The present application is a national stage application under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Application No. PCT/EP2013/001070, filed Apr. 12, 2013, published in German, which claims priority from German Patent Application No. 10 2012 008 168.5, filed Apr. 25, 2012, all of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.
The invention relates to a packaging for piece goods, in particular for cigarettes, having the features of the preamble of claim 1. The invention also relates to methods for producing such (cigarette) packagings.
The present packaging (for cigarettes) is composed of an outer packaging and at least one inner packaging which is pivotable for the movement between an open position and a closed position, wherein said inner packaging is obliquely inclined when in the open position. It is preferable for two inner packagings to be arranged in a common outer packaging (EP 2 017 198 B1). In the case of said known design, the (two) inner packagings are, on the top side, either open or, in the case of a hinged-lid box embodiment, provided with a pivotable hinged lid. The blanks for the inner packagings are formed so as to be processed in accordance with the principle of longitudinal folding. Here, an inner base wall is adjoined, to both sides, by folding lobes for side walls on the one hand and for an outer wall and inner wall of the inner packaging on the other hand.
The invention is concerned with developments with regard to the configuration of such packagings and the field of technology for the production of said packagings. The object on which the invention is based is that of designing a (cigarette) packaging, with in particular two inner packagings, such that the packaging as a whole is appealing, easy to handle and dimensionally stable. The requirements for industrial production should also be met.
To achieve said object, the packaging according to the invention is formed with the features of claim 1.
The blank for the (two) inner packagings is accordingly designed in each case such that an inner base wall is adjoined, to both sides, by folding lobes for the side walls of the inner packaging. Said folding lobes are in turn adjoined, to both sides, by folding lobes which, for the formation of an outer wall on the one hand and an inner wall on the other hand, are folded so as to mutually overlap and are connected to one another (by means of adhesive). The outwardly directed free wall of the inner packaging—outer wall—is accordingly of double-layer form (as is the opposite inner wall). The side walls are composed of one material layer.
A further special feature consists in that the inner packagings, which in the open position are open at the top side, are covered in the closed position by a closing lobe or by two at least partially overlapping closing lobes. At least one closing lobe is formed as a continuation of the (inner) folding lobe of the inner wall. By connection to a face wall of the outer packaging, the closing lobe is actuated in the sense of an opening or closing movement during the opening and closing processes. Furthermore, the inner packagings are of cup-shaped form, wherein the side walls and outer wall and inner wall extend substantially over the full height (inner dimension) of the outer packaging.
It is also of significance from a production aspect that, owing to the design of the inner packaging, said inner packaging need only be produced in one design. Of the inner packagings supplied individually or in pairs (for example in the case of two-lane production) to an outer packaging, the second in each case is rotated through 180° in order to achieve the relative position corresponding to the overall packaging.
The production at least of the inner packaging is performed in accordance with the folding and filling concept specified in U.S. Pat. No. 4,084,393.
Further features of the packagings and of the production technique will be explained in more detail below on the basis of the drawings, in which:
The preferred embodiment of a packaging for cigarettes is composed of three sub-packagings, specifically an outer packaging 10 and two inner packagings 11, 12. The latter are movably fixed in the common outer packaging 10. By means of pivoting movement, each inner packaging 11, 12 can be individually moved from a closed position (
Blanks for the inner packaging 11, 12 and outer packaging 10 are illustrated in
In the present case, the packaging is designed such that externally situated upright packaging edges formed by the inner packagings 11, 12 are in the form of rounded edges 22, 23. The blank for the inner packaging 11, 12 (
The inner packaging 11, 12 folded from the blank as per
The inner packagings 11, 12 are advantageously provided with closure means on the (top, open) withdrawal side. Said closure means are composed of at least one cover lobe 28 which, in a closed position (
The cover lobe 28 interacts with a counterpart lobe, in the present example with a corner lobe 30 which has considerably smaller dimensions and which is arranged opposite on the outer wall 20, specifically on the internal outer lobe 17 of the outer wall 20. In the initial position (
The inner packagings 11, 12 are configured, in the region of the inner base wall 13, such that connecting lobes 32, 33 are provided as a continuation of the internal outer lobe 17, that is to say opposite the corner lobe 30, and a connecting lobe 33 is provided as a continuation of the internal inner lobe 19. In the finished inner packaging 11, said folding lobes 32, 33 bear against the inner base wall 13 (
The cigarette block 27, as contents of an inner packaging 11, 12, is composed of a group of cigarettes which is surrounded on all sides by an inner blank 34 composed of tinfoil, paper, foil or the like. In the example, the inner blank 34 is arranged, in accordance with the longitudinal folding principle, with side lobes 35 and face lobes 36 folded in particular in the manner of an envelope. By means of a transversely oriented punched or perforated line, a flap 37 is created which can be pulled off upon first use and which provides access to the cigarettes. A function of the closing lobes 28, 30 of the inner packaging 11, 12 consists in securing the fold of the inner blank 34, in particular the face lobe 36, during the production of the packaging and subsequently.
For the opening of the inner packaging 11, 12, the closing lobes 28, 30 can be separated from one another—using a corresponding adhesive. In the present case, the inner lobe, specifically the corner lobe 30, is designed and/or arranged such that, when the inner packaging 11, 12 is opened, the corner lobe 30 remains on the cover lobe 28 (inner side). The corner lobe 30 is in this case separated from the connection to the inner packaging 11, 12, in the present case from the internal outer lobe 17. The corner lobe 30 is connected to the folding lobe 17 merely via (two edge-side) residual connections 38. The residual connections are separated from one another by means of a preferably central punched cut 39. When the cover lobe 28 is opened for the first time, the corner lobe 30 is accordingly torn away from the connection, and remains on the inner side owing to the glue connection (
The outer packaging 10 is composed of a blank (
To form a closed, laterally open sleeve, a folding lobe for a top wall 45 of the outer packaging 10 is arranged on one packaging wall, in the present case on the front wall 41. Said top wall is of (approximately) the same size as the outer base wall 40 and—in the case of a design with rounded edges 22, 23—is provided with rounded corners 46. A connecting tab 47 is arranged on a free edge of the top wall 45. Said connecting tab is, in the finished outer packaging 10, connected to the inner side of the rear wall 42, in the present case by means of two groups of glue points 48. Said glue points are advantageously applied to the inner side of the rear wall 42, specifically in the region of an edge-side material strip 49 which is formed by virtue of the reinforcement lobes 43, 44 assigned to the rear wall 42 being of set-back or shortened designed (
The blank for the outer packaging 10 is provided with punched-out portions, specifically grip openings 50, which in the case of the unfolded blank (
Furthermore, punched-out portions are formed in the region of in each case one of the two folding lobes 43, 44, specifically firstly an edge-side recess 52 and secondly, directly adjacent thereto, an elongate punched hole 53 with obliquely inclined edges as support elements for the inner packagings 11, 12. In the folded position (
In the closed position (
During the opening movement of an inner packaging 11, 12, the cover lobe 28 is formed, with corresponding deformation, from a stretched position with a bend in the region of the transition to the inner lobe 19 into an opposite stretched position or angled position corresponding to the right-hand side of
A further, edge-side linear joint, specifically an opening joint 56, serves for the acute-angled deflection of the cover lobe 28 when an inner packaging 11, 12 (
The opening and closing positions are furthermore made perceptible using sensory means. The recesses 52 and the punched holes 53 of the outer packaging 10 are assigned a counterpart tab 59 on the associated wall—side wall 14—of the inner packaging 11, 12. The counterpart tab 59 is pivotable about a joint line along the fold line of the packaging edge 24, and is in the form of a projecting tongue. The counterpart tab is situated within a punched-out portion 60 of the side wall 14.
In the closed position of the packaging (
The inner packagings 11, 12 are fixed in a special way in the region of the outer base wall 40. Owing to U-shaped punching, the latter is provided with articulated tabs 61, 62 at both sides. Each articulated tab is assigned to an inner packaging 11, 12. The articulated tabs 61, 62 are in each case pivotable along transversely oriented linear joints 66, specifically with the associated inner packaging 11, 12 from the horizontal closed position into the obliquely inclined open position (
One special feature is the production of the (complete) packaging. The blank for the inner packagings 11, 12 is firstly prepared with regard to the function of the corner lobe 30 by virtue of the latter being folded through 180° (
Subsequently, the blank of the inner packaging 11, 12 is processed in the manner of a conventional blank for a hinged-lid box. By insertion of the blank into the pocket of a folding turret, parts of the blank or folding lobes, specifically the folding lobes 17 and 19 and a blank limb with the parts 14, 16 and 18, are uprighted. The connecting lobes 32, 33 are, at the same time as the likewise uprighted inner base wall 13, placed into the correct position for the packaging (
The folding lobes 28, 30, specifically firstly the corner lobe 30 and then the cover lobe 28, are subsequently folded into the closed position so as to produce the connection. The cigarette block 27, and in particular the exposed face-side fold 36, is thereby secured.
The upright limb of the blank (
The outer packaging 10 is also produced by means of special working steps. As per
In a common gluing station, the glue points 54 are also applied to the top wall 45 and the glue points 63 are also applied to the articulated tabs 61, 62 of the outer base wall 40.
The blank, provided with the corresponding glue points, of the outer packaging 10 is placed into an angled position with uprighted outer base wall 40 and uprighted rear wall 42 after the folding of the lobes 43, 44, analogously to the inner packagings 11, 12. The two inner packagings 11, 12 that bear against one another by way of the inner walls 21 are then pushed or placed onto the front wall 41. The top wall 45 is subsequently uprighted, and the connecting tab 47 is folded. The upright rear wall 42 is subsequently folded against the two inner packagings 11, 12, wherein a connection to the connecting tab 47 is formed. The production of the packaging is thereby completed.
The inner packagings 11, 12 are produced in corresponding design, specifically either individually in succession or (in the case of two-lane production) adjacent to one another in pairs. In the former case, the successive inner packagings 11, 12 are initially placed together in pairs—correspondingly to the design of the overall packaging. Owing to the relative positions, one of the inner packagings is then rotated through 180° such that the inner walls 21 of the inner packagings 11, 12 that belong together face toward one another (
The top and bottom walls 40, 45, which are preferably formed with corresponding dimensions, of the outer packaging 10 are preferably formed with slightly larger dimensions than the face-side contours of the inner packagings 11, 12, such that, when the packaging is closed, the outer base wall 40 and the top wall 45 project by way of edge regions slightly beyond the inner packagings 11, 12 in the region of the free open sides.
The present packaging can substantially be produced using conventional packers (for hinge-lid packagings).
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
10 2012 008 168 | Apr 2012 | DE | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/EP2013/001070 | 4/12/2013 | WO | 00 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
WO2013/159869 | 10/31/2013 | WO | A |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
1877468 | L'Enfant | Sep 1932 | A |
3037678 | Caruso | Jun 1962 | A |
3052398 | Benjamin | Sep 1962 | A |
3058646 | Guyer | Oct 1962 | A |
3749234 | Gero | Jul 1973 | A |
3881599 | Flaherty | May 1975 | A |
4641748 | Lewis | Feb 1987 | A |
7320399 | Ghini | Jan 2008 | B2 |
7712607 | Ghini | May 2010 | B2 |
8418845 | Tawada | Apr 2013 | B2 |
20080087562 | Berger | Apr 2008 | A1 |
20090045084 | Roila | Feb 2009 | A1 |
20100176010 | Tearle | Jul 2010 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
102008035473.2 | Feb 2010 | DE |
2017198 | Dec 2009 | EP |
Entry |
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International Search Report and English Translation for PCT/EP2013/001070 dated Jul. 25, 2013, 8 pages. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20150068931 A1 | Mar 2015 | US |