The present invention relates to illumination devices. Such devices have been disclosed in international patent application WO 2004/1 10892.

The present invention relates, in particular, to illumination devices for containers, in particular packets, for example cigarette packets.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention take the form of a range of illumination devices / methods that offer the tobacco industry, which is facing increased governmental advertising and marketing restrictions, a powerful new marketing and promotional tool. They allow tobacco brands to differentiate themselves from competitive offerings and to attract and interact with consumers in new and exciting ways, thereby raising awareness of the brands, encouraging brand trial and brand switching. In addition they allow the highlighting of health warnings which are being increasingly required by advertising regulations.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a container having attached thereto circuit elements comprising a light source, a switch, a battery and associated drive circuitry characterised in that one or more of the circuit elements, including at least the light source, are attached to a flexible wall portion of the container, said one or more of the elements being encapsulated in flexible material.

An advantage of the above container is that a compact and self-contained device is readily provided thereon. A particularly compact arrangement is provided when all the circuit elements are attached to a common flexible wall portion of the container and are encapsulated together.

The device may take the form of an illuminated advertising panel that can be stuck via a glued surface to flat packaging thus creating an advertising panel for boxes. In this way the device enhances the packet or box, enables the packaging to promote itself and creates a new way of advertising/ marketing the packaging contents. The device converts the packaging from an inert object to an interactive/ intelligent object. The device can consist of a fully flexible electronic label that is independent of mains power and instead runs on coin cell batteries. Because coin cell batteries have a limited life span it is advantageous if the device saves on power consumption as much as possible. Therefore devices have been designed with a variety of built-in sensor options to ensure that they only create an output/ effect when needed i.e. when certain conditions exist. This can be when a device detects movement, vibrations, music, changes in ambient light levels etc. In other words the device is able, via the use of different sensors, to react to its environment.

The light source may comprise an electroluminescent panel comprising a plurality of layers, said one or more of the circuit elements being encapsulated between said layers. In one embodiment the light source comprises an electroluminescent panel and the switch, the battery and the associated drive circuitry are encapsulated in a flexible housing attached to the electroluminescent panel. Preferably within the flexible housing, the circuit elements are interconnected by flexible electrical connections. In some embodiments the associated drive circuitry comprises circuit components mounted on a plurality of circuit boards, said circuit boards being interconnected by flexible connection elements. Such embodiments provide arrangements which are flexible and compact. The use of an electroluminescent panel produces a uniform light output.

In another embodiment, at least the drive circuitry is attached to a separate wall portion of the container, the drive circuitry being connected to the light source by means of one or more flexible electrical connections on the surface of the container between said wall portions. This enables the display part of the device to be located on a front, flexible surface of the container, with the remaining parts being located on a less conspicuous surface. When the latter surface is a smaller surface of the container, this is likely to be less flexible, and there is no longer a requirement for these remaining parts of the device to be flexibly arranged.

The flexible electrical connections between the wall portions of the container may be carried by a transparent sheet member extending between the light source and the drive circuitry. This prevents printed matter on the surface of the container from being obscured by the device.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an illuminating device comprising circuit elements including an electroluminescent panel, a battery and associated drive circuitry characterised in that at least some of said elements are connected together by means of flexible electrical connections within a flexible encapsulation.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electrical circuit device comprising circuit components mounted on a plurality of circuit boards, characterised in that said circuit boards are interconnected by means of flexible electrical connection elements and are encapsulated in a flexible housing. This provides a circuit device which is extremely flexible, which is advantageous when the device is to be attached to a flexible container, e.g. a packet of cardboard or plastic material.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a container having attached thereto a flexible light source and an associated circuit board characterised in that the light source is attached to a flexible wall portion of the container and the circuit board is attached to a second wall portion spaced from the flexible wall portion, and in that the light source and the circuit board are interconnected by means of at least one flexible electrical connection element. This enables an arrangement in which an alternative display part incorporating the light source can be placed in a prominent position on a flexible wall portion, with the associated circuitry located in a less prominent position and connected to the light source by means of connection elements which readily conform to the shape of the container. The second, less prominent wall portion may be relatively rigid, so that the circuit board does not need to flex.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an illumination device comprising a first section comprising a light source, a second section connected to said first section and comprising a sheet of transparent flexible material incorporating flexible conductors, first ends of which are connected to the light source, and a third section comprising drive circuitry for the light source and connected to the second section, with second ends of the flexible conductors being connected to the drive circuitry, the device further comprising a movement sensing element connected to the third section by means of a flexible connection element. This provides an illumination device which can be conveniently and inconspicuously attached to a container, and can be arranged to automatically illuminate when the container is opened.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of an electroluminescent illumination device in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 shows a side view of the device of Fig. 1 ;

Fig. 3 shows a rear perspective view of the device of Figs. 1 and 2 with a protective sheet being removed therefrom;

Fig. 4 shows a front perspective view of a cigarette packet provided with an electroluminescent illumination device as shown in Figs. 1 to 3;

Fig. 5 shows a top perspective view of another cigarette packet with an electroluminescent device according to Figs 1 to 3 provided on the inside thereof;

Fig. 6 shows a perspective view of a further cigarette packet having an electroluminescent device according to Figs. 1 to 3 provided on the inside thereof;

Fig. 7 shows an LED illumination device in accordance with a different embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 8 shows an alternative LED illumination device; Fig. 9 shows a perspective view of a cigarette packet incorporating an LED device according to Fig. 8 on the front thereof;

Fig. 10 shows a top perspective view of another cigarette packet having an LED device according to Fig. 8 on an interior bottom surface thereof;

Fig. 1 1 shows a front perspective view of a further cigarette packet having an LED illumination device on the interior of the top surface of the Hd thereof;

Fig. 12 shows a front perspective view of yet a further cigarette packet having an LED illumination device on the interior of the front of the lid thereof;

Fig. 13 shows a cigarette packet made from translucent material;

Fig. 14 shows another cigarette packet with a base and a front panel made from translucent material;

Fig. 15 shows a further cigarette packet inserted into a transparent sleeve;

Fig. 16 shows an illumination device in accordance with a different embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 17 shows an illumination device in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 18 shows the embodiment of Fig. 17 attached to a cigarette packet;

Fig. 19 shows an illumination device in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 20 shows an illumination device in accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 21 shows the embodiment of Fig. 20 in a folded configuration; and

Figs. 22 and 23 show side and perspective views respectively of the embodiment of Figs. 20 and 21 attached to a cigarette packet.

The initials EL used in this specification stand for an electroluminescent device. Depending upon the context, EL can represent just the electroluminescent phosphor material itself or it can incorporate some of the associated electrical connections and circuit components, and may denote an entire panel.

Referring now to the drawings, one feature of embodiments of the present invention is an electroluminescent advertising panel 10. A container in the form of a cardboard cigarette packet 20, Fig. 4 has a self-contained electroluminescent illumination device 30 comprising a flat electronic advertising panel 10 that is attached to the outside of the packet without necessitating any modifications to the packet. The panel enables innovative on-pack advertising in the form of illuminated brand advertising, promotional messages, animated displays, pictures etc. These messages may take the form of highlighted health warnings therefore enabling the device to add value to the pack by enhancing the text of government health warnings or highlighting or animating images of the harm smoking can do.

The device 30 consists of an electroluminescent panel 10 mounted on a silicone back element 12. Embedded within the silicone is a printed circuit board 23 with a tact switch 25 and an (optional) inductor 27. Also on the printed circuit board 23 are the necessary drive circuit components including resistors, transistors and an integrated .circuit for driving the electroluminescent panel. A battery cell 29 for the device is also embedded in the silicone element 12. The outer surface of the silicone, which forms the back of the device, is coated with glue which in turn is protected from accidental sticking by a protective paper covering 16, Fig. 3 which can be peeled off when required. The device 30 can been designed to be disposable and for once-only use or for multiple uses. The approach to the circuitry is adaptable and can be tailored for different EL displays in order to maximise its efficiency for use with very small power sources.

To make it suitable for attachment to a flexible packaging surface which may be deformed in normal use, e.g. a cardboard cigarette packet, the device 30 itself is flexible. The shape, design and construction of the device is such that when it is adhered to the packet it retains a degree of flexibility such that it can remain attached to the packet even when the packet is compressed or deformed, for example when in a user's pocket. The flexibility of the device is achieved by having its component parts encased / embedded in silicone, with these component parts effectively 'floating' within the silicone. This means that the PCB does not need to be glued to the electroluminescent device and the power source does not need to be fixed to the PCB, i.e. the main component parts are independent from one another and can therefore move within the silicone. The silicone housing 12 acts to prevent these parts moving significantly from their original positions. The electroluminescent panel 10 itself is naturally flexible. Thus the whole device can be deformed onto a slightly concave or convex surface. It can also be slightly twisted. The flexibility of the device can be further improved by mounting the circuit components on a thin flexible substrate 23.

Encapsulating the device in silicone has the further advantage of sealing the electronic components from the surrounding environment. This renders the device liquid and moisture resistant, an important consideration in bars where cigarettes packets are often put onto bar tables that can be wet from spillages and such like. Encapsulation also insulates the user from the voltages that the device generates and helps make the device more resistant to impacts.

A further advantage of embedding the drive circuitry in silicone is the ease of recycling because the silicon can be easily cut with a sharp instrument such as a pair of scissors and parts removed e.g. batteries, for recycling purposes.

There are many existing displays that use LED illumination to illuminate an area and to attract attention. But the illumination is not even, so to illuminate a series of letters in a brand name, or different colours in a logo, the illumination would not be as uniform and even and therefore may be less aesthetically effective and impacting as a marketing and promotional tool. LED's are point light sources so to get an even distribution of light one needs to disperse the light through materials such as plastics or other light-dispersing materials.

Fig. 4 shows the panel 10 applied to the front, flexible surface 22 of a cigarette packet 20. The use of an electroluminescent panel 10 creates a raised label that features an evenly illuminated constant or animated display thereby giving a good illumination effect. Also it is possible to print the phosphor into specific character shapes 44. Whilst electroluminescent materials can provide an evenly distributed illumination effect, they require relatively large components as an integral part of any drive circuitry. To date, in terms of self-contained electroluminescent display panels, there is nothing commercially available that is as thin as the device of the present embodiment, which can provide an evenly distributed illuminated surface to enable the illumination of a logo, message or symbol. The closest things to the current embodiment are electroluminescent badges. Electroluminescent badge type devices are comparatively bulky requiring large component parts to operate. For example, many electroluminescent badges are driven by AAA size batteries, a power source many times bulkier than that used by the present embodiment. Furthermore, electroluminescent badges do not provide a 100% seal because the batteries are designed to be replaceable.

Large size electroluminescent illumination advertising devices such as those used to advertise drinks in a bar in the form of an illuminated poster are often made with a more flexible generation electroluminescent material so they can be easily wrapped around solid objects or stuck to flexible surfaces such as clothing. However these devices have independent and bulky drive circuitry i.e. they are not self contained devices, rather they consist of a separate electroluminescent sheet attached by wiring to the necessary drive components.

In terms of the present embodiment, to obtain a self-contained device, which is much thinner than other electroluminescent devices, it is necessary to use as small a power source as possible. Also it is necessary to use transformer-less inverter circuits. Transformers are too bulky for this purpose and the transformers become more difficult to design and manufacture within the necessary size constraints.

There are available many integrated circuits, which are designed for the purpose of driving electroluminescent panels, however there can be some difficulties in choosing the most suitable IC. Some of the available ICs were found to have stability problems related to sensitive parts of their circuitry, especially when the IC circuitry was in very close proximity to the electroluminescent device itself and this necessitated very carefully controlled PCB layouts especially near to the critical IC pins.

The present device uses a programmable integrated circuit, a micro-controller, which allows the voltages and frequencies to be tailored to the specific electroluminescent device being used. The programmable IC creates the control frequencies and the high voltage generation is derived outside the IC using a few discrete components. The stability problems have since no longer been experienced when the electroluminescent device is placed in very close proximity to the drive circuitry.

Each device can be tuned to its most efficient for light emission and longevity by controlling the relevant frequencies and voltages for the specific EL in use. Using a programmable IC also allows for multiple phosphor elements to be controlled by using otherwise unused ports of the micro-controller to switch the different electroluminescent elements in and out of the high voltage path. Hence flashing the display, or sections thereof, becomes a simple matter of programming and does not require additional control circuitry. The use of standby mode, and hence the low power consumption during time in this mode, can also be used to improve the overall power efficiency without the need for further external circuitry. The present device therefore improves the adaptability of the electroluminescent drive circuitry compared to off the shelf ICs. The advantage of this approach is that the circuitry can be mass produced and remains the same. It is only the programme in the micro-controller that is changed to optimise its efficiency for different EL patterns and different EL types. The power source is currently selected from commercially available lithium cells for size and power density, as required. As the power density of plastic batteries, and other similar technologies increases, it may become possible to employ these, thus making the device even thinner.

In designing and manufacturing the current device the emphasis has been on the thinness of the design. Ideal flat plastic batteries that are ultra thin are still not commercially available. In their absence, the device employs commercially available batteries.

The thin electroluminescent panel is designed to fit on the front, back, sides, lid or base of a cigarette packet (lO's or 20 's pack sizes or variants thereof) or on the larger multi-pack sized cartons. The size of the electroluminescent panel can be customised to suit the desired area that needs to be illuminated. It can be used to evenly illuminate the individual letters or shape 44 of a brand name or logo, the background 45 behind these simultaneously or independently, and this may be done together or at independent times. It may be used to illuminate a message, such as an advertising slogan or government health warning, or to reveal a secret message (i.e. a message that cannot be discerned until the illumination is activated, which is advantageous for a competition-based promotion). The message, or other wording, can be revealed all at once or section-by-section. Alternatively the entire panel may be illuminated with a single colour or multiple colours, or a picture or other image may be illuminated or animated. This offers huge scope for enhanced branding opportunities.

A variation on the use or positioning of this device is shown in Fig. 5 where the illumination device is on the inside of packet 120 but the illumination is visible from outside the packet, for example through a cut out area in the packet through which the illumination effect can be seen. The cut out could take the form of one or more letters, numerals, characters, objects or symbols which may represent a manufacturer's logo or other trade mark. Fig. 6 shows a packet 820 having a logo 844 cut out form the cardboard in the front surface 850 with backlighting from inside the packet. The electroluminescent panel 810 is shown in dotted lines on the inside of the packet behind the cut out section. Thus an observer sees the cut out logo highlighted by the illuminated EL panel on the inside of the panel which is offering a backlighting effect.

Of course variations on this device may be used on other forms of packaging other than cigarette packets including, but not limited to, circular shaped variants of the device. These can be attached to the recess in the base of a beer bottle for example, such that when the drinker puts the bottle to their lips to drink, the logo or brand name of the beverage becomes visible to other people in the immediate vicinity who see the base of the bottle illuminated.

It is also possible to utilise an LED based variation of the electroluminescent advertising panel on a packet to achieve some of the results possible with an electroluminescent panel, albeit the illumination effect is not as uniform nor does it offer the same flexibility in terms of the variations of illumination effects that are possible. The device 700 shown in Fig. 7 is one such variation. It comprises a printed circuit board 723 on which are located integrated circuits 770, a cell 729 and rows of LED's 712. In this variation the LED's 712 skirt the edge of a thin layer of light transmitting flexible plastic material to create a backlighting effect, similar to that used to illuminate many LCD displays. A layer of light dispersing paper 780 is used to disperse the light.

Another variation of the device utilises LED driven illumination with LED's that flash, again as a self-contained device designed for once only use. The device 300 shown on a packet 330 in Figs 8 and 9 is one such variation. The device comprises LED's 312 and an integrated circuit 316 on a printed circuit board 314. A battery cell 318 for the device is held in place by a clip 319. The device is switched on by pulling a tab 333. This device can be augmented with an encapsulation or a label. The encapsulation and/or label can be designed such that the illumination enhances the display of a logo, image or picture. Printed circuit board 314 is preferably flexible.

The LED's offer a light source that faces Outwards' from the cigarette packaging. The device is capable of a variety of colours and effects including multi-colour effects (e.g. Red/White/Blue), flashing at various speeds, pulsing, and shimmering as well as constant illumination. Variants of the device can last, once activated, for approximately twenty four hours. This device can be used for brand association purposes, in competition-based promotions, to attract attention to the brand and to position the brand as innovative, new and exciting. The LED's may perform other effects than flashing; instead of being for once only use, the device can be designed to be re-used.

A variation of an illuminated cigarette packet involves the use of electroluminescent wire that is attached to the corners of the packet to create an innovative illumination effect. The drive circuitry and associated power source can be housed in the base or in the lid of the packet or indeed anywhere else inside or even outside of the packet. The electroluminescent wire need not necessarily be attached to the corners and could instead be fixed to any part of the packet.

In a variation on this design the electroluminescent wire may form an integral part of the packet i.e. in a custom designed cigarette packet where the electroluminescent wire could form the actual corners or edges of the packet to which the cardboard sides, front, back, lid and base are attached.

A further variation on the use or positioning of this device is where the illumination device is on the inside of the packet but the illumination is not visible when the packet is closed. Instead the illumination effect is visible from inside the packet, for example as a mechanism for illuminating the cigarettes themselves.

An illumination device 300, may be inserted into the base on the inside of a packet 170, Fig. 10. The illumination effect points upwards up through the contents of the packet towards the lid. As individual cigarettes are removed for smoking, the illumination becomes increasingly visible through the spaces that are left, creating an attractive and eye catching glow to the pack's contents. Of course in packets purchased from vending machines where there are fewer than twenty cigarettes in the packet in the first place, this type of effect would be instantly visible.

A similar device could be inserted on the front inside face facing in towards the contents of the packet to illuminate the contents from a different aspect.

Alternatively a device 400, Figs, 11, 12 could be positioned in the lid 21, 22 of a packet 220, 222 - in the top part or front inside face of the lid 21, 22 respectively. This illuminates the tips of the cigarettes. These devices work extremely well with white tipped cigarettes. The devices of Figs. 10, 1 1 and 12 may be activated by pull tabs 333 or by any of the other methods disclosed in the present specification.

A bespoke cigarette packet 320, Fig. 13 can be provided for promotional purposes where the packet is made entirely from a translucent material. The whole packet itself or part thereof could be made to illuminate. Instead of a discrete area on the pack being illuminated, the whole of the packet could glow when the lid of the packet is opened to remove a cigarette (the effect could be activated in a variety of alternative ways), creating a highly visible and sophisticated glow to the packet.

In a modification, packet 320 is made entirely of electroluminescent material rather than entirely of translucent material. The drive circuitry for the electroluminescent material is located at any convenient position inside and/or outside the packet 320.

Alternatively the packet itself is modified so that an element of its structure is made from translucent material instead of the entire packet. One approach is that the packet 420 shown in Fig. 14 has just its base 422, plus another discrete section/ panel 424 positioned elsewhere on the packet, constructed from translucent material. When on an under-lit shelf, the translucent base section 422 allows light to pass through it and then out of the second discrete section/ panel 424, creating a glowing effect within the packet thereby providing an effective point of sale promotion. The translucent plain panel 424 may be replaced or supplemented by a translucent material that has been formed/ printed to form one or more letters, numerals or other symbols which may represent a manufacturer's logo or other trade mark. Alternatively, instead of a translucent material being used to form these shapes, they could be formed by simply cutting them out from the cardboard packet itself, such that the light shines up though the translucent base of the packet and out through the cut out area.

In the cigarette packets 320, 420, the required drive circuitry and power source can be housed within the packet or external to the packet.

An alternative idea is to replace the standard cardboard insert with a light transmitting material and it is this material that illuminates. In this instance the illumination is not visible when the packet is closed. Instead the illumination effect is only visible from inside the packet, for example when the lid is opened to remove a cigarette.

Sleeves or pouches 525 can be created into which a cigarette packet slips as shown in Fig. 15. These sleeves would illuminate partially or entirely when the lid is opened, for example, to retrieve a cigarette. The sleeves can be reused, for example when a new packet of cigarettes is purchased it can replace the old packet that previously occupied the sleeve.

An individual custom designed cigarette look-alike device that sits in a packet and illuminates could be utilised as a promotional tool. The cigarette look-alike could illuminate when the packet is opened for instance. This could be added, for example, to vending machine packets where the purchaser expects fewer than 20 cigarettes.

Fig. 16 shows a perspective view corresponding to Fig. 1 of an electroluminescent illumination device 630 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. As in the first embodiment, device 630 includes one or more battery cells 29, and various drive circuit components, and an optional inductor 27, all encapsulated in a silicone housing 612. The front surface of the housing has an electroluminescent panel 610. However, instead of a single printed circuit board 27, the circuit elements are mounted on a plurality of individual circuit boards 621-625. The boards 621 -625 are interconnected by flexible connection elements 628. This produces a device 630 which is highly flexible and thus suitable for mounting on a flexible surface, such as a wall portion of a cardboard packet.

The circuit boards 621-625 may be integral parts of a common board, e.g. of plastics material, with material removed between them and with connection elements 628 representing thinned portions of the common board.

In a modification of the embodiment of Fig. 16, and the other embodiments of the present invention, some of the drive circuit components may be directly included in the electroluminescent panel 610. An electroluminescent panel typically comprises a plurality of layers, e.g. three layers, one of which comprises circuit conductors to the various electroluminescent segments. Devices according to the present invention can be made even more compact by encapsulating an integrated circuit used as an inverter circuit within this layer. Some or all of the other passive components of the drive circuitry can also be incorporated into this layer, their positioning taking into account the pattern of the electroluminescent phosphor segments.

Figs. 17 and 18 show an illuminating device 730 in accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention. Instead of being located on or in a single housing 12, electroluminescent panel 710 and drive circuitry 740 are separated. Device 730 is manufactured in three sub-sections 710, 750, 740 on a common adhesive backing layer covered by a sheet 716. Section 750 comprises a sheet of transparent material and is much more flexible than end sections 710, 740. Flexible electrical connection elements 755 run along the edges of section 750 to connect the drive circuitry to the panel 710.

In modifications, other types of light source are used than electroluminescent material.

The flexibility of section 750 enables device 730 to be easily folded about two adjacent wall portions of a cigarette packet 720 as shown in Fig. 18. After the removal of sheet 716, the light panel 710 and most of middle section 750 are adhered to the front surface of wall portion 722 of packet 720. Wall portion 722 is relatively flexible. The end part of middle section 750 and the drive circuitry section 740 are adhered to the surface of the bottom wall portion 724 of packet 720. In view of its relatively small size, wall portion 724 is relatively rigid.

The device 730 is easy to apply to a packet 720 because the removal of strip 716 is a simple single action enables the device to be readily adhered to the packet. The application process may be undertaken manually or automatically. The transparent nature of section 750 means that any promotional material or health warning on the front of the packet 720 is not obscured. To further increase visibility, transparent connectors may be used instead of the visible connectors 755. Such transparent connectors can be of Indium Tin Oxide material. In view of their transparency, these connectors do not need to be confined to the longitudinal edges of section 750, and this improves design freedom.

In another modification the transparent material is omitted, and the second section comprises only edge conductors 755. This modification is slightly more difficult to apply to a packet 720.

If desired, the device 730 may be configured to adhere to more than two surfaces of packet 720.

In view of the relative bulk of a battery cell, the cell or cells are usually incorporated with the device circuitry in section 740. A switch for the light source is incorporated in section 710 with the light source or in section 740 with the drive circuitry, or a respective switch can be provided in each.

Since drive circuitry 740 is attached to an end 724 of packet 720, which is relatively rigid, the same flexing problems do not occur as at front surface 722. Accordingly drive circuitry 740 does not need to have a flexible construction as described previously, nor does it need to be embedded in an encapsulant. Instead the circuit components may be applied to a single rigid printed circuit board. Instead of being attached to a single cigarette packet, the device 730, or a larger version 830 thereof, can be adhered to a multipack cigarette carton 820, Fig. 19. The device 830 comprises a first section 810 incorporating a light source and covering substantially the entire front surface 822 of the carton. A relatively small interconnecting portion 850, corresponding to second section 750, is bent around an edge of the packet. The device 830 further comprises a third portion 840 incorporating the drive circuitry and located on another surface 824 of the carton.

When the larger form 830 of the device is used on a large multipack carton 820 of cigarettes it generally has the drive circuitry 840 floating in silicon. This is because the end of a multipack flexes and bends more than a single packet and therefore a flexible drive circuitry construction would be more suitable so the components in the drive circuitry can flex with the packaging and so the adhesive backing can remain more securely attached than would be the case with a rigid PCB construction. However a rigid construction could also be used.

Devices according to the present invention are usually retro-fitted to an already manufactured standard packet of cigarettes or multipack. On a single cigarette packet, it is actually stuck to the lower cellophane section that encapsulates the packet of cigarettes to keep the cigarettes fresh (the top cellophane section having been discarded when the packet is opened). It is stuck directly to the cellophane encapsulation around a multipack. An advantage of being stuck to the lower cellophane section on a single packet is that it is easy to remove the device in one movement from the cardboard packet to aid in the recycling process by simply removing the lower cellophane section to which the device is stuck. The same applies to multipack cartons. Environmental regulations in many parts of the world require that electronic devices have to be dealt with independently for recycling purposes and the adhesive feature of the devices helps provide a solution to this end. In other words it is providing an on-pack promotional opportunity using electronics that can be easily re-cycled afterwards. Of course the device can easily be peeled off and separated from the cellophane itself. Figs. 20 to 23 show an illumination device 930 in accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention. Device 930 is similar to device 730 in that is comprises a first section 910 incorporating a light source, a second flexible and transparent interconnecting section 950, and a third section 940 incorporating drive circuitry. The longitudinal edges of section 950 are provided with flexible electrical connecting elements 955. Device 930 further comprises a sensing element 965 connected to a switch within section 940 by an elongate flexible electrical connection element 975. Sensing element 965 is constituted by a strip of piezoelectric film material.

Device 930 has an adhesive rear coating including on the rear of connection element 975, and Fig. 20 shows the device in its flat configuration as supplied and having a sheet 916 to cover the adhesive. Fig. 21 shows the device 930 after folding into the position which it adopts when adhered to a cigarette packet 920, Figs. 22 and 23. Section 910 and most of section 950 are attached to the front face 922 of packet 920 and the remainder of section 950 together with section 940 are attached to the bottom face 924 of the packet. Connection element 975 extends from the bottom to the top of the rear face of packet 922, so that sensing element 965 is attached to the hinge portion 985 of the opening top 980 of the packet. The sensing element acts as the switch to actuate the light source 910 upon opening of top 980, during which movement of the hinge serves to deform element 965 to produce a switching signal.

An advantage of the above-described arrangement is that the light source is switched on only when the packet is actually being used, i.e. when the smoker opens the top 980 to extract a cigarette.

Instead of a piezoelectric film, there may be used for sensing element 965 another deformable element, or a capacitative element, or a mechanical switching element.

The connection element 975 may be located to run through the interior of the packet.

Various developments may be applied to all the above described arrangements. A transmitter and/or receiver may be hidden in a packet and used as part of a competition or promotional campaign. In this instance a winning packet may be detected through the receipt of a transmitted RF signal.

One possible promotion involves a hidden message which is linked to a clock/timer embedded in the drive circuitry, being displayed at a certain specific time and date. For example if the user had the winning packet, the particular message would trigger at the specific time and date reporting that the user had won a prize. No interaction would be required by the user. The user would therefore keep the empty packet/ multipack carton and not throw it away until the specific time and date announcement of a 'winner'. An advantage to the brand owner of the user keeping an empty box is that the brand remains in the front of the mind of the user, thereby reinforcing the brand name in the mind of the user. Of course, the user may decide not to keep an empty packet but still want to take part in the promotion and so simply peel off the device from the empty packet and stick it to something else for safe keeping.

Another idea for a promotion could involve one packet within a multipack carton having an EL panel on it indicating the user is a winner. This could be activated by a timer or by a light sensor which activates when the master carton is opened.

The device could be designed in the form of a display panel with an interactive touch screen so the user presses a membrane switch on the EL display to cause an effect. The switch could be made integral to the EL display panel itself as opposed to being with the other drive circuitry components. Other switching and activation methods could also be embedded directly into the EL itself as opposed to the drive circuitry section.

The adhesive backing to the device means that it could be removed by the user and worn as a badge or stuck to another item such as a mobile phone.

In place of or in addition to an illumination-based device an audible sound output device may be attached to or embedded within a packet for promotional purposes. A mini image projector can be buried in a packet for the purposes of projecting a logo or such like. The length of the cigarette packet lends itself to this approach, allowing sufficient space to utilise various arrangements of optics.

All of the above-described embodiments may be activated utilising a variety of activation methods. These may include but are not limited to:

Pressure sensitive areas under one or more cigarettes at the bottom of the packet, such that the removal of a cigarette causes a detectable change.

Wireless activation. With the packet containing a receiver, a third party such as a barman or DJ is able to automatically turn on or off all of the devices in a room using a remote controller. This opens up powerful competition, promotional and branding opportunities.

Manual activation may be used by using a pull-tab or switch or variant thereof. This could take the form of removable conductive or non-conductive tear strip.

A switch, such as a tact switch, can be manually-activated through the encapsulation 12, 612 so that fluid-tightness is preserved. The location of the switch may be visually identified on the exterior of the device, or a user may find it by the sense of touch only. The switch may switch the illumination on and/or off only after being actuated for at least a predetermined period of time, e.g. 2 seconds.

Activation when the lid of the packet is opened may be achieved in various ways.

Light sensitive activation such that when the Hd is opened, changes in ambient light levels are detected and the effect is triggered. Alternatively the device could activate when the packet is removed from a pocket or bag when it detects a change in light level.

Motion activation may be employed such that each time the packet is moved it activates an illumination effect. Vibration activation so that the device activates when it detects tiny vibrations. This is useful in point of sale environments, For example when the packet the device is attached to is moved or when a shelf it is sitting on is disturbed, this causes vibrations and so activates the device. Such a disturbance can take the form of a competitor packet being moved, so creating vibrations on the shelf, causing the device to activate. This draws attention to the packet to which the device is attached, and influences the buying behaviour of the purchaser.

Another point of sale variant of the device can be created with an activation method that relies on sensitivity to air movement e.g. when a person walks past a packet.

The illumination devices may be activated by sound. In one variant the device has an audio detector and the light flashes in synchronisation with music. In another variant, the illumination device may be attached to a cigarette packet or to a mobile phone and may have a detector which is tuned to detect a mobile phone ring; in a noisy environment, a user may not hear the ring, so the illumination and possible flashing of the device attached to the cigarette packet or mobile phone provides a useful indication that the phone is ringing.

Alternatively the device can react to a whistle or clapping sound aiding the user in finding a lost packet.

Timed or random activation may be used to start the device.

The various devices described above can be designed to last for a few minutes to a few hours or as long as a few weeks depending on the effect type and activation method employed and on the available power source that the packaging can accommodate.

Instead of silicone, another encapsulation material may be used. In some embodiments, e.g. those incorporating pull tabs, the encapsulation may not be complete. However, the slot through which the tab passes is preferably substantially self-sealing, so that the arrangement is substantially liquid-tight. The features of the various embodiments and their modifications may be combined or exchanged as desired. For example, circuits 740, 840, 940 may comprise some or all of any of the circuitry disclosed in connection with devices 30, 700, 300 and 630. Different parts of the devices can be made flexible or rigid dependent upon their particular application.