HK1185321B

HK1185321B - Cigarette container

Info

Publication number: HK1185321B
Application number: HK13112680.5A
Authority: HK
Inventors: Tim Collins
Original assignee: Jt International S.A.
Priority date: 2010-08-27
Filing date: 2011-08-25
Publication date: 2015-01-23

Description

The present invention generally relates to the field of packaging for consumer products. In particular, the invention relates to a new container suitable for use with tobacco products, blanks for manufacturing the container and methods for manufacturing the container from blanks.

Containers for consumer products have been manufactured from card or paperboard for many years. These containers are generally produced by folding a blank which has been cut out of a sheet of card or paperboard to form a container, which generally has at least one opening in it for extracting the products and may have a lid, which may generally be hingedly connected to a side wall of the container, such that the lid may be opened to extract the products. Where a container has a hinged lid, it is often necessary for a user to employ both of his or her hands to open the container, one hand to hold the container, and the second hand to open the lid. Containers with a certain type of lid may sometimes be held in one hand and the lid opened with the thumb of that same hand. However, this can often be a fiddly operation and the more times the container is opened in this way, parts of its structure, such as the lid hinge and side walls of the container may be weakened. It can therefore become even more difficult to carry out the opening operation. Further, while opening a container with one hand, the consumer may apply significant pressure to the side walls while trying to open the lid, and therefore put pressure on the products in the container. This may cause damage to the products inside, and in the case of a cigarette container, may bend the cigarette sticks.

FR-A-2495114 discloses a container with inner and outer packs and a lid actuating link.

Accordingly, there is need for an improved container for consumer products which facilitates easier opening of the container in a smooth and easy motion.

In order to solve the problems proposed by the prior art, the present invention provides a container according to claim 1.

The configuration of the lid actuating link allows the lid to be moved from the closed position to the open position, or vice versa, within a short stroke of movement of the inner and outer packs between the first and second positions relative to one another. This short stroke, i.e. a short distance between the first position in which the container is in the closed configuration and second position in which the container is in an open configuration, allows a user to hold the container in one hand and open or close the container within a single movement of his or her thumb. Further, the configuration of the lid actuating link allows the outer pack and the lid actuating link to be made from a single piece of material, whose properties suit both the structural requirements of the outer pack and the functional requirements of the lid actuating link. This configuration further allows a more efficient use of material than has previously been possible and simplifies manufacture and assembly of the container.

The inner pack comprises a recess to accommodate at least a part of the thickness of the lid actuating link when the lid is in the closed position. Where a lid actuating link is provided between the inner pack and the outer pack, the thickness of the lid actuating link can be difficult to accommodate between the two parts of the container, the inner and the outer pack. Where a recess is provided in an inner pack, the outer pack may maintain its shape without significant deformation of the outer walls due to the thickness of the lid actuating link. This provides both an appearance of greater quality when compared to a container which is deformed by the thickness of a lid actuating link and, further, accommodating the lid actuating link within a recess in the inner pack can improve the function of the lid actuating link as will be described later in the specification.

The recess may be provided in the lid. The provision of the recess in the lid is particularly beneficial where any lid actuating link is configured to be accommodated in the region of the lid, between the inner pack and the outer pack, when the container is in a closed configuration.

The lid may comprise a lid wall and the recess may be provided by providing at least one cut in the lid wall or a pair of cuts in the lid wall. This configuration can be beneficial in a container where the lid actuating link is accommodated between the outer pack and the lid of the inner pack. The recess may further be provided in a side of the inner pack by at least one cut or a pair of cuts in a side wall of the inner pack. This configuration can be beneficial in a container where the lid actuating link is accommodated between the outer pack and the inner pack side wall. The recess may be provided by a number of alternative methods, including stamping a recess into the material of the inner pack; providing a cut-out in the material of the inner pack; and providing a plurality of layers of material in the inner pack, the material in one or more of the layers being removed in the region of the recess, or any other suitable method of providing a recess in the inner pack.

The lid may further comprise an upper end face, arranged substantially perpendicular to the lid wall, connected to the lid wall by a fold line and wherein the recess is formed by a first portion of the fold line, which is offset relative to a second portion of the fold line. The term off-set implies that the off-set portion of the fold line does not lie along the same folding axis as the second portion of the fold line, or is spaced from the second portion of the fold line in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the fold line. This provides an efficient way of forming a recess, since the recess is inherently created when the upper end face of the lid is folded around the fold line relative to the lid wall.

The width and length of the lid actuating link, and the dimensions of the side walls of the outer pack, may be selected such that the side walls of the outer pack are deformable to allow at least a portion of the link to remain substantially rigid during rotation from its first orientation when the container is closed, to its second orientation when the container is open. By providing these dimensions such that at least a portion of the link can remain substantially straight while rotating around its first end, the lid actuating link can be made from a substantially rigid material, having similar properties to the outer pack. This allows the lid actuating link to be made from same material as the outer pack and may even be a part of the same blank as the outer pack. Therefore the manufacture of the container is simplified.

The outer pack may further comprise an opening in at least one side wall, to allow a user to access a side wall of the inner pack through the side wall of the outer pack, to slide the inner pack between the first and second positions. The provision of the opening in the side wall of the container allows a user to hold the outer pack in one hand whilst using the thumb of that hand to slide the inner pack between its first and second positions relative to the outer pack. Moreover, provision of this opening results in the user only having to impart a linear motion to a part of the container to open it. This avoids the need to impart a rotating motion to the lid of a prior art container, or a first upward opening motion, followed by a second rotating motion or a motion in a second substantially linear direction, as required with prior art containers.

The opening may be a single opening extending into at least two side walls of the outer pack. Providing a single opening extending into at least two side walls of the outer pack provides a user with a greater choice of points on the inner pack on which he or she may apply a finger or thumb to move the inner pack between its first and second positions relative to the outer pack. This affords the container greater flexibility of use and provides easier and more flexible use for a wider range of users, including both left and right handed users.

The opening may be a single opening extending into at least three side walls of the outer pack. This configuration allows yet more flexibility of use for a wider range of users.

The opening may extend into side walls arranged at angles of greater than zero degrees to one another and less than around 90 degrees to one another. The container may comprise a number of side walls, each arranged at angles of greater than zero degrees to one another to give the container a softened outer profile to afford more comfort to the user. The provision of the opening which extends through side walls arranged at these angles of greater than zero degrees to one another allows the opening of the container to be carried out from a number of different angles of approach with respect to different side walls.

The opening may extend around side walls arranged substantially perpendicular to one another. When the opening extends around side walls arranged substantially perpendicular to one another, the user or users may have a choice over which side of the container he or she chooses to open the container from and has greater choice in which hand to use to open the container.

The opening may extend around walls arranged at angles of greater than 90 degrees to one another. The provision of an opening extending around the side walls arranged at angles of greater than 90 degrees to one another provides a user with a very broad degree of choice on which side of container may be used to move the inner between first and second positions relative to the outer to open the container.

The side walls of the outer pack may be formed from a blank comprising:

a first major side panel having side wall tabs arranged on each of two sides of the first major side panel;
a second major side panel, having side wall section panels arranged on each of two sides of the second major side panel;
at least one of the side wall section panels comprising two parts, separated by the opening, and a secondary tab arranged on an opposite side of the side wall section panel parts to the major wall section.

Arranging a secondary tab on an opposite side of the side wall section panel parts to the major wall can provide a blank which permits the provision in the outer pack of an opening which extends around side walls arranged at angles of greater than 90 degrees to one another and optionally into three walls, each arranged substantially perpendicular to the next.

The outer pack may comprise an outer pack part and a slider element, the slider element being connected to the outer pack part by frangible links and fastened to the inner pack, such that when the frangible links are broken, the slider element remains fastened to the inner pack.

The provision of a slider element connected to the outer pack of frangible links and fastened to the inner pack as described allows the slider element to provide dual functions. The dual functions include: that of a slider on which a user's thumb or finger may be applied to slide the inner pack within the outer pack between open and closed positions; and secondly that of providing a tamper evident device, in that when the pack is first opened, the frangible links are broken and thus it is evident that the pack has been opened.

The inner pack and outer pack may comprise at least one rounded corner connecting a pair of adjacent side walls. The provision of a rounded corner on each of the inner pack and the outer pack allows the inner pack and outer pack to slide relative to one another, since their outer profiles will be complementary. It further provides increased comfort to a user of the pack, since the provision of a rounded corner helps to avoid sharp corners on the outer edges of the pack, which may be uncomfortable for a user.

A side wall of any of the inner or outer packs described may further comprise a secondary layer of material, provided by a secondary side wall portion, connected to the edge of the side wall by a fold line. The secondary layer of material can provide additional strength and rigidity to the inner and/or outer pack, which is particularly beneficial when a user is applying pressure to a side wall of the inner or outer pack to slide the inner and outer packs between their first and second relative positions.

A method of forming a container is provided according to claim 17.

Specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a container in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of a container of Figure 1 in an open configuration;
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the container of Figure 1 in an intermediate configuration;
Figure 4 is a top view of the container of Figure 1;
Figure 5 is a rear view of the container of Figure 1 in an intermediate position;
Figure 6 is a side view of the container of Figure 1 in an open configuration;
Figure 7a depicts a blank suitable for creating an inner pack for the container of Figure 1;
Figure 7b shows an enlarged portion of Figure 7a;
Figure 7c shows the effect created by the arrangement in Figure 7b when folded;
Figure 8 shows a blank for forming the outer pack of the container of Figure 1;
Figure 9 shows a blank for forming an outer pack of an alternative embodiment similar to the pack shown in Figure 1;
Figure 10 shows an alternative blank for forming an inner pack for a container according to the alternative embodiment shown in Figure 9;
Figures 11 a to 11 e illustrate a lid opening mechanism in accordance with the present invention;
Figure 12 shows a pack according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention in perspective view;
Figure 13 shows the container of Figure 12 in an open configuration;
Figure 14 shows a top view of the container of Figure 12;
Figure 15 shows a rear view of the container of Figure 12 in an intermediate configuration;
Figure 16 shows a side view of the container of Figure 12 in an intermediate configuration;
Figure 17 shows a side view of the container of Figure 12 in an open configuration;
Figure 18 shows a blank for forming the outer pack of the container of Figure 12;and
Figure 19 shows a blank for forming the inner pack of the container of Figure 12.

Figure 1 shows a container 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The container has an outer part 101, referred to hereinafter as the outer pack, and an inner part 102, referred to hereinafter as the inner pack. The outer pack 101 has an open top face 103 and a bottom face 104. The outer pack has a plurality of longitudinal outer pack side walls 105. The outer pack side walls extend longitudinally from the bottom face to the open top face. Throughout this description, the term longitudinal refers to a direction running between the bottom face and the open top face in either direction. The inner pack part also has a plurality of inner pack side walls 106 extending longitudinally between its bottom and top faces. The inner pack further comprises a lid 111 arranged to cover its open top face when in a closed position and further arranged substantially within the opening in the top of the outer pack 101. This particular embodiment displays rounded corners 108 and 109, which are optionally provided on the outer pack and correspondingly on the inner pack. The inner pack optionally comprises a friction portion denoted by dashed line 110, which can provide additional adhesion between a digit of a user and the inner pack and which may provide additional strength and/or wear resistance to the material from which the inner pack has been fabricated.

Figure 2 shows the container 1 of Figure 1 in an open configuration. The inner pack 102 has been moved from a first closed position depicted in Figure 1 to a second open position shown in Figure 2, in a longitudinal direction from the bottom to the top of the outer pack. Side walls 106 can be seen protruding from the open top face of the outer pack 101. Lid 111 is hingedly attached to a side wall (not visible) of the inner pack 102. The lid comprises an upper end face 112 and a lid wall 113, which are hingidly connected along a fold line 115. Lid 111 further comprises lid side walls 114.

Figure 3 shows the container of Figure 1 in an intermediate configuration, where the inner pack 102 is approximately half way between the two positions relative to the outer pack 101 shown in Figures 1 and 2. In this intermediate position, the inner pack 102 comprising lid 111 partially extends out of open face 103 of the outer pack 101. However, lid 111 remains in a closed position on the inner pack. A lid actuating link 116 is shown connected to one of side walls 105, which in this case is a major side wall 124, of the outer pack along a fold line 117. In this embodiment, an attachment portion 118 substantially overlies the upper end face 112 of lid 111 and is connected to the lid actuating link by fold lines 119 and 120 and an additional attachment portion 121. It may be sufficient to attach the additional attachment portion 121 to the lid wall 113. Alternatively, a single attachment portion 118 may be connected to the upper end face of the lid 111 without the provision of additional attachment portion 121. In this case, the upper end face of lid 111 may be located below the edges of side walls 105 when the container is closed. However, connection of additional attachment portion 121 to attachment portion 118 via fold line 120 can provide a more secure attachment of the lid actuating link 116 to the lid 111. Alternatively, only attachment portion 118 may be attached to the lid and additional attachment portion 121 may not be directly attached to lid wall 113. Element 121 then forms a second part of the lid actuating link 116, such that the lid actuating link has two parts, hingedly connected to one another along a fold line 119. Further movement of the inner pack 102 in the direction from the bottom end face to the open top end face, beyond the position illustrated in Figure 3, will cause tension in lid actuating link 116, which will cause the lid to rotate about a hinge on the inner pack 102 into the open position shown in Figure 2. From a combination of the views shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3, it can been seen that an opening 122 in the outer pack extends around more than one face of the outer pack to expose a number of side walls of the inner pack. The opening extends from a minor side wall 123 of the outer pack into a major side wall 124 of the outer pack, and also around onto a further side wall portion on the opposite side of minor side wall 123 to major side wall 124. The opening 122 shown extends into a rounded corner section comprising a plurality of fold lines which have been folded to create a number of small side wall sections, giving a rounded appearance. A secondary tab 125 is shown, attached to a minor side wall 123 by a fold line 126. The provision of secondary tab 125 contributes to allowing the opening 122 to extend into more than two side walls. This is because side wall 123 must be in two parts either side of the opening 122. Without the provision of secondary tab 125, those parts would be able to rotate freely about their connection to the side wall of the outer pack, independently of one another, during assembly of the pack. This can cause problems during assembly and it is therefore advantageous to provide a secondary tab 125 so that the two parts of side wall 123 can be folded and manipulated in unison. Although in this particular embodiment of the container the opening is primarily located on a minor side wall 123 and the secondary tab 125 is located on a major side wall 124, it is possible to locate the secondary tab 125 on any side wall in order to allow the opening to be located on any one of the side walls or group of side walls.

Figure 4 shows a top view of the container shown in Figures 1 to 3. The outer pack 101 is shown surrounding the inner pack 102. The secondary tab 125 can be seen overlapping a major side wall 124 of the outer pack and lid actuating link 116 is shown disposed between the outer pack and the inner pack.

Figure 5 shows a rear view of the pack depicted in Figure 3, which includes a secondary tab 125, an outer pack 101, an inner pack 102, a lid 111, a lid actuating link 116 and a second attachment portion 121. Attachment portion 121 may optionally be attached to lid rear wall 113, although this is not essential for lid actuating link 116 to function. A pair of cuts 127 are shown in lid wall 113 and these cuts can provide a recess into which a thickness, or at least a part thereof, of lid actuating link 116 and attachment portion 121 may be at least partially accommodated. This can help to avoid excessive deformation of the side wall to which the lid actuating link 116 is connected, particularly when the pack is in a fully closed configuration, such as is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a side view of the container shown in Figures 1 to 5, in which the container is in an open configuration, with the inner pack 102 extended out of the outer pack 101 such that lid actuating link 116 has caused lid 111 to rotate about hinge 128 relative to a side wall of inner pack 102. As the inner pack 102 moves from the position shown in Figure 5, through the open top face of the outer pack 101, tension in lid actuating link 116 causes lid 111 to rotate about hinge 128 to occupy the open position shown in Figure 6. Conversely, when inner pack 102 is moved back into outer pack 101 through its open top face, lid actuating link 116 acts to return lid 111 to a closed position.

Figure 7a shows a blank suitable for creating the inner pack of container 1. The blank comprises a plurality of panels separated by fold lines (represented by broken lines) and cut lines (represented by solid lines). The blank 7 comprises a bottom panel 701, which is connected to a rear major side panel 702 and a front major side panel 703. Panels of the blank termed side panels form the side walls of each of the inner and outer packs once folded. Panel 702 is connected by fold lines 2 to side tabs 704 and 705, which are connected by fold lines to bottom tabs 706 and 707, respectively. Side panel 703 is connected to side panel sections 708 and 709 by a plurality of fold lines, such that when side panel sections 708 and 709 are rotated around the plurality of fold lines to an angle greater than 0 degrees, a substantially rounded corner is created between front major side panel 703 and each of side panel sections 708 and 709, by the plurality of fold lines. A secondary side panel section 710 is attached to side panel 703 by a fold line, such that when rotated 180 degrees around the fold line, a double thickness side wall section is created on a side wall of the inner pack 102. To form the inner pack, bottom tab 706 and 707 are rotated substantially 90 degrees around their respective connecting fold lines 711 and 712. Folding side tabs 704 and 705 substantially 90 degrees around fold lines 713 and 714 in combination with folding panel 702 substantially 90 degrees around fold line 715, allows bottom tabs 706 and 707 to be attached to the bottom panel 701. Secondary side panel section 710 will be folded through 180 degrees and attached to front major panel 703. This panel 703 can be folded around fold line 716 and side panel sections 708 and 709 can then be glued to the outside of side wall tabs 704 and 705 to form the complete set of side walls for the inner pack. An opening 717 is provided in front major side panel 703 and secondary side panel section 710 such that, when folded, easier access to the products inside the inner pack is allowed when the container is in the open configuration. A cut-out is formed in secondary side panel section 710, complementary to the cut out in front major side panel 703, such that the two cut-outs over-lie one another when the panels are folded together. 111 is formed to be rotatable around hinge line 718, which is partially cut to allow easier rotation of lid 111 about the hinge line. An upper end face 112 of lid 111 is formed from upper lid panel 719, which can be rotated substantially 90 degrees about fold line 720 with respect to a lid rear panel 721. Panel 722 can be rotated 180 degrees around its fold line to provide a double thickness to upper end face 112 of lid 111 when assembled. Side tabs 723 and 724 are connected to the upper end face of the lid and the lid rear panel, respectively, by fold lines, and can be glued to one another to form side walls to the lid on assembly.

Figure 7b shows an enlarged portion of Figure 7a to illustrate how a recess may be created in the lid 111. Upper end face 719 is rotated through substantially 90 degrees around fold line 720, with respect to lid rear panel 721. Cuts 725 are optionally provided. Fold line 720 is complemented by an offset portion 726, which is also folded through substantially 90 degrees at the same time as fold line 720. Folding about fold lines 720 causes fold line 726 to be displaced relative to lid rear panel 721 and, in this way, the movement of fold line 726 creates a recess in lid rear panel 721. The provision of cuts 725 allows this effect to be maximised. However, the effect can still be created without cuts 725, since fold line 726 will still be displaced relative to lid wall 721. The effect will be slightly reduced where the cuts are not present. Cuts 725 are shown extending partially through lid rear panel 721 to fold line 727. However, it would be possible to extend cuts 725 through the entirety of the lid rear panel and into the side wall panel 702 of the inner pack, if the dimensions of the lid actuating link rendered this necessary or beneficial. In this way the recess can be used in combination with any type of lid actuating link to help to accommodate the link actuating link between the inner pack and the outer pack. The cuts 725 may be provided in the lid rear panel only or in the side wall panel of the inner pack only, or in both the side wall and the lid rear panels.

Figure 7c illustrates how the folding of top end face panel 719 with respect to rear lid panel 721 can create a recess between fold lines 726 and 727, when folded around fold line 720. The function of this recess can be to accommodate at least a portion of the thickness of a lid actuating link disposed between the inner pack and the outer pack. If cuts 725 were not provided then the open space 728 would not be present and off-set fold line portion 726 would adopt a curved form at each end to join with fold line 720. Therefore, the recess effect would still be present, but slightly reduced as compared to that shown in Figure 7c. The provision of cuts 725 allows deformation of a portion of lid rear panel 721 or a side wall panel of the inner pack with respect to the remainder of the side wall. Therefore the cuts alone could be provided without the off-set fold line. In this case, pressure applied to by the outer pack side wall to a lid actuating link disposed between the inner pack and the outer pack side wall, may cause the portion of the side wall adjacent the cut or cuts to be displaced relative to the remainder of the side wall. Therefore, a recess could be created to accommodate a lid actuating link without providing the offset portion of fold line 726.

Figure 8 shows a blank for forming the outer pack 101 of container 1. Similarly to blank 7, the blank 8 has a bottom panel 801 and rear and front major side panels 802 and 803. Side wall tabs 804 and 805 are provided with bottom tabs 806 and 807, similarly to panel 703. Front major side panel 803 is connected to side wall section panels 808 and 809 by a plurality of fold lines. A secondary side wall panel 810 is provided, which may also, similarly to panel 710, be folded through substantially 180 degrees to provide reinforcement to front major panel 803, although in this case it would only partially cover this panel 803. Panels 801 to 807 can be folded and glued as described for the equivalent, similarly numbered, panels of blank 7. Side wall section panel 808 differs from side wall panel 708 in that it includes opening 122. To facilitate manufacture of the pack, secondary tab 125 has been provided to provide a connection between the two separate parts 808a, 808b of side wall section panel 808 located each side of the opening 122. Side wall section panels 808 and 809 may be glued to wall side tabs 804 and 805 and secondary tab 125 may also be glued on rear major side wall 802. The provision of secondary tab 125 can facilitate the manufacture of the outer pack, since, particularly when in a high volume folding machine, as is often used in the art, the lack of a connection between side wall section panel parts 808a and 808b can cause difficulties in manufacture. In the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 6, a panel depicted by dashed line 811 may be cut out from the blank and folded back through 180 degrees to adopt the position shown by the dashed line. This can create opening 122 and can further provide reinforcement to front major panel 803. Alternatively, if the size of the panel depicted by line 811 is reduced, or if the panel is omitted completely, there may be provided a first slider element panel 812. First slider element panel 812 is connected to a secondary slider element panel 813 by fold line 814. First slider element panel 812 is connected to side wall section panel 808 by frangible links 815. Frangible links are defined as links between parts of the blank which may be broken by a user when opening the container, and may be configured to be broken using the force of a single hand, without the need for tools or assistance. A further frangible link or frangible links 816 is provided between secondary slider element panel 813 and side wall section panel part 808a. Frangible link 816 will be broken during the manufacture of the pack such that secondary slider element panel 813 can be rotated through 180 degrees to be affixed to the inside of first slider element panel 812. Frangible links 815 may remain intact during manufacture. When the inner blank 7 and the outer blank 8 are arranged relative to one another during manufacture, to create container 1, first slider element panel 812 may be affixed to the inner pack without breaking frangible links 815. This may be before or after blanks 7 and 8 have been folded to form the inner and outer pack parts. Therefore, once the container 1 has been assembled, when a user first takes possession of the container, first slider element panel 812 is attached to the outer pack by frangible links 815 and is affixed to the inner pack. For the user to first open the container, it will be necessary for him or her to break frangible links 815 to open the container and it will then be evident from the fact that these links are broken that the container has been opened. This can provide a tamper evident function, such that a user may check whether a container has been opened or not before using the contents of the container. Frangible links 815 will preferably require a lesser force to break them than would be required to detach first slider element panel 812 from the inner pack. Rear major side panel 802 comprises end tabs 817 which may be folded through 180°, similarly to secondary side wall panel 810 to provide some additional strength to panel 802. A lid actuating link 116 is shown connected to rear major side panel 802 by fold line 117. Attachment portion 118 may be attached to the outer face of panel 719 on top of lid 111 to both provide strength to the lid end face and to attach the two packs together. Attachment portion 118 is connected to lid actuating link 116 via a further attachment portion 121, which, during manufacture, may optionally be attached to the rear wall 113 of lid 111.

Figure 9 shows an alternative blank for forming an alternative outer pack for a container similar to container 1 of Figure 1. The blank 9 comprises similar features to the blank 8 of Figure 8 and may be assembled in a similar way. Only differences between blank 9 and the blank of Figure 8 are described in the following, using similar reference numerals where appropriate. Major front side wall panel 903 is separated from side wall panels 908 and 909 by a greater number of fold lines to create a rounded corner effect over a greater radius. An opening 922 is provided, which extends from major front side panel 903, through the multiple fold lines into side wall panel 908. A first slider element panel 912 occupies the full width of the opening, where the width is in a direction extending from the major front side panel 903 to the side wall panel 908. The first slider element occupies substantially half of the height of the opening, where the height is in the direction from the bottom of major front side panel 903, adjacent bottom panel 901, to the top of major front side panel 903, adjacent the open face of the outer pack once folded. Secondary slider element 913 is connected to first slider element 912 along fold line 914. Frangible links 915 and 916 are provided in the same way as frangible links 815 and 816 of blank 8. To allow first slider element 912 to fold correctly around the rounded corner provided by the multiple fold lines, it may be necessary to remove the portion of secondary slider element 913 which falls upon those fold lines. On blank 9, it is not necessary to provide major wall tab 125, since the opening does not extend into side walls at angles of greater than 90° to one another, or covering more than two of the major side wall panels.

Figure 10 shows an alternative blank for forming the inner pack, similar to the blank illustrated in Figure 7a. The blank may be used in a similar way to that described with respect to Figure 7a. The differences include that opening 1017 is slightly shallower than opening 717 and, in addition to secondary side wall panel 1010, a tertiary side wall panel 1010a is provided, which may be similarly folded through 180° around the fold line connecting it to panel 101, such that a triple thickness is provided to major front side panel 1003 of the inner pack. This can be beneficial when slider element 912, 913 of blank 9 is attached to blank 10 during the manufacture of a container. This is because a user may tend to apply pressure to major front side panel 1003 when using slider element 912, 913 and it can therefore be beneficial to provide additional layers and the resulting additional strength on this side of the inner pack.

Figures 11a to 11e provide a schematic illustration of how lid actuating link 116 acts to open and close lid 111 as the inner pack and the outer pack are moved between their first and second relative positions. The illustrations are a schematic view of a cross-section through container 1 along line A-A, represented in Figure 5. These figures are not on the same scale as Figure 5 and some of the dimensions and effects are exaggerated for illustrative purposes.

Figure 11a shows a container such as that shown in Figure 1 in a closed configuration. Inner pack 102 is in its closed position within outer pack 101. Lid 111 is shown with a recess between fold lines 726 and 727, as illustrated in Figure 7c. Attachment portions 118 and 121 are attached to the outer surface of lid 111, although as stated previously, the actual gluing or attachment of attachment portion 121 to lid 111 is optional. Lid actuating link 116 is an extension of outer pack side wall 124 and is shown in its closed configuration in which the lid actuating link is connected to the side wall by a fold line at a first end 1101 and is hingedly connected to the lid of the inner pack at a second end 1102. In this closed configuration, the lid actuating link is located between a side wall of the outer pack and the inner pack and extends from the first end toward the interior of the outer pack.

Figure 11b shows an intermediate position of the inner pack relative to the outer pack. In this configuration, referred to as the quarter-open configuration, lid actuating link 116 is substantially perpendicular to the side walls of the outer pack and is partially rotated about its first end as compared to its orientation in Figure 11 a. This causes outer pack wall 124 to deform away from the interior of the outer pack to accommodate the length of lid actuating link 116. Lid 111 remains in its closed position on inner pack 102.

Figure 11c shows the pack in the configuration shown in Figures 3 and 5. At this point, lid actuating link 116 has rotated around its first end, such that it extends from its first end 1101 away from the interior of the outer pack. Once in this orientation, further movement of the inner pack 102 in the direction of the open face of the outer pack 101 creates tension in the lid actuating link 116 to cause the lid 111 to rotate about hinge 128 as is shown in Figures 11d and 11e. Outer wall 124 is shown deforming away from inner pack 102, although this may not occur in all embodiments of the invention. Depending upon the arrangement of the inner and outer packs and on the provision and location of slider element 812, or 912, the inner pack 102 may extend yet further out of outer pack 101, as can be seen in the illustration in Figure 6. In container 1, it is the lid actuating link which limits the movement of inner pack 102 out of outer pack 101.

Figure 12 shows an alternative embodiment of the present invention where a container 12 has an outer pack 1201 and an inner pack 1202 slidable within the outer pack. A slider element 1203 is attached to inner pack 1202 and, similarly to the container shown in Figure 1, a lid 1204 substantially fills an open top face of outer pack 1201 when the container is in the closed configuration shown.

Figure 13 shows container 12 in an open configuration, in which inner pack 1202 and slider element 1203 have been displaced towards the open top face of outer pack 1201 and lid 1204 is in an open configuration. Here it can be seen that the movement of slider element 1203 is limited by the edges of the opening within which it slides. In this way, slider element 1203 limits the movement of inner pack 102 within outer pack 101. This is in contrast to container 1, where the relative movement out of outer pack 101 is limited by lid actuating link 116.

Figure 14 shows a top view of container 12, equivalent to the top view shown in Figure 4 of container 1. Inner pack 1202 is accommodated within outer pack 1201 and a lid actuating link 1216 is arranged between the inner pack and the outer pack. The container shown in this embodiment does not have the rounded corners of container 1.

Figure 15 shows a rear view of the container 12 in an intermediate configuration, between its open and closed configurations. The lid actuating link 1216 is extending outwardly from the outer pack 1201. An attachment portion 1221, equivalent to element attachment portion 121 of container 1 can also be seen. Cuts 1227 are also optionally provided, equivalent to cuts 127 of Figure 5.

Figure 16 shows a side view of the pack in the same intermediate configuration of Figure 15. It can be seen that slider element 1203 is approximately half way though its stroke between closed and fully open configurations and lid actuating link 1216 is extending outwardly from outer pack 1201. Lid 1204 is still in its closed configuration on inner pack 1202.

Figure 17 shows container 12 in a fully open configuration, with slider element 1203 in the open position as shown in Figure 13. Lid actuating link 1216 is maintaining lid 1204 in the open position.

Figure 18 shows a blank 18 for creating the outer pack of container 12. The construction is very similar to the blank 9 of Figure 9 and can be assembled by folding in a similar manner. The principal difference is the lack of multiple fold lines for creating rounded corners, which are present on blank 9, but not on blank 18. A cut out 1801 is provided to facilitate the folding of slider element 1812 about fold line 1802. This is similar to the feature described in relation to Figure 9, but not illustrated. It can be seen that frangible links 1815 and 1816 are provided similarly to the frangible links 915 and 916 of blank 9.

Figure 19 shows a blank for forming the inner pack of container 12 and, in the same way that blank 18 is similar to blank 9, blank 19 also has similarities to blank 10. The principal difference is a lack of multiple fold lines in blank 19, since only a single fold line is required to create the corners of container 12. Blank 19 has frangible links 1901 between lid wall side tabs 1902 and side wall tabs 1903, which may optionally be used on any of the illustrated inner pack blanks and which may be broken either during manufacture of the container or on a first opening of the pack to provide a tamper evident function. The remaining features of the blank can be understood by their equivalency to the features of blanks 10 and 7 described earlier.

Claims

A container (1), comprising:
an inner pack (102), comprising: a bottom face, an open top face, a plurality of inner pack side walls (106) extending longitudinally between the top and bottom faces and a lid (111) hingedly connected to one of the inner pack side walls;

an outer pack (101) comprising a plurality of longitudinal outer pack side walls defining an interior of the outer pack, the inner pack (102) being receivable within the interior of the outer pack, the outer pack (101) being arranged to allow relative longitudinal movement of the inner pack (102) with respect to the outer pack (101), between first and second positions; and

a lid actuating link (116), being integrally formed with and extending from an edge of a side wall of the outer pack at a first end and connected to the lid (111) of the inner pack at a second end, the lid (111) and lid actuating link (116) being arranged such that sliding the inner pack (102) between the first position and the second position causes the lid to move between an open position and a closed position; and characterised in that:

during movement between the first and second positions, the lid actuating link (116) rotates about the first end, from a first orientation, in which the lid actuating link is located between a side wall of the outer pack and the inner pack, to a second orientation, in which the lid actuating link extends from the first end away from the interior of the outer pack; and

the inner pack (102) comprises a recess to accommodate at least a part of the thickness of the lid actuating link (116) when the lid (111) is in the closed position.
A container (1) according to claim 1, wherein the recess is provided in the lid (111).
A container (1) according to claim 2, wherein the lid (111) comprises a lid wall (113) and the recess is provided by providing at least one cut (127) in the lid wall, or a pair of cuts in the lid wall.
A container (1) according to claim 2, wherein the lid (111) comprises an upper end face, arranged substantially perpendicular to the lid wall and connected to the lid wall by a fold line and wherein the recess is formed by a first portion of the fold line, which is off-set relative to a second portion of the fold line.
A container (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the width and length of the lid actuating link (116), and the dimensions of the side walls of the outer pack (101), are selected such that the side walls of the outer pack are deformable to allow the link to remain substantially rigid and to rotate from its first orientation, when the pack is closed, to its second orientation when the pack is open.
A container (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the outer pack (101) further comprises an opening (122) in at least one of the side walls, to allow a user to access a side wall of the inner pack (102) through the side wall of the outer pack, to slide the inner pack between the first and second positions.
A container (1) according to claim 6, wherein the opening (122) is a single opening extending into at least two side walls of the outer pack (101), such that the user may reach the inner pack (102) to open the container from a variety of angles.
A container (1) according to claim 7, wherein the opening (122) is a single opening extending into at least three side walls of the outer pack (101).
A container (1) according to claim 7 or claim 8, wherein the opening (122) extends into side walls arranged at angles of greater than zero degrees and less than around 90 degrees to one another.
A container (1) according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the opening (122) extends around side walls arranged substantially perpendicular to one another.
A container (1) according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the opening (122) extends around side walls arranged at angles of greater than 90 degrees to one another.
A container (1) according to any one of claims 7 to 11, wherein the side walls of the outer pack (101) are formed from a blank comprising:
a first major side panel having side wall tabs arranged on each of two sides of the first major side panel;

a second major side panel, having side wall section panels arranged on each of two sides of the second major side panel;

at least one of the side wall section panels comprising two parts, separated by the opening, and a secondary tab arranged on an opposite side of the side wall section panel parts to the major wall section.
A container (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the outer pack (101) comprises an outer pack part and a slider element, the slider element being connected to the outer pack part by frangible links and fastened to the inner pack (102), such that when the frangible links are broken, the slider element remains fastened to the inner pack.
A container (1) according to claim 13, arranged such that the frangible links are broken on a first opening of the container.
A container (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein each of the inner pack (102) and the outer pack (101) comprises at least one rounded corner (108,109) connecting a pair of adjacent side walls.
A container (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a side wall of the container comprises a secondary layer of material, provided by a secondary side wall portion, connected to the edge of the side wall by a fold line.
A method of forming a container (1), comprising, in no particular order, the steps of:
forming an inner pack (102), comprising: a bottom face, an open top face, a plurality of inner pack side walls extending longitudinally between the top and bottom faces and a lid hingedly connected to one of the inner pack side walls;

forming an outer pack (101) comprising a plurality of longitudinal outer pack side walls defining an interior of the outer pack, the inner pack being receivable within the interior of the outer pack, the outer pack being arranged to allow relative longitudinal movement of the inner pack with respect to the outer pack, between first and second positions; and

forming a lid actuating link (116), connected to the lid of the inner pack at a first end, the lid and lid actuating link being arranged such that sliding the inner pack between the first position and the second position causes the lid to move between an open position and a closed position; and characterised by:

arranging the inner pack and the outer pack such that during movement between the first and second positions, the lid actuating link rotates about the first end, from a first orientation, in which the lid actuating link is located between a side wall of the outer pack and the inner pack, to a second orientation, in which the lid actuating link extends from the first end away from the interior of the outer pack, and

forming a recess in the inner pack to accommodate at least a part of the thickness of the lid actuating link when the lid is in the closed position.