US3021943A - Cigar box - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 20, 1952 GREENE 3,021,943

CIGAR BOX Filed Jan. 12, 1959 Z2 a g BY 7% K ATTORNEYS hire tars 3,021,943 Patented Feb. 20, 1962 3,021,943 CIGAR BOX Robert A. Greene, Suite 4, 559 Seabreeze Blvd, Daytoua Beach, Fla. Filed .Ian. 12, 1959, Ser. No. 786,172 1 Claim. (Cl. 20645.2)

This invention relates to containers and particularly to boxes having hinged lids, and more particularly still, to cigar boxes.

Cigar boxes vary somewhat in size, but conventionally consist of a box of rigid material such as wood or heavy cardboard having a lid hinged at one side which can be opened to expose the contents of the box. Such a box is satisfactory for packaging the cigars and for keeping them in good condition and forms an ideal container within which the cigars can be shipped. Cigars in boxes of this nature are usually displayed at the point of sale either by tilting the lid upwardly and supporting it with a wire hook, or the like, or by turning the lid downwardly along the back of the box so that the box is supported in a tilted position whereby a number of boxes can be arranged in a row within a display case.

The width of the lid is the entire width of the box, and because of this when the lid is tilted upwardly or when it is turned completely down to tilt the box up, the box and lid combined occupy considerable vertical space, thus making it inconvenient to reach over one box and into the next or to lift a box out of a display counter to permit a customer to take cigars from the box.

With the foregoing in mind, a primary object of the present invention is the provision of a cigar box, or the like, having a lid construction that avoids the drawbacks referred to above.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of a box, particularly a cigar box, which, when opened, occupies a minimum of space.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of a box such as a cigar box in which the sealing of the lid is accomplished between the front and back edges thereof so that the box will withstand considerable abuse without breaking the seal of the lid.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of a cigar box, or the like, in which the lid is formed in two sections so that when the box is opened the short portion of the lid can be turned down in front of the box and form an advertising display.

These and other objects and advantages will become more apparent upon reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view showing a cigar box according to my invention,

FIGURE 2 is a transverse section through the cigar box as indicated by line 2-2 on FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is a vertical section through one end of the box as indicated by line 33 on FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view showing the box opened and illustrating the use of a paper insert to cover one end of the cigars,

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view showing the box opened in the manner in which it would be placed in a display case, and

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary view drawn at enlarged scale showing the beveled joint between the two sections of the lid of the box.

Referring to the drawings more in detail, FIGURE 1 shows a cigar box having the conventional form of back, end and bottom walls and with a lid generally indicated at It). Lid 10 according to this invention is formed with a shorter front part 12 and a longer back part 14 which 7 have their adjacent edges tapered as at 16 so that when the lid portions are closed the box is sealed closed. The

tapered joint between the lid portions is illustrated at enlarged scale in FIGURE 6.

The shorter front portion 12 of the lid has a hinge member 18 connecting it to the front wall of the cigar box, and the longer rear portion 14 of the lid has a hinge 20 connecting it to the back wall of the box.

When the box is closed the two lid portions are retained together and the entire lid is held closed on the box by a seal strip 22 which may comprise pressure sensitive adhesive on the under side as indicated at 24. This seal strip may include the usual revenue stamps so that upon opening the box the stamps are torn, as is required.

The lid portions 12 and 14 are adapted for resting on a ledge 26 formed on the inside of each end wall of the box as by making the end wall of two individual pieces with the inner one slightly shorter than the outer.

After the box has been opened and it is desired to display the contents thereof, the box may be arranged somewhat as illustrated in FIGURE 4 wherein the longer lid portion 14 is held in a raised position by a wire brace 28 attached to the lid and to the side wall of the box. The shorter portion 12 of the lid may hang down in front of the box as shown at the left side of FIGURE 4, or may remain folded over in a closed position as indicated toward the right side of FIGURE 4. In either case, the shorter portion of the lid may comprise advertising copy printed thereon which is prominently visible when the box is opened as in FIGURE 4.

The region within the box covered by the short portion 12 of the lid also forms an ideal place to insert a paper strip 30 having display advertising copy thereon. This also forms a means for prominently displaying the name under which the cigars are being sold. The arrangement of the insertable strip 3t] would be particularly beneficial where the merchandise is being sold under the name of the retailer rather than the original manufacturer.

FIGURE 5 illustrates the manner in which the longer portion 14 of the lid, and which extends along the width of the box, can be turned completely down and back of the box and held in that position by a fiat clip 32. Alternatively, the same wire brace as is indicated at 28 in FIGURE 4 may be used. The shorter section 12 of the lid may hang down in front of the box or may be folded back over the box as indicated by the dot-dash lines 34.

The FIGURE 5 arrangement permits the box to be removed from between other boxes by lifting the box a minimum amount since each box occupies a minimum vertical space. This is of distinct advantage for most showcase installations because it is many times quite difficult to reach over a row of boxes and get hold of the proper one and then lift it out of the showcase so that the customer may remove cigars therefrom.

To summarize briefly, the box of the present invention provides a box which is more convenient to remove from a show case when the box is opened in the usual manner; the overall elevation of the box when displayed on the top of a counter or in a showcase is substantially reduced; and the box provides an arrangement whereby the brand name of the cigar can be prominently displayed.

The insert 30 in FIGURE 4 may be constructed of paper but may also comprise other materials which are of a suitable nature which would include, for example, metal and in which case the insert would be of a more or less permanent nature and could be reused after one box had been emptied. The FIGURE 4 arrangement represents one of the principal ways in which cigars are displayed and dispensed, particularly for popular brands or 0 brands which the retailer wishes to emphasize.

It has been mentioned that the joint between the two lid portions is in the form of a bevel, but it will be understood that this joint could also be in the form of a square stepped joint such as is indicated at 26 at the side edges of the box. In either case, that is, whether the joint is bevel or square, the box is readily sealed by the strip 22.

It will be understood that this invention is susceptible to modification in order to adapt it to different usages and conditions and, accordingly, it is desired to comprehend such modifications Within this invention as may fall within the scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

In a box adapted for containing cigars, a plurality of unequal size members which form a lid for the top of said box, said lid being divided between the front and back edges in a direction parallel with the front and back edges thereof and dividing the lid into a short front portion and a longer rear portion, said longer rear portion being hinged to the back edge and said longer rear portion being substantially greater in width than the depth of said box whereby said longer lid portion can be turned down and back of the box to form a rear support for said box, said short front portion being of substantially the same dimensions front to back as the height of the box, said short front portion being hinged to the front edge of the box whereby the same when swung about its hinged front edge lies against the front side of the box, the adjacent edges of the lid portions being shaped to have corresponding inter-engaging bevels, a removable sealing strip extending across the joint between said front and rear portions of the lid and extending down the sides of the box to hold said lid portions together and close said box, and an insertible member of no greater width than said short front portion of the lid and extending laterally across the box beneath said short portion of the lid, said inserted members comprising end strips extending downwardly inside the end walls of said box and forming a removable element for carrying lettering and configurations for describing the contents of said box.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 850,095 Palmer Apr. 9, 1907 1,510,508 Snyder Oct. 7, 1924 1,649,211 Bitzer Nov. 15, 1927 1,851,442 Neely Mar. 29, 1932 1,851,728 Quartin Mar. 29, 1932 2,218,039 Howald Oct. 15, 1940 2,270,001 Foley Jan. 13, 1942 2,804,254 Ness Aug. 27, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,475 Great Britain July 2, 1903

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