Special receptacle or package – For tobacco – pipe or cigarette holder – With closure
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-26
2004-04-27
Yu, Mickey (Department: 3728)
Special receptacle or package
For tobacco, pipe or cigarette holder
With closure
C206S256000, C206S264000, C206S459500, C053S471000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06726006
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to packages and containers for cigarettes and a method for packaging cigarettes, the container having a flask-shaped design and being made of a durable plastic material to preserve the freshness of the cigarette contents of the container and to protect the cigarettes from being crushed.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Cigarette packages and containers that protect the cigarettes from crushing and/or preserve the freshness of the cigarettes are known in the prior art. Typically, such prior art packages are box-shaped containers made of a paper or cardstock material in either a “softpack” or “hardpack” form. While some designs of the softpack package are capable of retaining a measure of freshness, the softpack package offers little or no protection against crushing. Similarly, some designs of the hardpack package help to preserve freshness to some extent and offer some protection against crushing, however, the cardstock materials that are typically used are vulnerable to damage and crushing under moderate loads. An example of a hardpack package is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,444 to Bray et al., which discloses a typical hinged-lid, box-shaped container that is made from a “rigid card material.” Further examples of cigarette or tobacco packages made of a paper or cardstock material are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,496,474; 2,960,264; 5,044,550; and 5,097,948.
Other materials, such as metals, woods and plastic, have also been suggested for making crushproof and freshness-preserving cigarette containers, but have never attained widespread acceptance because of their typically high manufacturing costs. However, with the advancement of plastic manufacturing technology, it has become more cost effective for cigarette manufacturers to use plastic materials for cigarette containers. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,867,369 to Cernera and 3,223,275 to Rice, Jr. disclose cigarette containers that may be made out of various materials, such as plastic, wood, metal and cardboard. However, neither Rice, Jr. nor Cernera take advantage of the inherent design and manufacturing versatility of plastic material because they contemplate cigarette container designs that are suitable for construction from wood, metal and paper, as well as plastic.
Paper or cardstock materials alone are not well-suited to preserving the freshness of the contents of a cigarette container because those materials generally do not provide a sufficiently air-tight or air-impermeable barrier. Typically, softpack and hardpack cigarette packages employ inner or outer wraps of metal foil/paper laminates, metallized paper or plastic wrappers, or low permeability transparent polymeric sheet overwraps to protect the freshness and aroma of packaged cigarettes and other smoking article products. However, the use of a plastic container molded from a polymeric material having a relatively high permeability would eliminate the need to use such wrappers and overwraps or, alternatively, in conjunction with such wrappers and overwraps, the air impermeability of molded plastic containers would be further enhanced.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a cigarette container made of a plastic material that protects the contents from accidental crushing and takes advantage of the other benefits of using a plastic material in a cigarette package.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a novel “crush-proof” plastic cigarette container that has a relatively thin, contoured shape with rounded corners that is easy for the consumer to handle and carry. Although the cigarette container of the invention may be configured in a number of forms that are not specifically illustrated herein, a preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a six-sided box with rounded corners, the front and back body panels of which are slightly curved to form a flask-shaped container that conforms generally to the contours of the human body.
The curved, flask-shape of the container also helps to distinguish the cigarette product from the cigarette products of other manufacturers, thereby increasing product identification with consumers. In addition to brand names and trademarks, the unique packaging of the present invention will help consumers identify the product origin and/or manufacturer. The curved body panels and rounded corners also increase the strength and rigidity of the container because they resist bending and flexing better than a container having flat body panels, particularly under the vacuum packing conditions of the container of the present invention.
The container is preferably configured with a relatively narrow front-to-back profile so that twenty cigarettes can be arranged in a 10-10 configuration, that is, two rows of ten cigarettes each. This gives the container a slimmer profile than the conventional box-shaped container which holds twenty cigarettes in a 7-6-7 configuration, i.e., three rows of seven, six, and seven cigarettes. The slight curve and narrow profile of the flask-shaped container accommodates the natural curves of the human hand and body so that it is easy to grasp in the hand and fits comfortably inside a shirt, coat or pant pocket. Although a container designed for the 10-10 cigarette configuration is preferred, other cigarette configurations are also possible, such as, for example, the conventional 7-6-7 configuration or other configurations with more or less than twenty cigarettes.
The container is preferably made of three components, namely, a lid and a body, which are preferably molded together in one piece of a plastic material, such as polypropylene, and a flat base that is preferably die-cut from a flat sheet of a plastic/metal, e.g., a polypropylene/aluminum foil laminate or injection molded of a plastic material, e.g., polypropylene, with a metal foil substrate, such as aluminum foil, bonded to one surface thereof. The body is molded with an open bottom and four panels, i.e., a front, back and two side panels, with a central stiffening rib integrally formed with and extending between the front and back panels. The body is molded with the lid in the open position connected to the body by integrally molded hinges. The body is also molded with an access opening in the top and the upper portion of the front panel through which the cigarettes packed in the container are removed.
The lid is formed with several panels which are integrally and hingedly molded to the top of the container body and is reclosable after opening to help maintain the freshness of the cigarettes contents of the container. Inner surfaces of the lid side panels are molded with longitudinal grooves or depressions which are adapted to engage in a “snap-fit” manner with corresponding longitudinal ridges or protrusions on the confronting side panels of the container body to maintain the lid in a secure closed position. Alternatively, the grooves and ridges may be molded on the body and lid, respectively. When the lid is closed, it is flush on all sides with the body of the container to provide a smooth surface onto which a label containing trademarks, logos, advertisements, product information or other printed or embossed indicia may be placed or adhered. The label substrate may be may be paper, metal foil, a single- or multi-layer polymeric film or the like. The paper or polymeric film may be metallized with an aluminum metal, for example. A preferred label is an adhesive-backed metallized paper.
As previously mentioned, the bottom of the as-molded container is open and includes a recessed shoulder or ledge around its internal perimeter on which the base of the container bears when it is inserted into the open bottom of the container body after the cigarettes are loaded in the body through the open bottom. A heat-activated adhesive is applied to the surface of the metal (aluminum) foil of the flat laminate sheet or the injection molded base so as to cover the entire inwardly facing foil surface of the base. A separate paper or paperboard sheet having the same shape, but a slightly smaller area th
Ashcraft Charles Ray
Bohdan Walter
Funderburk Douglas Amon
Gossett Ellen Strickland
Hawley Nancy Harmon
Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione
Pickett Gregory
LandOfFree
Flask-shaped cigarette container and method of packaging... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Flask-shaped cigarette container and method of packaging..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Flask-shaped cigarette container and method of packaging... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3267941