TW200936066A - Container for smoking articles - Google Patents

Abstract

A container for smoking articles is made from moulded plastic. The container comprises a body for holding smoking articles and a lid for closing the container. The lid is attached to the body by a hinge. The container further comprises a latch mechanism located on the body and the lid for retaining the container in the closed position. In the closed position, the lid meets the body along a line of closure. The lid and the body overlap along the line of closure to provide an inner wall and an outer wall. The latch mechanism comprises a recess in the inner wall and an inwardly directed tab attached to the outer wall for engagement with the recess to set the latch mechanism. The latch mechanism further comprises a flexture comprising one portion of the body adjacent the line of closure. The flexture is partly separately from the remainder of the body to permit inward movement of the flexture with respect to the remainder of the body. The latch mechanism further comprises a button located on the flexture to allow a user to push the flexture inward with respect to the remainder of the body to release the latch mechanism.

Description

200936066 VI. Description of the Invention: [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to a container for a smoking article such as a cigarette, in particular, a container made of plastic. 5 [Prior Art] Cigarette packs are generally made of cardboard, such as a standard (rectangular) hinged-lid carton (HLC). A disadvantage of this type of carton pack is that the protection of the cigarette is so weak that the cigarette is damp or dehydrated by the atmosphere (depending on the relative humidity between the cigarette and the large ® gas). HLC is often used in mobile phone packaging to provide some form of moisture barrier. The effectiveness of the barrier depends on the accuracy of the fold and joint at the junction. However, the first time the HLC package is opened, the outer package will be torn and discarded 'no longer providing any subsequent protection to the contents of the HLC. There are currently cases where molded plastic containers are used for cigarettes.

The case of 15 is disclosed in US Pat. No. 2,411,946, GB 1 376 193, US Pat. No. 4,733,796, FR 2,642,405, US Pat. No. 3,327,887, and US Pat. No. 3,167,104. Some of the containers & provide a latch mechanism' to keep the container in the closed position. In addition, the upper cover tilts to the open position, so when the latch mechanism is released, the upper cover automatically opens. 20 However, such plastic containers are rarely used in cigarettes or other smoking articles. In general, known smoking containers do not provide the convenience and efficiency of standard HLC. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, one embodiment of the present invention provides a 200936066 container for smoking articles. The container is made of molded plastic, has a body for placing the article of cigarettes, is hinged to the body to close the lid of the container, and a latching mechanism on the body and the upper lid to hold the container in the closed position. In the closed position, the upper cover and the main body are closely adhered along the closed line, and the upper cover and the main body overlap along the closed 5 line to form an inner wall and an outer wall. The latching mechanism includes a recess on the inner wall and an inner latch attached to the outer wall, the two being closely adhered to fix the latch mechanism; and a bending moment adjacent to the closed line and composed of the main body portion, one of the bending moments Partially separated from the rest of the body for inward movement (relative to the rest of the body); and a button on the bending moment to allow the user to press the bending moment inward (relative to the rest of the body) And then open the latch mechanism. This container provides good protection for cigarettes or other smoking items located inside it. The latch mechanism is easy to operate (generally only one hand) and increases the flexibility of designing the rest of the container. 15 Containers are generally constructed of molded plastic. The latch mechanism can also be made of molded plastic as long as it is properly cut and machined. For example, a design in which part of the bending moment is separated from the rest of the body can be achieved via a partial 铸 molding process, or subsequent cutting and machining. Some or all of the latching mechanisms (e.g., buttons) can be molded, or the remainder of the container can be fabricated separately, and the latch mechanism 20 can be combined with the container to form the final product. In one embodiment, the outer wall of the adhesive cassette is part of the upper cover and the inner wall of the recess is part of the main body. The depression is located on the bending moment between the button and the closed line, one end of which is attached to the body, and the side is separated from the rest of the body. The recess is located at the other end of the strip attachment point and is in contact with the closed line. Because 5 200936066 This push button will cause the bending moment to move and cause the depression to move. Untie P: the rest of the body and the full thickness: two cases: the upper plate includes the reduced thickness part forming the outer wall, and later is clamped to 1 closed When the 'the other end of the strip (the ίί inward latch and the full-thickness H-group in the strip hole can make the clasp mechanism more firmly fit. nm Smith a: in the implementation of the shot, the recess includes the parallel closed line elongation And penetrating

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20, the hole U in another embodiment may be recessed only by the inclination within the bending moment (_ or notch_h) 'and / or by any other suitable shape (such as round, square, star, etc.) . In one embodiment, the container has a generally square major front surface and a moon surface. The hinge between the main body and the upper cover is located on the back plate, and the closing line is located on the front plate having the latch mechanism. The closed line is parallel to the hinge and is located below it. In one embodiment, the outer wall and the clicker adhered thereto are a portion of the body and the inner wall having the recess is a portion of the upper cover. In the closed position, the bending moment engages the inner wall of the upper cover; in particular, the bending moment engages with the portion of the inner wall that extends below the recess, the slat being separated from the remainder of the body along the edge of the bending moment. The bending moment comprises a strip which is bonded to the body at its end point away from the closing line, and the bending moment is away from the opposite end of the body sticking point to engage the inner wall of the upper lid. The button is located between the ends of the strip. Thus, when the user presses the button, the tip end of the bending moment (the end point closest to the closing line) is moved inwardly, thereby allowing the inner wall of the portion extending below the recess and engaging the tip end of the bending moment to move. As a result, the recess itself moves inwardly, and the recess is disengaged from the jam of the main body, thereby unlocking the latch mechanism. 6 200936066 In the embodiment, the drum chain is located on the upper edge of the container, so that the upper cover can be opened to the side of the container. In the embodiment, when the clasp mechanism is released, the upper cover tends to be automatically opened by the closed position. For example, 'can be achieved by combining the upper cover with the money chain of the main body plus the bomb. - The possibility is to include an area that is often used to open the upper cover or to bounce back the material. This configuration allows the user to press the button to start the dispensing, which is convenient. ^ 容器 The container described above can be used to store smoking items such as cigarettes, cigars, tobacco substitutes, and more.督烟小10 [Embodiment] Figs. 1 to 3 illustrate an embodiment according to the present invention, which is a container 1 of a smoking article made of a plastic knee. Molded plastic 2 for the container provides a high degree of protection for the smoking items in the container, for example to help prevent moisture from entering and draining. The container 1〇 is generally slanted to make it easier to access the container 10; for example, when removing the container from the pocket or putting the container back into the pocket, Q helps to strengthen the box. The container includes a main body u for accommodating smoking articles and an upper cover 21 which is engaged with the main body by a hinge 4 在 on the back of the container, and the zipper allows the upper cover 20 to be in a closed position (as shown in Figure D and the open position (Fig. 2) Rotating. When the volume is closed, the upper jaw 21 is engaged with the main body along the closing line 50. The closing line is located in front of the trough, parallel to the hinge 40. The upper edge of the front wall of the main body 11 is the reduced thickness region 14. Similarly, Before the upper cover, the lower edge also reduces the thickness region 24. Thus, the reduced thickness region of the body "the bottom of the soil includes a ledge" and the upper portion of the reduced thickness region 24 of the upper cover includes an outer layer 7 200936066 f (〇Verhailg). The container is closed, and the two reduced thickness regions overlap and are joined to each other. The upper cover reduced thickness region 24 is located outside the main body thickness reducing portion 14, and the convex portion of the main body is fastened to the outer protrusion of the upper cover. The barn 10 has a latching mechanism. To maintain the upper cover in the closed position. The flash button mechanism includes a latch or protuberance 25 on the inner side of the reduced thickness region 24 of the upper cover 21, corresponding thereto, on the front wall reduced thickness region 14 of the main body η - an outward hole or depression 15. When the package is closed

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20 When closed, the bar 25 snaps or enters the recess 15 to keep the package in the closed position. The flash button mechanism has a button % on the front wall of the container body u. Pressing the button 35 opens the latch. In particular, pressing the button causes the cassette to exit the aperture 15, thereby opening the upper cover 21. In some embodiments, the upper cover tends to turn to an open position, such as a spring mechanism on the hinge 40. Under this design, when the tab is unwound by the hole 15, the upper cover automatically turns to the open position shown in Figs. This allows the user to press the button 35 with only one hand, and the operation can be performed without having to open the upper jaw 21 (i.e., the action of the single push button can open the latch mechanism and open the upper cover). The button 35 is surrounded by a ridge 36, generally at the same height as or more than the surface of the button 35 (compared to the major surface of the front wall of the body 11) which ensures that the flat surface contacts the major surface of the front wall of the body 11, such as when the container 1 is closed Placed in the backpack, 4 on the table, etc., the ridges 36 will support the flat surface without touching (or further operating) the button 35. This helps to avoid accidentally opening the container 1 (and possibly losing or damaging the interior) Figure 4 is a detailed view of the structure of the latching machine 8 200936066 seen from a container in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, showing a cassette 25 projecting inwardly from the wall thickness reducing area of the upper cover 21 ( The step (4) protrusion structure of the upper cover reduced thickness region is not shown in Fig. 4 by a broken line. The main body 11 includes a strip or bending moment 17, which is formed by substantially two parallel cuts 18A, 18B, from the upper edge of the front wall of the main body The strip 17 is generally coplanar with the remainder of the front wall of the body. ❹ 10 Holes or grooves 15 are located at the upper end of the strip 17. At the opposite end of the hole 15 of the strip, the strip is connected to the body by a bridge 19 The rest of the wall (in the special embodiment of Figure 4, 'bridge 19 It consists of two elongated parallel extending materials. Note that the slats can be molded directly from the model, or part of the front wall of the body u, or any other suitable method. Thickness of the strip 17 or bridge 19 It is roughly the same as the reduced thickness region 14 along the top end of the front wall of the main body. [Generally, the body wall surface (including the strip 17) in the ring or ridge % is of this thickness. To some extent, it helps to accommodate the button 35 ( Therefore, it does not protrude beyond the ridge 36. In addition, the thickness is reduced to make the bridge

The joint becomes a bending point, allowing the strip 17 to move back and forth relative to the rest of the front wall of the main body (ie, the direction button 35 entering or leaving the container is located on the outer side surface of the strip 17, pressing the button to make the strip inward Bending 'to open the button mechanism. In particular, it is assumed that the card pick-up 20 initially keeps the upper cover closed in the hole 15'. When the strip 17 is bent inward, the hole 15 is bent inwardly, and the click 25 is thus separated from the hole 15, so that Upper cover open 0 This buckle mechanism has significant advantages over many known devices, so there is no sharp protrusion on the outside of the container to avoid the occurrence of resistance when the container is taken out (for example). In fact, when the container is closed, The only object with a prominent appearance in the button 35. In addition, the button 35 cooperates with the strip Π to provide a mechanism for simply and effectively opening the buckle of the container 10; then pressing the button 35 once, that is, 5 can complete the opening action, so that it can be easily The container 10 is opened with one hand. Further, the button 35 allows the user to directly understand how to open the container. In addition, the strip 17 defined by the cuts 18A, 18B can be avoided using & The entire wall of the body U must be deformed to open the container 1〇. Therefore, most parts of the body can meet the requirements of the general container for firmness and robustness, and 10 does not need to provide an opening action. Figures 5 and 6 illustrate one another in accordance with the present invention. The container 100 of the smoking article of one embodiment (the smoking article in Fig. 6 is indicated by a broken line 2). The container 100 also includes a main body lu' for carrying the smoking article and an upper cover 121 for engaging the main body m by the hinge H0. In contrast, it can be seen that the hinges in the embodiment of Figures 15 to 3 operate along the back of the container, while the hinges of Figures 5 to 6 are from the front end of the container, passing through the upper end of the container to the rear end of the container; in other words, the upper cover 121 It is approximately one-half of the upper portion of the container. The configuration of Figures 4 and 5 can be referred to herein as a corner-opening container. The lower edge of the upper cover 121 has a convex portion defined as a reduced thickness portion 124. The upper edge has an outer protrusion defined as a reduced thickness portion 114. As in the embodiment of Figures i to 3, the reduced thickness portion 124 of the upper cover and the reduced thickness portion 114 of the body overlap and join each other when the package is closed. Upper cover protrusion close to the main However, in the embodiment of Figures 5 and 6, the reduced thickness portion 124 of the upper cover is located inside the reduced thickness portion 114 of the body (as opposed to the design of Figure 200936066 to Figure 3). 5 ❹ 10 15 Ο 20, in the embodiment of Figures 1 to 3, the container 1 has a latching mechanism for maintaining the upper cover in the closed position. The latching mechanism includes an inward latch or protuberance 25 located in the reduced thickness region 114 of the body 111. And an outward hole or recess 115 corresponding to the side wall reduced thickness region 124 of the upper cover 121 (in the embodiment of FIGS. 5 and 6, the main body has an m hole U5, and the upper cover 121 has a latch 125) Just the opposite of the configuration in the embodiment of Figures 1 to 3. When the container is closed, the latch 125 engages or the latch mechanism includes a button 135 on the side wall of the container body 11. Press the button to open the latch. More specifically, when the button is pressed, the clicker 125 will come out of the hole 115, thereby opening the upper cover 12ι. In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 3, the upper cover can be designed to be turned to the open position, for example, a spring mechanism is added to the hinge 14 ;; then the cassette 125 is automatically separated from the opening 115 and the upper cover 121 is automatically turned to the open position. , As shown in Figure 6. Therefore, the user can operate the container 110 with only one hand pressing the button 135 without additionally performing the action of opening the upper cover 121. The button 135 is located at the slight depression 137 of the side wall; thus, the button will generally be lower than or equal to the remaining side wall surface of the main body 111 to ensure that the flat surface contacts the side wall of the main body 111, such as placing the container in the backpack, on the table Etc. 'The flat surface will be supported by the side walls of the body without encountering (or further operating) the button 135. This helps to avoid accidentally opening the container 100 (and possibly losing or damaging the inside smoking items). Fig. 7 is a view showing a more detailed view of the mechanism of the latch 11 200936066 from the inside of the container according to the embodiment of the present invention. It can be seen that the latch 125 projects inwardly from the reduced thickness portion U4 of the side wall of the main body ln. The latch 125 is fastened to the corresponding hole 115 in the reduced thickness portion 124 of the side wall of the upper cover 121. 5 ❹ 10 15 Ο 20 The latch mechanism can be unlocked using a slat or bending moment 117 that extends into the hole in the side wall of the body. The strip comprises two long plates that are parallel and joined at the top end (also (10), for example) (the end closest to the upper cover). The strip engages the main side wall of the body at its bottom end, generally coplanar with the side walls. The thickness of the strip 117 is approximately equivalent to the reduced thickness portion 114 above the sidewall of the body. On the one hand, it helps to accommodate the button 135 (so that it does not protrude beyond the recessed portion 137). On the other hand, the reduced thickness region makes the strip 117 elastic so that it can move forward or backward (relative to the rest of the main body side wall) , that is, facing the container and away from the container). The button 135 is located on the outer side surface of the strip 117, and the button 135 is pressed to bend the strip inwardly to unlock the flash button mechanism. In particular, assume that the cassette 125 is initially located within the aperture 115, keeping the upper cover closed, the plate in inward t-curved, and the strip m being depressed downwardly and inwardly below the edge portion 126 of the upper cover to below the hole 115; thus the hole 115 The trap 125 is separated from the hole 115, and the upper cover is opened. The plurality of advantages of the embodiment of the latch 1 to the embodiment discussed in Fig. 3, such as one-handed operation, the smoothing type does not require a reduction in the general strength of the side walls, and the like. In summary, the above is a variation of the embodiment, but for illustrative purposes only, the skilled person can clearly see other changes and modifications. For example, the buckle mechanism of FIG. 4 can be installed in FIG. 5 and FIG. Corner open container. The latch mechanism of Fig. 7 can be mounted on the front open container of Fig. 12200936066. Further, it is conceivable that the main body 11 in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, or the main body 111 in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the upper portion and the lower portion which can be attached by the upper covers 21 and 121, Wait for two parts. Thus, via the upper open lower end, a bundle of 5 cigarettes can be filled into the upper portion, and then the upper and lower closed containers are joined. The upper height can be two-thirds of the lower height, but it can be equal. Therefore, the container can be efficiently formed by the two halves, and after the whole package of cigarettes is placed in the upper portion, the two parts can be combined to complete the combination of the packages. The upper and lower parts of the package body can be connected to each other after assembly, and the user cannot separate them. It is to be understood that the scope of the invention is defined by the scope of the invention as defined by the scope of the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Various embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail by way of the following drawings: FIG. 1 is a front view of a container for smoking articles, when the upper cover is closed, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a front view of the container of Figure 1 when the upper cover is opened; Figure 3 is a perspective view of the container of Figure 1 when the upper cover is opened; Figure 4 is a more detailed depiction of Figure 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention Figure 5 is a perspective view of a container for smoking articles, when the upper cover is closed, according to another embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 is a side view of the container of Figure 5 when the upper cover is opened View; and Figure 7. A more detailed depiction of the latching mechanism of the container 13 200936066 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. [Main component symbol description] 10 Container 11 Main body 5 14 Reduced thickness area 15 Hole 17 Strip (bending moment) 〇18A Cutting 18B Cutting 10 19 Bridging 21 Upper cover 24 Reduced thickness part 25 榫35 button 15 36 ridge 40 Key ❹ 50 Closed line 100 Container 111 Main body 20 115 Hole 117 Strip (bending moment) 121 Upper cover 124 Reduced thickness part 125 榫 14 200936066 135 Button 137 Depression 200 Smoking items

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Claims (1)

200936066 200936066 5 10 15 20 VII. Patent application scope: 1.-Container for smoking articles' The container is made of molded plastic and contains the main body, the upper cover of the container, and the upper cover and the main body. The money is held in the cover to maintain the container in the closed position of a flash button mechanism (latch mechan; straight in the closed recording, the upper cover and the body along a closed line of each other 'the upper jaw and the body along The closing line overlaps and is provided with an outer wall, the latching mechanism comprising: a recess located at one of the inner walls to engage the recess to fix the inward guiding moment of the flash button mechanism: the body of the edge of the center of the twist line - part, the bend of the two parts two = open 'the object relative to the remainder of the body inwardly with respect to the body of the body, - the === has the outer wall of the _ ,, is 咭μ # /,Τ has adhered to the card wall, which is a part of the main Zhao; and the outer portion of the recess has the recessed area as in the second line of the patent application range and the closing line Located in the 4. according to the scope of the patent application, the board-end joint In the η, the bending moment comprises a strip separation, wherein the recessed position; the smear: the side of the edge opposite the main body and the fifth slab, which is adjacent to the closed line of the 161636066. 5. The container of claim 4, wherein the upper cover comprises a reduced thickness portion associated with one of the thicknesses of the outer wall and a portion of the full thickness, and wherein the other side of the strip is closed when the upper cover is closed And the container of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the recess comprises one of the holes in the bending moment. 7. The container of claim 6 wherein the hole is elongated parallel to the closing line. The container of any one of claims 2 to 7 wherein the container has The main front surface and the back surface are substantially rectangular; the hinge between the main body and the upper cover is located on the back plate, and the closing line is located on the front plate, wherein the latch mechanism is also located on the front plate. The container of claim 8 wherein the closed line is parallel And the container of the first aspect of the invention, wherein the outer wall and the card attached to the sticker are part of the body, and the inner wall having the recess is the upper cover 11. The container of claim 10, wherein the bending moment engages the inner wall of the upper cover when the closed position is 20. 12. The scope of claim 11 is as described in the scope of the patent application. The container, wherein the bending moment abuts the portion of the inner wall extending below the recess. 13. The container of claim 11 or 12, wherein the bending comprises a plate, the strip being away from the closed line An end point is adhered to the body of the 17 200936066 and is separated from the remainder of the body along its sides, wherein the opposite end of the bending moment abuts the inner wall of the upper cover. 14. The container of claim 13 wherein the button is between the ends of the strip. The container of any one of claims 10 to 14, wherein the recess comprises a hole in the inner wall. 16. The container of any one of claims 10 to 15, wherein the hinge is located at an upper end of the container, such that the upper cover can be opened or closed to one side of the container, wherein the latch mechanism is located The side 10 of the container. 17. The container of any of the preceding claims, wherein the upper cover automatically turns from the closed position when the latch mechanism is released. A container according to any one of claims 1 to 17, which is capable of placing a smoking article. The container of any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein the body comprises two portions bonded to each other. 20. The container of claim 19, wherein the body comprises an upper portion bonded to the upper cover, and a lower portion; the upper portion having an open lower end away from the upper cover for the lower portion A bundle of cigarettes is inserted into the upper portion before the upper jaw is joined to the upper end of the open lower end of the bundle of cigarettes. 21. A method of filling a cigarette into the container of claim 20, further comprising loading the cigarette bundle from the open lower end of the body to the upper portion of the body, and subsequently applying the lower portion of the body Closing to 18 200936066 The open lower end is a method of the upper portion above the bundle of cigarettes. 22. A container substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings in this specification.