60/345,355 of the same title, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference thereto.

Background of the Invention The. present invention relates to packages for small, long, generally cylindrical products, in particular, to portable packages for the storage and dispensing of cigarettes by the cigarette user, commonly known as a cigarette pack.

Conventional cigarette packs are either so-called primary, disposable packs and durable packs such as cigarette cases. Standard primary packs contain 20 cigarettes which are dispensed by drawing by hand, one cigarette at a time, through an opening in the pack. Removal of a cigarette therefore requires two hands-one to open and hold the pack, the other to draw the cigarette out of the pack and place it in the users mouth.

Further, the drawing action usually involves the fingers coming into contact with other cigarettes adjacent the cigarette being drawn out of the pack.

Disposable packs are the norm, consisting of the primary pack or flip-top box.

Cigarette cases can be made of materials varying from paper to precious metals.

However, they are not practical to use in that they require that cigarettes are removed manually from the primary pack and inserted into the cigarette case before being drawn from the case by the user.

Such conventional packaging therefore involves the requirement of a two handed operation for cigarette removal. Further, such packs result in direct contamination by the finger of the cigarette chosen for removal and cross contamination of adjacent cigarettes. In addition, conventional cigarette cases involve the inconvenience of the additional step of removal and transfer of cigarettes from a pack into the case and further do not generally provide a simple mechanism for cigarette ejection.

What is needed therefore is a portable cigarette pack or container, for use as either a primary or secondary cigarette pack, that overcomes these shortcomings by enabling one-handed dispensing without necessarily requiring finger contact and which is versatile as well as simple and inexpensive to manufacture.

Summary of the Invention The needs identified above are met in a cigarette container having an elongated cigarette storage portion and a jacket. The storage portion has an upper and lower panel and adjacent side panels extending therebetween. The side panels include two opposite main panels and opposite end portions joined together to define a storage chamber in which cigarettes may be stored in a side-by-side manner. The jacket is mountable over the storage portion, and slides bi-directionally along an axis transverse to the long axis of the stored cigarettes to reveal a dispensing opening adjacent to an opposite end portion. With a simple shaking motion, dispensing of cigarettes is possible using only one hand. Further, cigarettes may now be dispensed without requiring finger contact with the cigarettes, thereby promoting better hygiene.

The cigarettes are packed together in the box in rows of two (or three), deep.

The dimensions of the box are such that the width of the cavity is always slightly less than the width of two cigarettes (for the two row box) or three cigarettes (for the three row box). In this way the cigarettes are always stacked diagonally to each other.

There is a minimum space of 2mm extra length on the box so that when the box is in the open position (dispensing chamber is pushed forward) and then shaken at an approximate 45 degree angle, the cigarettes align themselves in such a way so that one cigarette is forced into the dispensing chamber.

Through the same shaking movement the cigarette in the dispensing chamber is pushed up (about 30%), however, it can not"fly out"of the chamber since the pressure of the other cigarettes falling onto it blocks it and keeps it in place.

The dispensing chambers on either side of the pack are designed so that the "walls"of the chamber slant inwards and the width of the chamber is never more than the width of 1.5 cigarettes allowing only one cigarette at a time to enter the chamber.

A paperfoil freshness wrap incorporates a straight perforation that facilitates removal of a top portion thereof so as to leave substantially no residual flap, thus exposing cigarettes in an associated storage chamber.

An object of the invention is to provide a convenient, versatile cigarette pack which hygienically dispenses cigarettes, while incorporating significant style and functional benefits vis-a-vis the prior art.

In an advantage of the invention, cigarettes can be dispensed manually (i. e., taken from the box by hand without ejection) when the box is in the open position.

In another advantage, the box can be opened and a cigarette dispensed with only one hand, unlike the prior art that requires two handed dispensing.

In another advantage, cigarettes can be dispensed without manual contact on the cigarette (i. e, they can be self-dispensed), thus enabling a user to remove the cigarette from the pack using his/her fingers or lips only or through contact only with the cigarette to be dispensed from the pack. Thus, the cigarettes are hygienically dispensed.

In another advantage, the box self-dispenses cigarettes as well as dispenses cigarettes manually.

In another advantage, the box is suitable to be sold as a unit, i. e. , the inner and outer sleeve together, or, when the outer sleeve is made from durable materials, the inner box is suitable for separate refill sale. Further, the refill inner box is suitable for separate sale independently of any need for the outer sleeve, and can be used in a similar manner to existing cigarette soft packs. Thus, the invention combines the convenience and practicality of a primary pack with the aesthetics and durability of a cigarette case.

In another advantage, the clean separability of the inner pack and the outer sleeve means that the selection of materials for each is completely independent, the outer sleeve being able to be made of any materials that pleases the user, durable, or non-durable.

In another advantage, the paperfoil inner and top sheet includes a simple straight line perforation.

Brief Description of the Drawings FIGS. 1a to 1d are perspective views of the invention, showing extreme operational positions.

FIGS. 2a to 2c are three stop-action views showing the invention self-dispensing operation.

FIGS. 3a to 3d are top plan views of alternative dispensing chamber configurations of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a side, cut-away view of the invention.

FIGS. 5a to 5c are top plan views showing alternative arrangements of cigarettes in three embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the removal of a paperfoil inner barrier wrap of the invention.

FIGS. 7a and 7b is a top plan view of the paperfoil inner barrier wrap in both a pre-separated and a separated state.

FIG. 8 is a side, cut-away view of the invention at a point of operation in which a cigarette is ejecting from the container of the invention.

FIG. 9 is a side, cut-away view of the invention at a point of operation in which a cigarette is stopped in an ejected position, ready to be removed by the user.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment: Referring now to figures 1a to 1d, a cigarette container 10 has an elongated cigarette storage portion 12 and a jacket 14. The storage portion 12 has an upper and lower panel 16 and 20, respectively, and adjacent side panels 22 extending therebetween. The side panels 22 include two opposite main panels 24 and opposite end portions 26 joined together to define the storage portion 12 in which cigarettes 30 may be stored in a side-by-side manner. As shown in figures 1c and 1d, the jacket 14 is mountable over the storage portion 12, and slides bi-directionally along an axis transverse to the long axis of the stored cigarettes 30 to reveal a dispensing opening 32 adjacent to an opposite end portion 26.

Referring to figures 2a to 2c, with a simple shaking motion, dispensing of cigarettes 30 is possible using only one hand. Thus, cigarettes 30 may now be dispensed without requiring finger contact with the cigarettes, thereby promoting better hygiene.

Referring now to figures 3a to 3d, the end portion 26 adjacent the opening 32 has an approximately trapezoidal cross section defined by a wide end opening 34 into the storage portion 12 and a narrow end 26'adjacent to an end portion panel 26', wherein the narrow end portion panel has a width slightly greater than a cigarette 30 and the wide end opening being narrower than twice the diameter of two cigarettes.

Referring now to figure 4, clearance 40 is provided between the ends 42 of the cigarettes 30 and the upper panel 16 to permit free axial movement of the cigarettes in the storage portion 12. The clearance 40 in the storage portion 12 is preferably between 0.5 and 5 mm.

Referring now to figure 5a, the storage portion 12 contains a single row width of cigarettes 30, the internal width 44 of the storage portion being slightly wider than the width 46 of the cigarettes. Referring to figures. 5b and 5c, showing another embodiment, the internal width 50 between facing main panels 22 of the storage portion 12 accommodates a multiple row width of cigarettes 30 and is dimensioned so as to be greater than the width 52 of adjacent arranged cigarettes 30 minus one and less than the width 52 of adjacent arranged cigarettes.

Referring again to figures 3a to 3d, the jacket 14 includes cut-outs 54 adjacent its open ends 32, the cut-outs (shown in figure 4) having a depth 56 greater than and or equal to the length 58 of an opening 60 of a dispensing chamber 68 so that a user can slide the storage portion 12 relative to the jacket using his finger, in order to just expose the entire opening.

The preferred material used for the jacket 14 of the invention is plastic. The plastic used can be rigid and semi-rigid including Polypropylene (PP), Polyethylene (PE/HDPE/MDPE/LDPE/LLDPE) Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), Polyethylene Naphthalate (PEN), Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC), Acrylo Butyl Styrene (ABS), Styrene Acrylo Nitrile (SAN) Polycarbonate (PC). Nevertheless, the material can be just about any hard, structurally stable material such as metal, e. g. precious metals, aluminium, steel and alloy frames coated or uncoated, or a disposable material such as paper or paper board.

Referring now to figures 6,7a and 7b, a paperfoil freshness wrap 62 includes a top portion 64 and bottom wrap portion 66 incorporating a perforation 68 which facilitates removal of the top portion from the bottom portion so as to leave substantially no residual flap, thus exposing cigarettes 30 in an associated storage chamber. In the embodiment shown, the storage portion 12 is divided into a left chamber 70 and a right chamber 72 separated by a wall 74.

The paperfoil inner barrier wrap 62 is manufactured in one sheet that is perforated to form the perforation 80 as shown. The wrap 62 is folded and glued into the container 10 in such a way so that, when opened, the user pulls off a top barrier wrap portion 82 and separates the top wrap from the bottom wrap 84 along perforations 68 thus exposing all cigarettes 30 (as shown in figure 6) and leaving no residual flap.

As described above, cigarettes 30 are packed together in the box in rows of two (or three), deep (see figures 3a-3d). The dimensions of the container 10 are such that the width of the cavity is always slightly less than the width of two cigarettes 30 (for the two row box) or three cigarettes (for the three row box). In this way the cigarettes 30 are always stacked diagonally with respect to each other.

Referring again to figures 3a to 3d, dispensing chambers 68 on either side of the container 10 are designed so that the walls 69 generally converge inwards and the width 34 of the chamber generally has a width of 1.5 cigarettes (always substantially less that two cigarettes) so as to allow only one cigarette at a time to enter the chamber. In the embodiment depicted in figure 3b, the dispensing chamber 68 is squared and converging walls 69'are formed by inserts 71.

Generally, in order to best accomplish the goals of the invention, the following design criteria are applied: ^ Dispensing chambers 68 are substantially narrower than the diameter of 2 cigarettes 30.

The height of the storage portion 12 and the jacket 14 should be at least 2mm higher than the height of one cigarette 30.

-The width of the storage portion 12 must be slightly less than the width of 2 cigarettes 30 (for 2 row box) and three cigarettes (for the 3 row box).

-The jacket 14 is sized to slip easily back and forth over the storage portion 12.

Further, the container 10 of the invention can be used in all kinds of packages for <BR> <BR> cigarettes 30, including so-called"primary pack"cigarette boxes, "secondary pack"<BR> cigarette boxes (i. e. , those bought empty/separately from cigarettes and filled by owner), and self dispensing boxes.

Operation: There is a minimum space of 2mm extra length on the container 10 so that when the container is in the open position (i. e. , the dispensing chamber 68 is pushed forward) and then shaken at a 45 degree angle, best depicted in figures 2a to 2c, the cigarettes 30 align themselves as shown in plan view in figures 3a to 3d and in figure 8, so that one cigarette is forced into the dispensing chamber 68. The dispensed cigarette 31 may be taken from the container 10 by the hand or mouth of the user. Figures 2a to 2c show how the container 10 is held in the right hand, with the thumb on the top of the jacket 14, the index finger on one side placed in the half moon cut-out 54, and the remaining three fingers on the bottom of the jacket. Then, while being held at 45 degrees, with one quick hand movement, the container 10 is snapped upward first and then back downward. The aligned cigarettes 30 move upward in the upward shaking movement.

The cigarettes 30 in the storage portion 12, not under the dispensing opening 32, are held back by the upper panel 16. The single cigarette 31 in the dispensing chamber 68 is allowed to eject through the dispensing opening 32.

Through the same shaking movement, the cigarette 30 in the open dispensing chamber 68 (revealed through having slid the chamber out of the jacket 14) is ejected to about 30% of its length. However, it cannot"fly out"of the chamber since the pressure of the other cigarettes falling onto it blocks it and keeps it in place (shown in figure 9).

This occurs because, when the cigarettes 30 in the storage portion 12 return downward (with the downward shaking movement), gravity again intervenes and the cigarettes are pushed against the ejected cigarette 31, thus inducing a stopping friction, and at an angle, thus blocking any downward tendency of the ejected cigarette.

In an advantage of the invention, cigarettes can be dispensed manually (i. e., taken from the box by hand without ejection) when the box is in the open position.

In another advantage, the box can be opened and a cigarette dispensed with only one hand, unlike the prior art that requires two handed dispensing.

In another advantage, cigarettes can be dispensed without manual contact on the cigarette (i. e, they can be self-dispensed), thus enabling a user to remove the cigarette from the pack using her lips only or through contact only with the cigarette to be dispensed from the pack. Thus, the cigarettes are hygienically dispensed.

In another advantage, the box self-dispenses cigarettes as well as dispensing cigarettes manually.

In another advantage, the container can be held in either the right or left hand and cigarettes can be self-dispensed from the container with either the right or left hand of the user.

In another advantage, the box is suitable to be sold as a unit, i. e. , the inner and outer sleeve together, or, when the outer sleeve is made from durable materials, the inner box is suitable for separate refill sale. Further, the refill inner box is suitable for separate sale independently of any need for the outer sleeve, and can be used in a similar manner to existing cigarette soft packs. Thus, the invention combines the convenience and practicality of a primary pack with the aesthetics and durability of a cigarette case.

In another advantage, the clean separability of the inner pack and the outer sleeve means that the selection of materials for each is completely independent, the outer sleeve being able to be made of any materials that pleases the user, durable, or non-durable.

Multiple variations and modifications are possible in the embodiments of the invention described here. Although certain illustrative embodiments of the invention have been shown and described here, a wide range of modifications, changes, and substitutions is contemplated in the foregoing disclosure. In some instances, some features of the present invention may be employed without a corresponding use of the other features. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the foregoing description be construed broadly and understood as being given by way of illustration and example only, the spirit and scope of the invention being limited only by the appended claims.