Hinged lid package and sheet material blank for forming hinged lid package

Abstract

A hinged lid package includes a body and a lid, where the lid is hingedly connected to the body along a hinge line disposed on a rear side of the package. The package includes a releasable locking device disposed on a front side of the package to releasably lock the lid and the body. A separate reinforcement strip is attached to the rear side of the package and extends over at least 50% of the width of the rear side. A blank of sheet material for forming the hinge cover package is also disclosed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to packaging for consumer goods, in particular to a hinge-lid package and a blank of sheet material for forming such a hinge-lid package. Background Art

[0002] It is known to package consumer goods, such as elongated smoking articles, in containers formed from folded laminar blanks. Elongated smoking articles, such as cigarettes, are typically sold in hinged-lid packages having a box for containing the smoking articles and a lid connected to the box about a hinge line extending across the rear wall of the container. The lid must be opened to gain access to the contents of the package. Summary of the invention

[0003] It may be desirable to ensure that the container remains closed until the user is ready to access the consumables. This can help secure the items in the container during transport and can help preserve one or more properties of the consumables, such as their freshness.

[0004] It is desirable to provide a novel and improved hinge-lid package having a fixed closure to prevent accidental opening of the hinge-lid package. In addition, it is desirable to provide one or more sheet material blanks wherein the manufacturing process is simple and cost-effective requiring little modification of existing machinery.

[0005] According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a hinged-lid package comprising a body and a lid, wherein the lid is hingedly connected to the body along a hinge line arranged on a rear side of the package. The package comprises a releasable locking device arranged on a front side of the package for releasably locking the lid and the body. A reinforcement strip is attached to the rear side of the package and extends over at least 50% of the width of the rear side.

[0006] Preferably, the reinforcement strip extends over 60% to 100% of the width of the rear side, more preferably over 80% to 100% of the width of the rear side.For example, the reinforcement strip extends over the entire width of the rear side.

[0007] Preferably, the reinforcing strip is a single strip attached to the inside of the package and extending over the entire width of the package. The reinforcing strip reinforces the rear side of the package against forces acting on the lateral sides of the package in a direction along the width of the package. The reinforcing strip increases the rigidity of the package, in particular the rigidity of the rear wall of the package, in view of the lateral forces.

[0008] Such hinged lid packages need to be pushed from the two lateral sides of the package in a direction along the width of the package to release the locking means on the front side of the package in order to open the package to gain access to its contents. Since the rear side of the package is reinforced by the reinforcing strip, the rear side of the package is more rigid at least in the region of the reinforcing strip. As a result, the lateral compressive force is transmitted to the front side of the package, resulting in an outward deformation of the front side of the package. Thereby, the locking means between the lid and the body are released.

[0009] The hinge-lid package according to the invention enables the package to be opened by more complex packaging handling, thereby enhancing the secure closure of the package to prevent unauthorised or accidental opening, particularly when the package is completely filled or nearly filled.

[0010] In particular, aerosol-generating articles for electronic devices (where parts of the article are heated rather than combusted) are typically shorter than conventional cigarettes. Consequently, hinge-lid packages for such aerosol-generating articles typically have a width greater than their height. This makes it less likely that a user will apply pressing forces to both sides of the package simultaneously during normal handling of the package. Thus, hinge-lid packages according to the invention also allow for reliable repeated opening of packages of different sizes with enhanced security against accidental opening.

[0011] Therefore, in combination with providing a reinforcing strip arranged along most of the width of the rear side of the package, by providing a locking device for the package on the front side of the package, the risk of accidental opening of the package can be further reduced. This is because due to the provision of the locking device and the size of the package, the two lateral sides of the package need to interact simultaneously. Therefore, a pressing force from two opposite sides of the package is required in order to unlock the locking device. Therefore, in the embodiment where the width of the package is greater than the height of the package, the present invention may be particularly advantageous. Preferably, the width of the package is greater than the height of the package. For example, preferably, the aspect ratio of the package can make the width of the package greater than 120% of the height of the package, more preferably, the width of the package is greater than 130% of the height of the package, and most preferably, the width of the package is greater than 140%. Preferably, the aspect ratio of the package can make the width of the package less than 300% of the height of the package, more preferably, the width of the package is less than 250% of the height of the package, and even more preferably, the width of the package is less than 220% of the height of the package. For example, preferably, the width of the package is greater than 75mm, more preferably, the width of the package is greater than 80mm, and most preferably, the width of the package is greater than 85mm or 90mm. The width of the package is preferably less than 200 mm, more preferably less than 150 mm. This is because in such embodiments, it is unlikely that a user will hold both sides of the package with one hand at any time. Therefore, during normal handling of the package, it is unlikely that a user will apply a pressing force to both sides of the package at the same time. This makes it less likely that the package will be accidentally opened.

[0012] A hinged lid package comprises a height, a width and a depth, wherein the lid forms the top of the package. To open the package, the lid can be tilted relative to the body of the package along a hinge line. The hinge line always extends along the width of the rear side of the package so that the top of the package opens to provide access to the consumer goods in the package.

[0013] Preferably, the width of the package is greater than the height of the package.The specific opening mechanism of the package as described in the present application is particularly advantageous for such packages, since these packages have only a limited height which, due to its limited height, is not available for other ways of opening the package.

[0014] Preferably, the locking device is not visible when the package is closed. Thus, any locking element of the locking device is arranged inside the package or is covered or covered by some part of the package when the package is closed. For example, a tab is inserted into a slit and into the inside of the package, an adhesive section is applied on the inside of the cover, or a part of the locking device is provided on the body, for example on the inner frame, which part is covered by the cover when the package is closed.

[0015] The reinforcement strip may extend across the entire width of the package, or may extend across the width of the package and on the lateral sides of the package.

[0016] Preferably, the reinforcing strip extends over the width of the package and over at least a portion of both lateral sides of the package.Preferably, the reinforcing strip extends over the width of the package and over both lateral sides of the package, thus also over the depth of the package.

[0017] Preferably, the reinforcement strips are arranged symmetrically with respect to a longitudinal median axis passing through the centre of the package.

[0018] The reinforcing strip may be arranged on the outside or inside of the package.Although the reinforcing strip may represent a design or marketing feature on the outside of the package, the reinforcing strip is preferably arranged on the inside of the package.

[0019] Preferably, the reinforcement strip is arranged on the inner rear side of the body of the package or on the inner rear side of the lid of the package.

[0020] Preferably, the reinforcement strip is arranged adjacent the hinge line.Preferably, the reinforcement strip is attached to the rear side of the package adjacent the hinge line.

[0021] The reinforcement strip may extend on the hinge line. Preferably, however, the reinforcement strip is fixedly attached to the rear side of the package but not to the hinge line so as not to hinder any opening or closing of the lid.

[0022] Preferably, the reinforcing strip is arranged and attached only to the inner rear side of the body of the package.Alternatively, preferably, the reinforcing strip is arranged and attached only to the inner rear side of the lid of the package.

[0023] Attaching a separate reinforcement strip to the rear side of the package has the advantage that an otherwise conventional package or conventional blanks for forming such a package may be used.

[0024] The reinforcing strip may be made of any suitable material, and is preferably made of a sheet material. Preferably, the reinforcing strip is made of paper, cardboard, plastic, metal or a combination of these materials. The reinforcing strip may be made of the same or different material as the material of the packaging.

[0025] The reinforcing strip provides rigidity to the rear side of the package.Preferably, the reinforcing strip is more rigid than the packaging material.

[0026] The reinforcing strip forms a stabilization zone on the rear side of the package. This is preferably achieved by a thicker wall portion on the rear side of the package in the area of ​​the interface between the lid and the body. However, the reinforcing strip can also be more rigid than the packaging material. For example, the material of the reinforcing strip can be thicker than the packaging material, or the structure of the material of the reinforcing strip can have a higher rigidity than the rigidity of the packaging material.

[0027] Preferably, the body and cover of the package and the reinforcing strip are made from the same material.

[0028] The reinforcing strip has an elongated shape. The longitudinal sides of the strip may be parallel and may be straight. However, the strip may also have different widths over its length and may be non-straight, for example curved.

[0029] The preferred shape of the reinforcing strip has two parallel sides. The most preferred shape of the strip is rectangular.

[0030] Preferably, the reinforcement strip has a rectangular shape on the rear side of the package.Most preferably, the reinforcement strip has an overall rectangular shape when extending on the rear side of the package and on the lateral sides of the package.

[0031] The reinforcement strip has a length and a width. The length of the reinforcement strip preferably corresponds at least to the width of the package.

[0032] The length of the reinforcement strip may be, for example, between 60 and 110 mm, preferably between 70 and 100 mm, for example 74 mm or 98 mm.

[0033] The width of the reinforcing strip can be adapted to the size of the package, and in particular to the position of the reinforcing strip on the package. For example, if the reinforcing strip is arranged on the cover or the body, the reinforcing strip preferably has a smaller width.

[0034] The width of the reinforcement strip may be, for example, between 3 and 22 mm, preferably between 5 and 18 mm, for example 8 mm or 15 mm.

[0035] Preferably, the locking means forms any one of an interference fit (including press fit, friction fit and force fit), form fit, magnetic fastener, Velcro fastener or adhesive fastener between the body and lid of the package. All types of fits or fasteners form a releasable fit or releasable fastener, preferably designed and suitable for multiple opening and closing actions.

[0036] Several locking means may be combined. For example, an interference fit may be combined with an adhesive fastener to further reduce the risk of misuse of the package.

[0037] The body of the package may include an internal frame. In these embodiments, the locking device may be arranged between the lid and the internal frame. When the hinged lid package is provided with an internal frame, the locking device is preferably arranged between the lid and the internal frame.

[0038] Preferably, the locking device comprises a male connector and a female connector. The male connector and the female connector form a corresponding fit, such as an interference fit, when connected to each other.

[0039] Preferably, the male connector is a latch, a tab or a protrusion. Thus, the female connector is preferably a recess, a slit or a cutout.

[0040] Such male and female connectors can be manufactured in a simple manner, for example by providing two cuts in a blank of sheet material, for example a straight cut and a corresponding curved cut.

[0041] The male connector can be arranged at the cover or the main body.Therefore, the female connector can be arranged in the cover or the main body.

[0042] Preferably, the male connector is arranged at the inner frame when arranged at the body of the package.

[0043] Preferably, the female connector is arranged in the inner frame when arranged in the body of the package.

[0044] The hinged lid package may include an internal frame, which is arranged in the main body, between the main body front side and the lateral side and the consumer goods in the package. The internal frame usually extends above the main body and extends into the lid when the package is closed. The internal frame can facilitate the closure of the package and can protect the consumer goods in the package (particularly the extraction opening). The internal frame usually includes an entry recess on the front side of the package. The internal frame is arranged on the inner surface of the front side of the main body. The internal frame can extend on the front side and two lateral sides of the main body. Preferably, the internal frame extends only on the front side of the main body or only on the front side and two lateral sides of the main body.

[0045] The reinforcing strip is part of the cover or body, but not part of the inner frame. Therefore, the inner frame and the reinforcing strip may overlap on the lateral sides of the body if both extend into the lateral sides of the package.

[0046] An internal frame may be provided in a hinged lid package to enhance the rigidity of the package. The internal frame is always positioned on the inner surface of the front side of the main body of the package, and may also extend on the lateral sides and eventually extend to a minimum into the rear side. Therefore, if an internal frame is provided, the internal frame may enhance the rigidity of the front side of the package. In the case of providing a reinforcing strip provided on the rear side of the package, any force applied laterally to the lateral side of the package is then mainly transmitted to the front part of the lid of the package, because the main body part may be too rigid to be significantly bent on the outside. Therefore, the locking device can be released by such lateral forces, and the lid can be substantially opened at the same time.

[0047] Preferably, the hinge-lid package according to the invention is made from a sheet material blank, wherein the panels representing the sides of the package are connected to each other by fold lines, and wherein the locking means are included in the sheet material blank. For example, the locking means may be defined from the sheet material blank by a cut line.

[0048] Preferably, the female connector of the locking means is formed by a straight cut in a blank of sheet material.

[0049] Preferably, the male connector of the locking device is formed by a curved cutout in a blank of sheet material. The curved cutout may for example be a semicircle, have a triangular, rectangular or square shape.

[0050] The length of the reinforcement strip extends along the width of the package and the width of the reinforcement strip extends along the height of the package.The reinforcement strip may extend along the entire width of the material blank or substantially along the width of the material blank.

[0051] According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a blank of sheet material for forming a hinge-lid package according to the invention and as described herein. The sheet material blank comprises a main body portion for forming the main body of the package and a lid portion for forming the lid of the package, wherein the main body portion and the lid portion are connected by a hinge line. A reinforcing strip is provided on the sheet material blank, for example applied to the sheet material blank, and locking means are included in the sheet material blank for forming a releasable locking of the lid to the main body in the formed hinge-lid package.

[0052] Hinged-lid packages are typically formed from a blank of sheet material in which a fold line is provided for folding the package from the blank. The locking means according to the invention are preferably integrated in the blank, for example by a cut line or protrusion which forms the locking means once the blank is folded.

[0053] Preferably, in the sheet material blank, the locking device comprises a male connector and a female connector, wherein the male connector or the female connector of the locking device is arranged in the cover part.Therefore, the corresponding female connector or the male connector is arranged in the body of the package.

[0054] Preferably, the sheet material blank comprises two cutting lines, one cutting line forming said male connector and the other cutting line forming said female connector. Preferably, the curved cut forms the male connector of the locking device and the straight cut forms the female connector of the locking device. One of the two cutting lines is arranged in the cover portion of the sheet material blank and the other of the two cutting lines is arranged in the body portion.

[0055] In particular, if such an inner frame part is provided, the other of the two cutting lines can be arranged in the inner frame part.

[0056] The sheet material blank may be a single-piece blank or a multi-piece blank. The parts or portions of the blank may be attached to each other while still forming the blank or when the parts of the blank are folded and assembled to form a hinge-lid package. Preferably, the sheet material blank comprises two separate parts. One part is formed by the combined body part and the lid part, and the second part is formed by the internal frame part.

[0057] Although the inner frame part may be integrated in a single blank of sheet material, preferably the inner frame part is a separate part of the blank of sheet material.

[0058] The reinforcement strip may be applied to the body portion or may be applied to the lid portion.Preferably, the reinforcement strip is arranged on one side of the hinge line so as not to hinder the folding of the sheet material blank and future opening and reclosing of the lid.

[0059] Preferably, the reinforcement strip is a rectangular strip and preferably extends over the entire width of the blank of sheet material.

[0060] The reinforcing strip may extend only over a portion of the width of the blank, in particular, the reinforcing strip may extend only over a portion of the width of the middle panel forming the rear side of the package. In these embodiments, the reinforcing strip is preferably arranged at the center of the middle panel so as to extend symmetrically to both lateral sides of the blank.

[0061] For the hinge-lid package according to the invention, blanks (e.g. laminar blanks) can be used which require only slight modifications compared to blanks used for conventional hinge-lid packages. In particular, existing machines require only minor modifications and are easily adapted to manufacture the blanks required for the hinge-lid package as described herein. Thus, the manufacturing process for the improved hinge-lid package is simple and cost-effective.

[0062] The present invention is defined in the claims. However, a non-exhaustive list of non-limiting examples is provided below. Any one or more features of these examples may be combined with any one or more features of another example, embodiment or aspect described herein.

[0063] Example Ex1: A hinged-lid package comprising a main body and a lid, wherein the lid is hingedly connected to the main body along a hinge line arranged on the rear side of the package, wherein the package comprises a releasable locking device, which is arranged on the front side of the package for releasably locking the lid and the main body, and wherein a reinforcement strip is attached to the rear side of the package and extends over at least 50% of the width of the rear side.

[0064] Example Ex2: A hinge-lid package according to example Ex1, wherein the reinforcement strip extends over 60% to 100% of the width of the rear side, preferably over 80% to 100% of the width of the rear side, for example over the entire width of the rear side.

[0065] Example Ex3: A hinge-lid package according to any of the preceding examples, wherein the reinforcement strip extends across the width of the package and over at least a portion of both lateral sides of the package.

[0066] Example Ex4: A hinge-lid package according to example Ex3, wherein the reinforcement strip extends across the width of the package and on both lateral sides of the package.

[0067] Example Ex5: A hinge-lid package according to any of the preceding examples, wherein the reinforcement strip is arranged on the inner rear side of the body.

[0068] Example Ex6: A hinge-lid package according to any one of examples Ex1 to Ex4, wherein the reinforcement strip is arranged on the inner rear side of the lid.

[0069] Example Ex7: A hinge-lid package according to example Ex5, wherein the reinforcement strip is attached to the back side of the package adjacent the hinge line.

[0070] Example Ex8: A hinge-lid package according to any one of examples Ex4 to Ex6, wherein the reinforcement strip also extends over the hinge line.

[0071] Example Ex9: A hinge-lid package according to any one of examples Ex5 and Ex7, wherein the reinforcement strip is arranged and attached only to the inner rear side of the main body of the package.

[0072] Example Ex10: A hinge-lid package according to any one of examples Ex6 to Ex7, wherein the reinforcement strip is arranged and attached only to the inner rear side of the lid.

[0073] Example Ex11: A hinge-lid package according to any one of the preceding examples, wherein the reinforcement strip is made of paper, paperboard, plastic, metal or a combination of these materials.

[0074] Example Ex 12: A hinge-lid package according to any one of the preceding examples, wherein the material of the reinforcing strip is more rigid than the material of the package.

[0075] Example Ex 13: A hinge-lid package according to any one of the preceding examples, wherein the body and lid of the package and the reinforcement strip are made of the same material.

[0076] Example Ex 14: A hinge-lid package according to any of the preceding examples, wherein the reinforcement strip has a rectangular shape on the rear side of the package.

[0077] Example Ex15: A hinge-lid package according to example Ex14, wherein the reinforcement strip has a generally rectangular shape.

[0078] Example Ex16: A hinge-lid package according to any one of the preceding examples, wherein the reinforcement strip has a length and a width, wherein the width of the reinforcement strip is between 3 mm and 22 mm, preferably between 5 mm and 18 mm, more preferably 8 mm or 15 mm.

[0079] Example Ex17: A hinge-lid package according to example Ex16, wherein the length of the reinforcement strip is between 60 mm and 110 mm, preferably between 70 mm and 100 mm, for example 74 mm or 98 mm.

[0080] Example Ex 18: A hinge-lid package according to any one of the preceding examples, wherein the locking device forms any one of an interference fit, a form fit, a magnetic fastener, a Velcro fastener or an adhesive fastener between the body and the lid of the package.

[0081] Example Ex 19: A hinge-lid package according to any of the preceding examples, wherein the body comprises an internal frame arranged partially within the body of the package, and wherein the locking device is arranged between the lid and the internal frame.

[0082] Example Ex20: A hinge-lid package according to any one of examples Ex18 to Ex19, wherein the locking means comprises a male connector and a female connector.

[0083] Example Ex21: A hinge-lid package according to example Ex20, wherein the male connector is a latch, a tab or a protrusion.

[0084] Example Ex22: A hinge-lid package according to any one of examples Ex20 to Ex21, wherein the female connector is a recess, a slit or a cutout.

[0085] Example Ex23: A hinge-lid package according to any one of Examples Ex20 to Ex22, wherein the male connector is arranged at the lid.

[0086] Example Ex24: A hinge-lid package according to any one of Examples Ex20 to Ex22, wherein the female connector is arranged in the lid.

[0087] Example Ex25: A hinge-lid package according to any one of Examples Ex20 to Ex22, wherein the male connector is arranged at the body.

[0088] Example Ex26: A hinge-lid package according to example Ex25, wherein the male connector is arranged at the inner frame.

[0089] Example Ex27: A hinge-lid package according to any one of examples Ex20 to Ex23, wherein the female connector is arranged in the body.

[0090] Example Ex28: A hinge-lid package according to example Ex27, wherein the female connector is arranged in the inner frame.

[0091] Example Ex29: A hinge-lid package according to any one of examples Ex19 to Ex28, wherein the inner frame comprises an access recess on the front side of the package.

[0092] Example Ex30: A hinge-lid package according to any one of examples Ex19 to Ex29, wherein the inner frame is arranged on an inner surface of the front side of the body.

[0093] Example Ex31: A hinge-lid package according to example Ex30, wherein the inner frame extends on the front side and both lateral sides of the body.

[0094] Example Ex32: A hinge-lid package according to example Ex31, wherein the inner frame extends only on the front side and two lateral sides of the body.

[0095] Example Ex33: A hinge-lid package according to any one of Examples Ex31 and Ex32, wherein the inner frame and the reinforcement strip overlap on the lateral sides of the body.

[0096] Example Ex34: A hinge-lid package according to any of the preceding examples, made from a blank of sheet material, wherein the panels representing the sides of the package are connected to each other by fold lines, and wherein the locking means is included in the blank of sheet material.

[0097] Example Ex35: A hinge-lid package according to example Ex34, wherein the locking means is defined from the sheet material blank by a cut line.

[0098] Example Ex36: A hinge-lid package according to example Ex35, wherein a straight cut in the sheet material blank forms a female connector of the locking device.

[0099] Example Ex37: A hinge-lid package according to any one of examples Ex35 to Ex36, wherein a curved cut in the sheet material blank forms a male connector of the locking means.

[0100] Example Ex 38: The hinge-lid package of any preceding example, wherein the package comprises a height, a width, and a depth, wherein the hinge line extends along the width of the package, wherein the width of the package is greater than the height of the package.

[0101] Example Ex39: The hinge-lid package of example Ex38, wherein the length of the reinforcement strip extends along the width of the package, and the width of the reinforcement strip extends along the height of the package.

[0102] Example Ex40: A sheet material blank for forming a hinged lid package according to any one of the preceding examples, the sheet material blank comprising a main body portion for forming the main body of the package and a lid portion for forming the lid of the package, wherein the main body portion and the lid portion are connected by a hinge line, and wherein a reinforcing strip is arranged on the sheet material blank, and a locking device is included in the sheet material blank for forming a releasable locking of the lid and the main body in the formed hinged lid package.

[0103] Example Ex41: A sheet material blank according to example Ex40, wherein the locking device comprises a male connector and a female connector, wherein the male connector or the female connector of the locking device is arranged in the cover portion.

[0104] Example Ex42: The sheet material blank according to example Ex41, comprising two cutting lines, one cutting line forming the male connector and the other cutting line forming the female connector.

[0105] Example Ex43: A sheet material blank according to example Ex42, wherein the curved cut forms a male connector of the locking device and the straight cut forms a female connector of the locking device.

[0106] Example Ex44: A sheet material blank according to any one of Examples Ex40 to Ex43, comprising two separate parts, wherein the inner frame part is one of the two separate parts of the sheet material blank.

[0107] Example Ex45: A sheet material blank according to any one of Examples Ex42 to Ex44, wherein one of the two cutting lines is arranged in the cover portion of the sheet material blank and the other of the two cutting lines is arranged in the body portion.

[0108] Example Ex46: A sheet material blank according to example Ex45, wherein the other of the two cutting lines is arranged in the inner frame portion.

[0109] Example Ex47: The sheet material blank of any one of Examples Ex40 to Ex46, wherein the reinforcement strip is applied to the body portion.

[0110] Example Ex48: The sheet material blank of any one of Examples Ex40 to Ex47, wherein the reinforcement strip is applied to the cover portion.

[0111] Example Ex49: The sheet material blank of any one of Examples Ex40 to Ex47, wherein the reinforcement strip is arranged on one side of the hinge line.

[0112] Example Ex50: The sheet material blank according to any one of Examples Ex40 to Ex49, wherein the reinforcing strip is a rectangular strip.

[0113] Example Ex51: The blank of sheet material according to any of Examples Ex40 to Ex50, wherein the reinforcement strip extends across the width of the blank of sheet material. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0114] Examples will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0115] Figure 1 The hinged lid package is shown opened;

[0116] Figure 2 Shows the closed state Figure 1 Hinged lid packaging;

[0117] Figure 3 shows a schematic perspective view of a hinge-lid package;

[0118] Figure 4 A rear view of a hinged lid package is shown;

[0119] Figure 5 Shows Figure 4 A side view of a hinged lid package;

[0120] Figure 6 A blank of sheet material for a hinge-lid package is shown; and

[0121] Figure 7 Another embodiment of a blank of sheet material for a hinge-lid package is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0122] Figures 1 to 5 The package is a hinge-lid package 1, wherein the outer shape has a similar design and construction, and similar elements are indicated by the same reference numerals in all drawings.

[0123] Each package 1 comprises an outer shell, the outer shell comprising a main body 10 and a cover 11, the cover being hinged to the main body along a hinge line 109 across a rear wall 102 of the shell. Each package 1 has opposite front and rear sides 101 and opposite lateral sides 105. The main body 10 has a bottom side 103 (at Figures 1 to 5 ), and the cover 11 has a top side (not visible in Figure 3 (see ).

[0124] exist Figure 1 In FIG. 1 , the hinge-lid package 1 is shown in an open state. Figure 2 Shows the closed state Figure 1 The hinged lid package 1 of FIG. 1 is shown in FIG. 1 . In the figure, the locking device 15 is indicated by a line arranged on the front middle section on the front side 101 of the package 1. Preferably, the locking device 15 is arranged on the inside of the package 1. Figure 2 In the closed state of the package shown in FIG, the locking device 15 is usually not visible from the outside.

[0125] Preferably, the housing is made of cardboard and contains a wrapped bundle of consumables 3, such as aerosol generating products. The bundle of consumables 3 can be made of a wrapper 30 (such as a metallized polymer film) such as a metallized polymer film. Figure 1 ) is surrounded by.

[0126] The package 1 has a width 401 which is longer than its height 400. Packages of such dimensions are often used to package so-called "hot sticks" which are used in electronic heating devices for aerosol generation. However, such a package may also be convenient for products in, for example, the food industry.

[0127] like Figure 1As can be seen in the figure, the locking device 15 is arranged between the cover 11 and an internal frame 12 arranged in the main body 10 of the package 1, wherein the internal frame 12 forms a part of the main body 10. The two locking elements 150, 151 of the locking device 15 form a releasable lock between the cover 11 and the main body 10, that is, between the cover 11 and the internal frame 12. One locking element 150 is located on the cover 11 and the other locking element 151 is located on the internal frame 12 of the package 1. In some embodiments, the two locking elements 150, 151 are embodied as a male connector (such as a protrusion or a paper tab) and a female connector (such as a slit, a cut or a pre-cut groove), which engage with each other when connected. Figure 1 In the embodiment of the present invention, the locking element 150 on the cover 11 is embodied as a male connector in the form of a curved protrusion. The locking element 151 in the inner frame 12 is only schematically indicated by a line and may be a female connector in the form of a straight cutout.

[0128] The male connector may be configured to be inserted into the female connector to fix the cover 11 to the body 10. The male connector and the female connector may have a substantially rectangular profile. Other shapes are, for example, substantially circular, substantially triangular, and the like.

[0129] For example, the locking device 15 with the schematic indication of the locking elements 150, 151 can also be embodied as an adhesive layer (e.g. on the inner side of the cover 11) and as an adhesive or non-adhesive outer surface on the inner frame 12 (receiving the adhesive inner side of the cover 11). Alternatively, the locking elements 150, 151 can be embodied as Velcro-type fasteners, both locking elements 150, 151 comprising a material element of the locking device 15.

[0130] The internal frame 12 may alternatively be a conventional internal frame known from hinged lid packages: attached to the inner surface of the front side of the body, comprising an access recess for removing the consumer goods 3 from the package 1 , and comprising lateral blocking tabs 121 which further define and secure the closed position of the lid 11 .

[0131] In an example, the internal frame 12 can be deployed in the receiving portion of the package to enhance the rigidity of the package 1. In another example, the internal frame can be used to enhance the arrangement of consumables in the package. In yet another example, the internal frame can be deployed with different thicknesses and widths to prevent counterfeiting of the package and further improve the aesthetics of the package. Examples of the internal frame can include a flat or white internal frame, a printed internal frame, a holographic internal frame, an anti-counterfeiting internal frame, etc.

[0132] Figure 3 For example, Figure 1 and 2Schematic perspective view of a hinge-lid package 1 shown in FIG. The locking device 15 is arranged on the front middle section of the front side 101 of the package 1. The rectangular reinforcement strip 201 is arranged along the width 401 of the rear side 102 of the package 1 and parallel to the hinge line 109 on both lateral sides 105 of the package 1. Figure 3 In the example shown in , the reinforcing strip 201 is arranged on the body 10 of the package 1. The width 256 of the strip 201 is preferably between 1 cm and 2 cm, for example 1.5 cm, wherein the package height 400 is between 45 mm and 50 mm, for example 48 mm, and the package depth 402 is between 12 mm and 20 mm, for example 15 mm.

[0133] Figure 4 and Figure 5 A rear view and a side view of a hinge-lid package 1 are shown. In these examples, primarily for illustration purposes, a reinforcing strip 201 is shown on the outside of the package 1. Although not necessary from a technical point of view, the reinforcing strip 201 is preferably applied to the inside of the package 1 and is not visible from the outside.

[0134] exist Figure 4 , it can be seen that the reinforcing strip 201 is a rectangular strip having parallel sides and extending over the entire width 401 of the rear side 102 of the package 1. The reinforcing strip 201 is arranged parallel to the hinge line 109 and slightly below the hinge line, for example 1 to 3 mm below the hinge line 109. Figure 5 As can be seen from the side view in FIG. 4 , the reinforcing strip 201 also extends over the entire width of the lateral side 105 of the package 1 and therefore also over the width 402 of the package 1. This not only enables a specific release mechanism according to the invention, but also enhances the stability of the package 1, in particular for releasing the locking mechanism and for opening the package 1 when the package is compressed laterally as indicated by arrow 50.

[0135] Figure 6 A blank 2 is shown for forming a hinge-lid package, for example Figures 1 to 5 The blank comprises two parts: a main blank 20 and a secondary blank 21. The main blank 20 comprises a body portion 110 and a cover portion 111 and is used to form the cover 11 and the body 10 of the package 1. The cover portion 111 of the main blank 20 comprises a first locking element 150 in the form of a curved cutout arranged in the middle of the main blank 20.

[0136] The secondary blank 21 is used to form the inner frame 12 of the package.The secondary blank 21 comprises a second locking element 151 in the form of a straight cut-out arranged in the middle of the secondary blank 21 .

[0137] Figure 6A secondary blank 21 is shown with left and right lateral panels 210, 220 and a middle panel 230. The cutout 151 is arranged substantially or completely symmetrically in the center of the middle panel 230 and extends over a portion of the width of the middle panel 230. The lateral panels 210, 220 are each provided with a lateral panel extension 211, 221 which can be folded onto the lateral panels. Alternatively, the lateral panel extensions 211, 221 can extend to the rear side 102 of the package 1 to enhance the stability of the lateral sides 105 of the body 10 of the package 1.

[0138] The side panels 210, 220 and the side panel extensions 211, 221 overlap the end portions of the reinforcing strip 201, especially if the reinforcing strip extends over the side panels 105 of the main blank 20, such as Figure 6 as shown in the example.

[0139] Furthermore, the main blank 20 is provided with respective lateral panels 115 and intermediate panels 116. The lateral panels 115 of the main blank 20 are used to form the lateral sides 105 of the package 1 .

[0140] The curved cutout forming the first locking element 150 is arranged substantially or completely in the center of the cover part 150 .

[0141] The reinforcing strip 201 is a paper strip applied to the main blank 20. Figure 6 As shown in , the reinforcing strip 201 forms part of the main body portion 110. Once formed from the blank, the reinforcing strip 201 is arranged adjacent to the hinge line 109 but does not extend on the hinge line so as not to hinder any opening or closing action of the lid. The length 255 of the strip 201 corresponds substantially to the width of the blank 20. The reinforcing strip 201 extends from the left edge of the left side panel to the right edge of the right side panel of the main blank 20. The width 256 of the reinforcing strip 201 can be a few millimeters, up to, for example, 20 millimeters, because the main body portion 110 provides space for a wide strip 201.

[0142] exist Figure 7 In FIG. 1 , another embodiment of a sheet material blank 2 comprising two parts is shown. One part is formed by a main blank 20 comprising a cover part 111 and a body part 110. The other part is formed by a secondary blank 21 comprising an inner frame part 120. The blank 2 has substantially the same Figure 6 Same setup and form as the blanks shown in .

[0143] exist Figure 7In the example of the present invention, the reinforcing strip 201 is a paper strip applied to the main blank 20, however, the reinforcing strip 201 forms part of the cover portion 111. Again, the reinforcing strip 201 is arranged adjacent to the hinge line 109, but does not extend on the hinge line. The length 255 of the strip 201 substantially corresponds to the width of the blank 20. The reinforcing strip 201 extends from the left edge of the left side panel to the right edge of the right side panel of the main blank 20. The width 256 of the reinforcing strip 201 is only a few millimeters, because the cover portion 111 does not provide much space for a wide strip 201.

[0144] For example, Figure 6 and 7 The operation sequence of forming a package from a blank shown in may be as follows. It should be understood that, based on user requirements, there may be modifications in the operation sequence, such as changes in the order of the operation sequence, adding new operations to form a package in an existing operation sequence, or removing existing operations from the operation sequence.

[0145] The sequence of operations preferably includes a blanking operation, a cutting operation and a reinforcing operation.

[0146] In the blanking operation, a primary blank 20 and a secondary blank 21 are formed, wherein the primary blank 20 is configured and intended to form the lid 11 and the body 10 of the package 1 , and the secondary blank 21 is configured and intended to form the inner frame 12 of the package 1 .

[0147] Based on the formation of the primary blank 20 and the secondary blank 21, a cutting operation can be initiated. During the cutting operation, the first locking element 150 is formed in the primary blank 20 and the second locking element 151 is formed in the secondary blank 21. In an example, for example Figure 6 and 7 As shown in FIG. 1 , the two locking elements 150 , 151 are cutouts that may be pre-cut in the primary blank 20 and the secondary blank 21 , respectively.

[0148] Upon completion of the cutting operation, a reinforcement operation may be initiated. In the reinforcement operation, a reinforcement strip 201 is attached (e.g., glued) to a portion of the main blank 20. In an example, the portion may be a rectangular area that may be disposed adjacent to the notch profile 205 of the main blank 20. It should be understood that the rectangular area is merely an example, and the reinforcement strip 201 may include any other shape, such as a rectangular area with a serrated or wavy end, or a substantially polygonal area, according to user requirements.

[0149] With the reinforcement operation completed, the primary and secondary blanks 20, 21 may be folded to form the body 10, lid 11 and inner frame 12 of the package 1. The inner frame portion 120 is preferably glued to the body portion 10 so as to form part of the body 10 of the package 1.

[0150] There are therefore three main processes that can be used to form the package, in which the order of the individual steps can be varied and the presence of an internal frame can be omitted, namely:

[0151] 1) Pre-cut blanks, one portion of which comprises a cover portion and a body portion, and optionally another separate portion is an inner frame portion;

[0152] 2) pre-cutting (one or more) blanks to form the locking device;

[0153] 3) Add reinforcement strips to increase the rigidity of the back side of the package.

[0154] Preferably, conventional preformed blanks are used and modified for the packaging according to the invention. In particular, the primary blank 20 may be additionally provided with cutouts for forming tabs for interlocking with the internal frame. The primary blank 20 is additionally provided with a reinforcing strip 201, preferably a strip of additional material. The secondary blank 21 is provided with cutouts for forming slits for interlocking with the tabs of the primary blank 20.

[0155] Examples of hinged lid packaging are:

[0156] Package width 401: 74mm; Package height 400: 48mm; Package depth 402: 15.3mm; Among them, the reinforcement strip:

[0157] - with the strip adhered to the rear of the body: strip length 255: 9.8 cm, strip width 256: 1.5 cm;

[0158] - With the strip adhered to the rear of the cover: Strip length: 9.8 cm, Strip width: 0.8 cm.

[0159] For the purpose of this specification and the appended claims, unless otherwise indicated, all numbers representing amounts, quantities, percentages, etc. should be understood to be modified by the term "about" in all cases. Moreover, all ranges include the disclosed maximum and minimum points, and include any intermediate ranges therein that may or may not be specifically listed in this article. Therefore, in this context, the number A is understood to be A±5%A. In this context, the number A can be regarded as including the numerical value within the general standard error for the measurement of the attribute modified by the number A. In certain cases used in the appended claims, the number A may deviate from the percentages listed above, provided that the amount of A deviation does not substantially affect the basic features and novel features of the invention claimed for protection. Moreover, all ranges include the disclosed maximum and minimum points, and include any intermediate ranges therein that may or may not be specifically listed in this article.

Claims

1. A hinged-lid package, the hinged-lid package comprising a main body and a lid, wherein the lid is hingedly connected to the main body along a hinge line arranged on a rear side of the package, wherein the package comprises a releasable locking device, the releasable locking device is arranged on the front side of the package for releasably locking the lid and the main body, and wherein a separate reinforcement strip is attached to the rear side of the package and extends over at least 50% of the width of the rear side.

2. A hinge-lid pack according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcement strip extends over 60% to 100% of the width of the rear side, preferably over 80% to 100% of the width of the rear side, for example over the entire width of the rear side.

3. A hinge-lid pack according to any preceding claim, wherein the reinforcement strip extends across the width of the pack and over at least a portion of both lateral sides of the pack.

4. A hinge-lid package according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the reinforcement strip is attached to the rear side of the package adjacent the hinge line.

5. A hinge-lid pack according to any preceding claim, wherein the reinforcement strip is arranged and attached only to the inner rear side of the main body of the pack.

6. A hinge-lid package according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the reinforcement strip is arranged and attached only to the inner rear side of the lid of the package.

7. A hinge-lid package according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the reinforcement strip has a rectangular shape on the rear side of the package.

8. A hinge-lid package according to claim 7, wherein the reinforcement strip has a generally rectangular shape.

9. A hinge-lid package according to any preceding claim, wherein the body comprises an internal frame arranged partly within the body of the package, and wherein the locking means is arranged between the lid and the internal frame.

10. A hinge-lid package according to claim 9, wherein the inner frame and the reinforcement strip overlap on the lateral sides of the body.

11. A sheet material blank for forming a hinged lid package according to any one of the preceding claims, the sheet material blank comprising a main body portion for forming the main body of the package and a lid portion for forming the lid of the package, wherein the main body portion and the lid portion are connected by a hinge line, and wherein a reinforcing strip is provided on the sheet material blank, and a locking device is included in the sheet material blank for forming a releasable locking of the lid to the main body in the formed hinged lid package.

12. The sheet material blank according to claim 11, wherein the locking device comprises a male connector and a female connector, wherein the male connector or the female connector of the locking device is arranged in the cover part.

13. The blank of sheet material according to claim 12, comprising two cutting lines, one cutting line forming the male connector and the other cutting line forming the female connector.

14. A blank of sheet material according to any one of claims 11 to 13, comprising two separate parts, wherein the inner frame part is one of the two separate parts of the blank of sheet material.

15. The sheet material blank according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the reinforcement strip is arranged on one side of the hinge line.

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