WO2009013111A1

WO2009013111A1 - Package for smoking articles

Info

Publication number: WO2009013111A1
Application number: PCT/EP2008/058673
Authority: WO
Inventors: Wan Hamansor Adabi Wan Hassan
Original assignee: Bat Aspac Service Centre Sdn Bhd; British American Tobacco (Investments) Limited
Priority date: 2007-07-25
Filing date: 2008-07-04
Publication date: 2009-01-29
Also published as: CL2008002175A1

Abstract

A package for smoking articles comprises an outer shell (2) extending in a longitudinal direction,- a lid (9) attached to one end of the outer shell by which the pack may be opened and closed and a plurality of inner shells (3,4,5), each adapted to receive smoking articles; at least one of the inner shells being slideable in the longitudinal direction relative to the outer shell when the lid is in its open position thereby to facilitate access to the smoking articles in that shell.

Description

Title

Package for Smoking Articles

Field of the invention This invention relates to packages, and, more specifically, to packages for containing smoking articles.

The smoking articles for which the packages of the present invention are primarily intended for use include cigarettes, cigars, and cigarillos. For convenience and brevity, and without intending any limitation, these smoking articles will all be referred to herein as cigarettes.

Background

A conventional package for cigarettes comprises an outer shell extending in a longitudinal direction; a lid attached to one end of the outer for movement between open and closed positions; and an inner shell that receives for example 20 cigarettes in three rows. When the lid is opened the front row of cigarettes is more readily accessible than the centre or rear rows.

Summary of the invention

According to the present invention, a package for smoking articles comprises an outer shell extending in a longitudinal direction; a lid attached to one end of the outer shell for movement between open and closed positions; and a plurality of inner shells, each adapted to receive smoking articles; at least one of the inner shells being slideable in the longitudinal direction relative to the outer shell when the lid is in its open position thereby to facilitate access to the smoking articles in that shell.

The invention is particularly effective where it is desired to incorporate cigarettes of different types, e.g. different flavours, in a single pack. In this case different cigarettes may be incorporated in different trays, and the sliding movement of the tray or trays in the direction of withdrawal of cigarettes from the pack allows the user first to select all those cigarettes of a particular flavour by partially withdrawing the relevant inner shell from the package, a before withdrawing a cigarette from the pack.

All the inner shells may be slideable in the longitudinal direction. Alternatively, one of the inner shells may be fixed relative to the outer shell, the other inner shell or shells being slideable.

Preferably the package comprises three inner shells. The inner shells may carry the same number of cigarettes (e.g. seven in each tray) or different numbers (e.g. seven in the front and rear trays, and six in the central tray).

The package preferably comprises a restraint for limiting the longitudinal movement of the, or each, slideable inner shell. The restraint is conveniently in the form of a tongue (which may be positioned on the outer shell or another inner shell) to limit the relative movement of the slideable shell in the longitudinal direction

The inner shells may lie side-by site laterally within the outer shell, their combined widths corresponding to the width of the outer shell. Alternatively, and preferably, each the inner shells overlie each other, each inner shall having substantially the same width as the outer shell.

If desired, each inner shell may be provided with a recess adjacent to the access aperture for facilitating access to smoking articles in that inner shell. Further more, one inner shell may include a tab that may be grasped by a user to facilitate the sliding movement of the inner shell.

Preferably the outer shell comprises a lateral surface comprising two major laterally opposed walls and two minor laterally opposed walls; a closed end, and an open end an longitudinally opposed to the closed end, and providing an access aperture, the access aperture being closable by the lid. One of the lateral walls may be provided has a recess adjacent to the access aperture for facilitating access to smoking articles in an inner shell

In a package according to the invention, edges of the package can be substantially square, non square, bevelled, rounded, or a combination thereof.

Brief description of the drawings

In order that the invention be easily understood and readily carried into effect, a preferred embodiment thereof will now be made, by way of example only, with reference to the following schematic drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front view of one embodiment of a package according to the invention, partly open; Figure 2 is a front view of the package of the Figure 1 in a fully opened position; Figure 3 is a front view of the package of Figure 1 in a fully open position; Figure 4 shows a blank for the outer shell of the package of Figures 1 to 3; and Figures 5 to 7 show blanks three inner shells of the package of Figures 1 to 3. In Figures 5-7, solid lines represent the edges of the blanks or cuts therein, and the broken lines represent fold lines.

Detailed description

Referring to the drawings, a package for 21 cigarettes 1 comprises an outer shell 2 of parallelepiped shape with squared edges, a front inner shell 3, an central inner shell 4 and a rear inner shell 5. The three inner shells 3, 4, 5 are of similar widths to each other, are complementary in shape to the outer shell and overlie each other within the outer shell.

The outer shell 2 is in the form of a parallelepiped container 10 extending longitudinally in the direction of withdrawal of cigarettesl therefrom and is formed from a single flat blank 20 illustrated in Figure 4. - A -

The outer shell 2 has two major laterally opposed front and rear walls 12, 13, two minor laterally opposed side walls 14, 15, formed by overlapping panels on the front and rear walls, a closed bottom end 16, and an open top end 17 longitudinally opposed to the closed bottom end that provides an access aperture 18 The front wall 12 is shorter than to rear wall 13 to facilitate access to smoking articles in the pack A lid 9 hinged to the rear panel 13 along a fold line 20 may be moved through 180° between the open position shown in Figs 1-3 into a closed position

The three inner shells 3, 4, 5 are formed from the single flat blanks illustrated in Figures 7, 6 and 5 respectively Each blank comprises a front panel 3a, 4a, 5a, and a rear panel 3b, 4b, 5b connected to a bottom panel 3c, 4c, 5c along fold lines which enable the blanks to be folded into a shell of U-shaped lateral cross- section, dimensioned to receive seven cigarettes of a standard size Each inner shell has a recess 3g, 4g, 5g, which, when the pack is assembled, lies adjacent the access aperture 18 and facilitate access to cigarettes in the individual inner shells

The rear panel 3b of the front inner shell 3 is provided with a tongue 3d which, when the package is assembled, projects into contact with the adjacent front panel 4a of the central inner shell 4 The front panel 4a of the central inner shell is itself provided with a tongue 4d which is arranged to engage with the tongue 3d on the front inner shell

Similarly, the rear panel 4b of the central inner shall 4 is provided with a tongue 4e, which, when the package is assembled, projects into contact with the adjacent front panel 5a of the rear inner shell 5 The front panel 5a of the rear inner shell 5 is itself provided with a tongue 5d, which his arranged to engage with the tongue 4e of the central inner shell

The tongues on the three inner shells act as a restraint to limit the movement of the shells within the pack, as described below The rear panel 5b of the rear inner shell 5 is connected by a fold line 25 to a tab 26, which projects from the rear panel in the longitudinal direction.

When assembled, the three inner shells 3, 4, 5, each carrying seven cigarettes 1 overlie each other within the outer shell, with the lid closed and the tab 26 folded down over the top of the cigarettes. The front panel 3a of the front inner shell 3 is attached by adhesive to the interior surface of the front panel 12 of the outer shell 2 and is therefore fixed in position.

The user opens the package by first moving the lid 9 into its open position, then raising the tab 26, and pulling it in the longitudinal direction, i.e. the direction of removal of the cigarettes from the package. This causes the rear inner shell 5 to slide out of the pack until the tongue 5d on its front panel 5a engages with the tongue 4e on rear face 4b of the central inner shell 4. At this point, continued pulling of the tab 26 causes the central inner shell 4 to withdraw from the outer shell 2, together with the rear inner shell 5. This movement continues until the tongue 4d in the outer panel 4a of the central inner shell 4 engages with the tongue 3d on the rear panel 3b of the front inner shell 3, thereby limiting and restraining further sliding movement of the central and rear inner shells 4, 5 relative to the front inner shell 3 and the outer shell 2.

In this condition, illustrated in Figure 3, the cigarettes 1 in each of the inner shells are displayed individually, and the user can easily withdraw a cigarette of his or her choice from any of the three inner shells.

The package is closed by applying pressure to the central and inner shells in the opposite direction.

The package described and illustrated in the drawings is therefore particularly useful for (but not limited in application to) the packaging of three different kinds of cigarettes in the same package, for example cigarettes of different flavours. If cigarettes of the same kind are packed in the same inner shell, the pack provides the user access to all three kinds of cigarette with the same ease of access.

Claims

1. A package for smoking articles comprising an outer shell extending in a longitudinal direction; a lid attached to one end of the outer shell for movement between open and closed positions; and a plurality of inner shells, each adapted to receive smoking articles; at least one of the inner shells being slideable in the longitudinal direction relative to the outer shell when the lid is in its open position thereby to facilitate access to the smoking articles in that shell.

2. A package according to claim 1 comprising three inner shells.

3. A package according to claims 1 or claim 2 further comprising a restraint for limiting the longitudinal movement of the or each slideable shell.

4. A package according to claim 3, wherein the restrain comprises a tongue on the slideable shell adapted to interlock with another tongue on the outer shell or another inner shell to limit the relative movement thereof in the longitudinal direction.

5. A package according to any one of claims 2 to 4 where in one inner shell is fixed relative to the outer shell and the other two shells are slideable in the longitudinal direction.

6. A package according to any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein the inner shells overlie each other.

7. A package according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the outer shell comprises a lateral surface comprising two major laterally opposed walls and two minor laterally opposed walls; a closed end, and an open end an longitudinally opposed to the closed end, and providing an access aperture, the access aperture being closable by the lid.

8. A package according to claim 6 or claim 7wherein each inner shell has a recess adjacent to the access aperture for facilitating access to smoking articles in that inner shell.

9. A package according to any one of the preceding claims wherein one inner shall includes a tab that may be grasped by a user to facilitate the sliding movement of the inner shell.

10. A package according to any of claims 1 to 9, wherein each inner shell is independently slideable.

11. A set of blanks for forming a package for smoking articles, comprising: an outer shell blank to be formed into an outer shell extending in a longitudinal direction, with a lid attached to one end thereof for movement between open and closed positions; and inner shell blanks to be formed into a plurality of inner shells for receiving smoking articles, at least one of the inner shells being slideable in the longitudinal direction relative to the outer shell when the lid is in its open position to facilitate access to the smoking articles in that shell.

12. A set of blanks as claimed in claim 12 wherein at least one of the inner shell blanks includes a portion comprising a restraint for limiting the longitudinal movement of the or another of the slideable inner shells.