The present invention relates to a rigid package for smoking articles and to a corresponding packaging method.

In the following description reference is made, for the sake of convenience, to a rigid cigarette package with hinged lid, without in any way limiting the present invention in its general scope.

Normally a rigid cigarette package with hinged lid includes an internal wrapper that encloses a bundle of cigarettes and an external rigid container that houses the internal wrapper.

It is common practice, to optimize the amount of space made available by the package, to make an internal wrapper that is tightly enclosed by the external container, i.e. the package is completely occupied by the bundle of cigarettes contained in the internal wrapper.

When a cigarette package is made that contains a limited number of cigarettes, for example ten cigarettes, this external package has dimensions that are proportionally reduced, so that it substantially occupies half the space of a container having double the amount of cigarettes, for instance twenty.

One problem of rigid cigarette packages of reduced dimensions consists in the fact that the space that remains available on the outside surface is likewise reduced, so that also the amount of information that can be presented on the outside surfaces of such reduced-size packages will be limited. In addition, in countries where there is a legal obligation to dedicate a certain minimal space to health warnings, it may be that packages of reduced dimensions do not offer the minimally required surface area and also that there is insufficient room to insert other desired information.

The prior art document US-A-4850482 describes the features of the preamble of claim 1, in a cigarette package comprising an external container and an internal frame housing the cigarettes that is smaller in size than the external container, said internal frame having a front wall, a rear wall and two opposite lateral walls.

The two lateral walls of the internal frame extend up to and abut against the rear wall of the external container where they are folded to form the rear wall detached from the rear wall of the external container. The rear wall is connected to two narrow walls, one of which is at a free end of the collar blank, and both of which, in the erected configuration of the collar, partially overlap with the two lateral walls.

This prior art embodiment implies a considerable amount of cardboard used for making the internal frame.

The technical problem at the base of the present invention is therefore that of designing a rigid package for smoking articles, in particular cigarettes, that solves the inconveniences of the prior art described above, and in particular that is extremely practical, manageable and inexpensive, within the context of a simple and rational constructive solution. US 5,439,105 discloses a hinge-lid package for a music cassette, derived from similar packages for smoking articles. A collar is provided therein having a central wall connected to two lateral walls. The central wall is spaced apart from an inner wall of an exterior container by means of folded or tab spacers formed in the respective corners between the central wall and the two lateral walls. The aim of the present invention is that of meeting the above needs and at the same time overcoming the inconveniences described above with reference to the prior art.

This aim is obtained by a rigid 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.

Furthermore, this aim is also obtained by a packaging method to make a rigid package of the previously defined type.

Further characteristics and advantages will become apparent from the detailed description to follow, of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of the present invention with reference to the figures included as non-limiting examples.

• Figure 1A shows a perspective view of a rigid package for smoking articles with the lid open, according to the present invention;
• Figure 1B shows a perspective view of the package of figure 1A with the internal wrapper removed and the cigarettes visible;
• Figure 2 shows a lateral view of the package of figure 1A;
• Figure 3 shows a top view of the package of figure 1A;
• Figures 4 and 5 show respective perspective views of the package of figure 1A with the lid closed and the external container shown as transparent and the internal wrapper removed, so that the interior is visible;
• Figure 6 shows a side view of the package of figures 4 and 5;
• Figures 7A-7D respectively show front, side, rear and top views of a collar for the package according to the present invention;
• Figure 8 shows a perspective view of the rigid container for smoking articles with the lid partially open, according to an alternative embodiment;
• Figures 9A and 9B show perspective views of a collar for the package of figure 8 together with a bundle of cigarettes from which the internal wrapper has been removed;
• Figures 10 and 11 show a blank, respectively folded and extended, for making the collar of figures 9A and 9B.

With reference to figures 1-6, the reference number 1 is used to generally indicate a rigid package for smoking articles, in particular cigarettes. The package 1 comprises an external container 2 made of stiff paper or cardboard, with a cup-like shape and an internal wrapper 3 housed inside the container 2. The internal wrapper 3 encloses the bundle 4 of cigarettes of a parallelepiped shape (Fig.4).

The external container 2 presents an open upper extremity 21 and it is equipped with a lid 22, having a cup-like shape and being hinged to the container 2 along a hinge 23 to rotate, with respect to the container 2, between an open position and a closed position of the open upper extremity 21.

The lid 22, when it is in its closed position, lends a rectangular parallelepiped shape to the external container 2 with a top wall and a bottom wall, parallel to and opposite each other, two large lateral walls, parallel to and opposite each other, and two small lateral walls 26, also parallel to and opposite each other. In particular a large lateral wall defines a front wall 24 of the external container 2, whereas the other large lateral wall defines a rear wall 25 of the external container 2. Between the lateral walls 26 and the front 24 and rear 25 walls four longitudinal edges are defined, in this example right-angled, whereas between the top and bottom walls and the front 24, rear 25 and lateral walls 26 eight transverse edges are defined.

The package 1 further comprises a rigid collar 5 (i.e. made of cardboard or stiff paper), which is folded around the internal wrapper 3 in a surrounding fashion, to cover at least partially an upper portion of the internal wrapper 3 and which is attached (usually by means of gluing) to the external container 2 or to the internal wrapper 3 itself or even to both the internal wrapper 3 and to the external container 2. The internal wrapper 3 is in turn attached by means of gluing to the external container 2 at a point where the collar 5 that is placed between the internal wrapper 3 and the external container 2 is not present. The collar 5 partially projects from the open upper extremity 21 (together with the internal wrapper 3 that it partially covers) and involves a corresponding internal surface of the lid 22 when that lid 22 is placed in the closed position. Preferably the collar 5 has a pair of barbs 6 that project laterally to engage the lateral walls of the lid 22 in order to keep the lid 22 in the closed position.

Advantageously between the internal wrapper 3 and the external container 2 there is at least one empty interspace 7.

In practice, the internal wrapper 3 is smaller than the external container 2.

The internal wrapper 3 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape with a front wall 31, which is externally located facing the front wall 24 of the external container 2; two lateral walls 32, located laterally with respect to the front wall 31, are located facing the lateral walls 26 of the external container 2; a top wall 33, which, when the lid 22 is in its closed position, is externally placed in contact with the top wall of the external container 2; and a rear wall 34, which faces the interspace 7.

The collar 5 is placed between the internal wrapper 3 and the external container 2.

The collar 5 comprises a front wall 51, which is internally placed in contact with the front wall 31 of the internal wrapper 3 and externally placed in contact with the front wall 24 of the external container 2; two lateral walls 52, which are located laterally with regard to the front wall 51, are externally arranged to be in contact with the lateral walls 26 of the external container 2 and internally in contact with the lateral walls 32 of the internal wrapper 3; a rear wall 54, which is internally placed in contact with the rear wall 34 of the internal wrapper 3 and externally located facing the interspace 7; two pairs of tabs 55, each pair beginning from the lateral wall 32 of the collar 5 in a direction that is parallel to the lateral wall 26 itself and then projecting therefrom, as well as perpendicularly to the rear wall 54 of the collar 5, the edges of the tabs 55 contacting the interior side of the rear wall 25 of the external container 2.

According to the present invention the tabs are obtained by direct incision to the rear wall 54 of the collar 5, in order to minimize the amount of cardboard used for making the collar itself.

This incision, for instance in a U-shape, to make the tab is applied to the rear wall 54 of the collar 5 at the lateral walls 52 of the collar; the cut portion forms a projection that is then rotated by 90° with regard to the rear wall 54 of the collar 5 to create the tab 55 that is located perpendicularly to the rear wall 54 itself.

The 90° rotation of the projection that forms the tab 55 occurs along the corner edge where the lateral wall 52 of the collar 5 joins the rear wall 54 of the collar 5.

In practice the collar 5 surrounds the internal wrapper 3 containing the cigarettes entirely and the tabs 55 allow the rigid collar to be distanced from the rear wall 25 of the external container 2 in order to create the interspace 7.

The interspace 7 is the free space created between the rear wall 34 of the internal wrapper 3 and the rear wall 25 of the external container 2; the distance between these two rear walls is kept fixed by the tabs 55 of the collar 5.

In this manner the volume dedicated to the bundle 4 of cigarettes is less than the overall volume available in the external container 2.

As illustrated in figures 7A-7D the collar 5 is made of a single blank 50 that is folded around the internal wrapper 3 to surround it entirely. The blank 50 comprises: a main panel 51' which forms the front wall 51 of the collar 5; two panels 52' to form the lateral walls 52 of the collar 5, placed on opposite sides of the main panel 51' and divided from the main panel 51' by two longitudinal weakened lines 60; and two panels 54' to form the rear wall 54 of the collar 5, each located alongside the panel 52' and separated from the panel 52' by a longitudinal weakened line 61. Furthermore the blank 50 has U-shaped notches 55' applied to the two panels 54' that form the rear wall 54 of the collar 5, each of these notches 55' is made to create the tabs 55 rotating the portion cut along the longitudinal weakened line 61 that separates the panel 52' from the panel 54'.

In order to better block the position of the smaller internal wrapper 3 placed inside the larger external container 2, the tabs 55 of the collar 5 are placed with one of their edges in contact with the rear wall 25 of the external container 2 so as to distance the internal wrapper 3 from the external container 2 at the interspace 7.

In particular, the distance between the rear wall 25 of the external container 2 and the rear wall 34 of the internal wrapper 3 is held at a fixed distance by the tabs 55 of the collar 5 that place themselves right between the rear wall 25 of the external container 2 and the rear wall 54 of the collar 5.

As in the embodiment described here the rear wall 54 of the collar 5 is in direct contact with the rear wall 34 of the internal wrapper, any reference to the interspace 7 is intended to refer indifferently either to the rear wall 54 of the collar 5 or to the rear wall 34 of the internal wrapper 3.

The rear wall 54 of the collar 5 is placed parallel to the rear wall 34 of the internal wrapper, and parallel to the rear wall of the external container 3, whereas the tabs 55 extend perpendicularly to these rear walls.

Thanks to this positioning the internal wrapper 3 cannot move inside the larger external container 2 and the collar 5 holds the internal wrapper 3 firmly and well-positioned inside the external container 2.

Naturally it is also possible to have a different position for the internal wrapper 3 with respect tot he external container 2.

For example, the interspace 7 can be obtained in the front part, between the front wall 31 of the internal wrapper 3 (which corresponds to the front wall 51 of the collar 5) and the front wall 24 of the external container 2.

In an alternative embodiment, illustrated in figures 8-11, the rigid package for smoking articles may have a collar 10 having a different conformation to the collar 5 described above, with all else unchanged.

The collar 10 comprises a front wall 11, which is internally placed in contact with the front wall 31 of the internal wrapper 3 and externally in contact with the front wall 24 of the external container 2; two lateral walls 12, which are located laterally with regard to the front wall 11, are in contact internally with the lateral walls 32 of the internal wrapper 3; a tab 15 that extends from one of the lateral walls 12 of the collar 10 with the edge of the tab 15 coming into contact with the interior side of the lateral wall 26 of the external container 2.

In practice the collar 10 wraps around the internal wrapper 3 containing the cigarettes and the tab 15 allows the internal wrapper to become blocked inside the external container 2, even though the internal wrapper 3 is smaller in size than the external container 2, leaving the interspace 17 unoccupied.

The interspace 17 is the free space created by the tab 15, the lateral wall 12 of the collar and the external container 2.

The tab 15 is formed by a wall that rests on the rear wall 25 of the external container.

As illustrated in figures 10 and 11, the collar 10 is made of a single blank 90. The blank 90 comprises: a main panel 11' that forms the front wall of the collar 10; three panels 12', 12", and 12"' to form the lateral walls 12 of the collar 10, which are located on opposite sides of the main panel 11'; the lateral panel on the right in figure 15 is separated from the main panel 11' by a longitudinal weakened line 65 and it forms one of the two lateral walls 12 of the collar 10, whereas the other two lateral panels 12" and 12'" form the remaining lateral walls 12 of the collar 10. The first of these other two lateral panels, indicated as 12"', is separated from the central panel by a longitudinal weakened line 66 interrupted by a transverse cut 67; the second of these two other panels, indicated as 12", is separated from the central panel by a longitudinal weakened line 68 also interrupted by a transverse cut 67. The two weakened lines 66 and 68 are parallel to and distanced from each other. Alongside the panel indicated by 12" there is a panel 15' that constitutes the tab 15 and that is separated from the panel indicated by 12" by a longitudinal weakened line 69 interrupted by the transverse cut 67. The longitudinal weakened line 69 is positioned in such a manner that substantially it constitutes a continuation of the longitudinal weakened line 66.

In order to better block the position of the smaller internal wrapper 3 placed inside the larger external container 2, the tab 15 of the collar 10 is placed with one of its edges in contact with the lateral wall 26 of the external container 2 so as to distance the internal wrapper 3 from the external container 2 at the interspace 17.

In particular the distance between the lateral wall 26 of the external container 2 and the lateral wall 32 of the internal wrapper 3 is kept fixed by the tab 15 of the collar 10 that is arranged exactly between the lateral wall 26 of the external container 2 and the lateral wall 32 of the internal wrapper 3.

Thanks to this arrangement the internal wrapper 3 remains immobile inside the larger external container 2 and the collar 10 holds the internal wrapper 3 still and well positioned inside the external container 2.

Naturally it is possible to have different arrangements of the position of the internal wrapper 3 with regard to the external container.

For example, the interspace 17 may be on both sides of the internal wrapper 3, creating a pair of tabs 15 but still from a single blank, in the manner described above.

As will be appreciated from this description the rigid package for smoking articles according to the present invention makes it possible to meet the needs and overcome the drawbacks discussed in the introductory part of the present description with reference to the prior art.

In fact it is possible to use an external container of standard dimensions, for example a container for twenty cigarettes, to contain also a smaller number of cigarettes, for example ten, while at the same time preserving an ordered and functional placement inside an internal wrapper of appropriate dimensions, and held firmly inside a larger external container by a collar made according to the present invention.

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.