Patent Application
20110083980
Smoking articles such as cigarettes and a variety of other consumer goods are commonly sold in hinge-lid containers. These hinge-lid containers comprise a lower box portion and an upper lid portion, which is hinged to the back panel of the lower box portion. Such containers are formed from laminar cardboard blanks that include various panels and flaps, which when folded about appropriate score lines around a pre-wrapped bundle of cigarettes and/or other type of package or container forms the box portion and the lid portion of the hinge-lid container.
In accordance with one embodiment, a side opening box comprises; an outer box comprising: a box portion; a hinged lid portion having a hinge extending across a back panel, so that the lid is rotatable from a closed position to an opened position at an angle relative to said front panel, and wherein the hinge extends across the back panel of the outer box in a latitudinal direction, and wherein the latitudinal direction is greater in length than in a longitudinal direction; and an inner frame attached to an inner portion of a front panel of the box portion, the inner frame including a front panel, and a pair of side panels.
In accordance with another embodiment, a method of forming a side opening box comprises: providing an outer box blank to a cigarette packing machine; providing a strip of an inner frame blanks to the cigarette packing machine; separating at least one inner frame blank from the strip of inner frame blanks, the at least one inner frame including a front panel, and a pair of side panels; folding the outer box blank into a box portion and a hinged lid portion having a hinge extending across a back panel, and wherein the hinge extends across the back panel of the outer box in a latitudinal direction, and wherein the latitudinal direction is greater in length than in a longitudinal direction; and attaching one of the inner frame blanks to an inner portion of a front panel of the box portion of the box.
In accordance with an embodiment, hinge-lid cigarette containers include an upper lid portion of the container, which is hinged to the top of the back panel of the lower box portion thereof along a transverse hinge line. Cigarettes stand in the lower box portion of the upright container with their longitudinal axes parallel to the longitudinal axis of the container. When the consumer opens the container, by pivoting the front of the lid portion up and to the rear, the upper ends of the cigarettes standing in the lower box portion are exposed. In the closed position, the front panel, back panel and side panels of the upper lid portion of the hinge-lid container form vertical extensions of the corresponding panels of the lower box portion thereof.
It can be appreciated that in accordance with another embodiment, it would be desirable to have a side opening hard pack (or box), which can be used as a decorative method of packaging multiple foil packs in a single sellable unit. It can be appreciated that in accordance with an embodiment, the design of the hard pack (or box) can provide a premium feel and familiarity to the cigarette style hard packs. In addition, the pack (or box) can be configured to hold multiple foil packs, which are designed to contain a snus product, and which contains them in a single package. The foil packs can either be of the same or assorted flavors. Although, the overall pack size and hinge design is similar to the king size hard pack, the pack can be changed in thickness to contain one or more foil packs. In addition, the hinged opening is on the side of the box (or pack), i.e., a side opening box. It can be appreciated that in accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the design of the pack or box is such that modified cigarette packers can be used for the production.
The hard pack (or outer box 110) is preferably comprised of a box portion 110 and a hinged lid 120, wherein the hinged lid 120 pivots relative to the box portion 110, permitting the pack to be opened and reclosed. As shown in
In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the box 100 has a width 132 and a height 134, and wherein the width 132 is greater than the height 134 of the box 100. As shown in
In accordance with an embodiment, the box 100 is configured to receive at least one rectangular package and/or container, or snus foil package, such as those disclosed in commonly owned U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20090000968. When the consumer opens the container, by pivoting the lid portion 120, the foil pack in the box portion 110 is exposed. In the closed position, the front panel 162, back panel 160 and side panels 164, 166 of the lid portion 120 of the hinge-lid container form vertical extensions of the corresponding panels, 160, 162, 164, 166 of the box portion 110 thereof.
In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the outer box blank 200 has an overall width 202 of approximately 125 mm, a folded width 204 of approximately 85 mm, and a height 206 of approximately 55 mm. In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, each of the panels is separated from one another by a fold line. The blank 200 is preferably pre-scored to assist with the assembly of the box 100. During assembly of the box 100, the back side glue panels 232, 234 are attached to the underside of the pair of front side panels 212, 214 to form the box portion 110 of the box 100. The lid back glue panels 242, 244 are then attached to the underside of the lid front panels 262, 264 to form the lid portion 120 of the box 100.
In accordance with an embodiment, the pair of side panels 314 includes a plurality of perforations 340 for ease of installation of the inner frame within the outer box 100. Each of the side panels 314 includes an extended slit 342 at or near the relatively flat mid-portion 332 of the side panels 314. During assembly of the outer box 100, the inner frame 310 is glued to the underside of the front panel 210.
In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, each of the inner frames 310 has a side panel height 350 of approximately 30 mm to 35 mm, an overall height 352 of approximately 40 mm to 45 mm, a perforation width 354 from perforations 340 to perforations 340 of approximately 80 mm to 85 mm, an overall width 356 of approximately 120 mm to 130 mm, and a perforation width 358 from the perforations 340 to the outer edge 338 of approximately 18 mm to 20 mm.
In accordance with an embodiment, the side panels 514 include a plurality of perforations 540 for ease of installation of the inner frame 510 within the outer box 100. The side panels 514 also include an extended slit 542 at or near the relatively flat mid-portion 532 of the upper edge 530. During assembly of the outer box 100, the inner frame 510 is glued to the underside of the front panel 410.
In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, each of the inner frames 510 has a side panel height 550 of approximately 35 mm to 45 mm, an overall height 552 of approximately 50 mm to 55 mm, a perforation width 554 of approximately 80 mm to 85 mm, an overall width 556 of approximately 105 mm to 120 mm, a perforation width 358 from the outer edge 538 to the perforations 540 of approximately 18 mm to 20 mm. Each of the inner frames 510 also includes a lower edge height 560, which extends from the lower edge 520 to the horizontal outer edges 526 of approximately 10 mm to 14 mm.
The boxes can be produced from the customary materials for cigarette boxes such as e.g. paper, cardboard, plastic, plastic film or plastic laminate or one of the named materials with an additional metal or metal-oxide coating. Paper or cardboard are preferably used, short-grain paper or short-grain cardboard are particularly preferred as foldable material for the lid portion and the box portion, and also the inner frame. In the case of paper or cardboard production, the product-forming material is placed on a fast-moving belt.
Although the methods, apparatuses and packaging has been described in terms of the preferred embodiments thereof, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that additions, deletions, modifications, and substitutions not specifically described can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments as defined in the appended claims.
