The present invention relates to hinge-lid packs for cigarettes or similar smoking articles, preferably of the type where the pack content is surrounded on all sides by a separate foil-like wrapping and where an inner frame or collar is arranged so as to protect the smoking articles. Numerous examples of such packs are known in the art, see for example EP 905 054, or WO 03/078 174.
Normally such packs are made from a flat cardboard blank which is folded and to which the inner frame is connected, such as by glue. The cardboard blank has a front surface and a rear surface, the front surface defining the outer surfaces of the pack, i.e. those surfaces that are generally visible to the consumer when the lid is closed, such as when purchasing the pack. The outer surfaces of the pack carry a printed text, as discussed in EP 905 054, including information about the smoking article brand and also the health hazard warnings that have lately been required by the health authorities. It has been suggested to additionally provide the aforementioned wrapping with a printed text, see EP 905 054.

To allow for such packs to include even more consumer related information various proposals have been made. US patent 6 199 688 suggests additionally providing the inner frame with a printed text, and it has been suggested to design the pack such that a separate coupon or brochure may be laid inside, see US patents no. 5 375 704 and 6 742 652.

All of the above prior art packs each require different types of specialized printing machinery and, hence, do not allow for different consumer related information to be presented to the consumer in a cost effective way.

The present invention provides for an improved hinge-lid pack for cigarettes or similar smoking articles, as defined in claim 1, and a blank for making such a pack, as defined in claim 9, whereby a large amount of information may be presented to the consumer in a cost-effective way.

The pack is such that lid top wall side flaps inside the lid partially cover the top wall of the lid, for example to enhance the rigidity of the pack, with a relatively large area of the inside surface of the lid top wall being exposed to the consumer upon opening the pack. Through the embodiment of claim 14 the blank may be used readily in many of the folding machines available.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be explained in further details with reference to the drawings.

• Fig. 1 shows the front surface of a prior art blank used for making a hinge-lid pack, and
• Fig. 2 shows schematically a perspective view of a hinge-lid pack made using the blank of fig. 1.
• Fig. 3 shows schematically a perspective view of the lid and uppermost part of the base of a hinge-lid pack according to the invention with the lid in the open position and with the inside of the lid, a frame mounted on the base and a tobacco product wrapped in a foil being visible, and
• Fig. 4 shows the front surface of a blank for forming the pack of fig. 3.

Like numerals have been assigned to the like parts of figs. 1 and 4. In the figures, fold lines are shown as dashed lines.

In the following, when the term "blank" is used it will be understood that reference is thereby made to a thin sheet, preferably of cardboard or similar material, which is foldable to erect a pack for a smoking article and which has opposite surfaces. Blanks of this type are normally folded using automated folding machinery that engages the blank to fold parts of the blank about fold lines to erect the pack.

Fig. 1 shows the front surface of a prior art blank 1. The front surface carries, as is conventional, printed information, such as the brand and the name of the manufacturer of the tobacco article within the pack subsequently made through erection of the blank 1. The pack has a base and a lid 2, as also shown in fig. 2.

The blank 1 comprises a base front wall 4, a base bottom wall 10, base back wall 13a, lid back wall 13b, lid top wall 12 and lid front wall 5.

The base front wall 4 has side margins 14 and side flaps 15 depending therefrom. The base back wall 13a has side flaps 11a depending from margins thereof. When the pack is erected side flaps 11 a rest inside side flaps 15, and may, if desired, be attached thereto by glue. The base side walls 11a have bottom margins 16 and base bottom wall inner flaps 17 depending therefrom. When the pack is erected, base bottom wall inner flaps 17 rest inside base bottom wall 10 and may, if desired, be attached thereto, such as by glue.

The lid back wall 13b has side margins 18 and side flaps 19. The side flaps 19 have top margins 20 and lid top wall side flaps 21 depending therefrom. The top wall side flaps 21 are defined by cuts 22' and 22" by which the flaps 21 are partially freed so as to be foldable, and by fold line 20 along the top margin of the side flaps 19.

When the pack is erected the side flaps 19 rest inside, and may be secured to, lid side walls 6. The two lid top wall side flaps 21 rest inside the lid, normally flatly against the lid top wall 12, and may, if desired, be secured to the lid top wall 12.

In folded condition, the blank forms the pack shown in fig. 2. As shown, the lid top wall side flaps 21 extend inside the lid 2, covering a substantial part of the lid top wall 12.

Fig. 3 shows an embodiment of the invention wherein a consumer-directed text is printed on the (not visible) rear surface of the blank used for forming the pack, in addition to the text (not shown) normally printed on the visible surface of the blank, which surface forms the external face of the pack. In this embodiment, only the part of the rear surface of the blank within the area forming the lid top wall 12 is provided with printed text T, this area with text T being readily visible by the consumer when the lid is moved to the open position shown in the figure through no part of the blank covering the text T.

The pack shown in fig. 3 includes an inner frame 1', and a bundle of cigarettes contained therein is wrapped in a foil 1". As shown, the lid top wall 12 is partially covered by the lid top wall side flaps 21 that each is cut such as to have a side edge 22' following a special contour, as will be explained further below.

Fig. 4 shows a blank 1 used for making the pack of fig. 3. The blank of fig. 4 differs mainly from the one of fig. 1 in that the rear surface of the blank is provided with a printed text T within the area of lid top wall 12, and in that the respective side edge 22' defining in part the lid top wall side flaps 21 extends along an arc or any other curve such that the lid top wall side flaps 21 have a generally decreased width in direction from the fold line 20 towards the opposite extremity or end 23 of the lid top wall side flaps 21. Through such a general variation in the width of the lid top wall side flaps 21 any text T printed on the rear surface of the blank 1 in the area of the lid top wall 12 is made visible when the pack is erected. The lid top wall side flaps 21 preferably have a combined area, i.e. corresponding to twice the area of each side flap 21 shown in fig. 4 (when identical), of at most between about 2% and about 50%, preferably between about 10% and about 45%, preferably between 11 % and 44% of the area of the lid top wall 12 between fold lines 12' and 12" and cuts 22".

It is noted that a design of the lid top wall side flaps 21 whereby the flaps 21 each have a reduced width with - preferably slightly rounded - end 23 thereof located near or adjacent the edge (coincident with fold line 12') of lid front wall side wall 6, as shown in fig. 4, may be desired depending on the type of folding machinery used to normally fold top wall side flaps.

In other embodiments of the invention the lid top wall side flaps 21, if required at all, may each extend only by a small distance from the fold line 20, such as by no more than between 5% and 10% of the extension of the lid top wall 12 measured between cuts 22", and be delimited by the cut 22" and an edge 22' extending generally parallel with the fold line 20.