Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TRANSLATION
The invention relates to a case having an interior that
snugly receives a complementary flip-top cigarette or cigarillo
pack and having a cover secured by an integral hinge and fitting
with the flip top of the cigarette or cigarillo pack, a spring
assisting outward pivoting (opening) of the cover, and a reusable,
releasable and lockable latch element for the cover.
Cigarettes are often packaged in flip-top packs made of
cardboard and comprised of a main pack part and with a top
pivotally mounted on a rear wall of the main pack part.
Embodiments of such a flip-top pack are seen for example in German
43 42 523 and 198 14 255. The top here is provided on a narrow
side so that after it is opened up the ends of the cigarettes are
exposed and they can be pulled out lengthwise.
Cigarillo packs have a back wall with four narrow side
walls and a top that is secured to one side wall. After swinging
up the top the cigarillos inside are exposed along their full
lengths.
Both cigarette and cigarillo packs are made very simple
both for convenience and to hold down cost. The advantage of the
cigarette or cigarillo pack, that it provides a certain level of
protection for the contents and is also easy to stack, is weighed
against the disadvantage that the pack looks cheap, is only
moderately durable, and gets dirty to look even Worse. In addition
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the advertising logo of the manufacturer and other material printed
on the pack are considered unattractive.
A partial solution to this is provided by a cigarette or
cigarillo case having a metal body that can carry on its outer
surface decoration, an engraved name, or the like. The
disadvantage of such a case is that the cigarettes or cigarillos
must be transferred to it, which seems like a bother to the smoker.
In addition the holding capacity of such a case often does not
correspond to the number of cigarettes or cigarillos in the
original pack. The extra cigarettes or cigarillos from the
original pack must be carried separately.
Leather cigarette cases are also known which hold a
cigarette pack and have a flap on their upper side that can be
opened and lifted to expose the top of the cigarette pack. Such
leather cases have however the disadvantage that the steps to get
to a cigarette are relatively complex since first the flap has to
be opened and then the cigarette-pack top must be raised. In
addition cigarette packs are not of uniform dimensions so that such
a case can only be used for packs of a certain size.
US 2,897,958 describes a case for holding a cigarette
pack and having a cover hinged on the case back wall. In addition
inside the back wall there is a leaf spring 24 coacting with a pin
secured inside the case such that the leaf spring 24 retains the
cover in the closed position. In order to open the cover, this
spring force must be overcome.
In addition inside the cover at the front there is a hook
that presses against the top of the cigarette pack and ensures that
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when the case cover is pivoted up the pack top is entrained. The
disadvantage of this hook is that the front wall of the top of the
cigarette pack is pushed inward with some force which can damage
the cigarettes therein or partially crush them. The inward
deformation of the top of the cigarette pack also makes it hard to
open With a full pack.
US 2,954,867 describes a case formed of two parts. The
first part is an upwardly open pack and the second part is a cover
having at a lower edge of its back wall a full-width and downwardly
projecting flexible tongue. The cigarette pack is slipped into the
first part and then the tongue is inserted between the inner face
of the first-part back wall and the inserted cigarette pack. In
order that opening of the cover entrains the top of the cigarette
pack, the inner face of the front side of the cover has a sticky
surface coating. The disadvantage with this case is the relatively
complex procedure of loading it with a pack of cigarettes and of
opening the cover.
French 950,517 shows a forwardly open case whose cover is
urged by a spring 6 to swing up automatically when a latching pawl
that normally holds it closed is swung inward by pushing on a
button. The disadvantage of this case is that when the spring
force is sufficiently strong the case cover moves rapidly backward
and does not entrain the pack top or even, with enough spring
force, damages it. When a weaker spring is used on the other hand
the case cover "hangs" so that it is necessary to operate it
manually.
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It is an object of the present invention so to improve
the above-described cases such that they are easier to use and
surer in function without increasing the danger of damaging the
cigarette pack.
This object is attained by the case of claim 1.
According to the invention an inner surface of the case is provided
with at least one entrainment element which engages and entrains
the top of the cigarette- or cigarillo-pack top on opening of the
cover. The advantage of this case is that after opening the cover
latch the entrainment element forces open the cover of the
cigarette or cigarillo pack. The case according to the invention
has an interior that can fit the standard cigarette or cigarillo
packs. Longer or wider cigarette or cigarillo packs can also be
accommodated since the entrainment element for the original pack
top maintains the pack in position in the case. Only the depth of
the container, that is the distance between the back wall and the
front wall has to be generally equal to or bigger than the pack
being held so that the hinge of the case cover and the bend line
between the pack top and the pack body of the original pack are
close together or, preferably, coaxial. The case according to the
invention is loaded by sliding the entire cigarette or cigarillo
pack, after removing the foil and breaking the seal, into the case
and closing the cover. The entrainment element or elements thus
engage the top of the cigarette or cigarillo pack so that when
first opened the case cover forcibly pivots up the top. In this
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manner one-handed use of the case according to the invention is
possible.
Preferably the entrainment element is an undercut forming
a groove in Which fits a lower edge of the top. Alternately it can
be one or more pins that engage through the cover. The entrainment
element can also be an adhesive surface adhering the front inner
face of the cover on the front outer face of the cigarette or
cigarillo top. The entrainment element or elements can also be
formed by springs which slide on downward pivoting of the cover on
the front face of the cigarette-pack top and then engage underneath
a lower edge of the cigarette-pack top.
The pivot axis of the case is formed by a hinge with a
spiral spring or a torsion bar as spring element. As already
mentioned, the pivot axis of the case and the joint line between
the top part and the base part of the cigarette or cigarillo pack
are immediately adjacent, that is as close as possible. The height
and preferably also the depth of the cover and/or of the base of
the case are greater than the height and/or the depth of the pack
to be held so that the pack does not slide and/or tip on opening of
the cover so as to avoid a kinematic blocking caused by the
different positions of the pivot axis and the joint line of the
pack. Preferably, in particular for a cigarillo pack, the spring
element for opening the cover is damped.
The movement damper can either be a spring element that
is imbedded in an elastically deformable plastic mass, preferably
of silicone as damping material or a spring element that engages an
inner surface of the cover and the base of the case.
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The latch is preferably formed of a repeatedly releasable
latch or snap closure that in one embodiment the invention is
provided on the center axis of a front face of the case. The latch
or snap closure is comprised in a concrete embodiment of the
invention of a tongue provided on the cover with a bump that in the
closed position engages in a recess on a front face of the case
body.
The case interior can have at least one and preferably
two spring-loaded faces as space limiters that are spring loaded so
as to bear on outer faces of the pack. Such spring-loaded faces
make it possible to use the case according to the invention also
for different pack sizes.
The cover and the case body can be made of any stable
material, e.g. steel, stainless steel, or light metal (e. g.
aluminum), including types having a silver-plated, nickel-coated,
platinum-coated, or engraved surface. Particular advantages are
obtained with respect to the construction and the surface detailing
when the container is made of injection-molded plastic, with the
surface preferably having carbon fibers that give a decorative
effect. Injection-molded plastics make for inexpensive
manufacturing and considerable color selection so that cases can be
made in striking colors. In addition to fibers in the surface,
color pigments or reflecting elements can be imbedded.
Embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawing.
Therein:
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FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cigarillo case with an
opened cover;
FIG. 2 is a view of a detail of the cover; and
FIG.3~~/is a case for holding a cigarette pack in a partly
broken-away perspective view.
FIG. 1 shows a standard cigarillo pack with a base part
11 and a top 12 and that is held in a case according to the
invention that itself has a base part 13 and a cover part 14 hinged
on it. The base part has four upright short side walls for snugly
holding the cigarillo-pack base; similarly the cover part 14 of the
case according to the invention is provided with side walls that
snugly fit around the cigarillo-pack top 12. In order to ensure
that, on opening of the cover part, the cigarillo-pack top is
entrained, the cover part 14 has corner lips 14 at both the right-
and left-hand edges that form undercuts.
The hinge between the base part and the cover part is
provided with a torsion spring that is imbedded in an elastically
deformable plastic silicone mass serving as damper. This torsion
bar is actuated by buttons 16 provided on both sides of the base
part 13. In the closed condition of the case according to the
invention a push on the buttons 16 releases a latch and the
prestressed spring element, that is the torsion bar, is released to
pivot up the cover part. The buttons 16 can be pushed at the same
time by two fingers of one hand so that holding and opening the
case according to the invention and the subsequent extending to
offer the cigarillos in the cigarillo pack can be done with one
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hand. Preferably the rotation or hinge axis of the cigarillo pack
and that of the case according to the invention are in a common
plane.
The case according to the invention is loaded by setting
the cigarillo pack 11, 12, after breaking the seal, in the base
part and closing the case according to the invention by pivoting
down the cover part 14. This pushes on the top so the cigarillo
pack, unless this has already occurred, is pressed into the base
part and inwardly projecting lips 15 on its side walls, which also
form undercuts, engage over the front of the side wall edges of the
cigarillo pack. Simultaneously the lips 15 of the cover part 14
engage over the cover side-wall edges of the cigarillo pack. When
the case according to the invention is opened for the first time by
actuation of the buttons 16, the cover part 14 pivots up through at
least 90E, preferably 135E, whereupon the cigarillo-pack top 12 is
entrained by the lips 15 in the cover part 14. The pivoting is not
abrupt, as would be the case with an unbraked spring, but is
damped. A kinematic blocking of the cigarillo pack and the case
according to the invention, which both have hinges, is thus avoided
because these hinges are immediately adjacent each other and the
cigarillo pack can deform slightly and the cover part 14 can thus
pivot in the joint region between the base part 13 and the cover
part 14. Instead of the lips 15 there can be a spring, a pin that
sticks into the pack, or adhesive surfaces on which the side walls
of the base and top of the cigarillo pack can adhere. The case
according to the invention is made to be a complementary fit in its
base and cover parts although limited play can be provided to allow
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the cigarillo pack to slide in the case according to the invention
so as to avoid a kinematic blocking of the cover during opening
created by the offset of the pivot axes of the cigarillo pack and
the case according to the invention. The case according to the
invention is preferably made of a high-quality but very light and
stable material, e.g. very thin steel, stainless steel, light
metal, or even of fiber-reinforced plastic. Carbon fibers in a
fiber-reinforced plastic can provide a very nice appearance. If
the case is made of injection-molded parts, the hinge is preferably
formed as a membrane hinge without being a separate part. Even
when of injection-molded plastic construction, decorative metallic
elements can be imbedded in it, e.g. as a logo or other decoration.
The case according to FIG. 3 is intended to hold a
standard cigarette pack. The case 17 has a floor, a front wall, a
back wall, and left- and right-hand side walls, the front and rear
walls being of different height and the side walls connecting them
having angled upper edges as is standard for a cigarette pack. The
upper edge of the rear wall is connected via a hinge 18 to a cover
19 that is about the same size and shape of a top of a standard
cigarette pack and the fits snugly thereover. In order to entrain
the top of the cigarette pack there are projecting tabs 20 that
form undercuts and engage under the lower edge of a cigarette-pack
top when the cover part 19 is closed to engage and entrain it. A
front edge of the cover is provided with a hook 21 that can engage
in a complementary undercut seat 22 so that the hook and the seat
22 form a latch. In the illustrated embodiment the case 17 and the
cover 19 are made of limitedly deformable plastic so that a light
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push on the front wall releases the hook 21 from the seat 22. The
hinge 18 is formed by a spring 23 that also forms the pivot axis
and that is prestressed such that When the latch 21, 22 is released
the cover 19 pivots up.
The height, width, and depth of the case and of the top
19 correspond closely to the cigarette pack to be held, but the
height of the case 17 as well as the height of the cover 19 can be
greater than the actual heights of the cigarette packs, since after
fitting the top of the cigarette pack into the cover part 19 the
pivot axes of the cigarette pack and between the case 17 and its
cover 19 are at the same level and the tabs effectively prevent
sliding of the cigarette pack on closing of the cover 19. The same
is true for the width of the cigarette pack relative to the width
of the case 17 and of the cover 19 so long as both tabs 20 can
engage under the cigarette-pack cover edge.
To use the case, the cigarette pack, after breaking the
seal and removing the foil wrap, is slipped into the case 17 and
the cigarette-pack top is fitted into the cover 19 such that the
lower edges of the cigarette pack can be held by the tabs 20. When
the latch 21, 22 is opened, the cover 19 pivots as shown in FIG. 3
toward the rear whereupon the top of the cigarette pack is
entrained.
With respect to material selection, there are the same
options as for the case for holding cigarillo packs.
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