US3923239A

US3923239A - Cigarette case

Info

Publication number: US3923239A
Application number: US461851A
Authority: US
Inventors: Bong Gill Lee
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1973-05-22
Filing date: 1974-04-18
Publication date: 1975-12-02
Anticipated expiration: 1992-12-02

Abstract

A cigarette package having a tab which when pulled on by a consumer opens the package and dispenses two cigarettes simultaneously.

Description

Unlted States Patent 11 1 1111 3,923,239

Lee 1 51 Dec. 2, 1975 CIGARETTE CASE 1.6822104 8/1928 Andros 229/51 c 2.129887 9/1938 Tamurin [76] inventor? Bong 2,283,102 5/1942 Stephano 229/51 c Hannambong, Youngsan-ku, 2 415,117 2 1947 Tamarin 229/51 c x Seoul. Sou h Korea 2,474.166 6/1949 Rumsey. Jr 206/804 X 2,845,213 7/1958 Tumurin i i 229/51 C Wed 1974 3.260405 7/1966 Frischer 229/51 c x 121] App]. No.1 461,851

Primary ExaminerDavis T. Moorhead [30] Foreign Appllcatlon Priority Data May 22, 1973 South Korea 3075 [52] U.S. Cl. 229/51 C; 229/87 C; 206/804 [57] ABSTRACT [51] Int. Cl. B65D 5/54; B65D 17/00 {58] Field of Search 206/804; 229/51 C, 87 C A cigarette package having a tab whi h h ll d on by a consumer opens the package and dispenses [56] References Cited two cigarettes simultaneously.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 121.860 12/1871 Evans 7. 206/804 X 8 Claims, 13 Drawing Figures US. Patent Dec. 2, 1975 Sheet 1 of 3 3,923,239

US. Patent Dec. 2, 1975 Sheet 2 of3 3,923,239

Shet 3 of 3 US. Patent Dec. 2, 1975 CIGARETTE CASE CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority of Korean Application No. 3075 filed May 22, 1973.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to cigarette packages. Specifically it relates to a cigarette package equipped with a pull tab which allows a user to open the package and dispense the first two cigarettes in one step.

2. Description of the Prior Art At present, the typical manner in which a cigarette package is opened is by initially tearing the upper portion of the package with ones fingers and then by tapping the package with his other hand forcing the first several cigarettes out of the package. Another known device and method for opening a cigarette package consists of a thread which is attached to a tape connected to the upper portion of the cigarette package. In the latter case, the thread is pulled upwardly exerting a force on the tape to open the package. Both of these methods are inefficient and inconvenient.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention provides a cigarette package adapted to be easily and efficiently opened and facilitates cigarette removal from the pack concommitant with opening of the package.

The cigarette package of the invention is provided with a tab or cutting member. The tab is made preferably of cellophane and attaches to the inside of one of the lateral sides of the cigarette package. The side of the tab facing inwardly is provided with adhesive material which adheres to the two cigarettes adjacent the side of the cigarette pack. The tab extends from the inside of the pack and folds at the top at a right angle to an intermediate location below the top flaps and con ventional sealing tape. The tab is folded back over'the top flaps of the cigarette package to a position where the end thereof is exposed for access by the consumer. When the consumer opens the cigarette package of the present invention, he merely pulls outwardly on the exposed end of the tab, thereby tearing half of the top of the package of cigarettes along the edges. Due to the adhesion of the tab to two cigarettes in the package, these two cigarettes are pulled up with the tab. This results in great ease and efficiency in opening the package. The operations performed by this invention when the outward force is applied to the tabs are as follows:

1. Half of the top of the cigarette package is torn along the edges;

2. The torn portion of the cigarette package top is removed;

3. Two cigarettes are pulled upwardly so that they extend from the package; and

4. The tab is separated from the cigarettes which have been pulled up for easy access.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS This invention can be better understood with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a view of the cigarette package depicting the location of the tab within the package;

FIG. 2 is a sectional elevational view of the interior of the cigarette package which shows the position of the tab before it is pulled;

FIG. 3 is a sectional elevational view of the cigarette package similar to FIG. 2 but showing the position of the tab when it has been pulled to open the cigarette package;

FIG. 4 is a sectional elevational view similar to FIG. 2 showing the position of the tab after it has been pulled to elevate the first two cigarettes;

FIG. 5 is a development view showing the position of the tab with relation to the cigarette package blank which will be folded to form the cigarette package;

FIG. 6 is a transparent development view showing the position of the tab when the cigarette package is partially assembled;

FIG. 7 is a development view showing the position of the tab after the top of the package has been folded;

FIG. 8 is a view of the cigarette package in the fully assembled state;

FIG. 9 is a sectional elevational view of the location of the cutting member along line IVIV of FIG. 5.

FIG. 10 is an isometric view of the cigarette package of the invention with an arrow showing the direction in which force must be applied to the tab to open the package;

FIG. 11 is a view of the cigarette package of FIG. 10 showing the position of the tab after the package has been opened;

FIG. 12 is a view of the cigarette package of FIG. 10 after the tab has opened the package and has drawn a portion of the first two cigarettes from the package; and

FIG. 13 is a view of this cigarette package of FIG. 10 after the tab has been separated from the cigarette package.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT According to this invention, a tab 1 preferably made of cellophane, is adhered along an intermediate portion thereof, to the upper inner portion of one lateral side of the cigarette package blank 2. The adhesion of the tab 1 to the blank 2 is best seen in FIGS. 5 and 9.

The cigarette package blank 2 of FIGS. 1 and 5 is provided with longitudinal

top flap members

5 and 6, respectively, and

lateral sides

7 and 8, respectively. The

top flap members

5 and 6 are provided with slots 9 and 10 which align when the cigarette package is in the assembled state.

The tab 1 is provided with any conventional adhesive 4 to adhere to the cigarettes adjacent the tab 1 and conventional adhesive 11, best seen in FIG. 9, to adhere to the lateral side 7 of the cigarette package. Optional score lines 12 and 13, best seen in FIG. 13, may be formed on the tab 1 to facilitate folding of the tab 1 along line 12 at the top edge of the cigarette package and through the opening in the top of the package formed by slots 9 and 10.

As best seen in FIG. 9, the cigarette package blank 2 is provided with

vertical fold lines

14, 15, 16, 1 7 and

horizontal fold lines

21 and 22. The package sections between fold lines l4, l5 and 16, 17 form

lateral sides

7 and 8 respectively. The package section between

fold lines

15, 16 and 14, 17 form

longitudinal sides

18 and 19 respectively. The material below fold line 22 forms the package bottom 20. The blank 2 also has the tab 1 which is preferably releasably adhered to lateral side 7 at an upper location with a portion extending beyond the edge of the blank 2.

In the assembly of the cigarette package of this invention, a central or intermediate part of the tab 1 is adhered to the inner upper portion of lateral side 7. At the same time, when the wrapping paper or cigarette package blank 2 forms the cigarette case or package, the tab 1 is folded at a right angle at the top edge of lateral side 7 to extend inwardly along the top of the cigarettes below

flap members

5 and 6 to an opening formed by slots 9 and 10. As best seen in FIG. 7, the tab 1 extends through the opening formed by slots 9 and and is folded back again over the outside of

flaps

5 and 6 toward the edge of lateral side 7 to provide an exposed tab end. As seen in FIG. 8, assembly of the package is completed by securing the conventional sealing tape 3 to seal the package.

In operation, the consumer opens the new cigarette package of this invention by pulling the exposed tab end in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 10. As the tab 1 moves in the direction of the arrow, the tab 1 tears the top of the cigarette package from the opening formed by slots 9 and 10 to the top edge of lateral side 7. When the tab 1 has been pulled beyond the point wherein half of the cigarette package top has been removed, the two cigaretts adjacent tab 1 are drawn upwardly from the cigarette package as best seen in FIG. 12. Finally, when the tab member has elevated the cigarettes to the position shown in FIG. 13, the tab 1 is separated from the cigarettes and removed from the package.

As previously indicated, the tab or cutting member 1 of this invention provides the consumer with considerable convenience in opening the new cigarette package and in removing cigarettes therefrom. Further, the construction of the tab and the production of the composite cigarette package provide a very simple assembly operation.

I claim:

. A cigarette package comprising:

. a top;

. a front;

. a back;

. two sides;

. folded top flaps connected to the front and back of the package having aligned intermediate transverse slots therein;

f. a tab, having a width dimension the same as the cigarette package, releasably adhering to the inside of a lateral side of the package and continuously extending below said folded top flaps from said lateral side to the opening formed by the aligned slots in said folded top flaps and above said flaps from said opening back toward said lateral side; and

g. means for releasably attaching said tab to a cigarette;

whereby pulling said tab in the direction of said lateral side opens the top of the package and draws the cigarette up through the open top.

2. The cigarette package of claim 1 wherein the tab releasably adheres to a plurality of cigarettes.

3. The cigarette package of claim 1 further comprising score lines to enable the tab to fold at the edge of said lateral side and at the location wherein the tab passes through the opening formed by the aligned slots.

4. A blank for forming a cigarette package having formed thereon sections for two longitudinal sides and two lateral sides, two flap members to form a top, two flap members to form a bottom, slots vertically disposed centrally of the two flap members arranged to form the top thereof, said slots arranged for alignment in the assembled package state, a tab, having a width dimension the same as the cigarette package, connected to the blank along the top of one lateral side section, said tab extending above the top of the blank a distance greater than one-half the length of a longitudinal side of the blank; an adhesive applied to the tab at the lower outside portion thereof arranged to releasably adhere to the upper portion of two cigarettes when a package is assembled from the blank and filled with cigarettes.

5. The blank of claim 4 further comprising wherein the top length of the tab extending above the blank is equal to the length of a longitudinal side, in the tab a first score line coinciding with the upper edge of the lateral section of the blank to which it is attached and; a second score line located a distance from the first score line that is equal to one-half the length of the portion of the blank that defines the front of the cigarette package.

6. In a cigarette package having a first longitudinal side, a second longitudinal side, a first lateral side, a second lateral side, a bottom, a first top flap from the top of the first longitudinal side extending into the area defined by the cigarette package, a second top flap from the second longitudinal side extending into the area defined by the cigarette package, and a sealing tape, the improvement comprising:

a. intermediately disposed aligned slots in the top flaps;

b. a tab, having a width dimension the same as the cigarette package, releasably adhering to the inside of a lateral side of said cigarette package, which tab has a score line coinciding with the top of said side and which tab is folded along said score line to lie under the folded top flaps and extends through the slots in the top flaps and is folded back over the top flaps toward the lateral side to which it is attached to extend beyond the sealing tape; and

c. whereby a pulling force on the top portion extending beyond the sealing tape tears open the portion of the top flaps which is in contact with the tab.

7. The cigarette package of claim 6 further comprising th the tab a second score line located a distance from the first score line that is equal to the distance from the lateral side to which the tab is adhered to the slots in the top.

8. The cigarette package of claim 6 further comprising, in the portion of the tab located inside the cigarette package, two adhesive points to adhere to two separate cigarettes which face said side when the package is filled with cigarettes and whereby removal of the tab above the opening in the package. l= I

Claims

1. A cigarette package comprising: a. a top; b. a front; c. a back; d. two sides; e. folded top flaps connected to the front and back of the package having aligned intermediate transverse slots therein; f. a tab, having a width dimension the same as the cigarette package, releasably adhering to the inside of a lateral side of the package and continuously extending below said folded top flaps from said lateral side to the opening formed by the aligned slots in said folded top flaps and above said flaps from said opening back toward said lateral side; and g. means for releasably attaching said tab to a cigarette; whereby pulling said tab in the direction of said lateral side opens the top of the package and draws the cigarette up through the open top.

6. In a cigarette package having a first longitudinal side, a second longitudinal side, a first lateral side, a second lateral side, a bottom, a first top flap from the top of the first longitudinal side extending into the area defined by the cigarette package, a second top flap from the second longitudinal side extending into the area defined by the cigarette package, and a sealing tape, the improvement comprising: a. intermediately disposed aligned slots in the top flaps; b. a tab, having a width dimension the same as the cigarette package, releasably adhering to the inside of a lateral side of said cigarette package, whIch tab has a score line coinciding with the top of said side and which tab is folded along said score line to lie under the folded top flaps and extends through the slots in the top flaps and is folded back over the top flaps toward the lateral side to which it is attached to extend beyond the sealing tape; and c. whereby a pulling force on the top portion extending beyond the sealing tape tears open the portion of the top flaps which is in contact with the tab.

8. The cigarette package of claim 6 further comprising, in the portion of the tab located inside the cigarette package, two adhesive points to adhere to two separate cigarettes which face said side when the package is filled with cigarettes and whereby removal of the tab from the package elevates the tops of the two cigarettes above the opening in the package.