Abstract:
A hinge lid cigarette packet has an upper lid and a lower lid. The packet is constructed from a blank which is of a configuration which is symmetrical about the longitudinal centerline thereof. The upper lid is formed, in conventional fashion, of specifically lid panels of the blank, whereas the lower lid is formed of portions of what in a conventional single hinge lid packet are body panels. In order for the second lid to be moved from its closed position on the first opening thereof, front and side panels of the lid are separated at lines of weakening from bounding body panels.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The subject invention relates to hinge lid cigarette packets comprising first and second, opposing lids. 
     In the tobacco industry so-called hinge lid packets are widely used for the packaging of cigarettes. These packets comprise a body, essentially in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped, and a lid hingedly secured at the upper end of the body. It is usual for such packets to further comprise a neck part which projects upwardly from the front and side walls of the body such as to be received within the lid when the lid is in the closed position thereof. 
     There have also become known hinge lid packets comprising two lids, these being respectively disposed at the upper and lower ends of the body. 
     An example of a hinge lid cigarette packet comprising two lids is disclosed in EP 380 898. The blank for this packet is of a generally T configuration with the “stem” of the T comprising a minor portion of the blank. At either end of the major portion of the blank (the “crossing” of the T) are disposed those panels which provide the lids in the erected packet. In the erected packet one side wall of the body is comprised of two, superimposed panels, i.e. it is of double thickness, whereas the other side wall of the body is provided by only one panel, i.e. it is of single thickness. By contrast, both side walls of each of the lids are of double thickness. Thus the erected pack is of an unattractive inherent asymmetry. Furthermore, the T configured blank is, in comparison to the generally rectangular blank of a conventional hinged lid packet, wasteful of cartonboard. 
     Disclosed in EP 625 469 is a packet blank for a two lidded hinge lid packet intended for holding special cigarettes. Although this packet can be produced from a packet blank which is generally of a rectangular configuration, the erected packet is not strictly symmetrical in construction since, as with the packet of EP 380 898, one of the body side walls is of single thickness and the other is of double thickness. 
     Known from U.S Pat. No 5,074,412 is a cigarette packed with upper and lower hinged lids and comprising a wall which serves to divide the interior of the body into upper and lower chambers. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of the subject invention is to provide a hinge lid cigarette packet with two opposed hinged lids, disposed at the top and bottom ends respectively of the erected packet, the blank of which packet is of a very simple configuration which differs only slightly from conventional blanks for conventional hinge lid cigarette packets. 
     The subject invention provides a hinge lid cigarette packet comprising a body and first and second hinged lids disposed at respective opposed ends of the packet, said body together with said lids being formed from a unitary blank, which blank is of a configuration symmetrical about a lengthwise centreline of the blank, front and side walls of said first lid being provided by panels of said blank which in said blank are other than in abutting attachment to body panels of said blank, whereas front and side walls of said second lid are provided by panels which in said blank abut and are attached along lines of weakness to body panels of said blank, the first opening of said second lid being permitted by separation of the respective lid and body panels along said lines of weakness. 
     The subject invention renders possible, for the purpose of producing a hinge lid packet with two lids, the use of punched blanks which in the outer configuration thereof scarcely differ, if at all, from a blank of a conventional hinge lid packet. Consequently, the packaging machines which are normally used can continue to be used for handling the packet blanks according to the invention without the need for major modifications. The hinge lid packet produced is not obviously different in appearance from a conventional hinge lid packet. The second lid section is only prepared by means of appropriate lines of weakening of the packet blank, its realisation and use as an additional lid being effected only by the user, for example through the breaking of residual joints of special punched lines of the packet blank. 
     Furthermore, the invention enables hinge lid packets with two lids to be fashioned in a very economical manner. 
     The hinge of the second lid can be located on either the front or back of the packet. If the hinge is located on the front of the packet, then to the purchaser the front and the back of the packet have the same appearance, so that it is only upon closer inspection that it is apparent to the purchaser that the packet has two lids. 
     It is preferable for a neck insert to be assigned to each of the two lids respectively, but it is also possible for the neck inserts to be fashioned as a common, unitary insert, particularly when both hinges for the lids are located on the back of the packet. 
     The neck insert assigned to a lid preferably comprises a cutout, laterally offset relative to the axis of symmetry of the packet, as a region for the removal of cigarettes. The remaining region of the neck insert may comprise a fold-over barrier region. This enables the purchaser to remove the cigarettes via the neck insert cutout, while the cigarettes covered by the barrier region remain inaccessible, or substantially inaccessible. These latter cigarettes can be removed from the other end of the packet, the neck insert at that end comprising a cutout which is assigned to these cigarettes. This improves the assignment of cigarette types to respective sides of the packet, it being possible to further enhance the assignment by paper wrapping the two cigarette types as two separate blocks. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     In order that the subject invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, reference is now made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 shows a side view of a hinge lid cigarette packet with two lids disposed respectively at the upper and the lower ends of the packet; 
     FIG. 2 shows a blank for fashioning the packet of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 shows a side view of a hinge lid cigarette packet differing somewhat from the packet of FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 4 shows a blank for the packet of FIG. 3; and 
     FIG. 5 shows two neck insert blanks. 
    
    
     N.B. In respect of FIGS. 2 and 4, pairs of features of the blanks which are “mirror images” one of the other are assigned the same reference numeral although, to avoid an undue multitude of reference numerals, the common reference numeral for a pair of “mirror image” features appears in the figures only in respect of one of the features of the pair. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The cigarette packet depicted in FIG. 1 comprises a body  1 , a first, upper lid  2  and a second, lower lid  3 . Reference numerals  4  and  5  designate the respective hinge lines of the lids  2  and  3 . In FIG. 1 each of the lids  2 ,  3  is shown in an open position. 
     The packet of FIG. 1 further comprises upper and lower neck inserts  6  and  7 . 
     As will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, when each of the lids  2 ,  3  is in the closed position thereof, the packet is exteriorly a rectangular parallelepiped in form. 
     The blank (FIG. 2) for fashioning the cigarette packet of FIG. 1 is configured symmetrically in the packaging machine feed direction, the outer form of the blank corresponding to that of a blank of a conventional hinge lid cigarette packet. The blank comprises an upper portion from which is fashioned the upper lid  2 . A panel  8  forms the front of the lid  2 , while a panel  9  forms the back of the lid  2 . Panels  11 ,  12  provide lid inner flaps which are folded inwards and are glued to the inner face of the top ( 13 ) of the lid  2  and to the inner faces of the sides  10  of the lid  2  respectively. For this purpose there are provided cut lines  15  (shown in bold) which separate the panels  10  and the lid top panel  13  from the panel flaps  11 . A panel  38 , which serves as a reinforcement for the front edge of the lid  2 , is folded over by means of a fold line  14 . The panels  10 ,  11 ,  12  are folded on fold line  37 . In the erected packet, the fold lines designated  16  form the upper edges of the sides of the lid  2 . 
     To prevent problems in closing the lid  2 , cutouts  18  are provided between each body side panel  19  and the associated lid inner flap  12 . 
     The back of the body  1  is formed by panels  17  and  24 , the panel  17  being divided from the panel  24  by a punched line  28 . The line  28  runs transversely over the back of the body  1  and also divides the body side panels  19  from body side panels  20 . The punched line  28  is essentially a line of cut which, however, comprises residual joints, provided by uncut webs of material, for the purpose of initially holding together the panels extending at each side of the line  28 . 
     In respect of the packet as first erected, a panel  25  provides the packet base and panels  26  and  27  provide the front of the packet body. The hinge line  5  provides the boundary between the panels  26  and  27 . Outer body side panels  22  and  23  are divided one from the other by a punched line  33 , which line  33  comprises residual joints. Inner flaps  21 , which are separated by cutting lines  29  from the panels  22  and the panel  25  and are joined to the panels  20  by fold line  32 , are folded inwards when the packet is folded up and glued, being glued to the base panel  25 . 
     The cigarette packet is fashioned from the blank of FIG. 2 by being folded up and glued in known manner. In the vertical direction of the upright packet, this folding is wholly symmetrical owing to the fact that the packet blank is configured absolutely symmetrically in relation to the longitudinal centreline thereof. 
     Whereas the first, upper lid  2  of the finished packet hinges from the closed to an open position in the normal manner, the second, lower lid  3  is initially still rigidly joined to the body  1  at the punched lines  28  and  33  by means of the residual material joints of these lines. The purchaser of a packet can, however, open the second lid  3  by causing breakage of the residual material joints of the punched lines  28  and  33 . 
     The line  5  remains as a fold line and forms the hinge for the second lid  3 . The hinging action is aided by the fact that the line  5  is formed as a scored line, as is the hinge line  4 . In order to prevent edge damage, the hinge lines  4  and  5  are provided with inclined end incisions  34  and  35  respectively. 
     When the upper lid  2  is closed, the fold line  14  of the finished packet abuts on upper edge  30  of body front panel  27 , whereas the upper edge of the panel  24  of the lower lid  3  abuts, when lid  3  is closed, on the lower edge of the body back panel  17  at the location of the punched line  28 . 
     Although the upper edge of the panel  24  lacks a reinforcement corresponding to that provided by the panel  38  to the lower edge of the panel  8 , this is not disadvantageous since the cigarette packet is in any case a special packet in which preferably only half the number of cigarettes of a conventional hinge lid packet is assigned to each of the lids, so that the frequency of opening each of the lids is half that respecting the single lid of a conventional packet. 
     Whereas FIG. 1 shows a cigarette packet with two lids the hinges of which are disposed opposite one another on the front and back faces of the packet, FIG. 3 shows a cigarette packet with two lids the hinges of which are disposed on the same side, i.e. the back, of the packet. In this latter case the second, lower lid  3  is joined to the packet body  1  by means of a hinge  39 . When the packet is closed, the upper front edge of the lid  3  abuts on the edge  40  of the packet body  1 . 
     The packet blank according to FIG. 4, i.e. that for the packet of FIG. 3, is essentially the same as the packet blank of FIG. 2 with the difference that the fold and punched lines  39 ,  40 ,  42  have a different orientation, as does cut line  44  in comparison with cut line  29  of the FIG. 2 blank. In this case, the line  39  forms the hinge of the lower lid  3  and divides panels  17  and  43 . The panel  43  provides the back of the lower lid  3  in the finished packet. The front of the lid  3  is formed by panel  46 , which is divided from the panel  27  by the punched line  40 . 
     Incisions  34 ,  41  are provided in respect of the lines  4  and  39  respectively. 
     In the packet formed from the FIG. 4 blank the fold line  45  forms the lower front edge of the lower lid  3 . 
     The form of neck insert blank shown in FIG. 5 can be used for either of the just described cigarette packets, i.e. to provide the neck inserts  6  and  7  of FIGS. 1 and 3. As is conventional with the neck inserts of hinge lid cigarette packets, the inserts  6 ,  7  are received in and are secured to the packet body  1  and extend outwardly of the body  1 , the portions of the respective inserts  6 ,  7  outwith the body  1  being received respectively in the lids  2 ,  3  when the lids  2 ,  3  are in the closed positions thereof. 
     Each of the neck inserts comprises a middle panel  51  and side panels  50 ,  52 . Those portions of the side panels  50 ,  52  which extend within body  1  of a packet lie against inner surfaces of respective side wall panels of the body  1 . To facilitate the removal of a cigarette, a removal cutout  48  is provided in the panel  51 , which cutout is offset in relation to the longitudinal line of symmetry of the cigarette packet. To the other side of the neck insert from the cutout  48  the insert comprises a barrier flap  49  which is folded over in order to make it clear to the consumer that cigarettes should be removed solely via the cutout  48 , while the cigarettes covered by the barrier flap  49  should be removed from the other end of the packet, disposition of the cutout  48  being reversed at that end in relation to the line of symmetry of the packet. 
     FIG. 5 shows two neck insert blanks arranged one above the other in order to demonstrate that edge regions thereof are matched to one another in such a way that the inserts can be stamped from a continuous strip of cartonboard without waste. 
     Although FIG. 5 shows a neck insert which is assigned to only one lid in each case, the invention also includes single-piece neck inserts which have a configuration on one end which is assigned to the first lid and on the other end are configured for assignment to the second lid. Following its insertion in the packet, such a neck insert then forms the respective neck insert regions assigned to the two lids.