ARRANGED ONE ON TOP OF THE OTHER"

Cross-Reference to Related Applications

This Patent Application claims priority from Italian Patent Application No . 102022000000599 filed on January 17 , 2022 the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference .

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a pack containing two di f ferent groups of smoking articles arranged one on top of the other .

The present invention finds advantageous application to the production of a pack of cigarettes , to which the following disclosure will make explicit reference without thereby losing generality .

Prior Art

Packs of cigarettes with hinged lids are currently the most widespread packs of cigarettes on the market as they are simple to obtain, are easy and practical to use , and of fer good protection to the cigarettes contained within the same .

A pack of cigarettes with a hinged lid comprises a wrap formed by a group of cigarettes wrapped in a wrapping sheet and an outer casing which houses the wrap . The outer casing is formed by a cup-shaped container, which houses the wrap containing the group of cigarettes , and a lid, which is also cup-shaped and is hinged to the container .

Recently, new generation cigarettes for electronic devices have appeared on the market having the same diameter as traditional cigarettes but much shorter ( about hal f ) than traditional cigarettes . To contain these new generation cigarettes , packs of cigarettes suited for containing two di f ferent groups of cigarettes have been proposed which can be arranged side by side (namely, the two groups of cigarettes are aligned hori zontally) or one on top of the other (namely, the two groups of cigarettes are aligned vertically) .

Documents US20100065449A1 , US5074412A1 , US 6296113B1 , DE102008009421A1 , EP0625469A2 and EP2287081A1 provide some examples of packs containing two di f ferent groups of cigarettes arranged one on top of the other . These known packs comprise two lids which are arranged opposite one another and therefore require , in order to access the two di f ferent groups of cigarettes , to turn the pack upside down; however, it happens relatively often that the lid located at the bottom opens accidentally causing the disastrous fall of all its contents and therefore these well-known packs are little appreciated by users ( and in fact they have never had any success on the market ) .

Patent application WO9943576A1 describes a pack of cigarettes comprising a container with two compartments in which cigarettes of a si ze almost equal to hal f of normal cigarettes are arranged; each compartment comprises a containment portion and a covering portion hinged to the containment portion .

Description of the Invention

The obj ect of the present invention is to provide a pack containing two di f ferent groups of smoking articles arranged one on top of the other , which pack does not have the drawbacks described above , in particular, it avoids accidental loss of the contents , and, at the same time , is both simple and intuitive to use and easy to obtain .

According to the present invention, a pack is provided containing two di f ferent groups of smoking articles arranged one on top of the other, as claimed in the attached claims .

The claims describe embodiments of the present invention forming an integral part of the present description .

Brief Description of the Drawings

The present invention will now be described with reference to the attached drawings , which illustrate some non-limiting embodiments thereof , wherein :

• Figure 1 is a front perspective view and in a completely closed configuration of a pack of cigarettes containing two di f ferent groups of cigarettes arranged one on top of the other ;

• Figure 2 is a rear perspective view of the pack of cigarettes of Figure 1 in a fully closed configuration;

• Figure 3 is a front perspective view of the pack of cigarettes of Figure 1 in an open-top configuration open at the top ;

• Figure 4 is a front perspective view of the pack of cigarettes of Figure 1 in an open-bottom configuration open at the bottom;

• Figure 5 is a front perspective view of one of the two twin wraps contained in the pack of cigarettes of Figure 1 ;

• Figure 6 is a perspective view of a group of cigarettes contained in the wrap of Figure 5 ;

• Figures 7 and 8 are two side and schematic views of the pack of cigarettes of Figure 1 in an initial configuration in which the two containers are j oined and in a final configuration in which the two containers are separated, respectively;

• Figure 9 is a plan view of a blank used to obtain an upper container provided with a hinged upper lid and a lower container of the pack of cigarettes of Figure 1 ;

• Figure 10 is a plan view of a blank used to obtain a lower lid of the pack of cigarettes of Figure 1 ;

• Figure 11 is a plan view of an alternative of the blank of Figure 10 ;

• Figures 12 and 13 are plan views o f an upper collar and of a lower collar of the pack of cigarettes of Figure 1 , respectively;

• Figure 14 is a plan view of an alternative of the upper collar of Figure 12 ;

• Figure 15 is a front perspective view and in a completely closed configuration of an alternative of the pack of cigarettes of Figure 1 ; • Figure 16 is a rear perspective view of the pack of cigarettes of Figure 15 in a fully closed configuration;

• Figure 17 is a front perspective view of the pack of cigarettes of Figure 15 in a completely closed configuration and with the removal of a j oining band;

• Figure 18 is a plan view of a blank used to obtain an upper container provided with a hinged upper lid and a lower container of the pack of cigarettes of Figure 15 ;

• Figure 19 is a front perspective view and in a completely closed configuration of another alternative of the pack of cigarettes of Figure 1 ;

• Figure 20 is a rear perspective view of the pack of cigarettes of Figure 19 in a fully closed configuration;

• Figure 21 is a front perspective view of the pack of cigarettes of Figure 19 in an open-top configuration open at the top ;

• Figure 22 is a front perspective view of the pack of cigarettes of Figure 19 in an open-bottom configuration open at the bottom;

• Figure 23 is a plan view of a blank used to obtain an upper container provided with a hinged upper lid and a lower container provided with a lower hinged lid of the pack of cigarettes of Figure 19 ;

• Figure 24 is a front perspective view and in a completely closed configuration of a further alternative of the pack of cigarettes of Figure 1 ;

• Figure 25 is a rear perspective view of the pack of cigarettes of Figure 24 in a fully closed configuration;

• Figure 26 is a plan view of a blank used to obtain an upper container provided with a hinged upper lid and a lower container provided with a hinged lower lid of the pack of cigarettes of Figure 24 ;

• Figure 27 is a plan view of an alternative of the blank of Figure 26 ;

• Figure 28 is a plan view of a wrapping sheet used to obtain a sealed wrap contained in the pack of cigarettes of Figure 24 ; • Figure 29 is a plan view of an alternative of the wrapping sheet of Figure 28 ;

• Figure 30 is a plan view of a reinforcing element used to obtain a sealed wrap contained in the pack of cigarettes of Figure 24 ;

• Figure 31 is a plan view of an alternative of the reinforcing element of Figure 30 ;

• Figures 32 and 33 are two di f ferent schematic and perspective views of a wrapping unit configured to obtain the pack of cigarettes of Figure 1 ; and

• Figure 34 is a schematic plan view of the wrapping unit of Figures 32 and 33 .

Preferred Embodiments of the Invention

In Figures 1-4 , number 1 denotes , as a whole , a rigid pack of cigarettes .

The pack 1 of cigarettes comprises an upper container 2 which is made of rigid cardboard or paperboard, is cup-shaped, and is provided with an upper lid 3 hinged to the upper container 2 ; moreover, the pack 1 of cigarettes comprises a lower container 4 which is made of rigid cardboard or paperboard, is cup-shaped, and is provided with a lower lid 5 hinged to the lower container 4 . The two containers 2 and 4 are arranged one on top of the other and are vertically aligned to form, when the pack of cigarettes is intact and closed, a single seamless column .

The pack 1 of cigarettes houses two twin ( namely, identical ) wraps 6 , each arranged in a corresponding container 2 or 4 and contains a group 7 of cigarettes ( illustrated in Figure 6 ) ; as illustrated in Figure 6 , each sealed wrap 6 contains a group 7 of cigarettes made up of ten cigarettes arranged on two layers , but the group 7 of cigarettes could comprise a di f ferent number of cigarettes and/or a di f ferent arrangement of the cigarettes .

In the preferred embodiment illustrated in the attached figures , the two wraps 6 are identical to one another , while according to other embodiments , not illustrated, the two wraps 6 are di f ferent from one another in some way ( for example, they could contain cigarettes of di f ferent types or they could have a di f ferent si ze ) . When the pack of cigarettes is intact and closed ( as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 ) the two wraps 6 , namely, the two groups 7 of cigarettes , are vertically aligned one with the other, namely, they are arranged one on top of the other to form a single vertical row .

The upper container 2 has an open upper end and the upper lid 3 is cup-shaped and is hinged to the upper container 2 along a hinge 8 ( illustrated in Figure 2 ) to rotate , relative to the upper container 2 , between an opening position ( illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 ) and a closing position ( illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 ) of the open upper end .

The upper container 2 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape oriented according to a vertical development direction, is cup-shaped, and has a front wall 9 and a rear wall 10 ( in which the hinge 8 is formed) parallel and opposite to one another , and two side walls 11 parallel and opposite to one another . Four longitudinal edges are defined between the walls 9 , 10 and 11 of the upper container 2 .

The upper lid 3 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape , is cup-shaped, and has an open lower end ( facing the open upper end of the upper container 2 when the upper lid 3 is in the closing position) , an upper wall 12 , a front wall 13 (which is parallel and aligned with the front wall 9 of the upper container 2 when the upper lid 3 is in the closing position) , a rear wall 14 (which is parallel and aligned with the rear wall 10 of the upper container 2 when the lid 3 is in the closing position and is hinged to the rear wall 10 of the upper container 2 along the hinge 8 ) , and two side walls 15 parallel and opposite to one another (which are parallel and aligned, in particular coplanar and adj acent , to the sides walls 11 of the upper container 2 when the upper lid 3 is in the closing position) . Four longitudinal edges are defined between the walls 13 , 14 and 15 of the upper lid 3 .

The lower container 4 has an open upper end and the lower lid 5 is cup-shaped and is hinged to the lower container 4 along a hinge 16 ( illustrated in Figure 4 ) to rotate , relative to the lower container 4 , between an opening position ( illustrated in Figure 4 ) and a closing position ( illustrated in Figures 1 , 2 and 3 ) of the open upper end .

The lower container 4 has a substantially parallelepiped- rectangular shape oriented according to a vertical development direction, is cup-shaped, and has a lower wall 17 opposite the open upper end, a front wall 18 and a rear wall 19 ( in which the hinge 16 is formed) parallel and opposite to one another, and two side wall s 20 parallel and opposite to one another . Four longitudinal edges are defined between the walls 18 , 19 and 20 of the lower container 4 .

The lower lid 5 ( illustrated only in Figure 4 ) has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape , is cup-shaped, and has an open lower end ( facing the open upper end of the lower container 4 when the lower lid 5 is in the closing position) , an upper wall 21 (parallel and opposite to the lower wall 17 of the lower container 4 when the lower lid 5 is in the closing position) , a front wall 22 (which is parallel and aligned with the front wall 13 of the lower container 4 when the lid 5 is in the closing position) , a rear wall 23 (which is parallel and aligned with the rear wall 14 of the lower container 4 when the lower lid 5 i s in the closing position and is hinged to the rear wall 14 of the lower container 4 along the hinge 16 ) , and two side walls 24 (which are parallel and aligned, in particular coplanar and adj acent , to the side walls 15 of the lower container 4 when the lower lid 5 is in the closing position) parallel and opposite one another . Four longitudinal edges are defined between the walls 22 , 23 and 24 of the lower lid 5 .

As illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 , the pack 1 of cigarettes comprises an upper collar 25 , which is fixed (usually by gluing) inside the upper container 2 to partially proj ect outwards the open upper end and engage a corresponding inner surface of the upper lid 3 when the upper lid 3 is arranged in said closing position . The upper collar 25 comprises a front wall 26 which overlaps and is glued to the front wall 9 of the upper container 2 and two side walls 27 which are folded by 90 ° relative to the front wall 26 and overlap and are glued to the side walls 11 of the upper container 2 .

The upper collar 25 has the function of keeping the upper lid 3 in the closing position with a given force to prevent unwanted opening of the upper lid 3 ; said function of "l ocking" the upper lid 3 in the closing position is achieved due to the fact that when the upper lid 3 is in the closing position the upper collar

25 partially proj ects from the open end of the upper container 2 and therefore engages a corresponding inner surface of the upper lid 3 : in this way, to open the upper lid 3 it is necessary to slightly elastically deform the upper lid 3 and/or the upper collar 25 and therefore it is necessary to apply a given force to the upper lid 3 to open the upper lid 3 . According to the embodiments illustrated in the attached figures , the front wall

26 of the upper collar 25 is provided with a pair of proj ections which laterally proj ect to engage the upper lid 3 with interference when the upper lid 3 is in the closing position so as to hold with greater force the upper lid 3 in the closing position . According to a di f ferent embodiment not illustrated, the front wall 26 of the upper collar 25 is devoid of pro j ections .

According to a di f ferent embodiment not illustrated, the pack 1 of cigarettes is devoid of the upper collar 25 . As illustrated in Figure 4 , the pack 1 of cigarettes comprises a lower collar 28 , which is fixed (usually by gluing) inside the lower container 4 to partially proj ect outwards the open lower end and engage a corresponding inner surface of the lower lid 5 when the lower l id 5 is arranged in said closing position . The lower collar 28 comprises a front wall 29 which overlaps and is glued to the front wall 18 of the lower container 4 and two side walls 30 which are folded by 90 ° relative to the front wall 29 and overlap and are glued to the side walls 20 of the lower container 4 .

Similarly, to the upper collar 25 , the lower col lar 28 has the function of keeping the lower lid 5 in the closing position with a given force to prevent unwanted opening of the lower lid 5 .

According to a di f ferent embodiment not illustrated, the pack 1 of cigarettes is devoid of the lower collar 28 .

As previously stated, the lower group 7 of cigarettes ( enclosed in the lower wrap 6 ) is arranged below the upper group 7 of cigarettes ( enclosed in the upper wrap 6 ) and is vertically aligned with the upper group 7 of cigarettes . Furthermore , when the lower lid 5 is closed and the pack 1 of cigarettes is intact , the lower lid 5 is arranged between the upper container 2 and the lower container 4 and at a distance di f ferent from zero from the upper lid 3 so that the lid lower 5 is separated and spaced from the upper lid 3 ; namely, when the lower lid 5 is closed and the pack 1 of cigarettes is intact , the lower lid 5 is arranged between the two containers 2 and 4 , thus forming a separating element between the two containers 2 and 4 and the lower lid 5 is separated and spaced from the upper lid 3 .

In other words , by arranging the intact pack 1 of cigarettes in a vertical position, starting from the top, in order the upper lid 3 , the upper container 2 , the lower lid 5 and the lower container 4 are provided . The lower container 4 is connected to the upper container 2 along ( at least ) a pre-weakened tearable line 31 which must be broken to allow the opening of the lower lid 5 ; preferably the pre-weakened tearable line 31 extends 360 ° around the containers 2 and 4 , namely, forms a closed loop around the containers 2 and 4 . In particular, the breaking of the pre-weakened tearable line 31 determines a complete separation of the lower container 4 , and, hence , of the lower lid 5 , from the upper container 2 and, hence , from the upper lid 3 ( as appears clear by comparing Figures 1 , 2 and 3 in which the lower container 4 and the lower lid 5 are j oined to the upper container 2 and the upper lid 3 and Figure 4 in which the lower container 4 and the lower lid 5 are completely separated from the upper container 2 and the upper lid 3 ) .

It is important to underline that the pre-weakened tearable line 31 extends 360 ° around the containers 2 and 4 and can be uni form along its entire extension or it can alternate sections in which there is , from the outset, a complete separation between the two containers 2 and 4 and other sections in which there is a weak ( and therefore tearable ) connection between the two containers 2 and 4 . In particular, preferably the pre-weakened tearable line 31 has a weak ( and therefore tearable ) connection between the two containers 2 and 4 in the area of the rear walls 10 and 19 and in the area of the side walls 11 and 20 while , from the outset , it has a complete separation ( that is , a cut ) between the two containers 2 and 4 in the area of the front wall s 9 and 18 ; consequently, the user can easily start from the front walls 9 and 18 to move away the two containers 2 and 4 by completely tearing the pre-weakened tearable line 31 .

In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1-4 , the upper container 2 delimits an upper chamber 32 ( illustrated in Figures 7 and 8 ) in which the corresponding upper wrap 6 and a lower chamber 33 ( illustrated in Figures 7 and 8 ) are arranged, in which the lower lid 5 is initially arranged; subsequently, the lower lid 5 comes out of the lower chamber 33 of the upper container 2 when the two containers 2 and 4 are separated . In other words , the lower lid 5 is ( initially) contained inside the upper container 2 and in particular in the lower chamber 33 of the upper container 2 which is located under the upper wrap 6 (namely, the upper group 7 of cigarettes ) ; therefore , the upper container 2 is wider than the upper wrap 6 (namely, of the upper group 7 of cigarettes ) and therefore , on the inside , has the upper chamber 32 designed to contain the upper wrap 6 and the lower chamber 33 designed to contain the lower lid 5 .

From the foregoing it is clear that the breaking of the preweakened tearable line 31 determines a complete separation of the lower container 4 , and, hence , of the lower lid 5 , from the upper container 2 and, hence , from the upper lid 3 ; consequently, the lower lid 5 is completely independent of and separate from the upper container 2 .

As illustrated in Figure 9 , the upper lid 3 , the upper container 2 and the lower container 4 are obtained by folding a rigid blank 34 provided with a plurality of pre-weakened fold lines 35 and 36 . The blank 34 comprises two (pre-weakened) longitudinal fold lines 35 and a plurality of (pre-weakened) transverse fold lines 36 which define , between the two longitudinal fold lines 35 , a panel 9 ' that forms the front wall 9 of the upper container 2 , a panel 18 ' that forms the front wall 18 of the lower container 4 , a panel 17 ' that forms the lower wall 17 of the lower container 4 , a panel 19 ' that forms the rear wall 19 of the lower container 4 a panel 10 ' that forms the rear wall 10 of the upper container 2 , a panel 14 ' that forms the rear wall 14 of the upper lid 3 , a panel 12 ' that forms the upper wall 12 of the upper lid 3 , a panel 13 ' that forms the front wall 13 of the upper lid 3 , and a reinforcing flap 13" . The reinforcing flap 13" (which may have a different shape than illustrated) is connected to the front wall 13 of the upper lid 3 along a transverse fold line 36, it is folded by 180° (in the pack 1 of cigarettes) relative to the front wall 13 of the upper lid 3 (namely, relative to the panel 13' ) , and rests and is glued onto an inner surface of the front wall 13 of the upper lid 3 (namely, onto the panel 13' ) .

The blank 34 comprises a pair of fins 11' , which are arranged on opposite sides of the panel 9' , are connected to the panel 9’ along the two longitudinal fold lines 35, and form part (outer) of the side walls 11 of the upper container 2. The blank 34 comprises a pair of fins 11", which are arranged on opposite sides of the panel 10' , are connected to the panel 10' along the two longitudinal fold lines 35, form part (inner) of the side walls 11 of the upper container 2, and overlap and are glued to the corresponding fins 11' to form the side walls 11 of the upper container 2. In other words, each side wall 11 of the upper container 2 comprises an inner panel 11" and an outer panel 11' overlapping and glued to one another.

The blank 34 comprises a pair of fins 15' , which are arranged on opposite sides of the panel 13' , are connected to the panel 13' along the two longitudinal fold lines 35, and form part (outer) of the side walls 15 of the upper lid 3. The blank 34 comprises a pair of fins 15", which are arranged on opposite sides of the panel 14' , are connected to the panel 14' along the two longitudinal fold lines 35, form part (inner) of the side walls 15 of the upper lid 3, and overlap and are glued to the corresponding fins 15' to form the side walls 15 of the upper lid 3. In other words, each side wall 15 of the upper lid 3 comprises an inner panel 15" and an outer panel 15' overlapping and glued to one another.

The blank 34 comprises a pair of fins 20' , which are arranged on opposite sides of the panel 18' , are connected to the panel 18' along the two longitudinal fold lines 35, and form part (outer) of the side walls 20 of the lower container 4. The blank 34 comprises a pair of fins 20", which are arranged on opposite sides of the panel 19' , are connected to the panel 19' along the two longitudinal fold lines 35, form part (inner) of the side walls 20 of the lower container 4, and overlap and are glued to the corresponding fins 20' to form the side walls 20 of the lower container 4. In other words, each side wall 20 of the lower container 4 comprises an inner panel 20" and an outer panel 20' overlapping and glued to one another.

The blank 34 comprises a pair of tabs 37 which are connected to the fins 20", are folded by 90° relative to the fins 20" and overlap and are glued to an inner surface of the panel 17' (namely, of the lower wall 17 of the lower container 4) .

The blank 34 comprises a pair of tabs 38 which are connected to the fins 15", are folded by 90° relative to the fins 15" and overlap and are glued to an inner surface of the panel 12' (namely, of the upper wall 12 of the upper lid 3) .

As illustrated in Figure 10, the lower lid 5 is obtained by folding a rigid blank 39 provided with a plurality of preweakened fold lines 40 and 41. The blank 39 comprises two longitudinal fold lines 40 (pre-weakened) and a plurality of transverse fold lines 41 (pre-weakened) that define, between the two longitudinal fold lines 40, a panel 19" that overlaps and is glued to the rear wall 19 of the lower container 4, a panel 23' that forms the rear wall 23 of the lower lid 5, a panel 21 that forms the upper wall 21 of the lower lid 5, a panel 22' that forms the front wall 22 of the lower lid 5, and a reinforcing flap 22".

In other words, the lower lid 5 is hinged to the panel 19' ' of the blank 39 which panel 19' ' is in turn glued to the panel 19' of the blank 34. Therefore, it can be assumed that the lower lid 5 is hinged to the panel 19' of the blank 34. Consequently, the lower lid 5 is hinged to the lower container 4.

The reinforcing flap 22" (which may have a different shape than illustrated) is connected to the front wall 22 of the lower lid 5 along a transverse fold line 41, is folded by 180° (in the pack 1 of cigarettes) relative to the front wall 22 of the lower lid 5 (namely, relative to the panel 22’ ) , and rests and is glued onto an inner surface of the front wall 22 of the lower lid 5 (namely, onto the panel 22’ ) .

The blank 39 comprises a pair of fins 20' ' ' , which are arranged on opposite sides of the panel 19", are connected to the panel 19" along the two longitudinal fold lines 40 and are glued to the side walls 20 of the lower container 4.

The blank 39 comprises a pair of fins 24' , which are arranged on opposite sides of the panel 22' , are connected to the panel 22' along the two longitudinal fold lines 40, and form part (outer) of the side walls 24 of the lower lid 5. The blank 39 comprises a pair of fins 24", which are arranged on opposite sides of the panel 23' , are connected to the panel 23' along the two longitudinal fold lines 40, form part (inner) of the side walls 24 of the lower lid 5, and overlap and are glued to the corresponding fins 24' to form the side walls 24 of the lower lid 5. In other words, each side wall 24 of the lower lid 5 comprises an inner panel 24" and an outer panel 24' overlapping and glued to one another.

The blank 39 comprises a pair of tabs 42 which are connected to the fins 24", are folded by 90° relative to the fins 24" and overlap and are glued to an inner surface of the panel 21' (namely, of the upper wall 21 of the lower lid 5) .

A succession of blanks 39 of the type illustrated in Figure 10 is obtained by cyclically cutting a strip of continuous wrapping material while also producing processing scraps (waste ) . Figure 11 illustrates an alternative of the blank 39 which has the advantage of not generating processing scraps (waste ) during the separation by cutting from a strip of continuous wrapping material . It is understood that the blank 39 can have di f ferent dimensions and/or shapes of the reinforcing flap 22" or a di f ferent number of panels with respect to what is illustrated in Figure 11 , the concept of not generating scraps by cyclical cutting the wrapping tape remains valid .

Figures 12 and 13 illustrate the two collars 25 and 28 of the pack 1 of cigarettes illustrated in Figures 1-4 .

In the pack 1 of cigarettes illustrated in Figures 1 -4 , the upper container 2 has no lower wall ( namely, there is no physical delimitation between the two chambers 32 and 33 of the upper container 2 ) and therefore the wrap 6 must necessarily be glued to the inner surface of the upper container 2 to avoid slipping by gravity out of the upper container 2 once the two containers 2 and 4 have been separated ( in fact until the two containers 2 and 4 are united the wrap 6 which is inside the upper container 2 it could rest on the underlying lower lid 5 ) .

Figure 14 illustrates an alternative of the upper collar 25 which also has a lower wall 43 on which the upper wrap 6 rests , which is located inside the upper container 2 ; namely, the lower wall 43 physically divides the two chambers 32 and 33 of the upper container 2 . According to a preferred embodiment , a tab 44 , which is folded by 90 ° relative to the lower wall 43 , is connected to the lower wall 43 and is connected by gluing to an inner surface of the rear wall 10 of the upper container 2 ( the tab 44 can be folded by 90 ° relative to the lower wall 43 both upwards and downwards ) . In particular, the lower wall 43 is folded by 90 ° relative to the front wall 26 to which it is connected along a pre-weakened fold line and the tab 44 is folded by 90 ° relative to the lower wall 43 to which it is connected along a further pre-weakened fold line . In other words , the tab 44 and the front wall 26 are substantially parallel .

Figures 15 , 16 and 17 illustrate an alternative of the pack of cigarettes 1 which di f fers from the pack of cigarettes 1 illustrated in Figures 1-4 , in that in the pack of cigarettes 1 illustrated in Figures 1 -4 the lower container 4 is connected to the upper container 2 along a s ingle pre-weakened tearable line 31 (which preferably extends 360 ° around the containers 2 and 4 , namely, forms a closed loop around the containers 2 and 4 ) while in the pack 1 of cigarettes illustrated in Figures 15 , 16 and 17 the lower container 4 is connected to the upper container 2 along two pre-weakened tearable lines 31 which both must be broken to allow the removal of a j oining band 45 and therefore the opening of the lower lid 5 (namely, the opening of the lower lid 5 is possible only after the removal of the j oining band 45 ) . In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 15 , 16 and 17 , the j oining band 45 is U-shaped and therefore the two pre-weakened tearable lines 31 j oin together to form a single pre-weakened tearable line 31 in the area of the walls 10 and 19 of the containers 2 and 4 . In this embodiment , the j oining band 45 preferably connects the walls 9 and 11 of the upper container 2 to the corresponding walls 18 and 20 of the lower container 4 and consequently, the rear wall 10 of the upper container 2 is connected to the rear wall 19 of the lower container 4 along a single pre-weakened tearable line 31 .

Figure 18 illustrates the blank 34 used to obtain the upper lid 3 , the upper container 2 and the lower container 4 of the pack 1 of cigarettes illustrated in Figures 15 , 16 and 17 that di f fers from the blank 34 illustrated in Figure 9 due to the presence of the j oining band 45 delimited by two pre-weakened tearable lines 31 .

Figures 19-22 illustrate an alternative of the pack 1 of cigarettes which di f fers from pack 1 of cigarettes illustrated in Figures 1-4 , in that in pack 1 of cigarettes illustrated in Figures 1-4 the lower lid 5 is separate and independent from the upper container 2 ( and is initially housed inside the upper container 2 ) while in the pack 1 of cigarettes illustrated in Figures 19-22 the lower lid 5 is integrated in the upper container 2 namely, forms a seamless whole with the upper container 2 ( and without the possibility of separation from the upper container 2 ) . Consequently, in the pack 1 of cigarettes illustrated in Figures 19-22 it is the entire upper container 2 (which seamlessly integrates the lower lid 5 ) that rotates around the lower hinge 16 to open the lower container 4 ( as illustrated in the Figure 22 ) .

In other words : the same element defines the front wall 9 of the upper container 2 at the top and defines the front wall 22 of the lower lid 5 at the bottom, the same element defines the rear wall 10 of the upper container 2 at the top and defines the rear wall 23 of the lower lid 5 at the bottom, and the same two elements define the side walls 11 of the upper container 2 at the top and define the side walls 24 of the lower lid 5 at the bottom .

Figure 23 illustrates the blank 34 used to obtain the upper lid 3 , the upper container 2 , the lower lid 5 ( integrated in the upper container 2 ) and the lower container 4 of the pack 1 of cigarettes illustrated in Figures 19-22 which di f fers from the blank 34 illustrated in Figure 9 mainly due to the presence of the lower hinge 16 that connects the panel 19 ' to the panel 10 ' and 23 ' . Obviously, the blank 39 is not used in obtaining the pack 1 of cigarettes illustrated in Figures 19-22 since the lower lid 5 is integrated in the upper container 2 and therefore is not obtained separately .

In the pack 1 of cigarettes illustrated in Figures 1-4 , the breaking of the ( at least one ) pre-weakened tearable line 31 determines a complete separation o f the lower container 4 , and, hence , of the lower lid 5 , from the upper container 2 and, hence , from the upper lid 3 ( therefore the lower lid 5 is completely independent of and separate from the upper container 2 ) ; in this embodiment ( illustrated in Figures 1-4 ) the blank 34 is used to obtain the upper lid 3 , the upper container 2 and the lower container 4 and the blank 39 ( initially separate and independent from the blank 34 ) is used to obtain the lower lid 5 ; in particular, the two blanks 34 and 39 previously overlap and are glued to one another and then are folded together around the two wraps 6 ( containing the respective groups 7 of cigarettes ) aligned to form together the upper lid 3 , the upper container 2 , the lower lid 5 and the lower container 4 . Alternatively, the blank 39 could be subsequently coupled (possibly in an at least partially folded form) to the blank 34 already partially folded and glued or completely folded and glued .

Instead, in the pack 1 of cigarettes illustrated in Figures 19- 22 , the lower lid 5 is firmly and permanently connected to the upper container 2 (namely, it is integrated with the upper container 2 ) and therefore the entire upper container 2 ( together with the upper lid 3 ) rotates around the hinge 16 together with the lower lid 5 to open or close the lower container 4 . In this embodiment only the blank 34 is used to obtain the upper lid 3 , the upper container 2 , the lower lid 5 and the lower container 4 ; in particular, the blank 34 alone is folded around the two wraps 6 ( containing the respective groups 7 of cigarettes ) aligned to form the upper lid 3 , the upper container 2 , the lower lid 5 and the lower container 4 .

Figures 24 and 25 illustrate an alternative of the pack 1 of cigarettes which di f fers from the pack 1 of cigarettes illustrated in Figures 1-4 , in that in the pack 1 of cigarettes illustrated in Figures 1-4 the lower lid 5 is cup-shaped (namely, it delimits a given volume on its inside and embraces an upper portion of the corresponding wrap 6 ) while in the pack 1 of cigarettes illustrated in Figures 24 and 25 the lower lid 5 is flat (namely, it does not delimit any volume on its inside and does not embrace an upper portion of the corresponding wrap 6 ) . In other words , in the pack 1 of cigarettes illustrated in Figures 24 and 25 , the lower lid 5 comprises a single flat wall or is substantially equivalent to a single flat wall .

In the pack 1 of cigarettes illustrated in Figures 24 and 25, the two containers 2 and 4 can be completely separable from one another ( as in the pack 1 of cigarettes illustrated in Figures 1-4 ) or the two containers 2 and 4 can be hinged to one another to rotate relative to one another around the lower hinge 16 ( as in the pack 1 of cigarettes illustrated in Figures 19-22 ) .

According to a preferred embodiment , the front wall 18 of the lower container 4 has a through window 46 which originates from an upper edge of the front wall 18 and leaves an upper portion of the front wall of the wrap 6 contained in the lower container 4 permanently visible .

In the pack 1 of cigarettes illustrated in Figures 24 and 25, the two wraps 6 are of the sealed type and each have an extraction opening 47 ( illustrated in Figures 28 and 29 ) closed by a re-stick closing tab 48 ( illustrated in Figure 24 ) . According to a preferred embodiment illustrated in Figures 24 and 25 , the sealed wrap 6 housed in the upper container 2 is completely hidden from view (until the opening of the upper lid 3 ) while the sealed wrap 6 housed in the lower container 4 is always partially visible through the through window 46 formed in the front wall 18 of the lower container 4 ; however, in order to remove the cigarettes from the sealed wrap 6 housed in the lower container 4 , it is in any case necessary for the upper container 2 to be moved away from the lower container 4 (by completely separating the two containers 2 and 4 or by rotating the upper container 2 around the lower hinge 16 ) .

According to a preferred embodiment illustrated in Figures 24 and 25 , the re-stick closing tab 48 of the lower sealed wrap 6 is smaller than the through window 46 and is entirely contained within the through window 46 .

Figure 26 illustrates the blank 34 used to obtain the upper lid 3 , the upper container 2 , the lower lid 5 ( incorporated in the upper container 2 ) and the lower container 4 of the pack 1 of cigarettes illustrated in Figures 24 and 25 which is substantially similar to the blank 34 illustrated in Figure 23 . Figure 27 illustrates an alternative of the blank 34 illustrated in Figure 26 which di f fers only in the shape of the through window 46 .

Figures 28 and 29 illustrate two possible embodiments of a wrapping sheet 49 which is folded around a group 7 of cigarettes to form a sealed wrap 6 ; in particular, the wrapping sheet 49 illustrated in Figure 28 is designed to match the blank illustrated in Figure 26 while the wrapping sheet 49 illustrated in Figure 29 is designed to match the blank illustrated in Figure 27 .

Figures 30 and 31 illustrate two possible embodiments of a reinforcing element 50 which is arranged folded in a "U" shape around a group 7 of cigarettes before folding a wrapping sheet 49 around the group 7 of cigarettes ; in particular, the reinforcing element 50 illustrated in Figure 30 is designed to match the blank illustrated in Figure 26 while the reinforcing element 50 illustrated in Figure 31 is designed to match the blank illustrated in Figure 27 . The reinforcing element 50 is made of cardboard or rigid paperboard, is U-shaped and comprises a front wall having a rectangular shape , which is arranged in contact with a front wall of the group 7 of cigarettes and a pair of side wall s , which are connected on opposite sides of the front wall and are arranged in contact with the side walls of the group 7 of cigarettes . The front wall has a window which is arranged at the top, is U-shaped, and facilitates the extraction of the cigarettes from the group 7 of cigarettes as it leaves an upper area of the front wall of the group 7 of cigarettes visible .

Number 51 in Figures 32 , 33 and 34 denotes as a whole a wrapping unit that produces the pack 1 of cigarettes illustrated in Figures 1-4 .

The wrapping unit 51 comprises a wrapping wheel 52 , which is arranged hori zontally and is rotatable in a step-like manner around its own vertical rotation axis 53 . The wrapping wheel 52 comprises a plurality of peripheral pockets , each moving in a step-like manner by rotating intermittently around the rotation axis 53 to pass in succession a trans fer station S I in which the pocket receives two aligned (namely, arranged one after the other ) wraps 6 and a trans fer station S2 in which the pocket releases the two aligned wraps 6 . In the trans fer station S I the two wraps 6 can be fed together or one at a time to the corresponding pocket of the wrapping wheel 52 .

The wrapping unit 51 comprises a wrapping wheel 54 , which is arranged hori zontally and is rotatable in a step-like manner around its own vertical rotation axis 55 (parallel to the rotation axis 53 ) . The wrapping wheel 54 comprises a plurality of peripheral pockets , each moving in a step-like manners by rotating intermittently around the rotation axis 55 to successively pass through a feeding station S3 in which the pocket receives two aligned (namely, arranged one after the other ) collars 25 and 28 , the trans fer station S2 in which the pocket receives , from the wrapping wheel 52 , two wraps 6 which couple with the two collars 25 and 28 , and a trans fer station S4 in which the pocket releases the two aligned wraps 6 coupled to the corresponding collars 25 and 28 .

The wrapping unit 51 comprises a final wrapping wheel (not illustrated) , which is arranged vertically and is rotatable in a step-like manner around its own hori zontal rotation axis (perpendicular to the rotation axis 55 ) . The final wrapping wheel comprises a plurality of peripheral pockets , each moving in a step-like manner by rotating intermittently around the corresponding rotation axis to pass through the trans fer station S4 in which it receives , from the wrapping wheel 54 , two aligned wraps 6 coupled to the corresponding collars 25 and 28 and also receives a blank 34 (possibly overlapped and glued beforehand to a corresponding blank 39 ) . The final wrapping wheel is designed to fold each blank 34 around the corresponding lined up wraps 6 to obtain a pack 1 of cigarettes .

In the embodiments illustrated in the attached figures , the longitudinal and transverse edges are straight ; alternatively, the longitudinal and/or transverse edges could be rounded or chamfered .

In the embodiments illustrated in the attached figures , the pack 1 of cigarettes contains a group 7 of cigarettes ; alternatively, the pack 1 of cigarettes can contain any other type for smoking articles such as for example cigars , electric or electronic cigarettes (namely, cigarettes which generate an aerosol without combustion) , cartridges and refills for electronic cigarettes , new generation cigarettes .

Preferably, the two groups 7 of cigarettes contained in the pack of cigarettes 1 have the same orientation of the cigarettes ( for example , all the cigarette filters of both groups 7 of cigarettes are oriented upwards ) . In other words , the pack 1 of cigarettes does not require to be turned over to allow access to the groups 7 of cigarettes .

In the embodiments wherein the inner wraps 6 are sealed and therefore provided with the reusable closing labels 48 , the sealed inner wraps 6 can be made in the so-called " Sei f -Opening" mode in which the reusable closing label 48 is permanently connected to the inner surface of a corresponding lid 3 or 5 .

The proportions of the various components of a pack 1 of cigarettes (particularly of the lower container 4 and of the lower lid 5 ) can be si zed according to the space necessary to print the "Heal th Warning" whose presence is mandatory by law .

A possible transparent overwrap ( typically made of polypropylene ) that wraps the pack 1 of cigarettes can comprise a single tear-of f strip or it can comprise two ( or even three ) di f ferent tear-of f strips , which allow the transparent overwrap to be removed in pieces ( and therefore in successive steps : first the portion of the transparent overwrap covering the upper lid 3 is removed and only then the portion of the transparent overwrap covering the lower lid 5 is removed) .

According to a possible embodiment , the lids 3 and 5 could have locking devices , which keep the lids 3 and 5 closed and must be deactivated with relatively complex manoeuvres in order to be able to open the lids 3 and 5 so as to obtain the packs 1 of cigarettes " Child Resi stant" or " Child Proof" .

In the embodiments illustrated in the accompanying figures , the packs 1 of cigarettes have classic proportions in which the side walls are smaller than the front and rear walls ; alternatively, the packs 1 of cigarettes could also have so-called "Ligh ter" or " Zippo" proportions in which the side walls are larger than the front and rear walls .

In the embodiments illustrated in the accompanying figures , the inner wraps 6 contained in the containers 2 and 4 are identical to one another (both in terms of number of cigarettes , arrangement of the cigarettes and type of wrapping material ) . According to alternative embodiments , the two wraps 6 could di f fer from one another in the number of cigarettes and/or in the arrangement of the cigarettes and/or in the type of cigarettes and/or in the type of wrapping material ( for example , one wrap could be made from an aluminium foil sheet and the other wrap could be made from a sheet of heat sealable material ) .

The embodiments described herein can be combined with one another without departing from the scope of the present invention .

The pack 1 of cigarettes described above has several advantages .

First of all , the pack 1 of cigarettes described above allows to house two di fferent groups 7 of cigarettes arranged one on top of the other , completely avoiding the risk o f accidental loss of contents .

Furthermore , the pack 1 of cigarettes described above is simple and intuitive to use , since it is completely natural for a user ( even without any prior instruction) to open the upper lid 3 to access the upper group 7 of cigarettes and to move ( remove ) the upper container 2 to access the lower group 7 of cigarettes (by opening, i f necessary, the lower lid 5 at a later time ) .

Finally, the pack 1 of cigarettes described above is easy to obtain, as it can be made in a standard packing machine for rigid packs of cigarettes with hinged lid with very few modi fications . Therefore , the pack 1 of cigarettes described above for its production does not require the use of an expensive special packing machine ( that is , specially designed for this type of packs of cigarettes ) .

List of Reference Numbers of the Figures

1 pack of cigarettes

2 upper container

3 upper lid

4 lower container

5 lower lid

6 wrap group of cigarettes upper hinge front wall rear wall side walls upper wall front wall rear wall side walls lower hinge lower wall front wall rear wall side walls upper wall front wall rear wall side walls upper collar front wall side walls lower collar front wall side walls tearable line upper chamber lower chamber blank fold line fold line tabs tabs blank fold line fold line tabs 43 lower wall

44 t b

45 j oining band

46 through window

47 extraction opening

48 closing label

49 wrapping sheet

50 reinforcing element

51 wrapping unit

52 wrapping wheel

53 rotation axis

54 wrapping wheel

55 rotation axis

S I trans fer station

S2 trans fer station

S3 feeding station

S4 trans fer station