KR20180022664A - Containers with improved openness - Google Patents

Abstract

The consumer goods container 100 includes a container 100 including a box 20 including a box front wall 22, a box rear wall, a box bottom wall, and a box 20 including first and second box side walls 24a and 24b. ; And a lead 40 including a lead front wall 42, a lead rear wall, a lead top wall 46 and first and second lead sidewalls 44a and 44b. The lower edge of the lead rear wall hangs along the hinge line from the upper end edge of the box rear wall and the lid can be moved about the hinge line between the open position and the closed position and the lower edge of the first lead sidewall 44a At least a portion of the lower edge of the lead front wall 22 is adjacent to at least a portion of the upper edge of the box front wall 42. At least a portion of the lower edge of the lead front wall 22 abuts at least a portion of the upper edge of the box front wall 42, The first box sidewall 24a is connected to the box front wall 22 by a first box edge portion 25 and the first lead sidewall 44a is connected by a first lead edge portion 45 to a lead front wall 42). The lower edge 47 of the first lead edge portion 45 extends beyond the upper edge 27 of the first box edge portion 25 in the transverse direction of the container 100 when the lid 40 is in the closed position The shape of the first lead edge portion 45 is different from the shape of the first box edge portion 25. [

Description

Containers with improved openness

The present invention relates to containers for consumer products and blanks for forming such containers which find particular applications for retaining elongated consumer items such as smoking articles (e.g., cigarettes).

It is known to pack elongated aerosol-generating articles and other consumer goods within a container formed of folded laminated blanks. The elongated aerosol-generating article, such as a cigarette and cigar, is typically sold as a hinged lead pack having a box for receiving an aerosol-generating article and a lead connected to the box about a hinge line extending across the rear wall of the container . The front wall and side walls of the box are typically adjacent to the corresponding front wall and sidewalls of the lid when the lid is closed. The hinged lead pack may also include an inner frame secured to an inner surface of the box, the inner frame having a front wall and a sidewall on which the lid is closed. Such a pack typically consists of a laminated cardboard blank. In use, the lead pivots about the hinge line to open the pack, thereby allowing access to the aerosol-generated article stored in the box. Generally, the hinge line across the rear wall of the container is higher than the border line between the front wall of the box and the front wall of the lid. As a result, the tangential line between the box and the lead sidewall is typically inclined downward in a diagonal direction from the rear portion to the front portion of the container.

It is generally considered desirable to ensure that a tight line of the abutment portion is formed between the corresponding portions of the lead portion and the box portion. That is, it is generally desirable to ensure that, when the lid is in the closed position, the corresponding walls on the lead and box lie in substantially the same plane, thereby ensuring that they appear as a continuous wall of the container. Thereby, however, in order to open the container, the consumer usually needs to rely on the use of the frictional force between the consumer's finger and the outer surface of the lid and / or box. Also, in many cases, this means that the consumer uses both hands to open the container; That is, holding the box with one hand and holding the lead with the other hand. In addition, when the container is not used or handled, the opening of such a container can become more difficult if the container has means for ensuring that the lid keeps it closed securely in the closed position. Such means may include a holding cut on the inner frame, an adhesive on the inner surface of the lead or the outer surface of the inner frame, and a hook and latch mechanism.

WO 2013/179418 A1 discloses a hinge-lead container wrapped with an outer film having a tear tape pulled by the consumer to remove the film and access the smoking article. The corner portion of the box is modified to have a "grip-assist section" in the form of a notch, opening, or recess.

Thereby, it may be desirable to provide a container which can still be reliably closed when not in use, but which can then be easily opened by the consumer. It may also be desirable to provide a container that can be opened by a consumer using only one hand. It may also be desirable to provide a container that can be opened without depending on the friction between the leads and the surfaces of the consumer's fingers. It may also be desirable to provide a blank for making such a container that does not require any major modification of the existing packing apparatus or the use of complicated and additional components.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a container for a consumer article, comprising: a box comprising: a box front wall, a box rear wall, a box bottom wall, and first and second box sidewalls; And a lead including a lead front wall, a lead rear wall, a lead top wall, and first and second lead sidewalls. The lower edge of the lead rear wall is dependent upon the hinge line from the top edge of the box rear wall and the lead can be moved about the hinge line between the open position and the closed position and at least a portion of the lower edge of the first lead sidewall Is adjacent at least a portion of the upper edge of the first box side wall and at least a portion of the lower edge of the lead is adjacent at least a portion of the upper edge of the box front wall. The first box sidewall is connected to the box front wall by a first box edge portion and the first lead sidewall is connected to the lead front wall by a first lead edge portion; The shape of the first lead edge portion is different from the shape of the first box edge portion such that when the lid is in the closed position the lower edge of the first lead edge portion is in the transverse direction of the first box edge portion And is disposed beyond the upper edge.

1 shows a side view of a container for a consumer product, according to a first embodiment of the invention, shown in an open configuration;
Figure 2 shows a side view of a container for a consumer product, according to a first embodiment of the invention, shown in a closed configuration.
Figure 3 is a top view of a unfolded laminate blank for forming a container similar to the container shown in Figures 1 and 2;

In contrast to known blanks / containers, the present invention is characterized in that, when the lid is in the closed position, the lower edge of the first lid edge portion is positioned over the upper edge of the first box edge portion in the transverse direction of the container And a lead having a first lead edge portion having a shape different from that of the first box edge portion. This creates a lateral gap or gap between the lower edge of the lead and the upper edge of the box when the lid is in the closed position. As a result, the consumer can simply push the lid directly upwards by engaging the finger with the exposed lower lid edge, thereby causing the lid to pivot to the open position about the hinge line. This action can be applied using only one finger, such as the thumb, thereby allowing the consumer to hold the container with one hand and open the container with one hand. This behavior also does not need to rely on the frictional force between the consumer's fingers and the leads to deliver the pivoting force to the leads, and as a result may be easier for the consumer to apply. That is, there is no need to rely on the frictional force between the surface of the lead and the consumer's finger (s), since the consumer applies an upward force directly to the edge of the lead, so that the container can be opened more easily by the consumer have.

The first box edge portion may have any suitable shape that can ensure that the lower edge of the first lid edge portion is disposed beyond the upper edge of the first box edge portion in the transverse direction of the container. Preferably, the first box edge portion extends from the upper edge of the box to the box lower end wall. In such an embodiment, the first box edge portion completely separates the box front wall from the first box sidewall.

In some preferred embodiments, the first box edge portion comprises a tetragonal or curved shape. Preferably, the tetragonal or curved shape extends from the upper edge of the box to the lower wall of the box.

In some other preferred embodiments, the first box edge portion includes a shape that is substantially triangular, and one side of the substantially triangular shape defines the upper edge of the first box edge portion. The remaining two sides of the substantially triangular shape can each extend and converge from opposite ends of the upper edge of the first box edge portion and terminate at an intersection below the upper edge of the first box edge portion. Each of the remaining two sides of the substantially triangular shape may follow a straight or curved trajectory as it extends toward the intersection. The substantially triangular shape may extend from the upper edge of the box to the box lower end wall. However, in some preferred embodiments, the substantially triangular shape terminates above the box bottom wall.

It may be particularly advantageous to provide a substantially triangular shape on the first box edge portion since the container does not require that the lead top wall have a different dimension from the box bottom wall, As shown in FIG. This means that in order to accommodate the aforementioned easy-lift function, the overall maximum transverse dimension of the container need not necessarily be adjusted. As a result, containers can be manufactured, transported and handled without significant changes to existing machinery, storage equipment, handling devices, processes, or any combination thereof.

Thus, in some preferred embodiments, the width and length of the box bottom wall are substantially equal to the width and length of the lead top wall. This is because the cross-section from the top is still the same as the cross-section seen from below and the container can exhibit the above-mentioned easy-lift function. Thereby, the container can exhibit the above-described easy-up function without changing the other dimensional aspects of the container, which can be generally regarded as aesthetically preferable in a container for consumer goods such as a smoking article. In some particularly preferred embodiments, the maximum length and width of the container is substantially the same as the width and length of the box bottom wall and the width and length of the reed top wall.

In the container according to the first aspect of the present invention, when the lid is in the closed position, the lower edge of the first lid edge portion is arranged beyond the upper edge of the first box edge portion in the lateral direction of the container, The shape of the portion is different from the shape of the first box edge portion. As a result, the upper edge of the first box edge portion has a length that is longer than the length of the lower edge of the first lead edge portion. Preferably, the upper edge of the first box edge portion has a length at least two times the length of the lower edge of the first lid edge portion, more preferably at least four times the length of the lower edge of the first lid edge portion. This can result in an appropriately sized gap between the lower edge of the first lead edge portion and the upper portion of the first box edge portion in the transverse direction of the container.

The container may be formed of any suitable material or combination of materials. In a preferred embodiment, the box and lid of the container are at least partially formed of a folded laminate blank, more preferably a cellulose-fiber based laminate blank. In such an embodiment, preferably, the shape of the first lead edge portion and the shape of the first box edge portion are each defined by one or more respective lines of weakness in the laminate blank. This allows the shape of the container and the first lead edge portion and the first box edge portion to be manufactured using existing equipment and processes, such as equipment and processes typically used to manufacture containers for smoking articles.

Preferably, the first lead edge portion is defined by a single line of weakening extending in the longitudinal direction of the vessel between the first lead sidewall and the lead front wall. This can result in a first lead edge portion having a square edge profile when viewed from the top of the container. That is, the first lead edge portion may form a single line that defines a transition point of substantially 90 degrees between the lead front wall and the first lead sidewall.

The laminated blank preferably includes two or more lines of weakening that define the first box edge portion. In some preferred embodiments, the laminate blank comprises two or more such lines extending in parallel from the top edge of the first box edge portion to the box bottom end wall. In such an embodiment, the first box edge portion includes a substantially tetragonal or curved shape. The number of such parallel lines and the relative spacing between such parallel lines will affect whether the first box edge portion includes a substantially quadratic or curvilinear shape. In some other preferred embodiments, the first box edge portion comprises an upper section defined by two lines of weakening extending from the upper edge of the first box edge portion toward the box lower end wall and tapered toward each other, And a lower section defined by one or more fragile lines extending from the lower end toward the box lower end wall and preferably terminating at or around the box lower end wall. In such an embodiment, the upper section of the first box edge portion preferably defines a shape that is substantially triangular. The lower section of the first box edge portion may define a serpentine, curvilinear, or one substantially 90 degree turning point between the box front wall and the first box sidewall. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the lower section of the first box edge portion includes a line of weakness defining a turning point that is one substantially 90 degrees between the box front wall and the first box sidewall. Preferably, such one line of weakness extends from the box bottom end wall to the lower end of the upper section of the first box edge portion. Such an arrangement is particularly desirable because it requires a minimum amount of slack line to form the desired shape for the first box edge portion and also allows the maximum width and length of the container to be adjusted by the width and length of the box bottom wall, As shown in FIG.

One or more lines of weakening that define the shape of the first box edge portion and the shape of the first lead edge portion may be formed as a creasing line in the stacked blank. That is, one or more lines of weakening may be formed by applying a mechanical strain at a selected position on the stacked blank.

Preferably, however, the at least one slack line is defined by one or more ablation lines on the inner surface of the lamination blank. This allows the container according to the present invention to be formed in a conventional high-speed production machine with minimal modification. In particular, as a result of removing the material from the blank to form one or more ablation lines, the first selected lead edge portion and the specially selected shape of the first box edge portion can be adjusted to the vertical folding force applied to the blank during the manufacture of the container As shown in Fig. That is, folding the blank about the vertical fold line to create the walls of the container automatically deforms the blank along the abdominal line defining the shape of the first lead edge portion and the first box edge portion, No additional process is required to form the specially selected shape. Advantageously, if the overall size (maximum width and depth) of the container according to the invention is not significantly changed, the stacking blank can be provided with a first lead edge portion and a second lead edge portion, Can be easily adapted to form a container having the desired shape of one box edge portion.

In addition, forming the ablation line by removing material from the surface of the blank forming the inner surface of the container advantageously maintains the smooth outer surface of the container, which provides the desired appearance of the container during visual and tactile testing can do.

In any of the foregoing embodiments wherein more than one line of weakness is defined by more than one line of abstraction, each line of resection comprises at least about 5%, more preferably about 10% (RT) of preferably at least about 15%, more preferably at least about 20%, more preferably at least about 25%, and even more preferably at least about 30%. Additionally or alternatively, each of the ablation lines has a residual thickness of less than about 50%, more preferably less than 45%, and even more preferably less than 40% of the blank thickness (T).

The present inventors have found that if the abstraction line extends too far (i.e., too deep) into the thickness of the laminate blank, the resulting outer surface of the container may be undesirably affected. For example, the outer surface may appear to be cracked or ruptured. Further, the present inventors have found that the resulting outer surface of the container may be undesirably affected if the abstraction line is not sufficiently extended into the thickness of the laminate blank (i.e., too shallow). In particular, the inventor has found that the turning point of the vessel along the ablation line may be undesirably defined on the outer surface of the container and / or may follow an unintended trajectory along the outer surface of the container. For example, when the ablation line extends straight along the inner surface of the container, the inventors have found that the corresponding turning point created on the outer surface of the container can be non-linear or non-uniform. Thus, the present inventors have confirmed that a clearer and better defined vessel can be created when each abstraction line has a residual thickness as described above.

In any of the foregoing embodiments wherein more than one line of weakness is defined by more than one ablation line, the ablation width X of each ablation line is preferably at least about 0.1 mm. More preferably, the ablation width of each ablation line is at least about 0.2 mm. Most preferably, the ablation width of each ablation line is at least about 0.3 mm. Additionally or alternatively, each resection marginal width is less than about 0.5 mm. More preferably, the ablation width of each ablation line is less than about 0.45 mm. In some preferred embodiments, the ablation width of each ablation line is from about 0.1 mm to about 0.5 mm. Even more preferably, the ablation width of each ablation line is from about 0.2 mm to about 0.45 mm, more preferably from about 0.3 mm to 0.4 mm.

When the box and the lead are at least partially formed of a folded laminate blank, the thickness T of the laminate blank is preferably about 200 micrometers to about 350 micrometers, more preferably about 250 micrometers to about 300 micrometers. The thickness (T) of the laminated blank can be measured according to ISO 534: 2011. Tests and tests are carried out 2 weeks after ablation, at 23, according to ISO 187, at a relative humidity of 50%.

When the box and lead are at least partially formed of a folded laminate blank, the laminate blank preferably has a basis weight of from about 150 grams per square meter to about 350 grams per square meter, more preferably from about 200 to 300 grams per square meter . The basis weight can be calculated using ISO 536 and can have a deviation of +/- 10%, preferably +/- 5%.

In the case where the box and the lead are at least partially formed of a folded laminated blank, the laminated blank preferably has a bending stiffness of at least about 50 mN, preferably at least about 75 mN, and most preferably at least about 90 mN. Additionally or alternatively, the laminate blank has a flexural stiffness of less than about 500 mN, preferably less than about 200 mN, more preferably less than about 160 mN. The laminate blank preferably has a bending stiffness of about 50 mN to about 200 mN. More preferably, the laminate blank has a machine directional stiffness of about 75 mN to about 160 mN. "Bending direction" Stiffness means that the bending stiffness is measured in a direction intended to cause the finished board to fold around the ablation zone.

In the case where the box and the lead are at least partially formed of folded laminated blanks, the laminated blanks preferably have a residual strength in the bending direction of at least 10, preferably at least 12, more preferably at least 15, and even more preferably at least 20 mN . More preferably, the laminated blank has a residual stiffness in the bending direction of about 60 mN or less, preferably 50 mN or less, and more preferably 40 mN or less.

When the box and the lead are at least partially formed of a folded laminate blank, the laminate blank preferably has a surface roughness of about 0.5 micrometer to about 1.5 micrometer. More preferably, the laminate blank has a surface roughness of about 0.75 μm to about 1.25 μm. Surface roughness can be measured according to ISO 8791-4.

When the box and the lead are at least partially formed of a folded laminate blank, the laminate blank preferably has a surface strength of about 0.25 meters per second to about 1 meter per second. More preferably, the laminate blank has a surface strength of from about 0.5 meters per second to about 0.8 meters per second. Surface roughness can be measured according to ISO 3783.

Preferably, when the lid is in the closed position, the lower edge of the first lid edge portion is at a distance of at least about 1 mm in the transverse direction of the container, more preferably at least about 2 mm in the transverse direction of the container, More preferably at a distance of at least about 3 mm in the transverse direction of the container, beyond the upper edge of the first box edge portion. Preferably, when the lid is in the closed position, the lower edge of the first lid edge portion is disposed beyond the upper edge of the first box edge portion by a distance of about 10 mm or less in the transverse direction of the container. This may provide an appropriate sized gap between the lower edge of the first lead edge portion and the upper portion of the first box edge portion in the transverse direction of the container, for finger placement of the consumer.

The container according to the invention finds particular application as consumer goods, in particular as elongated consumer articles, e.g. containers for smoking articles. Thus, in some preferred embodiments, a container is provided that contains a smoking article with any combination of the above-described desirable characteristics. However, the container according to the invention can also be used in some other types of consumer goods, such as cookies.

As noted above, the container according to the first aspect of the present invention may be advantageously formed (at least partially) by a folded lamination blank. Thus, in accordance with a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a laminated blank for forming a container for a consumer article, the laminated blank defining a portion of the container, the container comprising: a box front wall, a box rear wall, And a box including first and second box sidewalls; And a lead including a lead front wall, a lead rear wall, a lead top wall, and first and second lead sidewalls. The lower edge of the lead rear wall is dependent upon the hinge line from the top edge of the box rear wall and the lead can be moved about the hinge line between the open and closed positions and at least a portion of the lower edge of the first lead sidewall Is adjacent to at least a portion of the upper edge of the first box sidewall and at least a portion of the lower edge of the lead front wall is adjacent to at least a portion of the upper edge of the box front wall. The first box sidewall is connected to the box front wall by a first box edge portion and the first lead sidewall is connected to the lead front wall by a first lead edge portion. The shape of the first lead edge portion is such that when the lead is in the closed position, the lower edge of the first lead edge portion is disposed beyond the upper edge of the first box edge portion in the transverse direction of the container, .

It is to be understood that any feature described with reference to one aspect of the present invention may be equally applied to any other aspect of the present invention.

When the box and the lead are at least partially formed of a folded laminate blank, the blank is preferably formed of a cellulose-fiber-based material, preferably derived from plants and more preferably derived from wood. The blank may contain at least 50% by weight, preferably at least 60% by weight, more preferably at least 70% by weight, based on the total fiber content of the blank. Preferably, the laminated blanks are formed of wood fiberboard or cardboard. Alternatively, the cellulosic-fiber-based material may contain other fibers, such as polymeric fibers. The blank may or may not be coated, preferably coated on both sides. The container preferably includes an optional outer wrapper, for example a transparent polymer film of high density or low density polyethylene, polypropylene, oriented polypropylene, polyvinylidene chloride, cellulose film, or a combination thereof And the outer wrapper is applied in a conventional manner. The outer wrapper may include a release tape. Also, images, consumer information, or other data may be printed on the outer wrapper.

The consumer article may also be provided in a container in the form of a bundle wrapped in an inner package formed of a metal foil or metallized paper. The inner package material may be formed as a laminate of a metallized polyethylene film and a liner material. The liner material may be a super-calendered glassine paper. Also, the inner package material may be provided with a printable top coat. The inner package has an access opening through which the consumable material can be removed when the lid of the container is in its respective open position.

The container is preferably a rectangular parallelepiped comprising two wide walls separated by two narrow walls. The hinge lead vessel according to the present invention may be in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped having longitudinal and transverse edges. In such an embodiment, at least one of the longitudinal edge or the transverse edge is tetragonal. That is, the hinged lid may include one or more quadrangular longitudinal edge portions or quadrangular lateral edge portions, or a combination thereof.

Where the container comprises more than one quadrangular edge portion, preferably each quadrangular edge portion has a width of from about 2 mm to about 8 mm, preferably from about 4 mm to about 6 mm.

The container according to the invention finds particular application as packs for elongated smoking articles such as, for example, cigarettes, cigars or cigarillos. It will be appreciated that the container according to the present invention may be designed for a different number of conventional size, king size, super king size, slim or super slim cigarettes, through appropriate choice of dimensions. Alternatively, other consumer goods can be accommodated inside the container.

The container according to the present invention can be designed to maintain a different total number of smoking articles, or different arrangements of smoking articles, through an appropriate choice of its dimensions. For example, a container according to the present invention can be designed to hold a total of 10 to 30 smoking articles, through an appropriate choice of its dimensions.

The smoking articles may be arranged in different collation depending on the total number of smoking articles.

The containers according to the invention can hold the same type or brand, or different types or brands of smoking articles. It is also possible to include both non-filter smoking articles and smoking articles with various filter tips, as well as different lengths (for example, from about 40 mm to about 180 mm), diameters 4 mm to about 9 mm) of smoking article. Preferably, the dimensions of the container are adapted to the length of the smoking article and the occlusion of the smoking article. Typically, the outer dimensions of the container are about 0.5 mm to about 5 mm greater than the dimensions of the bundle or bundles of smoking articles housed inside the container.

The length, width and depth of the container according to the invention can be such that the overall dimensions of the resulting container are similar to the dimensions of a conventional disposable pack of 20 cigarettes.

Preferably, the container according to the invention has a height of from about 60 mm to about 150 mm, more preferably from about 70 mm to about 125 mm, wherein the height is measured from the lower end wall of the container to the upper end wall.

Preferably, the container according to the present invention has a width of from about 12 mm to about 150 mm, more preferably from about 70 mm to about 125 mm, wherein the width is measured from one side wall of the container to the other side wall .

Preferably, the container according to the present invention has a depth of about 6 mm to about 150 mm, more preferably about 12 mm to about 25 mm, wherein the depth is measured from the front wall to the rear wall of the vessel .

Preferably, the ratio of the height of the container to the depth of the container is from about 0.3: 1 to about 10: 1, more preferably from about 2: 1 to about 8: 1, and most preferably from about 3: : 1.

Preferably, the ratio of the width of the container to the depth of the container is from about 0.3: 1 to about 10: 1, more preferably from about 2: 1 to about 8: 1, and most preferably from about 2: : 1.

Preferably, the ratio of the height of the lead rear wall to the height of the box rear wall of the outer sleeve is about 0: 1 (the lead is located at the top edge of the container) to about 1: 1, : 5 to about 1: 10, most preferably from about 1: 6 to about 1: 8.

Preferably, the ratio of the height of the lead front wall of the outer sleeve to the height of the box front wall of the outer sleeve is about 1: 0 (lead covering the entire front wall) to about 1:10, more preferably about 1 : 1 to about 1: 5, most preferably from about 1: 2 to about 1: 3.

The outer surface of the container according to the invention may be printed, embossed, engraved or otherwise decorated with a manufacturer or brand logo, trademark, slogan and other consumer information and indicia.

The container according to the present invention can be filled and assembled using conventional apparatus and methods modified to include forming at least one ablation line in the blank. If the portion of the container is defined by more than one ablation line, the ablation line may be created using a ablation tool, such as a laser or a blade. As ablation tools, lasers are particularly desirable because they allow a wide variety of ablation profiles and configurations while minimally adjusting the required laser tools. For example, a very finely controlled ablation profile can be tolerated by repeatedly passing a laser across a given portion of the blank to repeatedly remove different amounts of material. This is also useful when a fine ablation line having a narrow width is required. It is possible to precisely control the relative movement of the laser and the blank to form any type of pattern with various removal intensities ("depths") across the ablation zone.

The term "wall" generally refers to the major substantially planar facet of the container. In the case where a wall is formed by folded stacking blanks, the wall may be formed of one panel or flap of the lamination blank, or the wall may be formed of two or more adjacent or overlapping panels or flaps. The container according to the present invention is preferably of a parallelepiped shape and has a box front wall, a box rear wall, a box bottom wall, first and second box sidewalls, a lead front wall, a lead rear wall, a lead top wall, The two lead sidewalls form the main wall of the parallelepipedic container.

The term "edge portion" is used herein to refer to a portion of a blank that defines an edge between two adjacent walls of the container.

"Cellulose-fiber-based laminated blanks" are used herein to refer to laminated blanks containing at least 50% by weight of cellulose fibers based on the total fiber content of the laminated blanks. The cellulosic-fiber-based laminated blanks of the present invention may comprise other types of fibers, such as polymeric fibers.

The term "inner surface" is used throughout the specification to refer to the interior of the container when the container is assembled, for example, the side of a portion of the blank facing the consumer when the container is closed. Thus, when the container is closed, the inner surface is not directly visible to the consumer. The term "outer surface" is used throughout the specification to refer to the side of a portion of the blank facing the exterior of the container when the container is assembled.

The term "ablation line" is used herein to refer to a line along the inner surface of the edge portion from which the material has been removed (e.g., removed by a laser beam or a blade). Therefore, the residual thickness of the abstraction line is less than the thickness T of the lamination blank. Preferably, the ablation line is provided as a groove in the blank. It can be formed with a linear ablation tool such as a laser or a blade.

The "thickness (T) " of the blank is the thickness of the blank after the blank is manufactured, but is the thickness of the blank before any resection lines or fold lines are formed in the blank. That is, the thickness (T) of the blank is the thickness in any region that does not contain abstraction lines or fold lines.

The term "residual thickness" is used herein to refer to the minimum distance measured between two opposing surfaces of a container wall formed from a laminate blank or blank. Indeed, the distance at a given location is measured along a direction that is locally vertical to the opposing surface. The residual thickness of the ablation line may vary across the width of the ablation line (e.g., V-shaped, U-shaped groove).

The term "minimum residual thickness" is used herein to refer to the minimum of the "residual thickness" measured within the ablation line at a given location.

The residual thickness of each ablation line may be measured using an optical profilometer for 2D non-contact surface measurements, such as the MicroSpy (RTM) Profile (commercially available from Fries Research & Technology GmbH, Bergisch Gladbach, Germany) Can be determined by use of a focusing microscope, for example, a VK-X series microscope (commercially available from Keyence Corporation of America, New Jersey, United States of America). Preferably, some points of the minimum residual thickness are measured over the length of the ablation line, while the measurement points are spread over the length of one ablation line and an arithmetic mean is calculated.

Most preferably, in order to obtain a "minimum residual thickness" according to the invention, the measurements are carried out at five places evenly spread over the length of the ablation line, after which the arithmetic mean is calculated.

For example, if the length of the ablation line is 80 mm, the residual thickness should be at three additional points spaced 20 mm, 40 mm, and 60 mm, respectively, from both ends of the ablation line and one end of the ablation line, preferably below the ablation line Measured from the end.

The term "residual stiffness" is used to describe the residual stiffness of a stacked blank measured over the minimum residual thickness of a given abstraction line and is calculated using the stiffness in the bending direction of the stacked blank multiplied by the percentage of residual thickness. For example, if the bending stiffness of the non-cut laminated blank is 100 mN and the minimum residual thickness is 30%, the residual bending stiffness is 30 mN multiplied by 100 mN and 30%. The stiffness of the laminated blank can be measured at 15 according to ISO 2493 by taking a sample of the blank material from a portion of the blank, for example cut or not marked with a new line (can be printed or otherwise coated if the sample is in the finished form) ).

Tests and tests are carried out 2 weeks after ablation, at 23, according to ISO 187, at a relative humidity of 50%.

As used herein, the terms "front," "rear," "upper," "lower," "upper," "lower," and " Quot; refers to the relative position of a portion of a container and its components therein in accordance with the present invention. In particular, when the container is a container with a hinged lid, this refers to the container in its upright position with the lid in the closed position and the hinge line at the back of the container. When describing a container according to the present invention, these terms are used regardless of the orientation of the container being described.

The invention will now be further illustrated by way of example with reference to the following figures:

1 shows a perspective view of a container 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The container 100 contains wrapped bundles of consumer goods 60, such as cigarette bundles. The container is formed of a folded laminate blank and has a lead portion 40 and a box portion 20. The lead portion has a first lead side wall 44a, a second lead side wall 44b and a lead top wall 46. [ The lead portion also has a lead front wall 42 and a lead rear wall (not shown in Fig. 1). The box portion 20 has a box front wall 22, and a first box side wall 24a. The box portion 20 also has a box bottom wall, a box rear wall, and a second box sidewall (not shown in FIG. 1). The lid 40 is attached to the top edge of the box rear wall along a hinge line (not shown in Fig. 1) and is movable about a hinge line between an open position and a closed position (as shown in Fig. 1) . The inner frame 50 is attached to the inside of the box 20 and includes a first inner frame sidewall 54a, a second inner frame sidewall (not shown in FIG. 1), and an inner frame front wall 52.

As shown in Figure 1, the first box sidewall 24a is connected to the box front wall by a first box edge portion 25. The first lead sidewall 44a is connected to the lead front wall 42 by a first lead edge portion 45. [

The first box edge portion 25 has a triangular shape and one side of the triangular shape defines the upper edge 27 of the first box edge portion 25. 2, the first lead edge portion 45 is defined by a single line of weakening extending in the lengthwise direction of the vessel between the first lead sidewall 44a and the lead front wall 42. As can be seen more clearly in FIG. do. This effectively results in the lower edge 47 of the first lead edge portion 45 forming a single point of the vessel defining a right angle turning point between the first lead sidewall 44a and the lead front wall 42 .

Figure 2 shows the container of Figure 1 with a lid 40 now moved to the closed position. At least a portion of the lower edge of the first lead sidewall 44a is adjacent to at least a portion of the upper edge of the first box sidewall 24a, Adjacent to at least a portion of the upper edge of the front wall (22).

2, the lower edge 47 of the first lead edge portion 45 extends beyond the upper edge 27 of the first box edge portion 45 in the transverse direction of the container, The shape of the first lead edge portion 45 and the shape of the first box edge portion 25 are determined. As a result, a protrusion is created between the lead 40 and the box 20 around the first lead edge portion 45 and the first box edge portion 25. The consumer can place his finger on the triangular surface of the first box edge portion 25 and below the protruding portion of the lead 40 defined by the first lead edge portion 45, 40 can be simply pushed directly upward, thereby pivoting the lid about the hinge line to the open position as shown in Fig. The box bottom end wall and the lead top end wall 46 have substantially the same width and length as one another, which corresponds to the maximum width and length of the vessel 100. As a result, introducing gaps or protrusions into the first lead edge portion 45 and the first box edge portion 25 does not affect the maximum width or length of the vessel 100.

Figure 3 shows a stacked blank 101 for forming a container similar to that shown in Figures 1 and 2. The solid line represents the sectioned and line-like weakening line, and such a line-like line of weakening is formed by the ablation line on the inner surface of the blank 101, where the laminated blank 101 is folded or deformed to form the container 100 .

The stacked blank 101 includes a box bottom panel 152, a box front panel 154 hanging along the ablation line 156 from the box bottom panel 152 and a box front panel 154 extending along the ablation line 160 from the box bottom end panel 152. [ And a box rear panel 158 that hangs. The inner box side panel 162 is suspended from the box rear panel 158 along the ablation line 164 and the outer box side panels 166a and 166b are respectively suspended from the box front panel 154 along the ablation line 168b . The two box dust flaps 170 hang from the first box side panel 162 along the ablation line 172. When the laminated blank 101 is folded to form the container 10, the box lower end panel 152 combined with the box dust flap 170 forms the container lower end wall.

The stacked blank 101 includes a lead rear panel 174 suspended from the box rear panel 158 along the ablation line 176, a lead top panel 142 suspended along the ablation line 178 from the lead rear panel 174, And a lead front panel 180 suspended from the lead top panel 142 along the ablation line 182. The lead front lower panel 184 is suspended from the lead front panel 180 along the ablation line 186. The stacked blank 100 also includes a first lead side flap 188 suspended from the lead rear panel 174 along the ablation line 190 and a second lead side flap 188 suspended from each first lead side flap 188 along the ablation line 194 First and second dust flaps 138 and 140 and a second lead side flap 196 suspended along the ablation line 198 from the lead front panel 180. When the laminated blank 100 is folded to form the container 10, the lead top panel 142 combined with the first and second dust flaps 138 and 140 forms a container top wall. Each first box side panel 162 in combination with a respective second box side panel 166, a first lead side flap 188 and a second lead side flap 196 form respective container side walls. The box rear panel 158 and the lead rear panel 174 together form a box rear wall. The box front panel 154 combined with the lead front panel 180 and the lead front lower panel 184 forms a container front wall.

3, a cutout area 168a separating the box front panel 154 from the first inner box sidewall 166 includes two cutouts 168 extending from the upper edge of the first box edge portion 125, And an upper section defined by a line and a lower section defined by a single ablation line extending from the lower end of the upper section toward the box lower end panel 152.

20: box portion
22: box front wall
24a: first box side wall
25: first box edge portion
27: upper edge
40: lead portion
42: Lead front wall
44a: first lead sidewall
44b: second lead sidewall
45: first lead edge portion
46: lead top wall
47: lower edge
50: inner frame
52: inner frame front wall
60: Consumer goods
100: container
101: Lamination blank
125: first box edge portion
138, 140: first and second dust flaps
142: Lead top panel
152: box bottom panel
154: box front panel
156: abdominal line
158: Box rear panel
160: ablation line
162: Inner box side panel
164: abdominal line
166a, 166b: outer box side panel
168a: ablation zone
170: box dust flap
172: abdominal line
174: Reed rear panel
176: ablation line
178: ablation line
180: Lead front panel
182: abdominal line
184: lead front lower panel
186: ablation line
188: first lead side flap
190: ablation line
194: ablation line
196: second lead side flap
198: ablation line

Claims (14)

As containers for consumer goods:
A box including a box front wall, a box rear wall, a box bottom wall, and first and second box sidewalls; And
A lead front wall, a lead rear wall, a lead top wall, and a lead including first and second lead sidewalls;
Wherein a lower edge of the lead rear wall hangs along a hinge line from an upper end edge of the box rear wall and the lid can be moved about the hinge line between an open position and a closed position, At least a portion of the edge of the lead front wall is adjacent to at least a portion of an upper edge of the box front wall and at least a portion of a bottom edge of the lead front wall is adjacent to at least a portion of an upper edge of the box front wall,
The first box side wall is connected to the box front wall by a first box edge portion and the first lead side wall is connected to the lead front wall by a first lead edge portion;
Wherein the shape of the first lead edge portion is such that when the lead is in the closed position, the lower edge of the first lead edge portion is disposed beyond the upper edge of the first box edge portion in the transverse direction of the container, Different from the shape of the box edge portion;
Wherein the first box edge portion comprises a substantially triangular shape and one side of the substantially triangular shape defines an upper edge of the first box edge portion. The container of claim 1, wherein the first box edge portion comprises a tetragonal or curved shape. 3. The container of claim 1 or 2, wherein the width and length of the box bottom end wall are substantially equal to the width and length of the lead top end wall. 4. The container of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the maximum length and width of the container are substantially the same as the width and length of the box bottom wall and the width and length of the lead top wall. 5. The container of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the upper edge of the first box edge portion has a length at least twice the length of the lower edge of the first lead edge portion. 6. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the box and the lead are at least partly formed with a folded laminate blank, and wherein the shape of the first lead edge portion and the shape of the first box edge portion, respectively, Defined by one or more respective vulnerability lines of the blank. 7. A container according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the first lid edge portion is formed by a single line of weakening extending in the longitudinal direction of the container between the first lid sidewall and the lid front wall. . 8. An assembly according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the first box edge portion comprises an upper section defined by two lines of weakening extending from the upper edge of the first box edge portion toward the box lower end wall and tapered toward each other, And a lower section defined by one or more lines of weakness extending from the lower end of the upper section toward the box lower end wall. 9. A container as claimed in any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the at least one fragile line is defined by at least one ablation line on the interior surface of the lamination blank. 10. The container of claim 9, wherein the laminate blank has a thickness (T) and each abstraction line has a minimum residual thickness (RT) of about 15% to about 50% of the thickness (T) of the blank. A cutting tool according to claim 9 or 10, wherein each of the ablation lines has a cut-off width (X) of about 0.1 mm to about 0.5 mm, when measured transversely with respect to the longitudinal direction of each of the edge portions. Vessel. 12. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein when the lid is in the closed state, the lower edge of the first lid edge portion is at least about 1 mm in the transverse direction of the container, 1 A container positioned over the upper edge of the box edge portion. A container according to any one of claims 1 to 12 containing a smoking article. A stacked blank for forming a container for a consumer article, said stacked blank defining a portion of a container, said container comprising:
A box including a box front wall, a box rear wall, a box bottom wall, and first and second box sidewalls; And
A lead front wall, a lead rear wall, a lead top wall, and a lead including first and second lead sidewalls;
Wherein a lower edge of the lead rear wall hangs along a hinge line from an upper end edge of the box rear wall and the lid can be moved about the hinge line between an open position and a closed position, At least a portion of the edge of the lead front wall is adjacent at least a portion of an upper edge of the first box sidewall and at least a portion of a lower edge of the lead front wall is adjacent to at least a portion of an upper edge of the box front wall;
The first box side wall is connected to the box front wall by a first box edge portion and the first lead side wall is connected to the lead front wall by a first lead edge portion;
Wherein the shape of the first lead edge portion is such that when the lead is in the closed position, the lower edge of the first lead edge portion is disposed beyond the upper edge of the first box edge portion in the transverse direction of the container, Different from the shape of the box edge portion;
Wherein the first box edge portion comprises a substantially triangular shape and one side of the substantially triangular shape defines an upper edge of the first box edge portion.

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