CN107922081B

CN107922081B - Package for smoking articles

Info

Publication number: CN107922081B
Application number: CN201680045495.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 菲奥伦佐·德拉盖蒂; 卢卡·塔罗兹
Original assignee: Gima TT SpA
Current assignee: IMA Industria Macchine Automatiche SpA
Priority date: 2015-06-08
Filing date: 2016-06-07
Publication date: 2020-02-21
Anticipated expiration: 2036-06-07
Also published as: WO2016199017A1; EP3303161A1; CN107922081A; TR201908047T4; EP3303161B1

Abstract

A rigid package for smoking articles (12) comprising: -an inner casing (16) containing a group of smoking articles (12) and provided with two small walls (24a,24b), said two small walls (24a,24b) being opposite and connected transversely by at least one large wall (25a,25b) and at least partially surrounding said group of smoking articles (12); an outer housing (14) comprising: a containment body (18) for containing the inner casing (16), and a cover (22), the cover (22) being pivoted to the containment body (18) and being configured to rotate between an open position allowing access to the inner casing (16) and a closed position blocking access to the inner casing (16). A pivoting retaining wall (64) is pivoted on one side to one of the two small walls of the inner casing and on the other side to an inner surface (61) of an upper wall of the cover (22) and is provided for retaining the cover in its open position.

Description

Package for smoking articles

Technical Field

The embodiments described herein relate to a package, in particular of the rigid type for smoking articles, with a pivoted lid, such as, but not limited to, cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos or similar or comparable smoking articles.

Background

Packages for smoking articles, particularly cigarettes of the rigid type, are currently manufactured with a pivoted closure cap or pivoted cover. They are generally produced from a blank, i.e. a sheet, for example: cardboard, paper or similar sheets are initially produced, suitably shaped and processed in successive cutting, punching and folding operations.

Conventional cigarette packs are shaped like a rectangular parallelepiped, generally comprising: a rigid outer shell defining an outer containment body; and a cover body pivoted on the external accommodating body through a hinge. An inner containment shell, also known as a collar, is provided for the cigarette, which collar may be fixed or slidable relative to the outer shell. The inner shell contains a group of organized cigarettes, typically wrapped in a package.

It is important for any smoker to have easy access to the inner shell of the pack and the cigarettes contained therein, for example in difficult situations where the hands are partially occupied, the pack and/or lid is incomplete or otherwise.

In the above-mentioned cases, for example, the existing packets of cigarettes have the drawback of being difficult and impractical to access the cigarettes themselves. This drawback is due to the fact that the lids of many packs are difficult to use and to maintain in a stable open position, enabling easy and practical access to the cigarettes by the smokers, even in inconvenient conditions. In fact, in order to be able to access the smoking articles, it is generally necessary to hold the lid with one hand, that is to say to hold it in the open position with force to access the smoking articles inside, and to remove the cigarettes with the other hand, so that the smoker needs to use both hands.

Moreover, existing packets of cigarettes may not give a stable and/or reliable closure of the lid with respect to the external containing body, particularly after a specific time of use and/or non-optimal preservation, which may disadvantageously cause the accidental dropping of the smoking articles in the packet.

International patent No. WO2007/043797, European patent No. EP 2.786.941, U.S. Pat. No. US3.899.125 and European patent No. EP 2.754.622. Cigarette packs are described having a pivotally connected lid, wherein there is a folded connecting tongue between the larger front inner wall of the lid and the larger inner wall of the containment body to assist in opening/closing the lid to the containment body during operation.

There is therefore a need for a package for smoking articles which overcomes at least one of the disadvantages of the prior art.

In particular, an object of the present invention is to obtain a package for smoking articles, in particular cigarettes, which allows simple and practical access to the smoking articles during the use of the entire package, that is to say, such that the package remains intrinsically simple and practical during the entire use.

Another purpose of the present invention is to obtain a package for smoking articles, in particular cigarettes, which allows the use of at least two stable operating positions of the package with respect to an external containing body with a cover.

The applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain these and other purposes and advantages.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention is claimed and characterized in the independent claims, while other characteristics of the invention or variants to the main inventive idea are described in the dependent claims.

Embodiments described herein relate to a rigid package for smoking articles, the rigid package comprising:

an inner casing containing a group of smoking articles and provided with two small walls, opposite and connected transversely by at least one large wall, and at least partially surrounding said group of smoking articles,

an outer housing comprising: a containing body for containing the inner shell; and a cover pivotally coupled to the containment body and configured to rotate between an open position allowing access to the inner housing and a closed position blocking access to the inner housing.

According to one aspect of the invention, the inner casing is provided with at least one pivoted retaining wall pivoted on one side to one of the two small walls of the inner casing and on the other side to an inner surface of an upper wall of the cover so as to remain mobile fixed with the cover during the movement from the open position to the closed position and vice versa.

According to one aspect of the invention, the pivotally retained walls are configured to securely retain the cover in its maximum open position such that the cover is rotated outwardly at least 90 degrees relative to the closed position.

The various aspects and features described in this specification may be applied separately where possible. These individual solutions, such as the solutions and features described in the dependent claims, may be the subject of divisional applications.

It should be appreciated that any arrangement or feature found in the course of a patent application is now known and should not be claimed and is intended to be a disclaimer.

Drawings

These and other features of the invention will become apparent from the following description of some embodiments, given as non-limiting examples with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1 and 2 are perspective views of a package in a closed position according to embodiments described herein.

Fig. 3 and 4 are side views of a package in an open position according to embodiments described herein.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a package in an open position according to embodiments described herein.

Fig. 6, 7, and 8 are side views in a portion of a package according to embodiments described herein.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a detail of a package according to embodiments described herein.

Fig. 10,11, and 12 are side views in a portion of a package according to embodiments described herein.

Fig. 13 is a perspective view of a detail of a package according to embodiments described herein.

Fig. 14, 15, and 16 are side views in a portion of a package according to embodiments described herein.

Fig. 17 is a perspective view of a detail of a package according to embodiments described herein.

Fig. 18 is a plan view of a blank for obtaining the outer containment body of a package according to embodiments described herein.

Fig. 19 is a plan view of a blank for obtaining the outer containment body of a package according to embodiments described herein.

FIG. 20 is a side view of a package in enlarged detail according to embodiments described herein.

Fig. 21, 22, and 23 are side views in a portion of a package according to embodiments described herein.

Fig. 24 is a perspective view of a package according to embodiments described herein.

Fig. 25 is a plan view of a blank for obtaining the inner containment body of a package according to embodiments described herein.

Fig. 26 is a perspective view of a package according to embodiments described herein.

Fig. 27 is a plan view of a blank for obtaining the inner containment body of a package according to embodiments described herein.

Fig. 28 is a plan view of a blank for obtaining a packaged outer container according to embodiments described herein.

Fig. 29a, 29b, and 29c are schematic diagrams of enlarged details of a package according to embodiments described herein.

To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures. It should be understood that components and features of one embodiment may be readily incorporated into other embodiments without further recitation.

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made in detail to the various embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the figures. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, and should not be construed as a limitation of the invention. For example, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment, can be used on or in conjunction with other embodiments to yield yet a further embodiment. It is to be understood that the invention is intended to embrace all such modifications and variations.

The embodiments described herein relate to a rigid type of package 10,110 for smoking articles 12 and having a pivoted lid.

The package 10,110 comprises: an outer housing 14,114 defining substantially the entire volume of the

package

10, 110; and an inner housing or collar 16,116 containing a group of organized smoking articles 12.

The inner casing 16,116 is provided with two

small walls

24a,24b (fig. 1 to 20) or 124a,124b (fig. 21 to 28), the

small walls

24a,24b or 124a,124b being opposite and connected transversely by at least one

large wall

25a,25b (fig. 1 to 20) or 125a,125b (fig. 21 to 28) and being able to wrap at least partially the group of smoking articles 12. In this case, the inner housing 16,116 can be provided not only with two

small walls

24a,24b,124a,124b, but also with two

large walls

25a,25b,125a,125b opposite to each other, even if only one

large wall

25a,25b,125a,125b can be provided.

In fig. 19, by way of example, a blank is provided that may be used to associate the inner housing 16 with the embodiment described with reference to fig. 1-20.

In fig. 25 and 27, by way of example, a blank is provided that may be used to associate the inner housing 116 with the embodiment described with reference to fig. 21-28.

In fig. 19, 25 and 27, portions of the blank are used to define corresponding portions of the shell 16,116 for the same numerical designation as the corresponding portions defined in the respective

inner shell

16, 116.

Herein and in the present description, the term "smoking article" means a cigarette, cigar, cigarillo or similar or comparable smoking article.

Typically, the smoking article 12 may be wrapped or sheet wrapped with paper, metal, aluminum, foil, or the like.

According to a possible embodiment, the outer casing 14,114 may have a rectangular parallelepiped shape.

The outer casing 14,114 comprises a containment body 18,118 and a cover 22,122 of the articulated type. In particular, the cover 22,122 is pivoted to the containing body 18,118 about a first pivoting axis X1 (fig. 1 to 20; the pivoting axis X1, common to all the solutions of fig. 1 to 20, only shown in fig. 9) or X3 (fig. 21 to 28; the pivoting axis X3, common to all the solutions of fig. 21 to 28, only shown in fig. 28). The pivoting cover 22,122 is thus configured to be movably rotatable between an open position allowing access to the inner housing 16,116 and a closed position preventing access to the

inner housing

16, 116. Thus, when the lid 22,122 is open, the smoker can remove the smoking article, and when the lid 22,122 is closed, access is blocked.

The containment body 18,118 is configured to contain the inner housing 16. In particular, the containing body 18,118 may be provided with an upper open side 20,120, the upper open side 20,120 may be provided, for example, to accommodate the

inner housing

16, 116. Also, through the upper open side 20,120, a smoker can remove a smoking article 12 from the inner housing 16,116 when the cover 22,122 is opened.

In particular, the containment body 18,118 may be provided with a containment seat 26,126 accessible through the upper open side 20,120 to house the

inner housing

16, 116. Thus, through the upper open side 20,120, the inner housing 16,116 is accessible from above, and therefore can receive smoking articles 12 therefrom.

According to the embodiments described herein, the inner shell 16,116 is inserted immovably into the containment body 18,118, for example by gluing.

According to one embodiment, the upper open side 20,120 has a first

closed edge

36, 136. The first closed edge 36,136 peripherally defines the upper

open side

20, 120. In particular, the first closing edge 36,136 has a closing profile.

The containment body 18,118 has two

small walls

28a,30a (fig. 1 to 20) or 128a,130a (fig. 21 to 28) and

large walls

31a,32a (fig. 1 to 20) or 131a,132a (fig. 21 to 28) all projecting from a bottom wall 34,134, extending to the upper

open side

20, 120. The two

large walls

31a,32 a; 131a,132a are facing and opposite and are connected by two

small walls

28a,30 a; 128a,130a, the two

small walls

28a,30 a; 128a,130a transversely connect said two

large walls

31a,32 a; 131a,132a to define the

housing seat

26, 126. A total of two

large walls

31a,32 a; 131a,132a and two

small walls

28a,30 a; 128a,130a define the

first closure edge

36, 136.

In some embodiments, the cover 22,122 is configured to have a shape that matches the shape of the upper open side 20,120 of the

containment body

18, 118.

In some embodiments, the cover 22,122 is provided with two

small walls

28b,30b (fig. 1-20) or 128b,130b (fig. 21-28) and two

large walls

31b,32b (fig. 1-20) or 131b,132b (fig. 21-28), each extending from the upper wall 35,135 to a lower open side 45,145 of the

cover

22, 122.

In the closed position of the lid 22,122, the bottom wall 34,134 of the containment body 18,118 is parallel to the upper wall 35,135 of the lid 22,122, while in the open position, the bottom wall 34,134 is not parallel to the

upper wall

35, 135.

According to the present invention, the cover 22,122 includes an

interior surface

61, 161. In particular, the interior surface 61,161 is part of the upper wall 35,135 of the

cover

22, 122. According to a variant embodiment, the inner surface 61,161 of the upper wall 35,135 of the lid 22,122 can at least partially contact the smoking articles 12 housed in the inner casing 16,116 in the closed position.

The two

large walls

31b,32b of the

cover

22, 122; 131a,131b face and are opposite each other and are connected by two

small walls

28b,30 b; 128b,130b, the two

small walls

28b,30 b; 128b,130b transversely connect the two

large walls

31b,32 b; 131a,131 b. A total of two

large walls

31b,32 b; 131b,132b and two

small walls

28b,30 b; 128b,130b define a second closure edge 50,150 of the lower open side 45,145 of the

cover

22, 122. The shape of the lower open side 45,145 of the cover 22,122 matches the shape of the upper open side 20,120 of the

containment body

18, 118. In particular, the second closure edge 50,150 peripherally defines the underside 45,145 and is configured to have a shape that matches the shape of the

first closure edge

36, 136.

According to the embodiments described herein, the rigid package 10,110 in question may be made of a sheet-like material suitably shaped and processed, for example: cardboard, hard cardboard, paper or similar relatively hard materials.

According to some embodiments of the invention, the

small walls

28a,28b,30a,30b,128a,128b,130a,130b may have a double or multiple thickness, that is, the

small walls

28a,28b,30a,30b,128a,128b,130a,130b may be formed by folding and overlapping two or more surfaces of material.

According to other embodiments of the present invention, the upper wall 35,135 of the cover 22,122 and the bottom wall 34,134 of the containment body 18,118 may also have a double thickness.

The embodiments described with reference to fig. 1, 2, 6, 10, 14 and 23 can be combined with all of the embodiments described herein, wherein the cover 22,122 is in a closed position.

In this position, the second closure edge 50,150 of the cover 22,122 rests on and adheres to the first closure edge 36,136 of the

containment body

18, 118.

The embodiments described with reference to fig. 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 21, 22, 24 and 26 may be combined with all of the embodiments described herein, wherein the cover 22,122 is in an open position in which the second closure edge 50,150 of the cover 22,122 is spaced apart from the first closure edge 36,136 of the

containment body

18, 118.

According to the invention, in an initial state of the package 10,110, the containing body 18,118 and the cover 22,122 can be obtained from a blank and can therefore be coupled at least partially. In particular, one or more pre-cut lines may be provided to allow the user to open the body 22,122 of the package 10,110 for the first time, thus defining the closing edge 36,136 of the upper open side 20,120 of the containing body 18,118 and the closing edge 50,150 of the lower open edge 45,145 of the cover 22,122, to lift the cover 22,122 and to use the pre-cut lines.

According to an exemplary embodiment without limiting the invention, the cover 22,122 may be pivotally connected to the containment body 18,118 by a hinge or pivot 54,154, and the cover 22,122 and containment body 18,118 may be reciprocally rotated about the

hinge

54, 154.

In particular, the cover 22,122 can be pivoted to the containment body 18,118 in correspondence with an upper base 58,158, so that the hinge 54,154 cooperates with the

small wall

28a,30a (fig. 1 to 20) or the

larger wall

131a,132a (fig. 21 to 28) of the

containment body

18, 118.

The upper bases 58,158 and the hinges 54,154 define the first pivoting axes X1, X3, about which the covers 22,122 and the containing bodies 18,118 can reciprocally rotate.

A possible embodiment of the package 10 is described with reference to fig. 1 to 20, in which the cover 22 is pivoted on the

small walls

28a,30a of the containing body 18, for example: on the small wall 30 a.

In particular, by pivoting the cover 22 to the

small walls

28a,30a, the cover 22 rotates about the pivoting axis X1 from the closed position to the open position, transversely with respect to the normal use of the package 10, that is to say with respect to the condition of the user having one of the two

large walls

31a or 32a in front.

In the embodiment described with reference to fig. 1 to 20, in the closed position of the cover 22, the

small walls

28a and 30a of the containing body 18 are respectively located on the same plane as the

small walls

28b and 30b of the cover 22. In particular, the

small walls

28a and 28b, and the

small walls

30a and 30b are all parallel to each other.

In the open position of the cover 22, the

small walls

28a and 28b are located on different planes, such as the

small walls

30a and 30 b. Moreover, when the cover 22 is in the open position, the bottom wall 34 is no longer parallel to the upper wall 35.

The embodiments described so far with reference to fig. 1 to 20. In all positions of the cover 22, the large wall 31a and the large wall 32a of the accommodating body 18 are located on the same plane as the large wall 31b and the large wall 32b of the cover 22, respectively. In other words, by rotating the cover 22, the

walls

31a and 32a rotate on the same plane as the corresponding

walls

31b and 32 b.

According to an embodiment, which can be combined with all the embodiments described with reference to fig. 1 to 20, in the open position the cover 22 rests against the small wall 30a, at least in correspondence of its peripheral edge 60.

According to some embodiments, which can be combined with all embodiments described herein, the inner housing 16,116 is provided with at least one pivoted retaining

wall

64, 164.

In the embodiment described with reference to fig. 1 to 20, the pivoted retaining wall 64 may be pivoted on one side to one of the

small walls

24a,24b of the inner housing 16, for example in the upper region of the small wall 24 b. On the other side, the pivot retaining wall 64 may be rotatably connected to the interior surface 61 of the cover 22. In a possible embodiment with reference to fig. 1 to 20, said pivoted retaining wall 64 can be connected in particular to an intermediate region of the inner surface 61 of the upper wall 35 of said cover 22.

In the embodiment described with reference to fig. 1 to 20, the connection of the pivotally retained walls 64 to the interior surface 61 may be made using an adhesive, such as a spot or strip of adhesive. In other possible embodiments, the connection of the pivot retaining wall 64 to the small wall 24b of the inner housing 16 may be obtained by making the pivot retaining wall 64 in a single piece with the inner housing 16, and possibly by joining one of its pieces to the small wall 24b of the inner housing 16 using, for example, an adhesive.

In the embodiment described with reference to fig. 1 to 28, the pivoting retaining wall 64,164 can thus be moved firmly in communication with the cover 22,122 from the open position to the closed position and vice versa.

In a possible embodiment described with reference to fig. 1 to 28, the pivoting retaining walls 64,164 can be configured as pivoting retaining members having multiple fold lines, for example: double or triple. The pivotally retained walls 64,164 may be tongues or strips having a plurality of predetermined fold lines.

Specifically, in the embodiments described herein, the pivoting retaining wall 64,164 may include a first restraint panel 72,172, the first restraint panel 72,172 being connected to the housing 16,116 by a first fold line 80,180, such as: in the case where the first restraint plate 72,172 is made in one piece with the

inner housing

16, 116. In another embodiment, which may be combined with or alternative to the previous embodiment, the first restraining plate 72,172 may be restrained by an adhesive, i.e., bonded using a point or strip of adhesive.

In a possible implementation, with reference to fig. 1 to 20, the first restraining plate 72 may be connected to the small wall 24b of the inner housing 16, or glued to the small wall 24b, using the first fold line 80. In particular, said first constraint plate 72 may be connected or glued to the upper edge 55 of the small wall 24 b. The upper edge 55 is disposed between the cover 22 and the containment body 18 above the hinge 54 and away from the hinge 54. Also in the embodiments described herein with reference to fig. 1-28, the pivoting retaining wall 64,164 may include a swivel plate 74,174, the swivel plate 74,174 being connected to the first restraining plate 72,172 by a second fold line 82,182. Further, the pivot retaining wall 64,164 may include a second restraining panel 76,176 and a third fold line 84,184, the second restraining panel 76,176 being attached to the inner surface 61,161 of the

cover

22, 122.

In particular, the second restraining plate 76,176 may be attached to the inner surface 61,161 of the upper wall 35,135 of the cover 22,122, for example: gluing by means of an adhesive, i.e. using dots or strips.

The second restraining plate 76,176 may be attached to the interior surface 61,161 without disengagement, such as: reference is made to the attachment of the first restraint plate 72,172 to the

inner housing

16, 116.

In the embodiment described with reference to fig. 1 to 20, the second constraining plate 76 is connected to the rotating plate 74 by the third fold line 84.

In possible embodiments, the first fold line 80,180, the second fold line 82,182, and the third fold line 84,184 may be formed as a cut or punch line, a segment or a pre-break or pre-break segment.

In the embodiment described with reference to fig. 1 to 20, the first and second constraining

panels

72, 76 are folded about the second and

third fold lines

82, 84 on opposite sides relative to the rotation plate 74.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, in all of the embodiments described with reference to fig. 1-28, the pivotally retained walls 64,164 may be configured to stably retain the cover 22,122 in the maximum open position of the cover 22,122, such that they are rotated outwardly at least 90 degrees relative to the closed position of the

cover

22, 122. The user can advantageously obtain a stable maximum opening position of the lid 22,122 rotated towards the outside by at least 90 degrees even with one hand, and once reached remains open by himself, and is very advantageous in that it gives the user full access to the smoking articles 12 contained in said inner casing 16.

In the embodiment described with reference to fig. 1-20, the pivotally retained walls 64 are configured to stably retain the cover 22 in a maximum open position, rotated substantially 90 degrees relative to the closed position of the cover 22.

In the embodiment described with reference to fig. 21-28, the pivotally retained walls 164 are configured to stably retain the cover 122 in its maximum open position rotated 90 degrees or more, and particularly 90 degrees to 135 degrees, relative to the closed position of the cover 122.

In the embodiment described with reference to fig. 1 to 20, the rotating plate 74 and the first restraining plate 72 are foldable about the first fold line 80 and the second fold line 82 in order to allow the cover 22 to rotate about a fulcrum substantially defined in the upper portion of the containing body 18, i.e. close to the hinge 54 defining the rotatable connection between the cover 22 and the containing body 18.

In the embodiment described with reference to fig. 1-20, the first closed edge 36 of the upper open side 20 may have a first straight section, a curved section, and a second straight section. In particular, a first straight segment of the closing edge 36 extends horizontally from the small wall 28a to a curved segment. Said curvilinear segments connect, in particular connect, said first rectilinear segment to said second rectilinear segment, which extends according to different angles with respect to the first rectilinear segment and connects said curvilinear segments to the small wall 30 a.

Thus, the second closure edge 50 also has a mating portion to adhere to the first closure edge 36 in the closed position of the cover 22.

In the embodiment described with reference to fig. 1 to 28, the first fold line 80,180 defines a second hinge axis X2, X4 for the rotation of the pivoting retaining wall 64,164 during the opening and closing of the cover 22,122 with respect to the

containment body

18, 118.

The presence of the pivoted retaining walls 64,164 and the two pivoting axes X1, X2 (fig. 1 to 20), X3, X4 (fig. 21 to 28) present thereafter advantageously allow the use of the package in at least two stable operating positions of the lid 22,122, i.e. at least in the closed position, and in the open position, without the need to manually force the lid 22,122 to stably retain one or the other position. In particular, the inner housing 16,116, which houses the smoking article 12, is therefore practical and easy for the user.

Furthermore, in the embodiments described herein, the package 10,110 can be advantageously used in an operating position of stable partial opening of the cover 22,122 with respect to the containing

body

18, 118.

In particular, according to one embodiment, the pivoting retaining walls 64,164 are provided with a double or multiple pivoting, in order to stably retain the cover 22,122 in another open position, intermediate between the closed position and the maximum open position, i.e. in the partially open operating position, such that the cover 22,122 is rotated outwards by an angle comprised between 30 and 60 degrees, in particular between 40 and 50 degrees, with respect to the closed position.

According to a possible embodiment of the invention, the package 10,110 can be used in another stable operating position, intermediate between the maximum open position and the closed position of the cover 22,122, for example: in a position in which the cover 22,122 is rotated between 30 degrees and 60 degrees, and more particularly between about 40 degrees and about 50 degrees (e.g., 45 degrees) relative to the closed position (see the embodiments of fig. 3, 7, 11, 15, and 22).

The third stable operating position may advantageously allow to further reduce the possibility of accidentally opening the package 10,110 completely, for example in the case of a bag or a large pocket, which may then be present, thus preventing the smoking articles 12 from being unnecessarily pulled out.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the pivoted retaining walls 64,164 can have different configurations, in each case enabling the use of the package 10,110 at least in the open and closed operating positions of the

cover

22, 122.

According to a possible embodiment, the package 10,110 may be provided with retaining means 90,190 in order to removably attach the cover 22,122 to the containing

body

18, 118.

The retaining means 90,190 may be, for example, a tab disposed in an upper portion of the wall of the

inner housing

16, 116. In particular, the retaining devices 90,190 may be provided in pairs on the

minor walls

25a,25b of the inner housing 16 (fig. 1 to 20) or on the

major walls

125a,125b of the inner housing 116 (fig. 21 to 28).

Other embodiments may be provided with retention assemblies, mechanical interference assemblies, identically shaped coupling assemblies, attachment assemblies, snap-fit connection assemblies, and the like.

According to the embodiment described in fig. 1 to 20, the first constraint plate 72 may be larger than the rotation plate 74 and the second constraint plate 76. The second confinement shield 76 may be larger than the rotating plate 74.

It will be understood that these proportions are not limiting in the field of protection of the present invention, since panels of different sizes and proportions may be provided, allowing the same use as the package 10 described in the accompanying drawings.

According to the embodiment depicted in fig. 1-28, the second restraining plate 76,176 has a first contact surface 92,192 and a second contact surface 94,194 opposite each other.

Depending on the configuration and arrangement of the pivot retaining walls 64,164, one of the contact surfaces 92,192 or 94,194 is connected to the interior surface 61,161 of the cover 22,122, and in particular to the interior surface 61,161 of the upper wall 35,135 of the

cover

22, 122.

According to one embodiment of the pivotally retained walls 64,164, as described with reference to fig. 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 21, 22 and 23, the second restraining plate 76,176 is connected to the inner surface 61,161 of the upper wall 35,135 of the cover 22,122 by the first contact surface 92,192, such as in a lower or intermediate region.

In the variations described with reference to fig. 7, 8, 9, 11, 12 and 13, in a closed position of the cover 22, the first and

second restraining plates

72, 76 are disposed substantially horizontally and parallel to each other. The rotating plate 74 is disposed obliquely with respect to the two constraining

plates

72 and 76. In this position, the rotating plate 74 with its intermediate portion abuts on a connecting extension 96 of the packet 10, the connecting extension 96 being glued to the inner surface 61 of the upper wall 35 of the containing body 18.

According to a first variant described with reference to fig. 7, 8 and 9. The second fold line 82 faces the inside of the cover 22 and the third fold line 84 faces the outside of the cover 22. In particular, in the first variation, the angle of the concave surface defined by the connection of the first restraining plate 72 and the rotating plate 74 is directed toward the inside of the lid 22, while the angle of the concave surface defined by the connection of the rotating plate 74 and the second restraining plate 76 is directed toward the outside of the lid 22.

In the first variant, in a partially open position of the cover 22, for example: in a position in which the angle of the cover 22 relative to the closed position is rotated between approximately 40 degrees and 50 degrees, the rotation plate 74 and the two restraining

plates

72 and 76 define a concavity angle of approximately 90 degrees.

Further, in the first variation, at the maximum opening position of the lid body 22, for example: in a position where the cover body 22 is rotated by an angle of, for example, about 90 degrees with respect to the closed position, the first restraint plate 72 is rotated by an angle of, for example, about 110 degrees with respect to the closed position.

According to a second variation, depicted in fig. 11, 12 and 13, the second fold line 82 and the third fold line 84 are both directed outwardly of the cover 22. In particular, in the second variant, the angle of the concavity defined by the connection of the first and second constraining

plates

72, 74 is directed towards the outside of the cover 22, similar to the angle of the concavity defined by the connection of the rotating and second constraining

plates

74, 76.

In the second variant, in the partially open position of the cover 22, for example: in a position where the angle of the cover 22 relative to the closed position is rotated between approximately 40 and 50 degrees, the swivel plate 74 remains in abutment with its middle portion on the connecting extension 96.

Further, in the second variation, at the maximum opening position of the lid body 22, for example: in the position in which the cover 22 is rotated through an angle of about 90 degrees relative to the closed position, the first restraining plate 72 is rotated through an angle of about 170 degrees relative to the closed position, and the rotating plate 74 is slightly separated and no longer in contact with the interior surface 61 of the cover 22, and in particular, with the connecting extension 96.

According to a third embodiment of the pivoting retaining wall 64, as described with reference to fig. 14, 15, 16 and 17, the second restraining plate 78 is folded back on itself and is connected to the inner surface 61 of the upper wall 35 of the cover 22, for example in the lower and intermediate regions, by means of the second contact surface 92, as in the embodiments shown in fig. 7, 8, 9, 11, 12 and 13. According to a possible variant of the third embodiment, the second constraint plate 76 can be glued, for example, to the inner surface 61, with an end face 98 resting on the connection extension 96. According to this variation, the second fold line 82 and the third fold line 84 are both oriented toward the inside of the cover 22.

Specifically, as in the third embodiment depicted in fig. 14, 15, 16 and 17, the angle of the recess defined by the connection of the first and second constraining plates 74, 78 is toward the inside of the lid 22, similar to the angle of the recess defined by the connection of the rotating plate 76 and the second constraining plate 78.

Still referring to the third embodiment described with reference to fig. 14, 15, 16 and 17, in the closed position of the cover 22, the first and second

binding plates

72 and 76 are disposed generally horizontally and parallel to each other. The swivel plate 74 is disposed obliquely with respect to the two restraining

plates

72 and 76 and does not contact any components of the package 10.

Moreover, in the third embodiment, in the partially opened position of the cover 22, for example: in the position in which the cover 22 is rotated between about 40 and 50 degrees relative to the angle of the closed position, the first restraining plate 72 and the rotating plate 74 are in substantially the same position as the

same shutters

72 and 74 of the first variation of the pivoting retaining wall 64 described above (e.g., with reference to fig. 7, 8 and 9), and in the partially open position of the cover 22, in particular the angle of the cover 22 relative to the closed position is rotated between about 40 and about 50 degrees.

In addition, in the third embodiment, at the maximum opening position of the cover 22, for example: in the position in which the cover 22 is rotated approximately 90 degrees relative to the angle of the closed position, the first restraining plate 72 and rotating plate 74 are in substantially the same positions as the

same plates

72 and 74 of the first variation of the pivot retaining wall 64 described above (see, e.g., fig. 7, 8, and 9), and remain in the maximum open position in which the cover 22 is rotated approximately 90 degrees relative to the angle of the closed position.

In all the embodiments described with reference to fig. 6 to 17, the third fold line 84 can always be provided at the same height of the corresponding position of the cover 22. This may be particularly advantageous as it allows to obtain the same stability in all stable operating positions of the same position of a given third fold line 84, i.e. the rotation fulcrum of said pivot holding wall 64, in case of different configurations of the pivot holding wall 64. It should be noted that in order to maintain the height of the third fold line 84 constant, in the third embodiment of the pivoting retaining wall 64 described above, as shown in fig. 14, 15, 16 and 17, the length of the connecting extension 96 may be shorter than in the other two embodiments.

Fig. 21 to 28 are intended to describe other possible embodiments of the rigid packet 110 for smoking articles 12, which are not part of the present invention, and provided with an outer casing 114, the rigid packet 110 comprising the containing body 118, the cover 122 pivoted thereon, and an inner casing 116 connected to a pivoted retaining wall 164, as described above, also to the cover 122, with the difference that the embodiment described with reference to fig. 1 to 20 is used accordingly. The cover 122 is pivotally connected to the

large walls

131a,132a of the accommodating body 118, for example: on the large wall 131 a.

In particular, by pivoting the lid 122 to the

large walls

131a,132a, the rotation of the lid 122 about the pivoting axis X3 is brought from the closed position to the open position, this condition being the rear side, which refers to the side opposite the side normally accessible to the smoker, for removing the smoking article 12 when the lid 122 is open, that is to say, with respect to a user having one of the two

large walls

131a or 132a in the front, the lid 122 is not pivoted but is on the front side. In the example case where the cover 122 is pivotally connected to the large wall 131a, the wall in front of the user will be opposite to the large wall 132a, as shown in fig. 21 to 24.

With reference to the embodiment of the rigid package 110 described in fig. 23, the cover 122 is in the closed position.

The embodiments described with reference to fig. 21, 22, 24 and 26 can be combined with all embodiments described herein, wherein the cover 122 is in the open position.

In the embodiment described with reference to fig. 21 to 28, the cover 122 is in a closed position, and the large wall 131a and the large wall 132a of the accommodating body 118 are respectively located on the same plane as the large wall 131b and the large wall 132b of the cover 122. In particular, the

large walls

131a,131b and the

large walls

132a,132b are all parallel to each other (see in particular fig. 23). In the open position of the cover 122, the large wall 131a and the large wall 131b are located on different planes, for example: the large wall 132a and the large wall 132 b.

In the embodiment described with reference to fig. 21 to 28, in all positions of the cover 122, the small wall 128a and the small wall 130a of the accommodating body 118 are located on the same plane as the small wall 128b and the small wall 130b of the cover 122, respectively. In other words, by rotating the cover 122,

walls

128a and 128b, rotate in the same plane as the corresponding

walls

128b and 130 b.

According to an embodiment, which can be combined with all the embodiments described with reference to fig. 21 to 28, in the open position the cover 122 rests against the large wall 131a, at least in correspondence of its peripheral edge 160, and is rotated by an angle of at least about 90 degrees with respect to the closed position.

In the embodiment described with reference to fig. 21 to 28, the pivoting retaining wall 164 may be pivoted on one side to the

large wall

125a or 125b of the inner housing 116, for example: in the upper region of the large wall 125 b. On the other side, the pivot retaining wall 164 may be rotatably connected to the interior surface 161 of the cover 122. In a possible implementation, as illustrated with reference to fig. 21 to 28, the pivoted retaining wall 164 may be connected in particular to an intermediate region of the inner surface 161 of the upper wall 135 of the cover 122.

In a possible implementation, as shown with reference to fig. 21 to 28, the connection of the pivoted retaining wall 164 to the inner surface 161 may be by means of an adhesive, for example: dots or strips. In other possible embodiments, the connection of the pivoting retaining wall 164 to the large wall 125b of the inner casing 116 may be obtained in such a way that the pivoting retaining wall 164 forms a single part with the inner casing 116 and possibly refolds one of the parts and is connected to the large wall 125b of the inner casing 116, for example with an adhesive.

In a possible implementation, with reference to fig. 21 to 28, the first constraint plate 172 may be connected to the large wall 125b of the inner casing 116 by the first fold line 180, for example: in the case where the first restraint plate 172 is formed integrally with the inner case 116. In another implementation, which may be combined with or instead of the previous one, the first constraining plate 172 may be constrained using an adhesive, that is, adhered to the large wall 125b using a spot or strip glue. In this case, the cover 122 is in the closed position, and the first restriction plate 172 is adhered to the large wall 125b with the entire surface. Also, the first restriction plate 172 is integrally formed and connected to the large wall 125b by the first folding line 180. In particular, the first restraining plate 172 may be attached or glued to the upper edge 155 of the large wall 125 b. The upper edge 155 is disposed between the cover 122 and the receiving body 118, and is located above the hinge 154 and away from the hinge 154.

In the embodiment described with reference to fig. 21 to 28, the pivoting retaining wall 164 may comprise the rotation plate 174 connected to the restraining plate 172 by the second fold line 182 and to the second and

third restraining plates

176, 184, and a second rotation plate 178 connected to the first rotation plate 174 by the third fold line 184. In these embodiments, the second restraining plate 176 is connected to the second rotation plate 178 by a fourth fold line 186 and to the interior surface 161 of the cover 122.

In a possible implementation, the fourth fold line 186 can also be made as a cut line or a stamped line in a segment, or as a pre-folded line or a pre-folded line in a segment.

In the embodiment described with reference to fig. 21-28, the first and

second restraining panels

172 and 176 are folded about the second and

fourth fold lines

182 and 186 on opposite sides relative to the

rotation panels

174 and 178.

In the embodiment described with reference to fig. 21 to 28, the two

rotation plates

174 and 178 and the first restraining plate 172 are foldable about the first, second and

third fold lines

180, 182, 184 to allow the cover 122 to rotate about a fulcrum substantially defined in an upper portion of the containment body 118, that is, proximate to the hinge 154, the hinge 154 defines a rotatable connection between the cover 122 and the containment body 118.

In the embodiment described with reference to fig. 1 to 28, the first fold line 180 defines the second pivot axis X4 for rotation of the pivot retaining wall 164 during opening/closing of the cover 122 with respect to the containment body 118.

According to one embodiment of the pivotally retained wall 164, the second fold line 182 may be oriented toward the inside of the cover 122 and the fourth fold line 186 may be oriented toward the outside of the cover 122.

Specifically, in the embodiment of the pivot holding wall 164, the angle of the concave surface defined by the connection of the first restriction plate 172 and the first rotation plate 174 is directed to the outside of the lid 122, and the angle of the concave surface defined by the second rotation plate 178 and the second restriction plate 176 is directed to the outside of the lid 122.

According to another embodiment of the pivotally retained wall 164, as described with reference to fig. 21, 22, 23, 24 and 26, the second fold line 182 may be oriented toward the inside of the cover 122 like the fourth fold line 186.

In particular, in other embodiments of the pivot retaining wall 164, the angle of the concavity defined by the connection of the first restraining plate 172 and the first rotating plate 174 is directed toward the interior of the cover 122, and similarly, the angle of the concavity defined by the connection of the second rotating plate 178 and the second restraining plate 180.

In both embodiments of the pivoted retaining wall 164, the cover 122 is in the closed position, the first constraint plate 172 remains adhered to and in contact with the smoking articles 12 and therefore remains parallel to the large wall 125b of the inner casing 116, while in the open position of the cover 122, the first constraint plate 172 does not contact or adhere to the smoking articles 12 and rotates about the second pivoting axis X4 with respect to the inner casing 116.

Referring to fig. 29a, a possible embodiment of the pivoting retaining wall 164 is described in which the second restraining panel 176 is folded back on itself, while referring to fig. 29b, another possible embodiment of the pivoting retaining wall 164 is described in which the second restraining panel 176 is not folded back on itself and provides pre-folding of the other panels 172,174 and 178. Referring finally to fig. 29c, other possible embodiments of the pivoting retaining wall 164 are described in which the second restraining panel 176 is not folded back on itself and is not pre-folded over the other flaps 172,174, and 178.

According to a possible embodiment of the invention described in fig. 25, the inner housing 116 can be made symmetrical. And in particular, as shown in fig. 25, to a blank that may be used to make a symmetrical inner housing 116. In particular, the pivoting retaining wall 164 can be obtained starting from two pivoting

retaining walls

164a and 164b of the same size, suitably folded and glued on the inner surface 161 of the upper wall 135 of the cover 122, so as to form a single pivoting retaining wall 164.

According to another possible embodiment of the invention depicted in fig. 27, the inner housing 116 may be made asymmetrical. And more particularly, to a blank that may be used to make an asymmetric inner housing 116, as shown in fig. 27. In particular, the pivoted retaining wall 164 can be obtained starting from a single piece suitably folded and glued on the inner surface 161 of the upper wall 135 of the cover 122.

In the embodiment of the package 110 described with reference to fig. 21 to 28, the large wall 131a and the large wall 132b may be larger than the large wall 132a and the large wall 131b, respectively.

In particular, in these possible exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, the closing edge 136 has an inclined portion connecting the large wall 132a to the large wall 131a, and the closing edge 150 has an inclined portion connecting the large wall 132b to the large wall 131 b. However, different types of covers 122 may be provided with different sizes and shapes, as long as the package 110 can be used according to all embodiments described herein.

According to other embodiments, the cover 122 may be provided with a connecting extension 199 (see, e.g., fig. 28), the connecting extension 199 being foldable around the lower opening side 145 for gluing reinforcement on the inner surface 161 of the cover 122.

According to some embodiments of the invention, in the closed position of the lid 122, the connection extension 199 abuts against the large wall 125a of the inner housing 116.

By way of non-limiting example only, the cover 122 may partially or completely cover the closure rim 136 of the containment body 118 to prevent access to the housing seat 126 even though different types of opening and closing of the cover 122 may be provided according to embodiments described herein.

It is clear that modifications and/or additions of parts may be made to the package 10,110 as described heretofore, without departing from the field and scope of the present invention.

It is also clear that, although the present invention has been described with reference to some specific examples, a person of skill in the art shall be able to realise many other equivalent forms of package 10,110 having the characteristics described above and therefore belonging to the field of protection defined by the present invention.

Claims

1. A rigid package for smoking articles (12), the rigid package comprising:

-an inner casing (16) containing a group of smoking articles (12) and provided with two small walls (24a,24b), said two small walls (24a,24b) being opposite and connected transversely by at least one large wall (25a,25b) and at least partially surrounding said group of smoking articles (12);

an outer housing (14) comprising: a containing body (18) for containing the inner casing (16) and having two small walls (28a,30a) and two large walls (31a,32 a); and a cover (22,122) having two small walls (28b,30 b') and two large walls (31b,32b), said cover (22,122) being pivoted to one of said two small walls (28a,30a) of said containing body (18) and being configured to rotate between an open position allowing access to said inner casing (16) and a closed position blocking access to said inner casing (16), characterized in that:

said cover (22) being pivoted to said containing body (18) in correspondence of an upper base (58), said upper base (58) defining a hinge (54) cooperating with one of said two small walls (28a,30a), said cover (22) and said containing body (18) being able to rotate reciprocally about said hinge (54) and defining a first pivoting axis (X1), wherein said inner casing (16) is provided with at least one pivoting retaining wall (64), said pivoting retaining wall (64) being pivoted on one side to one of said two small walls (24a,24b) of said inner casing (16) and on the other side to an inner surface (61) of an upper wall (35) of said cover (22) so as to remain mobile fixed with said cover (22) during the movement from said open position to said closed position and vice versa, the pivot retaining wall (64) is configured to securely retain the cover (22) in a maximum open position of the cover (22) such that the cover (22) is rotated outwardly at least 90 degrees relative to the closed position, wherein the pivot retaining wall (64) comprises: a first constraining plate (72) connected to an upper edge (55) of one of said two small walls (24a,24b) by a first fold line (80); and a second restraining plate (76) connected to said inner surface (61) of said upper wall (35) of said cover (22), said first fold line (80) of said pivoted retaining wall (64) defining a second pivoting axis (X2);

the pivot retaining wall (64) includes: a rotating plate (74) connected to the first restraining plate (72) by a second fold line (82) and to the second restraining plate (76) by a third fold line (84).

2. The rigid package of claim 1 wherein: the pivot retaining wall (64) is provided with a double or multiple pivot to securely retain the cover (22) in another open position between the closed position and the maximum open position such that the cover (22) is rotated outwardly between 30 and 60 degrees relative to the closed position.

3. The rigid package of claim 1 wherein: the pivot retaining wall (64) is provided with a double or multiple pivot to securely retain the cover (22) in another open position between the closed position and the maximum open position such that the cover (22) is rotated outwardly between 40 degrees and 50 degrees relative to the closed position.

4. The rigid package according to any of the preceding claims wherein: the inner shell (16) is symmetrical.

5. The rigid package according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein: the inner shell (16) is asymmetric.