Hinge-lid pack for cigarettes or the like

A hinge-lid pack for cigarettes or the like. It is a common problem in hinge-lid packs comprising a pack part (10) and a lid (11) articulated on a rear panel (13) of the pack part (10), to reliably lock the lid (11) in an accurate closed position. This problem particularly appears in hinge-lid packs with rounded or bevelled longitudinal edges (27, 28). To ensure the precise closed position of the lid (11), material thickenings are formed in the region of the inner side of a lid front panel (17). In closed position, these thickenings exert an increased closing pressure on upper portions of a collar (23), particularly of a collar front panel (24). This closing pressure loads the lid (11) in the closed position.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The invention relates to a hinge-lid pack, especially with rounded or 
bevelled longitudinal edges, comprising a pack part and a lid articulated 
on a rear panel of the pack part, and including a collar which is arranged 
in the pack part and partially projects therefrom and which is surrounded, 
in a closed position, in the region of a collar front panel and collar 
side panels by a lid front panel and lid side panels of the lid. 
Hinge-lid packs are commonly used as cigarette packs. The structure of this 
pack type is standardized in that a pack part and a lid are pivotably 
connected to one another. For this purpose, a lid rear panel is connected 
to a pack rear panel via a "hinge" formed by a folding line. 
A collar comprising a collar front panel and collar side panels laterally 
adjoining thereto is arranged within the pack part. The collar is 
connected to the inner sides of a front panel and two adjoining side 
panels of the pack part. A portion of the collar projects from the pack 
part. In the closed position of the pack, this free portion of the collar 
is enclosed by the lid. 
A certain problem in this type of pack is that, in the closed position, 
free edges of the lid (closing edge) do not precisely abut counter edges 
of the pack part in the region of front panel and side panels. Quite 
often, a gap is formed after the pack has been opened and re-closed, which 
is a result of restoring forces of the material. 
This problem particularly appears in hinge-lid packs with rounded 
longitudinal edges according to U.S. Pat. No. 4,753,383 and in packs with 
bevelled or polygonal longitudinal edges (U.S. Pat. No. 4,753,384). 
In order to lock the lid of a hinge-lid pack in the closed position, it is 
known in the art to provide an inner lid tab with lateral recesses which 
engage free edges of the collar front panel in the closed position. The 
positive connection of collar front panel and inner lid tab exerts an 
additional closing force on the lid. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The invention is based on the object to provide a further solution for 
securing the lid of a hinge-lid pack in the closed position which is easy 
in terms of production and which reliably applies an additional closing 
force to the lid, even if the hinge-lid pack has been opened and re-closed 
repeatedly. 
To attain this object, the hinge-lid pack according to the invention is 
characterized in that the lid front panel is provided at its inner side 
with at least one material thickening which, in the closed position of the 
lid, abuts the collar front panel under an increased pressure. 
The local pressure which is thus created between lid front panel and collar 
front panel stabilizes the closed position and avoids a gaping closing 
joint. 
According to a further proposal of the invention, the additional closing 
pressure is created in a region which is located away from the closing 
edge of the lid, particularly in a region adjacent to a lid top panel and 
therewith in an end region of lateral legs of an appropriately designed 
collar front panel. As usual, this collar front panel comprises a central 
recess which facilitates an extraction of the pack contents. As a result, 
the collar front panel forms lateral webs which are connected to the 
collar side tabs. The additional closing pressure is created in the upper 
or end region of these webs by means of appropriate thickenings in the 
lid. In this region, the collar front panel has a higher stability because 
of the directly adjacent transversely directed collar side tabs. 
According to the invention. folding tabs which are attached to the inner 
lid tab form the thickening. In particular, the folding tabs are in the 
form of transversely directed projections or extensions located at the 
edge of the inner lid tab. The folding tabs are inwardly folded against 
the side of the inner lid tab which confronts the lid front panel. In this 
configuration, the inner lid tab is joined to the lid front panel, in 
particular by means of adhesive bonding. According to the invention, the 
inwardly folded projections or extensions are arranged in a region 
directed towards the free edge of the inner lid tab, i.e. adjacent to a 
lid top panel. 
An exemplary embodiment of the hinge-lid pack according to the invention 
will be described below with reference to the drawings, in which:

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Hinge-lid packs mainly serve for holding cigarettes, particularly a 
cigarette group wrapped in an inner blank which is usually made of tin 
foil. The hinge-lid pack comprises a pack part 10 and a lid 11 which is 
pivotably connected to the pack part 10. The pack part 10 comprises a 
front panel 12, a rear panel 13, side panels 14 and 15 and a bottom panel 
16. 
In like manner, the lid 11 comprises a lid front panel 17, a lid rear panel 
18, lid side panels 19 and 20 and a lid top panel 21. The latter is 
located opposite the bottom panel 16 of the pack part 10. 
Pack part 10 and lid 11 are connected to one another in the region of rear 
panel 13 and lid rear panel 18, particularly in the region of a 
transversely directed folding line 22 which acts like a hinge when the lid 
11 is opened and closed. 
A conventionally designed hinge-lid pack also comprises a collar 23 which 
in this case is formed from a separate blank and comprises a collar front 
panel 24 and collar side tabs 25 and 26. The collar 23 is located in the 
pack part 10 in such a way that an upper portion of the collar 23 projects 
from this pack part 10. In the region of the collar front panel 24, the 
collar 23 is connected to the inner side of the front panel 12 of the pack 
part. The collar side tabs 25, 26 rest against the inner sides of the side 
panels 14, 15 of the pack part 10. In closed position, the portion of 
collar 23 which projects from the pack part 10 is enclosed by the lid 11, 
particularly by the lid front panel 17 and lid side panels 19, 20 (FIGS. 1 
to 3). 
The hinge-lid pack of the present exemplary embodiment is provided with 
specifically designed longitudinal edges 27 and 28, particularly with 
rounded longitudinal edges (round edges) as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 
4,753,383. Accordingly, the collar 23 also comprises rounded collar edges 
29 in the region between collar front panel 24 and collar side tabs 25, 
26. 
The hinge-lid pack is provided with special measures for securing the lid 
11 in the closed position without impeding the general handling of the 
pack. In closed position, a lower free edge of the lid front panel 17, 
i.e. a lid edge 30, has to abut as precisely as possible a counter edge of 
the pack part 10, particularly an upper free edge of the front panel 12 of 
the pack part 10, i.e. in the present case a closing edge 31. To ensure 
this closed position (FIG. 1, FIG. 6), an additional closing pressure is 
exerted on the lid 11 in the present hinge-lid pack. 
Inwardly directed material reinforcements or thickenings are formed within 
the lid and exert an increased (supporting) pressure on portions of the 
collar in the closed position. As a result, an additional closing force is 
applied to the lid 11. The increased pressure is created in the region of 
the collar front panel 24, and in the present embodiment particularly in 
an upper region directed towards a free edge of the collar front panel. 
For this purpose, the invention makes use of the specific but nevertheless 
quite conventional structure of the collar 23. In the region of the collar 
front panel 24, the collar is provided with a recess 32 which is 
completely located in the portion of the collar which projects from the 
pack part 10. The recess 32 delimits lateral webs 33, 34 of the collar 
front panel 24. The webs form narrow surface areas of the collar front 
panel which slightly taper towards the top. In the closed position of the 
lid 11, said material thickenings at the inner side of the lid front panel 
abut the collar front panel in the region of the webs 33, 34. In 
particular, they abut the upper or free ends of the webs 33, 34 directly 
adjacent to the lateral edges and the collar side tabs 25, 26 adjoining 
these edges. 
The material thickening can be formed in different ways, particularly also 
by means of separate blanks which are placed on the inner side of the lid 
front panel 17. Expediently, the thickenings are disposed in the region 
between the lid front panel 17 and an inner lid tab 35. In principle, this 
inner lid tab 35 is quite common in hinge-lid packs. The inner lid tab 35 
is part of the pack blank (FIG. 4) and adjoins the free edge of the lid 
front panel 17. In the present case, however, the inner lid tab 35 has a 
greater dimension in the longitudinal direction of the blank, such that 
the inner lid tab 35 extends nearly up to the inner side of the lid top 
panel 21 (FIGS. 6 and 7). 
In the present embodiment, the material thickening is formed from portions 
of the inner lid tab 35, particularly from small folding tabs 36, 37 which 
are part of the pack blank and laterally adjoin the free end of the inner 
lid tab 35 in the form of extensions. In the present embodiment, the 
folding tabs 36, 37 are square and are delimited from the inner lid tab 35 
by a folding line 38. The inner lid tab 35 itself has a trapezoidal shape. 
To form the described material thickenings, the folding tabs 36, 37 are 
folded against the side of the inner lid tab 35 which confronts the lid 
front panel 17 and are expediently connected thereto by adhesive bonding. 
Thereafter, the folding process continues in the normal way and the inner 
lid tab 35 is folded against the inner side of the lid front panel 17 and 
is also adhesively bonded thereto. As a result, the inner lid tab 35 
directly abuts the lid front panel 17 in a central region. The thickenings 
are formed by the folding tabs 36, 37 in the lateral regions between inner 
lid tab 35 and lid front panel 17. The folding tabs 36, 37 precisely 
extend in the region of the ends of the webs 33, 34. 
As a result of the outwardly directed closing force exerted on the lid 
front panel 17, the lid 11 is loaded in the direction of the closed 
position. This is also a result of the fact that the lid 11 acts like a 
lever which is pivoted on the hinge (folding line 22) and is loaded in the 
closing direction. Consequently, it is important that the material 
thickenings are arranged above the folding line 22.