CIGARETTE DISPENSING PACKAGE

• US 3,583,625 A
• Filed: 10/25/1968
• Issued: 06/08/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/1968
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gabriel Gero
• Original Assignee: Gabriel Gero
• Inventors: Gero, Gabriel
• Application Number:
  US04/770,743
• Time in Patent Office: 956 Days
• US Class Current: 206/264
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 5/721 consisting of mobile elements forming part of the containers or attached to the containers
• CPC Class Codes: B65D 85/1036 Containers formed by erecting a rigid or semi-rigid blank

Abstract

A cigarette dispensing package and blank therefore is disclosed, which package includes an outer shell within which is pivotally secured an inner shell. The inner shell is movable between a first position completely within the shell, in which position the cigarettes are thereby inaccessible, and a second position partially out of the shell in which the cigarettes are thereby accessible. Novel overcenter snap-lock means are provided to bias the inner shell to either of its two positions. Additionally, an opening tab means is removably secured to both the inner shell and the outer shell to maintain the inner shell in its first, inaccessible position when the cigarette package is unopened.

Claims

1. A package for cigarettes and the like, said package comprising:

an outer shell having a multiedge bottom surface and a plurality of sidewalls upstanding therefrom, the number of sidewalls being at least one less than the number of edges of said bottom surface such that said outer shell includes an elongated opening therein;

one of said sidewalls constituting a rear wall oppositely disposed with respect to said elongated opening, an inner shell pivotally connected to said outer shell and movable between a first position within said outer shell in which the interior of said inner shell is inaccessible and a second position partially out of the confines of said outer shell in which the interior of said inner shell is accessible; and

snap-lock means joining a rear wall of said inner shell with said rear wall of said outer shell for firmly seating said inner shell in said first and second positions, and for precluding said inner shell from being withdrawn completely out of the confines of said outer shell, said snap-lock means further maintaining said inner shell rigid and for precluding said inner shell from moving from either of its two positions accidentally.

2. The package of claim 1 and further including stop means secured to said snap-lock means for establishing the exact location of said second position as said inner shell pivots between its first and second positions.

3. The package of claim 1 wherein said snap-lock means comprises an overcenter hinge arrangement in the form of a toggle which biases said inner shell toward its first or second position depending on the position of said inner shell with respect to said outer shell.

4. The package of claim 1 wherein said inner shell includes a front wall which closes said elongated opening when said inner shell is in its first position, said front wall of said inner shell being hingedly secured to the one edge of said bottom surface of said outer shell which does not include a sidewall upstanding therefrom.

5. The package of claim 4 wherein said rear wall substantially abuts the rear wall of said outer shell when said inner shell is in its first position;

and wherein said snap-lock means comprises a joining member hingedly connected at opposite ends to the upper ends of the rear walls of said inner and outer shell respectively, said joining member passing overcenter with respect to a first imaginary diagonal joining the upper end of the rear wall of said outer shell with said one edge of said bottom surface whenever said inner shell is moved between its first and second position.

6. The package of claim 5 wherein the length of said joining member plus the length of a second imaginary diagonal joining the upper end of the rear wall of said inner shell with the lower end of the front wall thereof, is greater than the length of said first imaginary diagonal whereby a naturally biased overcenter toggle arrangement is formed which urges said inner shell toward its first or second position when said joining member passes over said first imaginary diagonal.

7. The package of claim 1 and further including opening tab means removably secured to said outer shell for maintaining said inner shell in its first position when said package is in its unopened state.

8. The package of claim 1 and further including opening tab Means removably secured to both said inner and outer shells for maintaining said inner shell in its first position when said package is in its unopened state.

9. The package of claim 8 wherein said opening tab is a generally elongated planar member having one end thereof removably secured to the upper end of the front wall of said inner shell;

said tab further including outstanding flap portions which are removably secured to the oppositely disposed sidewalls of said outer shell.

10. A package for cigarettes and the like, said package comprising:

an outer shell having a multiedged bottom surface and a plurality of sidewalls upstanding therefrom, the number of sidewalls being at least one less than the number of edges of said bottom surface such that said outer shell includes an elongated opening therein; and

inner shell pivotally connected at a lower corner edge to said outer shell and movable between a first position within said outer shell in which the interior of said inner shell is inaccessible and a second position partially out of the confines of said outer shell in which the interior of said inner shell is accessible; and

opening tab means removably attached by means of severable perforations in at least two places along the edge portions formed by said elongated opening in said outer shell for maintaining said inner shell in its first position when said package is in its unopened state, said opening tab means when removed providing finger notches on oppositely disposed sidewalls of said outer shell for providing manual access to said inner shell.

11. The package of claim 10 wherein said opening tab means are removably secured to both said inner and outer shells.

12. The package of claim 10 wherein said outer shell includes a rear wall oppositely disposed from said elongated opening;

said inner shell includes a front wall which closes said elongated opening when said inner shell is in its first position, said front wall of said inner shell being hingedly secured to the one edge of said bottom surface of said outer shell which does not include a sidewall upstanding therefrom; and

wherein said opening tab is a generally elongated planar member having one end thereof removably secured to the upper end of the front wall of said inner shell, said tab further including outstanding flap portions which are removably secured to the oppositely disposed sidewalls of said outer shell.

13. The package of claim 5 wherein said outer shell includes a top surface located in a plane parallel to said bottom surface;

and wherein the upper end of the rear wall of said inner shell is situated beneath the upper end of the rear wall of said outer shell; and

further including a stop member hingedly secured to said joining member but lying in the same plane as a sidewall of said inner shell, said stop member engaging said top surface to define said second position.

14. A blank for forming a package for cigarettes and the like, said blank comprising:

an outer shell rear wall panel having a pair of parallel longitudinal side edges and a pair of parallel end edges;

a pair of outer shell sidewall panels hingedly connected to respective ones of said pair of longitudinal edges of said outer shell rear wall panel;

a snap-lock panel having two pairs of oppositely disposed parallel edges, one edge thereof hingedly secured to one of said end edges of said outer shell rear wall panel;

an inner shell rear wall panel hingedly secured to the edge of said snap-lock panel which is opposite said one edge thereof;

a partial inner shell sidewall panel hingedly secured to one longitudinal edge of said inner shell rear wall panel;

a complete inner shell sidewall panel hingedly secured to the opposite longitudinal edge of said inner shell rear wall panel;

an inner shell front wall panel hingedly secured along one longitudinal edge thereof to the opposite longitudinal edge of said complete inner shell sidewall panel;

a second partiaL inner shell sidewall panel hingedly secured to the opposite longitudinal edge of said inner shell front wall panel; and

a triangular panel hingedly secured to one edge of said other pair of oppositely disposed parallel edges of said snap-lock panel to serve as a stop member for said inner shell in the open position.

15. The blank of claim 14 wherein said inner shell front wall panel includes first and second parallel end edges;

and further including an elongated opening tab having a pair of longitudinal side edges and a pair of oppositely disposed end edges, one of said longitudinal edges of said tab being removably joined to one of said pair of outer shell sidewall panels along a portion of its length, and one of said end edges of said tab being removably joined to one of said end edges of said inner shell front wall panel.

16. The blank of claim 15 wherein said tab is provided with a second oppositely disposed finger-grasping flap hingedly joined to the opposite longitudinal edge thereof, which second flap is adheringly but removably secured to the other of said pair of outer shell sidewall panels when said blank is folded to form said package.

17. A blank for forming a package for cigarettes and the like, said blank comprising:

an outer shell bottom surface having first and second longitudinal edges;

first and second outer shell sidewall panels each having a pair of oppositely disposed longitudinal edges and a pair of oppositely disposed parallel end edges, one end edge of each of said walls hingedly joined to one of said longitudinal edges of said bottom surface respectively;

an outer shell rear wall panel having a longitudinal edge thereof hingedly joined to one of said longitudinal edges of one of said outer shell sidewall panels, said outer rear wall panel having a pair of end edges;

a snap-lock panel having one edge hingedly joined to one of said pair of end edges of said outer shell rear wall panel, and snap-lock panel having a second edge parallel to said one edge thereof;

an inner shell rear wall panel having one end edge thereof hingedly secured to said second edge of said snap-lock panel and having first and second longitudinal edges;

a partial inner shell sidewall panel hingedly secured to said first longitudinal edge of said inner shell rear wall panel;

a complete inner shell sidewall having a first and second longitudinal edge, said first longitudinal edge thereof hingedly joined to said second longitudinal edge of said inner shell rear wall panel;

an inner shell front wall panel having a pair of end edges and first and second longitudinal edges, said first longitudinal edge thereof hingedly secured to said second longitudinal edge of said complete inner shell sidewall panel; and

a second partial inner shell sidewall panel hingedly secured to the second longitudinal edge of said inner shell front wall panel.

18. The blank of claim 17 and further including an elongated opening tab having one end edge thereof removably secured to one of said end edges of said inner shell front wall panel, and having one longitudinal edge removably secured to the other of said longitudinal edges of said one of said outer shell sidewall panels.