Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Package for tobacco
The invention relates to a package for tobacco, in particular
for loose tobacco used for self-making or rolling cigarettes.
A conventional package for loose tobacco is designed as a soft
pouch with a flap for closing the access opening of the pouch.
The object of the invention is to create a package for tobacco
which has an appearance or design much different from that of
a conventional pouch and which can provide additional options
for improving usefulness, accessibility to the tobacco and
freshness.
This object is achieved by a package for tobacco as defined in
the independent claims. Advantageous versions of the invention
follow from the dependent claims.
The package according to the invention comprises a receptacle
and a closing structure. The receptacle is adapted to accommo-
date loose tobacco and includes a front wall, a rear wall, a
first and a second major lateral wall opposite to each other,
and a first and a second minor lateral wall opposite to each
other. An access opening is provided in the front wall of the
receptacle. The closing structure is moveable relative to the
receptacle from a closed position, in which the closing struc-
ture closes the access opening, to an opened position, in
which the access opening is accessible.
In this context, the lateral walls generally have a smaller
surface area than the front wall and the rear wall. The "ma-
jor" lateral walls generally have a greater length than the
"minor" lateral walls. The terms "first" and "second" are ap-
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plied for definition purposes only; they could also be inter-
changed.
The package according to the invention can have similar dimen-
sions as and look similar to a conventional cigarette pack,
which is much different from a pouch and provides an attrac-
tive appeal. Moreover, the hard-box character of the package
provides more stability in general.
Preferably, the area of the access opening is smaller than the
area of the front wall of the receptacle. Such design improves
the rigidity of the package.
In advantageous embodiments of the invention, the closing
structure comprises a flap, which is hingedly connected to the
receptacle at the side of the first major or minor lateral
wall and is foldable from a closed position, in which the flap
covers the access opening, to an opened position, in which the
access opening is accessible. The flap can be secured by means
of a locking lid, which is hingedly connected to the recepta-
cle (preferably at the side of the second major or minor lat-
eral wall, i.e. generally opposite to the connection of the
flap) and is swivelable from a locking position, in which it
keeps the flap in the closed position, to an unlocking posi-
tion, in which it releases the flap. Preferably, the flap and
the locking lid are connected to the receptacle at the side of
the first and second, respectively, major lateral wall. The
term "at the side of" does not necessarily mean that a respec-
tive hinge line runs on the surface area or along an edge of
the lateral wall in question, but it is to express that a re-
spective means for a hinged connection is closer to the lat-
eral wall in question than to the opposite lateral wall.
In this design, the locking lid can comprise a main wall and
at least one side wall emerging from an edge of the main wall.
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Preferably, the locking lid comprises four side walls emerging
from edges of the main wall, wherein the locking lid is
hingedly connected to the receptacle along a hinge line lo-
cated at the free edge of one of the side walls and, prefera-
bly, at the rear wall of the receptacle. The locking lid can
be connected to the receptacle such that, in the locking posi-
tion of the locking lid, a cavity is provided between the main
wall of the locking lid and the second major or minor lateral
wall of the receptacle. This cavity may accommodate, e.g., a
cigarette paper booklet, see below.
In this design, instead of connecting the locking lid at the
rear wall of the receptacle, it is also conceivable to
hingedly connect the locking lid at one of the minor lateral
walls (if the flap is connected to the receptacle at the side
of the first major lateral wall) or at one of the major lat-
eral walls (if the flap is connected to the receptacle at the
side of the first minor lateral wall). The result is a design
in which the swivel axes of the flap and the locking lid are
generally perpendicular to each other (generally without
crossing each other), which provides for an interesting ap-
pearance.
Moreover, the flap can comprise a first lateral panel and a
main panel, wherein the first lateral panel and the main panel
are separated by a fold line (creasing line) and, when the
flap is in the closed position, the first lateral panel is
close to the first major or minor lateral wall of the recepta-
cle and the main panel closes the access opening. In addition
to the main panel, the flap can also comprise a second lateral
panel, wherein the main panel and the second lateral panel are
separated by a fold line and, when the flap is in the closed
position, the main panel closes the access opening and the
second lateral panel is close to the second major or minor
lateral wall of the receptacle. In a very advantageous embodi-
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ment of this design, a cigarette paper booklet is attached to
the second lateral panel. The flap can also comprise a sealing
pad and/or a reinforcement means, which covers the access
opening when the flap is in the closed position.
A package which includes a flap and a locking lid can be de-
signed in a very attractive manner. The package is rigid. The
locking lid keeps the flap safely in the closed position but
can nevertheless be easily swivelled to the unlocking posi-
tion. And the package can provide extra space for cigarette
paper. When the user opens the locking lid, the cigarette pa-
per gets already accessible while the access opening of the
receptacle is still closed. This is just the right order of
presentation of the equipment required for rolling a ciga-
rette.
A locking lid without side walls or with less than four side
walls is conceivable as well, in particular when the package
does not include a cigarette paper booklet. In this case, the
locking lid is less rigid, and an additional securing means
(e.g. a self-gripping fastener, like Velcro ) may be advanta-
geous. Other common fastener types, e.g. using a magnetic
foil, are feasible as well.
In different embodiments of the package according to the in-
vention, the closing structure comprises a front wall, a rear
wall, a first and a second major lateral wall opposite to each
other, and optionally one minor lateral wall, wherein the
closing structure, in the closed position, surrounds the re-
ceptacle and wherein the closing structure, for transfer into
the opened position, is slidable with respect to the recepta-
cle. Alternatively, the closing structure comprises a front
wall, a rear wall, a first and a second minor lateral wall op-
posite to each other, and optionally one major lateral wall,
wherein the closing structure, in the closed position, sur-
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rounds the receptacle and wherein the closing structure, for
transfer into the opened position, is slidable with respect to
the receptacle. When the closing structure comprises the op-
tional lateral wall, this lateral wall is preferably provided
with a cutout. In these cases, the package can comprise a stop
structure, which is adapted to prevent the closing structure
from being separated from the receptacle after transfer to the
opened position. The stop structure can include, e.g., a
folded element at the receptacle and another folded element at
the rear wall, front wall or a lateral wall of the surrounding
closing structure, wherein one of the folded elements engages
into the other one in order to limit the relative travel be-
tween the receptacle and the closing structure. The packages
of this design have a rigid structure and can be used in a
very intuitive manner.
The access opening of the receptacle can be covered, in the
closed position, by a fresh-keeping foil in order to keep the
tobacco inside the receptacle fresh and to preserve its mois-
ture content, at least partially. To this end, the fresh-
keeping foil may be attached, at one edge, at the receptacle
and, at the opposite edge, at the closing structure, such that
it is automatically rolled up when the closing structure is
transferred into the opened position and releases the access
opening. When the package is closed, this process is reversed.
A manually operated fresh-keeping foil (optionally a reseal-
able one) is conceivable as well.
In a variant of these embodiments, the receptacle includes a
partitioning wall running essentially in parallel to the first
major lateral wall and dividing the receptacle into a first
and a second partition. The second partition of the receptacle
can be optionally subdivided by at least one additional parti-
tioning wall, which preferably runs in parallel to the parti-
tioning wall already mentioned. As before, the closing struc-
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ture comprises a front wall, a rear wall, and a first and a
second minor lateral wall opposite to each other (but not an
optional major lateral wall). In the closed position, the
closing structure surrounds the receptacle. The closing struc-
ture, for transfer into the opened position, is slidable with
respect to the receptacle to expose the access opening of the
receptacle at the side of the first partition. Additionally,
the closing structure, for transfer into a second opened posi-
tion, is slidable with respect to the receptacle in the oppo-
site direction to expose the access opening of the receptacle
at the side of the second partition. Again, a stop means can
be provided which limits the relative movement of the closing
structure and the receptacle to either side.
In this embodiment, the first partition can accommodate loose
tobacco. It is also conceivable to place into the first parti-
tion a conventional pouch filled with tobacco. The second par-
tition may be used for, e.g., a cigarette paper booklet, a
lighter, filter tips or ready-prepared self-made cigarettes.
The additional partitioning walls mentioned above can provide
compartments for accommodating such items and keep them in
nice order.
The second partition can also comprise a profiled area adapted
to hold at least one self-made cigarette. For example, the
lateral wall of the receptacle at the side of the second par-
tition may be designed such that it can be swivelled downwards
to enhance access to the second partition, wherein the inner
side of this wall comprises the profiled area to be used for
storing (ordered and separated), e.g., filter tips or prepared
cigarettes.
In different embodiments of a package according to the inven-
tion, a receptacle is adapted to accommodate loose tobacco and
includes a front wall, a rear wall, a first and a second lat-
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eral wall opposite to each other, and a bottom wall. An access
opening is provided opposite to the bottom wall, wherein the
front wall is connected to foldable gusset-like (wing-like)
extensions of the lateral walls and is swivelable away from
the rear wall, about a hinge line in the region of the bottom
wall, from a resting position to a use position for increase
of the access opening. A lid includes a top wall and a front
wall, wherein the lid is hingedly connected to the receptacle
in the region of the rear wall of the receptacle and is
swivelable from a closed position, in which the lid closes the
access opening and secures the front wall of the receptacle in
the resting position, to an opened position, in which the lid
releases the front wall of the receptacle.
In this context, the lateral walls and the bottom wall gener-
ally have a smaller surface area than the front wall and the
rear wall. "In the region of" means "at or generally close
to", but is not limited to "at".
The package according to these embodiments has some remote
similarity to a conventional tobacco pouch, but it is more
rigid and appealing because it also comprises elements of a
conventional cigarette pack.
The lid can be hingedly connected to the receptacle along a
hinge line located at an edge of the top wall of the lid,
wherein the lid includes two lateral walls stabilising the
front wall of the lid. Moreover, a top panel may be foldably
connected to an upper edge of the front wall of the recepta-
cle. When the lid is in its closed position, this top panel is
placed opposite to the bottom wall of the receptacle. For al-
lowing access to the interior of the receptacle, the top panel
can be folded away.
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Alternatively, the lid includes a rear wall and two lateral
walls connecting the rear wall of the lid to the front wall of
the lid, wherein the lid is hingedly connected to the recepta-
cle along a hinge line located at an edge of the rear wall of
the lid. In this embodiment, the height of the front wall of
the receptacle and/or the height of the rear wall of the re-
ceptacle can be smaller than the height of the lateral walls
of the receptacle, the heights being measured perpendicular to
the bottom wall of the receptacle.
In the embodiments including a locking lid or a lid, a secur-
ing device adapted to secure the locking lid or lid in the
locked or closed position may be advantageous. Suitable secur-
ing devices as such are well known in the art. Usually, they
include a part at the locking lid or lid and a counterpart at
the receptacle, for example a magnetic device (e.g. a magnetic
foil interacting with a steel foil), a hook/hook device or a
hook/loop device (like or similar to Velcro ), a push button
device, a tab/slit device (e.g. a tab protruding at the lock-
ing lid or lid and fitting into a slit provided at the recep-
tacle) or a claw/brim device (as further explained in one of
the embodiments below). An adhesive tape, which does not re-
quire a counterpart, is suitable as well.
Generally, a sound-producing device adapted to produce a sound
when the receptacle is moved relative to the closing structure
or lid provides for an interesting effect. The sound-producing
device can comprise at least one tab protruding from the re-
ceptacle or from the closing structure or lid, wherein this
tab interferes with a counterpart during the relative motion
to produce a sound. Such tab may also aid in securing the lid
in its closed position. Many embodiments of a securing device
as explained in the previous paragraph also produce a sound
when operated and can be considered as a sound-producing de-
vice as well.
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Moreover, the package according to the invention may comprise
at least one bevelled or rounded edge, e.g. at the receptacle
or at the closing structure. Such rounded edges can provide an
appealing effect.
In advantageous embodiments of the invention, a fresh-keeping
foil (e.g., a plastic film or a laminated material or an alu-
minium foil) is provided in the receptacle or at the access
opening of the receptacle in order to keep the tobacco fresh
and to preserve its moisture content, at least partially.
When the access opening is closed by a fresh-keeping foil, it
may be opened manually or automatically upon access to the re-
ceptacle. In the former case, the fresh-keeping foil may be
fixed at one edge of the access opening such that it can be
lifted manually; as an option, a resealing means like a pres-
sure-sensitive adhesive may be provided. An example for an
automatically acting fresh-keeping foil is given further
above. It is also conceivable to manufacture the receptacle
from a material which has inherent fresh-keeping properties,
for example from coated or laminated cardboard.
Cardboard is a preferred material for the package according to
the invention. The package or parts thereof may be cut from an
appropriate blank, folded, and glued, as is well known in the
art. Materials other than cardboard, e.g. plastic material or
laminated material, can be used as well.
The application of a fresh-keeping foil at the access opening
of a package has already been explained above for some embodi-
ments of the invention. Generally, it is also conceivable to
provide a re-sealable fresh-keeping foil at the access opening
of the receptacle (for example a foil interacting with a self-
adhesive edge of the access opening), which the consumer par-
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tially peels off before taking tobacco from the receptacle and
closes again when finished.
In the following, the invention is described in more detail by
means of drawings. The figures show in
Figure 1 isometric views of a first embodiment of the package
for tobacco according to the invention, i.e. in part
(a) with a locking lid in a locking position, in part
(b) with the locking lid in an unlocking position,
and in part (c) with a flap folded to an opened posi-
tion and allowing access to a receptacle,
Figure 2 isometric views of a second embodiment of the package
for tobacco according to the invention, i.e. in part
(a) with a lid in a closed position, in part (b) with
the lid partially opened, and in part (c) with the
lid fully opened and releasing a front wall of a re-
ceptacle,
Figure 3 isometric views of a third embodiment of the package
for tobacco according to the invention, i.e. in part
(a) with a lid in a closed position, in part (b) with
the lid partially opened, in part (c) with the lid
fully opened and releasing a front wall of a recepta-
cle, and in part (d) as in part (c), but viewed from
a different direction,
Figure 4 isometric views of a forth embodiment of the package
for tobacco according to the invention, i.e. in part
(a) with a box-shaped receptacle slid into a closing
structure into a closed position, in part (b) with
the closing structure in a partially opened position,
in part (c) with the receptacle moved out of the
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closing structure, and in part (d) as in part (c),
but with a fresh-keeping foil being removed,
Figure 5 isometric views of a fifth embodiment of the package
for tobacco according to the invention, i.e. in part
(a) with a box-shaped receptacle slid into a closing
structure into a closed position, in part (b) as in
part (a), but viewed from a different direction, in
part (c) with the closing structure in an opened po-
sition, and in part (d) with the receptacle moved out
of the closing structure, and
Figure 6 isometric views of a sixth embodiment of the package
for tobacco according to the invention, i.e. in part
(a) with a receptacle having two partitions slid into
a closing structure into a closed position, in part
(b) with the closing structure exposing one of the
partitions, in part (c) with the closing structure
moved relative to the receptacle into the opposite
direction and exposing the other partition including
its sub-partitions, and in part (d) with the recepta-
cle moved out of the closing structure.
Figure 1 illustrates a first embodiment of a package for to-
bacco by means of three isometric views, i.e. Figure 1(a),
Figure 1(b) and Figure 1(c).
The package 100 comprises a box-shaped receptacle 110 having a
front wall 112, a rear wall 114, a first major lateral wall
116, a second major lateral wall 117, a first minor lateral
wall 118 and a second minor lateral wall 119. In the front
wall 112 of the receptacle 110, there is provided an access
opening 120. The total area of the access opening 120 is
smaller than the area defined by the outer edges of the front
wall 112.
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The inner faces of the receptacle 110 are covered by a fresh-
keeping foil 122, which extends somewhat beyond the edges of
the access opening 120 such that it is visible in Figure 1(c).
The access opening 120 can be closed by means of a flap 130.
The flap 130 is best seen in Figure 1(c) in which it is fully
unfolded.
The flap 130 is connected to the receptacle 110 via a hinge
line 131 located at the side of the first major lateral wall
116, i.e., in the embodiment, at its common edge with the rear
wall 114. The flap 130 comprises a first lateral panel 132, to
which, via a fold line 133, a main panel 134 is connected. The
main panel 134 has about the size of the front wall 112. Via
another fold line 135, a second lateral panel 136 is connected
to the main panel 134 of the flap 130.
The main panel 134 is reinforced by a reinforcement structure
138 made of heavy cardboard. Alternatively, a soft sealing pad
could be used instead of the reinforcement structure 138.
A conventional cigarette paper booklet 140 comprising a fold-
able cover 142 and a plurality of cigarette papers is fixed to
the outer side of the second lateral panel 136 of the flap
130, see Figure 1(c).
Moreover, the package 100 includes a locking lid 150 compris-
ing a main wall 152 as well as four side walls 154, 155, 156
and 157. The locking lid 150 is swivelably connected to the
rear wall 114 of the receptacle 110 via a hinge line 158 lo-
cated at the free edge of side wall 155. The distance between
the hinge line 158 and the common edge between the rear wall
114 and the second major lateral wall 117 is smaller than the
height of the side wall 155 (measured perpendicular to the
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main wall 152 of the locking lid 150). Thus, a cavity is
formed between the main wall 152 of the locking lid 150 and
the second major lateral wall 117 of the receptacle 110, when
the locking lid 150 is in the closed or locked position shown
in Figure 1(a). In this cavity, the cigarette paper booklet
140 is accommodated.
In the embodiment, the package 100 is made from cardboard
blanks which are folded and glued via tabs provided in the
blanks. Other materials, like plastic materials, are conceiv-
able as well. As already mentioned, the tobacco accommodated
in the receptacle 110 is kept fresh by means of the fresh-
keeping foil 122. In an alternative embodiment, the fresh-
keeping foil 122 is replaced by a fresh-keeping coating ap-
plied to the inner face of the receptacle 110, and instead of
the cardboard reinforcement structure 138 a pad is used, which
can largely seal the access opening 120 and also strengthen
the package 100. Alternatively, a peelable fresh-keeping foil
covering the access opening 120 of the receptacle 110 is used
to provide freshness, which can also be resealable. In this
case, the resealability may be accomplished by a pressure-
sensitive adhesive applied to the edge area of the access
opening 120.
In Figure 1(a), the closing structure consisting of the flap
130 and the locking lid 150 is in a closed position. Because
of its structure comprising four side walls 154, 155, 156 and
157, the locking lid 150 firmly locks the folded flap 130 when
in the closed position.
In Figure 1(b), the locking lid has been swivelled to an
unlocking position, in which the cigarette paper booklet 140
is exposed. In that state, a user can take a single cigarette
paper from the cigarette paper booklet 140 and prepare for
rolling a cigarette.
,
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In the next step, the user can unfold the flap 130, until the
package 100 assumes the final state shown in Figure 1(c). Now,
the user can conveniently take tobacco from the receptacle 110
via the exposed access opening 120 and finish the rolling pro-
cedure of the cigarette. Finally, the folding and swivelling
actions are reversed, until the initial state shown in Figure
1(a) is assumed again.
Another embodiment of a package for tobacco is shown in the
isometric views of Figure 2, i.e. in Figure 2(a), Figure 2(b)
and Figure 2(c).
In this embodiment, the package 200 comprises a receptacle 210
having a front wall 212, a rear wall 214, a first lateral wall
216, a second lateral wall 217 and a bottom wall 218. Opposite
to the bottom wall 218, there is provided an access opening
220.
=
The size of the access opening 220 can be increased by swivel-
ling the front wall 212 away from the rear wall 214. To this
end, the front wall 212 is connected to the lateral walls 216
and 217 via gusset-like extensions 222, 223 and 224, 225, re-
spectively, see Figure 2(c). The front wall 212 can be swiv-
elled about a hinge line 226 which is located in the region of
the bottom wall 218, but not exactly at an edge of the bottom
wall 218, such that a fixed front panel 228 is formed. When
the front wall 212 is swivelled about the hinge line 226, the
gusset-like extensions 222, 223, 224, 225 fold in a fan-like
manner. In a variant of this embodiment, the hinge line for
swivelling the front wall is located exactly at the bottom
edge.
Moreover, a top panel 230 is foldably connected to the top
edge of the front wall 212 via a hinge line 232. In the front
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wall 212, there is provided a tab 234, which protrudes to the
outside and extends downwardly, i.e. to the right side in Fig-
ure 2(b).
The package 200 comprises a closing structure designed as a
lid 240. The lid 240 includes a top wall 242 and a front wall
244 and is connected to the top edge of the rear wall 214 via
a hinge line 246. For stabilizing the shape of the lid 240,
two triangular lateral walls 248 and 249 are provided.
When not used, the lid 240 of the package 200 is in the closed
position shown in Figure 2(a). In this position, the lid 240
is secured by means of the tab or claw 234 (see Figure 2(b)),
which interacts with an inner brim 250 (a back-folded flap at
the inner side of the front wall 244 of the lid 240 forming an
engagement edge 252, see Figure 2(c)). The lid 240 secures the
front wall 212 in its resting position shown in Figure 2(a).
When a consumer wants to take out tobacco from the package
200, he or she opens the lid 240, which provides a click noise
when the tab 234 is released, see Figure 2(b). Finally, the
consumer unfolds the front wall 212, see Figure 2(c), such
that a large access opening 220 for easy removal of tobacco is
obtained.
To close the package 200, the actions described before are re-
versed.
The embodiment of the package for tobacco illustrated in Fig-
ure 3 is similar to that shown in Figure 2.
In Figure 3, the package 300 comprises a receptacle 310 com-
prising a foldable front wall 312, a rear wall 314, a first
lateral wall 316, a second lateral wall 317, a bottom wall 318
and an access opening 320 opposite to the bottom wall 318.
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The size of the access opening 320 can be increased by swivel-
ling the front wall 312 away from the rear wall 314. In this
embodiment, gusset-like extensions 322, 323, 324 and 325 do
not extend up to the upper edge of the front wall 312 and the
upper edges of the first lateral wall 316 and the second lat-
eral wall 317, respectively. The front wall 312 can be swiv-
elled about a hinge line 326 at the upper edge of a fixed
front panel 328, close to the bottom wall 318.
In the embodiment according to Figure 3, two inserts 330 and
331 are glued to the inside of the receptacle 310 in order to
increase the height of the first lateral wall 316 and the sec-
ond lateral wall 317.
The closing structure of the package 300 is formed by a lid
340, which comprises a top wall 342, a front wall 344, a rear
wall 346, a lateral wall 348 and another lateral wall 349. The
lid 340 is swivelably connected to the receptacle 310 via a
hinge line 350 located at the lower edge of the rear wall 346
of the lid 340 and the upper edge of the rear wall 314 of the
receptacle 310. Because of its rigid structure and the pres-
ence of the inserts 330 and 331, the lid 340 secures itself
when in its closed position, such that there is no need for a
tab like tab 234 in the embodiment of Figure 2. However, an
optional tab or another locking means can enhance the stabil-
ity of the package in the closed position of the lid and can
also indicate the action of opening or closing the package by
a noise. General examples of suitable securing devices are
discussed further above.
The package 300 is used in the same way as the package 200.
Figure 3(a) shows the lid 340 in its closed position. In Fig-
ure 3(b) it is partially open, and the front wall 312 is par-
tially unfolded. In the views according to Figure 3(c) and
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Figure 3(d), the front wall 312 is almost fully swivelled away
from the rear wall 314, such that an easy access to the inte-
rior of the package 300 is possible.
The packages 200 and 300 can be made from cardboard blanks,
similar to the package 100. Although not explicitly shown in
Figures 2 and 3, the tobacco contained in the packages 200 and
300 can be kept fresh by means of a foil and/or a coating of
the materials of the packages, similar to package 100.
A fourth embodiment of a package for tobacco is illustrated in
Figure 4, which shows four isometric views of the package 400,
i.e. Figure 4(a), Figure 4(b), Figure 4(c) and Figure 4(d).
The package 400 comprises a box-shaped receptacle 410 having a
front wall 412, a rear wall 414, a first major lateral wall
416, a second major lateral wall 417, a first minor lateral
wall 418 and a second minor lateral wall 419. An access open-
ing 420 is arranged at the front wall 412, the area of the ac-
cess opening being somewhat smaller than the total area of the
front wall 412.
The access opening 420 can be covered by a fresh-keeping foil
422. An edge area of the fresh-keeping foil 422 is attached to
a first attachment area 424 located at the front wall 412 of
the receptacle 410 close to the second major lateral wall 417,
see Figure 4(c) and Figure 4(d). The opposite edge of the
fresh-keeping foil 422 is fixed at a second attachment area
425 located on the inside of a closing structure 430.
The closing structure 430 comprises a front wall 432, a rear
wall 434, a first minor lateral wall 438 and a second minor
lateral wall 439. The receptacle 410 can be slid into the
closing structure 430 such that a closed position is assumed,
in which the closing structure 430 surrounds the receptacle
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410, see Figure 4(a), and the fresh-keeping foil 422 covers
the access opening 420.
In order to expose the access opening 420, the closing struc-
ture 430 is moved with respect to the receptacle 410. Figure
4(b) shows an intermediate position. During this movement, the
fresh-keeping foil 422 folds back automatically, thereby re-
leasing the access opening 420.
A stop structure prevents the closing structure 430 from being
separated from the receptacle 410 after transfer to the opened
position. In Figures 4(c) and 4(d), this stop structure has
been latched out in order to show the receptacle 410 and the
closing structure 430 in a separated state and to permit a
view at the parts of the stop structure. In Figure 4(c), the
fresh-keeping foil 422 is still connecting the receptacle 410
and the closing structure 430, whereas in Figure 4(d), the
fresh-keeping foil 422 has been removed for providing a better
view.
The stop structure comprises a tab 440 cut from the blank
forming the receptacle 410 in an area of a cutout 442. The tab
440 interacts with a flap 444 folded back from an edge of the
rear wall 434 of the closing structure 430, see in particular
Figure 4(d). When the receptacle 410 is inserted into the
closing structure 430 and is moved towards the opened posi-
tion, the tab 440 grips into the flap 444, and the stop struc-
ture stops further movement when the tip of the tab 440
reaches the fold line of flap 444.
In the closed position, the fresh-keeping foil 422 covers the
access opening 420 and prevents the receptacle 410 from moving
out of the closing structure 430 in the opposite direction. In
a variant of the embodiment shown in Figure 4, the closing
structure 430 comprises a major lateral wall which provides a
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stop when the receptacle 410 is fully slid into the closed po-
sition. This major lateral wall can be provided with a cutout
for pushing onto the receptacle 410 when the package 400 is to
be opened.
Figure 5 shows an embodiment of the package which is very
similar to the embodiment of Figure 4. The package 500 in Fig-
ure 5, however, is opened by moving the receptacle in parallel
to the major lateral walls instead of in parallel to the minor
lateral walls.
To summarize, package 500 comprises a receptacle 510 having a
front wall 512, a rear wall 514, a first major lateral wall
516, a second major lateral wall 517, a first minor lateral
wall 518 and a second minor lateral wall 519. An access open-
ing 520 is automatically covered and uncovered by a fresh-
keeping foil 522, fixed at a first attachment area 524 located
at the front wall 512 of the receptacle 10 and at a second at-
tachment area 525 located at the inner side of a _closing
structure 530, when the closing structure 530 is moved with
respect to receptacle 510 to the closed position as shown in
Figures 5(a) and 5(b) or the opened position, as shown in Fig-
ure 5(c), respectively.
The closing structure 530 comprises a front wall 532, a rear
wall 534, a first major lateral wall 536 and a second major
lateral wall 537. Moreover, the closing structure 530 includes
a minor lateral wall 538 having a cutout zone 539, see Figure
5(b).
In Figure 5(d), the receptacle 510 has been separated from the
closing structure 530 in order to allow a view on the stop
structure comprising a tab 540 formed in an optional cutout
542 of the rear wall 514 of the receptacle 510 and a flap 544
folded back at the rear wall 534 of the closing structure 530.
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The embodiments according to Figure 4 and Figure 5 can be
folded from cardboard blanks. As before, the moisture of the
loose tobacco accommodated in the packages 400 and 500 can be
largely preserved by fresh-keeping foils (also inside the re-
ceptacle; not shown in the figures) or by an appropriate coat-
ing or by the choice of material for the receptacle and the
closing structure.
Figure 6 illustrates another embodiment of a package for to-
bacco, here designated by reference numeral 600. The basic
concept of the package 600 is similar to that of package 400,
but the receptacle can be slid with respect to the closing
structure, in parallel to the minor lateral walls, in both di-
rections such that two partitions of the receptacle can be ex-
posed independent from each other.
The package 600 comprises a receptacle 610, in which the total
front wall is designed as access opening 612. Further, the re-
ceptacle 610 includes a rear wall 614, a first major lateral
wall 616, a second major lateral wall 617, a first minor lat-
eral wall 618 and a second minor lateral wall 619.
The receptacle 610 is subdivided by a partitioning wall 620
(running in parallel to the first major lateral wall 616) into
a first partition 621 and a second partition 622. The first
partition 621 is designed to accommodate loose tobacco. The
second partition 622 is subdivided by further partitioning
walls 624 and 625 in order to store, e.g., a cigarette paper
booklet and other small items a consumer likes when self-
preparing cigarettes. The second partition 622 can also be
used to accommodate prepared cigarettes. To this end, a holder
626 (designed with a profiled area able to clamp individual
cigarettes or filter tips) is fixed to the inner side of the
second major lateral wall 617. In the embodiment, the second
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major lateral wall 617 is foldable about a hinge line located
at the common edge with the rear wall 614 of the receptacle
610. Two side extensions 627 of the second major lateral wall
617, which have arcuate upper edges, slide between the minor
lateral walls 618, 619 and respective folded-over inner parts
of the minor lateral walls 618, 619.
The partitioning wall 620 and the further partitioning walls
624, 625 may comprise rounded cutouts 628 to facilitate the
access to the stored items with the consumer's fingers. In the
embodiment, a similar cutout 628 is provided at the first ma-
jor lateral wall 616 of the receptacle 610. The second major
lateral wall 617 comprises a pulling tab 629 which even allows
to open the compartment comprising the holder 626 without mov-
ing the receptacle 610 relative to the closing structure de-
scribed in the next paragraph.
- In the closed position, a closing structure 630 surrounds the
receptacle 610, see Figure 6(a). The closing structure 630
comprises a front wall 632, a rear wall 634, a first minor
lateral wall 638 and a second minor lateral wall 639, but no
major lateral walls.
Figure 6(b) shows the opened position, after the receptacle
610 has been slid to one side in order to expose the first
partition 621. In Figure 6(c), the receptacle 610 has been
moved into the opposite direction into a second opened posi-
tion in which the items in the second partition 622 are pre-
sented to the consumer.
In the state shown in Figure 6(d), the receptacle 610 has been
separated from the closing structure 630. In a variant of this
embodiment, a stop structure is provided which blocks a fur-
ther movement of the closing structure 630 with respect to the
receptacle 610 beyond the opened position shown in Figure 6(b)
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and the second opened position shown in Figure 6(c), respec-
tively. For example, the stop structure can comprise a protru-
sion at one or both of the minor lateral walls 618, 619 of the
receptacle 610. At the end of each travel position of the re-
ceptacle 610 (i.e. when the opened position or the second
opened position= has been reached), this protrusion abuts at
the end edge of a tab folded back from the respective side of
the adjacent first or second, respectively, minor lateral wall
638, 639 of the closing structure 630.
For the embodiment according to Figure 6, similar materials or
fresh-keeping means can be used as for the other embodiments.
The embodiments described above are to be understood as exam-
ples. Many other embodiments are conceivable as well, for ex-
ample embodiments which apply the elements and structural fea-
tures of the embodiments explained in detail in a different
combination.
=
