Abstract:
The present invention relates to a container for holding cigarettes. In general, the container includes an inner pack for storing the cigarettes and an outer sleeve. The inner pack includes, among other things, a body and a lid. In one embodiment, the lid has a rear wall integrally hinged to the rear wall of the body. In another embodiment, the lid has a side wall that is integrally hinged with the side wall of the body. The lid includes a flap affixed a wall of the lid and the flap includes a tab. The inner pack moves within the outer sleeve between a first position whereby the lid is located in a closed position and a second position whereby the tab of the flap contacts the tab of the outer sleeve and the lid is located in an open position.

Description:
CLAIM OF PRIORITY  
       [0001]     This application claims priority to Indonesian Patent Application No. S00200300176, entitled “Automatic Flip Top Pack Opening,” which was filed with the Indonesian Patent Office on Nov. 19, 2003.  
       FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention generally relates to a container that includes an automatic lid opening device. More particularly, the present invention comprises a cigarette pack that includes a sleeve that the cigarette holding container slides within to open and close the cigarette container lid.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0003]     Smoking articles, such as cigarettes, conventionally have been sold in packages. Typically, each package contains about twenty or about twenty-five cigarettes.  
         [0004]     One type of popular cigarette package is the so-called “hard pack,” “crush proof box” or “hinged lid package.” Such a package has a generally cuboid-type shape, is manufactured from resilient paperboard, and includes an outer wrap of transparent polypropylene film. Hinged lid cigarette packages conventionally are made from two paperboard blanks. One blank forms the body and lid of the package. The second blank forms an insert or inner frame which is assembled to the inside of the front and side walls of the package. The inner frame projects above the front and side walls of the package body, and provides a seal between the lid and body when the package is closed.  
         [0005]     When purchased, conventional “hinged lid” cigarette packages include an outer protective wrapping. After the outer protective wrapping is removed, a smoker then manually opens the hinged lid to gain access to a cigarette within the package. After a cigarette is removed, the hinged lid is then manually closed to protect the cigarettes remaining in the package. The hinged lid must be placed over the inner frame of the package, which often becomes damaged after repeated opening and closing of the package. Eventually, the hinged lid does not close properly or completely form a seal with the inner frame.  
         [0006]     It would be highly desirable to have a cigarette package whereby the hinged lid opened and closed automatically. It would also be desirable to have a cigarette package whereby the hinged lid repeatably forms a seal with the inner frame throughout the life of the package. The present invention provides, among other things, these advantages.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     One aspect of the present invention is to provide a cigarette pack having a mechanism that automatically opens the pack lid and allows access to the cigarettes contained in the pack. In general, a pack container for holding the cigarettes slides within an outer sleeve. In one embodiment, the pack container includes a side-opening lid that automatically moves to an open position as the pack container slides out of the outer sleeve. In another embodiment, the pack container includes a front-opening lid that automatically moves to an open position as the pack container is slid out of the outer sleeve.  
         [0008]     Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a cigarette pack that allows easier access to the cigarettes than a conventional cigarette pack. In a conventional cigarette pack, the pack must be turned upside down to get a cigarette out or the package itself does not expose much of the cigarette after the pack is opened. Here, the container pack slides out of an outer sleeve and the pack lid opens to expose a larger area of the cigarettes within the pack making it easier to remove a cigarette from the pack. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]      FIG. 1A  is an isometric view of an embodiment of a side-opening cigarette pack whereby the lid is located in the closed position;  FIG. 1B  is an isometric view of the side-opening cigarette pack shown in  FIG. 1A  whereby the lid is partially open;  FIG. 1C  is an isometric view of the side-opening cigarette pack shown in  FIG. 1C  whereby the lid is located in the fully-opened position;  
         [0010]      FIG. 2A  is a schematic view of an embodiment of the outer wall of the cigarette pack;  FIG. 2B  is a schematic view of an embodiment of the interior pack illustrating the opening tab;  
         [0011]      FIG. 3A  is a schematic view of the outer wall tab in relation to the inner pack tab while the inner pack is seated within the outer sleeve;  FIG. 3B  is a schematic view of the outer wall tab engaging the inner pack tab as the inner pack is removed from the outer sleeve;  FIG. 3C  is a schematic view of the outer wall tab engaging the inner pack tab as the inner pack reaches an extended position;  
         [0012]      FIG. 4A  is an isometric of an embodiment of a front-opening cigarette pack whereby the lid is located in the closed position;  FIG. 4B  is a rear perspective view of the cigarette pack shown in  FIG. 4A  whereby the inner pack has been partially removed from the outer sleeve;  FIG. 4C  is a rear perspective view of the cigarette pack shown in  FIG. 4A  whereby the lid is located in an opened position;  
         [0013]      FIG. 5A  is a schematic view of the outer sleeve tab in relation to the inner pack tab while the inner pack is seated within the outer sleeve according to the cigarette pack shown in  FIG. 4A ;  FIG. 5B  is a schematic view of the outer sleeve tab engaging the inner pack tab as the inner pack is removed from the outer sleeve;  FIG. 5C  is a schematic view of the outer sleeve tab engaging the inner pack tab as the inner pack reaches the extended position according to the cigarette pack shown in  FIG. 4C . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0014]      FIGS. 1A-1C  illustrate one embodiment of a cigarette pack  4  according to the present invention. The cigarette pack  4  generally consists of two elements—a pack container  10  and an outer sleeve  30 . The pack container  10  consists of a front wall  12 , a rear wall  14 , two narrow, upright side walls  16 ,  18 , a bottom wall  20  and an end wall  22 . The outer sleeve  30  consists of a front wall  32 , a rear wall  34 , two narrow, upright side walls  36 ,  38  and a bottom wall  40 .  
         [0015]     The pack container  10  includes a lid  24  that opens to provide access to the cigarettes and closes to retain the cigarettes within the pack container  10 . The lid  24  comprises a lid front wall  13 , a lid rear wall  15 , a narrow lid side wall  17 , which adjoins the side wall  16 , and a top end wall  19  opposite the base wall  20 .  
         [0016]     The pack container  10  and lid  24  are connected to one another with swing action by an hinge line  25  in the region of the side wall  16  and the lid side wall  17 .  FIG. 1A  illustrates the lid  24  in a closed position.  FIG. 1B  illustrates the lid  24  in a partially open position. As shown in  FIG. 2B , the lid end wall  19  comprises a distance X 1  while the lid side wall  17  comprises a distance X 2 . In a preferred embodiment, X 1  and X 2  are equidistant. However, it is within the spirit and scope of the invention for X 1  and X 2  to differ. The lid  24  must simply be large enough so that when the lid  24  is located in the fully-open position (see  FIG. 1C ), a person may access one or more cigarettes located within the pack container  10 .  
         [0017]     The lid  24  includes an opening mechanism  27 , which as shown in  FIG. 2B , comprises an extender  31  that transitions into a tab  29 . The extender  31  extends downward along the lid side wall  17 . As best shown in  FIGS. 2B and 3A , the extender  31  may comprise a length X 3  that is greater or shorter than X 2 . In either embodiment, a portion of the extender  31  is folded along a fold line  33  back towards the end wall  22  to form a tab  29 . The tab  29  therefore, rests against the extender  31  while the pack container  10  is housed within the outer sleeve  30  (discussed in detail later in this application).  
         [0018]     The extender  31 , as shown in  FIG. 2B , is formed from the same piece of material as the lid  24 . The extender  31  does not, however, need to comprise the same piece of material as the lid  24 . Further, the extender  31  may be secured to the lid  24  by other methods such as, by way of example only, glued to the lid side wall  17 .  
         [0019]     The outer sleeve  30  consists of a substantially similar shape as the pack container  10 . In this embodiment, the pack container  10  is surrounded by the outer sleeve  30  except for a portion of the boom wall  20  and the end wall  22 .  FIGS. 1A-1C  illustrate that the pack container  10  slides within the outer sleeve  30 . The bottom wall  40  of the outer sleeve  30  includes an opening  41 . The opening  41  is large enough for a person to stick their finger through to contact the bottom wall  20  of the pack container  10  and push the pack container  10  out of the outer sleeve  30  (shown as the Y-direction in  FIG. 1B ). The outer sleeve  30  may comprise a similar material as the pack container  10 . The outer sleeve  30  and the pack container  10  may, however, comprise different materials.  
         [0020]     The upright side wall  36  of the outer sleeve  30  includes an opening tab  46 . FIGS.  2 A and  3 A- 3 C illustrate that the opening tab  46 , in one embodiment, is an extension of the side wall  36 . The opening tab  46  folds inward along folding line  48  and extends along the interior of the side wall  36  (down towards the bottom wall  40 ). The opening tab  46  is shown in  FIG. 2A  as substantially the same width W as the side wall  36 . The opening tab  46  may have a width smaller than W since the material is preferably rigid. The opening tab  46  may also comprise a separate piece of material than the upright side wall  36  (e.g., glued to the wall  36 ) or may be folded along a different folding line than line  48 .  
         [0021]      FIGS. 3A-3C  illustrate one embodiment of the operation of the cigarette pack  4 . The distance between the outer wall  16  of the pack container  10  and the outer wall  36  of the outer sleeve  30  is exaggerated for illustration purposes only.  FIG. 3A  illustrates the pack container  10  seated within the outer sleeve  30  with the lid  24  in a closed position. In this position, the tab  29  is located below and does not contact the tab  46 , which exemplifies an “as sold” condition of the cigarette pack  4 .  FIG. 3B  illustrates the pack container  10  partially withdrawn from the outer sleeve  30  to a position where the tab  29  initially contacts the tab  46 . At this point, the lid  24  remains in the closed position.  FIG. 3C  illustrates that, as the pack container  10  continues to slide out of the outer sleeve  30 , the tab  46  remains in contact with the tab  29  and prevents the tab  29  from continuing to move along the Y-direction. As previously discussed above, the extender  31  is either affixed to the lid  24  or is formed from the same material. With the tab  29  in a fixed position, the extender  31  forces the lid  24  to pull away from the pack container  10 . As the pack container  10  continues to move in the Y-direction, lid  24  continues to rotate in a counterclockwise direction away from the pack container  10  about the fold line  48 . At the position shown in  FIG. 3C , the lid  24  is open enough to provide easy access to the cigarettes remaining in the pack container  10 .  
         [0022]     The lid  24  closes automatically and forms a seal with the container pack  10  by pushing the pack container  10  back into the outer sleeve  30 . For example, after a cigarette is removed from the pack container  10 , a person may push down (−Y direction) on the end wall  22  to move the pack container  10  back into the outer sleeve  30 . As the pack container  10  slides back into the outer sleeve  30 , the lid  24  begins to rotate clockwise about fold line  48  from the open position (see  FIG. 3C ) to the closed position (see  FIG. 3A ). The lid  24  can be reopened simply by pushing the pack container  10  back into the open position shown in  FIG. 3C .  
         [0023]      FIGS. 4A-4C  illustrate a second embodiment of a cigarette pack  100 —a front opening cigarette pack. The cigarette pack  100  generally consists of two elements—a pack container  110  and an outer sleeve  130 . The pack container  110  consists of a front wall  112 , a rear wall  114 , two narrow, upright side walls  116 ,  118 , a bottom wall  120  and an end wall  122 . The outer sleeve  130  consists of a front wall  132 , a rear wall  134 , two narrow, upright side walls  136 ,  138  and a bottom wall  140 .  
         [0024]     The pack container  110  includes a lid  124  that opens to provide access to the cigarettes and closes to retain the cigarettes within the pack container  110 . Correspondingly, the lid  24  comprises a lid front wall  113 , a lid rear wall  115 , narrow lid side walls  117 ,  121 , which adjoins side walls  116 ,  118  and a top end wall  119  opposite the bottom wall  120 . The lid  124  opens and closes about hinge line  125 .  FIG. 4A  illustrates the lid  124  in a closed position. The lid  24  must simply be large enough so that when the lid  124  is located in the open position (see  FIG. 4C ), a person may access one or more cigarettes located within the pack container  110 .  
         [0025]     The lid  124  includes an opening mechanism  127 , which as shown in  FIG. 4B , comprises an extender  131  that transitions into a tab  129 . The extender  131  extends downward from the lid  124  along the rear wall  114  and the rear lid wall  115 . In this embodiment, the extender  131  extends from a fold line  133  downward and then back towards the end wall  122  to form a tab  129 . The tab  129  therefore, rests against the extender  131  while the pack container  110  is housed within the outer sleeve  130  (discussed in detail later in this application). The opening mechanism  127  does not, however, need to comprise the same piece of material as the lid  124 . For example, the extender  131  may be secured to the lid rear wall  115 . Any fastening means is acceptable such as, by way of example only, glued to the lid rear wall  115 . The length of the extender  131  may also vary.  
         [0026]     The outer sleeve  130  consists of a substantially similar shape as the pack container  110 .  FIG. 4A-4C  illustrate that the pack container  110  slides within the outer sleeve  130 . The bottom wall  140  of the outer sleeve  130  includes an opening  141 . The opening allows a person to stick their finger through the opening  141  to contact the bottom wall  120  of the pack container  110  and push the pack container  110  upwards (shown as the Y-direction in  FIG. 5A ). Thus, the pack container  110  is surrounded by the outer sleeve  130  except for a portion of the bottom wall  120  and the end wall  122 . In one embodiment, the outer sleeve  130  comprises a similar material to the pack container  110 . The outer sleeve  130  and the pack container  110  may, however, comprise different materials.  
         [0027]     The rear wall  134  of the outer sleeve  130  includes an opening tab  146 .  FIGS. 5A-5C  illustrate that the opening tab  146  is an extension of the rear wall  134 . In this embodiment, the opening tab  146  folds inward along folding line  148  and extends along the interior of the side wall  136  (down towards the bottom wall  140 ). The opening tab  46  may, however, comprise a separate piece of material that is affixed to the rear wall  134  (e.g., by glue, etc.). The tab  46  may also have a different width than the rear wall  34  or may be folded along a different folding line than folding line  48 .  
         [0028]      FIGS. 5A-5C  illustrate the operation of the cigarette pack  100 . The distance between the rear wall  114  of the pack container  110  and the rear wall  134  of the outer sleeve  130  is exaggerated for illustration purposes only.  FIG. 5A  represents the pack container  110  fully seated within the outer sleeve  130 . In this position, the tab  129  is located below the tab  146  and the lid  124  is located in the closed position (e.g., the “as sold” condition of the cigarette pack  100 ).  FIG. 5B  illustrates the pack container  110  partially withdrawn from the outer sleeve  130  to a position where the tab  129  initially contacts the tab  146 . At this point, the lid  124  remains in the closed position even though it is partially withdrawn from the outer sleeve  30 . As the pack container  110  continues to slide out of the outer sleeve  130 , the tab  146  remains in contact with the tab  129  and prevents the tab  129  from continuing to move along the Y-direction. With the tab  129  held in a fixed position, the extender  131  separates the lid  124  from the pack container  110  by rotating the lid  124  counterclockwise (from a side view) about the fold line  125 .  
         [0029]     The lid  124  will close automatically when the pack container  110  is pushed back into the outer sleeve  130 . For example, as the pack container  110  is pushed back into the outer sleeve  130 , the lid  124  begins to rotate clockwise about fold line  125  between the open position illustrated in  FIG. 5C  to the closed position indicated in  FIG. 5A . The lid  124  can be reopened simply by pushing the pack container  110  back into the position shown in  FIG. 5C .  
         [0030]     Although the invention has been described in detail herein, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments herein disclosed. Various changes, substitutions and modifications may be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as described herein.