Cigarette box with attached coupon

• US 5,160,024 A
• Filed: 09/26/1991
• Issued: 11/03/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Philip Morris USA Incorporated (Altria Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Philip Morris USA Incorporated (Altria Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Evers, Donald H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gehman, Bryon P.
• Application Number:
  US07/766,048
• Time in Patent Office: 404 Days
• Field of Search: 206/264, 206/265, 206/268, 206/270, 206/271, 206/273, 206/275, 206/831
• US Class Current: 206/268
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/4233 Cards, coupons, labels or the like formed separately from the container or lid
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/6691 the container being provided with an internal frame or the like for maintaining the lid in the closed position by friction
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 85/1045 having a cap-like lid hinged to an edge
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 206/831 Detachable coupon

Abstract

A box-like cigarette pack has an outer member front wall which initially extends upward toward the top of the cigarettes within the pack. This extension may then continue over the top of the cigarettes in the pack. The outer member front wall is optionally weakened along the line which defines the standard location of the top of the outer member front wall. When the consumer first opens the pack, he or she can remove the extension by tearing or separating along this line of weakening. Thereafter, the pack is like a normal pack. Additional information can be printed on the extension or extensions of the outer member front wall. If provided, the portion which initially extends over the cigarette tops is a convenient size for use as a coupon or the like.

Claims

1. A cigarette pack adapted to contain a plurality of cigarettes, said cigarette pack comprising:

a box-shaped outer member with four substantially vertical walls and a bottom wall, wherein said substantially vertical walls include an outer member front wall having first and second substantially vertical edges on each side thereof, a first substantially horizontal top edge along the top thereof, and a first substantially horizontal bottom edge along the bottom thereof;

an outer member rear wall substantially parallel to and spaced form said outer member front wall, said outer member rear wall having third and fourth substantially vertical edges on each side thereof, a second substantially horizontal top edge along the top thereof, and a second substantially horizontal bottom edge along the bottom thereof, wherein said third substantially vertical edge is spaced form and juxtaposed to said first substantially vertical edge and said fourth substantially vertical edge is spaced from and juxtaposed to said second substantially vertical edge;

an outer member first side wall extending between said first and third juxtaposed substantially vertical edges;

an outer member second side wall extending between said second and fourth juxtaposed substantially vertical edges; and

a bottom wall extending between said first and second substantially horizontal bottom edge; and

a first panel connected to said outer member front wall along said first substantially horizontal top edge and having a first top edge, said first panel being free from attachment to any part of said pack other than to said outer member front wall along said substantially horizontal top edge;

wherein said first top edge of said first panel is at most as high as said second substantially horizontal top edge of said outer member rear wall and said first panel lies in coplanar or a substantially parallel plane as said outer member front wall in said cigarette pack.

2. The cigarette pack defined in claim 1 wherein said first panel is printed with predetermined indicia.

3. The cigarette pack defined in claim 1 wherein said first panel is connected to said outer member front wall along a first weakened line formed along said first substantially horizontal top edge of said outer member front wall so that said first panel can be easily torn out of the pack for complete removal from the pack.

4. The cigarette pack defined in claim 3 wherein said first weakened line is constituted by a line of perforations.

5. The cigarette pack defined in claim 3 wherein said first weakened line is constituted by a series of nicks.

6. The cigarette pack defined in claim 3 wherein said first weakened line is constituted by a score line.

7. The cigarette pack defined in claim 1 further including a second panel connected to and extending from said first top edge of said first panel toward said outer member rear wall, wherein said second panel is free from attachment to any part of said pack other than to said first panel along said first top edge of said first panel.

8. The cigarette pack defined in claim 7 wherein said outer member, said first panel and said second panel are formed from a single blank.

9. The cigarette pack defined in claim 7 wherein said second panel overlies the upper ends of the cigarettes in the pack.

10. The cigarette pack defined in claim 7 wherein at least one of said first panel and said second panel is printed with predetermined indicia.

11. The cigarette pack defined in claim 7 wherein said first panel is connected to said outer member front wall along a first weakened line formed along said first substantially horizontal top edge of said outer member front wall so that said first panel can be easily torn out of the pack for complete removal from the pack.

12. The cigarette pack defined in claim 11 wherein a second weakened line is formed along said first top edge of said first panel to facilitate separation of said first panel from said second panel.

13. The cigarette pack defined in claim 12 wherein said first weakened line is weakened to a greater extent than said second weakened line.

14. The cigarette pack defined in claim 13 wherein said first and second weakened lines are constituted by perforated lines and wherein the extent of weakening is determined by varying the size of the perforations.

15. The cigarette pack defined in claim 14 wherein said first weakened line is constituted by a series of cuts and said second weakened line is constituted by a line of perforations such that said first weakened line is weakened to a greater extent than said second weakened line.

16. The cigarette pack defined in claim 13 wherein said first weakened line is constituted by a series of nicks and said second weakened line is constituted by a score line such that said first weakened line is weakened to a greater extent than said second weakened line.

17. The cigarette pack defined in claim 1 further comprising:

a lid member adapted to rest above said outer member, said lid member having four substantially vertical walls and a top wall, wherein said substantially vertical walls include a lid member front wall corresponding to said outer member front wall;

a lid member rear wall corresponding to said outer member rear wall;

a lid member first side wall corresponding to said outer member first side wall;

a lid member second side wall corresponding to said outer member second side wall; and

a lid member top wall;

wherein each said lid member wall having a corresponding outer member wall functions as a continuation of said corresponding outer member wall when the lid is resting above said outer member, such that the combined height of each of said outer member walls with its corresponding lid member wall is substantially the height of a cigarette.

18. The cigarette pack defined in claim 17 wherein said outer member front wall is shorter than said outer member rear wall and said lid member rear wall is shorter than said lid member front wall.

19. The cigarette pack defined in claim 18 wherein said lid member is hinged to said outer member rear wall.

20. The cigarette pack defined in claim 18 wherein the height of said first panel is substantially equal to the height of said lid member front wall.

21. The cigarette pack defined in claim 18 further including a second panel connected to and extending from said first top edge of said first panel toward said outer member rear wall.

22. The cigarette pack defined in claim 21 wherein said outer member, said lid member, said first panel and said second panel are formed from a single blank.

23. The cigarette pack defined in claim 21 wherein said single blank is formed from paperboard.

24. The cigarette pack defined in claim 23 wherein said paperboard is between 0.010 inches and 0.014 inches thick.

25. The cigarette pack defined in claim 17 wherein said lid member front wall has a fourth substantially horizontal bottom edge, said lid member front wall further comprising a lid extension member connected to and extending from said fourth substantially horizontal bottom edge.

26. The cigarette pack defined in claim 25 wherein said lid extension member is folded 180 degrees along said fourth substantially horizontal bottom edge so that it lies substantially flat adjacent the inner face of said lid member front wall.

27. The cigarette pack defined in claim 17 further comprising:

an innerframe member of substantially the same stiffness as said outer member and positioned partly inside at least an upper portion of said outer member, said innerframe member including an innerframe front wall adjacent to said upper member front wall and having fifth and sixth substantially vertical edges along each side thereof, a second top edge along the top thereof, and a third substantially horizontal bottom edge along the bottom thereof;

an innerframe first side wall extending from said fifth substantially vertical edge toward said outer member rear wall; and

an innerframe second side wall extending from said sixth substantially vertical edge toward said outer member rear wall;

wherein said innerframe front wall extends up from inside said outer member front wall such that said second top edge is above said first substantially horizontal top edge and said third substantially horizontal bottom edge is below said first substantially horizontal top edge.

28. The cigarette pack defined in claim 27 wherein the central upper portion of said innerframe front wall has a cutout to facilitate consumer access to the upper ends of the cigarettes in the pack.

29. The cigarette pack defined in claim 27 wherein said lid member fits over and completely covers the portion of said innerframe member which projects above said outer member to close the pack.

30. The cigarette pack defined in claim 29 wherein said innerframe member is not attached to said lid member yet interferes somewhat with the opening of said lid member to keep said lid member neatly closed and to reduce the risk of the pack opening by accident.

31. The cigarette pack defined in claim 1 wherein said outer member is substantially semi-rigid.

32. The cigarette pack defined in claim 31 wherein said first panel is substantially semi-rigid.