Patent Application
20110284405
A folded and substantially flattened pack as set forth in claims 1-44, the subject matter and text of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
A folded and substantially flattened pack useful for holding thin, elongate products such as tobacco sticks 98 is described herein. The tobacco sticks 98 can comprise wood (or polymer based) sticks with orally enjoyed tobacco material coated on one end of the sticks.
Referring to
Referring to
The left side panel 30 can have a first angled edge portion 31 and an arcuate edge portion 32. The right side panel 40 can have a first angled edge portion 41 and an arcuate edge portion 42. The first (upper) angled edge portions 31 and 41 provide bond (glue) surfaces which adhere to upper should portions 17 of the inner front panel.
The left and right side panels 30 and 40 can include second angled edges 33 and 43 extending from the side edges 35 and 45 of the left and right side panels 30 and 40 to the transverse fold line 12 between the inner front panel 10 and the back panel 20. The left and right side panels 30 and 40 preferably each have a width of 20% to 30% of the width of the back panel 20.
The inner front panel 10 includes a closure slot 15 adjacent (e.g. preferably within 25% of the longitudinal length of the inner front panel 10) to the transverse fold line 12 and overlying the gap 34 (as shown in
The front closure panel 50 includes a closure tab 54 at a free edge portion opposite the transverse fold line 56. The front closure panel 50 is rectangular and the closure tab 54 is defined by two longitudinally extending slits 54a and 54b, the slits 54a and 54b extending preferably 20% or less of the length of the front closure panel 50. The slits 54a and 54b preferably end in V-shaped cutouts. The closure tab 54 preferably is rectangular and/or has a length approximately the length of the top panel 60. In the fully folded closed state, the closure tab 54 can engage the closure slot 15 (e.g. at least a portion of the closure tab 54 is inserted underneath the inner front panel 10 through the closure slot 15); the edge portion of the front closure panel 50 opposite the transverse fold line 56 is retained adjacent the transverse fold line 12; the top panel 60 forms an acute angle with the back panel 20 when the closure tab 54 is fully inserted in the closure slot 15; and the top panel 60 establishes a raised fulcrum effect which tends to maintain the closure tab 54 in engagement with the closure slot 15 when the pack is in a closed condition.
The front closure panel 50 preferably has a length less than a length of the back panel 20. A portion 52 defined by a left edge of the front closure panel 50 and the left slit 54a of the closure tab 54 and a portion 53 defined by a right edge of the front closure panel 50 and the right slit 54b of the closure tab 54 are rectangular in shape and substantially the same size as the closure tab 54. The free ends of the left and right portions 52 and 53 preferably position proximately to the fold line 12 when the closure tab 54 is fully inserted in the closure slot 15.
The inner front panel 10 can include a finished bearing surface at a location over the gap 34, the bearing surface providing smooth sliding of the closure tab 54 into the closure slot 15. The front closure panel 50 can be urged against the bearing surface of the inner front panel 10 to facilitate engagement of the tab 54 with the slot 15. The closure tab slides into the closure slot by sliding along the bearing surface and is held in the closure slot by a force exerted by a raised fulcrum effect of the top panel 60. Bowing of the inner front panel 10 (as described with reference to
In the embodiment shown in
A method of packaging thin, elongate products such as tobacco sticks in a shallow, rectangular, board pack such as the pack 100, comprises (a) establishing a planar blank of board material such as paper or plastic, the planar blank comprising the inner front panel 10, the back panel 20 connected to the inner front panel 10 along the transverse fold line 12, the left side panel 30 connected to a side of the back panel 20 along the longitudinal fold line 23, the right side panel 40 connected to an opposite side of the back panel 20 along the longitudinal fold line 24, the top panel 60 connected to the back panel 20 along the transverse fold line 26, the front closure panel 50 connected to the top panel 60 along the transverse fold line 56, such that the top panel 60 is interposed between the back panel 20 and the front closure panel 10, the front closure panel 10 including a free, transverse, edge portion and the closure tab 54 established with longitudinal slits 54a and 54b in the free edge portion; the inner front panel 10 including the closure slot 15 adjacent the transverse fold line 12; (b) folding the left and right side panels 30 and 40 over the back panel 20 and establishing the gap 34 between opposed side edges 35 and 45 of the left and right side panels 30 and 40; (c) folding the inner front panel 10 over the back panel 20 and adhering portions of the front closure panel 50 to portions of the left and right side panels 30 and 40 so as to form a planar pack structure with the closure slot 15 being disposed over the gap 34; (d) inserting the thin elongate products into the planar pack structure and bowing the inner front panel 10 from placement of product thereunder such that a raised lip portion 15a of the inner front panel 10 is established adjacent the closure slot 15; (e) closing the pack by folding the front closure panel 50 into a superposed relation with the inner front panel 10 and engaging the closure tab 54 with the closure slot 15 by moving the free, transverse edge portion of the front closure panel 50 along the inner front panel 10 toward the closure slot 15, wherein the raised lip portion 21 of the closure slot 15 guides the closure tab 54 into the closure slot 15 and the top panel 60 is rotated into an acute angle with respect to the back panel 20.
The top panel and the closure mechanism provide a shallow wedge shape that facilitates placement of the pack in a shirt pocket or confine it within a lady's purse. The closure mechanism secures the lower edge of the front closure panel to closely overlie the inner front panel, which minimizes snags, helps maintain closure if a snag should occur and avoids accidental opening of the pack.
The closure mechanism resists side to side displacement of the front closure panel 50. Thus, the closure mechanism maintains the front closure panel edges aligned with the edges of the back panel and inner front panel.
The top panel 60 is narrow and is sized to allow the release of the tab 54 of the front closure panel 50 from the closure slot 15 upon its rotation from an acute angle with respect to the back panel 20 (when the pack is closed) to an obtuse angle with respect to the back panel 20 when the outer front panel 50 is released from the catching mechanism. This feature avoids bowing and bending of the outer front panel 50 which instead remains substantially planar during opening and reclosure, so the pack can sustain 20 or more openings without much degradation of the outer front panel 50.
The narrow top panel also maximizes the length of the outer front panel 50 so that the latter extends along a great portion of the overall pack length. This relationship maximizes the amount of available area on the outer front panel for warning labels, commercial indicia and regulatory notices.
Preferably, for a closed pack having an overall length of about 2.8 inches, the top panel preferably has a length of about 0.4 inch. Thus, the top panel has a longitudinal length of about 1/7 or about 14 to 15% of the pack length.
Advantageously, the breaking of the leading edge 53, 52 of the outer front closure panel 50 is minimized at the closure slot 15, due in substantial part to the sliding, frictional fit established by the cuts 54a, 54b and 15a in the front panels 50 and 10, respectively; and the raised lip portion 15a and the bowed condition of the lower portion of inner front panel 10 when loaded with product 98.
The slot portions 15b, 15c provide stress relief in the area of slot 15 and reduces potential of slot 15 tearing toward score line 12.
While the pack and the method of packaging have been described in detail with reference to specific embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made, and equivalents employed, without departing from the scope of the appended claims.
