Patent Application
20190112124
The disclosure relates to a packaging container having an inner packaging container adapted to hold a number of consumer items, and in particular to a hinged lid packaging container having an inner resealable packaging container, preferably for accommodating smokeless tobacco pouches or pre-portioned smokeless tobacco (all referenced as “portions of smokeless tobacco”).
Smokeless tobacco products are sold in round metal, plastic or paperboard cans which have removable metal or plastic lids. However, different forms of packaging may appeal and provide conveniences to consumers such as smokers more familiar with hinged-lid packaging.
Disclosed herein is a combination of a resealable inner box and outer box packaging arrangement, particularly suited for smokeless tobacco products.
According to one embodiment, a pack for consumer goods comprises an outer packaging container and an inner packaging container. The outer packaging container includes a generally rectangular lower box portion with an upper lid portion hingedly connected thereto for movement between opened and closed positions, said box defining an inner box width; wherein said upper lid portion includes a lid back panel, a lid front panel, and a lid top panel. The inner packaging container includes a generally rectangular box having a dispensing opening with a resealable closure; wherein the rectangular box includes a front panel, a back panel, a top panel, a bottom panel, and opposing side panels; wherein each said side panel includes an inner panel and an outer panel, said inner panel having a first width defining a width of the inner packaging container, and said outer panel including at least a portion having a second width defining a width greater than the first width. The second width is greater than the inner box width in one embodiment. The inner packaging container is insertable within said outer packaging container.
According to another embodiment, a blank for forming an inner packaging container for insertion into a hinged lid box comprises a front panel defined by a first pair of parallel first and second score lines and a second pair of parallel third and forth score lines; a bottom panel connected to the front panel along the first score line and further including first top and first bottom flaps connected at top and bottom score lines; an outer left side panel connected to the front panel along the third score line; an outer right side panel connected to the front panel along the fourth score line; a top panel connected to the front panel along the second score line and further including second top and second bottom flaps connected at top and bottom score lines and a fifth score line parallel to the second score line; a back panel connected to the top panel along the fifth score line and further including a sixth score line parallel to the fifth score line thereby forming a third pair of parallel score lines, and a fourth pair of parallel seventh and eighth score lines; an inner left side panel connected to the back panel along the seventh score line; an inner right side panel connected to the back panel along the eighth score line; and a glue flap connected to the back panel along the sixth score line. The inner left and right side panels have a first width defining a width of the inner packaging container and at least a portion of said outer left and right side panels have a second width greater than the first width.
Referring to
The pack 300 is adaptable for containing other articles, such as smoking articles, in which case the overall dimensions may mimic customary dimensions of existing hinge lid boxes.
Outer packaging container 100 is preferably a hinged lid type of container formed from a paper or paperboard blank. As best shown in
The outer packaging container 100 further includes an inner top closure panel 60 connected to the back panel 20 along a transverse fold line 26; an outer top closure panel 50 connected to the front panel 10 along a transverse fold line 27; an inner bottom closure panel 70 connected to the back panel 20 along a transverse fold line 28; and an outer bottom closure panel 80 connected to the front panel 10 along a transverse fold line 29. When folded, inner top closure panel 60 is adhered to an inner surface of outer top panel closure panel 50 and inner bottom closure panel 70 is adhered to an inner surface of outer bottom closure panel 80.
Outer packaging container 100 also comprises upper and lower dust flaps 12, 16 connected to left side panel 30 along upper and lower transverse fold lines 31, 32, respectively, and upper and lower dust flaps 14, 18 connected to right side panel 40 along upper and lower transverse fold lines 33, 34, respectively.
As mentioned above, outer packaging container 100 is preferably a hinged lid type of container in that a pivotable hinged lid portion 90 is provided in order to gain access to the contents therein. In order to obtain this functionality from a one-piece blank, the blank is pre-cut to define the perimeter of hinged lid portion 90. As best illustrated in
The outer blank 100 is a blank configuration which is laterally folded and “glued” to form the intended box structure.
As best shown in
The inner packaging container blank 200 further includes an inner side closure left panel 160 connected to the back panel 120 along a longitudinal fold line 126; an outer side closure left panel 150 connected to the front panel 110 along a longitudinal fold line 127; an inner side closure right panel 170 connected to the back panel 120 along a longitudinal fold line 128; and an outer side closure right panel 180 connected to the front panel 110 along a longitudinal fold line 129. When folded, inner side closure left panel 160 is adhered to an inner surface of outer side closure left panel closure panel 150 and inner side closure right panel 170 is adhered to an inner surface of outer side closure right panel 180.
Inner packaging container blank 200 also comprises left and right side dust flaps 112, 116 connected to bottom panel 140 along left and right longitudinal fold lines 131, 132, respectively, and left and right dust flaps 114, 118 connected to top panel 130 along left and right longitudinal fold lines 133, 134, respectively.
Inner packaging container blank 200 further comprises a dispensing door 192 which is provided to allow access and removal of the contents within inner packaging container 200. Door 192 is formed by establishing the perimeter thereof preferably with a score line 195 located partially across a central portion of the upper back panel 120 and with a perforated cut line 193 into central portions of the front and top panels 110 and 130 of the inner packaging container blank 200, as shown best in
Alternatively, the door 192 may be an opening of the same or comparable perimeter of lines 195 and 193, covered only by a label 198.
The left and right outer side closure panels 150, 180 of the inner packaging container 200 have an upper side width “W1” that is slightly greater than the lower side width “W2” thereof. The upper side width W1 of the left and right side closure panels 150, 180 is also slightly greater than the side width “W3” of the left and right inner side closure panels 160, 170, the width W3 thereof preferably being substantially equal to width W2. Moreover, the upper side width W1 of the left and right side closure panels 150, 180 is also slightly greater than the inner width defined within outer packaging container 100. As a result of the slightly greater width W1 of the upper portion of the left and right outer side closure panels 150, 180, when inner packaging container 200 is folded, glued and sealed, the inner packaging container 200 comprises rearwardly projecting flanges 190, as best shown in
More particularly, in one preferred embodiment, flanges 190 have a gradually increasing width from W2 to W1 which feature facilitates insertion of an erected inner box into an erected outer box. Referring now to
The flange portion 400 and its biasing action also serve in essence to “lock” the inner box 200 within the outer box 100 with a friction fit such that the inner box 200 remains steadfast during handling by the consumer, even when the lid has been opened and product is removed. In addition, a small amount of adhesive (not shown) can be applied between the exterior surface of the bottom of the inner box 200 and the interior surface of the bottom of the outer box 100 to further assure the desired positioning of the inner box 200 within the outer box 100.
Preferably, both the outer box 100 and the inner box 200 are constructed of 12 or 14 point paper board, preferably 12 point board is used for the inner box 200 and 14 point board is used for the outer box 100. Most preferably, a laminated or metalized board is used in the construction of the inner box 200, which promotes product stability and shelf life and serves as a barrier against transfer of adhesives, inks or other agents from either of the boxes to the product to be contained therein.
In a preferred embodiment, the outer box has a height of about 3 inches, a width of about 2 inches and a thickness of about ¾ inch, more preferably 2 15/16 inches×2 inches× 11/16 inch. The hinge lid 90 can have a height of about 1 inch at the front of the outer box and the hinge line at the rear of the box can be located about 1¾ inches from the bottom of the outer box. To snugly fit within the outer box, the inner box preferably has a height of about 2 13/16 inches, a width of about 1⅞ inches and a thickness of about ⅝ inch. The inner box 200 preferably holds about fifteen portions of smokeless tobacco. The door 192 can have a width of about 1¼ inches at hinge line 195 and length of about 1½ inches from the hinge line 195 to a free end of the door. The door is more narrow at the free end with side edges tapering inward 4 to 5° and joining the free end at rounded corners having a radius of about ⅜ inch. The flanges 190 preferably have a length of about 1¼ inches and extend outwardly from the rear of the inner box by about 1/16 to ⅛ inch and ends of the flanges are rounded with a radius of about ⅛ inch.
In a preferred embodiment, the inner box 200 is approximately of a same height as that of the outer box 100 (with accommodation for the layers of board at the upper and lower panels of the outer box 100). It is envisioned that with the inclusion of flanges 190 (or comparable arrangement to bias an upper edge portion of the inner box 200), the inner box 200 may be of a height less than that comparable to the outer box 100.
Referring to
A method of making the pack 300 according to one embodiment is described below.
Referring to
Product is then loaded into the partially closed structure 703 through the remaining open side of the structure 703, for example, the left side as in the illustrated embodiment. The open side of the container is then sealed in a similar manner by folding the dust flaps and side closure panels. In the illustrated embodiment, for example, dust flaps 112, 114 are folded along fold lines 131, 133, respectively, and then an outer surface of left side inner closure panel 160 is glued to an inner surface of left side outer closure panel 150 so as to completely seal inner packaging container 200 and the contents therein. Although a preferred practice in an embodiment includes closing one side of the inner box before insertion of product, it is envisioned that product could be inserted before closure of either side.
It is to be noted that the erection of the inner blank 200 is in a “longitudinal” sense, i.e. the end panels are rotated during erection.
Referring to
The box structure of the pack 300 and its manner of erection and loading provides:
a resealable feature which prolongs freshness;
the resealable flap 198 that may be pressed against opposing portions of the top panel of 130 to assure adhesion and may be reinforced by the board structure of the door 192;
the inclined edge 410 of the flanges 190 of the inner box 200 facilitates insertion of the inner box 200 into the outer box 100 during packing;
having one of the boxes 100, 200 erectable in a lateral sense (e.g. box 100) and the other being erectable in a longitudinal sense (e.g. box 200), assures rectangularity in the pack 300 once the pack 300 has been fully assembled; and
the flanges 190 bias an upper front edge portion of the inner box 200 against an inner front surface of the lid during and after reclosure so as to assure a complete reclosure and to maintain it fully closed (the avoidance of a “smile” along the lid line).
While the above 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.
This application is a divisional patent application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/235,492, filed Aug. 12, 2016, which is a continuation patent application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/172,898, filed Jun. 3, 2016, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,059,506 on Aug. 28, 2018, which is a divisional patent application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/325,803, filed Dec. 14, 2011, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,382,062 on Jul. 5, 2016, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/422,975 filed Dec. 14, 2010, in which the total contents of each is incorporated by reference herein.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61422975 | Dec 2010 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 15235492 | Aug 2016 | US |
| Child | 16218918 | US | |
| Parent | 13325803 | Dec 2011 | US |
| Child | 15172898 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 15172898 | Jun 2016 | US |
| Child | 15235492 | US |
