Hinge lid cigarette packets

Details Hinge lid cigarette packets Hinge lid cigarette packets

2000-09-14

2001-10-02

Bui, Luan K. (Department: 3728)

Special receptacle or package

For tobacco, pipe or cigarette holder

Casing formed of two hinged complementary covers

C206S268000, C229S120030

Reexamination Certificate

active

06296113

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The subject invention relates to hinge lid cigarette packets comprising first and second, opposing lids.
In the tobacco industry so-called hinge lid packets are widely used for the packaging of cigarettes. These packets comprise a body, essentially in the form of a rectangular parallelepiped, and a lid hingedly secured at the upper end of the body. It is usual for such packets to further comprise a neck part which projects upwardly from the front and side walls of the body such as to be received within the lid when the lid is in the closed position thereof.
There have also become known hinge lid packets comprising two lids, these being respectively disposed at the upper and lower ends of the body.
An example of a hinge lid cigarette packet comprising two lids is disclosed in EP 380 898. The blank for this packet is of a generally T configuration with the “stem” of the T comprising a minor portion of the blank. At either end of the major portion of the blank (the “crossing” of the T) are disposed those panels which provide the lids in the erected packet. In the erected packet one side wall of the body is comprised of two, superimposed panels, i.e. it is of double thickness, whereas the other side wall of the body is provided by only one panel, i.e. it is of single thickness. By contrast, both side walls of each of the lids are of double thickness. Thus the erected pack is of an unattractive inherent asymmetry. Furthermore, the T configured blank is, in comparison to the generally rectangular blank of a conventional hinged lid packet, wasteful of cartonboard.
Disclosed in EP 625 469 is a packet blank for a two lidded hinge lid packet intended for holding special cigarettes. Although this packet can be produced from a packet blank which is generally of a rectangular configuration, the erected packet is not strictly symmetrical in construction since, as with the packet of EP 380 898, one of the body side walls is of single thickness and the other is of double thickness.
Known from U.S Pat. No 5,074,412 is a cigarette packed with upper and lower hinged lids and comprising a wall which serves to divide the interior of the body into upper and lower chambers.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the subject invention is to provide a hinge lid cigarette packet with two opposed hinged lids, disposed at the top and bottom ends respectively of the erected packet, the blank of which packet is of a very simple configuration which differs only slightly from conventional blanks for conventional hinge lid cigarette packets.
The subject invention provides a hinge lid cigarette packet comprising a body and first and second hinged lids disposed at respective opposed ends of the packet, said body together with said lids being formed from a unitary blank, which blank is of a configuration symmetrical about a lengthwise centreline of the blank, front and side walls of said first lid being provided by panels of said blank which in said blank are other than in abutting attachment to body panels of said blank, whereas front and side walls of said second lid are provided by panels which in said blank abut and are attached along lines of weakness to body panels of said blank, the first opening of said second lid being permitted by separation of the respective lid and body panels along said lines of weakness.
The subject invention renders possible, for the purpose of producing a hinge lid packet with two lids, the use of punched blanks which in the outer configuration thereof scarcely differ, if at all, from a blank of a conventional hinge lid packet. Consequently, the packaging machines which are normally used can continue to be used for handling the packet blanks according to the invention without the need for major modifications. The hinge lid packet produced is not obviously different in appearance from a conventional hinge lid packet. The second lid section is only prepared by means of appropriate lines of weakening of the packet blank, its realisation and use as an additional lid being effected only by the user, for example through the breaking of residual joints of special punched lines of the packet blank.
Furthermore, the invention enables hinge lid packets with two lids to be fashioned in a very economical manner.
The hinge of the second lid can be located on either the front or back of the packet. If the hinge is located on the front of the packet, then to the purchaser the front and the back of the packet have the same appearance, so that it is only upon closer inspection that it is apparent to the purchaser that the packet has two lids.
It is preferable for a neck insert to be assigned to each of the two lids respectively, but it is also possible for the neck inserts to be fashioned as a common, unitary insert, particularly when both hinges for the lids are located on the back of the packet.
The neck insert assigned to a lid preferably comprises a cutout, laterally offset relative to the axis of symmetry of the packet, as a region for the removal of cigarettes. The remaining region of the neck insert may comprise a fold-over barrier region. This enables the purchaser to remove the cigarettes via the neck insert cutout, while the cigarettes covered by the barrier region remain inaccessible, or substantially inaccessible. These latter cigarettes can be removed from the other end of the packet, the neck insert at that end comprising a cutout which is assigned to these cigarettes. This improves the assignment of cigarette types to respective sides of the packet, it being possible to further enhance the assignment by paper wrapping the two cigarette types as two separate blocks.


REFERENCES:
patent: 2983424 (1961-05-01), Glass
patent: 2994465 (1961-08-01), Kauffeld
patent: 3007623 (1961-11-01), Clemens
patent: 3039671 (1962-06-01), Chiamardas
patent: 3092301 (1963-06-01), Selle
patent: 5074412 (1991-12-01), White
patent: 5467872 (1995-11-01), Minarelli et al.
patent: 5513748 (1996-05-01), Focke et al.
patent: 4024972 A1 (1991-02-01), None
patent: 0 380 898 A1 (1990-08-01), None
patent: 0 625 469 A2 (1994-04-01), None
patent: 0 769 457 A1 (1997-04-01), None

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