ITBO20120260A1 - RIGID CIGARETTE PACKAGE WITH SLIDING OPENING AND CORRESPONDING REALIZATION METHOD - Google Patents

Description

DESCRIPTION

"Rigid cigarette pack with sliding opening and corresponding manufacturing method"

TECHNIQUE SECTOR

The present invention relates to a rigid packet of cigarettes with sliding opening and to a corresponding manufacturing method. ANTERIOR ART

Rigid cigarette packets with hinged lid are the most popular cigarette packets currently on the market as they are simple to make, are easy and practical to use and offer good mechanical protection to the cigarettes contained inside.

In addition to the rigid cigarette packets with hinged lid, rigid cigarette packets with sliding opening have been proposed comprising two containers inserted one inside the other in a partially separable way. In other words, a rigid packet of cigarettes with sliding opening comprises an internal container that accommodates a group of cigarettes and is housed inside an external container so that it can be moved with respect to the external container itself between a closed position. , in which the internal container is inserted inside the external container, and an open position, in which the internal container is extracted from the external container; the displacement of the internal container with respect to the external container can be determined by a linear movement between the two containers (sliding opening by translation), or by a rotation movement between the two containers around a hinge that connects the two containers themselves (opening sliding by tilting). Some embodiments of rigid cigarette packets with slide opening by translation are described in FR2499947A3, US4534463A and US5080227A. Two embodiments of a tilt-open rigid cigarette pack are described in WO03053818A1 and WO2006021581A1. Normally, a sliding-opening rigid cigarette packet has at least one interconnection member, which establishes a mechanical connection between a part of the inner container and a part of the outer container. Normally, the function of the interconnection member is to establish a mechanical limit switch that stops the extraction movement of the inner container from the outer container to prevent excessive extraction of the inner container itself. Alternatively, the function of the interconnection organ is to create an â € œautomaticâ € opening of a lid (which is hinged to the internal container or to the external container); in other words, thanks to the presence of the interconnection organ, the lid is opened without the smoker manually acting on the lid and exploiting the relative movement between the internal container and the external container.

In known rigid cigarette packets with sliding opening, the interconnection member always includes at least one connecting tab which is an integral part of a container (i.e. it is connected seamlessly to the container and is obtained directly in the blank used to form the container itself). However, the presence of a connecting tab which is an integral part of a container has some drawbacks.

In the first place, when the packet of cigarettes is in the closed position, the connecting tab of the interconnection member folds on itself forming a relatively thick whole; consequently, the presence of a connecting tab which is an integral part of a container forces the walls of the two containers that enclose the connecting tab to be kept at a certain distance (i.e. forming a `` useless '' volume) and therefore the volume of the outer container is not used optimally.

Furthermore, the presence of a connecting tab which is an integral part of a container significantly increases the consumption of cardboard necessary to make the corresponding blank since it normally increases the transverse and / or longitudinal dimensions of the blank itself; in this regard, it is important to note that a blank is always obtained by punching starting from a rectangular sheet, therefore the consumption of cardboard necessary to make a blank does not depend on the actual area of the blank, but depends on the area of the blank. smaller rectangle capable of containing (inscribing) the blank.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to provide a rigid packet of cigarettes with sliding opening and a corresponding manufacturing method which are free from the drawbacks described above and, in particular, are simple and inexpensive to manufacture.

According to the present invention there are provided a rigid packet of cigarettes with sliding opening and a corresponding manufacturing method, according to what is claimed in the attached claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will now be described with reference to the attached drawings, which illustrate some non-limiting examples of embodiment, in which:

- figure 1 is a perspective view of a rigid cigarette packet with sliding opening by means of a rotational movement which is made in accordance with the present invention and is arranged in a completely closed configuration;

- figure 2 is a perspective view of the cigarette packet of figure 1 in a fully open configuration;

Figure 3 is a schematic front view of the cigarette packet of Figure 1 in a partially open configuration;

- figures 4, 5 and 6 are three front views and with the removal of some parts, for clarity, of an upper portion of the packet of cigarettes in figure 1 which show in sequence the opening of a lid of an internal container;

- figure 7 is a plan view of a blank used to make an internal container for the packet of cigarettes in figure 1; - figure 8 is a plan view of a blank used to make an external container for the packet of cigarettes of figure 1; Figures 9 and 10 schematically illustrate two stages of the production of the packet of cigarettes of Figure 1 during which a connecting tab is coupled to the containers of the packet of cigarettes itself;

Figure 11 is a front perspective view and in a closed configuration of a rigid cigarette packet with sliding opening by translational movement and with hinged lid which is made in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 12 is a front perspective view and in an open configuration of the packet of cigarettes of Figure 11;

Figure 13 is a rear perspective view and in an open configuration of the packet of cigarettes of Figure 11;

- figures 14, 15 and 16 are three schematic views, in lateral longitudinal section and with the removal of some parts, for clarity, of an upper portion of the packet of cigarettes of figure 11 which show in sequence the opening the pack of cigarettes;

Figure 17 is a rear perspective view and in an open configuration of a variant of the packet of cigarettes of Figure 11;

- figures 18, 19 and 20 are three schematic views, in lateral longitudinal section and with the removal of some parts, for clarity, of an upper portion of the packet of cigarettes of figure 17 which show in sequence the opening the pack of cigarettes;

Figure 21 is a front perspective view and in a closed configuration of a rigid cigarette packet with sliding opening by linear movement made in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 22 is a front perspective view in an open configuration of the cigarette packet of Figure 21;

â € “Figure 23 is an exploded perspective view of the packet of cigarettes of Figure 21; And

- figures 24 and 25 are two schematic views, in cross section and with the removal of some parts, for clarity, of the packet of cigarettes in figure 21 which show the opening of the packet of cigarettes in sequence.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION In figures 1-3, the number 1 indicates as a whole a rigid cigarette packet with sliding opening by means of a rotational movement (tilting).

The pack 1 of cigarettes illustrated in Figures 1-3 comprises two internal wrappers 2 (illustrated in Figure 2), two rigid inner containers 3 of parallelepiped shape, each of which houses a corresponding wrapping 2, and a rigid outer container 4 of parallelepiped shape , which houses the 3 internal containers. Each wrapping 2 includes a group of cigarettes which is composed of a set of cigarettes arranged in several rows side by side, and a sheet of metallic paper wrapping that is wrapped around the group of cigarettes to completely enclose the group inside. of cigarettes itself. Each internal container 3 is hinged to the external container 4 to rotate with respect to the external container 4 between a closed position (illustrated in Figure 1), in which each internal container 3 is completely inserted inside the external container 4, and a open position (illustrated in figure 2), in which each internal container 3 is partially extracted from the external container 4 so as to make it possible to access the wrapping 2.

Each internal container 3 has a parallelepiped shape, is cup-shaped and has an open upper end 5 through which wrapping 2 is accessed, a lower wall 6 opposite the open upper end 5, a front wall 7 , a rear wall 8 parallel and opposite to the front wall 7, and two side walls 9 parallel and opposite to each other.

The external container 4 is also parallelepiped in shape and has an upper wall 10, a lower wall 11 parallel and opposite to the upper wall 10, two side walls 12 parallel and opposite to each other, and two ends 13 open opposite each other , through each of which an internal container 3 is extracted from or inserted into the external container 4 passing between the open position and the closed position.

Each internal container 3 is hinged to the external container 4 by means of a connection hinge 14 arranged near an edge of the lower wall 6 of the internal container 3 and near an edge of the lower wall 11 of the external container 4, which edges are both arranged at an open end 13 of the outer container 4. In particular, each connection hinge 14 is arranged at a certain distance from an edge of the lower wall 6 of the internal container 3 and from an edge of the lower wall 11 of the external container 4 arranged at an open end 13 of the external container 4. ; in other words, each connection hinge 14 is arranged at a certain distance from a lower transverse edge of the inner container 3 and from a lower transverse edge of the outer container 4.

According to a preferred embodiment, in each internal container 3 the rear wall 8 is lower than the front wall 7 so that in the closed position the front wall 7 completely closes the respective open end 13 of the external container 4 and at the same time the rear wall 8 does not hinder the rotation of the internal container 3 with respect to the external container 4 around the connection hinge 14 by interfering with the upper wall 10 of the external container 4. Furthermore, in each internal container 3 the upper portion of the side walls 9 is shaped so as to gently join the front wall 7 to the rear wall 8, compensating for the difference in height.

The pack 1 of cigarettes is provided with stop members, which are adapted to limit the extraction of each internal container 3 from the external container 4 to prevent excessive extraction of each internal container 3 from the external container 4. For each internal container 3, the stop members comprise a pair of locking tabs 15, which protrude towards the outside of the internal container 3 from the side walls 9 of the internal container 3 and are located near the rear wall 8 of the container. 3 internal; moreover, for each internal container 3 the stop members comprise a pair of locking pockets 16, which protrude towards the inside of the external container 4 from the side walls 12 of the external container 4 and are arranged near the end 13 open of the outer container 4. In use, when an internal container 3 rotates with respect to the external container 4 around the connection hinge 14 from the closed position to the open position, each locking tab 15 is inserted inside the respective locking pocket 16 until the ™ stopping the extraction movement of the inner container 3 itself.

To move an internal container 3 into the open position, a user of the pack 1 of cigarettes must move the internal container 3 with respect to the external container 4; consequently, to open an internal container 3, a user of the pack 1 of cigarettes must grasp the external container 4 with one hand and must grasp the internal container 3 with the other hand. To facilitate gripping of the internal containers 3 and according to what is illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, each side wall 12 of the external container 4 has a recess in proximity to each open end 13; these recesses allow a user of the pack 1 of cigarettes to grasp and pull the side walls 9 of each internal container 3.

According to the embodiment illustrated in figures 1-3, the pack 1 of cigarettes comprises two internal containers 3, each of which is housed inside the external container 4 and is hinged to the external container 4 along a hinge 14 of link to rotate between closed position and open position. According to a different embodiment not shown, the pack 1 of cigarettes comprises a single internal container 3, which is housed inside the external container 4 and is hinged to the external container 4 along a connection hinge 14 to rotate between the closed position and the open position; in this case, the external container 4 has a size equal to half the size of the external container 4 illustrated in Figures 1-3, moreover, one of the two open ends 13 of the external container 4 is closed by a further side wall.

According to what is illustrated in Figures 2 and 3, each inner container 3 comprises a hinged lid 29, which is hinged to the inner container 3 along a hinge 30 of the lid to rotate with respect to the inner container 3 itself between an opening position and a position closing of the open upper end 5.

Each lid 29 comprises an upper wall 31 of rectangular shape which is parallel and opposite to the lower wall 6 of the internal container 3 when the lid 29 is in the closed position, a rear wall 32 of rectangular shape which constitutes a continuation of the wall 8 rear of the inner container 3 when the lid 29 is in the closed position, and two lateral walls 33 of triangular shape which constitute a continuation of the lateral walls 9 of the inner container 3 when the lid 29 is in the closed position. For each lid 29 the lid hinge 30 connects an upper edge of the rear wall 8 of the inner container 3 and a lower edge of the rear wall 32 of the lid 29.

The pack 1 of cigarettes has for each internal container 3 a corresponding interconnection member, which establishes a mechanical connection between a part of the internal container 3 and a part of the external container 4 and has the function of providing an `` automatic '' opening of the cover 29; in other words, thanks to the presence of the interconnection member, the lid 29 is opened without the user acting manually on the lid 29 and exploiting the relative movement between the internal container 3 and the external container 4. According to what is illustrated in Figures 4, 5 and 6, each interconnection member comprises a connecting tab 34, which connects the lid 29 of the corresponding internal container 3 to the external container 4 in such a way that the movement of the internal container 3 with respect to the container 4 also determines a movement of the lid 29 without the user having to act directly on the lid 29. Consequently, thanks to the presence of the connecting tabs 34, each lid 29 is opened â € œautomaticallyâ € by operating the corresponding internal container 3.

Each connecting tab 34 has an external end 35 which is permanently integral with the upper wall 10 of the external container 4 and an internal end 36 which is opposite to the external end 35 and is permanently integral with the upper wall 31 of the lid 29 of the corresponding internal container 3. Each connecting tab 34 folds back on itself (as shown in Figure 4) when the corresponding internal container 3 is arranged in the closed position in which the internal container 3 is inserted into the external container 4 and extends (as illustrated in figure 6) when the corresponding internal container 3 is arranged in the open position in which the internal container 3 is partially extracted from the external container 4. In particular, when the internal container 3 is arranged in the closed position (illustrated in Figure 4) in which the internal container 3 is inserted into the external container 4, the connecting tab 34 folds back on itself, assuming a form of â € œZâ € and is entirely arranged between the upper wall 31 of the lid 29 and the upper wall 10 of the external container 4.

Each connecting tab 34 is initially separated from the upper wall 10 of the external container 4 and is connected to the upper wall 10 of the external container 4 (or, as will be better described hereinafter, to a corresponding reinforcement tab 27 of the upper wall 10) itself only by gluing.

According to a preferred embodiment, each connecting tab 34 is made of plastic material which is extremely flexible and deformable and can be bent several times even 180 ° without undergoing significant deformations (ie without breaking due to fatigue). In other words, each connecting tab 34 is constituted by a strip of plastic material which is glued on one side to the upper wall 10 of the external container 4 (in correspondence with the external end 35) and on the opposite side to the upper wall 31 of the corresponding cover 29 (at the internal end 36). Obviously, each connecting tab 34 can also be made of paper material, or of multilayer material including, for example, both plastic material and paper material.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 4, 5 and 6, the two connecting tabs 34 can be joined together at the outer ends 35 (as illustrated in Figures 9 and 10); in other words, the two connecting tabs 34 form an indivisible unit (ie a single strip of material) obtained by connecting the connecting tabs 34 to each other at the outer ends 35. It is important to underline that the function of the connecting tabs 34 is solely to realize the â € œautomaticâ € opening of the lids 29. Instead, the limitation (ie the limit switch) of the extraction movement of the internal containers 3 from the external container 4 is carried out solely by the stop members (ie by the cooperation between the locking tabs 15 and the locking pockets 16). Consequently, each connecting tab 34 is dimensioned in such a way as to extend completely only if the corresponding internal container 3 exceeds the "block" constituted by the stop members; in this way, due to the end-of-stroke action of the stop members, each connecting tab 34 never extends completely and never constitutes a limitation to the extraction movement of the corresponding internal container 3 and therefore is never subject at the risk of tearing.

According to what is illustrated in Figure 7, each internal container 3 is obtained by folding an internal flat blank 17 having a substantially elongated rectangular shape and the parts of which will be indicated, where possible, with accented reference numbers equal to the reference numbers that distinguish the corresponding parts. of the inner container 3.

The internal blank 17 has two longitudinal weakening lines 18 and a plurality of transversal weakening lines 19, which define, between the two longitudinal weakening lines 18, a panel 8â € ™ constituting the rear wall 8, a panel 6â € ™ constituting the lower wall 6 and a panel 7â € ™ constituting the front wall 7.

Panel 7â € ™ has a reinforcing tab 20, which is connected to panel 7â € ™ along a transverse weakening line 19 and is folded 180 ° against panel 7â € ™ to strengthen the upper part of the wall 7 front.

Panel 8â € ™ has a pair of lateral wings 9â € ™, which form an internal part of the side walls 9, are arranged on opposite sides of panel 8â € ™, and are separated from panel 8â € ™ by the longitudinal lines 18 of weakening. Panel 7â € ™ has a pair of lateral wings 9â €, which form an external part of the side walls 9, are arranged on opposite sides of panel 7â € ™, and are separated from panel 7â € ™ by the longitudinal weakening lines 18 . The lateral wings 9â € ™ of the panel 8â € ™ have a pair of tabs 21, each of which is separated from the respective lateral wing 9â € ™ by a transversal line 19 of weakening, it is folded by 90 ° with respect to the wing 9â Side and is finally fixed to an internal surface of panel 6â € ™. Inside each side wing 9 there is a window 22 inside which there is a respective locking tab 15. Furthermore, each lateral wing 9 has a recess 23 arranged so as to be superimposed on the respective locking tab 15.

In addition, the internal blank 17 has a panel 32â € ™ which constitutes the rear wall 32 of the lid 29 and is connected to the panel 8â € ™ along the hinge 30 of the lid, a panel 31â € ™ which constitutes the upper wall 31 of the lid 29, and a pair of lateral wings 33â € ™ which constitute the lateral walls 33 of the lid 29. Each lateral wing 33 has a tongue 37, which is folded 90 ° with respect to the lateral wing 33 and is fixed to an internal surface of the panel 31â € ™.

According to what is illustrated in Figure 8, the external container 4 is obtained by folding an external flat blank 24 having a substantially elongated rectangular shape and the parts of which will be indicated, where possible, with accented reference numbers equal to the reference numbers that distinguish the corresponding parts of the outer container 4.

The outer blank 24 has two longitudinal weakening lines 25 and a plurality of transversal weakening lines 26, which define, between the two longitudinal weakening lines 25, a panel 11â € ™ constituting an internal part of the lower wall 11, a panel 12â € ™ constituting a side wall 12, a panel 10â € ™ constituting the upper wall 10, a panel 12â € constituting the other side wall 12, and a panel 11â € constituting an external part of the lower wall 11.

The panel 10â € ™ has a pair of reinforcing tabs 27, which are arranged on opposite sides of the panel 10â € ™, are separated from the panel 10â € ™ by the longitudinal weakening lines 25, and are folded 180 ° and glued against the panel 10â € ™ to constitute a strengthening of the upper wall 10.

Each panel 12â € ™ and 12â € has a pair of locking pockets 16, which are arranged on opposite sides of the panel 12â € ™ or 12â €, are separated from the panel 12â € ™ or 12â € by the longitudinal weakening lines 25, and are folded 180 ° and glued against the 12â € ™ or 12â € panel.

The panel 11â € ™ has a pair of connecting tabs 28, which are arranged on opposite sides of the panel 11â € ™, are separated from the panel 11â € ™ by the longitudinal weakening lines 25, and are folded 180 ° against the panel 11â € ™. Each connecting tab 28 is glued to the lower wall 6 of a respective internal container 3 to hinge the internal container 3 to the external container 4.

In figures 11, 12 and 13, the number 1 indicates, as a whole, a rigid packet of cigarettes with sliding opening through translation movement (linear movement).

The pack 1 of cigarettes illustrated in Figure 11 comprises an internal wrapping 2 (comprising a group of cigarettes and shown schematically in Figure 12). Furthermore, the pack 1 of cigarettes comprises an internal container 3 of the rigid type, inside which the wrapping 2 is directly placed, and an external container 4 of the rigid type, which houses the container 3 in a sliding manner. to allow the internal container 3 itself to slide with respect to the external container 4 so as to move with a translation movement between a closed configuration (illustrated in Figure 11), in which the internal container 3 is completely inserted inside the external container 4, and an open configuration (illustrated in Figures 12 and 13), in which the internal container 3 is partially extracted from the external container 4 and allows access to the wrapping 2.

The internal container 3 has a parallelepiped shape with a rectangular cross section, is cup-shaped and has an open upper end 5. The inner container 3 comprises a lid 29, which is cup-shaped and is hinged to the inner container 3 along a hinge 30 of the lid to rotate, with respect to the inner container 3 itself, between an opening position (illustrated in Figures 12 and 13) and a closed position (illustrated in Figure 11) of the open upper end 5.

The internal container 3 has a lower wall opposite the open upper end 5, a front wall 7 and a rear wall 8 parallel and opposite to each other, and two side walls 9 parallel to each other and interposed between the walls 7 and 8.

The lid 29 is cup-shaped and has an upper wall 31 (which, when the lid 29 is in the closed position, is parallel and opposite to the lower wall of the internal container 3), a rear wall 32 which is connected with the rear wall 8 of the inner container 3 by means of the hinge 30 of the lid, and two side walls 33 parallel to each other.

The external container 4 is cup-shaped, has a parallelepiped shape with a rectangular cross section, and has a lower wall 11 opposite an open upper end 13, a front wall 42 and a rear wall 43 parallel and opposite to each other, and two side walls 12 parallel to each other and interposed between walls 42 and 43.

According to what is illustrated in figures 11 and 12, the front wall 42 of the external container 4 has a through window 44 through which the front wall 7 of the internal container 3 is accessible to allow the application of a thrust to the container 3 inside the purpose of moving the inner container 3 between the closed configuration and the open configuration.

The pack 1 of cigarettes has an interconnection member, which establishes a mechanical connection between a part of the internal container 3 and a part of the external container 4 and has the function of providing an "automatic" opening of the lid 29; in other words, thanks to the presence of the interconnection member, the lid 29 is opened without the user acting manually on the lid 29 and exploiting the relative movement between the internal container 3 and the external container 4. In this way, the user only has to apply the thrust necessary to make the internal container 3 slide with respect to the external container 4 without having to touch the lid 29 whose rotation is controlled â € œautomaticallyâ €. Furthermore, in this form of pack 1 of cigarettes the interconnection member also has the function of limiting the movement of extraction of the inner container 3 from the outer container 4, that is, the interconnection member establishes a limit switch for the movement for extracting the inner container 3 from the outer container 4.

According to what is illustrated in Figures 13-16, the interconnection member comprises a connecting tab 34, which connects (constrains) the lid 29 of the internal container 3 to the external container 4 in such a way that the movement of the internal container 3 with respect to to the external container 4 also determines a movement of the lid 29 without the user having to act directly on the lid 29. Consequently, thanks to the presence of the connecting tab 34, the lid 29 is opened â € œautomaticallyâ € by operating the corresponding container 3 and, at the same time, an end stroke is established for the movement of extracting the internal container 3 from the external container 4.

As illustrated in Figures 13-16, the connecting tab 34 connects the rear wall 32 of the lid 29 to the rear wall 43 of the external container 4. In particular, the connecting tab 34 has an external end 35 which is permanently integral with the rear wall 43 of the external container 4 and an internal end 36 which is opposite to the external end 35 and is permanently integral with the rear wall 32. of the lid 29 of the inner container 3. The connecting tab 34 folds on itself (as shown in figure 14) when the inner container 3 is arranged in the closed position in which the inner container 3 is inserted into the outer container 4 and extends (as shown in the figure 16) when the internal container 3 is arranged in the open position in which the internal container 3 is partially extracted from the external container 4. In particular, when the internal container 3 is arranged in the closed position (illustrated in Figure 14) in which the internal container 3 is inserted in the external container 4, the connecting tab 34 folds back on itself, assuming a form of â € œZâ €.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 13-16, the outer end 35 of the connecting tab 34 is glued to the outer surface of the rear wall 43 of the outer container 4; in the embodiment illustrated in figures 17-20 (which, from a functional point of view, is perfectly equivalent to the embodiment illustrated in figures 13-16), the outer end 35 of the connecting tab 34 is glued to the inner surface of the rear wall 43 of the outer container 4.

Similarly to the connecting tabs 34 of the cigarette pack 1 illustrated in Figures 1-6, the connecting tab 34 of the cigarette pack 1 illustrated in Figures 11-20 is also initially separated from the containers 3 and 4 (i.e. from the corresponding blanks) and is connected to the containers 3 and 4 (or to the corresponding blanks) only by gluing. In the same way, the connecting tab 34 is preferably made of plastic material which is extremely flexible and deformable and can be bent several times even 180 ° without undergoing significant deformations (ie without breaking due to fatigue). In other words, the connecting tab 34 consists of a strip of plastic material which is glued on one side to the rear wall 43 of the outer container 4 (at the outer end 35) and on the opposite side to the rear wall 32 of the lid. 29 (at the internal end 36). Obviously, the connecting tab 34 can also be made of paper material, or of multilayer material including, for example, both plastic material and paper material.

In the embodiment illustrated in the attached figures, the lid 29 is hinged to the rear wall 8 of the internal container 3; according to a different embodiment not shown, the lid 29 is hinged to the rear wall 43 of the external container 4 and consequently the connecting tab 34 is overturned.

In figures 21-23, the number 1 indicates, as a whole, a rigid packet of cigarettes with sliding opening by means of a linear movement.

The pack 1 of cigarettes illustrated in figure 21 comprises an internal wrapping 2 (comprising a group of cigarettes), an inner container 3 which houses the wrapping 2, and an external container 4, which slides the inner container 3 to allow the inner container 3 itself to slide with respect to the outer container 4 to move with a linear movement between a closed position (illustrated in Figure 21), in which the inner container 3 is completely inserted inside the outer container 4, and an open position (illustrated in figure 22), in which the internal container 3 is partially extracted from the external container 4 so as to make it possible for a user to have direct access to the package 2.

As shown in Figure 23, the internal container 3 is parallelepiped in shape and has a lower wall 6, an upper wall 45, a front wall 7 and a rear wall 8 parallel and opposite to each other, and two side walls 9 to each other. parallel and opposite and interposed between the front wall 7 and the rear wall 8. The upper wall 45 has, in proximity to the front wall 7, an open upper end 5 extended also to part of the side walls 9 and able to arrange itself, when the internal container 3 is in its open position, outside the external container 4 to allow the cigarettes (not shown) to be extracted from the internal container 3 after opening the package 2 by the user.

According to what is illustrated in Figure 23, the external container 4 is also parallelepiped in shape and has an upper wall 10, a lower wall 11, two lateral walls 12 parallel and opposite to each other, a rear wall 46, and an extremity 13 open which is opposite to the rear wall 46 and through which the internal container 3 is mounted sliding. The rear wall 46 of the external container 4 has a central hole, which has a shape and size such as to allow a user to exert, through the rear wall 46 itself, a thrust on the rear wall 8 of the internal container 3 to slide the container. 3 interior itself towards its open position.

The pack 1 of cigarettes has an interconnection member, which establishes a mechanical connection between a part of the internal container 3 and a part of the external container 4 and has the function of establishing a limit switch for the movement of extraction of the internal container 3 from the 4 external container. In other words, also in this form of pack 1 of cigarettes the interconnection member limits the extraction stroke of the inner container 3 and thus prevents the complete escape of the inner container 3 itself from the outer container 4. According to what is illustrated in Figures 24 and 25, the interconnection member comprises two connecting tabs 34, which are arranged on opposite sides of the internal container 3 and each of which connects (constrains) a side wall 9 of the internal container 3 to a side wall 12 of the outer container 4. In particular, each connecting tab 34 has an external end 35 which is permanently integral with the corresponding side wall 12 of the external container 4 and an internal end 36 which is opposite to the external end 35 and is permanently integral with the corresponding wall 9 side of the inner container 3. Each connecting tab 34 folds on itself (as shown in Figure 24) when the inner container 3 is arranged in the closed position in which the inner container 3 is inserted into the outer container 4 and extends (as illustrated in the figure 25) when the internal container 3 is arranged in the open position in which the internal container 3 is partially extracted from the external container 4. In particular, when the internal container 3 is arranged in the closed position (illustrated in Figure 24) in which the internal container 3 is inserted into the external container 4, each connecting tab 34 folds back on itself, assuming a form of â € œUâ €.

Similarly to the connecting tabs 34 of the cigarette pack 1 illustrated in Figures 1-6, the connecting tabs 34 of the cigarette pack 1 illustrated in Figures 21-24 are also initially separated from the containers 3 and 4 (i.e. from the corresponding blanks) and they are connected to containers 3 and 4 (or to the corresponding blanks) only by gluing. In the same way, each connecting tab 34 is preferably made of plastic material which is extremely flexible and deformable and can be bent numerous times even 180 ° without undergoing significant deformations (ie without breaking due to fatigue). In other words, each connecting tab 34 is constituted by a strip of plastic material which is glued on one side to the corresponding side wall 12 of the external container 4 (at the external end 35) and on the opposite side to the corresponding side wall 9 of the internal container 3 (at the internal end 36). Obviously, each connecting tab 34 can also be made of paper material, or of multilayer material including, for example, both plastic material and paper material.

The cigarette packets 1 described above have numerous advantages. In the first place, thanks to the fact that each connecting tab 34 is initially separated from the blanks 17 and 24, the blanks 17 and 24 themselves have a smaller transverse extension and therefore it is possible to considerably reduce the waste of material during production by means of punching of blanks 17 and 24, with a consequent reduction in the costs of wrapping materials.

Furthermore, thanks to the fact that each connecting tab 34 is initially separated from the blanks 17 and 24, it is possible to use for each connecting tab 34 a different material (and therefore optimized for the function it has to perform) with respect to the material it composes. containers 3 and 4 (ie of the material that makes up the blanks 17 and 24); in this regard, it is important to note that the connecting tab 34 is normally much thinner than the material that makes up the containers 3 and 4 (that is, the material that makes up the blanks 17 and 24).

Finally, the cigarette pack 1 described above makes it possible to optimally exploit the internal volume of the external container 4, as each connecting tab 34 is very thin (that is, much thinner than the material that makes up the containers 3 and 4). as it is made of plastic material specially sized (i.e. optimized) to perform the function of connection between the two containers 3 and 4.

Finally, pack 1 of cigarettes described above is simple and inexpensive to make as it has few and simple modifications compared to a similar standard pack of cigarettes.

A production method of the cigarette pack 1 described above and illustrated in Figures 1-6 with reference to Figures 9 and 10 is described.

The production method foresees to form the two internal wrappers 2, to couple each wrapping 2 to a corresponding inner blank 17, to fold each inner blank 17 around the wrapping 2 to form the corresponding inner container 3, to couple the two containers 3 inside the outer blank 24, and finally to fold the outer blank 24 around the inner containers 3 to form the outer container 4.

As illustrated in Figure 9, the two connecting tabs 34 are joined together at the outer ends 35; consequently, the outer ends 35 of the two connecting tabs 34 are glued simultaneously to the panel 10 'of the outer blank 24 (forming the upper wall 10 of the outer container 4 and with the interposition of the reinforcing tabs 27) by means of a glue 40 before coupling the internal containers 3 to the external blank 24. Subsequently and as illustrated in Figure 10, the internal end 36 of each connecting tab 34 is glued by means of a glue 41 to the upper wall 31 of the lid 29 of the corresponding internal container 3 during the coupling of the internal container 3 to the blank 24 external.

According to an alternative and equivalent embodiment, the internal end 36 of each connecting tab 34 is glued by means of the glue 41 to the upper wall 31 of the lid 29 of the corresponding internal container 3 before coupling the internal containers 3 to the external blank 24 . Subsequently, during the coupling of the inner container 3 to the outer blank 24, the outer ends 35 of the two connecting tabs 34 are glued simultaneously to the panel 10 of the outer blank 24 (forming the upper wall 10 of the outer container 4 and with the interposition of the reinforcement tabs 27) by means of the glue 40.

As shown in Figure 10, the external ends 35 of the connecting tabs 34 are glued by means of the glue 40 and at the same time on the panel 10 of the external blank 24 (with the interposition of the reinforcing tabs 27) while maintaining the connecting tabs 34 completely stretched out. Subsequently and as illustrated in Figure 10, each inner container 3 is coupled to the outer blank 24 (partially pre-folded) in a position at least partially external (flanked) to the outer blank 24 itself (i.e. the inner container 3 is not completely supported on the outer blank 24, but is arranged next to the outer blank 24 possibly with a limited overlap with the outer blank 24 itself) so as to glue the upper wall 31 of the lid 29 to the inner end 36 of the connecting tab 34 while the tab 34 connection is stretched out. Finally, each inner container 3 is moved (translated) with respect to the outer blank 24 to be completely superimposed on the outer blank 24 (i.e. towards a position corresponding to the closed position in which the inner container 3 is inserted into the outer container 4) to determine a folding on itself of the connecting tab 34 (starting from what is illustrated in Figure 10, the two internal containers 3 are pushed towards the inside of the blank 24 one against the other).

After having pushed the two internal containers 3 towards the inside of the external blank 24 (that is, after having pushed the two internal containers 3 in the position corresponding to the closed position), the folding of the external blank 24 around the two internal containers 3 is completed to finish making pack 1 of cigarettes.

As illustrated in figure 9, before coupling the two internal containers 3 to the external blank 24, the panel 10â € ™ (together with the panels 12â € ™ and 11â € ™) is bent 90 ° with respect to the panel 12â € and around a corresponding transverse weakening line 26. Preferably, the external ends 35 of the two connecting tabs 34 are glued to the panel 10â € ™ of the external blank 24 (with the interposition of the reinforcing tabs 27) before bending the panel 10â € ™ 90 ° (together with the panels 12â € ™ and 11â € ™) compared to panel 12â €.

The glue 40 and / or the glue 41 can be applied â € œfreshâ € immediately before their use (that is, immediately before placing the end 35 or 36 of a tab 34 for connection to the tab 27 reinforcing the panel 10â € ™ or to the upper wall 31 of the lid 29). Alternatively, the glue 40 and / or the glue 41 can be applied with a certain advance (even very large) so that the glue 40 and / or the glue 41 dry completely before their use and that the glue 40 and / or the glue 41 are reactivated by heating at the time of their use (i.e. after having placed the end 35 or 36 of a tab 34 for connection to the reinforcement tab 27 of the panel 10â € ™ or to the upper wall 31 of the cover 29).

It is important to underline that the production method has been described with reference to pack 1 of cigarettes illustrated in figures 1-6, but the production method itself can be used with completely similar methods also for the realization of pack 1 of cigarettes illustrated in Figures 11-16 and for the pack 1 of cigarettes illustrated in Figures 21-25.

The production method described above has numerous advantages. In the first place, the production method described above allows the packets 1 of cigarettes described above to be produced quickly and accurately.

Furthermore, the production method described above is simple and inexpensive to implement as it can be easily implemented even in an existing packaging machine with a few simple modifications.

Claims (8)

R I V E N D I C A Z I O N I 1) Rigid Cigarette Pack (1) with slide opening and comprising: at least one wrapping (2) consisting of a group of cigarettes wrapped in a wrapping sheet; at least one internal container (3) that houses the wrapping (2); an external container (4), which houses the internal container (3) in a sliding manner to allow the internal container (3) itself to move between a closed position, in which the internal container (3) is inserted into the Internal of the external container (4), and an open position, in which the internal container (3) is at least partially extracted from the external container (4); and a connecting tab (34) which mechanically connects a part (31; 32; 9) of the internal container (3) to a corresponding part (10; 43; 12) of the external container (4); the packet (1) of cigarettes is characterized by the fact that the connecting tab (34) has an external end (35) which is glued to the corresponding part (31; 32; 9) of the external container (4) and one end (36) internal which is glued to the corresponding part (10; 43; 12) of the internal container (3). 2) Packet (1) of cigarettes according to claim 1 in which the connecting tab (34) is initially separated from the two containers (3, 4) and is connected to the two containers (3, 4) themselves solely by gluing. 3) Packet (1) of cigarettes according to claim 1 wherein: the two containers (3, 4) are formed by folding and gluing corresponding blanks (17, 24); And the connecting tab (34) is initially separated from the two containers (3, 4), or from the two blanks (17, 24), and is connected to the two containers (3, 4), or to the two blanks (17, 24) ), only by gluing. 4) Packet (1) of cigarettes according to claim 1, 2 or 3, in which the connecting tab (34) is made of a different material than the material that constitutes the inner container (3) and the material that constitutes the external container (4). 5) Cigarette pack (1) according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the connecting tab (34) folds back on itself when the inner container (3) is arranged in the closed position in which the container ( 3) internal is inserted into the external container (4) and unfolds when the internal container (3) is placed in the open position in which the internal container (3) is partially extracted from the external container (4). 6) Cigarette pack (1) according to claim 5, wherein, when the inner container (3) is arranged in the closed position in which the inner container (3) is inserted into the outer container (4), the tab ( 34) of connection folds in on itself assuming a â € œZâ € shape. 7) Cigarette pack (1) according to claim 5, wherein, when the inner container (3) is arranged in the closed position in which the inner container (3) is inserted into the outer container (4), the tab ( 34) of connection folds in on itself assuming a â € œUâ € shape. 8) Cigarette packet (1) according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the inner container (3) has an open end (5) and comprises a hinged lid (29), which is hinged to the container (3 ) internal along a hinge (30) of the lid to rotate with respect to the internal container (3) itself between an open position and a closed position of the open upper end (5); and the connecting tab (34) connects the lid (29) of the internal container (3) to the external container (4) so that the sliding movement of the internal container (3) with respect to the external container (4) determines a corresponding pivoting movement of the lid (29) around the hinge (30) of the lid; 9) Cigarette packet (1) according to claim 8, wherein the connecting tab (34) connects an upper wall (10) of the outer container (4) to an upper wall (31) of the lid (29). Packet (1) of cigarettes according to claim 8, wherein the connecting tab (34) connects a rear wall (43) of the outer container (4) to a rear wall (32) of the lid (29). 11) Cigarette packet (1) according to one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the connecting tab (34) establishes a stop for the extraction movement of the inner container (3) from the outer container (4). 12) Cigarette packet (1) according to claim 11 and comprising two connecting tabs (34) which are arranged on opposite sides of the inner container (3) and each of which connects a side wall (9) of the inner container (3) to a side wall (12) of the external container (4). 13) Method of producing a packet (1) of rigid cigarettes with sliding opening and comprising: at least one wrapping (2) consisting of a group of cigarettes wrapped in a wrapping sheet; at least one internal container (3) that houses the wrapping (2); an external container (4), which houses the internal container (3) in a sliding manner to allow the internal container (3) itself to move between a closed position, in which the internal container (3) is inserted into the Internal of the external container (4), and an open position, in which the internal container (3) is at least partially extracted from the external container (4); and a connecting tab (34) which mechanically connects a part (31; 32; 9) of the internal container (3) to a corresponding part (10; 43; 12) of the external container (4); the production method includes the steps of: form the wrapping (2); couple the wrapping (2) to an internal blank (17); fold the inner blank (17) around the wrapping (2) to form the inner container (3); coupling the inner container (3) to an outer blank (24); and folding the outer blank (24) around the inner container (3) to form the outer container (4); the production method is characterized by the fact that it includes the further steps of: glue an external end (35) of the connecting tab (34) to the external blank (24) or glue an internal end (36) of the connecting tab (34) to the internal container (3) before coupling the internal container (3) to the outer blank (24); and glue the internal end (36) of the connecting tab (34) to the internal container (3) or glue the external end (35) of the connecting tab (34) to the external blank (24) during the coupling of the internal container (3) to the external blank (24). 14) Production method according to claim 13, and comprising the further steps of: glue the external end (35) of the connecting tab (34) to the external blank (24) or glue the internal end (36) of the connecting tab (34) to the internal container (3) keeping the tab (34 ) of extended connection; coupling the inner container (3) to the outer blank (24) in a position at least partially external to the outer blank (24) itself while the connecting tab (34) is extended; And move the internal container (3) with respect to the external blank (24) towards a position corresponding to the closed position in which the internal container (3) is inserted into the external container (4) to cause the tab (34) to fold on itself. ) connection. 15) Production method according to claim 13 or 14 and comprising the further steps of: glue the external end (35) of the connecting tab (34) to a corresponding panel (10â € ™) of the outer blank (24) before coupling the inner container (3) to the outer blank (24); and glue the internal end (36) of the connecting tab (34) to the corresponding part (31; 32; 9) of the internal container (3) while coupling the internal container (3) to the external blank (24) . 16) Production method according to claim 13 or 14 and comprising the further steps of: glue the internal end (36) of the connecting tab (34) to the corresponding part (31; 32; 9) of the internal container (3) before coupling the internal container (3) to the external blank (24); and glue the external end (35) of the connecting tab (34) to a corresponding panel (10â € ™) of the outer blank (24) while coupling the inner container (3) to the outer blank (24).