Packet for smoke articles and corresponding blank.

The invention relates to a packet for smoke articles, particularly cigarettes, and a blank from which it is possible to make the aforementioned packet. Cigarette packets with a hinged lid are known, which are particularly appreciated by smokers because of the great stiffness thereof, which avoids damage to the cigarettes even when the packet is subject to blows or kept in a pocket or bag of a consumer. In recent times, a tendency has emerged to customise traditional packets with a hinged lid, in order to induce smokers to prefer a packet having a certain appearance rather' than other packets with a more traditional appearance. In order to customise the packets, it is possible to use writing, drawings or more in general promotional messages printed on the visible surfaces of the packet. Manufacturers of cigarettes therefore feel the need to increase the visible surfaces of the packet, so as to make more space available for messages to the consumer. Numerous packets are known having a stiff outer shell inside which a stiff inner enclosure is slidable. Packets of this type are disclosed, for example, in WO 2007/065514, PR 2839495, US 2002/0020640, US 30S3820, EP 1466844, US 2005/0103654. These packets enable the available space for promotional messages to be increased, inasmuch as these messages can be printed both on the stiff outer shell and on the stiff inner enclosure. Nevertheless, the aforementioned packets have to be produced from special blanks, which cannot be processed on normal packaging machines . These packets are thus difficult to make, because they require special production lines that have a high cost and significant overall dimensions.

Further, although the packets having a slidable inner enclosure have been appreciated by young or whimsical smokers, more conservative smokers have shown a certain aversion to the packets disclosed above and to the

complicated opening systems that they entail. International ornamental model DM/068587 .shows a packet for cigarettes comprising- an outer enclosure including a containing body and a hinged lid. There is further provided an inner enclosure comprising a group of cigarettes wrapped by a inner frame. The inner enclosure is not slidable with respect to the containing body. The lid is fixed to a flat rear panel that is slidable with respect to the inner enclosure. This packet needs to be made of a special blank in a specially designed packaging machine that manufactures the containing body and the hinged lid separately. Community design registrations 631171-0007 and 631171-008 show a packet for smoke articles comprising an outer enclosure including a containing body inside which an inner enclosure is arranged. The inner enclosure comprises a lower portion that wraps the smoke articles on three sides, a lid being connected to the lower portion by a hinge. The inner enclosure is slidable with respect to the containing body. Also the packet disclosed above needs to be produced by special machines that use special blanks to make the containing body and the inner enclosure. Further, as the lid is not included in the outer enclosure, but is part of the inner enclosure, the rear wall of the lid is not flush with the rear wall of the containing body, which generates a packet having an aesthetic appearance that is not very pleasing.

An object of the invention is to improve the packets for smoke articles, particularly for cigarettes, and the- blanks that can be used to obtain these packets. A further object is to provide packets for smoke articles, particularly for cigarettes, that have a wide surface available for messages to the consumer, advertising messages and the like. Another object is to provide packets for smoke articles, particularly for cigarettes, that can be easily produced even on traditional packaging machines.

Still another object is to provide packets for smoke articles, particularly for cigarettes, that are versatile, so as to be able to be appreciated both by smokers having conservative tastes and by smokers who enjoy innovative configurations.

In a first aspect of the invention, there is provided, a packet for smoke articles, comprising an outer enclosure including a containing body and a closing body, said closing body including a lid that is rotatable around a hinge obtained on an outer wall of said packet, characterised in that said packet comprises an inner enclosure that is slidable with respect to said outer enclosure, said closing body being joined to said inner enclosure so as to be spaced apart from said containing body when said inner enclosure is at least partially extracted from said outer enclosure.

The packet according to the first aspect of the invention makes a very wide space available on which promotional messages and other messages for the consumer can be printed. In fact, this information can be printed both on the outer enclosure, and on the inner enclosure, which becomes visible when the inner enclosure is at least partially extracted from the outer enclosure.

Further, the packet according to the first aspect of the invention is particularly versatile, as it can be used as a traditional packet if the inner enclosure is not extracted from the outer enclosure, or as a non-standard packet, if the inner enclosure is at least partially extracted from the outer enclosure. In this manner, the packet according to the first aspect of the invention can be appreciated both by more conservative and more whimsical smokers.

Further, as the outer enclosure comprises a containing body and a hinged lid as in traditional packets, it is possible to produce the packet according to the first aspect of the invention in a standard packaging machine. Lastly, as the containing body and the closing body are included in the outer enclosure, these bodies have respective

aligned rear walls, i.e. walls that are flush with one another, which gives the packet a pleasing appearance. In a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a blank for producing a packet for smoke articles, said blank comprising a first portion intended for forming a containing body of said packet and a second portion intended for forming a closing body of said packet, said blank comprising an intended folding line arranged for forming a hinge in said packet, characterised in that said first portion is connected to said second portion along an intended breakage line that is breakable for separating, in said packet, said closing body from said containing body.

The blank provided by the second aspect of the invention enables the packet according to the first aspect of the invention to be produced easily even on traditional machines, inasmuch as the blank has an external perimeter that is similar to that of traditional blanks.

In particular, the intended breakage line provided on the blank, if broken, enables the closing body to be moved away from the containing body when the inner enclosure is at least partially extracted from the outer enclosure. The invention can be better understood and implemented with reference to the attached drawings, which illustrate some embodiments thereof by way of non-limiting example, in which: Figure 1 is a front perspective view of a packet for smoke articles according to the invention, in a closed configuration; Figure 2 is a rear perspective view of the packet in Figure

1; Figure 3 is a perspective view of an inner enclosure of the packet in Figure l;

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing a rear portion of the inner enclosure in Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a front perspective view of the packet in Figure 1, in a configuration in which the inner enclosure is partially extracted from an outer enclosure of the packet;

Figure 6 is a rear perspective view of the packet in the configuration in Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a front perspective view like the one in Figure 5, showing the packet in an open configuration; Figure 8 is a rear perspective view of the packet in Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a plan view of a blank for obtaining the packet in Figure 1; Figure 10 is a view like the one in Figure 9, showing the distribution of an adhesive substance on the blank in Figure 5;

Figure 11 is a plan view of an inner frame to obtain the inner enclosure in Figure 3 ; Figure 12 is a view like the. one in Figure l, showing a packet according to an alternative embodiment;

Figure 13 is a rear perspective view of the packet in Figure

12;

Figure 14 is a schematic view showing how a user can separate a closing body from a containing body in the packet in Figure 1.

Figures l and 2 show a packet 1 for smoke articles, particularly cigarettes. The packet 1, which is stiff, comprises an outer enclosure 2 which generally has a parallelepipedon shape. The outer enclosure 2 comprises a containing body 3, which can house the cigarettes, and a. closing body including a lid 4 which can be opened and closed to enable a smoker to access the cigarettes. In particular, the lid 4 is movable between an open position and a closed position, rotating around a hinge 5, shown in Figure 2, The containing body 3 comprises a base wall 6, from which a front wall 7 and a rear wall 8 opposite the front wall 7 develop. Between the front wall 7 and the rear wall 8 there are interposed two side walls 9, each of which has a reduced extent with respect to the front wall 7 and to the rear wall 8.

The lid 4 comprises an upper face 10 that, in the closed

position, is opposite the base wall 6. A front fade 11 and a rear face 12 that are opposite one another are connected to the upper face 10. Between the front face 11 and the rear face 12 two side faces 13 are interposed. The closing body further comprises an anchoring panel 17, the lid 4 and the anchoring panel 17 being arranged on opposite sides of the hinge 5. The function of the anchoring panel 17 will be explained below. When the packet l is in the closed position shown in Figures 1 and 2, the front face Ii of the lid 4 is contiguous and substantially coplanar with the front wall 7 of the containing body 3. Similarly _/ the rear face 12 is contiguous with the anchoring panel 17 and with the rear wall 8, whilst the side faces 13 are contiguous with the respective side walls 9. Further, in the closed position the rear face 12 of the lid 4 is flush with the rear wall 8 of the containing body 3 and with the anchoring panel 17.

In other words, the closing body has a rear portion that, in the closed position, is flush with the rear wall 8 of the containing body 3. The rear portion of the aforementioned closing body may comprise the rear face 12 and the anchoring panel 17.

The rear face 12 of the lid 4, the anchoring panel 17 and the rear wall S of the containing body 3 define an outer wall of the packet 1 on which the hinge 5 is obtained.

The outer enclosure 2 has an intended breakage line 14 interposed between the anchoring panel 17 and the rear wall 8. The intended breakage line 14 can be formed by a plurality of cuts 15 separated from one another by joining portions 16. in the illustrated example, the intended breakage line 14 has the shape of a semicircumference, but it is also possible to use different shapes, for example "V", "U", oval or polygonal shapes . Between the intended breakage line 14 and the hinge 5 the anchoring panel 17 is defined.

The material that forms the outer enclosure 2, which may be

card, can be broken along the intended breakage line 14 for separating the closing body from the containing body 3, as will be explained better below.

Inside the outer enclosure 2 an inner enclosure 18 is positioned, which is shown in Figures 3 and 4. The inner enclosure 18 houses an internal wrap 26, comprising a group of cigarettes wrapped in a tinfoil or metallised sheet. The internal wrap 26 is of known type and has no substantial differences compared with the internal wraps used in normal cigarette packets.

The inner enclosure 18 comprises a main wall 19 bounded by an upper outline 20 having a "U" shape. To the main wall 19 two minor walls 21 are connected, from each of which a secondary wall 22 develops. The minor walls 21 contain laterally the internal wrap 26, whilst the secondary walls 22 are folded behind the internal wrap 26, so as to be adjacent to one another.

The inner enclosure 18 further comprises a lower flap 23, connected to the main wall 19 and bounded by a perimeter that is complementary to the upper outline 20. The lower flap 23 is folded below the internal wrap. 26.

Prom the main wall 19, near the upper outline 20, two closing fins 24 protrude outwards that are suitable for engaging the lid 4 to maintain the lid in the closed position. In a lower region of the minor walls 21 stopping means 25 is further obtained that may comprise protrusions that project outwards from each minor wall 21. The stopping means 25 can engage further stopping means obtained inside, the outer enclosure 2 to prevent the inner enclosure 18 from exiting completely from the outer enclosure 2 during use of the packet 1.

On the main wall 3,9, on the minor walls 21 and on the secondary walls 22 there are provided printed zones 27, indicated by hatched lines in Figures 3 and 4. The printed zones 27 may comprise writing, drawings or other information intended for the smoker.

The inner enclosure IS is arranged inside the outer enclosure 2 and is attached to the outer enclosure 2 at the anchoring panel 17. In particular, on the internal surface of the anchoring panel 17 there can be applied one or more glue points by means of which the anchoring panel 17 sticks to both the secondary walls 22. This enables the inner enclosure IS to be kept closed around the internal wrap 26 and above all enables the closing body to be fixed to the inner enclosure is. The packet 1 can be used as a normal cigarette packet if the inner enclosure 18 is not extracted from the outer enclosure 2, in this case, the smoker can open the packet l by rotating the lid 4 around the hinge 5, remove the cigarette and then reclose the lid 4, as occurs in traditional packets. The closing body, including the lid 4, can be separated from the containing body 3 by acting on the intended breakage line 14. In particular, as shown in Figure 14, the user can grasp the lid 4 with one hand and grasp the containing body 3 with the other hand and apply to the rear wall S of the containing body 3 and to the rear face 12 of the lid 4 a force that tends to separate the lid 4 from the containing body 3, as shown by the arrows P. In this manner, the joining portions 15 break and the closing body, including the lid 4, remains attached to the inner enclosure 18 at the anchoring panel 17, but is separated from the containing body 3. The smoker can thus partially extract from the outer enclosure 2 the inner enclosure 18, to which the closing body, including the lid 4, is fixed, as shown in Figures 5 and 6. When this occurs, the closing body, including the lid 4, and the anchoring panel 17 is spaced away from the containing body 3.

The stopping means 25 obtained on the inner enclosure 18 , if present, prevents the inner enclosure 18 from being completely extracted from the outer enclosure 2, by abutting against the further stopping means of the outer enclosure 2. After at least partially extracting the inner enclosure IS from the outer enclosure 2, the smoker can open ^' the lid 4 by

rotating the lid 4 around the hinge 5, as shown in Figures 7 and s, to access the cigarettes.

It should be noted that, when the inner enclosure 18 is extracted from the outer enclosure 2, the printed zones 27 are visible to the smoker, who can thus read the writing and view the drawings contained in the printed zones 27. This enables the packet 1 to be customised and the space available for messages to the consumer to be increased. In fact, the messages for the consumer and possible promotional messages can now be printed not only on the external surface of the containing body 3 and of the closing body, but also in the printed zones 27 of the inner enclosure is.

After taking the cigarette, the smoker can reclσse the lid 4 and slide the inner enclosure 18 to position the inner enclosure 13 inside the outer enclosure 2, so that the packet 1 again assumes the shape of a traditional stiff packet. Naturally, even after the closing body including the lid 4 has been detached from the containing body 3, the smoker can always use the packet 1 as a traditional packet, i.e. he can access the cigarettes by rotating the lid 4 around the hinge 5, without extracting the inner enclosure 18 from the outer enclosure 2.

The outer enclosure 2 is formed by folding a blank 28 of the type shown in Figure 9, made, for example, of card. The blank 28 comprises a first portion 29, intended for forming the containing body 3 of the outer enclosure 2, and a second portion 30, intended for forming the closing body of the outer enclosure 2, The first portion 29 and the second portion 30 are joined together along the intended breakage line 14, already disclosed with reference to Figure 2, that can be defined by the cuts 15 interrupted by the joining portions 16.

As already explained with reference to the outer enclosure 2, the intended breakage line 14 can be semicircular in shape, but also have other geometrical shapes.

The blank 28 further comprises an intended folding line 31,

arranged for giving rise, in the packet I, to the hinge 5. The intended folding line 31 may comprise a crease or be formed by a plurality of cuts separated by joining dots. The intended folding line 31 is obtained inside a main panel 32 of the blank 28 , the main panel 32 being intended to form, in the outer enclosure 2, the rear wall 8 of the containing body 3, the rear face 12 of the lid 4 and the anchoring panel 17. The blank 28 extends along a longitudinal axis Z, which may be an axis of symmetry.

A first transverse panel 33 and a second transverse panel 34 are arranged at opposite ends of the main panel 32, so that the first transverse panel 33, the main panel 32 and the second transverse panel 34 are arranged in sequence along the longitudinal axis Z.

The first transverse panel 33 is intended for forming the base wall 6 of the packet 1, whilst the second transverse panel 34 is intended for forming the upper face 10. To the first transverse panel 33 a greater panel 35 is connected that is intended to form the front wall 7 of the containing body 3 whilst the second transverse panel 34 is connected to a minor panel 36 that will form the front face 11 of the lid 4. The minor panel 36 is in turn connected to a flap 37 that is arranged for being folded by 180º so as to reinforce a front portion of the lid 4.

The greater panel 35, the first transverse panel 33, the main panel 32, the second transverse panel 34, the minor panel 36 and the flap 37 are joined along respective transverse creases 38, arranged transversely, in particular perpendicularly, to the longitudinal axis Z,

The blank 28 further comprises a pair of first internal panels 39, arranged on the two sides of the main panel 32 in a region defined between the intended folding line 31 and the first transverse panel 33. There is further provided a pair of second internal panels 40, arranged on the two sides of the main panel 32 in a region defined between the intended

folding line 31 and the second transverse panel 34. Each first internal panel 39 is separated from the corresponding second internal panel 40 by a tilted cut 41.

The ends of the intended breakage line 14 are arranged near the tilted cuts 41, so that small portions of material of the blank 28 separate the intended breakage line 14 from the tilted cuts 41.

If the card that forms the blank 28 were hypothetically lacerated along the intended breakage line 14, the blank 28 . would be divided into two parts .

On the sides of the greater panel 35 two first external panels 42 are arranged whilst on the sides of the minor panel 36 two second external panels 43 are arranged. When the blank 28 is folded to- form the outer enclosure 2, each first external panel 42 overlaps a first internal panel 39 to define the side walls 9 of the containing body 3. Similarly, each second external panel 43 overlaps a corresponding second internal panel 40 to form the side faces 13 of the lid 4. The internal panels 39, 40 and the external panels 42, 43 are connected respectively to the main panel 32, to the greater panel 35 and to the minor panel 36 along longitudinal creases 44 that are substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis Z. Wings 45 are connected to ends of the internal panels 39, 40 opposite the tilted cuts 41, the wings 45 being arranged for being folded inside the first transverse panel 33 and the second transverse panel 34 so as to stiffen the base wall 6 and the upper face 10 of the outer enclosure 2. On each first internal panel 39, near the tilted cuts 41, projecting elements 46 are obtained that act as further stopping means for cooperating with the stopping means 25 of the inner enclosure 18, so as to prevent the inner enclosure 18 from completely exiting the outer enclosure 2. Each projecting element 46 is bounded by a cutting line 47, arranged transversely to the longitudinal axis 2. Above the cutting line 47 a deformed portion 48 is arranged that, in

the finished packet 1, projects towards the inside of the outer enclosure 2.

When the blank 28 is processed on the packaging machine, on the internal surface of the blank 28 an adhesive substance is applied at the first external panels 42 and the second external panels 43, so as to enable the panels to adhere to the corresponding internal panels. The adhesive substance is further applied to the internal surface of the anchoring panel 17, to enable the panel to be fixed to the inner enclosure 18,

The zones in which the adhesive substance is applied have been highlighted by the hatched lines in Figure 10, which shows the same blank a.ε in Figure 9. It should in particular b© noted that in the anchoring panel 17 two gluing zones 49 can be provided, for example arranged symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal axis Z, each of which is arranged for adhering to a corresponding secondary wall 22 of the inner enclosure 18. In an embodiment, it is also possible to apply the adhesive substance uniformly to almost all the anchoring panel 17. In this case, the adhesive substance would enable not only the inner enclosure 18 but also the internal wrap 26 to be fixed to the anchoring panel 17. After receiving the adhesive substance, the blank 28 is folded according to the traditional sequence of folding operations as the blank does not have panels in addition to the traditional blanks. The blank 28 can thus be processed in a common machine to produce stiff cigarette packets . Figure 11 shows an inner frame 50 that can be used to form the inner enclosure 18. The inner frame 50 can be made of card, possibly coupled with a sheet of metal, such as aluminium. The inner frame 50 can be formed directly on the packaging machine from a reel, which is cut with a knife having a "U" profile corresponding to an upper transverse profile 51 and to a lower transverse profile 52 of the inner frame 50. On the inner frame 50, two internal weakening lines

53 and two external weakening lines 54 are further obtained by suitable incisors. The external weakening lines 54 are arranged outside the internal weakening lines 53. A transverse weakening line 55, arranged transversely to the internal and external weakening lines 53 and 54, is further obtained in a lower region of the inner frame so. Between the internal weakening lines 53 and the transverse weakening line 55 a primary panel 56 is defined that is arranged for forming, in the inner enclosure 18, the main wall 19. On the sides of the primary panel 56, two side panels 57 are arranged, each of which is interposed between an internal weakening line 53 and an external weakening line 54. Each side panel 57 is intended for forming a minor wall 21 of the inner enclosure IS. Lastly, outside the side panels 57 two peripheral panels 58 are provided, each of which is joined to a corresponding side panel 57 along an external weakening line 54. The peripheral panels 58 are folded behind the internal wrap 26 to form the secondary walls 22. In this manner, the inner frame 50, after being folded, surrounds the inner enclosure 18 on four sides. Between the transverse weakening line 55 and the lower transverse profile 52 an end panel 59 is defined, suitable for being folded below the internal wrap 26 for obtaining the lower flap 23.

On the inner frame 50 two "C"-shaped cuts 60 are obtained, intended for forming the closing fins 24. On the inner frame 50 the stopping means 25 is further obtained, which has a structure that is similar to the projecting elements 46 of the blank 28, but projects outside the inner frame 50, once the inner frame 50 has been folded. The stopping means 25 is bounded by respective upper cuts 61.

During packaging, the inner frame 50 is folded around the internal wrap 26 and is made to adhere thereto by means of glue points positioned in a similar manner to what occurs in traditional inner frames. The inner frame 50 can be folded

around the internal wrap 26 using a folding unit that is similar to the unit used for traditional inner frames. The outer enclosure 2 is then constructed by folding the blank 28 around the inner enclosure 18. From what has been set out above, it is evident that the packet 1 can be made using packaging machines that do not differ substantially from existing machines.

In an embodiment, shown in Figures 12 and 13, the packet can be completed by applying a stamp 62 to a connecting zone between the closing body, including the lid 4, and the containing body 3. The stamp 62 can partially cover the anchoring panel 17. In this case, on the stamp 62 there is obtained an intended separating line 63 having the same profile as the intended breakage line 14. By so doing, when the closing body including the lid 4 is detached from the containing body 3, even the stamp breaks into two parts, one of which remains attached to the closing body, whilst the second remains attached to the containing body 3. In the figures shown, only packets with a parallelepipedon shape have been shown that have rectangular-shaped longitudinal corners. The packet according to the invention may nevertheless also comprise one or more smoothed longitudinal or transverse corners or one or more rounded longitudinal or transverse corners. In particular, the packet according to the invention may have the shape of an octagonal packet or of a so-called round-corner packet. In an embodiment that is not shown, the inner frame 50 may be absent. The internal wrap 26 may be made of a plastics film having barrier properties, hermetically closed around a group of cigarettes. Between the group of cigarettes and the plastics film a stiffening element can be interposed, comprising, for example, a strip of card folded around the cigarettes, to increase the stiffness of the internal wrap 26, In this case, the anchoring panel 17 is glued directly to the plastics film.

A configuration of this type can be used for packets

containing scented cigarettes, for example mint-scented cigarettes, in which case the plastics film having barrier properties prevents the scent of the cigarettes from spreading prematurely into the external environment. In an embodiment, the intended breakage line 14 can be broken on the packaging machine, after the outer enclosure 2 has been formed. Subsequently, a transparent film is wrapped around the outer enclosure 2 and is then welded, as occurs in traditional cigarette packets. In this manner, when the smoker breaks the transparent film to access the outer enclosure 2, the containing body 3 is already separated from the closing body and the smoker, if he wishes to extract the inner enclosure 18, does not have to break the intended breakage line 14.