DESCRIPTION

Field of application

The present invention refers to a package for smoking articles, in particular cigarettes. The invention further refers to a blank to create part of the above-mentioned package.

The invention has practical applications in particular in the tobacco industry.

Prior art

Cigarettes are traditionally packaged in rigid packages, substantially in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, with a lid on the top hinged along a weakened axis to allow access to the plurality of cigarettes contained therein.

Although traditional packages as described above largely respond to the needs of the field, over time there have been several proposals for alternative packaging, mainly to lend an innovative and original aspect to the product as an incentive to buy for the consumer.

Of the different variants that have been developed, we mention in particular cigarette packages that comprise an external container inside of which two internal cigarette containers are housed.

With this type of package it is possible to have two different sets of separately packaged cigarettes within a single outer container.

The end consumer can thus delay the opening of the second internal package until the quantity of cigarettes in the first package has been exhausted. Is this regard cigarette packages of the "shell and slide" type are known; however, these known variants are often quite impractical in some circumstances and their manufacturing is also fairly complicated.

The prior art document WO 2009/0131 1 1 describes a cigarette package comprising an external container, three internal containers formed by a fixed container and two slidable containers, and a closing lid. To access the cigarettes of the internal slidable containers one first needs to open the lid and then lift a flap attached to the rearmost internal container.

In practice, to access the cigarettes of one of the two internal slidable containers it is necessary to perform several acts using both hands, to open the lid and lift the flap.

The technical problem at the basis of the present invention is therefore to devise a package for smoking articles, in particular cigarettes, that solves the drawbacks known from the prior art described above, and that is, in particular, extremely compact, practical, easy to handle and allowing for a more convenient access to the cigarettes in the slidable container, while retaining a pre-set and limited sliding of the slidable package, within the scope of a simple and logical constructive solution.

The aim of the present invention is to meet the above- mentioned requirement and at the same time overcome the inconveniences described in relation to the prior art.

Summary of the invention

This aim is obtained by a package for smoking articles in accordance with claim 1 of the present invention.

The dependent claims describe preferred and particularly advantageous embodiments of the package according to the invention.

Lastly this aim is also obtained by a blank for the manufacturing of internal containers for the package of the previously defined type.

Further characteristics and advantages will become clearer from the following detailed description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of the present invention, with reference to the enclosed figures, given by way of non-limiting examples.

Brief description of the drawings

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a package for smoking articles with the lid closed, according to the present invention;

Figure 2 shows the package of figure 1 with the lid open;

Figures 3-5 show several views of the package of figure 1 with the lid closed;

Figures 6-8 show several views of the package of figure 1 with the lid open;

Figure 9 shows a plan view of a first blank to obtain the external container and the lid of the package according to the invention;

Figure 10 shows a plan view of an internal blank to obtain the two internal containers of the package according to the invention;

Figures 10A and 10B show the blank of figure 10 with the addition of stop elements to obtain respectively a first and a second internal container of the package according to the invention. Detailed description

With reference to figures 1-8 the reference number 1 generically indicates a package for smoking articles, in particular cigarettes. The package 1 comprises an external container 2, a first internal container 3, a second internal container 4 and a closing lid 5.

The external container 2 and the two internal containers 3, 4 are of the rigid type and each has a substantially parallelipiped shape.

The first and the second internal container 3,4 are housed inside the external container 2 and respectively contain a first and a second bundle of cigarettes C I , C2.

Both the first bundle of cigarettes CI and the second bundle of cigarettes C2 are preferably wrapped in a wrapper to preserve the tobacco's fragrance.

The external container 2 is cup- shaped with an opening for the insertion of the internal containers 3, 4.

The first internal container 3 is located in a slidable manner inside the external container 2 with the lid 5 hinged to it along a folding line 60. The lid 5 is able to be moved to an open position and a closing position in which is closes the opening of the external container 2, when the first internal container 3 is inserted into the external container 2.

The first and second internal container 3,4 are adjacent to each other. Stop elements are included - better described further on - shaped to halt the sliding of the first internal container 3 at a pre-set sliding end point, such that the first internal container 3 is prevented from being completely extracted from the external container 2. The external container 2 comprises a base wall 21 , from which extend a front wall 22 and a rear wall 23 opposite the front wall 22. In the illustrated example the front wall 22 has a lesser extension than the rear wall 23. Between the front wall 22 and the rear wall 23 two lateral walls 24 are placed, which connect the front wall 22 and the rear wall 23.

The first internal container 3 comprises a base wall 31 , from which extend a front wall 32 and a rear wall 33 opposite_the front wall 32. From the front wall 32 an upper portion is removed to form the front access opening 39. The removed portion is the result of a cut applied along a U-shaped line, forming an edge 39a to the front access opening 39. Between the front wall 32 and the rear wall 33 two lateral walls 34 are placed, which connect the front wall 32 and the rear wall 33.

The second internal container 4 comprises a base wall 41 , from which extend a front wall 42 and a rear wall 43 opposite the front wall 42. In the illustrated example a portion is removed from the front wall 42 to form a front access opening 49. The removed portion is the result of a cut applied along a U-shaped line, forming an edge 49a to the front access opening 49. Between the front wall 42 and the rear wall 43 two lateral walls 44 are placed, which connect the front wall 42 and the rear wall 43.

According to the invention the first internal container 3 can slide between an inserted position, wherein the front access opening 39 of the first internal container 3 is completely obstructed by the second internal container 4 (which is in front) and an extracted position (pulled upwards with respect to the external container 2) wherein the front access opening 39 of the first internal container 3 is directly accessible from the outside, without being obstructed by the second internal container 4.

In practice the access opening 39 of the first internal container 3 does not exceed further than the second container 4 in the extracted position, and is located immediately above the top opening of the second container 4.

In this manner the user who wants to be able to access the cigarettes in the first internal container 3 that is behind the second internal container 4, in addition to opening the lid 5, lifts the lid 5 to reveal the access opening 39 of the first internal container 3. The upwards sliding movement of the first internal container 3 is limited to bring the access opening 39 of the first internal container 3 to be placed above the second internal container 4, as can be seen in in Figure 6.

This limitation has two functions, the first that of preventing that the first internal container 3 could slide out of the external container 2 completely, the second that of limiting the slide for a very small segment (solely to make the access opening 39 of the first container 3 available, the operator is able to operate with a single hand also in a subsequent step of reclosing the package, which remains compact both open and closed) .

The first and the second internal container 3, 4 are obtained from a common base blank, so that the production process is simplified. The lid 5 comprises a top wall 51 , from which a front wall 52 and a rear wall 53 opposite the front wall 52 extend. In the illustrated example the front wall 52 has a greater extension than the rear wall 53. This greater extension is equal to the difference that exists between the extension of the rear wall 23 and the front wall 22 of the external container 2. Between the front wall 52 and the rear wall 53 of the lid 5 two lateral walls 54 are placed, which join the front wall 52 and the rear wall 53. The internal part of the rear wall 53 of the lid 5 is glued to a fold 35 of the rear wall 33 of the first internal container 3.

To allow the lid 5 to rotate along a hinging line, the rear wall

33 of the first internal container 3 presents two lateral cutting lines 36 and a folding line 60 at the hinging line that is placed perpendicularly to the two lateral cutting lines 36. In this manner the fold 35 of the rear wall 33 of the first internal container 3, where it is glued to the lid 5, can bend along the folding line 60 when the lid 5 is rotated along the hinging line.

When the lid 5 is in the closing position it forms with the external container 2 a rectangular parallelepiped. In particular, the front wall 52, the rear wall 53 and the two lateral walls 54 of the lid 5 are contiguous with the front wall 22, the rear wall 23 and the two lateral walls 24 of the external container 2 respectively, when the lid 5 is in the closing position.

The lid 5 is made from the same blank from which the external container 2 is obtained, as can be seen in Figure 9.

The stop elements are divided into first stop elements 37 located directly on the first internal container 3 and second stop elements 47 located directly on the second internal container 4, said first and second stop elements being configured to interact when the first internal container 3 reaches a pre-set end point. In practice, when the first internal container 3 is made to slide out of the external package 2, the first stop elements 37 come to be arrested by the second stop elements 47.

The extraction of the first internal container 3 is performed by applying a pressing force to the lateral parts 54 of the lid 5 and pulling upwards; in this manner the first internal container 3, whose lid 5 is attached, slides out of the external container 2, rubbing against the second internal container 4 which instead remains fixed.

In the illustrated example the stop elements are in the form of first and second projections on the first and second internal container respectively. The first projections 37 extend in a direction that is perpendicular to the second projections 47 and they consist of a respective pair of tabs made by cutting the first and second internal containers.

The second internal container 4 is fixedly attached to the external container, for example by means of gluing.

On the sides of the access opening 39, 49 of the first and second internal container 3, 4, on the external sides of the rear wall 32, 42 of the respective internal containers 3, 4 are made by cutting out a pair of fins 38, 48 that interact with the lid 5 when the latter is in the closing position, to ensure firm closure of the lid. The external container 2 is formed by folding an external blank 200 of the kind shown in Figure 9, for example made of cardboard. The external blank 200 comprises a first portion 210, intended to form the containment body of the external container 2, and a second portion 510, intended to form the closing lid 5. The first portion 210 and the second portion 510 are joined along a tear line 600 (dashed line in Figure 9).

The external blank 200 extends along a longitudinal Z-axis, which can also be an axis of symmetry.

The external blank 200 presents a first central panel 203 destined to form the rear wall 23 of the external container 2. On the sides of the first central panel 203 two internal lateral panels 204' are arranged that are destined to be glued to the lateral panels 204 to form the lateral walls 24 of the external container 2. At the centre of the lateral panels 204 there is a second central panel 202 destined to form the front wall 22 of the external container 2. Between the first and the second central panel a first transverse panel 201 is arranged that is destined to form the base wall 21 of the external container 2.

On the sides of the transverse panel 201 and in continuation of the internal lateral panels 204' two internal fins 20 are placed that, when folded at 180°, will be placed near the base wall 21 , on the inside at the bottom of the external container 2.

In continuation of the first central panel 203 a second transverse panel 503 is placed that is destined to form the rear wall 53 of the lid 5. Above the second transverse panel 503, looking at Figure 9, there is a succession of a third transverse panel 501 destined to form the top wall 51 of the lid 5, a fourth transverse panel 502 destined to form the front wall 52 of the lid 5 and lastly a flap 502' intended to be folded 180° and glued onto the fourth transverse panel 502, in order to reinforce the front wall 52 of the lid 5. On the sides of the fourth transverse lateral wall 502 there are two trapezoid lateral panels 504 destined to form the two lateral walls 54 of the lid 5. Reinforcement of the lateral walls 54 and of the top wall 51 of the lid 5 is ensured respectively by a pair of trapezoid wings 504' and rectangular wings 50 destined to be glued, after folding, to the two lateral trapezoid panels 504 and to the third transverse lateral wall 501 respectively.

The internal containers 3 and 4 are formed by folding an internal blank 300 of the kind shown in Figure 10, for example made of cardboard.

The internal blank 300 extends along a longitudinal Y-axis, which can also be an axis of symmetry.

The internal blank 300 presents a first central panel 302 destined to form the front wall 32, 42 of one of the two internal containers 3, 4 and a second central panel 303 destined to form the rear wall 33, 43 of one of the two internal containers 3, 4. On the sides of the first central panel 302 and the second central panel 303 two respective lateral panels 304, 304' are arranged that are destined to form the lateral walls 34, 44 of one of the two internal containers 3, 4. Each lateral wall 34, 44 of one of the two internal containers 3, 4 is formed by gluing a respective lateral panel 304 placed on the side of the first central panel 302 above the lateral panel 304' placed on the side of the second central panel 303.

Between the first and the second central panel a transverse lateral wall 301 is arranged that is destined to form the base wall 31 , 41 of one of the two internal containers 3, 4. On the sides of this transverse lateral wall 301 two fins 30 Γ are placed that, when folded 180°, will be placed near the base wall 31 , 41 on the inside at the bottom of the internal container 3, 4.

The first central panel 302 of the internal blank 300 presents a window with a U-shaped profile 39a at the upper extremity. This window forms the front access opening 39 to the internal container 3, 4.

On the two lateral panels 304 of the internal blank 300, at the folding line that separates them from the first central panel 302, an extensive cut is applied of approximately 10 mm to create a fin that interacts with the lid 5 when the latter is in the closing position.

These fins, indicated by 38 and 48 respectively for the first and second internal container 3, 4, project perpendicularly with respect to the respective lateral walls 34, 44.

On the second central panel 303 a fold 53 is obtained, defined by two lateral cutting lines 36 and the folding line 60 that is located perpendicular to the longitudinal Y-axis.

The two cutting lines 36 extend over the folding lines that separate the second central panel 303 from the two lateral panels 304' and they extend over a distance that is equal to the height of the rear wall 53 of the lid 5. Naturally the rear wall 53 of the lid 5 will be glued only onto the fold 35 of the internal blank from which the first internal container 3 is obtained, given that no lid will be glued onto the second internal container 4.

In practice it is possible to have one and the same internal blank 300 as the basis for both the first internal container 3 and the second internal container 4, whereas the lid 5 will only be glued onto the fold 35 of the internal blank 300 with which the first internal container 3 is made.

As far as the stop elements 37, 47 are concerned, these are obtained on the internal blank 300 in a manner that is different from the one of the first and second internal container.

In fact, the spatial placement of the first stop elements 37 of the first internal container 3 is different from the spatial placement of the second stop elements 48 of the second internal container 4.

In particular, the distance between the first stop elements 37 and the second stop elements 47, measured when the two internal containers 3 and 4 are completely inserted into the external container 2, is equal to the path that the first internal container 3 is made to slide along.

In the example the first stop elements 37 of the first slidable internal container 3 are in the form of a first pair of projections 37 made by two cuts applied to the first central panel 302 of the internal blank 300 in proximity to the folding lines that separate the first central panel 302 from the two lateral panels 304, in such a manner as to obtain two tabs that project perpendicularly with respect to the front wall 32 of the first internal container 3.

In practice, the tabs are nothing more than an extension of the lateral wall 34.

These first stop elements 37 of the first slidable internal container 3 are made in proximity to the transverse lateral wall 301 destined to form the base wall 31.

The internal blank with the relative stop elements 37 is indicated as 300A in Figure 10A.

The second stop elements 47 of the second fixed internal container 4 are in the form of a pair of second projections 47 made by means of two cuts applied to the two lateral panels 304' of the internal blank 300 in proximity to the folding lines that separate the two lateral panels 304' from the second central panel 303, in order to obtain two tabs that project perpendicularly with respect to the respective lateral wall 44 of the second internal container 4.

In practice the tabs are nothing more than an extension of the rear wall 43.

These second stop elements 47 of the second fixed internal container 4 are applied in a position that is substantially at the centre of the second central panel 303 destined to form the rear wall 43 of the second internal container 4.

The internal blank with the relative second stop elements 37 is indicated as 300B in Figure 10B.

As the fold 35 is not necessary on the second fixed internal container 4, it is possible to make the blank 300B without the two cutting lines 36 and without the folding line 60, so that there will be no fold 35.

In practice, when the first internal container 3 is made to slide along the external container 2, before being completely extracted the two tabs 37 of the first internal container 3 come into contact against the second tabs 47 of the second internal container 4, thus halting the sliding movement, this stop occurring when the front access opening 39 of the first container 3 arrives at a point above the second internal container 4, without however moving further than the second internal container 4.

One will appreciate from the above that the package for smoking articles according to the present invention makes it possible to meet the needs and at the same time overcome the inconveniences described in the introductory part of this description with reference to the prior art.

In particular, the package for smoking articles according to the present invention is compact in its aspect, which allows it to be handled with a single hand both when opening and when closing.

Furthermore, it is possible to make both internal containers on the basis of a single internal blank.

Obviously, in order to meet contingent and specific needs a person skilled in the art can apply numerous modifications and variations to the findings disclosed, all of which are contained by the scope of protection of the invention as defined by the following claims.