Cigarette package

A cut-open device in the form of a strip of material having sufficient strength and stiffness to tear the sealed portion of the inner paper wrapper of a cigarette package enables the inner wrapper to be opened along a zone coextensive with an end portion of the strip defined by a row of perforations spaced apart from the end portion of the strip.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to an improvement in cigarette packages and, 
more specifically, to a device that facilitates opening the upper sealed 
portion of the metalized paper inner wrapper of the package. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Republic of Korea Utility Model No. 859/1983 (Utility Model Gazette No. 
601) discloses a way of opening the paper inner wrapper of a cigarette 
package, namely extending one end of a tear tape which is provided for 
cutting away the top of cellophane outer wrapper of the package and 
adhering that end to the sealed portion of the inner paper wrapper. When 
the user pulls on the tape to detach the outer cellophane wrapper, the 
sealed portion of the inner paper wrapper is cut open at the same time. 
However, while the outer cellophane wrapper is thin so that the top can 
easily be opened by means of the tear tape, the inner paper wrapper is so 
strong that the sealed portion cannot easily be torn open. Also, there are 
difficulties in adhering the tear tape to the inside of the sealed portion 
in the inner paper wrapper. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
An object of the present invention is to provide a cut-open device for the 
sealed portion of the inner paper wrapper of a cigarette package by which 
the drawbacks of the prior art described above are overcome and that 
enables the inner wrapper to be opened quickly and easily. 
The foregoing object is achieved, in accordance with the present invention, 
in a cigarette package having an inner paper wrapper having a sealed 
portion at one end adapted to be opened for removal of the cigarettes, an 
outer cellophane wrapper and a tear tape for removing the end of the 
cellophane wrapper corresponding to the sealed end portion of the inner 
wrapper. The improvement is a cut-open device for the sealed portion of 
the inner wrapper, the cut-open device being a strip of material received 
between the ends of the cigarettes and the sealed portion and having two 
rows of perforations extending transversely and spaced apart from the 
respective ends of the strip, the strip of material having sufficient 
strength and stiffness to tear the sealed portion of the paper wrapper 
along a zone coextensive with an end portion of the strip defined by the 
row of perforations. 
For a better understanding of the invention reference may be made to the 
following description of an exemplary embodiment, taken in conjunction 
with the figures of the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT 
The embodiment of the present invention shown in the drawing is utilized in 
conjunction with a conventional cigarette package in which cigarettes 4 
are received within an inner paper wrapper 1, the wrapper 1 virtually 
always being made of metalized paper to seal the package against the 
passage of moisture. The inner wrapper includes a sealed end portion 1'. 
The sealed inner wrapper is enclosed within a cellophane outer wrapper 2, 
and a tear tape 3 is provided near the top of the outer wrapper. As 
described thus far, the embodiment shown in the drawings is a conventional 
cigarette package. 
In accordance with the present invention, a cutopen device 5 is inserted 
between the inside of the upper sealed portion 1' of the inner paper 
wrapper 1 and the upper ends of the cigarettes 4 contained within the 
inner wrapper. The cut-open device is a strip of thin material that is 
rectangular and has a width and length corresponding to the front-to-back 
thickness and side-to-side width of the package. The cut-open device 5 has 
two transverse rows of perforations 5', each row being spaced inwardly 
from either end of the strip and preferably located in a position 
corresponding to the edges of a paper strip 7 of the type conventionally 
adhered over the center of the sealed portion 1' of the inner wrapper 1 
and extending partway down the front and back walls of the inner wrapper. 
The reference numeral 8 in the drawings designates an arrow that is printed 
on the wrapper and indicates to the user of the package the end that is to 
be opened using the cut-open device. 
The cut-open device is made of a material such as a lightweight paperboard 
that is of sufficient strength and stiffness to tear the sealed portion of 
the paper wrapper along a zone coextensive with the row of perforations 
and the perimeter of the end portion of the strip outwardly of the 
perforations. In large measure, the stiffness and strength of the material 
is a function of the thickness T shown in FIG. 2 by the dimension lines 
referred to as "T". 
In use, as shown in FIG. 4, the package is grasped in one hand and the 
other hand is used to remove the upper portion of the outer wrapper 2, 
using the tear tape 3 (FIG. 4A). The inner wrapper is then opened by 
pinching an end or corner of the inner wrapper 1 together with the 
cut-open device between the thumb and forefinger, perhaps with the 
assistance of a fingernail or thumbnail (FIG. 4B). By lifting and pulling 
on the end of the wrapper and the cut-open device the upper portion 1' of 
the inner wrapper 1 is easily removed as a generally rectangular piece 
corresponding to the perimeter of the end segment of the cut-open device 5 
outboard of the perforations 5 (FIG. 4C). The cigarettes can then be 
easily removed from the package. 
The structure of the cut-open device 5 of the invention is simple and it 
can easily be inserted between the inside of the upper sealed portion of 
the inner wrapper and the upper surface of the cigarettes. It involves 
very little additional cost in the price of the package while affording to 
the user a substantial improvement in the convenience of opening the 
package.