Patent Abstract:
A hinge lid pack has a lower pack outerframe and an upper lid hingedly attached to the lower pack outerframe for movement between opened and closed positions. The lid includes front, top, back and opposite sidewall portions. An innerframe is within and upwardly extends from the outerframe, and the innerframe has front and opposite sidewall portions. Microencapsulated aroma surfaces on the pack move across roughened perforations on the pack upon opening of the pack to thereby release flavor by rupturing the microcapsules.

Full Description:
CROSS REFERENCE RELATED TO APPLICATION 
     The present application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 11/443,658, filed May 31, 2006, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Application Ser. No. 11/443,658 claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/689,773, filed Jun. 10, 2005. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a hinge lid aroma pack, and more particularly to a pack having aroma areas and roughened perforated areas that rub across the aroma areas when the hinge lid is opened to thereby release aroma to the consumer. 
     Microencapsulation is a process by which a core material is captured within a second material or shell. It is well known in the field to encapsulate aromas and flavors in shells of varying sizes so that the flavor is preserved until the rupture of the capsule by mechanical or other force. Preservation of the flavor within the capsule assures that upon release of the flavor it is as consistently strong as when it was first encapsulated. “Flavor,” “fragrance,” “aroma,” and like terms are used interchangeably herein to indicate any substance that is capable of causing an olfactory sensation. 
     A multitude of processes exists for manufacturing microcapsules. A variety of techniques can be utilized to produce microcapsules of varying sizes, differing resistances to rupture and alternative capsule compositions and capsule constituents. Several different encapsulation processes are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,516,846; 3,516,941; 3,778,383; 4,087,376; 4,089,802; 4,100,103 and 4,251,386 and British Patent Specification Nos. 1,156,725; 2,041,319 and 2,048,206. Common shell formations include the polymerization reaction of urea and formaldehyde and the polycondensation of methylated urea and aldehydes. 
     One manner of an aroma-releasing pack is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,612,429 where encapsulated aroma areas on the inside of the lid are contacted by retention cuts or laterally projecting fins on the innerframe when the pack is opened to thereby release aroma by rupturing the microencapsulated aroma on those areas. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Among the objects of the present invention is the provision of a hinge lid aroma pack that releases a pleasing aroma to the consumer upon opening the pack. 
     It is a further object of the invention that the aroma is preserved against degradation until it is released upon opening of the pack. 
     The objects of the invention are achieved by incorporating flavorants into microcapsules or similar flavor encapsulating materials. The encapsulated flavorants are adhered to surfaces inside the pack so that the flavorant is released upon opening of the hinge lid pack. Placement of the encapsulated flavorants is determined by consideration of frictional contact between particular surfaces of the pack. The flavorant is released through frictional contact of the encapsulating materials on the pack with other structural elements of the pack. 
     All of the above outlined objectives are to be understood as exemplary only and many more objectives of the invention may be gleaned from the disclosure herein. Therefore, no limiting interpretation of the objectives noted are to be understood without further reading of the entire specification and drawings included herewith. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Novel features and advantages of the present invention in addition to those noted above will be become apparent to persons of ordinary skill in the art from a reading of the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein similar reference characters refer to similar parts and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a hinge lid aroma pack with the lid open illustrating coated aroma areas and perforated panels, according to the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a front elevational view of the aroma packs shown in  FIG. 1  with the lid closed and portions of the pack partially broken away to illustrate interior details; 
         FIG. 3  is a side elevational view of the hinge lid aroma pack of  FIGS. 1 and 2  with the lid open and portions of the pack partially broken away to illustrate a coated aroma area and a cooperating perforated panel; 
         FIG. 4  is a side elevational view similar to  FIG. 3  with the lid partially closed illustrating the perforated panel inside the lid rubbing against the coated aroma area; 
         FIG. 5  is a top plan view of paperboard blank for forming the aroma pack shown in  FIGS. 1-4 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a side elevational view of an alterative hinge lid aroma pack with the perforated panel on the innerframe and the aroma coated area inside the lid; and 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a continuous roll of material from which individual segments are cut to form the innerframe of the aroma pack of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring in more particularity to the drawings,  FIGS. 1-4  illustrate a hinge lid aroma pack  10  for packaging cigarettes, for example, according to the present invention, and  FIG. 5  shows a blank  12  for producing the aroma pack. Blank  12  is folded into a pack shape and glued together as is well known in the art. Pack  10  also includes an innerframe  14 , and a roll of such innerframes is shown in  FIG. 7 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , blank  12  is made of cardboard or other paper stock, as is well known, and comprises a body forming portion or outerframe  16  including a front panel  18  and a back panel  20  integrally connected together by a bottom panel  22 . A right side panel  24  and a left side panel  26  are integrally connected to the front panel, and a right side panel  28  and a left side panel  30  are integrally connected to the back panel, as shown. Bottom dust flaps  31  are connected to the right and left side panels  28 ,  30 . 
     Blank  12  also has a lid forming portion  32  including a back panel  34  and a front panel  36  integrally connected by a top panel  38 . Lid forming portion  32  also includes a reinforcing panel  40  which when reverse bent rests against front panel  36 . Front panel  36  of lid forming portion  32  includes a right side panel  42  and a left side panel  44  integrally connected to the front panel  36  of the lid forming portion. 
     Right and left side panels  46 , 48 , respectively, are integrally connected to back panel  34  of lid forming portion  32 . Dust flaps  50 ,  52  for the lid adjacent the side panels  46 ,  48  function to close the edges between top panel  38  and the side panels of the lid forming portion. The dust flaps also reinforce the top  38  of the lid. 
     A 45° or other appropriate angle cut line  54  extends between side panels  28 ,  30  of body forming portion  16  and side panels  46 ,  48  of lid forming portion  32 . Cut lines  54  merge into a hinge line  56  between the body and lid forming portions and about which the lid of the assembled cigarette pack  10  articulates relative to the body of the pack. Cut lines  54  enable such articulating to occur. 
     In the embodiment of the invention shown in  FIGS. 1-5 , the right and left side panels  46 ,  48  of the lid forming portion  32  each include a plurality of perforations  60  formed from the pack to the front of these panels. The front of each side panel  46 ,  48 , as viewed in  FIG. 5 , presents a roughened surface that rubs across aroma coated areas of the lid to release aroma upon opening the pack  10 , as explained more fully below. 
     As noted above, each pack  10  includes an innerframe  14  comprising a front panel  62  and right and left side panels  64 ,  66 , positioned within the body forming portion  16  of the pack. The outer surface of the innerframe panels  64 ,  66  each include an aroma coating  68  of microencapsulated flavor substances, as explained throughout the specification. Accordingly, when an assembled pack is initially opened, the perforations  60  on each side panel  46 ,  48  of the lid forming portion  32  each present a roughened surface that rubs across the aroma coatings  68  on the outside of the side panels of the innerframe to thereby rupture the microencapsulated material and release aroma to the consumer. Thereafter, when the pack is closed and reopened the release of aroma continues, but to a lesser extent. 
     The reinforcing panel  40  of the lid forming portion  32  of the pack  10  also includes several areas of aroma coating  70  on the exposed surface of panel  40  when viewed inside the lid. Panel  40  engages the front panel  36  which positions the aroma coated areas  70  inside the lid behind the front panel. Upper edge portions  72  on the front panel  62  of innerframe  14  rub against the aroma panels when the pack is opened to thereby release flavor to the consumer by rupturing the microencapsulated aroma substances. 
       FIG. 6  illustrates an alternate embodiment similar to the pack of  FIGS. 1-5 , but the pack  10 ′ shown in  FIG. 6  includes perforations  46  on the outside surfaces of the side panels  64 ,  66  of the innerframe  14 . Aroma coatings  68  are provided on the inside surface of the right and left side panels  46 ,  48  of the lid forming portion  32 . Accordingly, when the pack  10  is opened the roughened perforated surface on the innerframe rubs across the aroma coatings inside the lid to thereby release the encapsulated flavors. Also, the front panel  62  of the innerframe includes outwardly extending retention cuts  74  that rub across the inside aroma surface  68  on the panels  46 ,  48  of the lid to assist in rupturing the encapsulated flavor. Normally the retention cuts function to hold the lid closed, but in the present case they also function to rupture the microencapsules to thereby release aroma. 
     Microcapsules containing an aroma of choice are manufactured and can be obtained commercially from companies such as Arcade, Inc., Chattanooga, Tenn. Examples of potential aromas for encapsulation include peppermint and roasted/toasted aromas. However, almost any flavor oil may be encapsulated so long as it meets certain basic requirements of the technology, such as having hydrophobic qualities. A solution of polyoxymethylene urea polymer may be used to coat the flavor oils and produce the microcapsules after polymerization. The microcapsules may range in size from about 10 to about 40 micrometers in diameter. 
     The microcapsules may be obtained as a wet cake that can be combined with water to produce an “ink” slurry. Solvents are not utilized in combination with the cake as they may dissolve the polymer shell surrounding the microencapsulated aroma. A variety of concentrations will result in a usable ink slurry depending on the printing conditions and processes. For example, a 50% to 60% concentration of wet cake produces ink of consistency usable for gravure printing systems. In gravure printing press runs, 40 kilograms of ink at a 50% dilution concentration may yield enough ink to print approximately one million flip open boxes. Screen printing processes may also be used with microencapsulation inks. 
     Thus, a hinge lid pack is provided which is strategically coated with microencapsulated aroma oil ink so that frictional contact between a coated surface and other surfaces of the package occurs upon opening by the consumer. Frictional contact ruptures the microcapsules releasing a fragrant aroma to the consumer. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can be practiced by other than the described embodiments, which are presented for purposes of illustration and not limitation, and the present invention is limited only by the claims which follow. 
     The forgoing detailed description is primarily given for clearness of understanding and no unnecessary limitations are to be understood therefrom for modifications will become obvious to those skilled in the art upon reading this disclosure and may be made without the parting from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appending claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 1