CIGARETTE PACK WITH INTEGRAL TEAR AWAY CARD

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a cigarette pack, and more particularly to a cigarette pack made of cardboard paper stock and the like having an integral tear away card.

Cigarette packs are often assembled with inserted material positioned between the pack and the outer overwap material. Such inserted material may comprise coupons, product literature, promotional information or any other form of graphic media. In some instances the inserted material may include a bar code for identification at retail. Needless to say the insertion of any such material requires manufacturing steps in addition to the steps required to form the cigarette pack as well as the material itself. Accordingly, a need exists for a cigarette pack that has the feature of removable graphic media without the complexity of additional manufacturing steps and without additional material added to the pack product.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the primary objective of the present invention is to address the shortcomings of the prior art by providing a cigarette pack with an integral tear away card containing a wide variety of graphic media.

Another object of the present invention is a cigarette pack with includes removable graphic media without the need for manufacturing steps in addition to those required to form the pack.

Still another object of the present invention is a cigarette pack that includes removable graphic media without the need for additional material upon which the graphic media is printed.

In accordance with the present invention, a cigarette pack made of cardboard paper stock and the like comprises a bottom body portion and a hinge lid portion. The bottom body portion of the pack holds a bundle of foil wrapped cigarettes and includes a tear away card having a continuous outer boundary with perforations along the boundary to facilitate removal of the tear away card from the pack. Preferably the bottom body portion of the pack includes front and back panels, and the tear away card is positioned within the back panel. The tear away card includes graphic media, and such media may include coupons, product literature, promotional information and bar codes, for example.

Also, in accordance with the present invention a blank of cardboard paper stock and the like is utilized to form the cigarette pack. The blank has a body forming portion and a lid forming portion, and the body forming portion includes front and back panels integrally connected together by a bottom panel. The back panel of the blank has a tear away card with a

continuous outer boundary and perforations around the boundary to facilitate removal of the tear away card from the back panel.

The tear away card on the back panel of the blank includes graphic media, and such graphic media may include coupons, product literature, promotional information and bar codes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Novel features and advantages of the present invention in addition to those noted above will be become apparent to persons of ordinary skill in the art from a reading of the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein similar reference characters refer to similar parts and in which:

Figure 1 is a back perspective view of a cigarette pack having an integral tear away card, according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of a blank used to form the pack shown in Figure 1 ; and Figure 3 is a perspective view of the tear away card removed from the pack, according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring in more particularity to the drawings, Figure 1 illustrates a cigarette pack 10 made from cardboard paper stock and the like comprising a bottom body portion 12 and a top hinge lid portion 14 that articulates around a hinge line 16 for opening and closing the cigarette pack. The bottom body portion holds a bundle of foil wrapped cigarettes (not shown). The bottom body portion 12 of the pack includes a tear away card 18 having a continuous outer boundary 20 with perforations 22 extending along the entire length of the boundary 20 to facilitate removal of the tear away card 18 from the pack 10, as explained more fully below. Preferably the bottom body portion 12 of the pack 10 includes a front panel 24 and a back panel 26, and the tear away card 18 is within the back panel. Additionally, an outline 28 is adjacent the perforations 22 to highlight the area of the tear away card 18.

The tear away card 18 may include any graphic media printed thereon, and such graphic media may include coupons, product literature, promotional information, bar codes and the like. Figure 2 illustrates a blank 30 of cardboard paper stock and the like for forming the cigarette pack 10. The blank includes the body forming portion 12 comprising the front panel 24 and the back panel 26 integrally connected by a bottom panel 32. A right side panel 34 and a left side panel 36 are integrally connected to the front panel 24 and a right side panel 38 and a left side panel 40 are integrally connected to the back panel 26, as shown. Bottom dust flaps 42 are connected to the right and left side panels 38, 40.

The lid forming portion 14 of blank 30 includes a back panel 44 and a front panel 46 integrally connected by a top panel 48. The lid forming portion of the blank also includes a reinforcing pane! 50 which when reversed bent rests against front panel 46. The lid forming portion of the blank also includes a right side panel 52 and a left side panel 54 integrally connected to the front panel 46.

Right and left side panels 56, 58, respectively, are integrally connected to back panel 44 of the lid forming portion of the blank. Dust flaps 60, 62 for the lid adjacent the side panels 56, 58 function to close the edges between the top panel 48 and the sides of the lid forming portion. The dust flaps also reinforce top panel 48 of the Nd. A 45° or an appropriate angle cut line 64 extends between side panels 38 and 56 and side panels 40, 58. Cut lines 64 merge into the hinge line 16 between the body and lid forming portions and about which the lid 14 of the assembled cigarette pack 10 articulates relative to the body 12 of the pack. Cut lines 64 enable such articulation to occur. Each cut line 64 includes several spaced apart points of attachment 66 which collectively hold the panels together to prevent damage of the panels 56, 58 during formation of the blank 30 into the pack 10. These points of attachment 66 prevent dangling flaps 56, 58 during blank formation into the pack 10.

The blank 30 is assembled into the pack 10 by techniques well know in the art. Once assembled a bundle of foil wrapped cigarettes is inserted into the pack and the lid is then closed. The pack is ultimately overwapped with clear material as is well known. After the pack is purchased, opened by the consumer and ultimately exhausted of cigarettes, the tear away card 18 is removed and utilized for whatever its intended purpose may be. In this regard the pack may be disassembled and the card removed, or the card may simply be removed without disassembly of the pack. In either instance, the card 18 is removed from the back panel 26 along the perforations 22.