PACK FOR AT LEAST ONE CONSUMER ARTICLE

Abstract

 The invention provides a pack (12) for at least one consumer article, especially at least one electronic cigarette cartridge (14). The pack (12) comprises a container component (16) for accommodating a consumer article, a lid component (22) configured for assembly with the container component (16) for covering or closing an open side of the container component (16), and a latching mechanism for holding the lid component (22) in a latched state fixed on the container component (16). The latching mechanism includes first resilient latching members (28a, 28b) provided at opposite end regions or opposite side walls (20) of the container component (16) for resiliently engaging with complementary first latching elements (30a, 30b) provided on the lid component (22), wherein the first resilient latching members (28a, 28b) are configured to be pressed towards one another to disengage the complementary first latching elements (30a, 30b) and release the latching mechanism in order to remove the lid component (22).

Description

Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a pack for at least one consumer article, such as for at least one electronic cigarette cartridge. Further, the invention also relates to an electronic cigarette cartridge product.

Background of the Invention

[0002] Personal vaporizer devices, such as electronic cigarettes or "e-cigarettes" as they are also known, have gained in popularity over the past ten years as an alternative to traditional smoking articles, such as cigarettes, cigars, and cigarillos. Electronic cigarettes or e-cigarettes are typically sold in a pack, an example of which is described in US 2014/0326623 A1. Such an electronic cigarette pack can be readily opened. This, however, is not necessarily desirable, as a purchaser of an electronic cigarette or electronic cigarette cartridge may wish to avoid or prevent a child from accessing the contents inadvertently.

Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of the above, an object of the invention is to provide a new and improved pack for at least one consumer article. In particular, it would be desirable to provide a new and improved pack for one or more electronic cigarette cartridges which is difficult for a child to open and thus offers a degree of child-resistance in accessing the contents of the pack.

[0004] In accordance with the present invention, a pack for at least one consumer article, especially for at least one electronic cigarette cartridge, as recited in claim 1 is provided. Various advantageous and/or preferred features of the invention are recited in the dependent claims.

[0005] According to one aspect, therefore, the present invention provides a pack for at least one consumer article, and especially for at least one electronic cigarette cartridge, the pack comprising: a container component having a base and one or more side walls, which together at least partially delimit at least one compartment for accommodating a consumer article, a lid component configured for assembly with the container component for covering or closing an open side of the container component, and a latching mechanism for holding the lid component in a latched state fixed on the container component. The latching mechanism comprises first resilient latching members provided at opposite end regions or opposite side walls of the container component to resiliently engage with complementary first latching elements provided on the lid component. The first resilient latching members are configured to be pressed towards one another to disengage the complementary first latching elements and release the latching mechanism in order to remove the lid component. In this regard, the force required to be applied to the first resilient latching members may preferably be selected to be beyond what a child may be expected to be capable of exerting.

[0006] In a preferred embodiment, the first latching elements may comprise openings or recesses formed in the lid component into which the first resilient latching members engage for holding the lid component fixed covering the open side on the container component. The first resilient latching members are retracted from the openings or recesses when the first resilient latching members are pressed together. In this regard, each first resilient latching member preferably includes a projecting element which is configured and arranged to releasably engage with the opening or recess of the respective complementary first latching element formed in the lid component in the latched state.

[0007] In a preferred embodiment, each of the first resilient latching members comprises a first resiliently flexible tongue or flap which is formed in or cut from opposite side walls of the lid component or opposite end regions of its one or more side walls. In this regard, the first resilient latching members may be cantilevered members fixed to or integrally formed with the one or more side walls of the container component at one end region thereof. Thus, the projecting element configured and arranged to engage with the opening or recess of a respective complementary first latching element in the lid component is preferably provided at an opposite free end region of the first latching member.

[0008] In a preferred embodiment, a predefined portion of an outer surface of the first resilient latching members is configured as a pressure region for pressing the first resilient latching members together, e.g. by applying manual pressure. In this regard, the pressure region may include one or more gripping means or gripping elements for a user to grip manually when applying pressure for pressing the first resilient latching members together. The one or more gripping means or gripping elements may, for example, include ribs or ridges formed in the predefined portion of the outer surface of each of the first resilient latching members.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment, the latching mechanism includes second resilient latching members provided on the lid component for resiliently engaging with complementary second latching elements provided on the container component. Similar to the first latching members, the second resilient latching members are configured to be pressed towards one another to disengage the complementary second latching elements and release the latching mechanism in order to remove the lid component. The fact that the latching mechanism of this embodiment has two separate pairs of latching members which need to be actuated simultaneously to release the lid component from the container component of the pack provides a degree of sophistication in retention of the lid component which may be expected to be beyond the competence of a child to access. In particular, the simultaneous actuation of the first and second latching members would require both a level of understanding and a level of dexterity which is typically not available to a child.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment, the second latching elements comprise openings or recesses which are formed in the container component and into which the second resilient latching members engage for holding the lid component fixed covering the open side on the container component. The second resilient latching members are thus retracted from said openings or recesses when the second resilient latching members are pressed together. For example, each of the second resilient latching members may comprise a flexible tongue or flap which is formed in or cut from a side wall of the lid component at opposite sides or opposite end regions thereof.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment, the pack may comprise fingerprint recognition means for recognising either an identity or at least finger size (and therefore approximate age) of the person handling the pack and seeking to access its contents. Such a fingerprint recognition means will preferably be provided on the predefined portion of the outer surface of the first resilient latching members configured as a pressure region for pressing the first resilient latching members together, e.g. by applying manual pressure. That is, the pressure region may include one or more sensor for fingerprint recognition when a user manually applies pressure for pressing the first resilient latching members together. In a similar manner, a predefined portion of an outer surface of the second resilient latching members may be configured as a pressure region for pressing the second resilient latching members together, e.g. by applying manual pressure. Thus, this pressure region of the second resilient latching members may include one or more sensor for fingerprint recognition when a user manually applies pressure to press the second latching members together.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment, a distance between the first resilient latching members is in a range of 100 mm to 200 mm. This distance is designed to be greater than a young child may easily manage, especially single-handedly.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment, the container component may be made from at least one of plastic and cardboard. Similarly, the lid component may be made of at least one of: plastic and cardboard.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment, the container component and the lid component are sealed together hermetically before the container component and the lid component are disassembled for the first time.

[0015] According to another aspect, the invention provides electronic cigarette cartridge product, comprising a pack according to any one of the embodiments described above, and at least one electronic cigarette cartridge contained in the at least one compartment of the pack.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment of the electronic cigarette cartridge product, the at least one electronic cigarette cartridge is held in a mount within the at least one compartment.

[0017] Moreover, in a preferred embodiment of the electronic cigarette cartridge product, the pack comprises at least two compartments, wherein an electronic cigarette cartridge is contained within each respective compartment.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018] For a more complete understanding of the invention and the advantages thereof, exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail in the following description with reference to the accompanying drawing figures, in which like reference characters designate like parts and in which:

Fig. 1a to 1g

are a schematic perspective view, a partial view, two front cross-sectional views, a side cross-sectional view and two explosion diagrams of an electronic cigarette cartridge product according to a first preferred embodiment; and

Fig. 2a to 2c

are schematic perspective view of an electronic cigarette cartridge product according to a second preferred embodiment.

[0019] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate particular embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. Other embodiments of the invention and many of the attendant advantages of the invention will be readily appreciated as they become better understood with reference to the following detailed description.

[0020] It will be appreciated that common and/or well understood elements that may be useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are not necessarily depicted in order to facilitate a more abstracted view of the embodiments. The elements of the drawings are not necessarily illustrated to scale relative to each other. It will further be appreciated that certain actions and/or steps in an embodiment of a method may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrences while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required. It will also be understood that the terms and expressions used in the present specification have the ordinary meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions with respect to their corresponding respective areas of inquiry and study, except where specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.

Detailed Description of Embodiments

[0021] With reference to Figs. 1 a to 1 g of the drawings, an embodiment of the electronic cigarette cartridge product 10 is described: The cartridge product 10 comprises a pack 12 and at least one electronic cigarette cartridge 14 contained in at least one compartment of the pack 12 (Figs. 1f and 1g). Although two compartments are provided within the pack 12 shown in Figs. 1 a to 1 g, a feasibility of the pack 12 is not restricted to this number of compartments. Thus, it is also possible to form the pack 12 with a single compartment, or with more than two compartments. Where the pack 12 comprises at least two compartments, preferably one cartridge 14 is contained or held within each of the compartments. The feasibility of the pack 12 is not restricted to a certain number of the cartridges 14 packed therein. Finally, it is also possible to use the pack 12 for packaging other consumer articles instead of the shown electronic cigarette cartridges 14.

[0022] Each compartment within the pack 12 may include at least one mount (not shown) to hold or to fix the electronic cigarette cartridge 14 or the consumer article therein. Such a mount may, for example, be realized by a clip, a magnet, and/or a recess.

[0023] The pack 12 comprises a container component 16 with a base or base wall 18 and one or more side walls 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d. As can be seen in Fig. 1b for instance, the base 18 and the at least on side wall 20a-20d of the container component 16 delimit together at least partially the at least one compartment of the pack 12 for accommodating the at least one electronic cigarette cartridge 14/consumer article. The base 18 and/or the at least one side wall 20a-20d of the container component 16 may be made of at least one of plastic, an elastic material, and/or cardboard. A feasibility of the container component 16 is not restricted to the use of a certain material for its base 18 or its at least one side wall 20a-20d.

[0024] The pack 12 has also a lid component 22 configured for assembly with the container component 16 for covering or closing an open side of the container component 16. At least one material of the lid component 22 may be selected from plastic and/or cardboard. The lid component 22 may comprise a top or top wall 24 and one or more side walls 26a-26d. The number of side walls 26a-26d of the lid component 22 may be identical to a number of side walls 20a-20d of the container component 16, though this need not be the case. As can be seen in Fig. 1a, for example, a form of the lid component 22 may be designed in such a way that the side walls 26a-26d of the lid component 22 and the side walls 20a-20d of the container component 16 form together outer side walls 12a to 12d of the pack 12 when the lid component 22 covers or closes the container component 16. The lid component 22 may, however, also have a form that allows an arrangement of the container component 16 at least partially within an inner volume surrounded by the side walls 26a-26d of the lid component 22.

[0025] In the shown embodiment, the pack 12 has a cuboid shape (after the assembly of the lid component 22 with the container component 16). The lid component 22 and the container component 16 each comprise four side walls 20a-20d, 26a-26d extending from its respective base 18 or top 24. In this regard, a first side wall 20a, 26a and a second side wall 20b, 26b opposite to the first side wall 20a, 26a are connected with each other via a third side wall 20c, 26c and a fourth side wall 20d, 26d opposite to the third side wall 20c, 26c. The first side wall 20a, 26a may be called a front side wall of the lid component 22 or the container component 16 and the second side wall 20b, 26b may be called a rear side wall of the lid component 22 or the container component 16. However, the feasibility of the pack 12 is not restricted to the cuboid shape shown in Figs. 1 a to 1 g. After the assembly of the lid component 22 with the container component 16, the pack 12 could also have a cylinder shape or a prism form, for example.

[0026] The pack 12 comprises a latching mechanism for holding the lid component 22 in a latched state fixed on the container component 16. The latching mechanism comprises first resilient latching members 28a, 28b provided at opposite end regions or opposite side walls 20c, 20d of the container component 16. These first resilient latching members 28a, 28b are designed for resiliently engaging with complementary first latching elements 30a, 30b provided on the lid component 22. The first resilient latching members 28a, 28b are further configured to be pressed together or towards one another to disengage the complementary first latching elements 30a, 30b, thereby to release the latching mechanism in order to remove the lid component 22.

[0027] As the first resilient latching members 28a, 28b are provided on opposite end regions or opposite end walls 20c, 20d of the container component 16, a user of the cartridge product 10 has to bridge a significant distance between the two first resilient latching members 28a and 28b with a thumb and finger (e.g. index finger or middle finger) of one hand to open the pack 12. In this regard, it would not only be difficult for a child to understand how to open the pack 12, it would also be quite difficult for the child to press together the first resilient latching members 28a, 28b in a way that the latching mechanism is released and the lid component 22 can be removed of the container component 16. Accordingly, a purchaser or user of the cartridge product 10 may be confident that a child would be not readily be able to open the pack 12 and therefore not access the cartridges or consumer articles 14 within the pack 12.

[0028] In this regard, studies have shown that a maximum middle finger to thumb span of a child (longer than its maximum index finger to thumb span) is about 107.4 mm. Therefore, the distance between the opposite end regions or end walls 20c, 20d of the container component 16 having the first resilient latching members 28a, 28b (i.e. the distance between the third side wall 20c and fourth side wall 20d) which the user must bridge before opening the pack 12 is desirably greater than 110 mm and preferably in a range of 110 mm to 170 mm. Thus, the distance between the opposite end regions or opposite side walls 20c, 20d of the container component 16 having the first resilient latching members 28a, 28b may exceed a hand-span of a child. In the example of Figs. 1 a to 1g, the first resilient latching members 28a, 28b are provided in the third side wall 20c and in the fourth side wall 20d, which extend between the front side wall 20a and the rear side wall 20b. A height of the front side wall 20a and rear side wall 20b, and a height of the third side wall 20c and fourth side wall 20d are much smaller, typically in a range of 10 mm to 30 mm, e.g. in a range of 15 mm to 25 mm.

[0029] In the shown embodiment, a first opening 32a is formed in the third side wall 20c of the container component 16, wherein one first resilient latching member 28a is arranged within the container component 16 in such a way that it covers the first opening 32a or slightly protrudes out of the first opening 32a (on an outside of the third side wall 20c), when the first resilient latching members 28a, 28b are not pressed towards one another. A second opening 32b is formed in the fourth side wall 20d of the container component 16 (opposite the third side wall 20c), wherein the other first resilient latching member 28b is arranged in container component 16 in such a way that it covers the second opening 32b or slightly protrudes out of the second opening 32b (on an outside of the fourth side wall 20d), when the first resilient latching members 28a, 28b are not pressed towards one another. Those parts of the first resilient latching members 28a, 28b covering or protruding slightly out of the complementary opening 32a, 32b comprise a pressure region 34a, 34b. Each of these pressure regions 34a, 34b may, for example, form a pressure tab or button to facilitate an adult pressing the first resilient latching members 28a, 28b together by applying manual pressure.

[0030] As is shown in Fig. 1c and 1d, the first latching elements 30a, 30b comprise openings or recesses formed in the lid component 22 into which the first resilient latching members 28a, 28b engage for holding the lid component 22. Thus, the lid component 22 is fixed and covers the open side of the container component 16. The latching member 28a has a projecting element 36a at a latching end, the form of which resembles a hook and which is configured to engage with a respective lip or edge 31 a in the opening or recess 30a of the first latching element, when the lid component 22 is in the latched state. Correspondingly, the latching member 28b has a projecting element 36b, which is configured to resiliently engage with a respective lip or edge 31 b in the opening or recess 30b when the lid component 22 is in the latched state. Both of the first latching members 28a, 28b are formed as separate members and have base parts 29a, 29b arranged for sliding movement within the container component 16 in this embodiment. The resilient first latching members 28a, 28b include spring portions 38a, 38b at opposed ends of the two base parts 29a, 29b. These are arranged in the container component 16 such that spring portions 38a, 38b contact either part of the container component 16 or each other. Protrusions 40 formed at the inner surfaces of the first and second side walls 20a, 20b may inhibit removal of the first resilient latching members 28a, 28b from the container component 16. The spring portions 38a, 38b of the first resilient latching members 28a, 28b may be compressed when force is applied to the two pressure regions or buttons 34a, 34b. This compression of the spring portions 38a, 38b effects a retraction of the projecting elements 36a, 36b out of engagement with the lips 31 a, 31 b in the opening or recess of the respective complementary first latching elements 30a, 30b. Thus, the first resilient latching members 28a, 28b are retracted from the openings or recesses 30a, 30b when the latching members 28a, 28b are pressed together to release the lid component 22 from the latched state.

[0031] Further, in the embodiment of Figs. 1 a to 1g, the latching mechanism includes second resilient latching members 42a, 42b provided on the lid component 22. These second latching members 42a, 42b are designed for resiliently engaging with complementary second latching elements 44a, 44b provided on the container component 16. The second latching members 42a, 42b are cantilevered members configured to be pressed resiliently towards one another to disengage the complementary second latching elements 44a and 44b and thus to release the latching mechanism in order to remove the lid component 22.

[0032] The user of the cartridge product 10 therefore not only has to bridge the distance between the first resilient latching members 28a, 28b (e.g. with thumb and finger), but also has to press together the second resilient latching members 42a, 42b (e.g. with a second hand), to open the pack 12. This further ensures that, whereas the pack 12 may be readily opened by an adult, it would be very difficult for a child. Thus, the pack 12 is especially child-resistant.

[0033] As can be seen in Figs. 1 a to 1 g, the second latching elements 44a, 44b may be formed as openings or recesses in the container component 16. The second resilient latching members 42a, 42b may be formed as flexible tongues or flaps, which are cut out of opposite side walls 26a, 26b of the lid component 22. The second resilient latching members 42a, 42b may be formed with projecting elements 46 on their sides (opposite to the top 24 of the lid component 22), which are configured to resiliently engage with the opening or recess of the respective complementary second latching element 44a, 44b, when the lid component 22 is in the latched state. Thus, projecting elements 46 of the second resilient latching members 42a, 42b engage in the openings or recesses of complementary second latching element 44a, 44b for holding and retaining the lid component 22, when the lid component 22 covers the open side of the container component 16. The projecting elements 46 of the second resilient latching members 42a, 42b are retracted from said openings or recesses, when the second latching members 42a, 42b are pressed together.

[0034] The latching mechanism may be designed for a first minimum force between 10 N and 20 N for pressing the first resilient latching members 28a and 28b together and/or a second minimum force between 10 N and 20 N for pressing the second resilient latching members 42a and 42b together, before the latching mechanism releases the lid component 22. Thus, even a teenager cannot open the pack 12 easily. The container component 16 and the lid component 22 may be sealed together hermetically before the container component 16 and the lid component 22 are disassembled for the first time. Moreover, the seal may comprise tamper-proof means which are broken or torn when the pack 12 is opened for the first time.

[0035] With reference now to Figs. 2a to 2c of the drawings, another embodiment of the electronic cigarette cartridge product 10 is described. In the embodiment of Fig. 2a to Fig. 2c, the latching mechanism comprises first resilient latching members 28a, 28b for resiliently engaging with complementary first latching elements 30a, 30b of the lid component 22. As is shown by the arrows 48, the first resilient latching members 28a, 28b can be pressed together to disengage the complementary first latching elements 30a, 30b and to release the latching mechanism in order to remove the lid component 22. In contrast to the embodiment described above, the first resilient latching members 28a, 28b shown in Fig. 2a to 2c comprise resiliently flexible tongues or flaps, which are cantilevered members cut-out of the side walls end regions 20c, 20d of the container component 16.

[0036] In the two embodiments described above, the latching mechanism is designed for a mechanical activation. However, as an additional improvement of the latching mechanism, it may also be designed for requiring an electronic activation before the latching mechanism releases the lid component 22. The electronic activation may be performed by a finger print recognition device or by a remote control device. Thus, the purchaser of such an electronic cigarette cartridge product 10 has an additional security that only he can open the pack 12.

[0037] Although specific embodiments of the invention are illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a variety of alternate and/or equivalent implementations exist. It should be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are examples only and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration in any way. Rather, the foregoing summary and detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing at least one exemplary embodiment, it being understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements described in an exemplary embodiment without departing from the scope as set forth in the appended claims and their legal equivalents. Generally, this application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the specific embodiments discussed herein.

[0038] It will also be appreciated that in this document the terms "comprise", "comprising", "include", "including", "contain", "containing", "have", "having", and any variations thereof, are intended to be understood in an inclusive (i.e. non-exclusive) sense, such that the process, method, device, apparatus or system described herein is not limited to those features or parts or elements or steps recited but may include other elements, features, parts or steps not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Furthermore, the terms "a" and "an" used herein are intended to be understood as meaning one or more unless explicitly stated otherwise. Moreover, the terms "first", "second", "third", etc. are used merely as labels, and are not intended to impose numerical requirements on or to establish a certain ranking of importance of their objects.

List of Drawing Signs

[0039] 

10

cartridge product

12

pack

12a

side wall of pack

12b

side wall of pack

12c

side wall of pack

12d

side wall of pack

14

cartridge

16

container component

18

base or base wall of container component

20a

side wall of container component

20b

side wall of container component

20c

side wall of container component

20d

side wall of container component

22

lid component

24

top or top wall of lid component

26a

side wall of lid component

26b

side wall of lid component

26c

side wall of lid component

26d

side wall of lid component

28a

first resilient latching member

28b

first resilient latching member

29a

base part of latching member

29b

base part of latching member

30a

first latching element

30b

first latching element

31a

lip or edge

31b

lip or edge

32a

opening

32b

opening

34a

pressure region

34b

pressure region

36a

projecting element

36b

projecting element

38a

spring portion

38b

spring portion

40

protrusions

42a

second resilient latching member

42b

second resilient latching member

44a

second latching element

44b

second latching element

46

projecting element

48

arrows

Claims

1. A pack (12) for at least one consumer article, especially for at least one electronic cigarette cartridge (14), the pack (12) comprising:

a container component (16) having a base (18) and one or more side walls (20), which together at least partially delimit at least one compartment for accommodating a consumer article;

a lid component (22) configured for assembly with the container component (16) for covering or closing an open side of the container component (16); and

a latching mechanism for holding the lid component (22) in a latched state fixed on the container component (16),

wherein the latching mechanism comprises first resilient latching members (28a, 28b) provided at opposite end regions or opposite side walls of the container component (16) for resiliently engaging with complementary first latching elements (30a, 30b) provided on the lid component (22), wherein the first resilient latching members (28a, 28b) are configured to be pressed towards one another to disengage the complementary first latching elements (30a, 30b) and release the latching mechanism in order to remove the lid component (22).

2. A pack (12) according to claim 1, wherein the first latching elements (30a, 30b) comprise openings or recesses formed in the lid component (22) into which the first resilient latching members (28a, 28b) engage for holding the lid component (22) fixed covering the open side on the container component (16), and wherein the first resilient latching members (28a, 28b) are retracted from the openings or recesses when the first resilient latching members (28a, 28b) are pressed together.

3. A pack (12) according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein each of the first resilient latching members (28a, 28b) comprise first resiliently flexible tongues or flaps which are formed in or cut out of the one or more side walls (20c, 20d) of the container component (16) at opposite sides or end regions thereof.

4. A pack (12) according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the first resilient latching members (28a, 28b) are cantilevered members fixed to or integrally formed with the one or more side walls (20) of the container component (16), or wherein the first resilient latching members (28a, 28b) are slidable members displaceable with respect to the base (189 and/or one or more side walls (20) of the container component (16).

5. A pack (12) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a predefined portion of an outer surface of the first resilient latching members (28a, 28b) is configured as a pressure region (34a, 34b) for pressing the first resilient latching members (28a, 28b) together, and/or wherein a projecting element (36a, 36b) of each first resilient latching member (28a, 28b) is preferably configured to resiliently engage with the opening or recess of the respective complementary first latching element (30a, 30b) formed in the lid component (22) in the latched state.

6. A pack (12) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the latching mechanism includes second resilient latching members (42a, 42b) provided on the lid component (22) for resiliently engaging with complementary second latching elements (44a, 44b) provided on the container component (16), wherein the second resilient latching members (42a, 42b) are configured to be pressed towards one another to disengage the complementary second latching elements (44a, 44b) and release the latching mechanism in order to remove the lid component (22).

7. A pack (12) according to claim 6, wherein the second latching elements (44a, 44b) comprise openings or recesses formed in the container component (16) into which the second resilient latching members (42a, 42b) engage for holding the lid component (22) fixed covering the open side on the container component (16), and wherein the second resilient latching members (42a, 422b) are retracted from said openings or recesses when the second resilient latching members (42a, 42b) are pressed together.

8. A pack (12) according to claim 6 or claim 7, wherein each of the second resilient latching members (42a, 42b) comprise second resiliently flexible tongues or flaps which are formed in or cut from opposite side walls (26) of the lid component (22) or opposite end regions of its one or more side walls.

9. A pack (12) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a distance between the first resilient latching members (28a, 28b) is in a range of 100 mm to 200 mm.

10. A pack (12) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the container component (16) and the lid component (22) are sealed together hermetically before the container component (16) and the lid component (22) are disassembled for the first time.

11. A pack (12) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the container component (16) is made of at least one material selected from a group consisting of: plastic, an elastic material, and cardboard.

12. A pack (12) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the lid component (22) is made of at least one material selected from a group consisting of: plastic, an elastic material, and cardboard.

13. An electronic cigarette cartridge product (10), comprising:

a pack (12) according to any of the preceding claims; and

at least one electronic cigarette cartridge (14) contained in at least one compartment of the pack (12).

14. An electronic cigarette cartridge product (10) according to claim 13, wherein the at least one electronic cigarette cartridge (14) is held in a mount within the at least one compartment.

15. An electronic cigarette cartridge product (10) according to claim 13 or claim 14, wherein the pack (12) comprises at least two compartments, wherein an electronic cigarette cartridge (14) is contained within each respective compartment.

Drawing