Container

Abstract

A container for snus comprising a cover slidable between an open and a closed position to allow access to a compartment for storing snus within the container when the cover is in its open position.

Description

The present invention relates to a container for storing tobacco products, in particular smokeless tobacco products, such as snus.

Current packaging for tobacco products such as snus and snuff comprises a base for holding the product and a lid resealably attached to the base so as to maintain the freshness of the product. Generally, tobacco products, including snus, are discarded after use. However, littering of tobacco products is a common problem as its consumption is not always restricted to a designated area and so a user may not always be in the vicinity of a bin when they need to dispose of the consumed tobacco product.

To overcome the above mentioned problem, it is known from WO 2005/016036 A1 to provide a container comprising a primary compartment for holding fresh snus and a secondary disposal compartment for temporarily receiving consumed snus. The secondary compartment is closable by a cover which is hingedly attached to said secondary compartment. However, a disadvantage of this type of container is that it is prone to accidental opening as it relies on a portion of the cover being snapped into a cavity so as to secure the cover in a closed position and retain the used snus in the secondary compartment.

A container having a secondary compartment wherein the cover is detachable such that the cover and lid are not connected via a hinge is also known. However, the cover of such a container is clipped onto the lid, and so the clipping function is reduced with the repeated removal and attachment of the cover due to wear. Furthermore, with the above configuration the cover may completely detach from the lid causing the discarded snus to fall out.

The present invention seeks to provide a container for snus that overcomes or substantially alleviates the problems mentioned above.

According to the present invention, there is provided a container for snus comprising a cover slidable between an open and a closed position to allow access to a compartment for storing snus within the container when the cover is in its open position.

Preferably, the container further comprises a base and a lid defining a first compartment for storing fresh snus, wherein the compartment for storing snus is a second compartment formed in the lid or the base for storing used snus, such that the cover is slidable between open and closed positions to allow access to said second compartment when the cover is in its open position.

Conveniently, the lid or the base has a wall and the cover lies on a plane of the wall and is slidable on said plane between its open and closed positions.

Advantageously, the wall is an upper wall with a peripheral wall depending therefrom, and the second compartment extends from said upper wall.

The cover may have a protruding portion at one end of the cover which is locatable against an upstanding shoulder which upstands in the second compartment such that, when the cover is urged into its open position, the protruding portion abuts said upstanding shoulder to limit the movement of the cover in its open position

Preferably, the cover comprises a top wall which is extendable over the second compartment, and the protruding portion is an end wall extending from the top wall.

Advantageously, the second compartment extends to the peripheral wall to form a cut out therein, and the end wall covers the cut-out when the cover is in a closed position.

In one embodiment, the protruding portion is a first protruding portion and the cover further comprises a second protruding portion spaced from the first protruding portion which is locatable against the upstanding shoulder.

The second protruding portion may be an end wall extending from the top wall.

The shoulder may be recessed below the plane of the face.

In one preferred embodiment, the shoulder upstands from the centre of the second compartment such that, when the cover is slid in a first direction the first protruding portion abuts said upstanding shoulder to limit the movement of the cover in a first open position, and when the cover is slid in a second direction the second protruding portion abuts said upstanding shoulder to limit the movement of the cover in a second open position.

In another preferred embodiment, the shoulder upstands proximal to one end of the second compartment such that, when the cover is slid in a first direction the first protruding portion abuts said upstanding shoulder to limit the movement of the cover in its open position, and when the cover is slid in a second direction the second protruding portion abuts said upstanding shoulder to limit the movement of the cover in its closed position.

Conveniently, the second compartment comprises a bottom wall with parallel side walls upstanding therefrom, each upstanding side wall having a step formed therein.

The container may further comprise a lip extends along each side wall, spaced from the step to form a track, wherein a portion of the cover is slidably disposed between each lip and step.

Conveniently, the second compartment is formed in the lid.

Preferably, the lid and the base are formed with a second compartment, each with a cover slidable between open and closed positions.

Conveniently, the compartment contains smokeless product.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a lid for a container for snus comprising a compartment for storing used snus and a cover slidable between open and closed positions to allow access to a compartment for storing snus within the container in the open position

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a snus container comprising a cover slidable between an open and a closed position to allow access to a compartment for storing snus within the container when the cover is in its open position.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompany drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container for snus with a lid and a cover according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view of the container shown in FIG. 1 with the cover in a closed position;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional front view of the container shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the container shown in FIG. 1 with the cover in an open position;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the container shown in FIG. 1 with the cover in an open position;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional side view of the container shown in FIG. 1 with the cover in an open position;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a container for snus with a lid and a cover according to an alternative embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional side view of the container shown in FIG. 7 with the cover in a closed position;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional front view of the container shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the container shown in FIG. 7 with the covet in an open position;

FIG. 11 is a plan view of the container shown in FIG. 7 with the cover in an open position; and

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the container shown in FIG. 7 with the cover in an open position.

Referring now to the drawings, a container 1 is shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 comprising a base 2, a lid 3 and a slidable cover 4. The base 2 and the lid 3 define a first compartment 5 for storing fresh or unused snus, and a second compartment 6 for holding used snus ‘U’ is defined in the lid 3. The cover 4 encloses the second compartment 6 when slid into a closed position, as will become apparent hereinafter.

The base 2 comprises a circular bottom wall 7 having a side wall 8 which upstands from a periphery thereof. An upper portion 9 of the side wall 8 is recessed and has a smaller outer diameter than a lower portion 10 of the side wall 8, and is provided with a circumferential bead 11 extending therearound.

The lid 3 comprises a circular upper wall 12 from which a peripheral wall 13 depends. The peripheral wall 13 of the lid 3 has an inner diameter which corresponds to the outer diameter of the upper portion of the base side wall 8 so that when the first compartment 5 is enclosed by the base 2 and lid 3 being brought together, the peripheral wall 13 extends over and overlaps the top portion 9 of the base side wall 8. An annular groove 14 is formed on an inner surface of the peripheral wall 13 of the lid 3 which receives the bead 11 of the base 2 when the container 1 is closed so as to retain the lid 3 and base 2 together and so prevent the container 1 from accidentally opening.

The lid 3 has the second compartment 6 which is formed in the upper wall 12 and is closable by the cover 4. The second compartment 6 includes a generally rectangular recess comprising a bottom wall 15, with two parallel long side walls 17a, 17b, a first short side wall 18 and a second short side wall 19 extending therefrom. The two parallel long side walls 17a, 17b and the first short side wall 18 extend from the bottom wall 15 to the upper wall 12. The first short side wall 18 extends from the bottom wall 15 to a recessed edge 20 which is recessed below the plane of the upper wall 12, as will be explained below. The first and second short side walls 18,19 extend between the two parallel long side walls 17a, 17b. Although the long side walls 17a,17b and short side walls 18,19 are described as such, it will be understood that the length of the respective side walls are not limited as such, and that in an alternative arrangement the long side walls may be shorter in length and extend a shorter distance along the upper wall than the short side walls. The short side walls 18, 19 are arcuate, with the second short side wall 19 lying proximate to a section of the peripheral edge 12a of the upper wall 12 and extending parallel thereto, and the first side wall 18 extending parallel to the second short side wall 19. It will be understood that the first and second side walls 18,19 may not be arcuate and may have different shapes, such as planar, and may have different shapes to each other.

The long side walls 17a,17b and the second short side wall 19 each have a step 21,22,23 formed therein which extends therearound and divides said side walls into upper 21a, 22a, 23a and lower portions 21b, 22b, 23b as can be appreciated from FIGS. 3 to 6. The lower portions 21b, 22b, 23b extend from said edges of the bottom wall 15 to the step 21,22,23 and the upper portions continue from the step 21,22,23 to the upper wall 12 of the lid 3. Although it is not apparent from the drawings, the step 21,22 and the upper portions 21a, 22a of the long side walls 17a, 17b further extend beyond the first short side wall 18 to the peripheral wall 13 of the lid 3. Therefore, the second compartment 6 extends to the peripheral wall 13 of the lid 3. Formed along the upper portions 21a, 22a of the long side walls 17a,17b is a lip 25 which extends from said upper portions 21a,21b adjacent and facing step 21,22 such that a track is formed between the lip 25 and the step 21,22 as is shown in FIG. 3. Each track runs along the long side walls 21, 22 of the second compartment 6, from the second short side wall 19 to the peripheral wall 13 of the lid 3 beyond the first side wall 18.

The recessed edge 20, which extends along the upper edge of the first short side wall 18 is recessed below the plane of the upper wall 12, and a first upper surface 27 extends therefrom to the peripheral wall 13 of the lid, such that a cut-out is formed in the peripheral wall 13 and defined by the upper portions 21a, 22a of the long side walls and the first upper surface 27, such that the second compartment extends to the cut-out formed in the peripheral wall. The first upper surface 27 lies on the same plane as the step 21,22,23. A platform 29 upstands from the first upper surface 27, with a second upper surface 28 to define a shoulder against which the cover locates, as will be explained hereinafter, which extends between inner and outer shoulder portions 30,31. The inner shoulder 30 extends from the recessed edge 20 of the first short side wall 18, and the outer shoulder 31 extends from the first upper surface 27, proximate to, but stepped in from, the peripheral wall 13 of the lid 3. The platform 29 is spaced from the upper portions 21a,22a of the long side walls 17a,17b. The second upper surface 28 is recessed below the plane of the upper wall 12 of the lid 3, as seen in FIGS. 2 and 3 and includes an arcuate channel 26 which extends between the inner and outer shoulders 30,31 to allow an indentation 40 formed in the cover 4 to slide over the platform 29 without contacting the platform 29, as will be explained below.

The cover 4 is of a generally rectangular shape having a top wall 32 with opposing first and second cover end walls 33,34 and two opposing cover side walls 35 depending from the periphery of the top wall 32. The two opposing cover side walls 35 extend parallel to each other and the cover end walls 33,34 extend between the ends of said opposing cover side walls 35. The depth of each of the cover side walls 35 and cover end walls 33,34 conforms to the depth of the upper portions 21a,22a,23a of the long side walls 17a,17b and second short side wall 19 of the second compartment 6, such that the top wall 32 of the cover 4 lies level with the upper wall 12 of the lid 3 when the cover 4 is mounted thereto.

A rib 36 is formed along an outer surface of each cover side wall 35, extending between the cover end walls 33,34, proximate to the free edge of each cover side wall 35. The width of the cover 4 between the ribs 36 on opposing cover side walls 35 conforms to the width of the second compartment 6, between the upper portions 21a,22a of the long side walls 17a,17b. When the cover 4 is mounted to the lid 3, each rib 36 locates in the tracks of the lid 3 such that the cover 4 is retained by the lid, and each rib is slidable in its corresponding track so the cover can be slid in a direction parallel to the tracks between a closed and an open position.

The cover end walls 33,34 extend arcuately outwards with a curvature corresponding to the arc of the periphery of the upper wall 13 of the lid 3. The length of the cover 4, between the cover end walls 33,34 corresponds to the distance between the upper portion 23a of the second short end wall 23a of the second compartment 6 and the periphery of the peripheral wall 13 at the cut-out, such that the first cover end wall 33 continues the arc of the peripheral wall 13 when the cover 4 is mounted to the lid 3 and is in the closed position to form a flush outer finish of the lid 3, as shown in FIG. 1. In the closed position, the second cover end wall 34 abuts the upper portion 23a of the second short side wall 23.

To open the second compartment 6, a user urges the cover to slide along the direction of the long side walls 17a,17b of the second compartment 6. By doing so, the ribs 36 slide in their corresponding track defined between the steps 21,22 of the long side walls 17a,17b and the lips 25, and the end of the cover 4 proximate the first cover end wall 33 is slidable from the cut out formed in the lid peripheral wall 13 such that the second cover end wall 34 moves away from the second short side wall 23 of the second compartment 6, and an opening to the second compartment 6 is formed to allow access to said second compartment 6. As the user further slides the cover 4 into the open position, the second cover end wall 34 contacts the inner shoulder 30 of the platform 29, because the platform upstands in a recess defined by the walls of the cover. As can be appreciated from FIG. 6, the cover 4 is prevented from sliding off the lid due to the presence of the inner shoulder 30. To close the second compartment 6 of the container 1, the user slides the cover 4 in the opposite direction until the second cover end wall 34 abuts the second short side wall 23 of the second compartment 6, and so the second compartment is enclosed, and the cover is in its closed position.

An alternative embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 12. In this alternative embodiment, the container comprises a base 50, a lid 51 and a slidable cover 52. The base 50 and the lid 51 define a first compartment 53 for storing fresh or unused snus, and a second compartment 54 for holding used snus ‘U’ is defined in the lid 51. The cover 52 encloses the second compartment 54 when slid into a closed position, as will become apparent hereinafter. The base 50 and its configuration with the lid 51 is generally the same as the embodiment described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6, and so a detailed description will therefore be omitted herein.

In this alternative embodiment, the cover 52 and the lid 51 are configured such that the cover 52 is slidable in two opposing directions from its closed position, wherein the second compartment 54 is enclosed, to open positions, wherein access is provided to the second compartment 54. The lid 51 comprises a circular upper wall 55 with the second compartment 54 formed therein. In this embodiment the second compartment 54 has a bottom wall 56 with opposing parallel side walls 57,58 upstanding from the bottom wall 56 and opposing second compartment end walls 59,60 extending between the opposing parallel side walls 57,58 and upstanding from said bottom wall 56.

The parallel side walls 57,58 extend across the lid between opposing peripheral edges thereof and have a step 61 dividing each wall into an upper portion 57a,58a, which extends from the bottom wall 56 to the step 61, and a lower portion 57b,58b, which extends from the step 61 to the upper wall 55 of the lid 51. Each second compartment end wall 59,60 is arcuate and an upper surface 63 extends from an upper edge of each second compartment end wall 59,60, and each upper surface 63 lies on a plane with the step 61 of each parallel side wall 57,58. Each upper surface 63 extends to the outer surface of a lid peripheral wall 62 and an upper portion 57a,58a of each side wall 57,58 extends to said outer surface of the lid peripheral wall 62, on opposing sides of the lid 51, such that opposing cut-outs 64 are formed in the peripheral wall 62 from which the cover 52 slides.

A central wall 66 upstands from the bottom wall 55 of the second compartment 54 and extends between the two parallel side walls, midway along, to divide the second compartment 54 into two sub-compartments 54a,54b. A top surface 67 of the central wall 66 lies on a plane with the step 61 of each parallel side wall 57,58. Although the central wall 66 is shown dividing the second compartment 54 into two equal sized sub-compartments 54a,54b, it will be understood that the second compartment 54 may be divided to form uneven sized sub-compartments.

A platform 68 upstands from the top surface 67 of the central wall 64 to form a shoulder against which the cover 52 abuts when the cover 52 is slid into one of its two open positions, as will become apparent hereinafter. The shoulder extends above the plane of the step 61, and the upper surface 63 of each arcuate second compartment end wall 59,60, but below the plane of the upper wall 55 of the lid 51, as can be appreciated from FIGS. 8 and 9.

A lip 69 is formed along each of the two opposing parallel side walls 57,58 and extends proximate to the outer surface of the lid peripheral wall 62 at each end, such that a track is formed between said lip 66 and the step 61 on either side of the second compartment 54, as seen in FIGS. 9 and 10.

The cover 52 closing the second compartment 54 is of a generally rectangular shape and comprises a top wall 70 with opposing first and second cover end walls 72,73 and two opposing cover side walls 74,75, each depending from the periphery of the top wall 70 to form a cover peripheral wall. The two opposing cover side walls 74,75 extend parallel to each other and the cover end walls 72,73 extend between the ends of said opposing cover side walls 74,75. The depth of each of the cover side walls 74,75 and cover end walls 72,73 conforms to the depth of the upper portion 57a,58a of each parallel side wall 57,58 of the second compartment 54, such that the top wall 70 of the cover 52 lies level with the upper wall 55 of the lid 51 when the cover 52 is mounted thereto.

A rib 76 is formed along an outer surface of each cover side wall 74,75, extending between the cover end walls 72,73, proximate to the free edge of each cover side wall 72,73. The width of the cover 52 between the ribs 76 on opposing cover side walls 72,73 conforms to the width of the second compartment 54, between the upper portions 57a,58a of each second compartment side wall 57,58. When the cover 52 is mounted to the lid 51, each rib 76 locates in a corresponding track of the lid 51 such that the cover 52 is retained by the lid 51, and each rib 76 is slidable in its corresponding track so the cover 52 can slide in a direction parallel to the tracks between its closed and open positions.

The cover end walls 72,73 extend arcuately outwards with a curvature corresponding to the arc of the lid peripheral wall 62. The length of the cover 52, between the cover end walls 72,73 corresponds to the distance between diametrically opposite sections of the peripheral wall 62 of the lid 51 defined by the opposing cut-outs 64, such that the cover end walls 72,73 continue the arc of the peripheral wall 62 when the cover 4 is in its closed position to form a flush outer finish of the lid 61, as shown in FIG. 1.

To access the sub compartments 53a,53b of the second compartment 53, a user urges the covet 52 to slide along the axis of the lid parallel side walls 57,58 in one of its two opposing directions, parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cover 52. By doing so, each rib 76 slides in its corresponding track defined between the step 61 and each lip 69, and one end of the cover 52 is slidable from one of the cut outs 64 formed in the lid peripheral wall 62 such that the other end of the cover 52 slides away from the peripheral wall 62, towards the centre of the lid 51, and an opening to the second compartment 53 is formed to allow access to said second compartment 53.

As the user further slides the covet 52 into one of the open positions, one of the cover end walls 72,73 contacts the upstanding shoulder formed by the platform 68, because the shoulder upstands above the plane of the step 61 and extends above the free edge of the respective end wall 72,73. As can be appreciated from FIG. 12, the covet 52 is prevented from sliding off the lid 51 due to the presence of said shoulder. To close the second compartment 53, the user slides the cover 52 in the opposite direction. If the user continues to slide the cover in said opposite direction relative to the lid 51, the other end of the cover 52 slides from the opposing cut out 64 formed in the lid peripheral wall 62, such that the other sub-compartment is exposed. The other cover end wall 72,73 will then contact the upstanding shoulder formed by the platform 68 to restrict movement of the cover 52 relative to the lid 51 and so this configuration also prevents the cover from accidentally detaching from the lid.

It shall be appreciated that the central wall, together with the platform forming the shoulder, may not extend between the two opposing parallel side walls 57,58 to divide the second compartment 53 into two sub compartments 53a,53b. It is envisaged that any other configuration which forms a shoulder falls within the scope of the present invention. For example, the central wall may be replaced by a protrusion or rod which extends from the bottom wall of the second compartment 53, but does not divide the second compartment into two sub-compartments.

The above described configuration of the slidable cover and the second compartment is not restricted to the lid. A second compartment according to any of the above described embodiments may alternatively be formed in the base, or in both the base and the lid. For example, a shoulder and a second compartment may be formed in a main wall of a base, the base being further configured to receive a slidable cover in accordance with any of the described embodiments. It shall also be appreciated that the above embodiments are not restricted to one or two second compartments. For example, a slidable cover according to the present invention may close a plurality of second compartments. Furthermore, a plurality of second compartments formed on the main wall of the lid and/or the base may be closable by individual slidable covers.

It shall also be understood that the cover 4, 52 described above may be formed with an indentation so as to improve the grip of the user when they slide the cover between and open and closed positions. For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 6, the top wall 32 of the cover 4 is formed with an indentation 40 into which the user can place their thumb or finger as they slide the cover 4 between open and closed positions. As described above, an arcuate channel 26 is formed extending between the inner and outer shoulders 30,31 of the platform 29 to allow the indentation to slide therein without contacting said shoulders. A similar indentation may be formed on the cover 52 described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 12. However, it should be realised that the indention is not essential to the invention but may improve the ease of opening and closing the disposal compartments 6, 53.

The configuration of the cover 4, 52 and the lid 3, 51 of the above described embodiments enables a user to access the disposal compartment 6, 53 single handedly as the cover 4, 52 can easily slide between an open and closed position without the possibility of the cover 4, 52 becoming completely detached from the lid 3, 51.

The sliding mechanism of the present invention also provides an improvement over containers having a disposal compartment closable by a cover relying on a clipping function which after repeated use suffers from wear and tear and so is prone to accidental opening as discussed in the introduction.

It will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to cylindrical containers, and that the base, lid and cover may be formed in many different shapes, for example a cuboid shape, and/or with square edges.

Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those persons skilled in the art that the foregoing description should be regarded as a description of preferred embodiments only and that other embodiments that fall within the scope of the appended claims are considered to form part of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A container for snus comprising a cover slidable between an open and a closed position to allow access to a compartment for storing snus within the container when the cover is in its open position.

2. A container according to claim 1, further comprising a base and a lid defining a first compartment for storing fresh snus, wherein the compartment for storing snus is a second compartment formed in the lid or the base for storing used snus, such that the cover is slidable between open and closed positions to allow access to said second compartment when the cover is in its open position.

3. A container according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the lid or the base has a wall and the cover lies on a plane of the wall and is slidable on said plane between its open and closed positions.

4. A container according to claim 3, wherein the wall is an upper wall with a peripheral wall depending therefrom, and the second compartment extends from said upper wall.

5. A container according to claim 4, wherein the cover has a protruding portion at one end of the cover which is locatable against an upstanding shoulder which upstands in the second compartment such that, when the cover is urged into its open position, the protruding portion abuts said upstanding shoulder to limit the movement of the cover in its open position

6. A container according to claim 5, wherein the covet comprises a top wall which is extendable over the second compartment, and the protruding portion is an end wall extending from the top wall.

7. A container according to claim 6, wherein the second compartment extends to the peripheral wall to form a cut out therein, and the end wall covers the cut-out when the cover is in a closed position.

8. A container according to any of claims 5 to 7, wherein the protruding portion is a first protruding portion and the cover further comprises a second protruding portion spaced from the first protruding portion which is locatable against the upstanding shoulder.

9. A container according to claim 8, wherein the second protruding portion is an end wall extending from the top wall.

10. A container according to claim 8 or claim 9, wherein the shoulder upstands from the centre of the second compartment such that, when the cover is slid in a first direction the first protruding portion abuts said upstanding shoulder to limit the movement of the cover in a first open position, and when the cover is slid in a second direction the second protruding portion abuts said upstanding shoulder to limit the movement of the cover in a second open position.

11. A container according to claim 8 or claim 9, wherein the shoulder upstands proximal to one end of the second compartment such that, when the cover is slid in a first direction the first protruding portion abuts said upstanding shoulder to limit the movement of the cover in its open position, and when the cover is slid in a second direction the second protruding portion abuts said upstanding shoulder to limit the movement of the cover in its closed position.

12. A container according to any preceding claim, wherein the second compartment comprises a bottom wall with parallel side walls upstanding therefrom, each upstanding side wall having a step formed therein, and a lip extending along each side wall, spaced from the step to form a track, wherein a portion of the cover is slidably disposed between each lip and step.

13. A container for snus according to any preceding claim wherein the compartment contains smokeless product.

14. A lid for a container for snus comprising a compartment for storing used snus and a cover slidable between open and closed positions to allow access to a compartment for storing snus within the container in the open position

15. A snus container comprising a cover slidable between an open and a closed position to allow access to a compartment for storing snus within the container when the cover is in its open position.