. It includes several specific details to help in that understanding, but these should be considered merely exemplary. Accordingly, those skilled in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope of the invention defined in the claims. In addition, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions are omitted for reasons of clarity and conciseness.

The terms and words used in the following description and claims are not limited to bibliographic meanings, but are simply used by the inventor to allow a clear and consistent understanding of the invention. In particular, in the present invention, the terms "articulable / articulably" are used interchangeably with "scrollable / mobile" although they are intended to represent the same conceptual meaning to allow the reader to have a clear understanding. Accordingly, those skilled in the art should understand that the following description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention is provided for illustrative purposes only and not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.

It should be understood that the singular forms "a", "one", "one", "the" and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

By the term "substantially" it is understood that exactly the mentioned characteristic, parameter or value does not have to be achieved, but that deviations or variations can occur, including, for example, tolerances, measurement errors, measurement precision limitations and others. factors known to those skilled in the art, in amounts that do not exclude the effect that the feature was intended to provide.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a package for containing substantially elongated articles such as cigarettes and the like. The package comprises an inner container means formed by folding a sheet which defines a box with its upper side comprising an opening that extends between the

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upper and front panels of the inner container to allow access to said items. It also comprises a support means defining a plurality of panels, one of said panels being folded to form a double layer closure means, said closure means being articulated around a plurality of folding lines to form a folding lid means and said folding lines having a couple of cuts thereon to form a plurality of projections.

An outer container means defining a plurality of panels is provided, said outer container being a box with its upper side open to allow access to said inner container articulably secured inside the same and one of said panels being attached back to back to create a substantially 'V' groove and provide a plurality of grooves adapted to interconnect said projections with said grooves, thereby facilitating the locking of the lid. The support means is fixed to said inner container and together they can be articulated with respect to said outer container a predefined distance keeping said support means between them. In addition, the flap folded upside down of said support means is interconnected with a flap folded into the package that defines a stop means thus restricting the movement out of the inner box to the predefined distance.

The inner container means, said support means and said outer container means are made from substantially folded laminar blank selected from metallized paper, thin sheet metal, cardboard, plastic, metals and the like.

The inner and outer containers have substantially cuboid cross sections with rounded, beveled and similar edge / corner profiles. In addition, the lid means can be accessed through the 'V' notch. The double layer folding lid is integrated into the inner box and adapted to fit perfectly with a click inside the upper opening of the outer container.

Therefore, the present invention provides a technologically superior method for accessing cigarettes through the articulation of the inner box and a tightly fitting cover to securely close cigarettes.

The invention comprises an inner box with an integrated folding lid, in which cigarettes are packaged and an outer box having an opening only at the top. The arrangement of the two boxes is such that the inner box can be articulated with respect to the outer box through a specific distance. A double layer folding lid is integrated into the inner box that fits perfectly with a click inside the upper opening of the outer box. To access the cigarettes, the consumer has to open the folding lid at a right angle, which flattens the lid, and use the flattened lid to raise the inner box that exposes the cigarettes through the access opening of the inner box . The outward movement of the inner box is restricted by a stop arrangement that exposes only the access opening to the inner box cigarette. To close, the inner box has to be articulated backwards and the lid has to be folded inside the slit with a click.

This novel structure can be applied to any form of external and internal box that has cuboid cross sections with several rounded edge / corner profiles, bevels, etc. The boxes can be created exclusively with, or by combining, different materials with suitable strength properties such as cardboard, plastics, metals etc.

The containers are formed from folded laminar blanks. Laminate blanks can be made of any suitable laminated material, such as, for example, cardboard, metal or plastic.

The inner container means is formed from a sheet blank, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The inner container means may contain products similar to elongated bars, such as cigarettes, which can be accessed by an opening (21) extending between the upper and front panels of the inner container.

The support for the inner container, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, is formed by gluing a panel 4 on the back of a panel 6. While folded, a panel 1 becomes the inner layer and a panel 2 It becomes the outer layer of a two-layer folding top closure. Panel 1 and panel 2 can be articulated simultaneously around folding lines 10 and 24, respectively, to create the folding lid. While the lid is closed, the cuts (3) along the folding line 26 create protrusions that interconnect with the slits (15) created in the outer container to achieve a secure closure. Panels 7 and 9 are attached to the side panels of the inner container so that the support and the inner container can move together. A panel 5 folds 180 degrees backwards along the folding line 11.

The outer container, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, is formed by folding panels 12 and 18 at right angles to a panel 19, where the panel 19 becomes the base of the outer container. A panel 13 is glued back to back to the front panel 12 creating a 'V' notch (14) and grooves (15) to block the lid. A panel 17 folds inward along a folding line 20. The side panels overlap and glue each other to form the outer container.

Figure 7 shows the closed package. Panel 2 creates the upper part of the closure cap. The projections (3) are locked inside the grooves (15) created on the inner surface of the outer case. The top fold of the cover (25) can be accessed through the 'V' notch (14). Consumers can open the lid by keeping the lid around the 'V' notch.

5 Figure 8 shows the package with the lid unfolded. The upper part of the inner container with cigarettes is visible in a box when the lid is opened. Panel 1 and panel 2 are located parallel to each other and the consumer can hold them together to remove the inner container for dispensing cigarettes.

Figure 9 shows the package completely open. The flap folded upside down (5) of the inner container along the fold (11) is interconnected with a flap folded inwards (17) of the outer container and restricts the range of motion of the inner container. To close the package, the support, together with the inner container, can be pushed back into the outer container and close the lid.

Although the embodiments in this document are described with various specific embodiments, it will be obvious to a person skilled in the art to implement the embodiments of the present invention with modifications. However, the scope of the invention is defined by the claims.

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Claims (5)

5 10 fifteen twenty 25 30 1. Package for containing substantially elongated articles such as cigarettes and the like, said package comprising: an inner container means formed by folding a sheet sheet defining a box with its upper side comprising an opening (21) that extends between the upper and front panels of the inner container to allow access to said articles; a support means defining a plurality of panels, in which one of said panels folds to form a double layer closure means, said closure means being articulated around a plurality of folding lines to form a lid means folding that includes a folding line that has a pair of cuts (3) on it to form protrusions; an outer container means defining a plurality of panels, said outer container being a box with its upper side open to allow access to said inner container securely secured inside the same and one of said panels being glued back with back so as to create a substantially 'V' groove (14) and provide a plurality of grooves (15) adapted to interconnect said projections with said grooves, thus facilitating blockage of the lid, and folding another panel of those mentioned inwards to provide a flap (17); wherein said support means is fixed to said inner container to move with it, with respect to said outer container, a predefined distance, maintaining said support means between them; wherein said support means comprises a flap folded upside down (5) thereby interconnecting itself with said flap folded inwards (17) of the outer container means, thereby defining a stop means thereby restricting the movement outward of the inner box at the predefined distance. 2. Package for containing substantially elongate articles according to claim 1, wherein said inner container means, said support means and said outer container means are made from substantially folded laminar blank selected from metallized paper, sheet thin metal, cardboard, plastics, metals and the like. 3. Package for containing substantially elongate articles according to claim 1, wherein said inner and outer containers have substantially cuboid cross sections with rounded, beveled edge and corner profiles. 4. Package for containing substantially elongated articles according to claim 1, wherein said lid means is accessible through the 'V' notch (14). 5. Package for containing substantially elongated articles according to claim 1, wherein said foldable double layer lid is integrated in the inner box and adapted to fit perfectly with a click on the upper opening of the outer container.