Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Container
Description
The present invention relates to a container for storing tobacco products.
Current packaging for tobacco products, in particular snus and snuff but also
loose
tobacco, generally comprises a container formed from a base and a lid. These
containers
are typically made from one type of material, such as metal or plastic, each
of which have
different advantages in terms of the manufacturing process and robustness of
the
container. For example, a metal container exhibits a greater robustness,
strength and
rigidity than a plastic container and allows print to be applied across the
material surface
before being formed into its final product shape. However, the manufacturing
process of
metal containers may create points of weakness at corners and edges, whereas
plastic
containers can be easily manufactured to a high level of detail by injection
moulding.
It is desirable to provide a container with advantages that would normally
only be found
with containers formed from different materials.
It is also desirable to provide a container with a separate disposal
compartment in either
the lid or the base which is closable with a cover so that a user can
temporarily store used
snus for later disposal. Although it may be preferable to form the container
from a
particular material, that material may have certain inherent limitations
making it difficult to
provide the container with a disposal compartment.
It is known from W02008/135864 to provide a container for smokeless tobacco
products
having a metal base, a metal lid and a plastic ring received within and
mechanically
connected to the base that protrudes above the side wall of the base and which
makes a
friction fit with the lid. However, the configuration of the container does
not allow for
either the base or the lid to be provided with, for example, a disposal
compartment.
The present invention seeks to provide a container for holding snus which
overcomes or
substantially alleviates the problems mentioned above and which combines
different
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materials such that a container can be tailored to specific applications in
terms of use,
manufacturing advantages and cost effectiveness.
According to the present invention, there is provided a container comprising
two
portions separable from each other to gain access to the contents of the
container,
each portion having a central wall with a peripheral side wall, at least one
of said
portions having an outer sheath attachable thereto that extends over the side
wall
and across a portion of the central wall.
In a preferred embodiment, the outer sheath extends across only a periphery of
the
central wall adjacent to said peripheral side wall. If the container is
circular, this
provides the sheath with a circular opening through which the central wall of
the
base of the container is visible.
Preferably, the portion to which the outer sheath is attachable comprises a
recess in
a region of the central wall not covered by said outer sheath so as to form a
disposal
compartment.
Conveniently, the central wall of the portion to which the outer sheath is
attached is
formed with a groove in the region not covered by the outer sheath to receive
a lip
of a cover, said cover being releasably attachable to the central wall to
close the
disposal compartment.
An indentation may be formed in the central wall of the portion of the
container to
which the outer sheath is attached to facilitate removal of said cover.
In one embodiment, the outer sheath has a lower folded edge that locates
against
the central wall.
Conveniently, the central wall includes an outer recess and the lower folded
edge
locates in said recess.
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Preferably, the peripheral side wall of the portion of the container to which
the
outer sheath is attachable is formed with a protrusion to locate the outer
sheath on
said portion.
Conveniently, the outer sheath is slideable onto said portion, said protrusion
having
a ramped lower surface configured such that the outer sheath rides up said
ramped
surface and snaps over the protrusion to attach the outer sheath to said
portion.
In one embodiment, the outer sheath has an upper folded edge that slides up
the
to ramped lower surface and snaps over the protrusion.
The upper folded edge may be configured such that it resiliently deforms as
the
outer sheath slides up the ramped lower surface to enable the outer sheath to
pass
over the protrusion.
The side wall of the portion to which an outer sheath is attachable may
comprise a
first portion and a second portion displaced radially inwardly from the first
portion,
said first and second portions being separated by a shoulder.
In one embodiment, a bead is formed on said second portion that engages with a
flange formed on the side wall of the other portion to maintain the container
in a
closed state.
Preferably, the portion to which an outer sheath is attachable comprises a
base and
the other portion comprises a lid.
In an alternative embodiment, the portion to which an outer sheath is
attachable
comprises a lid and the other portion comprises a base.
The outer sheath may be removable from said portion.
Preferably, the central wall is circular with cylindrical side walls and the
outer sheath
is annular.
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In one embodiment, the portion having an outer sheath is formed from plastic
and
said outer sheath is formed from metal.
Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example
only, and
with reference to the following drawings, in which:
Figure 1 shows a perspective top view of a container according to the present
invention;
Figure 2 shows a perspective bottom view of the container of Figure 1;
Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the container of Figures 1 and 2; and
Figure 4 shows an enhanced region of the cross-sectional view of the container
of Figure 3.
Referring now to the drawings there is shown in Figures 1 to 3 a container 1
comprising a
base 2 and a lid 3 which define a main storage space for holding snus. The
base 2 further
comprises a central recess 4 defining a space or disposal compartment for
receiving
consumed snus, which is closed by a cover 5 as seen in Figure 2 and 3. At
least the base 2 is
formed from a plastic material. The base 2 is also configured to receive a
metal outer
sheath 6 as will become apparent from the following description.
A cross-sectional view of the container is illustrated in Figure 3, which
shows the base 2
having a bottom or central wall 7 in which the central recess 4 extending
towards the main
storage space of the container 1 is formed. The central wall 7 of the base 2
further
comprises a generally annular groove 8 for receiving a peripheral lip 9 of the
cover 5, an
outer annular recess 10 configured to hold a folded edge 11 of the metal outer
sheath 6 and
an outer annular lip 7a. Located in the path of the annular groove 8, between
the central
recess 4 and the outer annular recess 10, is an indentation 12 which is formed
to enable a
user to insert a finger to facilitate removal of the cover 5. At the periphery
of the central
wall 7 of the base 2 is an upwardly extending side wall 13 formed from first
and second
integral portions 13a, 13b, the second portion 13b extending from the upper
end of the
first portion 13a and being disposed radially inwardly of the first portion
13a. The first and
second portions are separated by a shoulder 13c. On the outer surface of the
first portion
13a a circumferential protrusion 15 is formed and a bead 16 is formed on the
outer surface
of the second portion 13b. The protrusion 15 is formed with an upper
horizontal surface
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17 parallel to the central wall 7 of the base 2 and has a ramped lower surface
17a extending
in a direction towards its horizontal surface 17.
The cover 5 which closes the disposal compartment is configured to he flush
with the
central wall 7. It comprises a circular bottom wall 19 provided with the
peripheral lip 9
which is received in the annular groove 8 of the base 2 as previously
described. A side wall
20 extends upwardly from the bottom wall 19 for a distance equal to the depth
of the
central recess 4 of the base 2 and is received therein when the cover 5 is
attached to the
container 1.
The lid 3 comprises a top wall 25 having a peripheral side wall 26. An edge 27
of the side
wall is coiled inwardly so as to form a flange 28 that engages with the bead
16 of the base 2
such that the lid 3 is releasably attachable to said base 2. When the lid 3 is
in position on
the base 2, the end of the peripheral side wall 26 sits on the shoulder
between the first and
second portions 13a, 13b of the base 2.
The container 1 according to the present invention is further provided with
the metal outer
sheath 6 having an annular shape. Figure 4 shows an enlarged region of Figure
3 which
illustrates the metal outer sheath 6 extending across part of the central wall
7 and the first
portion 13a of the side wall 13 of the base 2 which is not inwardly displaced.
The upper 30
and lower edges 11 of the metal outer sheath 6 are folded or doubled-back so
as to create
upper and lower folded end portions 11 a, 30a that provide mechanical coupling
with the
base 2. Moreover, the folded end portion 11a of the lower edge 11 is disposed
in the
annular recess 10 of the central wall 7 of the base 2 so that the metal outer
sheath 6 extends
across the outer annular lip 7a and lies flush with the central wall 7. The
lower folded end
portion 11a fits neatly in the annular recess 10 and is restricted from moving
in a direction
parallel to the central wall 7 of the base 2. The upper edge 30 abuts the
horizontal surface
17 of the protrusion 15 of the side wall 13 of the base 2 such that the metal
outer sheath 6
is prevented from moving downwards. The thickness of the upper folded end
portion 30a
also enables the metal outer sheath 6 to form a flush outer surface with the
lid 3. The
combination of the restricted mobility of the upper and lower folded edges 30,
11 of the
metal outer sheath 6 secures the sheath 6 onto the base 2. Furthermore, the
resilience of
i
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the metal enables the sheath 6 to be clipped on and off such that it may be
removable or
interchangeable.
When the metal outer sheath 6 is to be attached to the base, the base 2 is
placed within the
sheath so that the upper folded portion 30a contacts the ramped underside
surface 17a of
the protrusion 15. The metal outer sheath 6 and base 2 are then pressed
together so that
the metal outer sheath 6 resiliently deforms as it rides up the ramp. When the
top of the
ramp is reached, the folded edge 30 snaps over the protrusion 15 to hold the
metal outer
sheath 6 in position. At the same time, the other lower folded portion 11a
seats in the
annular recess 10. It will be appreciated that the side wall of the metal
outer sheath 6 may
deform and/or the upper folded portion 30a to enable it to pass over the
protrusion 15
and snap into place.
As the metal outer sheath 6 covers the entire side wall 13 of the base 2 and
extends around
the lower edge of the base 2, leaving an annular opening through which the
central wall 7
of the plastic base 2 is accessible, a disposal compartment may be formed in
the plastic
base 2 whilst the benefits of a metal container are also realised.
The base 2 and cover 5 can be formed by injection moulding, which enables the
container
1 to be easily formed with a disposal compartment without the typical
drawbacks of metal
including points of weakness at corners and edges. The metal outer sheath 6
attached to
the base 2 provides additional strength to the container 1, as well as a
surface for printing a
brand and/or promotional material. In contrast to conventional plastic
containers, this
enables the surface of the metal outer sheath 6 to be printed prior to being
formed into the
annular shape allowing for the entire surface of the metal outer sheath to be
printed if so
desired.
In the illustrated embodiment, the base 2 is formed from plastic and the lid
3, cover
5 and the outer sheath 6 are made of metal so as to give the container an
overall
metallic appearance. However, it should be appreciated that the base, lid,
cover and
sheath can be formed from any material and in any combination of materials.
For
example, the base and the lid can be made of plastic and the outer sheath from
metal, or the outer sheath can be made of cardboard which provides a surface
to
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enable print to be readily applied thereto, rather than providing additional
stability.
Alternatively, the whole container can be formed from plastic such that a
plastic
outer sheath provides additional stability to the container and allows for
easy
exchange of promotional material by interchanging the sheath. Furthermore,
rubber
can be used for the outer sheath such that it protects the base and offers a
surface
for printing promotional material.
It is also envisaged that the disposal compartment can be formed in the lid
instead
of the base. The lid is then configured similarly to the central wall of the
base as
previously described, such that the metal outer sheath extends across part of
the top
wall and the peripheral side walls of the lid. In another embodiment, a
disposal
compartment could be formed in both the lid and the base, in which case both
the
lid and the base would be provided with its own outer sheath.
It is also envisaged that the container may not be provided with a disposal
compartment, in which case the central wall of the base of the container will
be
visible through the outer sheath if the sheath extends only partly across the
central
wall, although the sheath may extend entirely across and completely cover the
central wall. In this embodiment, the outer sheath would still offer
advantages over
conventional containers in terms of enhanced rigidity and so as to provide,
for
example, a surface for printing prior to the sheath being formed into shape.
It will be appreciated that although the container has been described as
having a circular
cross-section it is not limited to this configuration and may be of other
shapes. For
example, the container, including the base, lid and metal outer sheath, may be
oblong with
rounded corners, oval or rectangular. Furthermore, it will also be appreciated
that the
outer sheath may only extend partly around the circumference of the base, but
still provide
the aforementioned advantages.
It should also be realised that the container according to the present
invention is
configured to hold any type of tobacco products including smokeless products
such as snus
and snuff as well as loose tobacco for handrolled cigarettes or for pipes.
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Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will
be
appreciated by those persons skilled in the art that the foregoing description
should
be regarded as a description of preferred embodiments only and that other
embodiments that fall within the scope of the appended claims are considered
to
form part of this disclosure.
