US2709548A - Cigarette package - Google Patents

Description

[Way 31, W55 .1. H. GILBERT CIGARETTE PACKAGE 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 9, 1953 Fig. 2

INVENTOR ATTORNEY may 1' 1955 J. H. GILBERT 3;?

CIGARETTE PACKAGE Filed June 9, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY y 1, 1955 J. H. GILBERT 2,7095%8 CIGARETTE PACKAGE Filed June 9, 1953 5 Sheeis-Sheet 5 ATTORNEY y 31, 1955 J. H. GILBERT 2,709,548

CIGARETTE PACKAGE Filed June 9, 1953, 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 ATTORNEY May 31, 1955 J. H. GILBERT CIGARETTE PACKAGE 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed June 9. 1953 Fi l6 Fig. l5

ATTORNEY This invention relates to a package sometimes called a cup or pouch type for cigarettes and has as its prime objectives the provision of means for permitting easy opening of the package in such a manner as to expose in the top, side and front of the package an area suflicient to permit the ready removal of the individual cigarettes without the necessity of mutilating any of the cigarettes. The invention further provides in connection with the operation of opening the package that two flaps will be formed, which can be tucked under folds of the inner wrapper in the top of the package, thus closing the package and protecting the cigarettes remaining in the package, in addition to preventing cigarette and tobacco particles from spilling out of the package. The invention further provides that all of the necessary slits used in the invention are located either over or under another layer of wrapping material. This arrangement thus maintains the sealed in freshness features for the contents now enjoyed in the conventional package prior to its being opened. The operation of the invention also involves tearing away a large portion of the revenue stamp during the procedure of opening the package, thus, effecting compliance with the law which requires the destruction of such revenue stamp before removal of the cigarettes contained in the package.

Cigarettes, cigars, and other tobacco as well as many other items are commonly offered for distribution and sale in packages formed of one or more layers of paper, metal foil, cellulose compositions or other material which can be torn to open the package. Cigarettes, for example, are generally sold in cup or pouch type packages of twenty cigarettes, wrapped in a composite sheet of paper and metal foil. This inner Wrapper of the package has the paper adjacent to the cigarettes and the metal foil is outward. The upper and lower edges of this composite sheet are folded over the top and bottom of the cigarettes thus closing the inner wrapper of the package.

An outside wrapper made of paper and bearing printing and trade marks is customarily placed around the aforementioned paper and metal foil inner wrapper. The

lower edge of the outside wrapper is folded over and pasted to close the bottom of the outer wrapper. The upper edge of the outer wrapper is approximately flush with the top of the inner Wrapper thus leaving the top of the inner wrapper uncovered. A revenue stamp is pasted over the interfolded top of the inner Wrapper, and the open top of the outer wrapper.

A popular method of opening the aforementioned type of package is to either tear away a portion of the top of the inner wrapper or a portion of both the inner and outer wrappers at the corner of the package to expose the ends of the cigarettes. To remove the first few cigarettes then requires vigorous shaking which usually unhappily results in more than the number desired to be extracte coming out. Another method now commonly used to extract the first few cigarettes in a package is to grasp the end of the cigarettes with finger nails or fingers. Due to the small diameter of cigarettes and the limited space 2,?0954-8 Fatented May El, 1955 available for making the grasp, extraction by this latter method usually results in damage or multilation caused by tearing the end and pulling out tobacco particles not only of the cigarette being extracted but also of adjacent cigarettes.

Previous proposals have been made to equip cigarette packages with perforations, slits, tear-off lines, tear-off portions, rip cords and other additions and appendages. Such proposed constructions are generally diificult to adapt to present conventional packaging mechanisms and costly to manufacture. The redesigning and retooling that would be required for the packaging machinery and the expense of providing such changes has quite obviously rendered the adoption of such changes impracticable and uneconomical.

This invention provides no perforations, rip cords, additions or appendages and accomplishes its purpose merely by slits and weakened portions which form (a) a tear-off portion in the outer wrapper, (b) a tear-back portion with flap in the inner wrapper, and (c) a foldback portion with flap in the inner wrapper, all in the present conventional type of cigarette package.

With the aforementioned objects in view, together with additional objects and advantages as may later appear, the invention and its operation can be illustrated by the accompanying drawings.

Figure l is a sketch of a cigarette packages inner wrapper in fiat or rolled-out form. Broken lines represent the fold lines where folds are made to form the wrapper into its final shape. Straight slit is designed as 0?, curved slit as TVX, and weakened portions as PQ and VW. Locations where straight tears are to be made are jagged and are designated as QR and TS, and the lines of fold back are dotted and are designated as RS and SX.

Figure 2 is a sketch of a cigarette packages outer wrapper in fiat or rolled out form. Broken lines represent the fold lines where folds are made to form the wrapper into its final shape. Feather edge point of contact or pickup is designated as A, slits as AB, CDE, and FGH. Weakened portions are designated as BC, EF, and HI.

Figure 3 is a perspective sketch of a cigarette package showing the inner wrapper and outer wrapper in place. The front and back flap extensions of the inner wrapper have been left in an open position to show the positions of straight slit OP and curved slit TVX.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a conventional type cigarette package selected to illustrate the operation of the invention. Straight slit GP and curved slit TVX in the inner wrapper are covered over and not exposed to view now that front and back flaps and tucks at the top of the inner wrapper are in final position and the revenue stamp has been afiixed. In the outer wrapper feather edge point of contact or pick up is designated as A, slits are designated as AB, CDE and FGH. Weakened portions are designated as BC, EF and HI.

As will be explained in detail later, when slits AB, CDE and PGH are connected by tearing through weakened portions BC, EF and Hi, there is formed tear off portion ABCDEFGHIJA in the side and front of the outer covering of the package.

The figures which follow show the appearance of the package in the sequence of progressive stages of the operation of the invention.

Figure 5 shows tear-01f portion ABCDEFGHHA of the outer wrapper having been picked up at feather edge point of contact A and pulled away from the inner wrapper through slit AB but stopped at B of weakened portion BC.

Figure 6 shows tear-oii portion ABCDEFGHIJA having been torn through weakened portion BC, and through slit CD until part ABCDJA of the above mentioned tear-cit 3 portion is in the same plane as remaining part DEFGHHD on the front of the package.

Figure 7 shows tear-off portion ABCDEFGHIJA still in the same plane as the front of the package and as shown in Figure 6 but weakened section EF has now been torn through, thus making the entire tear-off portion ABCDEFGHH A to it is. lifted up, there is exposed slit GP in the front top I fold-over part of the inner wrapper.

Figure 10 shows tear-oh portion ABCDEFGHIJA and torn portion KLMNK of the revenue stamp having been torn between L and M, thus effecting complete detachrnent of the above mentioned portions from the remainder of the package.

Figure 11 shows portion OPTU of the front flap of the inner wrapper having been lifted upward away from the top part of the package along slit 0P, along part OU of the front end of the flap of the inner wrapper, and along the folded under edge UT of the tuck of the inner wrapper.

Figure 12 shows a portion OFQTU of the front flap of the inner wrapper having been lifted upward away from the top part of the package along slit 0?, torn through weakened section PO, and along the folded under edge UT of the tuck of the inner wrapper.

Figure 13 shows flap OPQTU of the inner wrapper having been pulled downward toward the bottom of the package to D6 of the outer wrapper producing tears in the inner wrapper from Q to R and from T to S, and also a break through the weakened section VW.

Figure 14 shows tap TVX now pulled out from under rear flap of the inner wrapper, and, this tab and portion STX of the inner wrapper folded back and away from the cigarettes in the package along the top edge ABCD of the side of the outer wrapper. The corner or first cigarette to be extracted is thus amply exposed for easy grasping thereby insuring effortless removal of this cigarette without mutilation to any of the other cigarettes in the pack- I age. Subsequent removals of cigarettes would likewise be accomplished in the same easy manner.

Figure 15 shows the corner cigarette has now been re moved. Portion ST X of the inner wrapper has now been pushed back against the cigarettes in the end of the package and tab TVX has been tucked back under the rear fold-over part of the inner wrapper on the top of the package. Portion STX and tab TVX are now back in their original positions.

Figure 16 shows portion QRST of the inner wrapper having been pushed upward and against the cigarettes in the front of the package to its original position. Flap OPQTU has now been tucked under the rear flap of the inner wrapper in the top of the package. The package is now closed, thus protecting the remaining cigarettes in the package from injury and also preventing the cigarette and tobacco particles from spilling out.

The operation of opening a package of the type in which cigarettes are usually packed is customarily accomplished by the user tearing the wrapper. an undefined or unpredictable path because there are no paths or guides provided to steer or direct the tear.

My invention among other features provides a definite guide for steering the desired tear which at the same time requires only the use of a minimum amount of tearing. This is accomplished by eliminating the necessity of tear- The tear is usually along ing in certain portions along the line of the desired tear by supplying ready cut slits. Only enough of the line of desired tear is left unslitted to hold the tear-oft and peelback portions in place so that the inner and outer wrappers will continue to be operable in the process of present packaging machines. These unslitted portions or weakened portions located between the slits are easily torn through, thus connecting the slits and forming the portions to be torn off or turned back.

The inner wrapper usually made of paper and metal toll, of a conventional cigarette package is shown in flat or rolled out condition in Figure l. A straight slit parallel to the ends of the wrapper and perpendicular to the top edge of the wrapper is shown as OP. As shown in Figures 3 and 4 this straight slit is so located that it is approximately under the center of the revenue stamp when the wrapper is in its complete folded state. The slit OP does not extend entirely to fold over line at Q inasmuch as there is no other covering over the cigarettes in the package between P and Q, and it is not desired to expose the cigarettes even for this small a distance. The back or under iiap of the top of the inner wrapper is under slit OP thus keeping the cigarettes in the package from exposure between 0 and P.

There is also a curved slit TVX as shown in Figure l which extends from the fold line at T at the top of the package to a location V near the top edge of the wrapper at W and back to the fold line at the top of the package at This curved slit TVX is so located that it is in the end tuck of the top of the package when the inner wrapper is in its complete folded state. Figure 3 shows the ends of the top of the inner wrapper folded into place. Curved slit TVX is shown in the end fold-over part of the top of the inner wrapper. When the front and back fold-over parts of the top are in their final positions, curved slit TVX is covered by the front end back fold-over parts of the top are in their final positions, curved slit TVX is covered by the front end back fold-over parts as shown in Figure 4.

The outer wrapper, usually made of paper and carrying printing, of a conventional cigarette package is shown in flat or rolled out condition in Figure 2. A straight slit is provided in the wrapper starting at the point where the fold line joins the top or the wrapper, such point being designated as A. This slit extends toward the bottom of the wrapper and at an angle to a point approximately equidistant between the two end fold lines. A short distance from this point the slit is resumed and extends at the same angle as the previously described slit to the fold line and from thence extends parallel to the top edge of the outer wrapper to a point approximately equidistant between the fold line and the near edge of the revenue stamp line extended. A short distance from this point the slit is resumed, whereupon it extends in the same line as the last portion of the previously described slit and parallel to the top of the outer wrapper to a point approximately in the middle of the portion of the wrapper which will become the front of the package when the wrapper is in its final folded state. From this point the slit extends perpendicularly to and toward the top of the wrapper for a distance approximately half way to the top of the wrapper. The portions between the end of one slit and the beginning of the next slit form weakened sections. These weakened sections can be readily torn through to connect the slits which in turn form the tear-off and turnback portions of the wrappers. Grasping the outer wrapper at feather edge point of contract A, a triangular portion between the top of the outer wrapper and slit AB is pulled outward and away from the inner wrapper as shown in Figure 5. As this triangular portion of the outer wrapper is further pulled outward and away from the inner wrapper, weakened section BC is torn through, thus connecting slits AB and CDE. The triangular portion which was on the side of the package now comes into the same plane as the front of the package as shown in Figure 6.

The pulling of the triangular section outward and away from the inner wrapper is further continued until weakened section EF is torn through thus connecting slit CDE to FGH. Portion ABCDEFGHIJA of the outer wrapper is now connected to the remaining part of the outer wrapper only by weakened section HI. By pulling portion ABCDEFGHIJA upward and away from the inner wrapper, as shown in Figure 7, weakened section HT, is torn through and a tear through is also made in that portion of the revenue stamp which was over this weakened section, as shown in Figure 8. Portion AECDEFGHIJA is now detached from the remaining portion of the outer cover, but is still attached to a portion of the revenue stamp.

Portion ABCDEFGHIJA with a portion of the revenue stamp attached is next pulled upward and away from that portion of the inner wrapper which is on the top of the package by tearing through the approximate middle of that portion of the revenue stamp which is on the top of the package as shown in Figure 9. Portion ABCDE- FGHHA with a portion of the revenue stamp attached thereto is next completely detached from the package by tearing through the revenue stamp along the back edge of the package as shown in Figure 10.

By the above described tearing away of a portion of the revenue stamp, there has been exposed a portion of the front top flap of the inner wrapper and also slit OP. the use or" slit 0? exposed portion of the flap of the inner wrapper is readily lifted up away from the top of the package as shown in Figure 11. By continuing to pull this portion of the top flap of the inner wrapper away from the top of the package, weakened section PQ is torn through there is thus formed a portion designated as QFQTU as shown in Figure 12.

The pull on flap ()PQTU is continued, but the pull from the package is now started in a downward direction. The force produces a strain in weakened section VW. This section is located in the end tuck of the inner wrapper and is shown in Figure 3. As the pull is continued downward, weakened section VW fails, and tears are started in that portion of the inner wrapper located on the front of the package at Q and T. The pull is further continued downward and away from the package until the tear reaches the new top edge DG of the outer wrapper which had been formed when the tearaway section ABCDEFGHIJA was torn away.

have now been made in the inner wrapper along spaced lines from T to S along the edge of the inner wrapper and from Q to R, exposing a portion of some of the cigarettes in the front part of the package as shown in Figure 13. By failure of weakened section VW the portion of the end fold-under section of the inner wrapper located at the top of the package and lying between the edge of the package and points TVX becomes a tab.

Using the top front edge of the inner wrapper at. T as a point of contact pressure is applied to push the inner wrapper outward and away from the cigarettes in the package at this point. As the push is continued flap TWX is forced out from under the back fold-over part of the top of the inner wrapper. The push is further continued until the end portion of the inner wrapper which had become exposed by portion ABCDEFGHIJA oi the outer wrapper having been torn away, is stopped by and folded back along the new top edge of the side portion of the outer Wrapper from A to D as shown in Figure 14. The torn edge of the outer wrapper thus functions as a guide for the tearing of the inner wrapper along lines PQR and TS, and also as a guide over which the outer wrapper is peeled back along the lines RS and SX.

The cigarettes in a portion of the front of the package and those in the side of the package are now exposed. The corner cigarette is now available for easy grasp with the fingers and effortless extraction from the package 6 without any mutilation or destruction to either itself or any of the other cigarettes in the package.

After the cigarette has been extracted. the operation of closing the package is approximately the reverse of the process of opening. A push is exerted at T against the end portion of the inner wrapper which had become exposed by portion ABCDEFGHIJ A of the outer wrapper having been torn away. This push is inward and toward the remaining cigarettes in the package. Tab TVX is next tucked under the back fold-over part of the top of the inner wrapper to its original position with the tab against the tops of the remaining cigarettes in the package as shown in Figure 15.

Flap OPQTU and the portion of the front part of the inner wrapper attached thereto is now pushed upward until the portion of the front part of the inner wrapper is in its original position against the remaining cigarettes in the package. Flap OPQTU is next tucked under the opposite flap of the inner wrapper until the flap is against the tops of the remaining cigarettes in the packags as shown in Figure 16.

The portions of the front, side and top of the package which had been open are now closed. The remaining cigarettes in the package are protected against damage; also, there is eliminated the disagreeable feature of tobacco particles spilling out of a package of cigarettes which has been opened.

I claim:

In a wrapper for a rectangular cigarette package comprising an inner composite wrapper having relatively broad side wall portions joined at the package corners by folds to relatively narrow end wall portions, a top wall portion formed of folded-over extensions of the side wall portions, there being tuck extensions of the end walls lying bottommost, a first flap extension of one side wall overlapping the tucks, a second fiap extension of the other side wall overlapping the first flap, and an outer open-top wrapper having a top edge lying adjacent the top of the package and also having relatively broad side wall portions joined at the package corners to relatively narrow end wall portions, said package being sealed by a stamp bridging across the top wall of the inner wrapper and adhering at opposite ends to regions of the outer wrapper side wall portions adjacent the top edges thereof, the outer wrapper being weakened to form a tear line diagonally downwardly across an end wall from one corner of the outer wrapper at the top edge thereof, thence laterally across an adjacent portion of the outer wrapper side wall which overlies the inner wrapper side wall having the second flap extension, and thence upwardly through at least a portion of the region to which said stamp adheres, whereby a bridging portion of the stamp is removable by continuation of the tearing motion utilized in removing the last-mentioned corner portion of. the outer wrapper along said tear line, the outer wrapper remaining along the tear line providing a guide edge extending around the corner of the package, said inner wrapper being weakened to provide a tear line across the second flap thereof in the region underlying the removable portion of said stamp, said inner wrapper having a tab formed in the tuck adjacent the corner of the package to be opened, said tab having a free edge normally disposed beneath said flaps and a base at the corners at the top or" the adjacent end wall of the package, whereby the end of the package may be peeled back over the diagonally extending portion of the outer wrapper guide edge by grasping said tab.

Reterences Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,915,583 Schmidt c June 27, 1933 1,979,349 Wall Aug. 14, 1934 1,998,077 Ferenci H Apr. 16, 1935 2,283,102 Stephano May 12, 1942 2,325,022 Aegerter July 27, 1943

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