TWI686338B - Packaging sleeve - Google Patents

Abstract

An outer packet part for e.g. cigarette packaging, comprising: front and back walls parallel to one another and connected in a spaced relationship by top and bottom walls to form an enclosure; wherein: said outer packet part is configured to have an inner packet part disposed therein, and to allow movement of said inner packet part therein between a closed position and an open position; and grip-enhancing means are provided on an outer surface of at least one of said walls to help a user grip the outer packet part while moving the inner packet part.

Description

Packaging sleeve

The present invention relates generally to the field of packaging for tobacco products, for example. More specifically, the present invention relates to the field of cigarette packaging, blanks used to construct the packaging, and methods of constructing the packaging.

Need to continuously improve the ergonomics and practical design of packaging. One of the areas where this demand is more popular is the provision of packaging for tobacco products, such as cigarette packaging.

Cigarette packaging must meet a series of challenging requirements. In particular, the package should not only be cheap and capable of mass production, but it should be strong enough to keep the cigarette safe, maintain its freshness, and maintain its integrity after opening and closing the package multiple times.

Perhaps the most common design used today for cigarette packaging can be characterized as a hinged lid packaging. This is usually a cardboard package with a hinged lid integrally formed at an upper end. The cigarettes are arranged longitudinally so that when the lid is opened, a user can draw out the cigarettes through the ends of the cigarettes.

It has been proposed to provide cigarette packages with a sliding or swinging opening mechanism. In this method, an inner envelope portion of a preserved cigarette is arranged in an outer envelope portion. In a closed position, an opening of the inner envelope portion is covered by the outer envelope portion, while the inner envelope portion is movable relative to the outer envelope portion to an open position to allow access to cigarettes stored therein.

In a sliding configuration, the inner packet portion is relative to the outer portion by a linear motion The packet portion moves, and in a swing configuration, the inner packet portion moves relative to the outer packet portion by motion that includes at least some rotation. In these and other configurations, it is desirable to continuously provide some control over the relative movement of the inner envelope portion and the outer envelope portion to avoid unnecessary opening of the package.

It is common to provide a component that keeps the sliding and swinging opening package closed when not in use (ie, so that the package will not only open under the force of gravity). This can be caused by friction (which is caused by the inner envelope part being closely fitted in the outer envelope part) or by a specific mechanism (such as an interlocking tab configuration) (see (for example) PCT Patent Application Publication No. WO 2013/164372).

However, this suppression of the free sliding or swinging of the inner envelope portion relative to the outer envelope portion can become difficult with one hand to open and close the package. This will be a specific problem for ultra-light cigarette packages that are narrower than standard cigarette packages.

Described herein is a package having an inner envelope portion at least partially accommodated by an outer envelope portion, the inner envelope portion and the outer envelope portion are structurally designed to relatively move in an open position (wherein the inner envelope portion can be accessed Content) and a closed position (where the content cannot be accessed). The user's grip on the outer package portion when opening and/or closing the package is improved by features on one or more of the outer surfaces of the package.

This grip enhancing member may be provided, for example, on the packaging of tobacco products/smoking articles (such as cigarettes, cigars, or cigarillos), in particular, on cardboard sliding and swinging cigarette packages. However, these uses are not limited to this area. For example, such uses can be envisaged for other hand-held packages, such as chewing gum packages or toothpick dispensers that can be constructed from plastic, metal, wood products, or other suitable materials.

According to a first aspect, there is provided an outer package portion for packaging, which includes a front wall, a rear wall, a top wall, and a bottom wall; the front wall and the rear wall are parallel to each other and by at least the top The wall and the bottom wall are connected in a spaced relationship to form an enclosure; wherein: the outer The packet portion is structurally designed to have one of the inner packet portions arranged therein and allows the inner packet portion to move relative to the outer packet portion between a closed position and an open position; and one or more gripping enhancement members are provided at At least one of the walls is on the outer surface and is structurally designed to help a user grasp the outer envelope portion while moving the inner envelope portion relative to the outer envelope portion.

At least one of the grip reinforcement members may be located on the front wall or the rear wall.

At least one of the grip reinforcement members may be located substantially in a substantially intermediate section of the front wall and/or the rear wall.

At least one of the grip reinforcement members may be located on the top wall or the bottom wall.

At least one of the grip reinforcement members may be located adjacent to an edge of the top wall or the rear wall.

At least one of the grip enhancing members may include a coating with a high coefficient of friction.

At least one of the grip enhancing members may include raised features on the outer surface of the outer envelope portion.

Such raised features may include embossed lines or dots.

Such raised features may include varnish lines or dots.

The outer envelope portion may include a plurality of such grip-reinforcing members that are regularly spaced from each other at a pitch of at least 0.5 mm, preferably up to 5.0 mm.

The gripping reinforcement members may have a height from 0.02 mm to 0.50 mm.

The movement of the inner envelope portion from the open position to the closed position may include linear movement.

The movement of the inner envelope portion from the open position to the closed position may include rotational movement.

At least one of the grip reinforcing members may extend along at least one line inclined with respect to at least one longitudinal side of the outer envelope portion.

At least one of the grip enhancement members may be structurally designed to indicate the orientation of the package to a user by touch.

The at least one of the grip reinforcement members may be structurally designed to indicate orientation by the asymmetry of the shape of the grip reinforcement member or a group including the grip reinforcement member The shape of the grasping reinforcing member; the size of the grasping reinforcing member or the size of the group of grasping reinforcing members included in the grasping reinforcing member; the height of the grasping reinforcing member or the grasping reinforcing member The height of the grip reinforcement member of a group included in the member; the depth of the grip reinforcement member or the depth of the grip reinforcement member of the group included in the grip reinforcement member; or the grip reinforcement The texture of the component or the texture of a group of grip-reinforced components that includes the grip-reinforced component

The outer envelope portion may include a member for reversible connection with the inner envelope portion, which is structurally designed so that the inner envelope portion can be removed and replaced.

The outer package part may be formed of cardboard or plastic or metal or wood products.

According to a second aspect, a blank for forming an outer envelope portion according to the first aspect is provided.

The blank may include: at least two main panels for forming the front wall and the rear wall; at least one connecting panel interposed between the two main panels and hinged to the two main panels along the folding line ; And at least one folding plate hinged to each longitudinal end of at least one of the two main panels along a fold line to form the top wall and the bottom wall; wherein at least one of the two main panels or the At least one of the equal folding plates includes the grip enhancing members on one of the other outer surfaces.

According to a third aspect, a method of making an outer envelope portion according to one of the first aspects is provided, which includes: folding a blank according to one of the second aspects.

According to a fourth aspect, there is provided a package including an inner envelope portion and an outer envelope portion according to the first aspect, the inner envelope portion is arranged in the outer envelope portion and can be opposite to the outer envelope portion Move between a closed position and an open position.

The packaging can be used for smoking articles; the smoking articles are optionally cigarettes; the cigarettes are optionally ultra-light cigarettes.

An example of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.

Referring to FIG. 1, the package 10 is shown in the form of a sliding package. The package includes an outer envelope portion 11 and an inner envelope portion 12. The inner packet portion is movable relative to the outer packet portion, and in particular, can be slid between a first closed position shown in FIG. 1A and a second open position shown in FIG. 1B.

A user can realize the sliding of the inner envelope portion by pushing the portion of the inner envelope portion exposed through an opening 13 in the outer envelope portion with a thumb or finger. Although not shown in FIG. 1B, when the outer envelope portion is in the open position, the contents of the inner envelope portion can be accessed by the user.

A certain degree of resistance can be provided, for example, to maintain the inner envelope portion in the open position and the closed position by a locking element such as the locking element disclosed in PCT Patent Application Publication No. WO 2013/164372. In this way, accidental movement of the outer packet portion relative to the inner packet portion can be suppressed.

The grip reinforcement member 14 is provided in place on the outer envelope portion to help grip the outer envelope portion during opening and/or closing of the package. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the grip reinforcement member may be disposed close to a side wall adjoining the edges of a top wall 15 and a bottom wall 16 and respectively disposed in the middle section 17a of a front wall 18a and a rear wall 18b And 17b (shown in broken lines in the figure). These grip-reinforcing members may be, for example, embossed or recessed ribs, lines or dots in varnish, or embossed or recessed ribs of particles and/or synthetic materials (such as plastic) deposited or pressed onto the surface of the outer envelope portion , Line or dot form. To open the bag, the user can, for example, hold his thumb on the front or back wall of the outer bag part (it depends on whether the user uses his right or left hand), so that his ring finger and his little finger can be held on The outer envelope part is on the other of the front wall and the rear wall, and its index finger is grasped on the top wall of the outer envelope part, and is used The middle finger pushes the inner packet through the opening 13. Alternatively, the user can grasp the packet between his thumb and index finger or middle finger on the bottom and top walls and push the inner packet through the opening 13 with the middle finger or ring finger, respectively. Other methods of opening the packet can be envisaged, whether with one hand or two hands. The grip enhancement member can be positioned in one or more ergonomic positions to facilitate one or more potential methods of opening and/or closing the packet.

The grip-enhancing member may be further structurally designed to ensure proper grip between a user's finger and the outer envelope portion, that is, the grip-enhancing members exhibit a sufficient height and spacing to apply all directional forces on the finger After the surface of the outer envelope portion, an abutment surface for fingers is created. Such grip-reinforcing members may, for example, have a height of from 0.02 mm to 1 mm, preferably from 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm. When a plurality of gripping reinforcing members are provided, the interval or spacing between two consecutive gripping reinforcing members may be, for example, at least 0.5 mm, preferably from 0.5 mm to 5 mm.

The grip-reinforcing members may also be structurally designed so that the coefficient of static friction of the outer surface of the grip-reinforcing members is from 0.2 to 2.0.

The grip can be improved by increasing the static friction coefficient of the grip enhancing member and/or increasing its height. Therefore, if the grip-enhancing member includes additional material that is extruded or deposited on the outer surface of the outer envelope portion, the amount of this material can be reduced by selecting a material with a higher static friction coefficient.

FIG. 1C shows a cardboard blank formed by folding to form an outer envelope portion.

The outer envelope portion 11 includes a front wall 18a and a rear wall 18b opposed to each other when forming the outer envelope portion. The front wall and the rear wall are connected by a side 19. An opening 13 is formed in this side.

A top wall 15 of one of the outer envelope portions is formed by a front top surface portion 15a, a rear top surface portion 15b, and a side top surface portion 15c. When the outer envelope portion is formed, the rear top surface portion and the side top surface portion are glued or otherwise attached to one bottom side of the front top surface portion. Similarly, a bottom wall 16 of one of the outer envelope portions is composed of a front bottom surface portion 16a, a rear bottom surface portion 16b and one side The bottom surface portion 16c is formed. When forming the outer envelope portion, the rear bottom surface portion and the side bottom surface portion are glued or otherwise attached to one of the top sides of the front bottom surface portion.

Referring to FIG. 2, the package 20 is shown in the form of a swinging package. Like the sliding packet, the swing packet includes an outer packet portion 21 and an inner packet portion 22. The inner packet portion can be moved relative to the outer packet portion, and in particular, can be rotated between a closed position shown in FIG. 2A and an open position shown in FIG. 2B.

A user can realize the rotation of the inner envelope portion by pushing the portion of the inner envelope portion exposed through an opening 23 in the outer envelope portion with a thumb or finger. Although not shown in FIG. 2B, when the outer envelope portion is in the open position, the contents of the inner envelope portion can be accessed by the user.

As with the sliding envelope, a certain degree of resistance can be set to keep the inner envelope part in the open position and the closed position, as disclosed in PCT Patent Application Publication No. WO 2013/164372. In this way, accidental movement of the outer packet portion relative to the inner packet portion can be suppressed.

The grip reinforcement member 24 is provided in a proper position on the outer envelope portion to help grip the outer envelope portion. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the grip reinforcement member may be provided on a front wall 28a and a rear wall 28b, respectively. These grip-reinforcing members may be, for example, embossed or recessed ribs, lines or dots in varnish, or embossed or recessed ribs of particles and/or synthetic materials (such as plastic) deposited or pressed onto the surface of the outer envelope portion , Line or dot form. To open the bag, the user can, for example, hold the outer bag partially between the thumb and middle finger and/or ring finger and optionally the little finger on the front wall and the back wall and push through the opening 23 with their index or middle fingers Inner package. Other methods of opening the packet can be envisaged, whether with one hand or two hands. The grip enhancement members may be positioned in one or more ergonomic positions to facilitate one or more potential methods of opening and/or closing the packet.

FIG. 2C illustrates a cardboard blank forming the outer envelope portion 21 by folding.

The outer package portion includes a front wall 28a and a Rear wall 28b. The front wall and the rear wall are connected by a side 29. The opening 23 is formed in this side.

A top wall 25 of one of the outer envelope portions is formed by a front top surface portion 25a, a rear top surface portion 25b, and a side top surface portion 25c. When the outer envelope portion is formed, the rear top surface portion and the side top surface portion are glued or otherwise attached to one bottom side of the front top surface portion. Similarly, a bottom wall 26 of one of the outer envelope portions is formed by a front bottom surface portion 26a, a rear bottom surface portion 26b, and a side bottom surface portion 26c. When forming the outer envelope portion, the rear bottom surface portion and the side bottom surface portion are glued to one of the top sides of the front bottom surface portion.

When forming the outer envelope portion, the bottom wall does not cover the entire bottom surface of the outer envelope portion. The outer package portion further includes a connecting flap 26d, which is foldably connected to the bottom surface portion. Unlike the bottom part, the connecting flap is separated from the rear wall. Therefore, when the outer envelope portion is formed, the connecting flap can be rotationally moved relative to the rest of the outer envelope portion. When the package is formed, the inner package part is attached to the connecting flap.

The above description relates to two exemplary uses of the present invention, but it should be understood that other implementations and variations are possible.

For example, the grip-enhancing member is not formed by embossing, recessing or squeezing, but can be a coating or varnish (which is deposited on the outer surface of the outer envelope portion and has a relatively high coefficient of static friction), without varnish Or a smooth layer of paint (which exists elsewhere on the exterior of the package), or any other suitable textured member.

The shape of the grip reinforcement member can also vary, for example, it can be shaped into lines, dots, patches or any other shape. The grip reinforcement members can be grouped into groups covering specific areas. The grip-reinforcing member may be regularly arranged in these areas, for example, at a fixed pitch.

The configuration or feel of the grip reinforcement member may be asymmetric with respect to the opening in the inner envelope, so that the contents of the inner envelope can be obtained from the opening. This asymmetry allows the user to determine the correct orientation to grab the packet when opening the packet without having to look at the packet. For example, one of the users of the package 20 can keep the package to a minimum by grasping the reinforcement member when opening the package to avoid any He cigarettes fell out. In this way or in a similar way, the position of the gripping reinforcement member that can be recognized by touch can be used to indicate orientation to a user. Other touch-recognizable features (such as shape, size, height/depth, or texture) of the grip enhancement member (whether individually or as one or more groups) can be used to indicate orientation. There may be a clear boundary between the areas where the grip enhancement member has different characteristics, or these characteristics may gradually change. For example, the density of one of the patterns of dots or lines and/or the height of the relief can be reduced from the bottom to the top of the package.

The packaging may be formed from cardboard, as suggested above. However, the outer envelope portion may be made more durable than the inner envelope portion to endure the longer processing time that the outer envelope portion may experience. For example, the outer envelope portion may be made of thicker cardboard, or plastic, metal, or wood products. The outer package part can be made as a reusable outer shell for replacing one of the inner package parts. These replaceable inner envelope portions may be disposable refill cartridges sold separately or inner envelope portions extracted from existing slide or swing packaging found on the market. Trademarks and/or decorative and/or identifying features (such as an acronym) can be applied to the outer envelope portion. Some or all of the grip enhancement member may be configured to provide such trademark/decoration/identification features.

In addition, those skilled in the art can modify or modify the specific geometry and configuration of specific features of the package. Those familiar with this technology will also understand other changes and modifications. Such changes and modifications may involve equivalent and other features that are known and that can be used to replace the features described herein or for use with the features described herein. The features described in the context of separate embodiments can be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, the features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be provided individually or in any suitable sub-combination.

10: Packaging

11: outer package part

12: inner package part

13: opening

14: Grip reinforcement

15: top wall

15a: Front top part/folding plate

15b: Rear top part/folding plate

15c: Side top surface part

16: bottom wall

16a: front bottom part/folding plate

16b: Rear bottom part/folding plate

16c: Side bottom part

17a: middle section

17b: Middle section

18a: front wall/main panel

18b: rear wall/main panel

19: Side

20: Packaging

21: outer package part

22: inner package part

23: opening

24: Grip reinforcement

25: top wall

25a: front top part/folding plate

25b: Rear top part/folding plate

25c: Side top surface part

26: bottom wall

26a: Front bottom part/folding plate

26b: Rear bottom part/folding plate

26c: Side bottom part

26d: Connect folding plate

28a: front wall/main panel

28b: Rear wall/main panel

29: Side

FIG. 1A shows an example sliding packet in a closed position; FIG. 1B shows the sliding packet of FIG. 1A in an open position; FIG. 1C shows an outer packet used to produce the sliding packets of FIGS. 1A and 1B Part one of the blanks; Figure 2A shows an example swingable packet in a closed position; FIG. 2B shows the swingable packet of FIG. 2A in an open position; and FIG. 2C shows a blank used to produce a portion of the packet outside the swingable packet of FIGS. 2A and 2B.

11: outer package part

13: opening

14: Grip reinforcement

15a: Front top part/folding plate

15b: Rear top part/folding plate

15c: Side top surface part

16a: front bottom part/folding plate

16b: Rear bottom part/folding plate

16c: Side bottom part

17a: middle section

17b: Middle section

18a: front wall/main panel

18b: rear wall/main panel

19: Side

Claims (14)

A package part (11, 21) for packaging (10, 20), which includes: a front wall (18a, 28a), a rear wall (18b, 28b), a top wall (15, 25) and a Bottom wall (16, 26); the front wall and the rear wall are parallel to each other and are connected in a spaced relationship by at least the top wall and the bottom wall to form an enclosure; wherein: the outer envelope is structurally designed to Having an inner envelope portion (12, 22) arranged in one of them and allowing the inner envelope portion to move relative to the outer envelope portion between a closed position and an open position; and one or more grip enhancing members (14 24) It is provided on the outer surface of at least one of the walls and is structurally designed to help a user grasp the outer envelope portion while moving the inner envelope portion relative to the outer envelope portion; wherein At least one of the grip reinforcement members is located substantially in a middle section of the front wall and/or the rear wall; and/or wherein at least one of the grip reinforcement members is located substantially on the top wall or Adjacent to one of the edges of the rear wall, it is not connected to the top wall or the rear wall. A package portion other than claim 1, wherein at least one of the grip enhancing members includes a coating having a coefficient of friction from 0.2 to 2.0. The outer envelope portion of claim 1, wherein at least one of the gripping enhancement members includes a raised feature on the outer surface of the outer envelope portion. Part of the package other than claim 3, where the raised features include embossed ribs, lines or dots, or varnished ribs, lines or dots, or a particle, and/or extruded or deposited ribs, lines or synthetic materials point. As in the packet portion other than claim 1, it includes a plurality of such grip-reinforcing members regularly spaced from each other at a pitch of at least 0.5 mm, preferably up to 5.0 mm. A packet portion other than claim 3, wherein the gripping reinforcing members have a height from 0.02 mm to 0.10 mm. The outer packet portion of claim 1, wherein the movement of the inner packet portion from the open position to the closed position includes linear movement or rotational movement. The outer envelope portion as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the grip reinforcing members extends along at least one line inclined with respect to at least one longitudinal side of the outer envelope portion. A package portion other than claim 1, wherein at least one of the grip enhancement members is structurally designed to indicate to a user the orientation of the package by touch. Part of the package other than claim 9, wherein at least one of the gripping reinforcement members is structurally designed to indicate orientation by the asymmetry of: the shape of the gripping reinforcement member, or the gripping Reinforcement members include the shape of a group of grasping reinforcement members; the size of the grasping reinforcement member, or the size of the group of grasping reinforcement members included in the group; the grasping The height of the reinforcement member, or the height of the grip reinforcement member of the group including the grip reinforcement member; the depth of the grip reinforcement member, or the group of the group including the grip reinforcement member The depth of the grip reinforcement member; or the texture of the grip reinforcement member, or the texture of the grip reinforcement member of a group that includes the grip reinforcement member. As in the outer package part of claim 1, it includes components for reversible connection with the inner package part, the components are structurally designed so that the inner package part can be removed and replaced. A blank for forming a package part other than any one of the preceding claims, which includes: at least two main panels (18a, 18b, 28a, 28b) for forming the front wall and the Rear wall; at least one connecting panel (19, 29), which is interposed between the two main panels and hinged to the two main panels along the folding line; and at least one folding plate (15a, 15b, 16a, 16b , 25a, 25b, 26a, 26b), which are hinged at each longitudinal end of at least one of the two main panels along a fold line to form the top wall and the bottom wall; wherein at least one of the two main panels Or at least one of the flaps includes the gripping enhancement members on one of its outer surfaces. A method of making a package part other than any one of claims 1 to 11 includes folding the blank as in claim 12. A package (10, 20) comprising an inner package part and an outer package part as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11, the inner package part is arranged in the outer package part and can be opposite to the outer package part Move between a closed position and an open position.

Images