WO2007036714A1

WO2007036714A1 - Packages

Info

Publication number: WO2007036714A1
Application number: PCT/GB2006/003588
Authority: WO
Inventors: David Scammell
Original assignee: Field Group Plc
Priority date: 2005-09-27
Filing date: 2006-09-27
Publication date: 2007-04-05
Also published as: GB0519661D0

Abstract

A product package (2) comprises an expandable waste compartment (6) for receiving waste product.

Description

Packages

The present invention relates to packages, and more particularly to packages which incorporate a waste compartment.

There is today a greater problem than ever with littering. For example, it is not uncommon for a smoker to discard a cigarette butt onto the street, or for someone chewing gum to drop the chewed gum onto the street. This is not only unsightly, but is costly in that, particularly with chewing gum, it can often take considerable effort to remove the gum.

Accordingly, the present invention seeks to provide a package which can receive waste products such as cigarette butts or chewed gum. From a first aspect, therefore, the present invention provides a product package comprising an expandable waste compartment for receiving waste product.

Thus in accordance with the invention, a product package is provided with a waste compartment which can expand in order to receive waste product. Thus a consumer may use the product package as its own litter receptacle.

Space for the waste product can be provided by product being removed from the container. This allows the package to remain compact.

Preferably the waste compartment is formed from a flexible material, for example a metallic or plastics foil material.

The compartment material can be chosen to meet the desired application. Thus, for example, in a cigarette package, the material should be heat resistant so as not to melt when cigarette butts are introduced into the compartment.

The compartment may be formed as an expandable concertina type compartment.

The waste compartment may be open to the remainder of the package, but preferably it is closed therefrom in order to prevent waste product from entering the package proper and contaminating the product therein.

In applications such as cigarette packaging, the compartment is preferably sealed with respect to the remainder of the carton so as to prevent smoke or fumes escaping into the package. Preferably, therefore, the compartment is a sealed compartment.

This is inventive in its own right, so from a further aspect, the invention provides a package comprising a waste compartment, which waste compartment is sealed from a further part of the package.

In preferred embodiments of the invention, the waste compartment is formed separately from, and attached to, the package. Thus, for example, the compartment may be formed as a bag or pouch which is located and secured in a desired location in a package. For example, the compartment may be glued or otherwise adhered to a surface of the package.

The compartment is preferably provided with a suitable closure. This may be formed as an integral part of the compartment, or as a part of the package.

In one arrangement, an opening to the compartment may be moved to an exposed position to allow waste to be placed inside the compartment. In one embodiment, therefore, the compartment opening may be formed in a movable flap which, when the waste compartment is closed, lies behind a wall of the package, but which can be moved to an exposed position. Preferably the flap is attached to a hinged wall panel of the package.

In other embodiments, however, a wall, for example a side wall, of the package may comprise a movable closure member, such as a hinged flap, which selectively covers the opening of the compartment.. The flap may have a separate closure member attached thereto to close and preferably also seal the compartment.

The closure may be provided with or associated with a surface allowing e.g. a cigarette butt to be stubbed out before being placed in the compartment. This in itself is also believed to be a novel arrangement, so from a further aspect the invention provides a package for a tobacco product comprising a waste compartment, said waste compartment having an opening to receive waste product, a closure for said opening, and a surface provided on or adjacent said closure on which surface a butt can be stubbed out prior to it being placed in the waste compartment. Preferably the stubbing out surface underlies a movable part of the closure such that it is only exposed when the closure is opened. This is advantageous in that it prevents the outside of the package getting dirty with ash etc..

Preferably the surface is provided to extend adjacent the waste compartment opening such that ash etc. can easily be pushed into the waste compartment.

Most preferably the stubbing surface is recessed into the closure to further prevent escape of ash etc..

Preferably the waste compartment closure is arranged so as to lie flush with the wall or surface on which it is provided in order to facilitate stacking of the product. The closure may therefore be recessed into an associated wall.

Some preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows, schematically, a first embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 shows the embodiment of Figure 1 with its waste compartment expanded;

Figures 3 a to 3 c show, schematically, a modified embodiment of the invention;

Figures 4a, 4b and 4c show a detail of the embodiment of Figures 3 a to 3 c;

Figures 5 a to 5c show the compartment of the embodiment of Figures 4a to 4c at different stages of expansion;

Figures 6a to 6 c show certain components of the first embodiment of the invention;

Figures 7 a and 7b show sectional views through a second embodiment of the invention;

Figure 8 shows a component of the second embodiment of the invention; and

Figures 9a and 9b show a further component of the second embodiment of the invention

With reference to Figures 1 and 2, a flip top package 2 is shown containing cigarettes 4. A waste compartment 6 is provided within the package 2. The waste compartment 6 is formed as a bag of flexible, heat-proof foil material 6 which, when the package is full of cigarettes, can collapse against a side wall 8 of the package, as shown in Figure 1. The body 10 of the bag 6 has an opening, and the body 10 is attached, e.g. heat sealed, to a closure device 12 which is mounted in the side wall 8 of the package for closing the opening. The side wall 8 of the package 2 has an aperture to receive the closure and the bag 6.

The closure 12 has a peripheral flange 14 which is suitably bonded to the external side wall 8 of the package 2. The closure has an opening 16 which is aligned with the opening of the bag 6 and which is closed by a hinged flap 18. The hinged flap 18 has a projecting edge 20 which engages inside the inner edge of the opening 16 so as to seal the compartment 6.

It will be seen that the closure 12 also has a recessed surface 22 formed at one end adjacent the aperture 16. This surface 22 acts as a stubbing out surface for cigarette butts before they are pushed into the aperture 16.

A variation on the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2 is shown in Figures 3 to 6. In this embodiment, a cigarette package 100 comprises an outer body 102 erected from a blank 104 (Figure 6a). It further comprises an insert 106 made from a blank 108 (Figure 6b). A side wall 110 of the packet 102 is formed as a double thickness from panels 112,114 of the outer body blank 102. Panel 112 is formed with a hinged flap 116 while panel 114 is formed with a generally square panel 118 defined by a line of weakness. The panel is bonded to the hinged flap 116. The hinged flap 116 lies flush with the side wall 110.

The insert 108 has side panels having a sloping lower edge 120, and, as shown in Figure 6c, when inserted into the package outer 102, the side panels form a hinged rib 122.

As shown in Figures 4a to 4c, an expandable bag 124 made of a flexible foil material is mounted to the inside of side wall 110. The bag 124 is formed with an injection moulded ring 126 around an opening 128. The ring 126 is bonded to an internal surface of the side wall 110 to position the bag.

The opening 128 is closed and sealed by an injection moulded member 130 which is suitably bonded to the inside face of the panel 118 such that when the flap 116 is opened, the panel 118 and moulded member 130 move together out of the opening 128. As shown in Figures 5 a to 5c, as cigarettes are removed from the package 102, cigarette butts can be introduced into the waste compartment 124 which is able to expand. In fact, as the compartment 124 expands, it pivots rib 122 which helps retain cigarettes within upright within the package.

It will be appreciated that in the arrangements of Figures 1 to 6, the waste compartments are formed as bags or pouches whose only openings are to the outside of the package. Thus the waste in the compartments is completely segregated from the unused contents of the package, so that ash or fumes cannot enter the package..

With reference to Figures 7 to 9, a further embodiment of the invention is described, which may find application as a chewing gum package.

In this embodiment an outer container 200 is formed from a blank of paperboard material having a top wall panel 202 with a top flap 204 attached thereto. It further comprises a bottom wall panel 206 with a bottom flap 208 attached thereto. The top flap 204 is provided with a dispensing opening 210 for gum while the bottom flap 208 is provided with an opening 212 to receive used gum, as will be described further below.

When erected, the top flap 204 lies behind the front wall 214 of the package with the opening 210 being arranged below a cut-out 216 in the upper edge of the front wall 214. This prevents contents being dispensed from the package.

Similarly, the bottom flap 208 lies behind the rear wall 218 of the package. When closed, the opening 212 lies fully behind, and is hidden by, the rear wall 218, but when opened it aligns with a cut-out 220 formed in the bottom edge of the rear wall 218.

A waste compartment 222 is attached to the inner wall of the package 200. The waste compartment 222 is formed from a flat blank 224 of a plastics foil material, which is folded over a line 226 and heat sealed around its periphery 228 to form an upwardly closed bag. The downwardly facing tongue 230 of the bag 220 is attached, e.g. bonded, to the base panel 206 and bottom flap 208 of the package 200 and possibly also to a lower region of the front wall 214 of the container.

As shown in Figure 7c, a product, e.g. gum 232, can be dispensed from the top of the container by lifting the top panel 202 so as to align the opening 210 in the top flap 204 with the cut out 216 in the upper edge of the front wall 214. The ^■upward travel of the top flap 204 is limited by notches 234 which engage with folded over top closure flaps 236,238 of the package.

Similarly, to store waste gum, the bottom panel 206 is pivoted down so as to align the aperture 212 in the bottom flap 208 with the cut out 220 in the lower edge of the rear wall 218. As with the top flap 204, movement of the bottom flap 208 is restricted by engagement of notches 240 with adjacent bottom closure flaps 242, 244.

With opening 212 exposed, waste gum can be pushed into the compartment as shown. The bag 222 completely separates the waste gum from fresh gum in the main body of the package, thereby avoiding any contamination.

The packages described above may be made of any suitable material, but they are preferably formed from a foldable sheet material such as paperboard.

Claims

1. A product package comprising an expandable waste compartment for receiving waste product.

2. A package as claimed in claim 1 wherein the waste compartment is formed from a flexible material.

3. A package as claimed in claim 2 wherein the material is a metallic or plastics foil material.

4. A package as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the compartment is heat resistant.

5. A package as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the compartment may is formed as a concertina type compartment.

6. A package as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the waste compartment is open to the remainder of the package.

7. A package as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6 wherein the waste compartment is closed from the remainder of the package.

8. A package as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the compartment is a sealed compartment.

9. A package comprising a waste compartment, which waste compartment is sealed from a further part of the package.

10. A package as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the waste compartment is formed separately from, and attached to, the package.

11. A package as claimed in claim 10 wherein the compartment is formed as a bag or pouch.

12. A package as claimed in claim 10 or 11 wherein the compartment is glued or otherwise adhered to a surface of the package.

13. A package as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the compartment is provided with a closure.

14. A package as claimed in claim 13 wherein the closure is an integral part of the compartment, or as a part of the package.

15. A package as claimed in claim 13 wherein the closure is a part of the package.

16. A package as claimed in claim 13, 14 or 15 wherein the opening to the compartment is movable to an exposed position to allow waste to be placed inside the compartment.

17. A package as claimed in claim 16 wherein the compartment opening is formed in a movable flap which, when the waste compartment is closed, lies behind a wall of the package, but which can be moved to an exposed position.

18. A package as claimed in claim 17 wherein the flap is attached to a hinged wall panel of the package.

19. A package as claimed in claim 13 wherein a wall of the package comprises a movable closure member which selectively covers the opening of the compartment..

20. A package as claimed in claim 16 comprising a flap having a separate closure member attached thereto to close the compartment.

21. A package as claimed in any of claim 13 to 20 wherein the closure is provided with or associated with a surface allowing a cigarette butt to be stubbed out before being placed in the compartment.

22. A package for a tobacco product comprising a waste compartment, said waste compartment having an opening to receive waste product, a closure for said opening, and a surface provided on or adjacent said closure on which surface a butt can be stubbed out prior to it being placed in the waste compartment.

23. A package as claimed in claim 21 or 22 wherein the stubbing out surface underlies a movable part of the closure such that it is only exposed when the closure is opened.

24. A package as claimed in claim 21, 22 or 23 wherein the surface is provided to extend adjacent the waste compartment opening.

25. A package as claimed in any of claims 21 to 24 wherein the stubbing surface is recessed into the closure.

26. A package as claimed in any of claims 13 to 25 wherein the waste compartment closure is arranged so as to lie flush with the wall or surface on which it is provided.